By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

“That is the good news Allah gives to His servants who have faith and do righteous deeds! Say (O’ Muhammad to Muslims), ‘I do not ask you any reward for it (preaching Islam) except love of [my] closest kin.” (Holy Qur’an 42:23)
The words of God Almighty are crystal clear. He entrusted the universal message of Islam for the benefit of all mankind to His Last and Greatest Messenger.
Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), as the “Excellent Exemplar” to all mankind ably discharged his mission. He made all those who approached him for guidance cognizant of the One and Only Creator; instilling in them virtue and humanitarian values; saving them from agnosticism, polytheism, vices and sins; rescuing them from the pitfalls of hell; and paving for them the path towards the bliss of paradise.
He was the Emissary of God and was thus not in any need for rewards from fellow human beings.
So what should be the token of the gratitude of Muslims towards the Prophet for delivering them from darkness? Is it love and affection for one’s own relatives, even if they happen to be wayward, atheists, sinners, and so on?
This particular Ayah was revealed by God for clarifying this very point. The Lord Most High does not leave His creatures in the dark. As is obvious by its wordings the Ayah explicitly says that it is obligatory for any real Muslim to have love, affection, and respect for the Prophet’s closest of kin, that is, his immediate blood relatives, who are faith and virtue personified, and are free from any sort of uncleanness and impurity, as is evident by Ayah 33 of Surah al-Ahzaab of the Holy Qur’an, which reads:
“Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt, and preserve you thoroughly purified.”
Those in doubt about the identity of the Immaculate Personages known as the Ahl al-Bayt, which does not include any wife of the Prophet, however virtuous, since these women were born in idolatrous families before becoming Muslim, should study the Holy Qur’an more closely and read the undeniable facts of the principal events of the life of the Mercy unto the creation, that made Islam victorious in all encounters.
The Ayah that comes to our rescue here is 61 of Surah Aal-e Imran, on revelation of which the Prophet, as per Divine Commandment, challenged the Christians of Najraan to a unique contest of malediction for making truth triumphant, and took with him none of his companions or spouses, but his only daughter Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), her husband Imam Ali (AS), and her two sons, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS).
He thus showed to the Muslims who really are the Ahl al-Bayt, reverence for whom is a Divine Commandment.
The question is: Did all those who claim to be Muslims obeyed the Divine Commandment and followed the instructions of the Prophet to love, respect, venerate, and show affection for the Ahl al-Bayt, by regarding them as not just spiritual, but also political heirs of the Seal of Prophets, in order to be true believers in the sight of God?
Alas, the answer is a big NO. If they had, the Ummah would not have been splintered into so many sects today, with some indulging in the most bestial form of cannibalistic terrorism, and yet shamelessly claiming to be Muslims.
The Prophet had practically shown to the Arabs the loftiest humanitarian values, yet there were some who though they paid lip service to Islam and outwardly performed the daily prayer and the Ramadhan fasting, harboured in their hearts the deepest form of malice and rancour against the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, otherwise God would not have revealed the Surah titled “Munafeqoon” or Hypocrites.
No sooner did the Prophet leave the mortal world, these hypocrites committed the first act of terrorism in the history of Islam by depriving the Prophet’s Divinely-Designated Vicegerent, Imam Ali (AS), of his right of political leadership of the Islamic state. They then assaulted the house of Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA). They threatened to burn down the house where the Prophet used to salute every morning, and vowed to kill the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt, if Imam Ali (AS), the Prophet’s Vicegerent doesn’t give pledge of allegiance to them.
It was but natural for the Noblest-Ever Lady to try to awaken their frozen conscience by drawing their attention to the commandments of God in the Qur’an and the exemplary conduct of her father. They refused to listen to her, and did not even pay heed to the Prophet’s famous saying:
“Fatema is a part of me, and whoever hurts her, has hurt me, and whoever hurts me, has displeased God.”
They then set the threshold of the blessed house on fire and smashed the burning door on the Prophet’s daughter, who was pinned to the wall and as a result suffered miscarriage, with the stillborn Mohsin, becoming the first martyr of the Ahl al-Bayt.
They then put a rope round the neck of the victor of many a crucial battle in the days of the Prophet and with swords drawn, dragged Imam Ali (AS) for forced oath of allegiance to their rule. And when the Prophet’s injured daughter, clung to the waist of her husband, crying “let go of Abu’l-Hasan”, a wretch named Qunfudh struck her noble hands with a whip.
The history of Islam, especially events after the Prophet’s departure, is indeed painful reading. Fatema (SA), the Pride of the Virgin Mary, finally succumbed to her wounds on the 3rd of Jamadi al-Akher, barely 95 days after her father, in defence of the “Wilaya” (Divinely-Decreed authority) of Imam Ali (AS) that was proclaimed by the Prophet on the 18th of Zilhijja 10 AH, at Ghadir-Khom before a huge gathering of 120,000 Hajj pilgrims.
Her famous sermon, which is an eloquent piece of Arabic literature, is preserved to this day, and serves as guideline for true understanding of the fundamentals of faith, such as monotheism, divine justice, Prophethood, Imamate, and the Day of Resurrection. In this sermon delivered to the regime that had usurped the rights of Imam Ali (AS) and seized from her the orchard of Fadak, she has spelled the blueprint for proper governance of the society, warning that the caliphate had veered from its course and would become a curse for the Ummah.
She pointed out that the salvation of mankind is in holding steadfast to the Revealed Word of God Almighty, the holy Qur’an, and to the “Wilaya” of Imam Ali (AS).
“Peace upon you, O martyred truthful one whose inheritance was confiscated, whose ribs were broken, whose husband was oppressed and whose sons were killed!”