The Holy Ahl-i Bayt in the Prophetic Traditions

Excerpt:
The paramount importance of the recognition of the position of the holy ahl-i bayt in Islam is well-known. They are one of the two weighty things (thaqalayn) left by the holy Prophet for the sake of guidance. He also compared them with the Ark of Ḥaz̤rat Nūḥ as the means of salvation. An attempt has been made in this collection to gather certain unanimously accepted Aḥādīth about their position, love for and devotion to them. The collection is mainly based on the Kanzu’l-ʿummāl of ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Muttaqī (Beirut, 1399/1979) and Mishkātu’l-maṣābīḥ of ʿAllāmah Waliyyu’d-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Maḥmūd (Lahore, n.d.), the two important comprehensive sources of Aḥādīth of Sunnī Islam. These sources in their turn are based on the six canonical collections and other sources. The Aḥādīth numbers of the Kanzu’l-ʿummāl and the volume and page number of Mishkātu’l-maṣābīḥ are given in this collection to enable the readers to refer to the original sources easily.

This excerpt is part of the author’s introduction given on page iii.