Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أَهْل ٱلْبَيْت, lit. 'people of the house') refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Sunni Islam, the term has also been extended to all descendants of the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and even to all Muslims.[1][2] In Shia Islam, the term is limited to Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and their two sons, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. A common Sunni view adds the wives of Muhammad to these five.[3]
While all Muslims revere the Ahl al-Bayt,[4][5] it is the Shia Muslims who hold the Ahl al-Bayt in the highest esteem, regarding them as the rightful leaders of the Muslim community after Muhammad. The Twelver Shiʿa also believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by the members of the Ahl al-Bayt, particularly Husayn.[2][4]
Definition[edit]
When ahl (أهل) appears in construction with a person, it refers to his blood relatives. However, the word also acquires wider meanings with other nouns.[6] In particular, bayt (بَيْت) is translated as 'habitation' and 'dwelling',[7] and thus the basic translation of ahl al-bayt is '(the) inhabitants of the house'.[6] That is, ahl al-bayt literally translates to '(the) people of the house'. In the absence of the definite article al-, the literal translation of ahl bayt is 'household'.[6]
Other prophets[edit]
The phrase ahl al-bayt appears three times in the Quran, the central religious text of Islam, in relation to Abraham (11:73), Moses (28:12), and Muhammad (33:33).[6] For Abraham and Moses, ahl al-bayt in the Quran is unanimously interpreted as family.[6] Yet merit is also a criterion of membership in a prophet's family in the Quran.[7] That is, pagan or disloyal members of the families of the past prophets are not excluded from God's punishment.[1][8] In particular, Noah's family is saved from the deluge, except his wife and one of his sons, about whom Noah's plea was rejected according to verse 11:46, "O Noah, he [your son] is not of your family (ahl)."[9] Families of the past prophets are often given a prominent role in the Quran.[10] Therein, their kin are selected by God as the spiritual and material heirs to the prophets.[11][12]