Verifying Claims of Being from Ahl al-Bayt

Shaykh Farid Dingle is asked about the possibilities for someone to verify their lineage as being from those of Ahl al-Bayt.

Question:

Assalam alaykum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

I just want to ask, is there any way that a claim of someone being of Ahl al-Bayt can be verified? Have the scholars complied the family trees for this? I ask this because to the best of my knowledge I am of Ahl al-Bayt, but I do not have evidence in the form of a family tree. Though I do know some information about it. So I just want to ask, could this be verified in any way?

Jazak Allah khayr.

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh.

In many Muslim countries you will find specialists who can find your lineage based on your name, father’s name, and your grandfather’s name. In the Middle East there are at least ten official bodies that undertake the preservation and research of lineages. The testimony of such an official body would suffice.

If, on that basis, you will be seeking some kind of monetary right, you would need two such bodies to testify to that.

And Allah knows best.

Farid

Checked and approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani.