❖ A Research-Based Review of the “Panjtan Pāk” Notion in the Perspective of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah
Source: Fatāwā Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mubārakpūrī, Vol. 1, p. 138
❖ The Question
A Shiʿa individual named Zayd claims that the five personalities known as “Panjtan Pāk” — the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn (RA) — are the only pure ones, and that no one else shares this status. In response, some from Ahl al-Sunnah add the names of the Rightly Guided Caliphs to this list.
Does the concept of “Panjtan Pāk” have any basis in Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah, particularly in the Ḥanafī school?
✿ 1. The Concept of “Panjtan Pāk” and the Rāfiḍī Belief
If the term “Panjtan Pāk” implies that ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn (RA) are infallible like prophets, then this belief is absolutely false and has no basis in the Qur’ān or any authentic ḥadīth.
Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jamāʿah — including the Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī, and Ahl al-Ḥadīth schools — hold with consensus that:
Infallibility (ʿiṣmah) is exclusive to prophets.
No other human being, regardless of status, is absolutely protected from sin.
Thus, neither the noble Ahl al-Bayt nor the righteous Companions (like Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, or the wives of the Prophet ﷺ) are deemed infallible, although they are honorable, superior, and exemplary.
✿ 2. The Meaning and Context of Āyat al-Taṭhīr
Shiʿa often cite the verse:
﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ ٱلرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا﴾
“Indeed, Allah intends to remove from you impurity, O people of the [Prophet’s] household, and to purify you thoroughly.”
[Al-Aḥzāb: 33]
However, this interpretation is taken out of context. The entire passage (before and after this verse) is addressing the wives of the Prophet ﷺ:
- ﴿يَا نِسَاءَ النَّبِيِّ﴾
- ﴿وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ﴾
- ﴿وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ﴾
Hence, by the rules of contextual exegesis, “Ahl al-Bayt” here primarily refers to the Prophet’s wives.
✿ Scholarly Opinions
✔ Ibn ʿAbbās (RA) said:
“This verse was revealed concerning the Prophet’s wives.”
✔ ʿIkrimah (RA) stated:
“I am prepared to perform mubāhalah (invoking Allah’s curse) with anyone who denies that this verse was revealed about the wives of the Prophet ﷺ.”
✿ 3. The Ḥadīth of Kisāʾ and Its Context
Shiʿa also present the Ḥadīth of Kisāʾ, in which the Prophet ﷺ gathered ʿAlī, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn (RA) under a cloak and made duʿāʾ for them.
✔ Ahl al-Sunnah agree that these individuals were also addressed as Ahl al-Bayt in this narration.
However:
→ The verse of purification is a declarative statement of divine command, while the ḥadīth is a supplication (duʿāʾ).
→ If purification had already occurred by divine will, there would be no need for the Prophet ﷺ to pray for it — instead, he would offer thanks (shukr).
✿ 4. “Intention” in Āyat al-Taṭhīr: Legislative, Not Creational
According to Ahl al-Sunnah commentators, the word “يُرِيدُ” (He intends) in the verse signifies legislative intent (irādah tashrīʿiyyah) — meaning, Allah commands the Ahl al-Bayt to purify themselves.
It is not a declarative statement that purification has already occurred.
Just like in these verses:
- ﴿وَلَـٰكِن يُرِيدُ لِيُطَهِّرَكُمْ﴾
- ﴿يُرِيدُ ٱللَّهُ أَن يَتُوبَ عَلَيْكُمْ﴾
The use of “يُرِيدُ” reflects divine command, not a declaration of achieved purity.
✿ 5. The Term “Panjtan Pāk” — Its Origin and Status
The term “Panjtan Pāk” is a Shiʿa-originated term and not recognized in Ahl al-Sunnah theology.
✔ There is no proof for this term or concept in the Qur’an, Hadith, or classical Sunni scholarship.
✔ It is not found in Ḥanafī fiqh, nor is it part of any Sunni creed (ʿaqīdah).
✔ Ahl al-Sunnah believe that only prophets are infallible, while all other humans — however noble — are subject to error.
Summary and Conclusion
✔ Āyat al-Taṭhīr was primarily revealed for the Prophet’s wives.
✔ The Ḥadīth of Kisāʾ includes other members of Ahl al-Bayt by duʿāʾ, not by categorical declaration.
✔ The belief in the infallibility of anyone besides the prophets is not acceptable in Ahl al-Sunnah theology.
✔ The term “Panjtan Pāk” is a Rāfiḍī (Shiʿa) religious symbol, and it holds no theological basis in Sunni Islam.
✔ All companions and Ahl al-Bayt (RA) are virtuous, beloved, and honored, but not infallible.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
