“Settle in your homes, and do not display yourselves as women did in the days of pre-Islamic ignorance.
Establish prayer, pay zakat (alms giving), and obey Allah and His Messenger.
Allah only intends to keep the causes of evil away from you and purify you completely, O members of the Prophet’s Household!” (Qur’an 33: 33)
The path that begins with love for the Prophet’s Household (Ahl Al-Bayt) never truly ends; as long as a person lives with love, there is always room for it to grow.
Love is one of those things a person cannot truly define or regulate, right? You cannot assign it a fixed value.
And therefore, it has no specific limit.
My story of love for Ahl Al-Bayt and the righteous figures began in childhood, because my mother herself loved the righteous and Ahl Al-Bayt.
Love for the righteous runs deeply in our family; even when we searched through our family belongings, going back four or five generations,
we found the banners that were carried during the Mawlid of Sayyid Ahmad al-Badawi.
The very banners with which they would go to serve people gathered at Ahl Al-Bayt’s space, so this connection is deeply rooted in our family’s origins.
My mother used to do something very beautiful with me when I was young.
Whenever she wanted to travel to visit one of the righteous, or Sidi Ibrahim al-Desouqi, or any one of Ahl Al-Bayt,
and since I had school while my siblings were older than me, I was the youngest—she would say to me, “How about not going to school tomorrow?”
I would say yes, and she would reply, “But on one condition: you come with me—we’ll travel, because I can’t travel and leave you behind.”
So I would take the day off, and we would go to visit Sidi Ibrahim al-Desouqi; sometimes we would go to Cairo.
We would also attend the Mawlid of Sidi al-Mursi Abu al-‘Abbas in Alexandria, since I was originally Alexandrian and lived there.
Through this, a bond with the righteous and Ahl Al-Bayt was formed, and from childhood it was always associated in my mind with the meaning of honoring.
A tangible form of honoring, through offering food, or the small gift you receive as a child, or someone giving you candy or Mawlid sweets.
And a moral, emotional honoring, you feel warmth among people; they genuinely want to honor you. It is not about obligation or something imposed.
Nor is it about duty, or about reward earned simply by feeding others and stopping there.
Rather, it is about love, about bringing joy to the visitor and the guest. This is the meaning I was raised upon.
In my connection with Ahl Al-Bayt, I learned that they are people of generosity for the sake of kindness and beauty,
not merely for reward, even though reward is certainly attained and seeking it is a great and noble act,
for it is something we are commanded to do. Yet there is a layer of beauty that envelops the bond with Ahl Al-Bayt, and through it this deep affection was nurtured in me.
An affection for everything that is beautiful, blessed by what I witnessed of beauty in connecting with them—and this journey, truly, continues and never ends.
An affection for everything that is beautiful, blessed by what I witnessed of beauty in connecting with them—and this journey, truly, continues and never ends.
Can harm ever befall me while you are my hope,
and my true provision on the Day of Gathering, when I stand before you?
I turn to you in both abodes, O banner of guidance,
whenever I fear any hardship or trial.
O refuge of the distressed, O Mender of the broken,
O Guardian of the weak and the destitute,
O Bestower of kindness from a Hand whose generosity knows the highest resolve and the greatest giving,
Were it able to lavish its bounty with such grace, even dust and pebbles would be deemed priceless.
Love for Ahl Al-Bayt opens the door for the believer to experience, in this life, the true meanings of virtue, generosity, giving, and contentment.
As well as blessings, acceptance, and many other virtues affirmed by the hadiths of our master—peace be upon him—and the teachings of scholars.
Yet, there has been a disease that has afflicted Muslims throughout their history,
spoiling their relationship with Ahl Al-Bayt of the chosen Prophet, peace be upon them.
This disease is exaggeration and excess.
Episode 3
The Status of the Prophet’s Household: Between Neglect and Excess
The Arabic word mawadda (affection) comes from the Arabic root wudd, and the elders among the people of Allah have always taught us that the meaning of a word
is derived from its letters, and the meaning of the letters comes from how they are pronounced and written.
