The Verse of Purification is part of verse 33 of Surah Al Ahzab, which was revealed in honor of the Final Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Lady Fatimah al Zahra (peace be upon her), Imam al Hasan (peace be upon him) and Imam al Husain (peace be upon him). By emphasizing the divine will to remove filth and sin from the Ahl al Bayt, this verse serves as a Quranic foundation for proving their infallibility.
Verse 33 of Surah Al Ahzab, known as the Verse of Purification (Āyat al Tathīr), is as follows:
وَقَرْنَ فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ وَلَا تَبَرَّجْنَ تَبَرُّجَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ الْأُولَىٰ وَأَقِمْنَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتِينَ الزَّكَاةَ وَأَطِعْنَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
“And stay in your houses and do not display yourselves as [was] the display of the former times of ignorance, and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah only desires to remove from you all impurity, O Ahl al Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification.”
The Place of Revelation of the Verse of Purification
This verse was revealed in the house of Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and at the time of its revelation, besides the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), the Ahl al Bayt were also present.
Umm Salamah said:
“The Verse of Purification was revealed in my house, and at the time of its revelation, besides the Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), Imam al Hasan (peace be upon him) and Imam al Husain (peace be upon him) were also present. At that moment, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) spread a cloak over himself, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and al Hasan and al Husain (peace be upon them). He raised his hands towards the sky and said: ‘O Allah! These are my Ahl al Bayt. Purify them from all impurity.’”
Umm Salamah asked the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family):
“Am I also among the Ahl al Bayt?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) replied:
“No, but you are upon goodness and righteousness.” [1]
The Occasion of Revelation of the Verse of Purification according to Amir al-Muminin
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), in a remarkable narration, depicted the scene of the heavenly family of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) beneath a white cloak and the revelation of the Verse of Purification.
He said:
“The Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family) lay down to sleep, and he made me, my wife Fatimah and my two sons Hasan and Husain lie down, and he threw a white cloak over us. Then Allah revealed this verse concerning us
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
(Allah only desires to remove from you all impurity, O Ahl al Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification).”
Gabriel said:
“O Muhammad! I am one of you.” So the sixth of us, the Ahl al Bayt, was Gabriel.” [2]
The Referent (Miṣdāq) of the Verse of Purification: From the People of the Cloak to the Infallible Imams
The Prophet of God (peace be upon him and his family), emphasizing the referents of the Verse of Purification, said:
“This verse (of purification) was revealed only concerning me, my brother Ali ibn Abi Talib, my daughter Fatimah, my two sons Hasan and Husain, and nine of the descendants of Husain (peace be upon them).” [3]
The Superiority of the Ahl al Bayt in the Words of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him)
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), also citing the Quran, emphasized the outward and inward purity of the Ahl al Bayt and their everlasting rightfulness on the path of guidance.
He said:
“Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has given us, the Ahl al Bayt, superiority over others. How could it not be so, when Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, says in His Book:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرً
therefore, Allah has removed from us outward and inward sins, and we are upon the path of truth.” [4]
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) : The Criterion of Truth and the Interpreter of Guidance
In this narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) introduces the sublime and unparalleled station of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), alongside the Qur’an and the Ahl al Bayt, as the criterion of truth and the guide to guidance.
It is narrated from Imam al Sadiq (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said:
“Ali (peace be upon him) is the master of the believers,” “Ali is the pillar of the religion,” “He is the one who will fight the people for the sake of truth after me,” and also said: “Truth is with Ali, however he acts.”
He also said:
“I am leaving among you two precious things (Thaqalayn). If you hold fast to them, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and my Ahl al Bayt. O people! Listen carefully. I have conveyed to you and I have delivered the message. You will come to me at the Pond, and there I will ask you about your behavior towards the Thaqalayn. The Thaqalayn are the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and my Ahl al Bayt. Do not go ahead of them, lest you perish, and do not try to teach them, for they are more knowledgeable than you.”
Thus, by the words of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and by the Book that the people recite, the proof was established against them and no room was left for excuses. The
Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) constantly reminded of the superiority of his Ahl al Bayt and clarified this meaning with Quranic verses, including the Verse of Purification:
إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا
(Allah only desires to remove from you all impurity, O Ahl al Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification.) [5]
[1] Amali al Tusi, p. 264; Ma‘ānī al Akhbār, vol. 2, p. 403; Jāmi‘ al Bayān, vol. 5, p. 22; Tafsir al Burhan, vol. 4, p. 468
[2] Bihar al Anwar, vol. 31, p. 445
[3] Al Ihtijaj, vol. 1, p. 148
[4] Bihar al Anwar, vol. 25, p. 213
[5] Usul al Kafi, vol. 1, p. 293
