Tafsir of Al-Ahzab 33:33

"And abide" (wa-qarna): Derived from qarra (to settle), from the verb ‘alima (to know). Its origin is aqrarna; the first rā’ was dropped, its fatḥah was cast onto the preceding letter, and the hamza was dropped because it became unnecessary due to the movement of the qāf.

Abū al-Fatḥ al-Hamadānī mentions in his book al-Tibyān another aspect, saying: qāri-qār means "to assemble," from which the word qārah (a small group) is derived, because it is assembled. Do you not see the saying of ‘Aḍal and al-Dīsh: "Assemble (ijtami‘ū) and be a qārah"? The meaning is: "Gather yourselves within the houses."

The majority recited it as (wa-qirna) with a kasrah on the qāf, from qarra-yaqirru-qarāran, meaning to settle and remain. Its origin is aqrirna; the same treatment occurred as in ‘idna (from wa‘ada), or it is from the doubled qarra (like ḍaraba). Its origin is aqrirna; the first rā’ was dropped, its kasrah was cast onto the qāf, and the hamza was dropped because it was unnecessary. Makki and Abū ‘Alī said: The rā’, which is the root letter of the verb, was replaced with a yā’ to avoid doubling, then its vowel was transferred to the qāf, then it was dropped due to the rā’ that followed it becoming quiescent, and the hamza fell because the qāf became vowelled. This is the extreme of forced interpretation. In al-Baḥr, it is said: qararta and qararta—with both fatḥah and kasrah—both are from al-qarār (stability) in a place, meaning to remain in it. This has been reported by Abū ‘Ubaydah, al-Zajjāj, and others. A group, including al-Māzinī, denied the usage of qararta in a place with a kasrah (meaning aqirru with fatḥah); rather, only qarrat ‘aynuhu (his eye became cool/settled) came with a kasrah in the past tense and a fatḥah in the present tense, and the affirmative [evidence] takes precedence over the negator.

Ibn Abī ‘Ablah recited it as (wa-aqrirna) with an alif of connection and a kasrah on the first rā’. The intent in all the recitations is an order to them—may Allāh be pleased with them—to keep to their houses. This is a command required of all women. Al-Tirmidhī and al-Bazzār recorded from Ibn Mas‘ūd that the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said: "The woman is an ‘awrah (something to be concealed); when she leaves her house, Satan looks up at her, and she is closest to the mercy of her Lord when she is in the interior of her house."

Al-Bazzār recorded from Anas who said: Women came to the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) and said: "O Messenger of Allāh, the men have taken away all the virtue and the Jihad in the path of Allāh. Is there an action for us by which we may attain the virtue of the Mujāhidīn in the path of Allāh?" He (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "Whoever among you remains in her house, she attains the action of the Mujāhidīn in the path of Allāh." Sometimes, leaving the house is forbidden for them, and it may even be a major sin, such as their going out to visit graves when the corruption is severe, or their going out—even to the mosque—when they are perfumed and adorned, if temptation is certain. If it is only suspected, it is forbidden, but not a major sin. As for the permissible instances of leaving, such as for the Hajj, visiting parents, visiting the sick, or offering condolences to relatives for the dead and similar things, it is only permissible under conditions mentioned in their proper places.

The outward sense of attributing the "houses" to the pronoun of the purified women is that they were their property. This was explicitly stated by the custodian Ghulām Muḥammad al-Aslamī—may Allāh the Exalted illuminate his evidence—in al-Tuḥfah al-Ithnā ‘Ashariyyah. He mentioned therein that the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) built each chamber for whoever resided in it among the wives, and each one of them managed the chamber in which she lived as an owner manages his property, in the presence of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). The jurists have mentioned that whoever builds a house for his wife and grants her possession of it is like one who gifts his wife a house and hands it over to her; thus, the house becomes her property. Supporting the claim that the chamber in which ‘Ā’ishah—may Allāh be pleased with her—resided was her property, in addition to the attribution in "your houses" (buyūtikunna), is the fact that ‘Umar—may Allāh be pleased with him—asked her permission to be buried in it, in the presence of the Companions, and not one of them objected, not even ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face. Also, al-Ḥasan—may Allāh be pleased with him—asked her permission for the same, as is established among the Sunnis and the Shī‘ah, as mentioned in al-Fuṣūl al-Muhimmah fī Ma‘rifat al-A’immah and other books of theirs. If that chamber belonged to the public treasury (bayt al-māl)—based on the hadith "We, the group of Prophets, are not inherited from"—he would have asked the permission of the ruler Marwān, for he was the governor of Madinah at that time and the one in charge of the public treasury. Even if it were inherited—based on the Shī‘ah’s assumption that he (peace and blessings be upon him) is inherited from like others—permission would still be required from the rest of the wives as well, due to their claimed right in it. Indeed, it would also require the permission of the Prophet’s agnatic relatives who are entitled to what remains after the half and the eighth, if we were to accept the claim of their inheritance. Since he did not ask permission from anyone but her, it is known that it was her property alone.

The claim that he knew of the consent of everyone else besides her—may Allāh be pleased with her—and therefore only asked her, is not a valid argument for them. They have, in this chapter, lies that cannot be relied upon, and no intelligent person would pay attention to them. Among them is that ‘Ā’ishah—may Allāh be pleased with her—gave permission to al-Ḥasan—may Allāh be pleased with him—when he asked her for burial in the blessed chamber, and then regretted it after his death—may Allāh be pleased with him—and rode her mule, came to the mosque, forbade the burial, threw arrows at his noble and pure funeral procession, and claimed inheritance.

Ibn ‘Abbās—may Allāh be pleased with both—began to say: She adorned herself, she rode her mule; And if you had lived, you would have acted like a camel (fīlah). You have nine of the eighth [share].

The weakness of this poetry cries out to the falsehood of its attribution to that learned man—may Allāh be pleased with him. And I wish I knew what need she had to ride, as her dwelling was that blessed chamber. If she were intent on forbidding it, she would have locked its door. Furthermore, how can it be thought of her—who possessed the most abundant share of intellect among all her sisters, the Mothers of the Believers—that she would claim inheritance while she and her father—may Allāh be pleased with them—had reported, in the presence of the Companions who feared no blame in the path of Allāh: "We, the group of Prophets, are not inherited from"?

It is also possible that the attribution of the houses to the pronoun of the purified women is based on the fact that they were residents in them, fulfilling their interests, and in charge of them. The usage of the special and general is common in attributing houses to wives in this sense.

The asking for permission could be understood as being for the transfer of each house to the ownership of the one residing in it after the passing of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) by the authority of the Caliph, the guardian of the public treasury, seeing the benefit in designating each one of them with her dwelling and leaving it to her as a form of endowment (iqṭā‘) from the public treasury. What strengthens the view that the attribution to their pronoun is based on this and not that the houses were their property is the attribution of the house to the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) in other reports. Moreover, the attribution of the houses to him—peace and blessings be upon him—will come, if Allāh wills, in His saying: "O you who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless you are given permission..." This is more deserving of being for ownership, so let this subject be reviewed and contemplated.

