Fatimah (as) and Mawaddah (Love) for Kinship

In response to the Muslims’ offer to pay a reward for the Prophet’s mission, the Noble Qur’an declares:

“…Say, ‘I do not ask you for it any payment except love for [my] near relatives.’ And whoever performs a good deed, We will increase for him its goodness. Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Appreciative.”
(Surah Ash-Shura, Verse 23)

According to numerous hadiths and Qur’anic commentaries (tafsirs), this verse was revealed specifically concerning the closest relatives of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and exclusively refers to the purified Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). As narrated from Ibn Abbas:

“When this verse — ‘Say, I do not ask you for it any payment except love for [my] near relatives’ — was revealed, they asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah! Who are those relatives whose love we have been commanded to uphold?’ He replied: ‘Ali, Fatimah, and their children.’”
(Tafsir Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 13, p. 602; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 23, p. 229)

Similarly, the Imams (peace be upon them) on many occasions highlighted their unique distinction and virtue through this verse. For instance, Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) stated:

“I am from a Household whose love Allah has made obligatory upon every Muslim.”
(Tafsir Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 13, p. 600; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 23, p. 251)

Likewise, Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) said:

“Indeed, the kinship that Allah has commanded to maintain, whose rights He has magnified, and in which He has placed goodness, is our kinship—the Ahl al-Bayt—whose right He has made obligatory upon every Muslim.”
(Tafsir Ahl al-Bayt, vol. 13, p. 604; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 23, p. 251)