Some people say that the wives of the Prophet ﷺ are not included among the Ahl al-Bayt! The evidence for this claim is the hadith narrated by Umm al-Mu'minin Aisha Siddiqah رضي الله عنها who said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out in the morning wearing a cloak on which were embroidered pictures of camels or pots. Then Sayyiduna Hasan رضي الله عنه came, and the Prophet ﷺ covered him with the cloak. Then Sayyiduna Husayn رضي الله عنه came, and he was also included under it. Then Lady Fatimah az-Zahra رضي الله عنها came, and she was also included with them. Then Sayyiduna Ali رضي الله عنه came, and he was also included, and then this verse was recited:
( إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا)
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 2424)
Translation: (Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification).
Reference: ]Al-Ahzab: 33
The hadith does not mention the purified wives, which apparently indicates that they are not included among the Ahl al-Bayt (only the people under the cloak are Ahl al-Bayt).
① First Point
There is no consistency between the claim and the evidence because the hadith only mentions that these people are my Ahl al-Bayt (family), not that there is no one else besides them!
If you want to see another example of this, it is as follows:
لَمَسْجِدٌ أُسِّسَ عَلَى التَّقْوَى مِنْ أَوَّلِ يَوْمٍ
Reference: Surah At-Tawbah:108
Translation: The mosque whose foundation was laid from the beginning on piety and sincerity.
This divine statement is about Masjid Quba. However, from the hadith in Sahih Muslim, it is understood that this mosque refers to Masjid al-Nabawi.
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 1398)
Thus, both mosques are applicable to this statement because both were founded by the Holy Prophet ﷺ with his blessed hands.Allama Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this example in his treatise.
Reference: (Fadl Ahl al-Bayt wa Huquqihim: 20-21)
In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty addresses the wives of the Prophet ﷺ and says:
يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ لَسْتُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِّنَ النِّسَاءِ ۚ إِنِ اتَّقَيْتُنَّ فَلَا تَخْضَعْنَ بِالْقَوْلِ فَيَطْمَعَ الَّذِي فِي قَلْبِهِ مَرَضٌ وَقُلْنَ قَوْلًا مَّعْرُوفًا وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ ۖ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
Reference: (Surah Al-Ahzab:32-33)
Translation: O wives of the Prophet! You are not like ordinary women. If you adopt piety, then do not speak in a soft manner, lest one who has a disease in his heart should entertain a bad thought; and speak in an appropriate manner. And remain quietly in your homes and do not display your adornment like the former times of ignorance. And establish prayer and give zakat and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah desires to remove all impurity from you, O wives of the Prophet, and to purify you thoroughly.
From these blessed verses, it is clear that the pure wives of the Prophet are Ahl al-Bayt.
② Second Point
The wife is part of the Ahl al-Bayt; this is well known in Arabic linguistics, Shariah, and common usage, as we learn from these evidences:
The famous Arabic linguist Imam Khalil al-Farahidi says:
أهلُ الرجل زَوْجُه، وأخصّ الناس به، والتأهُّل التّزَوّج۔
Reference: Al-'Ayn (4/89)
Translation: The people of a man are his wife and his closest relatives, and to make someone "ahl" (people) means to marry.
In this way, from the mentioned verses of the Holy Quran, it is also evident:
Allah Almighty said about Prophet Musa (peace be upon him):
(فَلَمَّا قَضَىٰ مُوسَى الْأَجَلَ وَسَارَ بِأَهْلِهِ آنَسَ مِن جَانِبِ الطُّورِ نَارًا قَالَ لِأَهْلِهِ امْكُثُوا إِنِّي آنَسْتُ نَارًا لَّعَلِّي آتِيكُم مِّنْهَا بِخَبَرٍ أَوْ جَذْوَةٍ مِّنَ النَّارِ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَصْطَلُونَ)
Reference: (Surah Al-Qasas:29)
Translation: Musa (peace be upon him) completed the term and set out with his family. He saw a fire on Mount Tur. He said to his wife, "Stay here! I have seen a fire; perhaps I can bring you some news from there or a burning ember so that you may warm yourself."
Although with Prophet Musa (peace be upon him), there was no one except his wife.
And in the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him), the statement of the wife of Aziz Egypt in the Holy Quran is as follows:
(وَاسْتَبَقَا الْبَابَ وَقَدَّتْ قَمِيصَهُ مِن دُبُرٍ وَأَلْفَيَا سَيِّدَهَا لَدَى الْبَابِ ۚ قَالَتْ مَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ أَرَادَ بِأَهْلِكَ سُوءًا إِلَّا أَن يُسْجَنَ أَوْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ)
Reference: (Surah Yusuf:25)
Translation: They both ran towards the door, and that woman tore Yusuf's shirt from behind. And at the door, her husband found them together. She said, "If he intended evil against your wife, then the punishment for him is imprisonment or a painful punishment."
