ABU JAAFAR MOHAMMAD BIN ALI (ASWS) said:
O people! ALLAH (SWT), in His generosity, has honored the family of your PROPHET and He has entrusted them with His secret and His knowledge,
They are the pillars of ALLAH (SWT)’s religion and they are the witnesses of his knowledge. ALLAH (SWT) created them before He created the creation and He kept them under the shade of His Throne.
ALLAH (SWT) selected them and assigned them as the flags for His slaves and the guides to His path. They are the IMAMS who are on the right path, they are the righteous leaders and they are the justly balanced group.
They protect those who seek refuge with them and they save those who rely on them. Those who follow them will be envied (on the Day Of Judgement) and those wh antagonize them will be destroyed. Those who hold on to them will be the winners.
Prophethood is about them, The angels descend to them and the Ruhul Ameen (the guardian spirit) is sent to them. ALLAH (SWT) has given them that which He has not given to anyone in the whole universe. They are the graceful branches and they are the blessed tree.
They are the sources of knowledge, they are the house of Prophethood, they are the places of descent for the angels, and they are the family of the house of mercy and blessings.
They are the ones from whom ALLAH (SWT) kept off every kind of impurity and whom ALLAH (SWT) purified with a thorough purification
(Ref: Bihar Al-Anwar 26:253)