BISMILLA  HIR  RAHMA  NIR  RAHIM
A A Y A - E - T A T H E E R  &
H A D E E S - E - K I S A
___________________(The Verse of Purification and the Tradition of Mantle)___________________
BED TIME STORIES series # 29; Published by Peer Mahomed Ebrahim Trust; 363, Sirajuddaula 
_________________________Road, Karachi 05-11-1976., PAKISTAN________________________
	It is well known that the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S., Imam 'Ali A.S., Fatimah az-Zahra S.A., Imam Hasan A.S. and Imam Husain A.S. are collectively called Al-Khamsat-un-Nujuba in Arabic or Panjatan-e-Pak in Persian and in Urdu the Purified Five or the Pure Five.  They are also called Ahl-e-Kisa or Aale-e-Eba meaning the People of the Mantle.  Both these appellations for these holy personages stand certified and authenticated - the former one by the verse of the Holy Quran (33:33) known as Aaya-e-Tatheer and the other by a Tradition of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. which gives the back-ground of revelation of this verse.  The verse of Purification runs as follows:
"Verily, Verily Allah intends but to keep off from you (every kind of) uncleanliness O' you the People of the House and purify you (with) a thorough purification."
	The famous companion of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. named Jabir Ibne Abdullah Ansari relates that Bibi Fatimah az-Zahra S.A. gave the following version about the revelation of the verse: "One day the Holy Prophet came to me and said that he was feeling weak and desired me to cover him with the Yemani mantle.  I covered him accordingly.  In the meantime my son Hasan A.S. came in and after offering me Salutation enquired if the Holy Prophet was there as he could find his fine smell there.  I told Hasan A.S. that his grandfather was under the mantle.  He then went near the Holy Prophet and offering him salutation enquired if he could enter the mantle.  The Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. replied to his salutation and allowed him to get under the mantle and took him in.
	Then my son Husain A.S. came in and after the usual salutation and enquiry about the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. took his permission to get under the mantle, and the Holy Prophet took him in it.  Then Abul Hasan, that is 'Ali A.S. , came in and he too was similarly taken under the mantle by the Holy Prophet. After that I also took permission of the Holy Prophet to get under the mantle and he took me in.  Then the Holy Prophet raised his hands towards the sky and said: "O' Allah these are my Ahlul Bait (People of the House); keep them free of all uncleanliness and purify them thoroughly."  
	When we had all collected under the Mantle with the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S., Allah said to the angels high above, that He had not created the Universe save for the sake of the Five Persons under the mantle.  The angels then enquired who were the Five Persons under it and the Almighty Allah replied: "They are Fatima, her father, her husband and her sons".  Thereupon Angel Jibraeel sought Allah's permission to descend to the Earth and get under the mantle and on getting permission, he came down and addressed the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S., "O Prophet of Allah, the Almighty has sent His Salutation and Greetings and declared that He did not create the Universe save for the sake of the Five Persons under the Mantle".
	Then Angel Jibraeel sought the Holy Prophet's permission to enter the mantle and on entering it with his permission said that Allah has conveyed the following verse:"Innama yureedullaho liyuzhiba ankumur rijsa Ahlal Baite wa yutah-hirakum tatheera". Holy Quran (33:33) That is, "Verily, verily, Allah intends but to keep off from you (every kind of) uncleanliness O' you the People of the House and purify you (with) a thorough purification".
	Thereupon Imam 'Ali A.S enquired from the Holy Prophet what excellences and merits were attributable to them before Allah for having been thus collected under the mantle, and the Holy Prophet replied that whenever their adherents would gather together and recite an account of the revelation of this verse as above, the angels of mercy would descend upon them and would ask Allah's forgiveness for them till they finish and disperse.  
	Thereafter the Holy Prophet repeated that whenever their Shiahs (adherents) and lovers would sit together and recite the above account of revelation of this verse, those who might be sick among them or be afflicted with any misery or trouble would get cured of their sickness or relieved of their misery and trouble. 'Ali A.S. thereupon said that certainly they had been favoured with great achieve-ment, and likewise their Shiahs have achieved bliss and success both in this world and Hereafter."
