The Meaning of “Ahlul Bayt”
Ahlul Bayt is an Arabic phrase meaning People of the House, or family. In the Islamic tradition it refers to the members of the household of the Prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him and his progeny), including his daughter Fatimah, her husband and the prophet's cousin, Ali; their sons, Hasan and Hussain, and the nine descendants of Hussain.
Ahlul Bayt in the Qur'an:
In the Holy Qur'an, the Ahlul Bayt are referred to in the following verse:
“ ... Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O People of the House! and to purify you a perfect purifying .” - Qur'an, 33:33
Ahlul Bayt in the Prophetic Traditions
Numerous traditions of Prophet Mohammad mention the Ahlul Bayt, some of which include:
“ I am leaving for you two precious and weighty Symbols that if you adhere to both of them you shall not go astray after me . They are, the Book of Allah, and my progeny, that is my Ahlul-Bayt. The Merciful has informed me that t hese two shall not separate from each other till they come to me by the Pool (of Paradise). ”
“The example of the members of my Household among you is like the example of Noah's ark. Whoever boards it will attain salvation and whoever does not board it will drown.”
In all traditional Muslim writings, whenever the name of the Prophet or the Ahlul Bayt is mentioned, the phrase “Peace be upon him” follows [as a indication of respect and reverence]. The “(s)” stands for an Arabic phrase (Salal lahu Alayhi wa aalihi wasalaam) meaning "May peace and blessing be upon him and his family" referring to the Prophet Mohammad whereas the “(a.s.)" stands for (Alayh es salaam) meaning “Peace be upon him/her” referring to the Ahlul Bayt.
For references and more information on the Ahlul Bayt (as), please see: http://al-islam1.org/encyclopedia/chapter1a/1.html
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