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The Meaning of Praying for and Blessing Prophet Muhammad and His Descendants

Miscellaneous series
Lessons from the guidance of the Holy Quran
Delivered by (Syed) Mr. Hussein Badr Al-Din Al-Houthi
Yemen – Sa’da

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Compassionate
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may Allah’s blessings and praise be upon our Master Muhammad and his pure descendants.

Before the main topic of the session, we can talk about the meaning of prayers upon the Prophet and his descendants (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his pure descendants).

And prayer as it is, the five prayers that Allah imposed on his servants, and the Nawafil prayers “additional prayers, apart from the regular five prayers” are among the most important acts of worship, with important implications. The problem is that we do not pay attention to what the prayer indicates, to what it inspires, the signs, and evidence. We pray several times each day, but we have become so accustomed to prayer that we do not feel the impact of it. This is because we do not pay attention and do not wonder, nor ask what the indications and signs in prayer are, what they contain, and what they inspire.

Some people may say to you: [That the world is full of sects, so a person does not know who is right or who is wrong] And if he did two Rak’ah “prostrations” with contemplation, he will know the truth, and will know who are the people of the truth. Two Rak’ahs are sufficient for a thinking human being who contemplates. Two Rak’ahs are sufficient for him to know the right person from the wrong person; the people of truth from the people of falsehood.

We pray for the Messenger (May Allah’s blessings be upon Him and his descendants) in prayer during the Tashahhud “supplication during prayer”. We say: [O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, and bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad as you prayed and blessed Abraham and the descendants of Abraham, You Are All Praiseworthy All Glorious] Don’t we always say this?

But if you conduct a survey and ask us each a question, in all corners of Yemen you will find very few people who know the meaning of praying for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, and many who think they know may say to you: Prayer from Allah is mercy, from the angles is seeking Allah’s forgiveness for the Prophet and his descendants, and from the believers it is the act of supplication. Such a definition is an incorrect definition.

Prayers upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad (May Allah’s blessings be upon Him and his descendants) came in terms of supplication. When we pray, we say: [Oh Allah, pray on Muhammad and upon the descendants of Muhammad] and that prayer comes upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad with the term that we supplicate to Allah that He may pray for them. This alone has an important meaning – it decides for us, and our tongues say that we are in fact subjugated to the cause of Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad: (that) they are the guidance of the nation and its leaders, they are the flags of religion, the heirs of the Prophet of Allah, and the heirs of his book that he brought from Allah. Because this is an important matter, we are praying for them.

The burden of the Message, the burden of inheriting the book, the actions and responsibility of guiding the nation, is a very great responsibility, It is an important responsibility, and a difficult one. Don’t we find that we are often unable to guide our families? Your descendants may be eight or ten members, and you can tire easily by trying to guide them and keep them on a straight descendants path. Isn’t that what happens? So what about those who carried a Message to all of humanity? It is a great burden as Allah Almighty said: (Indeed, we will cast upon you a heavy word) (Al-Muzzammil: 5).

Whom Allah made the heirs of the book and flags of religion, whom He entrusted with the responsibility to guide the nation and establish the right to a nation, have a very great responsibility. It is a huge responsibility requiring high morals, an open heart, tolerance, patience, wisdom, the ability to control anger, to pardon and to do so many things.

We are as if we say: Oh my Allah, we believe that Muhammad is your Messenger, and we believe that the descendants of Muhammad are the heirs of your book, and we also know that their mission is great, thus, we ask You (Allah) to give them the care, the privilege, the status, the glory, and the supremacy that you gave to Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.

Then we return to the noble Qur’an and find that Allah Has granted Abraham and the descendants of Abraham a great noble status, the book, the ruling, and the prophecy, and as Allah said, “…conferred upon them a great kingdom” An-Nissa verse (54). He made them the heirs of the book, He created wisdom in them, He created the prophecy in them, and they received great care from Allah Almighty, that no nation has ever had in their times, even in times when they were disobedient or reckless in some way, they were also still receiving the care of Allah Almighty in incredible ways. When Allah wrote upon them that they will wander for forty years in the Sinai desert; because they refused to enter the Holy City [ Allah ] said, “Then indeed, it is forbidden to them for forty years [in which] they will wander throughout the land. So, do not grieve over the defiantly disobedient people” (Al-Ma’idah, verse 26), Didn’t He say disobedient? Still, what did he do to them? He did many things for them.

