A Propbe into the Purport and Application of the Verse of Love

There are several verses in the Holy Qur’an in which the members of the Household of the Prophet have been praised and acclaimed by the Almighty Allah and their position in the Islamic community has, thus, been clearly introduced to the Muslims. Among such verses is ‘the verse of love’ (mawaddah).What follows is a discussion on the meaning of this verse and its application. According to the findings of this study, there are numerous narrations, from both Shi‘a and the Sunni sources, that reveal the fact that the people referred to in this verse are Lady Fatima and the purified Imams from the Household of the Prophet Muhammad, and that the love of Ahl al-Bayt is a religious duty upon all Muslims.