Tradition of the Cloak (Hadith-e-Kisa)

With a view of perfecting the benefit of this book, some publishers attached the famous Tradition of the Cloak, which is very frequently recited by the faithful believers, to the book of Mafatih al-Jinan. Shaykh Abdullah ibn Nurullah al-Bahrani has recorded in his book entitled Awalim al-`Ulum through an authentic chain of authority that Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari said that he heard Fatimah the daughter of the Holy Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his Household, saying:

One day, my father the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his Household, visited me, "Peace be upon you, O Fatimah!" he said.

"Peace be upon you, too." I answered.

"I can feel some fatigue in my body," he said to me, and I answered, "I pray Allah to protect you O father against fatigue."

"Fatimah," he ordered, "bring me the Yemeni cloak and cover me with it."

I brought him the Yemeni cloak and covered him with it. I then kept on looking at his face, which was glittering like a moon at the night of its fullness and perfection.

No more than a while passed when my son al-Hasan came in, "Peace be upon you, mother!" he greeted.

"Peace be upon you, too, O delight of my eye and fruit of my heart!" I replied.

"O mother," he said, "I can smell a pleasing scent as if it is the scent of my grandfather the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his Household."

"Yes, it is," I answered, "Your grandfather is now under the cloak."

Al-Hasan moved towards the cloak and said, "Peace be upon you, O grandfather, Allah’s Messenger. Will you allow me to be with you under this cloak?"

My father replied, "Peace be upon you too, my son and director of my Pond. I allow you."Al-Hasan then went under the cloak with his grandfather

No more than a while passed when my son al-Hussein came in, "Peace be upon you, mother!" he greeted.

"Peace be upon you, too, O delight of my eye and fruit of my heart!" I replied.

"O mother," he said, "I can smell a pleasing scent as if it is the scent of my grandfather the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his Household."

"Yes, it is," I answered, "Your grandfather is now under the cloak."

Al-Hn moved towards the cloak and said, "Peace be upon you, O grandfather, Allah’s Messenger. Will you allow me to be with you under this cloak?"

My father replied, "Peace be upon you too, my son and director of my Pond. I allow you."Al-Hussain then went under the cloak with his grandfather.

At the same time, Abu’l-Hasan Ali ibn AbuTalib came in, "Peace be upon you, daughter of Allah’s Messenger," he greeted.

"Peace be upon you too, O Abu’l-Hasan and Commander of the Faithful," I replied.

He then said, "Fatimah, I can smell a pleasing scent, as if it is the scent of my brother and cousin the Messenger of Allah."

"Yes," I answered, "He is there with your two sons under the cloak."

Ali moved towards the cloak and said, "Peace be upon you, O Allah’s Messenger! Will you allow me to be with you under the cloak?"

My father replied, "Peace be upon you too, O brother, successor, vicegerent, and bearer of my Pennon. I allow you." Ali thus went with them under the cloak.

I then came towards the cloak and said, "Peace be upon you father, O Allah’s Messenger. Will you allow me to be with you under the cloak?"

My father replied, "Peace be upon you too, my daughter and part of my flesh. I allow you." I thus went with them under the cloak.

Getting together underneath the cloak, my father, the Prophet of Allah, held the two ends of the cloak and raised his right hand towards the heavens and prayed :
"O Allah, these are the people of my Household (Ahlul-Bayt). They are my confidants and my supporters.
Their flesh is my flesh and their blood is my blood.
Whoever hurts them, hurts me too.
Whoever displeases them, displeased me too.
I am at war with those at war with them.
I am at peace with those at peace with them.
I am the enemies of their enemies and
I am the friend of their friends.
They are from me and I am from them.
O Allah! Bestow Your Blessings, Benevolence, Forgiveness and Your pleasure upon me
and upon them. And remove impurity from them and keep them thoroughly pure"


Then the Lord, Almighty Allah said :"O My angels! O Residents of My Heavens, verily, I have not created the erected Sky, the stretched earth, the illuminated moon, the bright sun, the rotating planets, the flowing seas and the sailing ships, but for the love of these Five lying underneath the cloak"

Gabriel the Honest Archangel asked, "O my Lord! Who are those under the cloak?"

The Almighty and All-majestic Lord answered, "They are the household of Prophethood and the core of the Message. They are namely Fatimah, her father, her husband, and her sons."

"O my Lord," Gabriel asked, "Will You allow me to descend to the earth to be the sixth of them?"

Allah the Almighty and All-majestic said, "Yes, I allow you."

Gabriel the Honest Archangel descended, "Peace be upon you, O Allah’s Messenger!" he greeted, "The Most High and All-high (Lord) conveys to you His greeting, expresses His special greeting and honoring to you, and says, ‘By My Almightiness and My Majesty I take this oath: I have not created any well-established sky, extended land, glowing moon, shining sun, revolving planet, flowing ocean, or moving on ark except for your sake and for your love.’ He has then allowed me to join you (under this cloak). Will you, O Allah’s Messenger, allow me?"

Allah’s Messenger said, "Peace be upon you, O trustee of Allah’s Revelations. Yes, I allow you."

So, Gabriel joined us under the cloak. He thus said to my father, "Allah has revealed to you saying, ‘Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House, and to purify you a thorough purifying.’"

Ali then said to my father, "O Allah’s Messenger! Please tell me; what is the value of this gathering of us under this cloak in the sight of Allah?"

The Prophet, peace be upon him and his Household, said, "I swear this by Him Who has sent me with the truth as Prophet and chosen me, as holding communion, to convey the Message; whenever the tale of this gathering of us is mentioned in an assembly of the people of the earth in which a group of our adherents and lover are present, the (divine) mercy shall certainly be poured down on them and the angels shall certainly surround them, asking forgiveness for them until they depart."

Ali, peace be upon him, commented, "Then, by Allah I swear it; we have won. So have our adherents. I swear it by the Lord of the Ka`bah."

"O Ali!" my father Allah’s Messenger, peace be upon him and his Household, added, "I swear this by Him Who has sent me with the truth as Prophet and chosen me, as holding communion, to convey the Message; whenever the tale of this gathering of us is mentioned in an assembly of the people of the earth in which a group of our adherents and lover are present and among them there is a distressed one, Almighty Allah shall certainly release him from distress, or there is among them an aggrieved one, Almighty Allah shall certainly relieve him from grief, or there is among them one who needs a request to be granted, Almighty Allah shall certainly grant him his request."

Ali, peace be upon him, said, "Then, we have won and attained pleasure. I swear it by Allah. So have our adherents; they have won and attained pleasure in this world and in the Hereafter. I swear it by the Lord of the Ka`bah."