	The mantle used by the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. for covering all the Five Persons declared to be Purified and termed Ahlul Bait by Allah has attained special significance.  It is called Kisa is Arabic and Chaddar-e-Tatheer in Persian and Urdu.  It is noteworthy that while informing the angels as to who were the persons under the mantle, the Almighty Allah named Bibi Fatimah az-Zahra S.A. as the central personality and mentioned the other four of them with relation to her as He said that they are Fatimah, her father, her husband and her sons.  The mantle of purification or Chaddar-e-Tatheer has therefore been specially associated with the name and personality of Bibi Fatimah az-Zahra S.A..  
	More so because a mantle is a covering cloth also used as a veil by women while Allah mentioned Fatimah az-Zahra S.A. as the central figure for those under the mantle of purification and since she was noted for her high standard of chastity and extreme anxiety for veil, the mantle stands as a symbol of chastity of the highest level.  These are in brief the salient features of the tradition related by Jabir Ibne Abdullah Ansari.  It is generally called the Tradition of Mantle or Hadees-a-Kisa.  
	The recitation of the Arabic version of the full text of Hadees-s-Kisa on every important occasion is highly recommended.  The tradition is accordingly recited by adherents of Ahlul Bait on all occasions such as marriage - before the Nikkah is recited, in Majlis-e-Aza - before the usual recitation of the Majlis commences, and in funeral congregations - before burial.  In addition to these special occasions, Hadees-e-Kisa is also recited in family gatherings either daily or once a week preferably on the night preceding Friday before going to bed.
	The verse of purification declares the members of Ahlul Bait to have been purified by Allah and according to the Tradition of Mantle they were only those who were under the Mantle with the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S.. They were only five, and Angel Jibraeel.  The wives of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. are not included in this verse as is testified by Umer bin Abi Salma who was the son of the Ummul Mo'mineen Umme Salma, a pious and well-known wife of the Holy Prophet. 
	 Umer bin Abi Salma says that this verse was revealed in the house of Umme Salma and when the Holy Prophet covered Imam 'Ali A.S., Fatimah az-Zahra S.A., Imam Hasan A.S. and Imam Husain A.S. with himself under his mantle and prayed to Allah naming them Ahlul Bait, Ummul Mo'mineen Umme Salma enquired from him whether she was not among the Ahlul Bait and the Holy Prophet instead of affirming it said that she had her own position.
	Further, Ahmad bin Hambal and Tirmizi have recorded that for six months after the revelation of this verse it remained a routine of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. that when he would come out for the morning prayer, he would stop at the door of Bibi Fatimah az-Zahra S.A. and call out "Al-Salat, O' Ahlul Bait", that is, "Prayer, O' People of the House", and then he would recite the verse of Purification.  He did not do that at the house of any of his wives.  This regular action of the Holy Prophet S.A.W.A.S. also shows that no one else that these holy five were included in the term Ahlul Bait in verse 33:33.
	One point however needs clarification at this point.  It is no doubt a distinction of the highest degree for Ahlul Bait A.S. that Allah has declared them to have been purified of all evil, but this should not be taken to mean that Allah has made them incapable of committing an evil like angels who do not possess human frailties or inclination to do evil acts.  In fact the Ahlul Bait were thoroughly human in this respect and possessed all human frailties but they had so imbibed the real spirit of the command-ments of Islam that by their free will and volition, never committed any evil at all.  They had developed ideas and habits far above human weakness to incline to any act that was regarded and declared evil by Islam.  Thus the verse of Purification is a confirmatory certificate by Him to the fact that the members of Ahlul Bait had proved to be far above any evil whatsoever.
	The actions and deeds of the Ahlul Bait A.S. were so perfectly in consonance with the comman-dments of Islam that it can safely be said that whatever they did was good according to the command-ments of Islam and whatever they desisted from was evil according to Islam.  It is the same as saying they submitted their own will to the Supreme Will of Allah no matter whether in doing so they had to face physical troubles, tortures and even death.  The tribulations and even hardships of this world lose all importance in the view of those who immerse themselves in the high ideals of virtue and good.  Such were the Holy Ahlul Bait A.S. who were certified by Allah to have been purified from all evil.