[Machine] People have differed regarding this matter. Some say it refers to the people of the Prophet's household, while others say it refers to those who obeyed him and followed his teachings. Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, believed that it means those who obeyed the Prophet. The scholar Abdul Razzaq said that it is more likely that it means the people of the Prophet's household. He supported his opinion by citing the verse in Surah Hud where Allah commanded Prophet Nuh to take his family on the ark, saying, "And he said, 'Embark therein; in the name of Allah is its course and its anchorage. Indeed, my Lord is Forgiving and Merciful.' And it sailed with them through waves like mountains, and Noah called to his son who was apart [from them], 'O my son, come aboard with us and be not with the disbelievers.' [But] he said, 'I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the flood.' Noah said, 'There is no protector today from the decree of Allah, except for whom He gives mercy.' And the waves came between them, and he was among the drowned" (Surah Hud, 40-46). The scholar Al-Shafi'i, may Allah have mercy on him, responded to this interpretation by saying that the verse [But] he said, 'I will take refuge on a mountain to protect me from the flood' (Surah Hud, 46) shows that Noah's son was not among his family members who were commanded to board the ark. Instead, he was a sinner and was excluded from being considered part of Noah's family. This interpretation is supported by the verse, "And your Lord would not have destroyed the cities unjustly while their people were reformers" (Surah Hud, 117). This verse indicates that Allah commanded Prophet Noah to take on the ark only those family members who had not yet been condemned to disbelief. Then Allah clarified the matter further by saying, "Indeed, he was a [committed] disobedient servant" (Surah Hud, 46).  

قَدِ اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ أَهْلُ الْبَيْتِ وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ مَنْ أَطَاعَهُ وَعَمِلَ بِسُنَنِهِ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَحْسِبُهُ عَبْدَ الرَّزَّاقِ قَالَ مَنْ أَطَاعَهُ قَالَ الشَّيْخُ مَنْ ذَهَبَ هَذَا الْمَذْهَبَ الثَّانِي أَشْبَهُ أَنْ يَقُولَ قَالَ اللهُ ﷻ لِنُوحٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ {احْمِلْ فِيهَا مِنْ كُلٍّ زَوْجَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ وَأَهْلَكَ} [هود 40] وَقَالَ {إِنَّ ابْنِي مِنْ أَهْلِي وَإِنَّ وَعَدَكَ الْحَقُّ وَأَنْتَ أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ قَالَ يَا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ} [هود 46] فَأَخْرَجَهُ بِالشِّرْكِ عَنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ مِنْ أَهْلِ نُوحٍ وَقَدْ أَجَابَ عَنْهُ الشَّافِعِيُّ رَحِمَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى فَقَالَ الَّذِي نَذْهَبُ إِلَيْهِ فِي مَعْنَى هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ أَنَّ قَوْلَ اللهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى {إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ} [هود 46] يَعْنِي الَّذِينَ أَمَرْنَا بِحَمْلِهِمْ مَعَكَ؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَالَ {وَأَهْلَكَ إِلَّا مَنْ سَبَقَ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ مِنْهُمْ} [المؤمنون 27] فَأَعْلَمَهُمْ أَنَّهُ أَمَرَهُ بِأَنْ يَحْمِلَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ مَنْ لَمْ يَسْبِقْ عَلَيْهِ الْقَوْلُ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَعْصِيَةٍ ثُمَّ بَيَّنَ لَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صَالِحٍ  

[Machine] "Abdullah Al-Hafiz, Abu Bakr Al-Qadi, and Abu Abdullah As-Susi said: Abu Al-Abbas Muhammad Ibn Ya'qub narrated to us, who narrated to us Al-Abbas Ibn Al-Walid Ibn Mazid, who informed me; my father said: I heard Al-Awza'i saying: Abu Ammar, a man from us, said, "I came to seek Ali, but I did not find him, so Fatimah said: 'Go to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and call him.' So, I went, along with them. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called Hasan and Husayn and made each of them sit on his lap, and Fatimah sat closest to him, along with her husband. Then, he wrapped his cloak over them, and I was left out. Then, he recited the verse: 'Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity, O people of the household, and to purify you with thorough purification.' (Quran 33:33). I said, 'O Messenger of Allah, am I not one of your household?' He replied, 'You are indeed one of my household.' Wathilah said, 'It is the most hopeful thing I hope for.' And it was narrated to us by Abu Abdullah As-Susi, who narrated to us Abu Al-Abbas, who told us Rabee'ah Ibn Sulaiman and Sa'id Ibn Uthman, who said: Bishr Ibn Bakr narrated to us from Al-Awza'i that Abu Ammar informed him, who said: Wathilah Ibn Al-Asqa' said, 'I went to Ali, but I did not find him.' Then, he mentioned the hadith in a similar manner. This isnad (chain of narration) is authentic, and it is more specific to attributing this to Wathilah, rather than generalizing it to the entire Ummah (Muslim community). It seems as if Wathilah was being compared to those who deserved this title, not in the sense of actual realization. And Allah knows best."  

عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ الْقَاضِي وَأَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ السُّوسِيُّ قَالُوا ثنا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ ثنا الْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ بْنُ مَزْيَدٍ أَخْبَرَنِي أَبِي قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْأَوْزَاعِيَّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَمَّارٍ رَجُلٌ مِنَّا قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي وَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ اللَّيْثِيُّ قَالَ جِئْتُ أُرِيدُ عَلِيًّا ؓ فَلَمْ أَجِدْهُ فَقَالَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ؓ انْطَلَقَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ يَدْعُوهُ فَاجْلِسْ قَالَ فَجَاءَ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَدَخَلَا فَدَخَلْتُ مَعَهُمَا قَالَ فَدَعَا رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ حَسَنًا وَحُسَيْنًا فَأَجْلَسَ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَأَدْنَى فَاطِمَةَ مِنْ حِجْرِهِ وَزَوْجَهَا ثُمَّ لَفَّ عَلَيْهِمْ ثَوْبَهُ وَأَنَا مُنْتَبِذٌ فَقَالَ {إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا} [الأحزاب 33] اللهُمَّ هَؤُلَاءِ أَهْلِي اللهُمَّ أَهْلِي أَحَقُّ قَالَ وَاثِلَةُ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ وَأَنَا مِنْ أَهْلِكَ قَالَ وَأَنْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِي قَالَ وَاثِلَةُ ؓ إِنَّهَا لِمَنْ أَرْجَى مَا أَرْجُو 2871 وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ السُّوسِيُّ ثنا أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أنبأ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ قَالَا ثنا بِشْرُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ عَنِ الْأَوْزَاعِيِّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَمَّارٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي وَاثِلَةُ بْنُ الْأَسْقَعِ قَالَ أَتَيْتُ عَلِيًّا ؓ فَلَمْ أَجِدْهُ فَذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ بِنَحْوِهِ هَذَا إِسْنَادٌ صَحِيحٌ وَهُوَ إِلَى تَخْصِيصِ وَاثِلَةَ بِذَلِكَ أَقْرَبُ مِنْ تَعْمِيمِ الْأُمَّةِ بِهِ وَكَأَنَّهُ جَعَلَ وَاثِلَةَ فِي حُكْمِ الْأَهْلِ تَشْبِيهًا بِمَنْ يَسْتَحِقُّ هَذَا الِاسْمَ لَا تَحْقِيقًا وَاللهُ أَعْلَمُ  

[Machine] The followers of Muhammad ﷺ are his ummah.  

آلُ مُحَمَّدٍ ﷺ أُمَّتُهُ  

[Machine] I heard Anas bin Malik saying that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about the family of Muhammad. He replied, "They are all righteous, and this cannot be used as an argument against anyone except those like him (i.e., righteous)." Nafi‘ Al-Sulami, Abu Hurairah, from Busra, Yaḥya bin Ma'een dismissed him as a liar, and Ahmad bin Hanbal considered him weak. Other scholars of preservation have differed on this matter, and success is from Allah.  

سَمِعْتُ أَنَسَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ يَقُولُ سُئِلَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ عَنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ كُلُّ تَقِيٍّ وَهَذَا لَا يَحِلُّ الِاحْتِجَاجُ بِمِثْلِهِ نَافِعٌ السُّلَمِيُّ أَبُو هُرْمُزَ مِنْ بُصْرَى كَذَّبَهُ يَحْيَى بْنُ مَعِينٍ وَضَعَّفَهُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ وَغَيْرُهُمَا مِنَ الْحُفَّاظِ وَبِاللهِ التَّوْفِيقُ