Fatima and Conflict with Early Community Insights

Fatima and Conflict with the Early Community Vinay Khetia

Did the event of the door happen? The sources in this regard are voluminous 339 reports indicating a violent encounter at the house of Fatima 251- Shia sources 88- Sunni sources Abd al-Zahra Mahdi, Hujum ala bayti Fatima (The Attack on the House of Fatima) Ja far al-Subhani, al-Hujja al-gharra ala shahadati al-Zahra Sayyid Mahdi al-Khirsan, al-Muhsin Objective: To present a snapshot of some sources indicating why belief in this event is so persistent in Shi i circles

What happened to Ali?: Setting Context Mu wiyah s letter sent through Abu Um mah al-B hili to Imam Ali (a) in Kufa as quoted by Ibn Abil Hadid al-Mu tazili (vol. 15). And Imam s response to it in letter no. 28 of NB. : !

Abu Bakrsfinal words Abu Ubayd Q sim bin Sal m (d. 224 AH), contemporary of 10thImam (and he died before Bukhari and his book was written before Bukhari). In his book Kit bul Amw l, he narrates from Abdur Rahm n bin Awf who went to visit Abu Bakr during his last moments. Abu Bakr talks about his regrets: ... : ..." : . = So Abu Ubayd conceals one of the three things and says that I don t want to mention it. However, at-Tabari also narrates by his sanab the visit of Abdur Rahm n bin Awf to see Abu Bakr and doesn t shy away from writing the following: :

Tabarireport-3:430, Dar al- Turath, Beirut The report from Kitab al-Amwal has likewise been censored by al-Mas ud in his Muruj al-dhahab Tabari: , at-Tabari also narrates by his sanab the visit of Abdur Rahm n bin Awf to see Abu Bakr and doesn t shy away from writing the following: "... I wish I had not unveiled/thrown open the house of Fatima from anything- even though they had locked it down with hostile intent - ..."

Comments The translator of this volume of al- abar s history indicates in a footnote that that there is more to this specific confession of Abu Bakr which seems to be concealed from the reader. Regarding the event of throwing open the house of Fatima. See: al- abar , The History of al- abar : The Challenge to the Empires tr. by Khalid Yahya Blankinship (Albany: SUNY Press, 1993), 149 There is clearly more than meets the eye of the reader here Also see: al- abar n . al-Mu jam al-kab r (Baghdad: al-Jumh r yah al- Ir q yah, Wiz rat al-Awq f, 1984),1:62, and Ibn Abd Rabbih, al- Iqd al-far d. (Beirut: D r Maktabat al-Hil l, 1986), 4:93.

Murujal-Dhahab wadadtu ann lam akun fatashtu bayt f tima wa- dhakara fi dhalika kal man kath ran- I wish I did not search the house of Fatima, and he (Abu Bakr) recalled that [event] in many words [at length]. See al-Mas d , 2:301. We should look at these and other reports in general to ascertain that early historians and reporters transmitted some sort of traumatic event between Abu Bakr and Umar b. Khattab versus Fatima and Ali

Following Saqifa Following Saqifa, Ali and Zubayr refused to pledge allegiance perhaps along with others This became a serious problem for Abu Bakr and Umar Historians such the eminent Mahmoud Ayoub and Wilfred Madelung state- there was a serious fear of dissension in the ranks-This set the stage for an impending standoff ( at least from Shi ii view) What may have happened? Al-Baladhuri,Ansab al-Ashraf, Beirut: Dar al-Ma arif, 585-589 1184- [1]. : : .

Ansabal-Ashraf report He proceeded to the house of Fatima and Ali in a threatening manner with a wick (fat la) in hand.[1]Upon arriving at the door, he was intercepted by Fatima, who berated him: O son of al-Kha b, are you going to burn my door down? Umar is portrayed as responding in a confident manner, saying: Yes, this is the strongest of what your father has brought (dh lika aqw f -m j a bihi ab ki) Allusions to this confrontation at the door without the words of Umar are found in (selection): Ibn Abd al-Barr, al-Isti ab, ed. Ali Muhammad al-Bajawi 3:975 Kitab al-Saqifa as transmitted in Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, Ibn Abi al-Hadid, ed. Muhammad Abu al-Fadl Ibrahim, 2:45 Al-Suyuti,Musnad Fatima, Beirut: Mu assasat al-Kutub al- Thaqafa, p.36

SanadRiwayain Ansabal- Ashraf Al-Baladhuri was very well known as per al-Dhahabi and Ibn Kathir he was a historian of recognized repute Al-Mada ini (famous historiographer)-described as thiqa, thiqa thiqa- See: Mizan al- Itidal, 3:135, #5921 Maslma b Muharab/Muharib- mentioned by al-Bukhari without any jarh.- See Tarikh al-Kabir, 7:358 Sulayman al-Tamimi- also thiqa as per Ibn Ma in, and Nasa i, Tahrhid al-Tahdhib, 4:201-202 #341 Ibn Awn- also- thiqa al-ma mun, Tahdhib al-tahdhib, 5:346- 347, #600 Sanad seems to be mursal from Ibn Awn onwards-but still important due to its source due al-Baladhuri narrating it from the famous al-Mada ini despite the irsal.