"And do not display yourselves as the display of the former times of ignorance" (al-Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā). Al-Tabarruj, as reported from Mujāhid, Qatādah, and Ibn Abī Najīḥ, is walking with haughtiness, mincing, and coquetry. According to Muqātil, it is that a woman throws her head-covering onto her head but does not tie it, so her necklaces, earrings, and neck are visible, and all of that appears. Al-Mubarrad said: It is that she displays of her charms that which she is obliged to cover. Al-Layth said: It is said a woman tabarrujat (displayed herself) if she exposes her charms, from her face and body, and from her eyes one sees a pleasant gaze. Abū ‘Ubaydah said: It is that she exposes her charms to elicit the desire of men. Its origin, according to al-Baḥr, is from al-burj (tower), which is the width and beauty of the eye; it is said ṭa‘nah barjā’ (a wide wound), and in his teeth is barj if the space between them is wide. It is also said it is from al-burj (a palace), meaning the woman appeared from her burj, i.e., her palace. Al-Rāghib held that applying al-burj to the width and beauty of the eye is for comparison to the tower in both aspects. It is not hidden that if al-tabarruj were interpreted here as "appearing from the tower," this sentence would be like an emphasis of what preceded it, so it is better not to interpret it as such. Tabarruj is a comparative verbal noun, like "he has the voice of a donkey," meaning: do not display yourselves like the display of the former times of ignorance. It is said there is an ellipsis of two nouns in the speech: the display of the women of the days of ignorance, and attributing the women is in the sense of "in."

The "former times of ignorance" (al-Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā), according to what Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, al-Ḥākim, Ibn Mardūyah, and al-Bayhaqī in Shu‘ab al-Īmān reported from Ibn ‘Abbās, is the time between Noah and Idrīs—upon them both be peace—which was a thousand years. He said: There were two generations of the children of Adam; one inhabited the plains and the other inhabited the mountains. The mountain men were handsome, and the women were ugly; the women of the plains and their men were the opposite. So, the people of the plains held a festival once a year to which they would gather, and the women would display themselves to the men, and the men to them. A man from the mountains attacked them during their festival, saw the women and their beauty, went to his companions, and told them about it. So they moved to them, settled with them, and immorality appeared among them. In one narration, the woman would gather between a husband and a lover.

Ibn Jarīr recorded from al-Ḥakam ibn ‘Uyaynah who said: There were eight hundred years between Adam and Noah—upon them both be peace. Their women were among the ugliest of women, and their men were handsome, and the woman would seduce the man; this is the Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā. Similar was narrated from ‘Ikrimah. Al-Kalbī said: It is the time between Noah and Abraham—upon them both be peace. Muqātil said: It was the time of Nimrod, and there were prostitutes in it who wore the thinnest of garments and walked in the streets. It was also narrated from him that the Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā was the time of Abraham—peace be upon him—and the second was the time of Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) before he was sent. Abū al-‘Āliyah said: The first was the time of David and Solomon—upon them both be peace—and the woman had a garment of pearls, not sewn at the sides, through which her flesh folds and private parts could be seen.

Al-Mubarrad said: The woman would gather between her husband and her friend; the husband had her lower half, and the friend had her upper half, enjoying it through kissing and sucking. It is said it was the time between Moses and Jesus—upon them both be peace. Al-Sha‘bī said: It was the time between Jesus and Muḥammad—upon them both be peace.

Al-Zajjāj said: This is the most likely, for they are the well-known Jāhiliyyah who used to keep prostitutes. It was only called "the first" (al-ūlā) because every predecessor is called awwal and ūlā. The interpretation is that they preceded the nation of Muḥammad (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās what is explicit that "the first" here is opposite to "the other." Al-Zamakhsharī said: It is possible that the Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā is the Jāhiliyyah of disbelief before Islam, and the "other" Jāhiliyyah is the Jāhiliyyah of immorality and wickedness in Islam. The meaning would be: "Do not cause in Islam a Jāhiliyyah of display, by which you resemble the people of the Jāhiliyyah of disbelief."

Ibn ‘Aṭiyyah said: What appears to me is that the Jāhiliyyah al-ūlā is an indication of the Jāhiliyyah that pertains to them, so they were ordered to shift from their ways in it, which is the pre-Shariah way of disbelief, lack of jealousy, and the like. In a hadith recorded by the two Shaykhs, Abū Dāwūd, and al-Tirmidhī, the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said to Abū Dharr—when he had insulted a man whose mother was non-Arab, so the man complained to the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace): "O Abū Dharr, you are a man in whom there is Jāhiliyyah." Ibn al-Athīr interpreted it as the state in which the Arabs were before Islam regarding ignorance of Allāh and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the laws of religion, boasting of lineages, pride, arrogance, and so on. And Allāh the Exalted knows best. The Rāfiḍah held onto the outward appearance of the Mother of the Believers ‘Ā’ishah’s departure—may Allāh be pleased with her—from Madinah to Makkah, and from there to Basra, where the Battle of the Camel occurred, to attack her—and she is far above every attack—using this verse. They said: Allāh ordered the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)—and she is one of them—to stay in their houses and forbade them from leaving, and by that, she violated the command and prohibition of Allāh, the Mighty and Majestic. The answer is that the order to stay in the houses and the prohibition from leaving is not absolute; otherwise, the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) would not have taken them out for Hajj and Umrah after the revelation of the verse, nor would he have taken them on expeditions, nor would he have granted them permission to visit parents, visit the sick, and offer condolences to relatives. All of that occurred, as the reports testify. It is confirmed that they all used to perform Hajj after the death of the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace), except for Sawdah bint Zam‘ah. In a narration from Aḥmad from Abū Hurayrah, except Zaynab bint Jaḥsh and Sawdah. No one from the Companions—may Allāh be pleased with them—objected to them, not even the Commander [‘Alī]—may Allāh ennoble his face—and others. It is recorded in the authentic hadith that he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them after the revelation of the verse: "It has been permitted for you to go out for your needs." Thus, it is known that the intent is the order to stay in a way that secures their dignity and distinction over all other women by keeping to their houses in most of their times, and not being women who go out, come in, and wander in the streets, markets, and people’s houses. This does not conflict with their going out for Hajj or for a matter of religious interest, with proper covering and without being cheapened. ‘Ā’ishah—may Allāh be pleased with her—only left her house for Makkah for the Hajj, and Umm Salamah—may Allāh be pleased with her—left with her for that same purpose. She and Ṣafiyyah are accepted by the Shī‘ah, but when she heard of the murder of ‘Uthmān—may Allāh be pleased with him—and that his killers sided with ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—she grieved intensely and sensed the disorder of the Muslims' affairs and the occurrence of corruption and temptation among them. While she was in that state, Ṭalḥah, al-Zubayr, Nu‘mān ibn Bashīr, and Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah came to her, among other Companions—may Allāh be pleased with them—fleeing from Madinah, afraid of the killers of ‘Uthmān, because they showed pride in their ugly act and announced their insults toward ‘Uthmān. The hearts of those noble men tightened, and they began to find what happened ugly, denouncing those base people and blaming them for that most heinous act. Their intention solidified to bring them to justice for ‘Uthmān—may Allāh be pleased with him—and they knew they had no power to stop them if they were intent on that. So they went out to Makkah and sought refuge with the Mother of the Believers and told her the news. She said to them: "I see the right course is that you do not return to Madinah as long as those base people are there, surrounding the council of the Commander ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—who is unable to execute retaliation against them or drive them out. So, stay in a city where you are safe and wait for the stability of the Commander of the Believers—may Allāh be pleased with him—and the strength of his authority, then work toward their dispersion and his assistance in taking revenge against them, so that they may be a lesson for those who come after them." They accepted that and approved of it, so they chose Basra because it was at that time a gathering place for the Muslim armies, and they preferred it over others. They insisted that their Mother—may Allāh be pleased with her—be with them until the temptation was lifted, security was achieved, and the affairs of the Caliphate were stabilized. They wanted by that the increase of their honor and the strength of their security, as she was the Mother of the Believers and the wife of the Messenger of Allāh—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—who was most honored, and that she was the most beloved of his wives to him, the most acceptable to him, and the daughter of his first Caliph—may Allāh be pleased with them both. So she traveled with them with the intention of reconciliation, stabilizing affairs, and saving a number of lives of the great Companions—may Allāh be pleased with them. With her was her sister’s son, ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Zubayr, and others from the sons of her sisters, Umm Kulthūm, the wife of Ṭalḥah, and Asmā’, the wife of al-Zubayr. In fact, everyone who was with her was like a son in terms of maḥramiyyah (kinship prohibiting marriage). She was in an iron litter.

