C1.
Dear Azam, Salaam.
The
phrase "Ahl-al-Bayt" in the verse 33:33 below refers to the Prophet's
wives in the context of the Quran:
[33:28] O prophet, say to your wives, "If you are seeking this life
and its vanities, then let me compensate you and allow you to go amicably.
[33:29] "But if you are seeking GOD and His messenger, and the abode of
the Hereafter, then GOD has prepared for the righteous among you a great
recompense."
[33:30] O wives of the prophet, if any of you commits a gross sin,
the retribution will be doubled for her. This is easy for GOD to do.
[33:31] Any one of you who obeys GOD and His messenger, and leads a
righteous life, we will grant her double the recompense, and we have
prepared for her a generous provision.
[33:32] O wives of the prophet, you are not the same as any other
women, if you observe righteousness. (You have a greater responsibility.)
Therefore, you shall not speak too softly, lest those with disease in
their hearts may get the wrong ideas; you shall speak only righteousness.
[33:33] You shall settle down in your homes, and do not mingle with the
people excessively, like you used to do in the old days of ignorance. You
shall observe the Contact Prayers (Salat), and give the obligatory charity
(Zakat), and obey GOD and His messenger. GOD wishes to remove all
unholiness from you, O you who live around the Sacred Shrine, and to
purify you completely.
[33:34] Remember what is being recited in your homes of GOD's
revelations and the wisdom inherent therein. GOD is Sublime,
Cognizant.
C2.
Salamun Alykum.
Millions of our Sunni brothers misunderstood the meaning of the Quranic
phrase "obey God and obey messenger". They believe "obey God" means "obey
the Quran", and "obey messenger" means "obey hadith". Additionally, they
added the Prophet's name in the Quranic Shahadah and made him a live
messenger of God.
Millions of our Shia brothers misunderstood the meaning of the Quranic
phrase "obey God, and obey messenger and authority among you" of the
Quranic verse 4:59. They find a special meaning of "Ulul Amr" in verse
4:59 as "Imamat".
[4:59]
O you who believe, you shall obey GOD, and you shall obey the messenger,
and those in charge among you. If you dispute in any matter, you shall
refer it to GOD and the messenger, if you do believe in GOD and the Last
Day. This is better for you, and provides you with the best solution.
They believe, "obey authority among you" means "obey Imam". They consider
Caliph Ali as their Imam and added his name next to the Prophet's name in
the Quranic Shahadah.
But, a careful study of the Quran gives the correct understanding of "Ulul
Amr" in the following verse:
[4:83]
When a rumor that affects security comes their way, they spread it. Had
they referred it to the messenger, and those in charge among them, those
who understand these matters would have informed them. If it were not for
GOD's grace towards you, and His mercy, you would have followed the devil,
except a few.
Our Sunni brothers believe that the Quran needs to be explained by hadiths,
even though the Quran claims that the Quran is easy to understand and it
has all the explanations.
Like our Sunni brothers, our Shia brothers also believe that the Prophet
was the last messenger, even though the Quran never declares him as the
last messenger and it anticipates more messengers after the Prophet.
Our Shia brothers believe that since the Prophet was the last messenger,
the guidance can be derived through authorized Imams. This understanding
is contradictory to the Quran, since only God can guide us, not even the
messenger. And, the guidance comes from the Quran and the duty of a
messenger is to deliver the message of God.
Our Shia brothers also believe that the Prophet anticipated 12 authorized
Imams, even though the Quran clearly states that the Prophet did not know
the future. They also believe that these 12 Imams are from the family of
Ali and the Prophet's daughter Fatima. They also believe in "Ahlil Bayet"
or members of house and claim that the Quran supports this concept. But,
a sincere reader can understand that the "members of house" in the Quran
is really wives of the prophet and it has nothing to do with the the
family of Ali and Fatima.
Thank you and may God guide me,
Muhammed Irtaza
Source:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/progressive-muslim/ group.