The verse of purification

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Part of a series on Shi'a Islam Ahl al-Kisa People of the Cloak Muhammad · Fatimah Ali · Hasan · Husayn The verse of purification Hadith of the Event of the Cloak Hadith of Mubahala Hadith of the two weighty things v • d • e

The verse of purification is part of the 33th verse of Surah al-Ahzab of Qur'an, which says Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! and to purify you a (thorough) purifying.Qur'an 33:33

This verse has especial importance for Muslims due to giving information about Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad. The two largest branches of Shi'a Islam believe it to designate the Ahl al-Bayt as being in a state of ismah, meaning infallibility.

[edit] Tafsir

While this verse is among the verses which introduce some especial law for Muhammad's wives with feminine plural pronouns, the pronoun referring to Ahl al-Bayt is in the masculine plural. According to Madelung, the great majority of the hadiths quoted by al-Tabari in his Tafsir describes Ahl al-Bayt as referring to Muhammad, Fatima, Ali, Hasan, and Husayn. He adds, however, that it is unlikely that the passage could have been separated from the first part of the verse, noting a "clear aim of the verse to elevate the rank of the wives of the Prophet above all Muslim women: 'O wives of the prophet, you're not like any other women' (Qur'an 33:32)." Madelung writes that the the "ahl al-bayt," as understood by the usage of the term during Muhammad's time, consisted of his blood relations, including the Banu Hashim.^[1]