Abstract and Introduction

Gholam Hossein Masoud[1]

Abstract

The Tradition of the Cloak, or Hadith al-Kisa’, is a narrative of an incident where the Prophet Muhammad assembled Hasan, Husayn, Ali, and Fatima under his cloak. Followers of the school of Ahl Al-Bayt customarily hold meetings in which this tradition is recited.

The Tradition of the Cloak introduces the pure servants of God to the people of the world such that if the public follow them, they would live ideal lives and achieve perfection. By pondering over the great personalities mentioned in this tradition,[2] as well as the prevalence of this behaviour in society, a pure, wise, and noble culture associated with extreme love, respect, modesty, and courtesy towards one other can be established.

Introduction

Ahl al-Kisa, or the People of the Cloak, refers to Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Lady Fatima, his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali, and his grandsons Hasan and Husayn. Narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, this hadith is widely accepted by Shi‘a Muslims. It is one of the foundations of the Shi‘i conception of Imamate, which states that the patrilineal descendants of Muhammad have a special divine spiritual leadership over the Muslim community. The Ahl al-Kisa, along with their descendant Imams, form the Shi‘i definition of Ahl Al-Bayt or the People of the House, a term used to designate the family of Muhammad. This paper presents a line-by-line commentary of the tradition.

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[1] PhD in law and member of the University Academic Board

[2] This noble tradition, which is generally printed at the end of the book Mafatih al-Jinan was not included in this book by the author i.e. Shaykh Abbas Qummi. It was added by the publishers of this book later, citing from the book ‘Awalim by a valid document from Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah Ansari.