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""... And God only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O people of the House! And to purify you a thorough purifying (33:33)"

This verse is also known as the kisa tradition. Tabari (d. 310/922), Ibn Munzir Muhammad ibn Ibrahim (d 319/931), Ibn Mardawayh Isfahani, and Ahmad ibn Musa (d. 410/1020) have quoted Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet as saying that the above verse was revealed in her house. At that time, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Hussain were in her house. The Prophet spread his cloak over them and said: "These are the members of my household, and God has purified them of all (sins and faults and uncleanness)." Suyuti (d. 911/1505) in Dhur-e-Manthur (5:198-99), Tirmizi (d. 279/893) in Jami Sahih, Hakim Nishaburi (d. 405/1075) in al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn and Ahmad ibn Hussain Bayhaqi (d. 458/1065) in Sunan considered the kisa tradition as authentic.

Ahmad bin Hanbal (d 241/855) in Masnad (2:229) quotes Umm Salama as saying: "The Prophet was in my house. Fatima came to her father holding a stone bowl filled with harirah (type of food made up of flour, milk, and vegetable oil). The Prophet said: Invite your husband and two sons to come as well. Ali, Hasan, and Hussain also came there and all sat down to eat harirah. Then, the Prophet was sitting on a cloak in his resting place and I was reciting the prayer in the chamber. In the meantime, God revealed the verse "God only desires to ...". The Prophet covered Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Hussain with the cloak and then stretched his hand toward the sky and said: ‘God! These are the Members of my Household, so purify them of all uncleanness’. Umm Salama said: ‘I asked him: "Am I also with you?’ He said: ‘You are on good and virtue’ (but did not say that you are a member of my Household)."

Tabari quoted in Jami al-Bayan, Shahr bin Hushab Ashair (d. 100/719) as saying: "When Umm Salama heard news of the martyrdom of Hussain bin Ali, she said: `May God kill the people of Iraq who deceived him and left him alone. Verily, I saw Fatima while bringing a stone bowl of sweet paste for the Prophet. The Prophet asked: `Where is your cousin?’ She said: `At home.’ The Prophet said: `Go bring him here with his two sons.’ Fatima returned while holding the hands of Hasan and Hussain. Ali also followed them, and they came to the Prophet. The Prophet embraced Hasan and Hussain and made Ali sit on his right and Fatima on left. He then spread the cloak over Fatima, Ali, Hasan, and Hussain. He held the two sides of the cloak with his left hand. He raised his right hand toward the sky by saying: `O God, purify them of any uncleanness . O God, these are the members of my Household. Purify and cleanse them of any vice, wrong, and sin,’ (He repeated this twice). I asked: `O Messenger! Am I also a member of your Household?’ He said: `You come under the cloak.’ I also went under the cloak, but only after the Prophet finished his prayer for his cousin, his two sons, and Fatima." This tradition has been related by Ahmad bin Hanbal in Masnad (6:292), Tahwi in Mushkil al-Athar (1:335) and Muhib Tabari in Zakhair al-Uqba (1:22).

This verse does not include the wives of the Prophet. It is exclusively addressed to the five persons, four of whom are males, and one female. It is moreover obvious from the use of the masculine gender in this verse. The words ankum and yutah hirakum, meaning "from you" and "purify you" are masculine terms and refers to the said persons collectively, the majority of whom are males. If God had addressed the Prophet’s wives, then the Koran would have used the feminine gender ankunna and yutah hirakunna instead of the masculine, because the Prophet’s wives numbered more.