She went to Ali and said to him, 'The Prophet (s.

She went to Ali and said to him, 'The Prophet (s.a.w.) wants to see you and your two sons.' Umm-Salamah went on, "When he saw them coming, he stretched out his hand to a shawl on the bed and spread it out on the floor and seated them on it. Then, with his left hand, he grabbed the four corners of the shawl and drew them together over their heads. He motioned, with his right hand, to his Lord, may His Name be exalted, and said, 'O Lord!, these are my family.

Remove uncleanness from them and purify them '"[^1] The Apostle of Allah (s.a.w.) is reported to have said, "Allah had certainly made the offspring of every prophet in his loins, and has made my offspring in the loins of this man," pointing to Ali.[^2] The truthful, trustworthy Prophet (s.a.w.) also said, "All the sons of a father are inclined towards him, with the exception of the sons of Fatimah.

I am their father and I am the one to whom they are closely related".[^3] Ibn Abbas is reported to have said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) saying, 'I Ali, Hassan, Hussein, and nine men from the loins of Hussein are purified and infallible".[^4] The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), by the exact words of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) and the consensus of the companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), was the most knowledgeable, judicious, and courageous man, among them.

He preceded them in embracing Islam. By these virtues, he deserved truly to be the Imam of Muslims. On the 21st of the holy month of Ramadhan, 40 A.H. the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.), just before his martyrdom, gathered his sons, members of his family and companions, and appointed his elder son, Hassan (a.s.), as the next Imam. Imam Hassan (a.s.) did the same thing when he was on his deathbed. He appointed his brother, Hussein (a.s.), the next Imam after him.

On his martyrdom day at Karbala, Imam Hussein (a.s.) appointed his son, al- Sajjad Ali bin Hussein (a.s.), the next Imam. Imam Al-Sajjad (a.s.) appointed his son, Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.), his successor to the office of Imamate. Imam Al- Baqir (a.s.) appointed his son, Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s.), the Imam who would succeed him. Imam Al-Sadiq (a.s.) appointed his son, Musa al-Kadhim (a.s.), the next Imam. Imam al-Kadhim (a.s.) appointed his son, Ali bin Musa al-Ridha (a.s.), the next Imam.

Imam al-Ridha (a.s.), in turn, appointed his son, Muhammad al- Jawad (a.s.), the next Imam. Imam al-Jawad (a.s.) appointed his son, Ali al-Hadi (a.s.), as Imam after him.