The purity of the household of the Prophet
8-3-2012 | IslamWeb
Question:
Was ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, the person who prohibited Mut‘ah (fixed term) marriage? Are the household of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, infallible?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Mut‘ah (fixed-term) marriage was prohibited by the Prophet not by ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab 
.
There are some people who claim that the household of the Prophet was infallible, drawing on as evidence the Quranic verses in which Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Allaah intends only to remove from you the impurity [of sin], O people of the [Prophet's] household, and to purify you with [extensive] purification.} [Quran 33:33]
Shaykh Al-Islam, ibn Taymiyyah 
stated that this verse is similar to the verses in which Allaah The Almighty Says (what means):
• {He has not laid upon you any hardship in religion.} [Quran 22:78]
• {Allaah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.} [Quran 2:185]
• {Allaah wants to make clear to you [the lawful from the unlawful] and guide you to the [good] practices of those before you and to accept your repentance. And Allaah is Knowing and Wise. Allaah wants to accept your repentance, but those who follow [their] passions want you to digress [into] a great deviation.} [Quran 4:26-27]
All of these verses express the will of Allaah, that is, He loves and is pleased with such things if you act accordingly. He added that when the verse of Chapter Al-Ahzaab was revealed: [Quran 33:33] the Prophet gathered his household and supplicated to Allaah, saying: "O Allaah, these are my household! Save them from the impurity of sins and purify them completely."
Thus he asked Allaah The Almighty to purify them from their sins. Indeed, the Prophet would not have done this if the fact had already occurred.
Ibn Taymiyyah also argued that assuming that the Quran stresses their purity, it does not mean that they were infallible. Indeed the supplication indicates their purity, but not that they were infallible.
Allaah Knows best.