In Glasgow there is a Shia family with whom we are nowadays entering into discussion about Ahmadiyyat and there are three of those people and three of our Ahmadi brethren, we constantly have these meetings with them almost every month. There are a list of questions which of course I am not going to relate them, but one of the questions, out of those lists we try to answer some of them satisfactorily and for some we are still seeking some advice from our elders, more answers.
One of the questions which they have posed is that the Imam Mehdi, the one who has to come according to them, who is a Ghayb at the moment and so on, should be from the Ahl-e-Bayt. To the very limited knowledge which we possess we try to answer them with relation to the Hadith of Hazrat Salman Farsi and so on. Huzoor could you kindly please give some more light on to that, what is the actual meaning of this question? You know all the Shias believe that Hazrat Salman Farsi was Ahl-e-Bayt and they also know and believe that he had no blood relationship whatsoever with Ahl-e-Bayt.
So why was he Ahl-e-Bayt? That is the question. Because Ahl-e-Bayt declared him to be Ahl-e-Bayt. So he is the authority. If he declares somebody to be Ahl-e-Bayt who is there in the world to say no he is not? So that also explains the scope of the word Ahl-e-Bayt. One thing is positively established, for somebody to be Ahl-e-Bayt it is not essential to be a blood relation. If that first step is not covered then you can’t believe him to be Ahl-e-Bayt.
So first decide the issue here. The moment you bring them home, the reality of this, the further questions will automatically dissolve into thin air. Make them realize that it is not essential for an Ahl-e-Bayt to be a blood relation of the Prophet. If it is essential then Salman Farsi was not an Ahl-e-Bayt. Is that not correct? So make it clear to them as such. Once they begin to realize the significance of this tradition, the following questions would not appear at all. It would also be signified to them that piety of somebody also makes him eligible for this great distinction of Ahl-e-Bayt.
So that honour was bestowed by the Prophet upon Salman Farsi and when he mentioned of his re-coming in the world according to the prophecy of the Holy Qur’an, when he recited this verse and some of those present asked this question, who would be that fortunate person or those fortunate persons, those fortunate persons who were mentioned in this? The Prophet put his hand on the shoulder of Hazrat Salman Farsi and he said, even if faith had deserted the earth and risen to Pleiades, among these people would be some who would bring it back from the Pleiades to the earth.
Again the shoulder of that gentleman was chosen by the Prophet who was declared by him to be an Ahl-e-Bayt. So the future Ahl-e-Bayt was also to be of that kind and from his people. This is what it signifies. So it’s very clear to us. There is no ambiguity at all whatsoever.
