Love of Ahlul Bait leads to Paradise

Love of Ahlul Bait leads to Paradise

He said: Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Umar al-Zayyat informed us that Ali b. Ismail reported to him from Muhammad b. Khalaf, who reported from al-Husain al-Ashqar, who reported from Qais, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Abdul Rahman b. Abi Laila, reporting from Al-Husain b. Ali, peace be upon him, that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"Remain steadfast on our love, the Ahlul bayt. For he who meets Allah with our love, will enter the Paradise with our intercession. By He Who controls my soul, a servant (of Allah) does not benefit from his deeds except by knowing us (and our stature)."

The system of Islam
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Jea'bi reported from Ishaq b. Muhammad, who reported from Zaid b. al-Muaddal, from Saif b. Umar, from Muhammad b. Kuraib, from his father, from Abdullah b. Abbas that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"Listen and obey those whom Allah has granted the authority - for that is the system of Islam."

On Ahlul Bait
And with the same chain of narration, it is reported from Abul Qasim, Muhammad b.Ali, Ibn al-Hanafiyya, that the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said:
"He who does not have mercy on our young ones, and shows no reverence to our old ones and does not recognize our rights, is not from us."

Helping Ahlul Bait with one's tongue 
He said: Ali-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza al-Tabari reported to me from Abul Hasan Ali b. Hatim al-Qazwaini, who reported from Abul Abbas Muhammad b. Ja'far al-Makhzoomi, who reported from Muhammad b. Shammoon al-Basri, from Abdullah b. Abdul Rehanm, reported from al-Husain b. Zayd from Ja'far b. Muhammad (AS) from his father (AS) who said:
"Whoever helped us with his tongue, against our enemy, Allah will let him speak out his argument when he will stand before Him (i.e. on the Day of Judgement)."

Love Ahlul Bait with your heart and help with your hand & tongue
He said: Al-Sharif Abu Muhammad al-Hasan b. Hamza reported to me from Ahmad b. Abdullah, from his grandfather Ahmad b. Abdullah, who reported from his father, who reported from Dawood b. al-No'man, from Amru b. Abu al-Miqdam, from his father who reported that al-Hasan b. Ali (AS) said:
"He who loves us with his heart, and helps us with his hands and tongue, will be with us (in Paradise) at the same lodging. And he who loves us with his heart and helps us with his tongue will be at a lower level. And he who loves us with his heart, but does not put his hand and tongue to use for us, he will be in Paradise." (i.e. in an ordinary station).

Adhering to the Ahlul Bait 
He said: Abu Bakr, Muhammad b. Umaral-Je'abi reported from Ali. b. Ismail, who reported from Muhammad b. Khalaf, who reported from Husain al-Ashqar, who reported from Qais, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Abdul Rehman b. Abu Layla, from al-Husain b. Ali b. Abi Talib who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "Adhere yourselves to our love, the Ahlul Bait, for surely, whoever meets Allah, having love for us (in his heart) he shall enter Paradise with our intercession. And By Him Who controls my spirit, a servant (of Allah) benefits nothing from his (good) deeds, unless he has recognized our Truth."

The Prophet's prayers for his descendants
He said: Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Umar al-Je'abi reported to me from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ziyad, who reported from al-Hasan b. Ali b. Affan, from Yazid b. Harun, from Hamid, from Jabir b. Abdillah al-Ansari who said:
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, came upon us holding the hands of al-Hasan and al-Husain, peace be upon them and said: "These are my two sons, who I have brought up from infancy and for whom I have prayed to Allah as they grew up. I prayed for them for three things, out of which He granted two and restrained one. I beseeched Allah to keep them pure and cleansed from all evil and make them chaste. Allah granted my prayer. And I prayed that they and their progeny be guarded together with their followers, from the hellfire. Allah granted my prayer. And I asked Allah that the Ummah be united in their love for them." He said: "O Muhammad! I have decreed and I have determined. A group from among your Ummah will remain faithful to the covenant you have made with the Jews, the Christians and the Magians and will break your covenant regarding your descendants. And I have so decreed that, whoever does that, shall not have a place at My honoured station, nor will I allow him to enter My Paradise, nor shall I have an eye of mercy upon him on the Day of Judgement."