The news of the intention to go to Basra reached the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—through those killers, the base ones, in a way other than it was, and they urged him to go out to them and punish them. Al-Ḥasan, al-Ḥusayn, ‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far, and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās—may Allāh be pleased with them—advised him not to go out and to stay until the situation settled, but he—may Allāh ennoble his face—refused, so that Allāh might accomplish a matter that was already ordained. He went out—may Allāh ennoble his face—and with him were those evil ones, the people of temptation. When they arrived near Basra, they sent al-Qa‘qā‘ to the Mother of the Believers, Ṭalḥah, and al-Zubayr to learn their purposes and present them to the Commander—may Allāh be pleased with him and ennoble his face. Al-Qa‘qā‘ came to the Mother of the Believers and said: "O my Mother, what brought you and moved you to this city?" She said: "O my son, reconciliation between the people." Then he sent to Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr, and al-Qa‘qā‘ said: "Tell me the way to reconciliation." They said: "Establishing the penalty on the killers of ‘Uthmān and soothing the hearts of his loved ones; that would be a cause for our security and a lesson for those who come after them." Al-Qa‘qā‘ said: "This cannot be but after the word of the Muslims is unified and the temptation subsides, so you must have peace in this hour." They said: "You have hit the mark and done well." He returned to the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—and told him that, so he was pleased and rejoiced. The people were on the verge of returning and stayed for three days, not doubting that there would be peace. When the night of the fourth day covered them, and the messengers and intermediaries decided to demonstrate the reconciliation on the morning of this night, and the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—was to meet Ṭalḥah and al-Zubayr—may Allāh be pleased with them—and those killers were not present with him, and they realized that, it weighed heavily on them, they became agitated, and the earth became narrow for them despite its vastness. They consulted among themselves to raid those who were with ‘Ā’ishah from among the Muslims so that they might think there was treachery from the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—and they would attack his army, and then he would think they were the ones who betrayed, and fighting would break out. They did that, so those who were with ‘Ā’ishah attacked the Commander’s army, and those killers shouted: "Treachery!" The fighting flared up, and the Commander rode, astonished, and saw the battle had become heated and the men were swimming in blood. He had no choice—may Allāh be pleased with him—but to engage in the war, striking and hitting. The event was conveyed as you have heard by al-Ṭabarī and the majority of reliable historians, and they narrated it similarly from multiple paths from al-Ḥasan, ‘Abdullāh ibn Ja‘far, and ‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Abbās. Whatever is beyond that, which the Shī‘ah narrated from their ancestors, the killers of ‘Uthmān, is nothing that should be paid attention to. That the killers were in control and had great power is shown by what is in Nahj al-Balāghah, accepted by the Shī‘ah, that one of his companions said to the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—: "If you punished the people who moved against ‘Uthmān," and he said: "O my brothers, I am not ignorant of what you know, but how can I handle them when those who move have the strength? They own us, and we do not own them. Look, here they are, your slaves have risen with them, and your Bedouins have turned to them, and they are among you, subjecting you to whatever they wish."

Since the departure was initially for Hajj, and with her were those of her maḥrams who were with her, and the command to stay in the houses did not imply a prohibition of such a thing, there is no place for attack by it at all. Likewise, the journey to Basra for that purpose, for it is no less than a journey for a supererogatory Hajj. What followed from it was not in her calculation, nor did it pass through her mind that it would follow. That is why when what occurred happened and what resulted resulted, she regretted it with the utmost regret. It is reported that whenever she remembered the Day of the Camel, she would weep until her garment became wet. Indeed, ‘Abdullāh ibn Aḥmad in the Zawā’id of al-Zuhd, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Shaybah, and Ibn Sa‘d recorded from Masrūq who said: "‘Ā’ishah—may Allāh be pleased with her—used to weep until she soaked her veil when she read 'And abide in your houses.'" That was only because her recitation reminded her of the event in which many Muslims were killed. This is just as the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—was saddened by it. It is confirmed that when the defeat fell upon those who were with the Mother of the Believers and those who were killed from both groups were killed, he walked among the killed and was striking his thighs, saying: "I wish I had died before this and had become a forgotten thing." Her weeping when reading the verse was not because she knew she had erred in understanding its meaning or that she had forgotten it on the day she went out, as it was imagined, and was mocked for by Kāẓim al-Azdī al-Baghdādī, one of the late poets of the Rāfiḍah, in a long poem in which he disbelieved in several places: "You memorized forty thousand hadiths, yet you forgot a verse from the Reminder." Yes, perhaps to what we mentioned as the reason for the weeping, there is added that the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said one day to his purified wives, among whom was ‘Ā’ishah: "It is as if I see one of you whom the dogs of Ḥaw’ab will bark at." In some narrations not considered by the Sunnis, there is the addition: "So beware, O Ḥumayrā’ (Red one)." She had not asked before the journey about Ḥaw’ab, whether it was on her path or not, until dogs barked at her during the journey at a well. She said to Muḥammad ibn Ṭalḥah: "What is the name of this water?" He said: "They call it Ḥaw’ab." She said: "Take me back," and she mentioned the hadith and refused to continue, intending to return, but the majority of those with her did not agree. A dispute occurred until Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam witnessed, with about eighty men from the notables of that region, that this water was a different water and not Ḥaw’ab. So she continued with her business because of that, and return became impossible, and the matter occurred. It is as if she—may Allāh be pleased with her—saw her silence about asking and verifying the situation before traveling as a shortcoming and a sin in relation to her station, so she wept for it.

As for what the Shī‘ah alleged—that she—may Allāh be pleased with her—was the one who incited the people to kill ‘Uthmān, saying: "Kill Na‘thal (a hairy, foolish man), for he has disbelieved," comparing him to a Jew named Na‘thal—until he was killed and the people pledged allegiance to ‘Alī, and she said: "I do not care if the sky falls upon the earth; by Allāh, he was killed unjustly, and I am a seeker of his blood"—and ‘Ubayd reminded her of what she used to say, so she said: "I said, by Allāh, and the people said, and the poet recited: 'From you is the beginning, from you is the change, from you are the winds, and from you is the rain. You ordered the killing of the Imam and told us he had disbelieved'"—this is a lie with no foundation; it is from the fabrications of Ibn Qutaybah, Ibn A‘tham al-Kūfī, and al-Samsāṭī, who were famous for lying and fabrication. Similar in lying is their claim that she—may Allāh be pleased with her—only left and traveled to Basra out of hatred for ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—for she never ceased narrating his merits and virtues. Among that is what al-Daylamī narrated that she said: The Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said: "The love of ‘Alī is an act of worship." And she said after what happened: "By Allāh, there was nothing between me and ‘Alī except what is between a woman and her in-laws."

‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—honored her, improved her stay, exaggerated in her respect, and returned her to Madinah, and with her was a group of the women of the notables of Basra, cherished and honored. This is something by which the Rāfiḍah are refuted, those who allege her disbelief—and she is far above it—because of what she did. And what was narrated from al-Aḥnaf ibn Qays that ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—when he overcame the people of the Camel, sent to ‘Ā’ishah to return to Madinah, and she refused, so he sent the messenger again and ordered him to say to her: "By Allāh, you will return, or I will send to you women from Bakr ibn Wā’il with sharp blades to take you," and when she saw that, she left—this is not to be relied upon, even if it is said that Abū Bakr ibn Abī Shaybah narrated it in al-Muṣannaf, because it contradicts what the more reliable sources narrated, to the extent that it nearly reached the level of tawātur (concurrence).

Moreover, the opinion of the permissibility of leaving for Hajj and the like is not shaken by what ‘Abd ibn Ḥumayd and Ibn al-Mundhir recorded from Muḥammad ibn Sīrīn, who said: It is established that it was said to Sawdah—may Allāh be pleased with her—the wife of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace): "What is with you that you do not perform Hajj or Umrah as your sisters do?" She said: "I have performed Hajj and Umrah, and Allāh the Exalted commanded me to abide in my house. By Allāh, I will not leave my house until I die." He said: "By Allāh, she did not go out of the door of her chamber until her funeral was taken out." That is because it was based on her own ijtihād (independent legal reasoning), just as the going out of the sisters was based on their ijtihād. Yes, Aḥmad recorded from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said to his wives in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage: "This, then staying on the mat (ḥaṣr)." He said: "So all of them used to perform Hajj except Zaynab bint Jaḥsh and Sawdah bint Zam‘ah, and they used to say: 'By Allāh, no beast will move us after we have heard that from the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace).'" The intent of his saying—peace and blessings be upon him—"This, etc." is: "You will not go out after this pilgrimage from your houses, and you must keep to the ḥaṣr." It is the plural of ḥaṣīr (mat), which is spread in the houses made of reeds; the ṣād is added, and it is made quiescent to lighten it. It is in the sense of the prohibition of going out for Hajj, so what was mentioned first is not complete, and the going out of the rest of the wives for that is problematic. The answer is that the report is not explicit in the prohibition of going out for Hajj after that pilgrimage; otherwise, the rest of the purified wives would not have gone out for it without any objection from any of the Companions—may Allāh be pleased with them. Indeed, it has come that ‘Umar—may Allāh be pleased with him—sent them for Hajj during his era and placed with them ‘Uthmān and ‘Abd al-Raḥmān ibn ‘Awf and said to them: "You two are pious sons to them, so let one of you be in front of their litters and the other behind them," and no one objected. So it was a tacit consensus (ijmā‘ sukūtī) on its permissibility. It is as if Zaynab and Sawdah understood from the report that this pilgrimage was the end of it, or that this pilgrimage was permitted for them specifically, and then the duty after it was to keep to the houses, so they did not perform Hajj after that. Others understood it to mean: "The suitable for you or what is appropriate for you is this pilgrimage"—meaning its genre, or this state of travel for Hajj, or for an important religious matter, then after the completion, the suitable or appropriate is keeping to the houses. Thus, its purport would be the permissibility of going out for that. Whoever is fair would hardly say that the report indicates an order to keep to the houses and a prohibition from leaving them absolutely after that pilgrimage specifically. For the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) fell ill in the house of ‘Ā’ishah—may Allāh be pleased with her—and remained ill in it until he died—peace and blessings be upon him—and no one doubts the going out of the rest of them to visit him or imagines them staying in their houses, ignoring their longing to see his noble appearance until he died—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—for such a thing would not be done by the least of women in love for their husbands who have no status, so how could the purified wives do it with the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) and he is who he is, and their love for him is their love? Furthermore, the aforementioned answer is only needed after conceding the authenticity of the report, and the certainty of its authenticity requires investigation and review, so let it be investigated and reviewed. And Allāh the Exalted knows best.

"And establish prayer and give zakah..." They were ordered with these two because of their superiority over others and because they are the foundation of physical and financial acts of worship.

"And obey Allāh and His Messenger..." i.e., in everything you do and leave, especially in what you have been ordered and forbidden.

"Allāh only intends to remove impurity from you, O people of the House, and to purify you with a thorough purification." This is an explanatory initiation useful for explaining the rationale for the order and prohibition. Al-Rijs (impurity) is originally a filthy thing, and it is intended here by many as "sin," metaphorically. Al-Suddī said: "Disobedience." Al-Zajjāj said: "Sinful behavior." Ibn Zayd said: "Satan." Al-Ḥasan said: "Polytheism." It is said: "Doubt." It is said: "Stinginess and greed." It is said: "Caprices and innovations." It is said: "Al-Rijs occurs upon sin, punishment, impurity, and deficiencies." What is intended by it here is what encompasses all of that. It is not hidden from you the weakness in some of these sayings. The al (definite article) is for the genus or for encompassing. "Purification" (taṭhīr) is said to be adornment with piety. The meaning, according to what is said, is: "Allāh only intends to remove from you sins and acts of disobedience in what He has forbidden you, and to adorn you with piety, a powerful adornment, in what He has ordered you." It is permitted that it is intended as protection; the meaning is: "Allāh—the Mighty and Majestic—only intends to remove from you impurity and guard you from acts of disobedience with a powerful protection in what He has ordered and forbidden." There is disagreement regarding the lām in "to remove" (li-yudhhiba): it is said to be an additional lām and what follows it is in the place of the direct object for "intends" (yurīdu), as if it were said: "Allāh intends the removal of impurity from you and your purification." It is also said it is for the cause (ta‘līl). Then they disagreed: it is said the object is omitted, i.e., "Allāh only intends your order and prohibition to remove," or "Allāh only intends from you what He intends to remove," or similar. Al-Khalīl, Sībawayh, and those who followed them said the verb in that is estimated as a verbal noun raised by ibtidā’ (initiation), and the lām and what follows it is the predicate, i.e., "Allāh's intention is for the removal," similar to what is said in the proverb: "Hearing about al-Mu‘aydi is better than seeing him." Thus, there is no object for the verb. Al-Ṭabrasī said the lām is connected to an omitted phrase, its estimation being: "His intention is to remove." It is as you see. This that was mentioned occurs in His saying: "Allāh intends to make clear to you..." and "We were commanded to submit to the Lord of the worlds," and the poet’s saying: "I intend to forget her mention, as if Laylā represents herself to me in every place."

The accusative of "people" (ahl) is for vocative, and it is permitted that it is for praise, so "I praise" or "I mean" is estimated, or it is for specification (ikhtiṣāṣ), which is rare in address; an example is "By You, O Allāh, we hope for bounty." It is most common in the first person, like His saying: "We are the daughters of Ṭāriq, we walk upon the carpets." The al in "the House" (al-bayt) is for remembrance, and it is said it is a substitute for the muḍāf ilayh (possessive), i.e., the house of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). The outward sense is that it is the house of mud and wood, not the house of kinship and lineage; it is the house of residence, not the Prophet’s Mosque, as is said. In that case, "its people" means his wives—may Allāh be pleased with them—the purified ones, due to the evidence pointing to that from the preceding and following verses, especially since the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) had no house he resided in except their residences. This was narrated by more than one. Ibn Abī Ḥātim and Ibn ‘Asākir recorded from the path of ‘Ikrimah from Ibn ‘Abbās—may Allāh be pleased with both—that "Allāh only intends..." to the end, was revealed regarding the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) exclusively. Ibn Mardūyah recorded from the path of Ibn Jubayr from him that, without the word "exclusively." ‘Ikrimah said: "Whoever wishes, I will swear that it was revealed regarding the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)." Ibn Jarīr and Ibn Mardūyah recorded from ‘Ikrimah that he said regarding the verse: "It is not what you are going toward; it is only the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)."