A stone from which twelve springs originated, an ordinary stone that the donkey carries, was struck with a stick, and twelve springs exploded there, {…and every person knew its watering place} He sent down upon them [Manna and Quail]. Manna is similar to snow when it pours down and gathers in large quantities, so it was like food and candy, because it was sweet and white. The Quail is a bird that arrives in large numbers – isn’t this a demonstration of care from Allah Almighty?

He divided the sea for them when Allah and His Prophet Moses commanded them to get out of Egypt, when the Pharaoh and his soldiers followed them {Then We inspired to Moses, “Strike with your staff the sea,” and it parted, and each portion was like a great towering mountain}, Ash-Shu’ara, verse 63, the water was like mountain from both sides, and they walked on a dry road in the middle of the sea. The moment they failed, and became lazy in abiding by the Torah, a divine threat came to them {And [mention] when We raised the mountain above them as if it was a dark cloud}, Al-A’raf, verse 171, He threatened them with the mountain, then returned the mountain to its place, and so they then took great care as Moses told them (Peace be Upon Him), {. . . and gave you that which He had not given anyone among the worlds}, Al-Ma’eda, verse 20. When you reflect on the Holy Qur’an, you will be amazed at the great blessings that Allah Almighty has bestowed on these people, and the excellent divine care they have received.

Allah also praised His prophet Abraham in the Noble Qur’an with greatness {. . . Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend}, An-Nisa, verse 125, a wonderful position, and a wondrous proximity to Allah Almighty to say so: {And Allah took Abraham as an intimate friend, He also raised Abraham’s status, and made him the father of all the prophets after the children of Israel, and all of his children from his descendants. He received a great divine honor, and Allah raised his status.

The mission of Abraham and his descendants is a mission linked to the nation, and to religion. It is the task of carrying religion, carrying the message, guiding the nation as Allah Almighty said: {And among those We created is a community which guides by truth and thereby establishes justice}, Al-A’raf, verse, 181.

We in prayer say: [Oh Allah, pray on Muhammad and upon the descendants of Muhammad] that prayer comes upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad as you prayed on Abraham and on the descendants of Abraham], meaning give Muhammed and Muhammed’s descendants what you gave Abraham and his descendants – supremacy, praise, glory, care, and prestige – the things that He gave Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.

We say in the end – which indicates that the interpretation of the supplication is indeed as we have mentioned, and that the supplication is as it came from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) – “You are Praiseworthy, you are the source of praise; because praise is: praise. Glorious, glory to you, and you are the source of glory, give them glory and give them praise, you are the all Praiseworthy, and you are all Glorious”.

This is repeated on the tongues of Muslims every day; In order for them to take hold in their souls the importance of their association with Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. Yet often we pray and forget, and some people pray and go out cursing the descendants of Muhammad, while he just said: Oh Allah, bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad! Either these people don’t know what they are saying in prayer, or they know but do not understand the meaning.

That is why any Muslim – as we know – who prays, is praying for Muhammad and for the descendants of Muhammad; and note that is in such a way wherein no non-descendant is added to the prayer of blessing and no descendant of the Prophet is excluded from it. He – God- never included the Companions, and none of the Awliya “the allies of Allah”, because this prayer has a special significance, it is related to the mission of Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, related to their responsibility towards the ummah “nation”.

(For) other believers, there are other connections. I may take you as a believer, and I love you as a believer, but are you the one who I must follow? No, this is something else. Are we not obligated to love the believers? We love the Messenger of Allah (May Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants), we love Imam Ali, and we love the other believers as well, but is my love for Ammar bin Yasir, for example, and my love for Ali bin Abi Talib, equal? Is my relationship with Ali bin Abi Talib and my relationship with Ammar, the same? No, I love Ammar bin Yasser as a believer, as one of Allah’s allies.

(As for) Ali bin Abi Taleb, my relationship to him is a different relationship. I also love him as a believer, he too I must follow, and I must emulate him, relate to him, and follow his approach. Ammar bin Yasser, whom I love, loves Ali in this way, so he differentiates in his view towards Ali, and in his relationship with Ali, and in his association with Ali differentiates between him and his association with Al-Miqdad, Salman or any other believer.

When the verse was revealed: {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [Allah to grant him] peace}, Al-Ahzab, verse 56, they said that they asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) and it was said: We have known peace be upon you, so how can we pray for you? Then he said this phrase: (O Allah, pray for Muhammad and his descendants, and bless Muhammad and his descendants as you prayed and blessed Abraham and the descendants of Abraham. You are all praiseworthy, all glorious). He made this prayer of blessing exclusive to the descendants of Muhammed and did not include any other people.