Ahlul Bait, the key to all wisdom
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b.Abdillah, from Ahmed b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob, from Abu Ayyub al-Khazzaz, from Muhammad b. Muslim, who reported that:
Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Ali, peace be upon him said: "People (who have discarded us) have no truth, nor any propriety, except that which they have learnt from us Ahlul Bait. None from them can judge truly or with justice, unless he has taken its guidance from Amirul Mo'mineen Ali b. Abi Talib, peace be upon him, the key, the gate, the path blazer, the way. And when they are confused in any matter, the fault is theirs if they commit an error; and if they decide rightly, the credit goes to Ali b. Abi Talib (AS)."

Allah will not accept acts of worship from one who has no love for the authority of Ahlul Bait
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob, from Hisham, from Murazim who reported from al-Sadiq, Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, who reported that:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, said: "What has happened to some people in my Ummah, who become cheerful and jubilant when Ibrahim and the progeny of Ibrahim are mentioned to them; but when I and my progeny are mentioned, they detest it and frown at it! By He Who sent me as a truthful Prophet, if a person dies after having performed the (good) deeds of 70 Prophets, but he has no liking for the authority of our Ahlul Bait, Allah will not accept his obligatory or voluntary acts of worship."

The revelation descended in our homes and from us the knowledge reached the people. . .
He said: Abul Hasan Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Hasan reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah, from Ahmad b Muhammad b. Isa, from al-Hasan b. Mahboob from Yahya b. Abdillah b. al-Hasan who said:
I heard Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, say in the presence of people of Kufa: "It is surprising to hear people claim that they have derived all their knowledge from the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progency, and having acted accordingly, they are guided. And they believe that we, Ahlul Bait, have not derived his knowledge, nor have we been guided by him, in spite of being his family members and descendants! The revelation descended in our homes, and from us the knowledge reached the people. Do you believe that they knew and were guided, while we remained ignorant and lost? This is indeed impossible."

Whoever hates the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him as a follower of Judaism
He said: Abul Husain Muhammad b. al-Mudhaffer al-Bazzaz reported to me from Abu Abdillah Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Hasani, who reported from Idris b. Ziyad al-Kafrsosi, who reported from Hannan b. Sudair, from Sudaif al-Makki who reported from Muhammad b. Ali, peace be upon hm (commenting that I have not seen any believer of Muhammad to match his excellence) who reported from Jabir b. Abdillah al-Ansari, who said:
Once, the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, caused an announcement to be made among the Muhajir and Ansar, so they assembled with their weapons. The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny, climbed the pulpit, praised Allah and expressed his gratitude to Him. Then he said: "O Muslims, whoever hates us, the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him on the day of Judgement as a follower of Judaism." Jabir said: I stood up and asked: "O messenger of Allah, will it happen even if I testify that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah?" He said: "If he testified that there is no god but Allah, that saved him from his blood being spilled and from paying the tax submissively and with humility."
Then the Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Whoever hates us, the Ahlul Bait, Allah shall resurrect him, as a follower of Judaism on the Day of Judgement, and if he ever met Dajjal, he would be his partisan. And, even if he did not meet him (i.e. Dajjal), he would be resurrected in his grave, so that he believes in him (i.e. Dajjal). Surely, Allah made the whole of my Ummah appear before me while still in dust, and taught me their names, the way he taught all the names to Adam. So, standard bearers passed by me and I prayed for forgiveness, in favour of Ali and his followers.
Hannan b. Sudair said: I narrated this Tradition before Abu Abdillah Ja'far b.Muhammad, peace be upon him, and he said: "Did you yourself hear this from Sudaif?" He said: "It is now seventh night since I heard from him." He (i.e. Abu Abdillah) said: "I never thought that this narration ever escaped the lips of my father to anyone."

