Defining the Ahl al-Bayt (as): Qur’anic, Prophetic, and Scholarly Perspectives on the Household of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)

Olawale, Abdulwasi O; Salih, Balikis Oluwakemi

doi:10.22034/jatj.2025.545631.1045

Defining the Ahl al-Bayt (as): Qur’anic, Prophetic, and Scholarly Perspectives on the Household of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Abdulwasi O Olawale ¹

Balikis Oluwakemi Salih ²

¹ PhD Candidate in Contemporary Muslim Thought, Al-Mustafa International University, Iran (corresponding author).

² PhD Candidate in Islamic Theology, Al-Mustafa International University, Iran.

10.22034/jatj.2025.545631.1045

Abstract

This article employs comparative analysis to explore the theological debate surrounding the definition of Prophet Mohammad's Ahl al-Bayt (People of the Prophet’s purified Household). Drawing on classical and modern sources, it investigates both literal and technical meanings in the Qur'an, early Islamic reports, and later scholarship. Focusing on key narrations, especially about Zayd ibn Arqam, and the Verse of Purification (Qur'an 33:33), the study contrasts Sunni and Shi‘a interpretations, including the influence of the Hadith al-Kisā’. Through linguistic, exegetical, and historical analysis, the article argues that while a broad definition includes the Prophet’s wives, children, and relatives, the Qur'anic and hadith contexts emphasize a narrower group linked to purification and spiritual authority. It concludes that the term "Ahl al-Bayt" is contextually defined, affecting understandings of Islamic theology and religious authority.

Keywords

Ahl al-Bayt (as), Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), Verse of Purification, Hadith al-Kisā&rsquo

, Islamic Exegesis

Subjects