Others who are think that they are more “knowledgable” than the Prophet – they claim themselves to be as such!! – They added “and his companions”, so they pray for the Prophet in this way or when writing a topic, but they could not actually add a single letter in the prayer to the Prophet and his descendants in the prayer, thus the prayer itself was reserved for the Prophet and his descendants in this way, no one should ever enter “and his companions”. Every Muslim who prays and says the prayer: (O Allah, pray for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad and bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad as you prayed and blessed Abraham and the descendants of Abraham, you are all praiseworthy all glorious), mentions them and excludes the others, even though companions may be mentioned on other occasions when Muslims preach and speak of the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants , then he prays to the Prophet and his descendants and companions). Is this not so?

Well, are they more mindful than the Prophet (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants)?! And the companions, if they deserve to be included in this prayer, why did He not pray for them? Do we say that he did not pay proper attention, so he was wrong? Or perhaps it was an omission and we added it. Is it a requirement that we add it? No; He knows, and he loves his companions among believers, more than us. Or, perhaps he thinks that they are absolutely not worthy of being added into the prayer, given what position they were in, so why should they add his Companions to the prayer?

This is hearsay, and absolutely unjustified because they narrate the Hadith, and Bukhari himself narrates the prayer of the Prophet and his descendants without adding: ‘and his companions’. In the interpretation of the verse: {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace}, He taught them. Did they not say it was clear, so he showed them how to pray to him, he told them to say: Oh Allah, pray for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. Rather, he makes praying for and blessing the descendants of the Prophet part of prayer to God. Because it was mentioned in the verse, pray for Muhammad {Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him}, so praying for him is done by praying for him and his descendants as he taught you. (But) to add other people as you see them as believers, this is an issue that has nothing to do with this topic.

So, the prayer for the descendants of Muhammad did not come because they are the only believers, no. It’s not that they are the only believers and the rest are not believers – there are believers other than the descendants of Muhammad. However the prayer is for Muhammad and his descendants – the descendants of Muhammad only – which has important significance, as it shows us the importance of being associated with Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. It is a matter of including whomever of the rest: his companions, his wives, and his descendants, and us the non-descendants with the descendants and the followers, and the people of [Jalah]. It is not like this? It is not arbitrary distribution of inclusion for whomever to be included in the prayer!

The Prophet (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) is wise, and it is mentioned that this prayer is one of the best deeds in Islam. Isn’t the Muezzin (the one who calls for prayer) saying in the call to prayer – which was enacted – “come for the best deed”? Prayer is the best of deeds, and one of the most important deeds. If we pay attention to the prayer and the attached meaning it gives, as well as the value it has on our souls, we would have been in a better position than we are now. No one would have asked the questions: Who are the people of truth? How we can know the people of truth?

As I said earlier, we have to pray to Allah – to pray for them in this way. But what does this mean? The prayer for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad did not come in the form of an object, news, whereby we say: Our prayers and peace be upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. Did it come like this? No. Rather, we pray to Allah for them. So to pray to Allah for someone – doesn’t that mean I am concerned with their cause? Meaning that in our reality we do not doubt the necessity of our association with Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, and that in our reality, O Allah, we know the importance of this issue. We are very keen that Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) and his descendants undertake the mission entrusted to them, and in our extreme loyalty to them we want you, O Allah, to grant them what you have given Abraham and the descendants of Abraham. Isn’t this an expression of loyalty? In the prayer as an expression of our loyalty, and an expression of our connection, that strong loyalty urges me towards asking Allah to grant them what He granted to Abraham’s descendants.

We found in [Surat al-Baqara] and the other Surat of the Qur’an a lot of talk about the descendants of Abraham {O Children of Israel, remember My favor that I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds}. Al-Baqarah 47, O Children of Israel, O Children of Israel, O Children of Israel. So many times their news is mentioned in the Qur’an.

It is at the same time a testimony that indicates the guidance of the ummah, the leadership of the ummah, and that the undertaking of the ummah and religion is dependent on Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. It is dependent on them, otherwise why should we pray only them in this way?

Praying for them, like praying for Abraham and the descendants of Abraham, is significant. It is possible that I pray for you, but rather Allah may pray for us. He said: “It is He who confers prayers upon you, and His angels”, Al-Ahzab, from verse 43. This means to surround you with His care and attention, and for this He said: {it is He who confers blessing upon you, and His angels [ask Him to do so] that He may bring you out from darkness into the light}, Al-Ahzab, from verse 43. Doesn’t this mean care and attention? But we want you, O Allah, to pray for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad like the prayer that you prayed for Abraham and for the descendants of Abraham. Isn’t this true?