Acts and deeds shall not benefit except when coupled with wilayah 
He said: Abu Nasr Muhammad b. al-Husain al-Muqri reported from Abu Abdillah al-Husain b. Muhammad al-Bazzaz, who reported from Abu Abdillah Ja'far b. Abdillah al-Alawi al-Muhammadi, who reported from Yahya b. Hashim al-Ghassani, from Muammar b. Sulaiman, from Laith b. Abi Sulaim, from Ata b. Abi Rabah, from Ibn Abbas who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him and his progeny said: "Cling steadfastly to the affection for us Ahlul Bait. For whoever, meets Allah with our love in his heart shall enter Paradise by our intercession. By He Who controls Muhammad's breath, the acts and deeds of a servant shall not benefit him, except when coupled with our recognition and our love." 

Isa b. Abdillah is from us - Ahlul Bait
He said: Abul Qasim Ja'far b. Muhammad - may Allah bless him with mercy, reported to me from his father, from Sa'd b. Abdillah from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa, from Musa b. Talha, from Abu Muhammad brother of Yunus b. Ya'qoob, from his brother Yunus, who said:
I was at Medinah, when Ja'far b. Muhammad, peace be upon him, met me in one of its lanes. He said: "O Yunus, go to the door for a person from us Ahlul Bait is at the door." He said: "I went towards the door and found Isa b. Abdillah sitting there. So, I said: "Who are you." He replied: "I am from Qum." He said: "No sooner he said that, then Abu Abdillah appeared on a donkey and he entered the house riding the donkey. Then attending to us, he said: "Come through." Then he said: "O Yunus, I believe you were not prepared to grant when I said that Isa. b. Abdillah is from us, Ahlul Bait?" I said: "It is so, may I be your ransom. For Isa b. Abdillah is from people of Qum, how can he be one of you Ahlul Bait?" He said: "O Yunus, Isa b. Abdillah is from us as long as he lives, and he shall be from us after he has died."

Source:
Al-Amali: The Dictations of Sheikh al-Mufid

The Reward of Loving Ahlul-Bayt(A.S.)

The Reward of Loving Ahlul-Bayt(A.S.)

