Huzoor (rh): Now what is the confusion? Let me first know what is the confusion, if any, in your mind about Ahlikum? It’s a simple word to be easily understood by everyone. So why particularly you are laying stress on this Ahlikum?
Questioner: Does it only mean the children of a family?
Huzoor (rh): No, no
Questioner: Entire family?
The entire family under the guidance or protection or patronage of a person is largely speaking called Ahal.
So all the members of the family even the servants if there are any they would be under Ahli I mean within the scope of Ahli. So for which a certain person is responsible who fall under his influence. The man is held responsible for all those who fall under his influence. And this word Ahli is a very broad term used here in this context.
Questioner: So we cannot take the community as a whole as well?
Huzoor (rh): Of course When the Quranic name itself tells us
وَوَجَدَکَ عَآئِلًا فَاَغۡنٰی
We found you a man with a very large family. So we made you. We provided you with enough to look after them. Here it is not his own family which is mentioned at all. Here it is mentioned that we have given you a very large following. That is your family. So that is used in a very broad sense in the Holy Quran itself. This is why by Ahl we always interpret Ahl as indicating the whole of the Ummah, whole of the followers of the true followers of the Prophet. Not only his blood relations.
