Who constitutes the 'Family' (Aal) of the Prophet (PBUH) mentioned in the blessings?
Chapter on the Description of Prayer
Al-Mughni
Book of Prayer
Primary text
The *Aal* of the Prophet (PBUH) are his followers upon his religion, analogous to the verse: {Enter the people of Pharaoh} (Quran 39:46), meaning his followers of his religion. This is supported by a tradition where the Prophet (PBUH) was asked who his *Aal* are and he replied: 'Every pious person.'
Supporting text
Another opinion states that *Aal* means his household (*Ahl*), where the hamza (*A*) is inverted from a hamza. Some scholars, like Al-Qadi, permit saying 'Ahl Muhammad' instead of 'Aal Muhammad' because their meanings are identical, indicated by the dual diminutive form 'Uhayyil'. However, Ibn Hamid and Abu Hifs state this substitution is invalid due to contradicting the wording of the tradition and potentially altering the meaning, as *Ahl* often denotes kinship while *Aal* denotes religious followers.