Ahl al-Kisa
the islamic prophet Muhammad and four members of his family
Ahl al-Kisa (Arabic: أَهْل ٱلْكِسَاء, romanized: ʾAhl al-Kisāʾ, lit. 'People of The Cloak' ), also known as the Al al-Aba (Arabic: آل ٱلْعَبَاء, romanized: ʾĀl al-ʿabāʾ, lit. 'Family of The Cloak' ), are the Islamic prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn. The name is associated with the Hadith of the Cloak and the Event of Mubahala, both of which are widely reported in Sunni and Shia sources. Muhammad gathered Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn under his cloak and identified them as members of his family (Ahl al-Bayt). He then prayed to God to purify and bless them, emphasizing their special spiritual status and closeness to him.
Ali, Hasan, and Husayn are the first three Shia Imams and rightful successors of Muhammad. Shia Muslims regard them as infallible and emphasize their suffering and martyrdom. Sunni Muslims likewise honor them as members of Muhammad’s family (Ahl al-Bayt) and hold them in very high esteem. However, Sunnis generally emphasize their virtue, closeness to Muhammad, and moral excellence rather than regarding them as divinely appointed religious leaders.
Origins of the name
Hadith of the kisa
According to the hadith of the kisa, on one occasion at least, Muhammad gathered his daughter Fatima, her husband Ali, and their two sons Hasan and Husayn under his cloak and then prayed, "O God, these are my ahl al-bayt (lit. 'the people of my house') and my closest family members; remove defilement from them and purify them completely," where this last statement is a reference to verse 33:33 of the Quran, known also as the verse of purification. These five have thus become known as the Ahl al-Kisa (lit. 'people of the cloak').
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This entry incorporates text from “Ahl al-Kisa” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.