In the opening of his chapter on the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt, Hujwiri presents the Prophet's Household as spiritual foundations of the Sufi tradition.

Key claims:

• The Ahl al-Bayt are marked by an essential/innate purity (طهارت اصلی), a distinction that is intrinsic rather than merely acquired through ascetic discipline.
• Each member holds a complete standing (قدمی تمام) in the inner meanings of the spiritual path.
• Collectively they serve as the exemplars (قدوه) of the whole group — both its spiritual elite (خاص) and its common folk (عام).

This abstract framing sets up the biographical accounts of individual household members that follow, and parallels Hujwiri's treatment of the Companions and the People of the Suffa as archetypal imams of the path.