Hadith al

 

Hadith al­Thaqalayn (Quran & Ahl al-Bayt)

A Study of Its Tawatur according to sunni references

Contents:

Hadith Thaqalyn(Quran and Ahlul Bayt) at Arafat

Hadith Thaqalyn(Quran and Ahlul Bayt) at Qhadir Khum

Hadith Thaqalyn(Quran and Ahlul Bayt) in the Mosque of Madinah

Hadith Thaqalyn(Quran and Ahlul Bayt) in the Prophet's Chamber During His Last Illness

 "Purification Verse" (Ayah al-Tat'hir) 

Hadith Kasa(cloak) narreted by Aisha

Hadith Kasa(cloak) narreted by Safyyah

The Long-Term Custom of the Prophet After the Revelation of the Purification Verse

The Incident of Mubahala

1. At `Arafat

Al­Tirmidhi in his Sunan (v, 662, no. 3786) records the following tradition

....Jabir ibn `Abd Allah said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah - upon whom be God's peace and benedictions - in the course of his hajj pilgrimage on the day of `Arafah. The Prophet (S) was seated on his camel, al­Qaswa', and was delivering a sermon. I heard him say: 'O people, I am leaving among you that which if you hold on to you shall never go astray: the Book of Allah and my kindred, my household."

Al­Tirmidhi states that the same tradition has been narrated by Abu dzarr, Abu Sa`id, Zayd ibn Arqam and Hudhayfah ibn Usayd.

Among others who have recorded this tradition are:

al­Hafiz Ibn Abi Shaybah, as in Kanz al­`ummal (1st ed.), i, 48;

al­`Uqayli in al­Du`afa' al­Kabir, ii, 250;

al­Hakim al­Tirmidhi, Nawadir al-'usul, 68, 50th asl;

al­Tabarani, al­Mu`jam al­kabir, iii, 63, no. 2679;

al­Khatib, al­Muttafiq wa al­muftariq, cf. Kanz al­`ummal, i, 48 and Majma' al­zawa'id, v, 195; ix, 163, x, 363, 268;

al­Baghawi, al-Masabih, ii, 206;

Ibn al­'Athir, Jami` al­'usul, i, 277, no. 65;

al-Rafi`i, al­Tadwin, ii, 264 (in the biographical account of Ahmad ibn Mihran al­Qattan; this hadith has been deleted in the Indian print, but is present in the manuscripts of the book ! );

al­Mizzi, Tahdhib al­kamal, x, 51, and Tuhfat al­'ashraf, ii, 278, no. 2615;

al­Qadi al­Baydawi, Tuhfat al­'ashraf;

al­Khwarazmi, Maqtal al­Husayn (A), i, 144;

al­Khatib al­Tabrizi, Mishkat al­masabih, iii, 258;

Ibn Kathir, Tafsir (Bulaq edition, on the margin of Fath al­bayan), ix, 115;

al-Zarandi, Nazm al­durar al­simtayn, 232;

al­Maqrizi, Ma`rifat ma yajib li Al al­Bayt al­Nabawi, 38.

2. At Ghadir Khumm:

Al­Nasa'i in his al­Sunan al­kubra, 96, No. 79, records the following tradition in the chapter "Khasa'is `Ali":

Al­Nasa'i narrates from Muhammad ibn al­Muthanna, he from Yahya ibn Hammad, from Abu 'Uwwanah, from Sulayman, from Habib ibn Abi Thabit, from Abu al­Tufayl, from Zayd ibn Arqam, who said, "When the Messenger of Allah (A) returned from the last hajj and came down at Ghadir Khumm....