It is a supplication repeated in every prayer, meaning that we want you to give them – because we care about them, and we love them and we are associated with them, and we are certain that our responsibility and the matter of our religion and our matters are related to them – the best that you can give to any of your good worshipers, in relation to the performance of their mission.

Indeed, in history and in reality you find that the descendants of Muhammad had wonderful, divine care, if there had been no care from Allah, none of them would have remained, in the first century alone, let alone now, they were imprisoned, killed, subjected to displacement, and the whole Umayyad state’s concern was to chase the descendants of Muhammad and to fight the descendants of Muhammad, to fight them personally, to fight their virtues, to fight their remembrance, and to install others in their place: other dignitaries, other beliefs, another history, other virtues. They substituted everything. In Karbala, in fact only one of the children of Imam Hussein – Zain Al-Abidin, was saved.

The Abbasid state came and went in this way, it proceeded to fight Muhammad’s descendants, and what happened? Is it not now that the descendants of Muhammad spread out more in the world, the descendants of Hassan and Hussein filled the world! Where are the offspring of Omar bin Al-Khattab? Where are the offspring of Abu Bakr? Where are the offspring of Muawiyah? Where are the descendants of Abdullah bin Abbas? How come? What happened? (And bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad) Divine blessing was given to them, despite their displacement, killing and expulsion. They were blessed and taken care of them, they reproduced and were preserved because, as the Messenger (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) said in the Hadith of Al-Thaqalyain: “They will not separate until they come to me in the basin.”

Rather, surprisingly, you will find that even the rest of Imam Ali’s sons other than from al-Zahra, other than Hassan and Hussein, their offspring are very few and very rare. The descendants of Hassan and Hussein are filling the world, and their lineages are well known and preserved by scholars from their followers and non-followers, in Yemen, in Iran, in Iraq, and in Hijaz in Egypt and Indonesia, in all countries and in large numbers.

Why did Omar bin Al-Khattab’s offspring not reproduced? Were Omar’s offspring going to be killed? No. Rather, they could have been respected, because most of the nation is related to Omar, isn’t it? The son of the daughter of the daughter of Omar could have been highly respected, but, where are they?

Everyone knows the fame of the descendants of Imam Al-Hassan and Imam Al-Hussein in Iran and in Yemen and in all regions they are known, but they are also known by special titles: in Yemen, in Iran, in Iraq, in the Hijaz in the term “Syed”, in other regions in Egypt, in Tunisia, and in other regions in the term [Habib] in Countries of Maghreb, and in other countries as well [sharif] and so on. People recognize the offspring of Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants), the offspring of Hassan and Hussein. This is a divine sign for us to contemplate.

Didn’t Ali, Omar, Abu Bakr and Othman live in one era? Where are the three offspring, where are they? Do you know anyone in Yemen from the offspring of Abu Bakr, Omar or Othman? It is not normal for those who are exposed to death, displacement, expulsion and injustice to reproduce, and they have proliferated despite hundreds of years of wars against them.

Is this not Divine Providence? And the others whose offspring would have been respected and glorified and not subjected to anything, do not now exist. Were the Sunnis in the days of the Bani Omayyad, would they have fought the offspring of Omar ibn Al-Khattab? No. Or would they fight the offspring of Abu Bakr? From the days of the Abbasid state and until now, if they see one with the smell of Abu Bakr, they would have built a dome on him while he is alive – so to speak.

This is a divine sign that really indicates that the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt) have an important role in this nation, and that they are linked to the Holy Qur’an, and that they have enjoyed divine care and divine preservation in their survival and existence, or else wouldn’t they have been subjected to ethnic cleansing? They have been preserved like the Holy Qur’an – isn’t the Holy Qur’an well preserved? No one has been able to change, replace or eliminate it.

The descendants of Muhammad – the peers of the Qur’an – were preserved. The tyrants tried by all means to eliminate the descendants of Muhammad, and they were killed and displaced, even that some of them were building a column around them while they were still alive, so that they would die inside that column. Yet, they could not eliminate them.