I found the following astonishing tradition in one of the most famous Tafsir book of the Sunni brothers, that is, "Tafsir al-Kabir", by Fakhr al-Razi who is a leading Sunni scholar with multiple specialties in Tafsir, Fiqh, and theology. The full address of the document is given at the end. I have provided Arabic text for each sentence of this tradition. This tradition can also be found in other Sunni commentary books of Quran, "Tafsir al-Kashshaf," written by al-Zamakhshari, as well as "Tafsir al-Tha'labi."
Before going over the text of the tradition, it is important to point out that a true love is always accompanied by obedience. A person who is crazy about somebody, does every thing to satisfy the lover, and does not allow himself to disobey the one who loves. That is why the "true love" is necessary and sufficient. A true love affects every single action of human being and directs it to a special direction in harmony with the one who loves. Thus anyone who claims to love the Prophet and his Ahlul-Bayt (peace be upon them all), but he insists in disobeying them, is simply a liar.
After giving the text of the tradition I shall quote the related verse of Quran under whose commentary this tradition was mentioned. I will also present some other traditions transmitted by the Sunnis which clearly specify the individuals whose love is obligatory.
He who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.) is a Martyr.
And behold! He who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.) is forgiven.
And more! The one who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.) is died repented.
Lo! He who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.) is died as a believer with a COMPLETE belief.
And no doubt! The one who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), the angle of death gives him the glad tiding of Paradise, and so do the two angels who question him (Munkar & Nakeer).
And verily he who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), will be led toward the Paradise as the bride is led to the house of her husband.
Behold! And he who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), for him there will open two gates in his grave toward the Paradise.
Lo! And the one who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), Allah will make his grave a sacred place of visit for the angels of mercy.
And verily he who dies with love of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), has died on Sunnah.
And no doubt! The one who dies with the HATE of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), will arrive in the day of judgment while it is printed on his forehead that he is desperate from the Mercy of Allah.
Behold! He who dies with the HATE of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), has died unbeliever.
And verily he who dies with the HATE of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.), will never hear the smell of Paradise.
Sunni references:
· Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Din Muhammad(S.A.W.) Ibn Umar al-Razi, Pub. in Egypt (1357/1938), under commentary of verse 42:23, Part 27, pp. 165-166.
· Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari
· Tafsir al-Kabir, by al-Tha'labi
Fakhr al-Razi and others mentioned the above tradition under the commentary of the following verse of Quran, in which Allah tell his Messenger:
"(O Prophet) tell (people) I don't ask you any wage (in return for my prophethood) except to love my near kin. And if anyone earns any good We shall give Him an increase of good (in return for it)" (Quran 42:23).
It has been widely reported by the Sunni commentators of the Holy Quran that:
Ibn Abbas narrated: When the above verse (42:23) was revealed, the companions asked: "O' the Messenger of Allah! Who are those near kin whose love Allah has made obligatory for us?" Upon that the Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "Ali, Fatimah, and their two sons." He (S.A.W.) repeated this sentence thrice.
Sunni references:
1. Tafsir al-Kabir, by Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Part 27, pp 165-166
2. Tafsir al-Tha'labi, under the commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran
3. Tafsir al-Tabari, by Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, under verse 42:23
4. Tafsir al-Qurtubi, under commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran
5. Tafsir al-Kashshaf, by al-Zamakhshari, under commentary of verse 42:23
6. Tafsir al-Baidhawi, under the commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran
7. Tafsir al-Kalbi, under commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran
8. al-Madarik, in connection with verse 42:23
9. Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p25
10. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal,
11. al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p259
12. Shawahid al-Tanzeel, Hakim Hasakani, al-Hanafi, v2, p132
13. Many others such as Ibn Abi Hatam, al-Tabarani, etc.
Then the Prophet (S.A.W.) continued:
"Verily Allah has dedicated my wage (of prophethood) to love of my Ahlul-Bayt, and I shall question you about it on the day of judgment."
Sunni references:
· Dhakha'ir al-Uqba, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, p26
