Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أهل البيت‎) is a phrase meaning People of the House, or family. In the Islamic tradition it refers to the household of the Prophet Muhammad.

1 Difference in interpretation of the scope of Ahl al-Bayt
- 1.1 Sunni
- 1.2 Shia
2 See also
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Difference in interpretation of the scope of Ahl al-Bayt

[edit] Sunni

In Sunni belief the scope of the Ahl al-Bayt is wider than in Shia belief. Similar to the Shia the Sunni believe that the Ahl al-Bayt include Ali's family, but it is also believed that the term included the prophets wives and possible even the descendants of the prophet from any line. Some would also include all pious muslims based on the argument that in Islam relations are based on Taqwa (Piety) in the Islamic belief, not on blood.

Thus in Sunni belief all of these could be possible members of the Ahl al-Bayt, with the greatest consensus on the belief that the term denotes Ali's family and the wives of the prophet:

Ali ibn Abu Talib
Fatima Al-Zahra
Hassan ibn Ali
Hussain ibn Ali
Muhammad's marriages
Banu Hashim and Banu Abdul-Muttalib and their descendants until today.
All pious muslims

No Zakat can, according to a hadith from Sahih Muslim, be given for following people: Ali ibn Abi Talib, Ja'far ibn Abi Talib, 'Aqeel ibn Abi Talib and Abbas and their offsprings. <ref>Sahih Muslim Book 31, Chapter 4, Hadith 5920</ref>.

[edit] Shia

According to Shi'a belief the term Ahl al-Bayt has been defined by the prophet Muhammad in the so-called 'Hadith of the Cloak'. In this hadith, narrated in both sunni<ref>Sahih Muslim Book 031, Number 5955</ref> and shia sources, the prophet covers his cloak around Ali, Fatima and their sons Hassan and Hussain. Some hadith also narrated that the prophets wife Aisha asks to be covered by the cloak as well, whereupon the prophet replies that it is "only for the people of his Houshould (Ahl al-Bayt)"<ref>Shawaahed ut Tanzeel, vol.2, pg.39, Ayat al -Tatheer, vol.1, pg. 237</ref>.

This would limit the Ahl ul-Bayt to the following persons:

In Shi'a theology the term 'Ahl al-Bayt' (The people of the Houshold) is closely related to the term 'The Five Pure Ones'. Which includes the prophet Muhammad in the list. The rationale behind this are Quranic verses that mention that God has purified the prophets Household.<ref>The Qur'an, Chapter 33, Verse 33</ref> The term Ahl-ul-Bayt overlaps with the term The Fourteen Infallibles which are the Prophet, His Household (Ahl al-Bayt) and the Twelve Leaders (Imams).

In Shia jurisprudence (Fiqh) neither the Ahl al-Bayt nor the direct descendants of the prophet through one of the Twelve Imams (Sayyid) be given Zakat. The Sayyid can recieve Khums.