Ibn Jarīr also narrated that ‘Ikrimah used to call out in the market that His saying: "Allāh only intends to remove impurity from you, O people of the House..." was revealed regarding the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Ibn Sa‘d recorded from ‘Urwah: "To remove impurity from you, O people of the House," he said: "Meaning the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)." The singularization of the "House" is because the houses of the purified wives, based on the attribution to the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace), are one house, and their pluralization in what preceded and followed is based on the attribution to the purified wives, who were multiple. The pluralization in His saying—the Almighty—coming later, if Allāh wills: "O you who believe, do not enter the houses of the Prophet unless you are given permission..." is to repel the illusion of intending the house of Zaynab if it were singularized, since the cause of revelation was a matter that occurred in it, as you will see, if Allāh wills. The pronoun of the masculine plural was brought in "from you" (‘ankum) and "purify you" (yuṭahhirakum) in consideration of the word "people" (ahl). The Arabs often use masculine forms in such instances in consideration of the wording. This is like His saying, addressing Sarah, the wife of the Friend (Abraham)—upon them both be peace: "Do you wonder at the command of Allāh? The mercy of Allāh and His blessings be upon you, O people of the House; indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Glorious." An example of this is His saying: "He said to his people: 'Stay here; indeed, I have perceived a fire,'" an address from Moses—peace be upon him—to his wife. Perhaps considering the masculine here is more entering into glorification. It is said the intent is he—peace and blessings be upon him—and his purified wives—may Allāh be pleased with them—and the pronoun of the masculine plural is for his being prioritized—peace and blessings be upon him—over them. It is said the intent by the House is the house of lineage, and for that, it was singularized and not pluralized as in the preceding and following.

Al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī, al-Ṭabarānī, Ibn Mardūyah, Abū Nu‘aym, and al-Bayhaqī together in al-Dalā’il recorded from Ibn ‘Abbās—may Allāh be pleased with both—who said: The Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said: "Allāh the Exalted divided the creation into two parts and placed me in the best of them as a part; that is His saying: 'And the companions of the right and the companions of the left,' for we are of the companions of the right, and I am the best of the companions of the right. Then He divided the two parts into three, and He placed me in the best of them as a third; that is His saying: 'And the companions of the left, what are the companions of the left? And the foremost, the foremost,' for we are of the foremost, and I am the best of the foremost. Then He made the thirds tribes, and He placed me in the best of them as a tribe; that is His saying: 'And We have made you nations and tribes, that you may know one another; indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh is the most righteous of you,' and I am the most righteous of the children of Adam, and the most noble of you in the sight of Allāh, and it is no boast. Then He made the tribes houses, and He placed me in the best of them as a house; that is His saying: 'Allāh only intends to remove impurity from you, O people of the House, and to purify you with a thorough purification.' I and my family are purified from sins." The immediate meaning of the house, which is a division of the tribe, is the house of lineage. There is disagreement regarding the intent of "its people" (ahlihi). Al-Tha‘labī went toward the opinion that they are all the Banū Hāshim, their males and females. The outward sense is that he intended the believers of the Banū Hāshim; this is what is intended by the Āl (family) according to the Ḥanafīs. Some Shāfi‘īs said: They are his family—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—who are the believers of the Banū Hāshim and al-Muṭṭalib. Al-Rāghib mentioned that "people of the House" became known in the family of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) absolutely, and the family of a man, according to al-Qāmūs, is his rahṭ (near kin), i.e., his people and his nearest tribe. He said in another place: "People of the House" became known in his family—peace and blessings be upon him. It is authentic from Zayd ibn Arqam in a hadith recorded by Muslim that it was said to him: "Who are the people of his house? His wives—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace?" He said: "No, by Allāh! The woman is with the man for a time of life, then he divorces her, and she returns to her father and her people. The people of his house are his origin and his agnates who have been forbidden charity after him—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace." In another hadith recorded by him also, he clarified those who were forbidden charity, saying: "They are the family of ‘Alī, the family of ‘Aqīl, the family of Ja‘far, and the family of ‘Abbās." Some Shī‘ah said: "People of the House," whether it is intended as the house of mud and wood or the house of kinship and lineage, is general. As for its generality in the second sense, it is clear. As for the first, because it includes the slave girls and servants, for the mud house is lived in by these as well. It is authentic that it indicates that generality is not intended.

Al-Tirmidhī and al-Ḥākim (who authenticated it), Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Mardūyah, and al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan recorded from paths from Umm Salamah—may Allāh be pleased with her—who said: "In my house was revealed 'Allāh only intends to remove impurity from you, O people of the House,' and in the house were Fāṭimah, ‘Alī, al-Ḥasan, and al-Ḥusayn. So the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) covered them with a mantle that was upon him, then said: 'These are the people of my house, so remove from them the impurity and purify them with a thorough purification.'"

In some narrations, it came that he—peace and blessings be upon him—brought his hand out from the mantle, gestured with it toward the sky, and said: "O Allāh, these are the people of my house and my chosen ones, so remove from them the impurity and purify them with a thorough purification," three times.

In another narration, he—peace and blessings be upon him—threw a Fidakī mantle over them, then placed his hand upon them, then said: "O Allāh, indeed these are the people of my house," and in one wording: "The family of Muḥammad, so place Your prayers and Your blessings upon the family of Muḥammad as You have placed them upon the family of Abraham; indeed, You are Praiseworthy and Glorious."

In a narration recorded by al-Ṭabarānī from Umm Salamah, she said: "So I lifted the mantle to enter with them, but he—peace and blessings be upon him—pulled it from my hand and said: 'Indeed, you are upon good.'" In another, narrated by Ibn Mardūyah from her, she said: "Am I not from the people of the House?" He said—peace and blessings be upon him—: "Indeed, you are toward good; you are of the wives of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)." In the last one, narrated by al-Tirmidhī and a group from ‘Umar ibn Abī Salamah, the stepson of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), he said: "Umm Salamah—and I was with them—said: 'O Prophet of Allāh!' He said: 'You are in your place, and you are upon good.'" The reports of his entering—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—‘Alī, Fāṭimah, and their two sons—may Allāh be pleased with them—under the mantle, his saying—peace and blessings be upon him—"O Allāh, these are the people of my house," his prayer for them, and his not including Umm Salamah, are more numerous than to be counted. She is a specifier for the generality of the "people of the House," in whatever sense the house is; therefore, they are the ones included in the mantle, and the wives of the Prophet—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—do not enter into it. ‘Abdullāh al-Mashhadī of the Shī‘ah explicitly stated their non-entry and said: "The intent is the house of Prophethood." There is no doubt that "people of the House" linguistically includes the wives, but even the servants among the slave girls who live in the house; it is not intended by this linguistic meaning in this breadth, by consensus. So, the intent is the Āl al-‘Abā’ (the Family of the Cloak) whom the hadith of the cloak specified. He also said: "The fact that the houses are plural in 'your houses' (buyūtikunna) and singular as 'House' in 'people of the House' indicates that their houses are not the house of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace)." In that is what you will know, if Allāh wills. It is said the "House" is intended as the house of residence and the house of lineage, and the people of that are the people of each of the two houses. You have heard what was said regarding it, and in it is the combining of the literal and the metaphorical.