· al-Sirah, by al-Mala
In another tradition, we read:
The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said: "I advice you to be kind to my Ahlul-Bayt for verily I will dispute you about them on the day of Judgment, and whoever I dispute him shall enter the Fire." He (S.A.W.) also said: "One who regards me by regarding my Ahlul-Bayt, he has taken a promise from Allah (to enter the Paradise)."
Sunni references:
· al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd
· al-Sirah, by al-Mala
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p231
Furthermore, al-Kateeb and Ibn Hajar narrated on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik saying:
The Prophet (S.A.W.) said: "The title of the Book (Saheefah) of believer is love of Ali Ibn Abi Talib."
Sunni references:
· Tarikh, by al-Khateeb al-Baghdadi
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 9, section 2, p193
In the above tradition, "The Book of believer" refers to the way a believer conducts the affairs, i.e., his daily life, and his diary.
On the commentary of the Quranic verse: "Lo! those who believe and do good, the Beneficent will appoint for them love (Quran 19:96)," al-Hafidh al-Salafi wrote: Muhammad(S.A.W.) Ibn Hanafiyyah said: "There will not be a believer unless in whose heart love of Ali and his family exists." In this connection, al-Bayhaqi, Abu al-Shaikh, and al-Daylami reported that the Messenger of Allah said: "A servant (of God) will not be a (true) believer unless he loves me more than his own soul, and loves my progeny more than his own soul and his own family." See al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, pp 261-262 quoted from al-Hafidh al-Salafi, al-Bayhaqi, Abu al-Shaikh, and al-Daylami).
al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad narrated:
The Messenger of Allah said: "He who loves me and loves these two: al-Hasan and al-Husain, and loves their father and mother, he will be with me in Paradise."
Sunni reference:
· Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p641
· Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, on the authority of Imam Ali (AS)
· Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p693, Tradition #1185
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p264
It is also narrated that:
The Messenger of Allah said: "Verily the prosperous and the only prosperous and the true prosperous is he who loves Ali in his lifetime and in his hereafter."
Sunni reference:
· Fadha'il al-Sahaba, by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p658, Tradition #1121
· al-Riyadh al-Nadhirah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, v3, p176
· Majma' al-Zawa'id, by al-Haythami, v9, p132
· Sharh Ibn Abil Hadid, v2, p429
Sunni scholars also narrated that Imam al-Hasan Ibn Ali (AS) said the following in a discourse which he delivered on the martyrdom of Imam Ali:
"... I am among Ahlul-Bayt whom Allah has made their love obligatory for any Muslim when He revealed to His Prophet (S.A.W.): "Say: I don't ask you any wage except to love my near kin. And if anyone earns any good We shall give Him an increase of good (Quran 42:23)." Thus earn the good deed through loving us Ahlul-Bayt."
Sunni references:
· al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, "Chapter of understanding the virtues of companions," v3, p172
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p259
· Many others such as al-Bazzar, al-Tabarani, etc.
Furthermore, it is narrated from Ibn Abbas:
Ibn Abbas said: "The good deed in the verse: 'And if anyone earns any good We shall give Him an increase of good (Quran 42:23)' is the love of family (Aal) of the Muhammad(S.A.W.) (S.A.W.)."
Sunni references:
· Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, as mentioned in:
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p259
Sunni traditionists also narrated that:
After the murder of al-Husain when his family were taken prisoners and were moved to Damascus, a man in the city (who among others was looking at the passing of prisoners in the city) said to Zain al-Abideen (Imam Ali Ibn al-Husain) that "Praise be to Allah who destroyed you and made you helpless and cut the root of sedition." On that, Zain al-Abideen said: "Didn't you read 'Tell I don't ask you any wage except to love my near kin'?" The man answered: "Are you those?" He (Zain al-Abideen) said: "Yes."
Sunni references:
· Tafsir Ibn Kathir (complete version), v4, p112, under commentary of verse 42:23 of Quran
· al-Tabarani, as mentioned in:
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p259
In contrary to all above traditions, Yusuf Ali has a very strange commentary for the verse 42:23. He wrote:
Yusuf Ali> No sort of tangible reward does the Prophet of Allah ask for
Yusuf Ali> proclaiming the Glad Tidings of Allah. But at least he has the
Yusuf Ali> right to ask that his kith and kin should not persecute him and
Yusuf Ali> put all sorts of obstacles in his way, as did the Quraish
Yusuf Ali> against the holy Prophet. (Yusuf Ali's commentary of 42:23)
