Inspired Strangers

As a Sunni, you might cringe when you hear "عليه السلام" (Alaihi as-Salam, may peace be upon him) being used for Hazrat Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, Husain or any other person from the Ahle Bait (family of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) and you might immediately classify the person saying it as a Shia but fact of the matter is that many of our most famous classical scholars and Imams have used this phrase when referring to the Ahle Bait, and our classical Sunni literature is filled with such evidences. And this shouldn't be very surprising, when we ourselves say at the end of every Salah: …اللهم صل على محمد وعلى آل محمد “O Allah, send your blessings upon Muhammad and the family of Muhammad…”

All Muslims have this blessing, irrespective of their level of Taqwa (God-consciousness) or the burden of their sins. In fact many of us might not have ever thought about it or thanked Allah for it. A blessing gifted to us without us ever asking Him for it. The blessing of being part of the Ummah of the Muhammad (pbuh), the last of all Prophets and the most noble of the descendants of Adam, to whom the last book, the Qur'an was revealed which is a living miracle up-till today. Yes! What a truly priceless blessing it is!