THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE PROPHET’S FAMILY (AHLULBAIT) AND PROPER CONDUCT TOWARDS THEM ACCORDING TO RISALE i NUR

The position of Prophet hood and its glory in Islam is not sufficient merely by loving the Prophet s.a.w. as the Messenger of Truth. It commands love for the Ahlulbait , the Prophet’s family members and descendants as well. The command to love his family and descendants until the Hereafter are found in many of the Prophet’s sayings ( hadith ). A fact that demands faith of the believers is that Rasulullah s.a.w. never commanded anything according to his whims and fancies; on the contrary his rulings were revelations from Allah that contain wisdom and profound meanings. This paper will explain who the Ahlulbait are and their positions is in Islam. It will also present a critical reasoning from the perspective of Risale-i-Nur in regards to the Ahlulbait , including their significance, cardinal virtues, and roles in the context of dakwah and the development of proselytizing since prophet hood, the present time and the future. This paper refers to the works of ancient religious scholars in order to grasp the real meaning and purpose of the Ahlulbait as stated in the Quran and Hadith. This paper finds that an-Nursi through Risale-i-Nur had a unique standpoint of the Ahlulbait based on the faith of the Ahlus Sunah wa al-Jamaah . It provided the explanation and henceforth revealed a number of subtle meanings behind the hadiths that speak about the position of the Ahlulbait , whether through utterances or deeds of Rasulullah s.a.w.