It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Layla that I met Ka'b bin Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "Shall I not give you a gift that I heard from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?" I said: Certainly, do give me that gift. He said: We asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): O Messenger of Allah! How are we to send blessings upon you, that is, the Ahl al-Bayt? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Say: 'Allahumma salli ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ala Ibrahima wa ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid. Allahumma barik ala Muhammadin wa ala ali Muhammad, kama barakta ala Ibrahima wa ala ali Ibrahim, innaka Hamidun Majid' (O Allah, send mercy upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent mercy upon Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and upon the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him); indeed You are Praiseworthy, Glorious. O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and upon the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and upon the family of Ibrahim (peace be upon him); indeed You are Praiseworthy, Glorious)." Imam al-Hakim says: Imam Muhammad bin Isma'il al-Bukhari has narrated this hadith with this same chain and wording, letter for letter, in his "al-Jami' al-Sahih". I have quoted it here only so that seekers of knowledge may know that the Ahl al-Bayt and the Al (family) are in reality one and the same. And Abu Farwah, that is, Urwah bin al-Harith al-Hamdani, is among the most reliable of the Tabi'in in Kufah.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am leaving among you two weighty things (al-thaqalayn): the Book of Allah and my Ahl al-Bayt, and these two will never separate from each other until they come to me at the Pond (al-Kawthar)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Banu Abd al-Muttalib! I have asked Allah three things for you: that He keep firm those of you who stand steadfast, that He guide those of you who have gone astray, and that He grant knowledge to the ignorant among you. And I also asked Allah to make you generous, brave and merciful. So if a man were to stand between the Corner (al-Rukn) and the Station (al-Maqam), praying and fasting, and then meet Allah while he hates the Ahl al-Bayt of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), he will enter Hell." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) looked at Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyidah Fatimah, Sayyiduna al-Hasan and Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them) and said: "I declare war against whoever fights you, and there is peace for whoever makes peace with you." This hadith is hasan (good) among the narrations of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal from Talid bin Sulayman, for I have not found any other narration of his besides it. And it also has a supporting report (shahid) from the hadith of Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him):

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyidah Fatimah, Sayyiduna al-Hasan and Sayyiduna al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them): "I am at war with whomever you fight, and I guarantee peace for whomever you make peace with."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The stars are a safeguard for the people of the earth against drowning, and my Ahl al-Bayt are a safeguard for my Ummah against discord. So when any tribe of the Arabs opposes them, they will fall into discord among themselves and become the party of Iblis." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Love Allah for the blessings He bestows upon you, love me for the sake of the love of Allah, and love my Ahl al-Bayt for the sake of love for me." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "By the One in whose Hand is my soul! No one will hate us, the Ahl al-Bayt, except that Allah will admit him into the Fire." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of Imam Muslim, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "My Lord has promised me concerning my Ahl al-Bayt that whoever of them affirms Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) and affirms my conveying (of the message), He will not punish them." Umar bin Sa'id al-Abahh says: Sa'id bin Abi Arubah died on a Thursday. He had narrated this hadith on a Friday in the mosque, and he died seven days after that. Some people said: "May Allah not reward you with good; (he is) a man of Rafd (Rafidism) and trouble." And some people said: "May Allah reward you with good; (he is) a man of the Sunnah and the Jama'ah; you have conveyed what you heard." This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain of narration, but the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim) did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) that when this verse was revealed: "Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves" [Surah Al Imran: 61] , the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) summoned Sayyiduna Ali, Sayyidah Fatimah, Sayyiduna Hasan and Sayyiduna Husayn (may Allah be pleased with them) and supplicated: 'Allahumma ha'ula'i ahli' (O Allah, these are my household). This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.