Who is meant by “Al” (the family) in the blessings on the Prophet

Question

Question: Who is meant by “Al Muhammad” (the family of Muhammad), which is recited in the blessings on the Prophet (salawat)? Kindly give the answer from the reliable books of Ahl al-Sunna.

Answer

There are three views on this. The first: what is meant is the entire Umma. The second: what is meant is Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib. The third: what is meant is the descendants of the Prophet ﷺ and the members of his household (ahl al-bayt).

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.