Some researchers said: "The intent of the 'House' is the house of residence, and its people are, according to what the context and the sequence of the verse and the innumerable reports demand, those who have a greater closeness to it, either by living in it while fulfilling its interests and managing its affairs and caring for its matter, and the resident not being in a position of change or shifting through common customs of sale or gift, like the wives, or by living in it as such without considering the fulfillment of interests, like the children, or by a relationship to its owner that necessitates, according to custom, visiting and sitting in it without asking from the owner for that, or by not being forbidden from that, like children who do not live in it, and like their children even if they descend, and like the uncles. According to this, a combination is achieved between the reports, and you have heard some of them, like the hadith of the Cloak, in which there is no indication of limitation, and like the sound hadith that he—peace and blessings be upon him—enveloped ‘Abbās and his sons with a garment then said: 'O Lord, this is my uncle and the counterpart of my father, and these are the people of my house, so cover them from the Fire as I have covered them with this garment of mine.' So the threshold of the door and the walls of the house said 'Amen' three times."

In some narrations, it came that he—peace and blessings be upon him—added to the people of the Cloak, ‘Alī, Fāṭimah, and the two Ḥasans—may Allāh be pleased with them—the rest of his daughters, relatives, and wives. It is authentic from Umm Salamah in some others that she said: "So I said: 'O Messenger of Allāh, am I not from the people of the House?' He said: 'Yes, if Allāh wills.'" In some others, she said to him—peace and blessings be upon him—: "Am I not from your family?" He said: "Yes." He—peace and blessings be upon him—included her in the mantle after he finished his prayer for them. It has been repeated, as the Muḥibb al-Ṭabarī indicated, his—peace and blessings be upon him—gathering and saying: "These are the people of my house" and the prayer in the house of Umm Salamah and the house of Fāṭimah—may Allāh be pleased with them—and others. By this, a combination is made between the differing narrations regarding the manner of gathering, what he covered the gathered with, what he prayed for them with, and what he answered Umm Salamah with. His not including her in some times under the mantle is not because she is not from the people of the House at all, but for the clarity that she is of them, as she was of the wives whom the context of the verse and its sequence require their entry into them, unlike those who were included under it—may Allāh be pleased with them—for if he had not included them and said what he said, they would have been assumed to be excluded from the verse because its context did not require that. Ibn Ḥajar mentioned that, upon the estimation of the authenticity of some differing narrations, the loading is that the revelation occurred twice. He—peace and blessings be upon him—entered some who had no causal or lineage relationship with him into the "people of the House" out of extension and comparison, like Salmān al-Fārisī—may Allāh be pleased with him—where he—peace and blessings be upon him—said: "Salmān is from us, the people of the House." It came in a sound narration that Wāthilah said: "And I am from your family, O Messenger of Allāh?" He said—peace and blessings be upon him—: "And you are from my family." Wāthilah used to say: "It is one of the most hopeful things I have." The report indicating in its outward sense that the intent of the "House" is the house of lineage—I mean the report of al-Ḥakīm al-Tirmidhī and those with him from Ibn ‘Abbās—it is possible to carry the house in it to mean the mud house. Animals are divided into Byzantine and Abyssinian, for example, as man is divided into them, given that among its narrators is one whom Ibn Ma‘īn trusted and others weakened, and jarḥ (disparagement) takes precedence over ta‘dīl (certification). As for what was narrated from Zayd ibn Arqam—may Allāh be pleased with him—denying that his wives—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—are the people of his house and that the people of his house are his origin and agnates who were forbidden charity after him—peace and blessings be upon him—the intent of "people of the House" in it is the people of the House whom the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) made the second of the two heavy things (al-thaqalayn), not the people of the House in the general sense intended in the verse. Witnessing to this is what is in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim from Yazīd ibn Ḥayyān, who said: "I, Ḥuṣayn ibn Sabrah, and ‘Umar ibn Muslim went to Zayd ibn Arqam. When we sat with him, Ḥuṣayn said to him: 'O Zayd, you have met much good! You saw the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace), heard his hadith, fought with him, and prayed behind him. You have met much good, O Zayd! Tell us what you heard from the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace).' He said: 'O son of my brother, by Allāh, my age has grown, my time has become long, and I have forgotten some of what I used to retain from the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). So what I narrate to you, accept it, and what I do not, do not trouble me with it.' Then he said: 'The Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) stood one day among us as a preacher by water called Khumm, between Makkah and Madinah. He praised Allāh and lauded Him, then preached and reminded, then said: "Now then, O people! I am only a human; it is nearly time that the Messenger of my Lord will come and I will respond. I am leaving among you two heavy things: the first of them is the Book of Allāh, in it is guidance and light, so take the Book of Allāh and hold fast to it." He urged toward the Book of Allāh and desired it, then said: "And the people of my house; I remind you of Allāh regarding the people of my house, I remind you of Allāh regarding the people of my house, I remind you of Allāh regarding the people of my house," three times.' Ḥuṣayn said to him: 'And who are the people of his house, O Zayd? Are his wives not from the people of his house?' He said: 'His wives are from the people of his house, but the people of his house are those who were forbidden charity after him.' He said: 'And who are they?' He said: 'They are the family of ‘Alī, the family of ‘Aqīl, the family of Ja‘far, and the family of ‘Abbās.'" The istidrāk (correction/clarification) after he made the wives from the people of his house—peace and blessings be upon him—is clear that the purpose is to clarify the intent of "people of the House" in the hadith he narrated from the Messenger of Allāh (peace and blessings be upon him), and they are the second of the two heavy things. Thus, "people of the House" has two usages; in one of them, the wives enter, and in the other, they do not. By this, a combination is achieved between this report and the previous report containing his—may Allāh be pleased with him—denial that the wives are from the people of the House.

Some said: The outward sense of his reasoning for denying that the wives are the people of the House with his saying: "By Allāh, the woman is with the man for a time of life, then he divorces her, and she returns to her father and her people," necessitates that they are not from the people of the House absolutely. Perhaps he intended by his saying in the previous report: "His wives are from the people of his house?" with a questioning hamza of denial, so it would mean: "Are his wives from the people of his house?" as in the majority of narrations in other than Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. It may be that he—may Allāh be pleased with him—was one of those who saw that his wives—peace and blessings be upon him—are not from the people of the House at all, and it is not required for us to practice our religion based on his opinion, especially when the outward sense of the verse is with us, as is custom. In that case, it is permitted that the "people of the House" who are one of the two heavy things is in the sense encompassing the wives and others from his origin and agnates—peace and blessings be upon him—who were forbidden charity after him. It does not harm that the wives do not remain as others remained with the Book, as is not hidden. You know that the outward sense of what is authentic from his saying—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—: "I am leaving among you two successors," and in a narration "two heavy things: the Book of Allāh, a rope extended between the sky and the earth, and my offspring, the people of my house, and they will not separate until they reach me at the Pond," necessitates that the purified wives are not included in the "people of the House" who are one of the two heavy things, because the ‘itrah (offspring) of a man, as in al-Ṣiḥāḥ, is his progeny and his near kin, and "the people of my house" in the hadith is evidently an explanation for it, or a substitution—a substitution of the whole for the whole—and on both estimates, it is united with it. Since the wives did not enter into the first, they did not enter into the second. In al-Nihāyah: "The ‘itrah of the Prophet (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) are the Banū ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib." It is said the people of his house are the nearest, and they are his children and ‘Alī and his children—may Allāh be pleased with them. It is said: His ‘itrah are the nearest and farthest of them. What al-Qurṭubī favored is that they are those for whom charity was forbidden. Whether the purified wives are likewise is a subject of disagreement. Ibn Ḥajar said: "The saying of the prohibition of charity upon them is weak, even if Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr narrated the consensus upon it." So contemplate. It does not rebut carrying the "people of the House" in the verse to the broader meaning what was recorded by Ibn Jarīr, Ibn Abī Ḥātim, and al-Ṭabarānī from Abū Sa‘īd al-Khudrī, who said: The Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace) said: "This verse was revealed regarding five: myself, ‘Alī, Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn: 'Allāh only intends to remove impurity from you, O people of the House, and to purify you with a thorough purification,'" for there is no evidence in it for limitation, and number has no connotation. Perhaps the limitation to those mentioned—prayers of Allāh the Exalted and peace be upon them—is because they are the best of those who entered the generality. This is upon the estimation of the authenticity of the hadith, which I am inclined to think is not authentic, for I have not known something like this in the verses from him—peace and blessings be upon him—in any of the authentic hadiths that I have encountered regarding the causes of revelation. By interpreting the "people of the House" as those who have a greater connection to him in the manner you have heard, what al-Mashhadī mentioned of it encompassing the servants, slave girls, and slaves who live in the house is repelled, for they are in a position of change and shifting through their moving from ownership to ownership by way of gift and sale, and they have no fulfillment of its interests, care for its matter, or management of its affairs, except when they are ordered to do so. Their inclusion in the string of the wives and the claim that the attribution of all to the house is on one level is not approved by a fair person and is only said by someone forced to do so.