Where are the offspring of Muawiyah? Harun al-Rashid’s offspring, where are they? The offspring of people (who lived before) four hundred or five hundred years, where are they? Even if they exist, they might only be a few.
Likewise through the Messenger, (Peace be upon him and his descendants), He said: (I left for you, that if you hold on to it, you will never be lost from me, the book of Allah and my offspring, People of my House) Isn’t this a big mission and at the same time a great privilege for the People of the House? To be associated with the Qur’an, in the necessity of adhering to it in order for the nation to escape from error? This is the inheritance of the Book that had been given to the Children of Israel, which the Qur’an spoke about.

This is the meaning of prayer. Those who say to you that prayer from Allah is mercy, and prayer from angels is seeking from Allah forgiveness for the Prophet and his descendants. This is how they interpret it automatically. I do not know where this interpretation came from. If prayer from us is in the sense of supplication – we certainly supplicate for them and say: Oh Allah, pray – but if compliance with the statement of Allah Almighty: {…O you who have believed, ask [Allah to confer], pray upon him}, would mean pray for him. But how would submission to that be like? It is, Oh Allah, have mercy on Muhammad, forgive Muhammad, reward Muhammed for us. Isn’t this the prayer? To pray for him and pray for his descendants in this way.

But here we say: [Oh Allah, pray], we call that Allah is the one who prays for them. When people say that prayer from us is supplication, no, to ask Allah to pray does not only mean supplication from us. The compliance with the Almighty saying: {Pray by blessing him} and by adding other prayers for Muhammed. Aren’t we at the end asking Allah to pray for Muhammed and His descendants?

And prayer from Allah is mercy, so they say, Allah said in another verse: {It is He who confers prayer upon you, and His angels, that He may bring you out from darkness into the light}, Al-Ahzab, verse 43. This prayer (and invoke [Allah ‘s prayers] upon them, indeed, your prayers are reassurance for them), At-Tawbah, verse 103. This is also a prayer, the word [prayer] differs from any supplication with any other term, to say: Oh Allah, pray on someone, means: Oh Allah, invoke your care on him and give him pride and honor ,or any of these things that have value in himself. But the prayers on Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad came distinct, as in in the way it happened to Abraham and the descendants of Abraham.

The end of the prayer clarifies to us its meaning (you are all praiseworthy, all glorious), meaning that you are the source of praise and the source of glory, and from you is the praise and from you is the glory. Doesn’t praise mean commendation, and glory means pride and honor? So, we have called the one who has praise and glory to give Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad praise and glory: pride, honor, and status. And if it was in the sense of supplication, it would have ended with (you are Forgiving, Most Merciful, you are all listening to the supplication, all listening and all respondent), or similar.

So, the supplication that we say in this prayer (O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad) is really indicative that the matter of the nation and the matter of religion and the inheritance of the Book, the guidance to the righteous and establishing justice and equity amongst people, is dependent on Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad (may Allah prayers be upon him and them).

For the prayer upon them to be in such an absolute way, is in the interpretation of the verse when he said: ((Say: O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad)) Does the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants)  does not know that there will be in his offspring those who are not righteous ? He knows, so what is the difference? Exactly like the Qur’anic verse {Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds…}, Fatir, verse 32.

When He says in the verse: (Who among them .. and among them .. and among them) Who did he mean, and from whom he had chosen them? (Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants), so who are they? From whom he has chosen them? Who – among those we’ve chosen – is the one who is moderate? And who is the one foremost in good deeds? It is as if he means despite us, so to speak, for hasn’t Allah answered any such question? For you should know, it is not because He wants to connect you with an oppressor against your will, or an immoral person against your will. 

We understand the matter this way: we have chosen a group of our worshipers, firstly, but what does it mean in this way? We made them heirs to the Book. You might come and say: but among them, but among them, and among them? Well, what can we do if it is so? He knows everything before you know it, He tells you: here is the inheritance of the Book, and I will take care of putting the guider inside the heirs of the Book. Then I have to believe that these are the elite, that He has chosen them to be the heirs of his Book, isn’t this their duty? In the Quranic verse, can you say that he who wronged himself is not one of those who He has chosen? Not from the class He has chosen? Can you say that?

And Allah said in the verse three times: among them … and among them .. and among them, did He not say so? {Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants; and among them …}, means from whom? Of those who He has chosen. Can I say: No? Or can anyone say: No? I say: This who wronged himself (by being not pious) is never from the group that Allah has chosen. Can I say that? I would be disbeliever to the Qur’an. I should believe that he is among the chosen by God in person, but in leadership I do not follow him because he is not pious and fit for leadership, I do not emulate, I have nothing to do with him in following his leadership by I believe deep down that he is among the chosen ones. 