What Yusuf Ali implied was that, by the above verse, the Prophet was asking his kin not to prosecute him and they should love his kin, i.e., the Prophet. The fact is that the above mentioned traditions of the Prophet regarding the revelation of verse 42:23, contradict what Yusuf Ali commented. I wonder if we Should take the opinion of the Prophet or the opinion of Yusuf Ali?! It is noteworthy that the above mentioned traditions were narrated by the prominent Sunni traditionists through various transmitters. Yusuf Ali was not a traditionist nor do Sunnis consider his commentary an authoritative one.
Besides, we can prove logically that Yusuf Ali's commentary is incorrect. "Those of near kin" are the kin of the Prophet himself. Because Prophet Muhammad(S.A.W.) is only one person. If Allah wanted to say "Love the Prophet because he is your kin", He could say so, and He would not use "Those of near kin". Moreover, from the verse it is clear that Allah was not addressing non-Muslims, because the verse is about his wage in return for his prophethood. Thus those unbelievers (among his kin or else) who do not recognized him as a prophet, were not being addressed. What kind of wage could the Prophet expect from an unbeliever (among his kin or else) who do not recognize him as a prophet?!
Thus they are Muslims who are being addressed by the verse. Now, if Yusuf Ali meant that the verse was addressing those Muslims who were his kin, then I would like to ask: Who among the near kin of the Prophet who was Muslims but tried to prosecute the Prophet? The answer is Non. If you think otherwise, please present your evidence from the history of the life of the Prophet (S.A.W.).
Therefore, the Yusuf Ali's commentary is neither in harmony with the above-mentioned Sunni traditions in this regard, nor in harmony with logic.
I do not intend to discuss all the mistakes which exist in the Yusuf Ali's works. I myself have found some trivial mistakes in his translation of Quran, and there is even a book named "Discussion on the errors of Yusuf Ali", (Paperback, $12.00 in the United States) which discusses some of his errors. Although I do not intend to fully discredit his works, it would be beneficial to mention his translation of a verse of Quran in connection with the current topic, and then compare it to other translations. This verse is very similar to the above-mentioned verse of Quran (42:23). Allah, to whom belong might and majesty, similarly said:
"(O Prophet) tell (people) whatever I asked you as wage (in return for my prophethood) is in the benefit of you (people)" (Quran 34:47).
Here is the Pickthall's translation:
Pickthall> "Say: Whatever reward I might have asked of you is yours"
Pickthall> (34:47).
Now, let us look at the Yusuf Ali's translation:
Yusuf Ali> "Say: No reward do I ask of you; it is (all) in your interest"
Yusuf Ali> (34:47).
One can see that the translation of Yusuf Ali provides meaning quite contradictory to the others. In the translation of the above verse, Yusuf Ali states that the Prophet did not ask any wage. By that, Yusuf Ali contradicted his own translation of the other mentioned verse (42:23) where he states the Prophet did, in fact, ask for the wage:
Yusuf Ali> "Say: No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of
Yusuf Ali> those near of kin." (42:23)
There is no doubt that the reward of the Prophet is with Allah. However, with the above order of Allah, the Prophet did ask People to love his family as his wage. Such request is, in fact, for the benefit of people as verse 34:47 testifies. The verses of Holy Quran explain one another. More Surprisingly, there is a third verse with another wording which implies that the benefit that people get by fulfilling the Prophet's request (i.e., affection and devotion to Ahlul-Bayt) is that they will be led to the path (Sabeel) of Allah:
"Say: I ask of you no reward for it except that one who wishes, may adopt a Path (Sabeel) toward his Lord." (Quran 25:57)
Pickthall's translation:
Pickthall> "Say: I ask of you no reward for this save that whoso will, may
Pickthall> choose a Way unto his Lord." (25:57)
Putting verse 25:57 beside 42:23 and 34:47 gives evidence to the fact that each member of Ahlul-Bayt is the Right Path (Sabeel) toward Allah, and the way toward His satisfaction. The Right Path of Allah is no more than one even though it manifested in a sequence of divinely appointed leaders. As such, each of these leaders were the unique Path (Sabeel) of Allah in their own time, and through whom people can attain protection against disagreement in religious matters. In fact, the Messenger of Allah confirmed the above conclusion from the latter verse. Ibn Sa'd and Ibn Hajar recorded that:
The Messenger of Allah said: "Me and my Ahlul-Bayt are a tree in Paradise whose branches came to this world (Dunyaa). Thus whoso will, may choose a Path unto his Lord (by taking a branch and reaching to the stem in Paradise)."
Sunni references:
· al-Tabaqat, by Ibn Sa'd
· Sharaf al-Nubuwwah, by Muhibbuddin al-Tabari, on the authority of Abu Sa'id
· al-Sawa'iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Ch. 11, section 1, p231
The above underlined part of the Hadith of the Prophet (S.A.W.) is the Quranic verse mentioned above (25:57). The true love for Ahlul-Bayt will, in fact, oblige us to follow their Right Path which guarantees the human prosperity in this world as well the Paradise in the world after.
Wassalam.