Some of the later ones said: "Their entry into the generality is something that is not problematic for the Sunnis, because the verse in their opinion does not indicate infallibility (‘iṣmah), and there is no restriction on the mercy of Allāh the Mighty and Majestic. And for the sake of an eye, a thousand eyes are honored. As for the matter of plural and singular, you have heard what relates to it." The outward sense in this opinion is that the expression with the masculine plural pronoun in "from you" (‘ankum) is for prioritization, and it was mentioned that in "from you" there are two prioritizations: one of them is the prioritization of the masculine over the feminine, and the second is the prioritization of the addressed over the absent, for other than the purified wives from the people of the House, there was no mention of them before, and they were not addressed with an order or prohibition or others in it. The matter of the cause is clear upon it, even if it is not like its clarity upon the opinion that the intent of "people of the House" is the purified wives only.

Al-Mashhadī apologized for the occurrence of the sentence "Allāh only intends..." in between by saying that the like of it occurs in the Holy Quran. He said—His command—: "Say: 'Obey Allāh and obey the Messenger,' then if they turn away, then upon him is what he has been burdened with," then He said—the Almighty—after the completion of the verse: "And establish prayer and give zakah," so He joined "establish" to "obey" despite the occurrence of a long separation between them. In it is that it occurred after "establish prayer..." etc., "and obey the Messenger," so if the conjunction were upon what was mentioned, it would necessitate joining "obey" to "obey," and it is as you see.

We conceded that there is no corruption in that, but such a separation is not in the place of the dispute, for it is a separation between the conjoined and the conjoined-to by an ajnabī (extraneous) word in terms of syntax, and that does not conflict with rhetoric. What we are in, according to what they went to, is a separation by an ajnabī in terms of the subject matter of the following and preceding verses, and denying its conflict with the Quranic rhetoric is an obvious stubbornness. Among what makes a boy laugh is that he said afterward: "There is between the verses an initiation and informative difference, because the verse of purification is a vocative and informative sentence, and what preceded it and followed it from the order and prohibition are initiation sentences, and joining the initiation to the informative is not permitted." By my life, it is more similar to the speech of someone in terms of error to the saying of some commoners of the non-Arabs: "Ḥasan and Ḥusayn are the daughters of Mu‘āwiyah." "And whoever Allāh does not give light, there is no light for him." Furthermore, the Shī‘ah used the verse as evidence after their saying: with the specialization of the people of the House in it to whom you heard, and making "to remove" the object of "intends," and interpreting the "impurity" as "sins," regarding infallibility. So they went to the opinion that ‘Alī, Fāṭimah, and the two Ḥasans—may Allāh be pleased with them—are infallible from sins, as he—peace and blessings be upon him—was infallible from them. Some of the illustrious later scholars followed this by saying that if it were supposed that everything they went to was determined, its indication of infallibility would not be conceded; rather, it has an indication of the opposite, for it is not said regarding one who is pure: "If I intend to purify him," necessarily due to the impossibility of achieving what is already achieved. The utmost in the matter is that these persons—may Allāh be pleased with them—being protected from impurity and sins after the attachment of the intention to the removal of their impurity is proven by the verse, but this is also upon the principles of the Sunnis, not upon the principles of the Shī‘ah, because the occurrence of His intention—the Almighty—is not necessary in their opinion for His intention—the Mighty and Majestic—absolutely. In summary, if providing the meaning of infallibility were intended, it would have been said like this: "Allāh removed from you the impurity, O people of the House, and purified you with a thorough purification." Also, if it were indicative of infallibility, the Companions—especially those present at the Battle of Badr—should all be infallible, because of His saying regarding them: "But He intends to purify you and complete His favor upon you, so that you may be grateful." Indeed, perhaps this is more beneficial because of what it has from His saying—the Almighty—: "and complete His favor upon you," for the occurrence of this completion is not conceivable without protection from sins and the evil of Satan. Al-Ṭabrasī formulated the aspect of using it as evidence for infallibility by saying that "only" (innamā) is a word confirming what was proven after it, negating what was not proven. So if it is said: "You only have a dirham with me," it benefits that the addressee has nothing with him except a dirham. Thus, the verse benefits the realization of the intention and the negation of other than it. The intention is not devoid of being either pure intention or the intention which the purification and removal of impurity follows. It is not permitted that it is the pure intention because He—the Almighty and Majestic—has intended that from every accountable person by pure intention, so there is no specification of it for the people of the House over the rest of the accountable ones, and because this statement necessitates praise and glorification for them without doubt, and there is no praise in the intention. So the intention of the intention in the second sense is determined. It has been known that this—other than the people of the Cloak—is not intended, so infallibility is specified to them. It is as you see. Moreover, it has come in the books of the Shī‘ah what indicates the non-infallibility of the Commander—may Allāh ennoble his face—and he is the best of those who were covered by the cloak after the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). In Nahj al-Balāghah, he—may Allāh ennoble his face—said to his companions: "Do not refrain from saying a word of truth or advice with justice, for I am not above erring, nor am I safe from that in my action, unless Allāh the Exalted casts into my soul what is more master of it than I."

In it also, he—may Allāh ennoble his face—used to say in his prayer: "O Allāh, forgive me for what I have approached You with, but my heart has opposed it." It is the intention of education, as in some prophetic supplications, "so it is said." So contemplate and do not be heedless. Some Sunnis interpreted the intention here as love, saying: "Because if it were intended by it the intention that occurs when the action is realized, every person of the people of the House until the Day of Resurrection would be protected from every sin, and what is witnessed is the opposite. The specification of the people of the Cloak and the rest of the twelve Imams, as the Imāmīs—who claim their infallibility—went, is something that has no evidence in our opinion. The praise came from the side of caring for their matter and benefiting them with the love of Allāh for them, this great matter of status, and His address—the Almighty—to them with that, and making it a Quran recited until the Day of Resurrection."