"Then he declared: 'I am about to answer the call (of death). Verily, I have left two precious things (thaqalayn) among you, one of which is greater than the other: the Book of God and my `Itrah, my Ahl al­Bayt. So watch out how you treat them after me. For, indeed, they will never separate until they return to me by the side of the Pond.' Then he said, 'Verily, God is my master (mawlaya) and I am the wali of every believer.' Then he took `Ali's hand and declared, 'To whomever I am his wali, this one is also his wali. My God, befriend whoever befriends him and be hostile to whoever is hostile to him.'" Abu al­Tufayl says: "I said to Zayd, 'Did you hear it from the Prophet(S)?' He replied, 'There was no one in the caravan who did not see it with his eyes and hear it with his ears,'"

Khasa'is `Ali is part of al­Nasa'i's al­Sunan al­kubra as shown by the 3rd volume of the MS in the king's collection in Morocco, written in 759/1358 folios 81-117. See also in this regard the introduction of al­Khasa'is (Kuwait: Maktabat al­Mu`alla, 1406), ed. by Ahmad Mirayn Balushi. The editor states that this tradition is sahih and its transmitters are thiqah.

Among others who have recorded it in their books are:

Al-Bukhari, al­Ta'rikh al­kabir, iii, 96;

Muslim, Sahih, bab fada'il `Ali, no. 2408;

Ahmad, Musnad, iii, 17, iv, 366;

`Abd ibn Humayd, Musnad, no. 265;

Ibn Sa`d, and

Abu Ya`la from Abu Sa`id, as mentioned in Jam` al­jawami` and Kanz al­`ummal;

Ishaq ibn Rahwayh, in his Sahih., as mentioned by Ibn Hajar in al­Matalib al­`aliyah, iv, 65, no. 1873, where he states that its isnad is sahih, and also by al-Busayri in Ithaf al­sadah (MS in Topcopi Library, vol. 3, F.55b) who, too, considers the isnad as sahih;

Ibn Khuzaymah, Sahih, MS in Topcopi Library, F.240;

al­Darimi, Sunan, ii, 310, no. 2319;

Abu Dawud, Sunan, as mentioned in Sibt ibn al­Jawzi, Tadhkirat khawass al­'ummah, 322;

Abu 'Uwwanah, Musnad, as mentioned in al­Shaykhani, al­Sirat al­sawi;

al­Bazzaz, from Umm Hani, as mentioned in Wasilat al­ma'al;

Ibn Abi 'Asim, Kitab al­Sunnah, 629, no. 1551, 630, no. 1555, 629, no. 1551;

al­Ya`qubi, Ta'rikh, ii, 112;

al­Baladhuri, Ansab al­'ashraf, 110, no. 48, the biographical account of `Ali (A);

al­Hafiz al­Hasan ibn Sufyan al­Nasawi, the author of Musnad, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, as mentioned by Abu Nu`aym, al­Hilyah, i, 355,

al­Fasawi, al­Ma`rifah wa al­ta'rikh, i, 536;

Ibn Jarir al­Tabari, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd, Zayd ibn Arqam (with al­Nasa'i's wording as well as with the wording of Muslim), Abu Sa`id al­Khudri, as cited in Jam` al­jawami`, ii, 357, 395, Kanz al-`ummal, 12911, xiii, 36441, 36340, 37620, 37621, 36341, Jami` al-'ahadith, vii, 14523, 15112, 15122, 15113, iv, 7773, 8072, 8073;

al­Dulabi, al­Dhurriyyat al­tahirah, no. 228;

al­Hafiz al­Tahawi, Mushkil al 'athar, ii, 307, iv, 368;

al­Hakim al­Tirmidhi, Nawadir al-'usul, from Hudhayfah ibn Usayd;

al­Tabarani, al­Mu`jam al­kabir, iii, 2679, 2681, 2683, 3052, v, 4969, 4970, 4971, 4986, 5026, 5028;

al­Hakim, al­Mustadrak `ala al­Sahihayn, iii, 109, 110 where he expressly states, as mentioned above, that the tradition is sahih in accordance with the criteria of al­Bukhari and Muslim; al­Dhahabi has confirmed his judgement;

Abu Nu`aym, Hilyat al­'awliya', i, 355, ix, 64;

al­Bayhaqi, al­Sunan al­kubra, ii, 148, vii, 30, x, 114;

al­Khatib, Ta'rikh Baghdad, viii, 442;

