Hadith of the ark

[1] In particular, al-Mustadrak, a Sunni collection of prophetic traditions, includes the following version of the hadith,[2] Truly the people of my house (ahl bayti) in my community (umma) is like Noah's ark: Whoever takes refuge therein is saved and whoever opposes it is drowned.

[5][6] There are various interpretations in Sunni Islam, though a typical compromise is to also include Muhammad's wives in the Ahl al-Bayt.

Rather, the divine leadership of the Muslim community rests with the Ahl al-Bayt whose guidance is the only refuge from "delusion and confusion.

[11] The Islamic author Reza Shah-Kazemi cites verse 29:64 of the Quran, "the abode of hereafter—that is the true life, if only they knew," to argue that being saved in the hadith of the ark refers to eternal salvation, namely, entering the paradise in the hereafter and everything in this world that contributes to that outcome.

He thus concludes that the saving ark in this hadith is piety (zuhd), which can be achieved by following the teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt.