Have I not left among you the Lesser Weight (Ahl alBayt)...
Have I not left among you the Lesser Weight (Ahl alBayt) and laid firm among you the flags of faith?'" He, peace be upon him, said, in sermon 96 of NahjulBalagha , "Behold the Household of your Prophet; emulate their example and follow in their footsteps, for they shall never take you out of guidance, nor shall they ever bring you back into destruction; halt when they halt, and rise when they rise, and do not go ahead of them lest you should stray, nor should you lag behind them lest you should perish." He, peace be upon him, has mentioned them once, as stated in sermon 237 of Nahjul-Balaghah , saying: "They are the life of knowledge and the death of ignorance; their forbearance informs you of their knowledge, and their outward appearance informs you of their conscience.
Their silence indicates the wisdom of their speech. They neither differ from truth, nor do they differ among themselves about it. They are the pillars of Islam and the gateways to salvation. Through them, justice was achieved and wrongdoing was removed, and its tongue was uprooted.
They comprehended the creed with care and concern, not like hearing and reporting, for the ‘reporters' of knowledge are many indeed, but those who safeguard it are few." He, peace be upon him, as stated in sermon 153 in Nahjul-Balaghah , has also said, "His offspring ( ‘itra ) is the best, and his family is the best.
His tree is the best of trees: it was planted in the sacred place ( Haram ), and it grew like a vine; it has long branches and its fruit is not unattainable." He, peace be upon him, is quoted in sermon 153 of Nahjul-Balaghah saying: "We are the banner, the companions, the trustees and the gates.
Houses are not supposed to be approached except through their gates: whoever approaches them otherwise is called a thief," until he said, describing the purified offspring ( ‘itra ), "They are the vital portions of the Qur'an, and they are the teasures of the Merciful. They tell the truth when they speak, or when they remain silent; none can speak ahead of them.