Why do the Shī‘ah regard the sons of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (‘a) (Ḥasan and Ḥusayn (‘a)) as the sons of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ)?

Reply: A study of the exegesis [tafsīr], history and hadīth books will show that this idea is not accepted only by the Shī‘ah but by almost all Muslim researchers from all Islamic groups.

Now, let us consider this issue by citing evidences from the Glorious Qur’an, hadīths and statements of renowned commetators [mufassirūn]:

In essence, the Holy Qur’an regards a person’s consanguineous children as his children. Also, it deems as his children (both male and female) those who are born from his children.

In the Qur’an and the Sunnah, there are plenty of proofs substantiating this fact. Here are some of them:

1. In the verse below, the Holy Qur’an considers Hadrat ‘Īsā (Jesus) (‘a) among the children of Ibrāhīm al-Khalīl (Abraham the Friend [of Allah]) (‘a) whereas ‘Īsā, the child of Maryam (Mary) (‘a), can be traced back to Hadrat Ibrāhīm (‘a) through his mother:

﴿ وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ كُلاًّ هَدَيْنَا وَنُوحًا هَدَيْنَا مِن قَبْلُ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاوُودَ وَسُلَيْمَانَ وَأَيُّوبَ وَيُوسُفَ وَمُوسَىٰ وَهَارُونَ وَكَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ ٭ وَزَكَرِيَّا وَيَحْيَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ ﴾

“And We gave him (Abraham) Isaac and Jacob and guided each of them. And Noah We had guided before, and from his (Abraham’s) offspring, David and Solomon, and Job, Joseph, Moses and Aaron—thus do We reward the virtuous—and Zechariah, John and Jesus.”[1]

Muslim scholars regard the stated verse as a clear proof that Imām al-Ḥasan and Imām al-Ḥusayn (‘a) are children of the Messenger of Allah (ṣ) as well as his offspring.

Below is one of the instances:

Jalāl ad-Dīn as-Suyūṭī narrates:

الحسن أنّ تزعم أنّك بلغني :فقال يعمر بن يحيىٰ إلى الحجّاج أرسل”

تجده – وسلّم [وآله] عليه الله صلى – النّبي ذرّيّة من الحسين و

تقرأ ألست :قال أجده. فلم آخره إلى أوّله من قرأته قد و الله كتاب في

عيسىٰ؟ و يحيىٰ و بلغ حتّىٰ وَسُلَيمَٰنَ دَاوُودَ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ وَمِن :الأنعام سورة

“.صدقت :قال أب؟ له ليس و إبراهيم ذرّيّة من عيسىٰ أليس :قال .بلىٰ :قال

One day, Ḥajjāj (ibn Yūsuf) ordered that Yaḥyā ibn Ya‘mur should be brought and when he saw him he said to him: “I have been told that you opine that al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn are the children and offspring of the Prophet (ṣ) and you say that you have found this in the Book of Allah whereas I have read the Qur’an from the beginning to the end but I have not found such a thing.”

Yaḥyā asked: “Have you not read this verse in Sūrah al-An‘am: ‘and from his (Abraham’s) offspring, David and Solomon’ and continued up to, ‘and John and Jesus’?” He replied: “Yes, I have.”

Yaḥyā asked: “In this Qur’anic verse, has Jesus not been considered among the offspring of Abraham eventhough Abraham was not his father [and Jesus can be traced back to Abraham through his mother (Mary)]?” Ḥajjāj said: “You are correct.”[2]