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Ahl al-Kisa (Arabic:أَهْل ٱلْكِسَاء,romanized: ʾAhl al-Kisāʾ,lit. 'people of the cloak' ), also known as theAl al-Aba (Arabic:آل ٱلْعَبَاء,romanized: ʾĀl al-ʿabāʾ,lit. 'family of the cloak' ), areMuhammad theIslamic prophet, his daughterFatima, his cousin and son-in-lawAli, and his two grandsonsHasan andHusayn.
The name has its origins in thehadith of the cloak (Arabic:ٱلْكِسَاء,romanized: al-kisāʾ) and theevent of themubahala, both widely reported bySunni andShi'i authorities as evidence of the high spiritual rank of the "people of the cloak" inIslam. In Shi'a Islam, Ali, Hasan, and Husayn are the first threeImams and the rightful political and spiritual successors of Muhammad. Shi'a who are notZaydis also regard the Ahl al-Kisa as infallible and believe in the redemptive power of theirpain and martyrdom.
According to the hadith of thekisa, on one occasion at least, Muhammad gathered his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn under his cloak[1][2] and then prayed, "O God, these are myahl al-bayt (lit. 'the people of my house') and my closest family members; remove defilement from them and purify them completely," where this last statement is a reference to verse 33:33 of theQuran,[1][2] known also as theverse of purification.[3] These five have thus become known as the Ahl al-Kisa (lit. 'people of the cloak').[4]
Variants of this tradition can be found inSahih Muslim,[5][4]Sunan al-Tirmidhi, andMusnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal,[5] all canonical collections inSunni Islam. Other versions are reported by the Sunni scholarsibn Kathir (d. 1373), al-Wahidi (d. 1075),Qadi Baydawi (d. 1319),al-Baghawi (d. 1122),al-Suyuti (d. 1505),[6]al-Hakim al-Nishapuri (d. 1014),[7] andal-Tabari (d. 923),[8] and by theTwelver Shi'a exegeteMuhammad Husayn Tabataba'i (d. 1981),[6] among many others.
After an inconclusive debate aboutJesus between Muhammad and a delegation from theChristian community of Najran, both parties decided to engage inmubāhala, where they would pray to invoke God's curse upon whoever was the liar. Linked to this ordeal isverse 3:61 of the Quran, also known as the "verse of themubahala", which instructed Muhammad:[9][10][11]
And to whomsoever disputes with thee over it, after the knowledge that has come unto thee [about Jesus], say, "Come! Let us call upon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us pray earnestly, so as to place the curse of God upon those who lie."[12]
The delegation withdrew from the challenge and negotiated for peace.[13]
The majority of reports indicate that Muhammad appeared for the occasion of themubāhala accompanied by Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn.[14] Such reports are presented by the early scholarsibn Ishaq (d. 767),Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 1209),[15]Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (d. 875),[16][17]al-Hakim al-Nishapuri (d. 1014),[16] andibn Kathir (d. 1373),[18] among others. Some traditions about themubāhala add that Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn stood under Muhammad's cloak.[19][4][20][21]
Families of the past prophets hold a prominent position in the Quran. Therein, their descendants become spiritual and material heirs to keep their fathers' covenants intact.[22][23] Muhammad's close kin are also mentioned in the Quran in various contexts.[24]
Also known as the verse of purification,[3] the last passage of verse 33:33 reads, "God only desires to remove defilement from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and to purify you completely."[6] Muslims disagree as to who belongs to the Ahl al-Bayt (lit. 'people of the house').[2] Shia Islam limits the Ahl al-Bayt to the Ahl al-Kisa, namely, Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hasan and Husayn.[25][26] The verse of purification is thus regarded in Shia Islam as evidence of the infallibility of the Ahl al-Kisa.[8] Shias also believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by the Ahl al-Bayt (particularly by Husayn) for those who empathize with their divine cause and suffering.[27][28] There are various views in Sunni Islam, though a typical compromise is to also include Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt.[20]
Known as the verse of themawadda (lit. 'affection' or'love'), verse 42:23 of the Quran contains the passage, "[O Mohammad!] Say, 'I ask not of you any reward for it, save affection among kinsfolk.'"[29] The Shia-leaning historian ibn Ishaq narrates that Muhammad specified that the relativesفي القربى) in this verse are Ali, Fatima, and their two sons, Hasan and Husayn.[30] This is also the view of some Sunni scholars, including al-Razi, Baydawi,[31] and ibn al-Maghazli.[30] Most Sunni authors, however, reject the Shia view and offer various alternatives;[29] chief among them is that this verse enjoins love for kin in general.[32][33]
Verses 76:5-22 are connected to the Ahl al-Kisa in most Shia and some Sunni sources, including the works of the Shia exegeteal-Tabarsi (d. 1153), and the Sunni scholarsal-Qurtubi (d. 1273) andal-Alusi (d. 1854).[34] According to these authors, verses 76:5–22 were revealed to Muhammad after Ali, Fatima, Hasan, Husayn, and their maidservant Fidda gave away their only meal of the day to beggars who visited their home, for three consecutive days.[35][36] In particular, verses 76:7–12 read,
They fulfill their vows and fear a day whose evil is widespread, and give food, despite loving it, to the indigent, the orphan, and the captive. "We feed you only for the Face of God. We do not desire any recompense or thanks from you. Truly we fear from our Lord a grim, calamitous day." So God has shielded them from the evil of that Day, bestowed upon them radiance and joy, and rewarded them for having been patient with a Garden and with silk.[37]