So when you say wudd, the lips must extend—it involves a movement of the lips—and then there is the Arabic letter dāl (D), which represents a boundary.
It is as if the essence of wudd is a movement of the heart through which a person seeks to reach their aim. And the dāl? It signifies stopping at that aim,
or pausing at the point of balance—showing that this affection has a limit and is measured with moderation.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said in a hadith: “Honor the one who carries the Qur’an, and do not exaggerate in it or neglect it.”
What does “do not exaggerate in it” mean? It refers to overemphasizing every minor detail without putting it into practice—this is what is meant by exaggeration.
Once, someone approached Sayyidna ‘Umar and asked about the verse in Qur’an: “and fruit and fodder” (Qur’an 80: 31), he said, “What does fodder mean in this verse?”
Our master ‘Umar replied, “Why do you ask this question?”
Allah has already stated that these provisions are for you and your livestock—so why complicate what is simple, like consuming the provisions intended for your cattle?
This is an example of exaggeration. Neglect, on the other hand, occurs when someone treats the Qur’an as merely a recording to play at will, without reflection or attentiveness.
They may listen briefly, then stop, leaving nothing in their heart from what they heard.
Allah Almighty forbade excess in religion, saying: “O People of the Book, do not exceed the bounds in your religion.” The lesson lies in the general wording, not the specific occasion.
Every Muslim is called to avoid exaggeration in their religious practice. Exaggeration in love for Ahl Al-Bayt and in honoring them
is blameworthy and dangerous, even if motivated by genuine love for them.
It may involve a good deed of great merit, but exaggeration can distort its purpose.
It may lead a person to believe they have fulfilled their duty to Allah, when in reality, they have not.
Ultimately, such deeds may become among the most wasted, as their efforts are lost in this life, while the person mistakenly believes they are performing righteous acts.
Excess in anything is blameworthy. Even someone who overdoes prayer—the Prophet, peace be upon him, prohibited that.
He said: “I am the most God-conscious and God-fearing among you, yet I fast and break my fast, I pray and sleep, and I marry. Whoever rejects my Sunnah is not of me.”
So the issue concerns a person who overindulges in a particular matter,
whether it is excessive emotional reactions arising from love, we do not say overindulgence in love itself, because love
is a matter of the heart, bestowed by Allah, as the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “O Allah, this is my share of what I possess, so do not count me among what You possess or what I do not possess.”
He also said: “Hearts are between two fingers of the Most Merciful; He turns them as He wills.” That is, between divine power and will—if He wills something, He says to it: “Be,” and it is.
So, if a person overindulges in the emotions of love—though he is deeply loving—it may manifest in inappropriate or improper reactions.
Some expressions that are unsuitable in this context are blameworthy. Likewise, exaggeration and excess in hatred
toward the honored Ahl Al-Bayt, and what we call the Nawasib—those who harbor hatred for Ahl Al-Bayt
and begrudge them the status that Allah has granted them, or envy others for the favor Allah has bestowed upon them.
“Indeed, We gave the family of Abraham the Scripture and wisdom, and We gave them a mighty kingdom.” (Qur’an 4: 54)
Thus, anyone who exaggerates in hatred, or even allows hatred for Ahl Al-Bayt to enter his heart, is truly at a loss.
Do not compare anyone to Ahl Al-Bayt—they are the people of sovereignty. Hating them is true loss, and loving them is an act of worship.
Exaggeration takes many forms and is blameworthy wherever it appears.
Your love for your child, if it exceeds its proper limit or occurs in the wrong context, can become harmful.
That is why we find a profound guidance from the Prophet, peace be upon him, who said:
“Love your beloved in moderation, for one day they may become your opponent; and dislike your enemy in moderation, for one day they may become your beloved.”
The Prophet’s sayings, the Qur’an, and the Sunnah all guide us toward what? Toward moderation.
O mother of glad tidings and support, more precious than life and children..
Allah, Allah!
O Lady, O mother of Purity, O daughter of Taha the chosen.
Daughter of the virgin (Al-Batul), mother of faithfulness—this is what is narrated about you, O pure one.
Daughter of the virgin, mother of faithfulness—this is what is narrated about you, O pure one.
