Ahl Al-Kisa - Hadith of The Cloak

Hadith of The Cloak

Hadith of The Cloak (Arabic: حديث الكساء‎ Hadith-e-Kisa) refers to the Ahl al-Kisa. The hadith is an account of an incident where Muhammad gathered Hassan, Husayn, Ali and Fatimah under his cloak. This is mentioned in several ahadith, including Sahih Muslim, where Muhammad is quoted as saying the phrase “Ahl al-Bayt” “People of the House” from the second part of verse 33:33 of the Qur'an; the verse called ‘’Ayat al-Tathir’’ "verse of purification".

This is a central hadith in terms of the differences between Shi'i and Sunni Muslims as it is the foundation for the Shi'i claim that Governorship of Muslims should reside only with the direct line of Muhammad through Fatimah and Ali, as well as being the basis for their further claims that certain of the descendants of Muhammad are infallible: points on which Sunnis strongly disagree. They claim that the term has a broader meaning that does not invest any such authority in Muhammad's family exclusively and that it is possible for any right-living person of faith to attain such spiritual purity or authority.