1. Descendants of the Prophet as a religious group
In many early modern Muslim societies and states, the descendants of the Prophet Muḥammad played an important role in social and cultural life (Tradition). Their various genealogical lineages were traced back through the grandsons of the Prophet Ḥasan and Ḥusayn to Fāṭima (died 632), Muḥammad’s daughter, who was married to his cousin ‘Alī b. Abī Ṭālib. The terms sharif (from…