Sometimes it is argued that the intention here is in the aforementioned sense, not the famous sense that the action is realized upon, by the fact that he—peace and blessings be upon him—said when he entered ‘Alī, Fāṭimah, and the two Ḥasans—may Allāh be pleased with them—under the cloak: "O Allāh, these are the people of my house, so remove from them the impurity and purify them with a thorough purification." For what need is there for the prayer if that was intended by the intention in the famous sense? Is it anything but a prayer for the realization of what is obligatory to realize?

Some used this as evidence for the non-revelation of the verse regarding them; rather, he—peace and blessings be upon him—entered them into the "people of the House" mentioned in the verse by his noble prayer—peace and blessings be upon him. Everything mentioned is not devoid of debate. What appears to me is that the intent by the "people of the House" is those who have a greater relationship to him—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—and a strong, close attribution to him—peace and blessings be upon him—such that it is not considered ugly by custom for them to gather and reside with him—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—in one house. Entering into that are his four wives, the people of the Cloak, and ‘Alī—may Allāh ennoble his face—with what he has of kinship from the Messenger of Allāh (may Allāh bless him and grant him peace). He was raised in his house and his lap—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—so he did not depart from him, and he dealt with him as a young boy, and he was his son-in-law and brother as an adult. The intention is in its real sense that entails action, and the verse does not stand as evidence for the infallibility of the people of his house—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—who were existing when it was revealed, nor others, nor their protection from sins, according to what the Sunnis say, not for the possibility that the intent is directing the order and prohibition or the like for removing the impurity and purification, by making the object of "intends" omitted and making "to remove and purify" in the place of the final cause (maf‘ūl lahu), even if there is no harm in it. It was gone to by whoever went to it; rather, because the meaning is according to what the mind goes toward and what the occurrence of the sentence in the place of the cause for the prohibition and order necessitates: "Allāh the Exalted has forbidden you and ordered you because He—the Almighty—intends by your prohibition and order the removal of impurity from you and your purification. In that is the utmost benefit for you, and He does not intend by that to examine you and burden you without benefit returning to you." It is according to the meaning of a condition, i.e., "He intends by your prohibition and order to remove from you the impurity and purify you, if you desist and follow orders," necessarily because the style of the verse is like the style of the saying of a speaker to a group, knowing that if they drank water, it would remove their thirst inevitably: "Allāh the Exalted intends by the water to remove from you the thirst," for it is in the sense: "He intends—the Almighty—by the water the removal of the thirst from you if you drank it." Thus, the intent is the removal of thirst on the condition of the addressees drinking the water, not the removal absolutely. The purport of the structure in the example is the realization of the removal of thirst after drinking, and in what we are in, the removal of impurity and purification after desisting and following orders, because the intended removal mentioned is on the condition of them, so it is realized in occurrence after the realization of the condition, and its realization is not known, as it is an elective matter and not what the intention relates to. The intent by "impurity" is sin, and by removing it is removing its premises by refinement of the soul and making its faculties, like the desiring faculty and the angry faculty, such that what arises from them of sins like adultery and killing the soul which Allāh the Exalted has forbidden does not arise from them, not removing the sin itself after its realization in the outside and its issuance from the person, for that is not conceivable except in the sense of wiping it from the pages of deeds and not taking to task for it, and the intention of that is as you see.

It is as if the result of the removal is takhliyah (emptying) and the result of the purification is taḥliyah (adornment). The verse includes the promise from Him—the Almighty and Majestic—to the people of His Prophet’s house—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—that if they desist from what He forbids and follow what He orders them, He will remove from them inevitably the premises of what is disparaged and adorn them with the best adornment with what is praised. In it is an indication of the acceptance of their deeds and the realization of beautiful effects upon them definitively, and this is a specialty for them and a merit over those other than them, in that those others, if they desist or follow orders, it is not cut for them that this will occur.

That is why we find the servants of the people of the House in a more perfect state than other servants participating with them in apparent worship, and in better consequences, and purer in soul. To them end the chains of the paths (ṭarā’iq) whose foundation, as is not hidden to those who traverse them, is takhliyah and taḥliyah, which are two wings for flying to the enclosures of holiness and standing upon the nests of intimacy, until a group went to the opinion that the Quṭb (Axis/Pole) in every era cannot be but from them, contradicting the Professor Abū al-‘Abbās al-Mursī, where he went, as his student al-Tāj ibn ‘Aṭā’ Allāh reported from him, to the opinion that it may be from other than them. I saw in the writings of the Imām al-Fārūq al-Rabbānī, the renewer of the second millennium—may his secret be sanctified—what sums up that the Quṭbiyyah (Axis-hood) was not by way of originality except for the known Imams of the people of the House; then it became after them for others by way of representation (niyābah) from them, until the turn ended to the Master, the Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Gīlānī—may his luminous secret be sanctified—so he attained the rank of Quṭbiyyah by way of originality. When his holy soul ascended to the highest of the high, whoever attained after him attained that rank by way of representation from him. When the Mahdī comes, he will attain it by originality, as others from the Imams—may the pleasure of Allāh be upon them all—attained it. This is something that there is no way to know and to stand upon its truth except by unveiling (kashf), and it came to me.

What I am inclined to think is that the Quṭb may be from other than them, but the Quṭb of the Quṭbs cannot be but from them, because they are the purest of people by origin and the most abundant of them in virtue, and that whoever attains this rank from them does not attain it but by way of originality, not by way of representation and agency. I do not conceive of representation in that station, and even if I conceived it, I would say: "Every Quṭb in every era is a representative of our Prophet—upon him from Allāh the Exalted the best prayer and the most complete peace." There is nothing strange in the representation of the Quṭbs after him of him—may Allāh bless him and grant him peace—as the Prophets before him represented him; he—peace and blessings be upon him—is the perfect one who perfects the creation and the intermediary in the overflowing upon them in reality. Everyone who preceded him in time from the Prophets and delayed after him from the Quṭbs and the saints are representatives of him and derive from him. I say that the Master, the Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qādir—may his secret be sanctified and he overwhelm us with his goodness—attained what he attained from the Quṭbiyyah by way of his grandfather—peace and blessings be upon him—in the most perfect manner and the most complete state, for he was—may Allāh be pleased with him—from the illustrious people of the House, Ḥasanī from the side of the father, Ḥusaynī from the side of the mother; no deficiency touched him, if only, and would that. No one denies that except a heretic or a Rāfiḍī who denies the companionship of the Truthful (Abū Bakr). I see that his saying—may Allāh be pleased with him—: "The suns of the predecessors have set, and our sun ever upon the orbit of loftiness does not set," does not indicate that whoever attains the Quṭbiyyah after him from the people of the House whose element and his element are one is a representative of him who has no bounty except from him; rather, the utmost it indicates and points to is the continuous appearance of his matter, the spread of his fame, the renown of his path, and the generality of his bounty to whoever overflows in the manner known to its people from him, and that is something that is hardly denied and is clearer than the sun and the moon. This is what I have in the discussion on the noble verse containing great virtue for the people of the House. From it is known the aspect of the expression with "intends" in the form of the present tense, the aspect of prioritizing the removal of impurity over purification, and the aspect of his prayer—peace and blessings be upon him—for the people of the Cloak by removing the impurity without need for saying that that is a request for continuity, as was said in His saying—the Almighty—: "O you who believe, believe," and the like. It is not rebutted by much of what is rebutted by other than it. Even with this, the path of the mind has breadth, and there is no restriction on the bounty of Allāh the Mighty and Majestic, so there is no obstacle to Allāh granting someone success for what is better than this and more illustrious. So contemplate that, and Allāh—the Almighty—takes charge of your guidance.