Can we identify a person from Ahl-Al-Bayt (family of Rasoolullaah)? Nowadays in Sri Lanka there is a group called "Tareeqa" based in India from a period of 200 years. They are at large in Ceylon. Now, they make up a small group of people who make up Bid'ahs up till today. Their leaders are coming from south India (Kayal Pattanam). They say they are Ahl-Al-Bayt. Can we believe them? Their activities are completely wrong and contradict with Qur'an and Hadeeth. So how we can identify Ahl-Al-Bayt?

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, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

There is no doubt that the family of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, have great prestige and dignity in the hearts of the Muslims, so we have to respect them according to their high and distinguished position. However, one should know that there are many people who claim that their family lineage goes back to the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to an extent that this is used as a means to cheat the Muslims and plot against them. This is really what the 'Ubaydis have done, as they claimed their lineage goes back to Faatimah while they were in reality Magians and irreligious disbelievers.

Nonetheless, if a person is proven to be from the family of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then he reserves the right to be respected and supported and deserves all other confirmed rights by the principle of religion. However, this is under the condition that his words and actions coincide with the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah (Prophetic tradition) of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

An innovation is rejected even if it is purported by a person who claims his family lineage goes back to the family of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, as the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “Whoever introduces into this faith of ours (Islam) something which is not a part of it, it will be rejected.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim] The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, further said: “Every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance.” [An-Nasaa'i] So every newly invented matter is a misguidance, whether or not it is done by the people who are traced back to the family of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.

Allaah Knows best.