For six or seventeen months...

For six or seventeen months, the Messenger of Allah (S) recited the Tat’hir verse loud in front of Hadrat Zahra’s (S) house, every morning he was going to the mosque for Morning Prayer and said, “O Ahlul Bayt! Prepare for establishing the prayer!”[^8] He wanted to inform the companions of it and confirm the event. Instances of the Ahlul Bayt The Ahlul Bayt means the members of the promised house. According to the traditions, the promised house is the house of Umm Salamah – (S)’s wife.

The Tat’hir verse was revealed in this house, in which the Prophet (S) invited Imam Ali (a.s.), Hadrat Fatimah (s.a.), Imam Hasan (a.s.), and Imam Husayn (a.s.), throw a cloak on them and himself, and recited the Tat’hir verse. He placed only these four people beneath the cloak with himself, not letting Umm Salamah to accompany them, to exclude any other one from the Ahlul Bayt, who were five. (S) did so for fear that someone in the future claims to be included among the Ahlul Bayt.

He always stipulated that the Tat’hir verse was only revealed about Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn (a.s.).[^9] Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Hasan (a.s.), and Imam Husayn (a.s.) always referred to the Tat’hir verse for proving their virtues and were never denied in this case. Exegesis of the Tat’hir Verse Two points need mentioning for clarification of the verse: Rijs (abomination) lexically means filth and is used in two meanings in Holy Quran. The first meaning is apparent religious impurity.

The Holy Quran states, قُلْ لا أَجِدُ فِيما أُوحِىَ إِلَىَّ مُحَرَّماً عَلى‏‌ طاعِمٍ يَطْعَمُهُ إِلّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مَيْتَةً أَوْ دَماً مَسْفُوحاً أَوْ لَحْمَ خِنْزِيرٍ فَإِنَّهُ رِجْسٌ “Say: "I find not in the Message received by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine,- for it is an abomination "” [^10] The second meaning is internal carnal impurity that is disbelief, transgression, and sin.

The Holy Quran states, وَأَمّا الَّذِينَ فِى‏‌ قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ فَزادَتْهُمْ رِجْساً إِلى‏‌ رِجْسِهِمْ وَماتُوا وَهُمْ كافِرُونَ “But those in whose hearts is a disease,- it will add doubt to their doubt, and they will die in a state of Unbelief.” [^11] Obviously, the disbelievers do not suffer from apparent filth and the Almighty Allah has not asked them to avoid outward impurity. Rather, carnal impurities, such as disbelief, dissension, and malice are considered disobeying Allah.

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