And if they ask, “What is all this?” we respond: “Support, O Lady.”
Excessive veneration of Ahl Al-Bayt, peace be upon them, has appeared throughout the history of the Islamic nation.
If we examine its causes, we find that it departs from sincere love and enters the realm of exploiting that love.
When trials struck and the Muslims were divided, the truth remained with Imam Ali.
What did the enemies of Islam do?
They placed among the Muslims men who concealed disbelief while outwardly professing Islam, and they began to exalt, and even deify,
Imam Ali, while slandering the Companions. This continued until the Nusayri sect appeared in the third century, claiming divinity for Imam Ali, peace be upon him.
This, by the way, was foretold by the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the hadith recorded by Bukhari in Al-Tarikh,
and also narrated by Al-Bayhaqi in Al-Khasais, Ibn Asakir, and Al-Hakim. The Prophet said about Imam Ali:
“There is in you a likeness to Jesus: the Jews hated him, so they slandered his mother; the Christians loved him, so they exaggerated about him, attributing to him what he did not possess—even calling him divine.”
Among the blameworthy excesses that occurred was exaggeration in the love of the Prophet’s family, peace be upon him.
It reached the point where some claimed their infallibility, even elevating Imam Ali and Fatimah to ranks above the Prophet himself, peace be upon him.
Thus, the Prophet, peace be upon him, warned us about the emergence of such sects.
Some sought political power and kingship, aiming to lead the people who loved Imam Ali
So they could seize authority and claim the Caliphate. Their true goal may have been
to weaken the Muslims. This was the ultimate aim of the Jews, Christians, and disbelievers: to divide the Muslim community and diminish its strength.
To truly understand sincere and balanced love for the family of our Prophet, peace be upon him,
we must study how their love was preserved by Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, who are distinguished by moderation and uprightness.
Whenever someone warns us about loving Ahl Al-Bayt and says, “we should love Ahl Al-Bayt, but without exaggeration and without crossing the limits…”
“…we don’t want excess, so that we do not become like the Shia or the Rawafidh, and the matter does not spiral out of control.”
This has never happened; the people of Ahl al-Sunnah have never taken their love for Ahl Al-Bayt to exaggeration.
So what is exaggeration in the love of the Ahl Al-Bayt? It is exceeding the limits—such as claiming they are prophets.
Or claiming they are infallible, as some Shia assert—and this has never occurred among Ahl al-Sunnah.
So when they say, “We are just preventing excess,” in reality, we already love Ahl al-Bayt sincerely.
We praise them, compose poetry in their honor, and name mosques after them.
But we have never exaggerated or crossed the limits; such warnings are only whispers and illusions.
This is the talk of the Nawasib; what they say comes straight from the followers of Yazid.
They ask: what reward will Yazid give them in the Hereafter, since they nurture enmity toward Ahl Al-Bayt?
Loving Ahl Al-Bayt is a form of drawing near to the Prophet himself. If we do not love them, where do we stand regarding Allah’s words: “Say, I do not ask of you any reward except love for the near relatives”?
Some may say, “I do not want to love them too much, for fear of exaggeration.”
But what kind of fear is this? It is like fearing a wall might shock you with electricity.
You would need to grab a bare live wire to be truly shocked.
So every time you see something and think, “It might shock me”—this is just a whisper that needs remedy.
Among Ahl al-Sunnah, there is no exaggeration; exaggeration is a Shia phenomenon.
“Love Ali, and do not fear their blame; do not despair in the face of accusations. In love, be just and steady, neither unsettled nor extreme.”
“Beware of excess and neglect: do not overdo your love, nor be stingy; beware of exaggeration, and beware of deficiency.”
“Beware of ugly exaggeration in loving him, for excess is like poison mixed in fat.”
The moderate lover lives nobly and is respected among people.
O my Master, bless him and grant him peace always and forever.
On your beloved, is the noblest of all creation.
We must understand that respecting, loving, or venerating Ahl al-Bayt is not exaggeration.
We do not claim that Ahl al-Bayt became prophets, infallible, or angels, no.
They are the children of the Prophet, and we describe them as the most noble and honored in the sight of Allah.
