Having true love for Allāh ﷻ is possible only through having true love for His Beloved ﷺ, and having true love for His Beloved ﷺ is possible only through having true love for the beloved ones of His Beloved ﷺ. And who could possibly be more beloved to The Beloved ﷺ than those who not only inherited sacred knowledge, but also inherited his sacred blood and flesh ﷺ? The Noble Family of The Prophet ﷺ, may Allāh ﷻ be pleased with all of them and make them pleased, are amongst the most beloved of individuals to our Noble Prophet ﷺ. If we wish to travel the blessed journey of having love for The Beloved ﷺ, we must realize that true love is all about connections, and true love never stops at The Beloved ﷺ. How could it, when the essence of having true love for him ﷺ is pleasing him ﷺ, and fully attaining his pleasure ﷺ is possible only if we love those whom he ﷺ loves? Following his blessed outward sunnah ﷺ is easy, but following the blessed inward sunnah of his blessed heart ﷺ is a station reserved only for those who wish to be true Lovers and Servants of The Beloved ﷺ. May Allāh ﷻ allow us all to reach such a lofty rank! Āmīn!
So... Who are “the beloved ones of His Beloved ﷺ”?
Throughout humanity, there has been one bloodline that has surpassed the rest. A bloodline specifically chosen and outlined by God to hold and carry on the lineage of His Chosen and Most Beloved Prophet ﷺ.
A family so pure that God Himself says regarding them: “God wants nothing more than to disassociate [any form] of [disgracing] impurity from all of you, O People of The House, and to utterly [and beautifully] purify you”1. When this verse was revealed, our Beloved Messenger ﷺ was at the house of his wife, Umm Salamah [rḍ], and called for Fāṭimah, Ḥasan, and Ḥusayn [rḍ] whom he ﷺ wrapped in a blanket, with ʿAlī [rḍ] behind him ﷺ, saying “O Allāh, these are the people of my house, so remove all impurity from them, and thoroughly purify them!”2
Not only that, but every single Prophet to ever walk on the face of this earth remarked “I’m not asking you for wages in return [for preaching]”, and our Shining Prophet ﷺ did the same. However, our Lord ﷻ commanded His Beloved Messenger ﷺ to add “I’m not asking you for anything in return [for preaching], but please treat me like the family member that I am to you.”3.
Who does this beautiful family consist of? Those whom The Prophet ﷺ loved so dearly? They are many in number, but we’ll limit ourselves to speak about only six: His two honorable wives, Khadījah and ʿĀʾishah [rḍ]. His youngest daughter, Fāṭimah [rḍ]. His cousin and and son-in-law, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib [rḍ]. And his two favorite most beloved grandkids, his rayḥānatān, Ḥasan and Ḥusayn [rḍ]. May Allāh ﷻ be pleased with all of them and make them pleased, and most of all, bless, protect, honor, and compliment the most special one that is the result of us even knowing who they are: Muḥammad Rasūl Allāh - our love, our guide, our master. ﷺ. May our own lives, and the lives of our mothers and fathers be given up for his sake!4
Imām al-Shāfiʿī [rḥ] said the following:
إن كان رفضاً حب آل محمـــــــــدٍ *** فليشهد الثقلان إني رافضـــي
If loving the family of Muḥammad is shīʿism [rafḍan],
— Then let both jinn and humanity bear witness that I’m a Shiʿī [rāfiḍī]!