But suppose that He chose this category in general, and if we say that this person who wronged himself, is Mr. X, son of so-and-so, and has wronged himself and is a criminal. He was placed outside of those whom He has chosen, when he became a criminal or wronged himself, and then the righteous offspring emerged from him as a guidance, from where are they? Wouldn’t we be mistaken? It is possible for the living to come out of the dead, like this, then from this who wronged himself, might emerge someone who is a guide, a leader of the nation, and a good person? Isn’t he the son of a criminal? Is he still among the chosen? That means the selection is from the group, of this category.
Just as he ruled the inheritance for heirs, your heirs will inherent from you whether you accept it or not. Even if some of them you may hate though, some of them are trying to make possessions, vows, and such things. And if you are a devout believer and your son is a criminal, he will inherit from you against your will, isn’t it like this?

Does the fact that your son has been immoral disqualify him from inheriting from you? {Allah instructs you concerning your children: for the male, what is equal to the share of two females}, An-Nisa, verse 11, if you are from among the righteous servants of Allah, (who are foremost in good deeds), and your son is a criminal, he will inherit from you as long as it is counted within your descendants. So, the issue is as such.

Also notice when we say (O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and his pure and kind descendants). Do you think that the words [the pure and kind] is an exception, or praise? It is praise, we say: O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and his descendants, then we describe them as good and pure. It has only become an exception in our understanding, i.e. excluding those who are not kind and pure.
If you want you to exclude yourself from them, you do not need to think about excluding or including, should you not think about the issue initially? Because the issue is a testimony to God’s choosing this group of people over the rest of the people. 

[Al Muhammad] isn’t this an Arabic name? it is an Arabic name known in the Arabic language, his descendants, meaning his offspring, are the ones chosen to inherit the Book, and to be the peers of the Book, and so He combined them in the Hadith of the Thaqalyain. Aren’t they who He meant?
These are the same ones whom the verse has mentioned: {Then we caused to inherit the Book those we have chosen of Our servants} Isn’t the word “has chosen” superior to the word “pray”? Should we try to adhere to and try to interpret them in different ways, which word is in a superior position? (Has chosen), then he says to you: {among them is he who wrongs himself, and among them is he who is moderate, and among them is he who is foremost in good deeds}, here is practically related the one who is foremost in good deeds, at the same time, you are obligated to believe that here is the inheritance of the book, here is the descendants of Muhammad whom we are commanded to pray upon them, upon the descendants of Muhammad. So, pray for them the exact same prayer that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants)  prayed for and made it part of the prayer upon him.

Did he exclude anyone? Well, if we say that he did not exclude (any of his offspring), that is, it means he wants to include the one who wronged himself, and the immoral. It is not a case of distributing the prayer, that is to say: “O Allah, pray”, then I divide it and see how much is the share for various people, then I say to someone: You have no share, you are excluded, go away. No, it is not this way, never, and it is not your prayer that will make Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad rise high to the sky. Allah has raised the status of Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) and praised him by mentioning him in the call to prayer: (I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah), so He associated Muhammed’s name to His name, so you are witnessing that; There is no God, but Allah, as you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, {And raised high for you your repute}, Ash-Sharh, verse 4. Did he not say so in the Holy Quran?

But for us, we must understand that to present this status to us in this way, is one of the most important chapters for our guidance. To understand that this issue is important and that we must be associated to Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, and that the Messenger of Allah is the one who ordered us, and that Almighty Allah is the one who commanded his Messenger. Then when I come to ask, but how? You trust Allah first. The issue is as Imam Zaid said ((among the people of my house – as I said – are both the one who is wrong and the righteous, yet the guidance of the ummah is only from them)) this is for sure.
The is this way, so that you do not divide your prayers according to what we said earlier.

He commanded us to love them so we love them, he commanded us to pray for them, then we pray for them, He commanded us to associate with them completely, and he commanded us to believe that the Book is inherited, and that there is guidance for the nation – this is what matters.

If we consider the issue from another angle, then I say: [whom I know from the People of the House and he is good I will love him, but I’ve nothing to do with the others]. How did your spirit and inner feeling become for the People of the House, isn’t it a selective approach from the beginning? I mean, you are basically not associated with the People of the Household, but if it appears to you that there is a good one, you will love him, isn’t it so? What is actually required is the opposite; that is to be related to the People of the House, to love the people of the house, to pray for Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. I take the descendants of Muhammad as an ally in this way, then in the field of work I am linked to the guiders, in the field of loyalty when it appears to me (that he is) a bad person I reject him.. in such way, in reality, I would not be rejecting all, unless someone is came known to me then I will follow. Isn’t there a difference between the two issues? Why is this so?

