At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
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In time
In space
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Summary
In the tradition of the cloak, the Prophet wrapped Fatima, Ali, al-Hasan and al-Husayn under a black cloak and recited the verse of purification. Sunni and Shia readers take the word "household" in different ways.
Encyclopaedia of Islam account
The Encyclopaedia of Islam (2nd ed.) gives the tradition as follows. The Prophet went out one morning, at the time of the visit of the Najran delegation in 10/631, wearing a figured black cloak. Fatima came, then Ali, then al-Hasan and al-Husayn, and he took them under his cloak, embracing them, and recited the verse of purification. Sunnis explain "filthiness" as unbelief, while the Shia explain it as contact with the impure world. In another version the Prophet threw his cloak over his uncle al-'Abbas, saying that he hid them from the fire of hell as he hid them with his cloak. 1
Opinions on the question
The question: Who is meant by the household in the verse of purification?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
The address is to the Prophet's wives, with the household as a whole included by the masculine pronoun, and Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn especially so
More opinions (1)
Other viewOther opinion
Another reading of the verse, which the book says it will discuss later, is not set out here
Connections
- Occurred at
- Medina
- Had participant
- Muhammad· Ali ibn Abi Talib· Fatima bint Muhammad· Hasan ibn Ali· Husayn ibn Ali
- Based on
- Qur'an 33:33
- Part of
- The Prophetic Era
People and things also explored
The birth, naming and aqiqa of Hasan ibn Ali· The delegation of Najran· Fatima bint Muhammad· Fatima and Ali ask for a servant and are taught the tasbih· The marriage of Fatima and Ali· The Prophet forbids Ali to take Abu Jahl's daughter alongside Fatima· Ahl al-Bayt· Muslim 2424 — The cloak report and the purification verse
Sources
- Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd edition (Leiden: Brill, 1954–2008), 13 volumes , vol. 1 p. 286
- Asma al-Matalib fi Sirat Ali ibn Abi Talib, vol. 1 — Ali Muhammad al-Sallabi
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The hadith of the cloak and the verse of purification of the household”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/hadith-of-the-cloak/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.