Ahl Al-Bayt

Ahl al-Bayt (Arabic: أهل البيت‎) is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Ahl al-Bayt are particularly important to Shia Muslims because Shias generally derive their hadiths from the Ahl-al-Bayt and their close associates.

In Shia Islam, the Ahl al-Bayt are central to Islam and interpreters of the Quran and sunnah. Shias believe they are successors of Muhammad and consist of Muhammad, Fatimah, Ali, Hasan and Husayn (known collectively as the Ahl al-Kisa, "people of the mantle") and the imams. There are differing opinions on the scope and importance of Ahl al-Bayt.

In Sunni Islam, Muhammad's household includes his wives, his daughter, Fatimah, his cousin and son-in-law, Ali and their two children, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. Other Sunni include all Muhammad's descendants and sometimes the descendants of his paternal uncle, ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, the founders of the Abbasid Caliphate. In Sunni and Shia thought, every Muslim has the obligation to love the Ahl al-Bayt.