Ibn al­Maghazili, Manaqib Amir al­Mu'minin (A), 23;

Ibn `Asakir, Ta'rikh Dimashq, ii, 45, no. 547, the biographical account of `Ali (A), and v, 436 of Badran's edition in the biographical account of Zayd ibn Arqam;

al­Baghawi, Masabih al­Sunnah, ii, 205 and Sharh al­Sunnah (MS in Topcopi Libary, vol. 2, F. 718), bab Manaqib Ahl al­Bayt;

Ibn al­'Athir, Usd al­ghabah, iii, 92 in the biographical account of 'Amir ibn Layla, no. 2727;

Ibn Hajar, al­'Isabah in the biographical account of 'Amir;

al-Mizzi, Tuhafat al­'ashraf, iii, 203, no. 3688 from Muslim and al­Nasa'i;

al­Diya' al­Muqaddisi, al­Mukhtarah, as cited by al­Samhudi and al­Sakhawi;

Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaj al­Sunnah, iv, 85;

al-Dhahabi, Talkhis al­Mustadrak, iii, 109;

Ibn Kathir, al­Bidayah wa al­nihayah, v, 209, vi, 199, from al­Nasa'i, where he quotes al­Nasa'i's statement that this narration is sahih;

al­Khazin, Tafsir under verses 42:23 and 3:103;

al­Mulla, Wasilat al­muta`abbidin, v, 199;

al-Haythami, Majma` al­zawa'id, ix, 163 from Zayd, 164 from Hudhayfah.

3. In the Mosque of Madinah:

Ibn `Atiyyah in the introduction of his tafsir, al­Muharrar al­wajiz, i, 34 records the following narration:

...It is narrated that he (i.e. the Prophet) - upon whom be peace - said in the last sermon that he delivered during his illness: "O people, I leave behind two precious things (thaqalayn) amongst you...: the Book of God - which is a rope between Him and you, whose one end is in His hand and whose other end is in your hands ­ so act according to its muhkamat and believe in its mutashabihat; consider as lawful that which it regards as lawful and consider as forbidden that which it regards as unlawful - and my `Itrah and my Ahl al­Bayt, who are the second thaql. So don't outstrip them (fa la tasbiquhum ), for then you shall perish."

Unfortunately in the printed versions of it fa la tasbiquhum has been altered as fa la tasbi`uhum (a meaningless expression). This tradition has also been narrated by:

Abu Hayyan in his tafsir, al­Bahr al­muhit, i, 12 (with identical wording, except that in a published version of it there is fa la tasubbuhum, i.e. so don't curse them, instead of fa la tasbiquhum);

Ibn Hajar, al­Sawa`iq al­muhriqah, 75, 136;

Yahya ibn al­Hasan, Akhbar al­Madinah with his isnad from Jabir, as cited in Yanabi` al­mawaddah, 40.

4. In the Prophet's Chamber During His Last Illness:

Ibn Abi Shaybah, as cited by Al­`Isami in Simt al­nujum al­'awali, ii, 502, no. 136, has narrated the following tradition:

The Messenger of Allah (S) said during his last illness: "Soon I am going to pass away and I have extended to you my plea of excuse. Lo, verily I leave behind amongst you two precious things: the Book of Allah , the Almighty and the Glorious, and my kindred (`Itrah)." Then he took `Ali's hand and raised it, saying, "This `Ali is with the Qur'an and the Qur'an is with `Ali. The two will not separate until they return to me by the Pond. Then I will ask the two as to how they were treated after me."