Because the issue is a matter of guidance from the Messenger (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) to us, guiding us to how our view of the People of the House is, and how we relate to them, he did not leave the issue for us to choose; because otherwise we would disagree about the topic of selection. Isn’t this what happened?

The Sunnis themselves believe in the love of the People of the House (Ahl al-Bayt), and one of their beliefs is the necessity of loving Muhammad descendants, but what do they say: [only who is following the Sunnah among them?] Notice how the Shafi’i of them want the People of the House who is according to their doctrine, and the Hanafi want the People of the House whom they think he is good, i.e. who is from the same school of thought. Al-Maliki as well, Al-Hanbali as well, Al-Zaidi as well, Al-Jaafari as well, Al-Batini as well, and every sect in the same way.

This classification is essentially abolished, it has no value in any of the legislation of Islam, this spirituality is abolished from the days of Adam, from the first divine command directed to Adam, to say: There is nothing wrong with that; who appeared to me he is a believer, I will love him. But see how differences will emerge, that which appears to Al-Shafi’i differs from that which appears to me? Aren’t we going to differ in the end?

The issue is that he wants to relate the whole nation with the People of the House, so that they believe that there is an inheritance of the Book, that here is the offspring that he commanded to adhere with, alongside the Qur’an, and forget about the classifications. So, the rest of the matter is on whom? Is it not on Allah? Just as Imam Al-Hadi understood it, just as Imam Zaid understood it, just as the Messenger (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) understood it, we must also understand. Otherwise, it means that we are not confident in Allah, when you say: How does He command us to love them, and in them of bad deeds. How does He make us adhere to them, when they are like this. What are you denouncing of Allah? Allah made angels prostrate to Adam when they said: {Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood}, Al-Baqara, verse 30, Didn’t the angels say so? 

So, it is clear to me that Allah wants me to follow the People of the House only, and wants the whole nation to adhere to the People of the House. So let us stick to the People of the House, and if the adherence to the People of the House had happened from the first day after the Messenger (may Allah’s blessing be upon him and his descendants) had died, the nation would never have dispersed, and would never have disagreed on religion. These questions only arose later, and because I am by nature, and anyone of us can know and differentiate, I will know that one is worth following (because he is a descendant of the Prophet) not the other one (no-descendant) who is ignorant, evildoer; will anyone of us go to the ignorant and follow him? He has nothing to follow him for (because he is not a descendant of the Prophet).

But I love him because he is a relative of the Messenger (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his descendants) – that evildoer from the People of the House, will any of us think to follow? And if there are people, for example, wrongdoers of the People of the House with people who follow them, do they follow them on the basis that they belong to the People of the House? Ask them! No, certainly, this is known.

People by nature can distinguish, and Allah Almighty is the one who will ensure that he provides to his nation a guide from within the Prophet’s People of House, in every age, without questions and without classifications.
And when did Allah tell you to love or follow the evildoer among the People of the House? Did he say that? So, we ask how? And why? He has never told us, never.

But when you criticize him, you criticize Allah Almighty and say: How? And why? After the issue is clear, after the case is clear, which includes: We all believe that praying for those “People of the House, while praying for the Prophet and his descendants, is part of the supplications of prayer which is the best of deeds, isn’t this evident?

So, what is required is the connection with the People of the House in this way, love of the People of the House in this way, and not rejection. If it appears to me that he is a believer, then I love him! Then my general rule is that I do not associate with them unless you see a good one. When you see a good one you must love and follow him from any category, meaning that the issue about the People of the House is not because they are the only ones who are believers, or they are the only ones that you must love, for is not love is a duty among believers? Would not believers have to be allies of one another?

But there is only one distinction in this matter: that the love of the People of the House is for another mission, for another purpose, that following the People of the House is of another type, as we said previously; Is my love for Ali and my love for Amar equal? And is following Ali and Amar the same?

When Almighty Allah says: {Your ally is none but Allah and [therefore] His Messenger and those who have believed} al-Maeda, verse 55, and here He said: {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another}, At-Tawbah, verse 71. Is His saying: {allies of one another} like {Your ally is none but Allah}? It is not the same matter, there are differences. My love for the People of the House is for another purpose; that to be ordered to associate with them and love them; because my love for them helps me to follow them and adhere to them, it leads me to their path, and to follow their guidance. My love for you is as a believer, but I am not obligated to follow you, you and me are obligated to follow the example of the People of the House.