They need nothing more than that we honor their rightful status.
Is it not obedience to Allah and His Messenger to honor the Prophet’s children, as he commanded us to treat people according to their rank?
They hold this status because they are the Prophet’s children, coming from him.
We have no concern for those who claim otherwise, nor for exaggerators who wrongly assume infallibility in them; infallibility belongs only to the prophets.
Nor do we concern ourselves with the ignorant and rude who claim there is no difference between Hussein and anyone else.
Their words are lies. In reality, there are distinctions—many, not just one.
But we love Ahl al-Bayt, respect them, and honor them according to the status they deserve, out of love for their grandfather, the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Were Ahl al-Bayt, may Allah be pleased with them, ever cursing, insulting, or declaring the Companions disbelievers?
No, far be it. And were the Companions ever hating, cursing, or insulting Ahl al-Bayt?
No, far be it. Thus, Nawasib are in error, and those who exaggerate in loving Ahl al-Bayt while insulting the Companions are also mistaken. True moderation
is to have in your heart love for the Companions and love for Ahl al-Bayt, and to follow both. This is the path to salvation.
O my Master, bless and grant peace always, eternally.
Upon the Prophet and all Ahl al-Bayt.
Thus, one does not fear the consequences.
As if by loving them, I am guided by grace.
O my Master, bless and grant peace always, eternally.
Upon the Prophet and all Ahl al-Bayt.
Hating family of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, is a grave sin that some commit unknowingly.
Others may commit it deliberately, claiming they are protecting the religion, while in reality, they are deeply misguided.
Some say, “I fear fitnah and I fear falling into exaggeration,” intending to oppose those who love Ahl al-Bayt excessively.
In doing so, they fall into hostility toward Ahl al-Bayt without realizing it, and they start
to weaken or reject all the hadith and narrations that describe virtues of Ahl al-Bayt, thus unknowingly falling into enmity against them.
What is it with those who take their love for the Imam to extremes? Does the sea become polluted from the droplet that falls into it?
They forbid people to love without cause, as if throwing molten fire upon them.
Their hearts are inflamed with illusions, so much so that they distance themselves from the truth.
They have created illusions for themselves: some worship Ali, some venerate Ali excessively, and so on.
In doing so, they shield themselves from all that concerns Ali ibn Abi Talib, refusing to take responsibility or follow the proper path.
Christians worship Jesus and distance themselves from him, while the Jews oppose him. Therefore, we must remain moderate, and this is the path of the people of truth, by the will of Allah.
O Allah, send Your blessings upon our master Muhammad and upon family of our master Muhammad. This is part of the prayer; we send blessings upon Ahl al-Bayt.
Then someone says, “Do not mention Ahl al-Bayt in prayer so that we do not fall into exaggeration.”
What exaggeration is this? The hadith itself commands us to send blessings on Ahl al-Bayt.
You might find “exaggeration” in phrases like ‘Sufficient for us is Allah; He will grant us of His bounty, and His Messenger…’ and ‘…and to Allah we turn.’
Then they say, “Do not say ‘and His Messenger’ in the verse.” Why? They claim it is to guard against polytheism.
And that the bounty comes from Allah alone. But Allah Himself mentioned it—did He forget? Or is this a confusion, or an abrogated verse we were not taught?
Or perhaps we do not understand? So they say, “Better stay safe,” meaning, “Do not say it.”
They justify it as fear of falling into excess—this is what scholars call “blocking the door of misguidance,” a concept misused by some, but applied cautiously by jurists.
It is a tool of restriction, sometimes used for expansion, and sometimes as precaution in delicate matters.
But here, Allah Himself mentioned it in the Qur’an. O believer, are you a believer or not? You omit words that Allah revealed in full.
“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.” How will you treat this? Do you say it leads to shirk? No—“Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah.”
Yet some delete it from the Qur’an, claiming it is to “block the door of misguidance.” and He is the best Disposer of affairs.
Who does this? This is disbelief. And what exaggeration? This kind of exaggeration leads to disbelief, and they even delete parts of the Qur’an itself.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for my sins and errors. I seek forgiveness from Allah for my words and my deeds.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for words without actions.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for deeds without sincerity.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for my burdens and my responsibilities.
