Original post by TawheedA speech by a respected speaker in the ahlul sunnah wal jamaah.
[video="youtube;EsES-F_ySeM"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsES-F_ySeM[/video]
Peace be with you,
In many hadiths we are told before making dua's to send blessings upon Muhammed pbuh and his ahlulbayt a.s (shia hadith books)
The shia view with regards to who is the ahlulbayt a.s are Muhammed pbuh, Fatima a.s, Ali a.s, Hassan a.s , Hussein a.s and the chosen descendents who preserve the sunnah of Muhammed pbuh, ending with Imam Mahdi a.s as the twelfth.
Whether that was added or not i'll ask, but it's recommended to in several saheeh hadiths to send blessings on Muhammed pbuh and his ahlulbayt a.s, irregardless.
To give you a fully balanced explanation:
Narrated Aisha:
One day the Prophet (S) came out afternoon wearing a black cloak (upper garment or gown; long coat), then al-Hasan Ibn ‘Ali came and the Prophet accommodated him under the cloak, then al-Husayn came and entered the cloak, then Fatimah came and the Prophet entered her under the cloak, then ‘Ali came and the Prophet entered him to the cloak as well. Then the Prophet recited: "Verily Allah intends to keep off from you every kind of uncleanness O’ People of the House (Ahlul-Bayt), and purify you a perfect purification (the last sentence of Verse 33:33)."
Sahih Muslim
With regards to the latter portion of verse 33:33, there is not a single hadith in existence in any authentic books i have found where the Ahlulbayt a.s are referred to as other than these five. Yes, Ahlulbayt in the wider context can mean family, but it is here where we have the more exclusive ahlulbayt, a separate group given a separate distinction.
Sahih Bukhari: "It was said, "O Allah’s Apostle! We know how to greet you, but how to invoke Allah for you?”The Prophet said, "Say: O Allah! Send your blessings/greetings (Salawat) on Muhammad and his family,.."
Additionally, we take the exclusive group of the ahlulbayt a.s as those who preserve the Sunnah, as Muhammed pbuh in one of his last mass speeches to the Ummah gave instructions as to the two precious things we must hold - the Quran and the Ahlulbayt a.s The word precious denotes value, and not the erroneous conclusion of simply looking after, but as a source of guidance and that best fits the context.
"Someday (after his last pilgrimage) the Messenger of Allah (S) stood to give us a speech beside a pond which is known as Khum (Ghadir Khum) which is located between Mecca and Medina. Then he praised Allah and reminded Him, and then said: "O’ people! Behold! It seems the time approached when I shall be called away (by Allah) and I shall answer that call. Behold! I am leaving for you two precious things. First of them is the book of Allah in which there is light and guidance...The other one is my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. I remind you in the name of Allah about my Ahlul-Bayt. (three times)."
Sahih Muslim,
So to summarise:
1. The only hadiths inwhich a group of people are attributed to the latter of verse 33:33 are the hadiths which only exclusively include Ali a.s, Hasan a.s Hussein a.s Fatima a.s, with the leader Muhammed pbuh. No other group is ever included in this verse, and it's relevant because it restricts the meaning of ahlulbayt a.s to it's contexual meaning i.e while ahlulbayt has a wider meaning, Allah swt here is giving recognition of perfect purification only to a select group.
2. The only authentic hadith in the sihah-al-sitta where Muhammed pbuh states he is leaving behind two things is the Quran and the Ahlulbayt a.s. The word precious denotes something of value, of guidance. If Muhammed pbuh had meant 'look after my family' he could have said it to the banu-hashim, to the men , in a smaller gathering. Furthermore, again when using the word 'two precious' or 'two weighty things' they denote value, guidance, a source to grab and are what we adhere to in the absence of Muhammed pbuh, and is juxtaposed next to the Quran. This is a clear indication where to obtain his true sunnah from.
3. In Salawat it is improper to only send blessings to Muhamme pbuh - his ahlulbayt a.s , the chosen restricted group given distinction by Allah swt and not the wider meaning of ahlulbayt a.s , and other hadiths state to recite salawat before making a dua
4. The chosen of the ahlulbayt who we must hold fast to are the ones we must send -blessings on, the ones Muhammed pbuh meant when he said 'I leave behind two things - the Quran and the Ahlulbayt a.s' and the ones who were referred to in the latter portion of verse 33:33 where Allah swt states : "Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying."
5. As the Ahlulbayt a.s and the purified descendents(Imams a.s) who preserve the sunnah are included in all of this, we recite salawat on them i.e Muhammed pbuh and his family