"No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin." (ash-Shura, 42/23) Is it enough to love Ahl al-Bayt according to the verse above?

"No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin." (ash-Shura, 42/23)

- What is the meaning of the verse of the Quran above?

- Is it enough for everything to love Ahl al-Bayt alone? Will it eliminate our sins?

Dear Brother / Sister,

As it is known, love of Ahl al-Bayt is very important in Islam and in the eye of prophethood. As a matter of fact, the Prophet (pbuh) addresses people – based on the order of Allah – as follows: 

“No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin.” (see ash-Shura, 42/23)

Thus, the necessity of this love is confirmed by the Quran.

Zayd b. Thabit reports the following from Prophet (pbuh):

“I leave behind two vicegerents/proxies (two things that will continue my mission) for you. One of them is the Book of Allah, reaching the earth from the sky and the other is my Ahl al-Bayt. These two will not be separated from each other until they come to the Pool (Kawthar Pool on the Day of Judgment).”

This hadith, reported by Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal is hasan. (see Majmauz-Zawaid, 9/162)

We are taught the following lesson in the hadith above since adhering to both the Book of Allah and Ahl al-Bayt are mentioned together:

Every Muslim who follows the Book of Allah needs to love Ahl al-Bayt; every Muslim who loves Ahl al-Bayt needs to act in accordance with the Book of Allah. Therefore, a believer who loves Ahl al-Bayt believes in all of the principles of creed included in the Book of Allah; he also needs to believe its decrees related to both ethics and worship, and practice them.   

There must be a criterion for the love of Ahl al-Bayt, as it is necessary for everything. This criterion is to practice the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) fully.

The importance of the love of Ahl al-Bayt is related to their service to the Quran and the Sunnah rather than being the Prophet’s relatives. The greatest wisdom behind the importance the Prophet gives to Ahl al-Bayt as it is stated in the verse "No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin” is that they are the carriers and source of the Sunnah of the Prophet.

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi states the following regarding the issue:

“With his vision that penetrated the Unseen, Allah’s Most Noble Messenger (UWBP) saw that his family would become a light-giving tree in the world of Islam. It would be from his family that the overwhelming majority of those persons who would act as guides and preceptors instructing every level of the world of Islam in human attainment and perfection would emerge…"

"There are numerous narrations corroborating this fact. He repeatedly decreed: ‘I leave you two things. If you adhere to them, you will find salvation: one is Allah’s Book, the other is my Family.’ For, members of his family were the source and guardians of his practices (Sunna) and were charged with complying with them in every respect.”

"This is why what was intended by this Hadith was adherence to the Book and the Prophet’s practices."

"That is to say, in respect of the office of messengership it was the Prophet’s (UWBP) practices that were sought from his family. So, no one who abandoned his practices could truly be a member of his family, nor could such a person not be a true friend to them.” (see Lem'alar, Dördüncü Lem'a)

According to this fact, a believer who follows the Sunnah of the Prophet is regarded to love Ahl al-Bayt truly because the same amount of the good deeds and rewards obtained by such a Muslim as a result of his deeds of worship are also recorded for Ahl al-Bayt in accordance with the following rule: "The one who causes something is regarded as if he has done it."

Thus, a relationship is established between that believer and the spirituality of Ahl al-Bayt; he sends them rewards as a gift and they become pleased with it. 

When such a person reads "Allahumma salli" supplication in prayer, he asks for mercy for the Prophet (pbuh) and his Ahl al-Bayt many times every day. This state is a great means of attaining the intercession of Ahl al-Bayt and benefitting from their prosperity. A person who does not worship becomes deprived of their prosperity, love and friendship.  

If a person regards it enough to love Ahl al-Bayt only, the following issues come into question: 

- The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) will be regarded to have been sent to people only to make them love Ahl al-Bayt. However, the Prophet (pbuh) was sent to make people know and love Allah and to make them turn toward Allah by worshipping Him.

- It will be regarded as if the Quran was sent down only to place the love of Ahl al-Bayt in the hearts of people. However, the Quran is full of decrees and principles that ensure both the worldly and otherworldly bliss of people with its more than six thousand verses. Hundreds of thousands of books were written to explain those principles.

- Such an understanding means attributing the purpose of the creation of man to love of certain people only. However, all people, including Ahl al-Bayt, were created to know Allah, who is Mighty and Glorious, and to worship Him.   

Finally, we want to express this fact: The reason why we love Ahl al-Bayt is not just because of their personalities; we love them for their service to the Quran, their self-sacrifices while spreading the religion of Islam and their service in the field of knowledge and education. Thanks to their service, the creed of the ummah of Muhammad managed to protect its purity from the deviant thoughts of the aberrant people, wrong beliefs and superstitions.

In return for their sincere, self-sacrificing and loyal service, God Almighty sent great spiritual guides that guided the Islamic world for centuries like Zaynul-Abidin, Ja'far as-Sadiq and Abdulqadir Ghaylani from their descendants.

Thus, a person cannot be exempted from the responsibility of worshipping by loving Ahl al-Bayt only.

In that case, every believer who loves Ahl al-Bayt has to accept them as a model, try to resemble them and to be like them by fulfilling the duty of worshipping. One can love Ahl al-Bayt in the real sense only through this way.

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