And Allah Almighty says about the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him):
وَامْرَأَتُهُ قَائِمَةٌ فَضَحِكَتْ فَبَشَّرْنَاهَا بِإِسْحَاقَ وَمِن وَرَاءِ إِسْحَاقَ يَعْقُوبَ قَالَتْ يَا وَيْلَتَىٰ أَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا عَجُوزٌ وَهَٰذَا بَعْلِي شَيْخًا ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَيْءٌ عَجِيبٌ قَالُوا أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُ حَمِيدٌ مَّجِيدٌ
Reference: (Surah Hud:71-73)
Translation: And his wife was standing there, so she laughed, and we gave her the good news of Isaac and after Isaac, Jacob. She said, "Oh, my ruin! Shall I bear a child when I am old, and this is my husband old? Surely this is a strange thing." They said, "Do you wonder at the command of Allah? May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you, O family! Indeed, He is highly praised, most glorious."
In all these verses, it is clearly stated that the wife is called Ahl and Ahl al-Bayt.
And in common usage, when someone is invited along with his wife and children, it is said that you come with your Ahl wa Ayal.
③ Third point
If the People of the Cloak were included by themselves in this verse of Surah Al-Ahzab, then why did the Prophet ﷺ gather them and supplicate, "O Allah! These are my Ahl al-Bayt, so remove impurity from them and purify them thoroughly," as mentioned in some narrations of this Hadith? See:
Reference: Musnad Ahmad (26597), Jami' Tirmidhi (3871)
.Indeed, the fact that the Prophet ﷺ made this supplication is evidence that these people were not included by themselves in the word Ahl al-Bayt mentioned in the verse, but they were included by virtue of the Prophet’s ﷺ supplication.
④ Fourth Point
Your purified wives are included under the word "Aal" because the Prophet ﷺ said:
أَنَّ الصَّدَقَةَ لَا تَحِلُّ لِآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
Translation: Charity (and Zakat) is not permissible for the family of Muhammad
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad: 7758)
.Therefore, they were given a share from Khums. Also, in Al-Musannaf by Ibn Abi Shaybah, it is narrated with an authentic chain from Hazrat Ibn Abi Mulaikah:
أَنَّ خَالِدَ بْنَ سَعِيدٍ بَعَثَ إلَى عَائِشَةَ بِبَقَرَةٍ مِنْ الصَّدَقَةِ فَرَدَّتْهَا وَقَالَتْ إنَّا آلَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا تَحِلُّ لَنَا الصَّدَقَةُ
Reference: (Al-Musannaf by Ibn Abi Shaybah: 10811)
Translation: Khalid bin Saeed sent a cow as charity to the house of Aisha رضي الله عنها, but Aisha رضي الله عنها returned it and said: Charity is not permissible for the family of Muhammad.
⑤ Fifth Point
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gathering these great personalities under one cover was a matter of dignity and honor. However, among your ﷺ household, besides your pure wives, the children of Ali, Aqeel, Jafar, and Abbas are also included, as narrated in the hadith from Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam رضي الله عنه.
Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam رضي الله عنه narrates in a lengthy hadith (the Hadith of Ghadir Khumm) that the Prophet ﷺ said: I remind you about my Ahl al-Bayt (to fear Allah regarding them and to fully fulfill their rights), he said this three times. And Husain said, O Zaid! Who are the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet ﷺ? Are not the pure wives of the Prophet ﷺ part of the Ahl al-Bayt? Sayyiduna Zaid رضي الله عنه said that the pure wives are also included in the Ahl al-Bayt, but the Ahl al-Bayt are those upon whom zakat is forbidden. Husain asked, Who are those people? Sayyiduna Zaid رضي الله عنه said that they are the children of Ali, Aqil, Jafar, and Abbas. Husain asked, Is charity forbidden upon all of them? Sayyiduna Zaid رضي الله عنه said, Yes.
Reference: (Sahih Muslim:2408)
In the mentioned hadith, it is also clearly stated that the wives of the Prophet ﷺ are among the Ahl al-Bayt, and can the rest of the Ahl al-Bayt mentioned in the hadith (the descendants of Ali, Aqil, Jafar, and Abbas) be excluded from the Ahl al-Bayt just because they are not mentioned in the Hadith of Kisa (the Cloak)? Certainly not.
⑥ The Last Point
One doubt that is raised is that if charity is forbidden for the purified wives, then it should also be forbidden for their slaves and maidservants, just as it was forbidden for the slaves and maidservants of Banu Hashim, whereas in Sahih Bukhari there is a narration that meat from charity was sent to Hazrat Barira (RA) and she ate it. The Prophet ﷺ did not forbid her, while Barira (RA) was a freed maidservant of Aisha (RA).
Answer: In fact, this is the very misunderstanding that those who have permitted the use of charity for the Pure Wives have fallen into. The answer to this misunderstanding is that the prohibition of charity for the Pure Wives is not personal, but because of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ; otherwise, before their marriage to him, charity was not forbidden for them. Therefore, this prohibition will not apply to their slaves. Whereas the prohibition of charity for Banu Hashim is personal, so it will also apply to their slaves.
From this discussion, it becomes clear that the Pure Wives are included among the Ahl al-Bayt, because the verses before and after the verse about Ahl al-Bayt address the Pure Wives, so it is not possible to exclude them from the Ahl al-Bayt.
Reference: (Jala al-Afham: 113-114)