Among the narrators of this tradition are:

al­Bazzaz, Musnad, as mentioned in Kashf al­'astar, iii, 221, no. 2612;

Muhammad ibn Ja`far al­Razzaz, from Umm Salamah (where she is explicit that the Prophet [S] made this pronouncement in his chamber which was filled by the Companions), as cited in Wasilat al­ma'al;

Al­'Azhari, Tahdhib al­lughah, ix, 78;

al­Khatib al­Khwarazmi, Maqtal al­Husayn (A), i, 164, from Ibn `Abbas;

 "Purification Verse" (Ayah al-Tat'hir) :

The Holy Book of Allah mentions Ahlul-Bayt and their exceptional virtue in the following verse which is known as Ayah al-Tat'hir:

"Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you with a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33)

Narrated Aisha:

One day the Prophet (PBUH&HF) came out afternoon wearing a black cloak (upper garment or gown; long coat), then al-Hasan Ibn Ali came and the Prophet accommodated him under the cloak, then al-Husain came and entered the cloak, then Fatimah came and the Prophet entered her under the cloak, then Ali came and the Prophet entered him to the cloak as well. Then the Prophet recited: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a perfect purification (the last sentence of Verse 33:33)."

reference:

Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of the virtues of the Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet (PBUH&HF), 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1883, Tradition #61

Another version of the "Tradition of Cloak" is written in Sahih al-Tirmidhi, which is narrated in the authority of Umar Ibn Abi Salama, the son of Umm Salama (another wife of Prophet), which is as follows:

The verse "Verily Allah intends to ... (33:33)" was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH&HF) in the house of Umm Salama. Upon that, the Prophet gathered Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain, and covered them with a cloak, and he also covered Ali who was behind him. Then the Prophet said: "O' Allah! These are the Members of my House (Ahlul-Bayt). Keep them away from every impurity and purify them with a perfect purification." Umm Salama (the wife of Prophet) asked: "Am I also included among them O Apostle of Allah?" the Prophet replied: "You remain in your position and you are toward a good ending."

 reference: Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, pp 351,663

In the tradition of al-Hakim the wording the last question and answer is as follows:

Umm Salama said: "O Prophet of Allah! Am I not one of the members of your family?" The Holy Prophet replied: "You have a good future but only these are the members of my family. O Lord! The members of my family are more deserving."

 reference: al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p416

Also the wording reported by al-Suyuti and Ibn al-Athir is as follows:

Umm Salama said to the Holy Prophet: "Am I also one of them?" He replied: "No. You have your own special position and your future is good."

reference:

Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v2, p289

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, p198

Also al-Tabari quotes Umm Salama saying:

I said, "O Prophet of Allah! Am I not also one of your Ahlul-Bayt?" I swear by the Almighty that the Holy Prophet did NOT grant me any distinction and said: "You have a good future."

reference: Tafsir al-Tabari, v22, p7 under the commentary of verse 33:33

below are more references of Ahl ussunnah, of the Tradition of Cloak who reported both versions of the traditions:

(3) Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, pp 323,292,298; v1, pp 330-331; v3, p252; v4, p107 from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri

(4) Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p578, Tradition #978

(5) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v2, p416 (two traditions) from Ibn Abi Salama, v3, pp 146-148 (five traditions), pp 158,172

(6) al-Khasa'is, by an-Nisa'i, pp 4,8

(7) al-Sunan, by al-Bayhaqi, narrated from Aisha and Umm Salama

(8) Tafsir al-Kabir, by al-Bukhari (the author of Sahih), v1, part 2, p69

(9) Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Razi, v2, p700 (Istanbul), from Aisha

(10) Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 198,605 from Aisha and Umm Salama

(11) Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, pp 5-8 (from Aisha and Abu Sa'id al-Khudri), pp 6,8 (from Ibn Abi Salama) (10 traditions)

(12) Tafsir al-Qurtubi, under the commentary of verse 33:33 from Umm Salama

(13) Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p485 (Complete version) from Aisha and Umar Ibn Abi Salama

(14) Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v2, p12; v4, p79 narrated from Ibn Abi Salama

(15) Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, sec. 1, p221 from Umm Salama

(16) Tarikh, by al-Khateeb Baghdadi, v10, narrated from Ibn Abi Salama

(17) Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari, v1, p193 narrated from Aisha

(18) Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, v1, pp 332-336 (seven traditions)

(19) Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibb al-Tabari, pp21-26, from Abu Sa'id Khudri

(20) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p166 (by several transmitters)

... and more ...