I seek forgiveness from Allah for my fear and my shame.
If we speak of exaggeration in love,
we cannot speak of exaggeration in hatred or enmity.
Even holding ill thoughts toward Ahl al-Bayt of our Prophet, peace be upon him,
is a grave sin. This enmity has appeared throughout Islamic history, and we continue to suffer its consequences today.
The reasons people fall into this dangerous act and great crime can vary.
Some are political, as was the case with certain Umayyad caliphs,
who nurtured enmity toward Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in pursuit of power and political gain.
Imam Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was insulted publicly until the time of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.
He forbade insults toward Ahl al-Bayt, restored their rights, and sought to honor them.
He recognized their virtues and elevated their rank, peace be upon them.
“Nasb” is the taking of a stance of enmity toward Ahl al-Bayt. A group in this nation arose during the Prophet’s lifetime
that harbored some hatred, pride, or belittlement toward Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Therefore, most of the texts concerning Ali came as responses to such hostility.
“Whoever considers him a master, Ali is his master. O Allah, befriend those who befriend him, and be an enemy to those who oppose him.”
And as He who separates truth from falsehood declared: “No one loves you except a believer, and no one hates you except a hypocrite.”
The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say to Imam Ali. This hadith has been authenticated by Sayyid Ahmad al-Siddiq al-Ghumari, who also wrote a treatise on it.
Even merely looking at Ali’s face is an act of devotion—not just love. It is also narrated: “O Ali, no one loves you except a believer, and no one hates you except a hypocrite.”
One of the signs of hypocrisy is hatred toward Ahl al-Bayt.
This explains many of the texts related to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Such hypocrisy and spiritual disease only appear when
a person imagines that the relatives of the Prophet, peace be upon him, have no special status above ordinary people.
Just as my dislike or hatred for any ordinary person does not affect me—I may like or dislike someone
this carries no weight in the religion of Allah or in any worldly matter.
Yet some treat the relatives of the Prophet as ordinary people, equating their love with hatred and their hatred with love.
As a result, hatred toward Ahl al-Bayt took root in some hearts, influencing all their actions and behaviors. We seek refuge in Allah from this.
There were times when I had the honor of attending gatherings and celebrations of Ahl al-Bayt and participating in the community.
Yet one would often face criticism or accusations, suggesting the beginnings of heresy. Therefore, caution is necessary—honestly, silence is the best approach.
Since my knowledge is limited and my ability to defend them is modest, I chose silence out of caution, as those confronting me
might speak disrespectfully about them, and I could unintentionally fuel conflict. So I remained silent, smiling, and praying privately.
For Allah opens hearts for everyone as He opened hearts for us; this is the true value of Ahl al-Bayt.
So why do these opponents show hostility toward Ahl al-Bayt?
Because Allah has not granted them a portion of His mercy to illuminate their hearts so that they might love Ahl al-Bayt.
When I say, “Truly, love for Ahl al-Bayt is a blessing,” it is genuine—this love is indeed a divine gift.
Love for Ahl al-Bayt is a mercy from Allah, which He grants to whomever He wills and withholds from whomever He wills.
But the apparent reasons we see are worldly: competition for power, the pursuit of wealth, and the desire for authority.
All of this stems from ignorance, for Allah’s mercy has not reached them, and He does not intend good for them in this regard.
The love of the Prophet fills my heart with ease.
Praising the Prophet brings joy to my celebrations.
The light of the Prophet is my guiding pillar; O my dear ones, the children of the Prophet are Ahl al-Bayt.
Allah, Allah, Allah!
Allah, Allah, Allah, help me!
The children of the Prophet are Ahl al-Bayt.
In contrast to those who try to diminish the stature of Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet, peace be upon him,
a noble and refined example is evident in how they were treated.
This is the model of the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
They show us a balanced and moderate path to follow, which we will explore in our next episode, by the will of Allah.
The light of the Prophet is my guiding pillar; O my dear ones, the children of the Prophet are Ahl al-Bayt.