For I love you as a believer, and my love for you and your love for me helps us unite and stand together. Doesn’t love here have another purpose? Being allies of one another also helps us to be one body as he said in the Hadith; let us undertake one mission: to enjoin good and forbid evil, as the Almighty said: {The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong}, At-Tawbah, verse 71.

So do not bother yourself with distributing your prayers for Muhammad and on the descendants of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah commanded me to pray for them in this way and I know better about the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s descendants be upon him and his descendants)  because he speaks with the inspiration of Allah, Allah is the one who commanded him, he does not bring words in this way on his own. So I pray for them as he wanted to pray for them in the same way.

And you (shall) understand that the purpose is to explain the status of the People of the House in the nation, and to link the nation to the People of the House. If I want to ask, should I go to the Quranic verse, and see if there is a way out? {Then we caused to inherit the Book those we have chosen of Our servants}, so then think, which words are superior: “those we have chosen” that came from Allah, or the words: (O Allah, pray for the Prophet Muhammad) that came from me? Which one is superior?

Then Allah says at the end of the verse: (and among them.. and among them.. and among them ..) Didn’t Allah identify whom are included? But I am obligated to believe that these are the ones whom Allah have chosen, isn’t that what I must do? When Allah tells me that some did wrong, then in the field of work I will not be associated with these ones, right? “[Allah] said, “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers”, Al-Baqarah, verse 124, but I’ve to follow the one who is foremost in good deeds in the field of work.

The best prayer a person prays to the People of the House is to say: (O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad) not more, not less. There is no need for the phrase that preachers include: “O Allah, make the best of your prayers and your blessings…”. We keep the text that came from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s descendants be upon him and his descendants); because the Messenger is as wise as the wisdom of the Qur’an. He doesn’t say: the good, and the pure, we do not say anything else: ((O Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad and bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad as you prayed and blessed Abraham and the descendants of Abraham, you are the all praiseworthy all glorious)). This Hadith is agreed upon by the ummah, and as testament to the matter is the agreement of the ummah on this supplication in the prayer. Even in the Tashahhud, aren’t some of them saying: [Greetings to Allah and prayers] until he reaches there and then says: I bear witness that there is no God but Allah alone who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger Oh Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, and bless Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. Do not all people say so in this way?

Notice, the things that are important to the nation, may Allah preserve it, the things that are very important in guiding the nation and directing it on a straight path, are preserved. The Hadiths of Al-Thaqalyain was preserved in spite of the conspiracies that took place against the People of the House, and it is an authentic Hadith that nobody can disgrace. The Hadith of the Ghadir was preserved, the Hadith of al-Manzala was preserved, many Hadiths that are considered very important rules, supplications and prayers upon the Prophet and his descendants are preserved inside the prayer.

This is why you notice (the prayer/supplication) is said privately (secretly). Isn’t the Tashahhud in private? Perhaps if the Tashahhud is said publicly (loudly), they would need to put something else in the prayer, while it is said loudly. But, everyone prays alone, and who has something in himself for the descendants of Muhammad, does not try to add anything; because the prayer is secret and you are addressing yourself.

So I pray for them, yet then follow the path of others and adhere to others! I supplicate for them in prayer yet I do not remember them once, and I repeat the words about the companions.. companions.. companions .. and so on. Isn’t this a contradiction?! That is why we say: Notice our beliefs as how they are in harmony with the Qur’an and with prayer. We have told you long ago that our own beliefs, the doctrines of the People of the House and their followers (Shiite) from the Zaydiyya are completely in harmony with the Qur’an, and are completely consistent with prayer from the beginning to the end.
We have said in previous sessions: that others whose beliefs are invalid in Allah and say: (Glory be to my great Lord and praise) Do not they lie in saying this? When they say: (Allah is great) and then show obedience to the oppressor, are they not lying? Thus, from the beginning of the prayer to the end of it, they bear false witness for themselves. When you see our beliefs and prayers, you will find them valid from the beginning to the end in terms of meaning. We significantly say: Oh Allah, pray upon Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad. And we adhere to Muhammad and the descendants of Muhammad, don’t we? But to say: Oh Allah, pray to Muhammad and to the descendants of Muhammad, and then go to others – is this consistency or inconsistency with the prayer?

We ask Allah Almighty to help us all. He is capable of everything.

Peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.

[Allah is the Greatest / Death to America / Death to Israel / Curse on the Jews / Victory to Islam]