 

Here is another authentic variation of "The Tradition of Cloak" which is related to Safiyya who was another wife of the Prophet (PBUH&HF). Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib narrated:

When the Messenger of Allah noticed that a blessing from Allah was to descent, he told Safiyya (one of his wives): "Call for me! Call for me!" Safiyya said: "Call who, O the Messenger of Allah?" He said: "Call for me my Ahlul-Bayt who are Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain." Thus we sent for them and they came to him. Then the Prophet (PBUH&HF) spread his cloak over them, and raised his hand (toward sky) saying:                   "O Allah! These are my family (Aalee), so bless Muhammad and the family (Aal) of Muhammad." And Allah, to whom belong Might and Majesty, revealed: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a thorough purification (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33)".

 references:

al-Mustadrak by al-Hakim, Chapter of "Understanding (the virtues) of Companions, v3, p148. The author then wrote: "This tradition is authentic (Sahih) based on the criteria of the two Shaikhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim)."

Talkhis of al-Mustadrak, by al-Dhahabi, v3, p148

Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v3, p

 

Ibn Abbas Narrated that:

The Messenger of Allah recited "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O' People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a perfect purification". (Quran, the last sentence of Verse 33:33) and then the Messenger of Allah said: "Thus Me and my Ahlul-Bayt are clear from the sins."

 references:

Sahih al-Tirmidhi, as quoted in:

al-Durr al-Manthoor, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v5, pp 605-606,198 under the commentary of Verse 33:33 of Quran

Dala'il al-Nabawiyyah, by al-Bayhaqi

Others such as al-Tabarani, Ibn Mardawayh, Abu Nu'aym, etc.

 

Ibn Jarir Tabari in his exegesis, quotes Qatadah who interpreted the sacred verse of Tat'hir that people of the Holy Prophet's family are those whom Almighty Allah has purified from every sin and showered special blessings on them. He also stated in explanation of the verse:

"It is this and nothing else that Allah willed to ward off every badness and indecency from the people of the family of Muhammad and to keep them clear from every contamination and sin!"

 reference: Tafsir al-Tabari, v22, p5 under commentary of verse 33:33

Abu Huraira narrated:

The Prophet looked toward Ali, Hasan, Husain, and Fatimah (AS), and then said: "I am in war with those who will fight you, and in peace with those who are peaceful to you."

references:

(1) Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p699

(2) Sunan Ibn Majah, v1, p52

(3) Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p767, Tradition #1350

(4) al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p149

(5) Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p169

(6) al-Kabir, by al-Tabarani, v3, p30, also in al-Awsat

(7) Jami' al-Saghir, by al-Ibani, v2, p17

(8) Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi, v7, p137

(9) Sawaiq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, p144

(10) Talkhis, by al-Dhahabi, v3, p149

(11) Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by al-Muhib al-Tabari, p25

(12) Mishkat al-Masabih, by al-Nawawi, English Version, Tdadition #6145

 

 

It has been widely narrated that after the revelation of the purification verse of Quran (Ayah al-Tat'hir), the Messenger of Allah used to recited this verse at the door of the House of Fatimah and Ali before EVERY prayer when people were gathering to pray with the Messenger of Allah. He continued this practice for many months simply to show the people who his Ahlul-Bayt are. 

Anas Ibn Malik narrated:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF), from the time the revelation of "Verily Allah intends to... (the last part of Verse 33:33)" and for six (6) months thereafter, stood by the door of the House of Fatimah and said: "Time for Prayer Ahlul-Bayt; No doubt! Allah wished to remove all abomination from you and make you pure and spotless."

references:

Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v12, p85

Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v3, p258

Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p158 who wrote this tradition is authentic as per the criteria of Muslim and Bukhari

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 197,199

Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, pp 5,6 (saying seven month)

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p483

Musnad, by al-Tiyalasi, v8, p274

Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v5, p146

Abu al-Hamra narrated:

"The Messenger of God continued eight (8) months in Medina, coming to the door of Ali at every morning prayer, putting his two hands on the two sides of the door and exclaiming : "Assalat! Assalat! (prayer! prayer!) Certainly God ward off all uncleanness from you, O Members of the House of Muhammad, and to make you pure and spotless."

 references:

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Suyuti, v5, pp 198-199

Tafsir Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, v22, p6

Tafsir Ibn Kathir, v3, p483

Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p24 on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik

Isti'ab, by Ibn Abd al-Barr, v5, p637

Usdul Ghabah, by Ibn al-Athir, v5, p146

Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, pp 121,168

Mushkil al-Athar, by al-Tahawi, p338

Also Ibn Abbas (RA) narrated:

"We have witnessed the Messenger of God (Rasul Allah) for nine (9) months coming to the door of Ali, son of Abu Talib, at the time of each prayer and saying: 'Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah Ahlul-Bayt (Peace and Mercy of God be upon you, O Members of the House). Certainly God wants only to keep away all the evil from you, Members of the House, and purify you with a thorough purification.' He did this seven times a day."

reference: al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v5, p198

In Majma' al-Zawa'id and exegesis of Suyuti it has been quoted from Abu Said Khudri with a variation in words that:

For forty days the Holy Prophet approached the house of Fatimah Zahra every morning and used to say: 'Peace be upon you O people of the House! The time for the prayers has come'. And thereafter he used to recite this verse: O people of the Prophet's House.... And then said: 'I am in a state of war with him who fights with you and am in a state of peace with him who is at peace with you'.

 references:

Tafsir al-Durr al-Manthoor, by al-Hafidh al-Suyuti, v5, p199

Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, pp 121,168

 

The following incident is related to the event of "Mubahala" (which means imprecation, or invoking the curse of Allah upon the liar), which took place in the 9th-10th year of Hijrah. In that year a delegation consisting of 14 Christian priests came from Najran to meet the Prophet (PBUH&HF). When they met the Prophet they asked him what is his opinion about Jesus (AS). The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HF) said: "You may take rest today and you will receive the reply afterwards." The next day, 3 verses of Quran (3:59-61) about Jesus were revealed. When Christians did not accept the words of Allah, The Prophet recited the last revealed verse:

But whoever disputes with you in this matter after what has come to you of knowledge, then say: Come let us call our sons and your sons, and our women and your women, and our selves and your selves; then let us be earnest in prayer and invoke the curse of Allah upon the liars. (Quran 3:61).

In this way, the Prophet (PBUH&HF) challenged the Christians. The next day the Christian priests came out on one side of the field. Also on the other side, the Prophet came out of his house carrying al-Husain in his arm with al-Hasan walking along with him while he was holding his hand. Behind him was Fatimah al-Zahra, and behind her was Ali, peace be upon them all. When the Christians saw the five pure souls, and how determined the Prophet is in his idea that he put the closest people to him at risk, the Christians were terrified and abstained from the proposed malediction (Mubahala) and submitted to a treaty with the Prophet (PBUH&HF).

al-Suyuti who was a great Sunni scholar, wrote:

In the above verse (3:61), according to what Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari (the great companion of the Prophet) said, the word "sons" refers to al-Hasan and al-Husain, the word "women" refers to Fatimah, and the word "our selves" refer to the Prophet and Ali. Thus Ali is referred as "the self" of the Prophet (Nafs of the Prophet).

Reference: al-Durr al-Manthoor by al-Hafidh Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, v2, p38

 

Narrated Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas:

...And when the verse 3:61 was revealed, the Prophet called Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan, and al-Husain. Then the Prophet said: "O Lord! These are my family members (Ahli)."

 references:

Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1871, the end of tradition #32.

Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p654

al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p150, who said this tradition is authentic based on the criteria set by two Shaikhs, al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p25
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