MusanafIbnAbiShayba (d.235 Ah) We find a similar report in which Umar threatens to burn down the house- inna amartuhum an yuhriqa alayhim al-bayt Al-Musanaf, 7:572, Dar al-Fikr Sanad is sahiha by most standards when ruwat are examined in tahdhib al-tahdhib or mu tabar Muhammad b. Bishr, Ubayd Allah b. Umar, Zayd b. Aslam- from his father- when Abu Bakr was pledged allegiance- it reached him that a group had gathered in the house of Ali Ayatullah Ja far Subhani has extended commentary on this

Shia sources These present more explicit details: al-Kafi, Kamil al-Ziyarat, al- Ikhtisas, Dala il al-Imama, Tafsir al-Ayyashi, al-Ihtijaj 7thShiite Imam M s al-K im, who describes Fatima as a shah dah (female martyr). al-Kafi, Dar al-Hadith, 2:489 In this regard Shaykh Tusis states: -- Sh. al-Tusi-v. 3:156- Talkhis al-Shafi- - : . : : . .

Kamilal-Ziyarat As for your daughter---she will be oppressed and deprived of her `sanctity That right which you have given her shall be usurped it shall be stolen from her -She will be struck while she is pregnant She, her haram ( her children and private space) and her home shall be entered upon without permission She shall touched with degradation and humiliation .

RiwayaContd Allah then says: ---Then she will not find any obstruction between her and them between her and her attacker.. And what is in her womb shall be damaged/torn--- And she shall die as a result of that assault..on her sacred person Prophet then says: I accept of my Lord and I Submit to you and from you comes tawfique

Al-Ikhtisas, p.354 Abdullah b. Sinan reports from Imam al-Sadiq : Another altercation occurred between Fatima and Umar Following her being granted Fadak she met Umar somewhere along the way: Abu Bakr consented to Fatima s protests and granted Fadak in the form of a written decree. However, as Fatima left Abu Bakr s presence she was confronted by Umar who demanded that she hand over the document, Fatima then refused to do so, at which point Umar responded by kicking her (fa-rafasah birijlihi) and slapped her (la amah ). The impact of this kick caused her to miscarry her son, Mu sin, from her womb. Al- diq then adds the following: It is as if I see the earring in her ear when it broke (as a result of the strike). The editor of the manuscript, adds that nuqifat is the passive tense which is synonymous with the passive verb kusira (it was broken) from Umar s slap (min la mi umar). See: Al-Muf d, 185.

Dalailal-Imama-IbnRustam al-Tabari Lastly, al- s contemporary Ibn Rustam al- abar (4/11th century) includes a report on the authority of Ab Ba r from al- diq states that Fatima lost Mu sin after Qunfudh (the client of Umar) rather than Umar himself struck Fatima with the sheath of a sword. Ibn Rustam s source is Ibn H r n al- al akbar (d.375 /10th century) who is considered to be a well known Im m jurist and source of hadith material for numerous Shiite traditionists. See: al-Am n, 2:314. Al- describes him as having a great status,vast in his reporting of traditions (w s i al-riw yah), and he is said to have transmitted or reported all of the Shiite u l works and works of tradition from the period of the Imams ( jam al-u l wa al-mu annaf t) Ibn Rustam al- abar , Dal il al-im mah (Beirut: Mu assasat al-A lam lil-Ma b t, 1988), 46.

Dalailal-Imama : ( ) ( ) : : [ 1 ] : [ 2 ] [ 4 ]

The non-Sulaymsources and Predominant Shi iMemory These post-Sulaym sources describe Fatima as a martyr who died from wounds inflicted as a result of that attack, with some including mention of the murder of her unborn son, Mu sin. This graphic vision of the past may have originated with either al-B qir and or al- diq, or at least with a group Shiites who claimed to be their students and followers. These were just a selection of sources Ismaili sources also include such graphic details such as the work of Qadi al-Nu man and other sources including poetry. See Abd Zahra Mahdi s work which is 495 pages for full list of Zaydi, Ismaili, Twelver and Sunni sources It would seem this was a commonly accepted event among Shi is from multiple sources and multiple generations with different isnads and riwayat

Alis Silence and Conclusion General details can be found in numerous non-Shii and Sunni sources Even if details of an attack are not present and specific details are rejected- there is enough reports that indicate- something took place at the house of Fatima when all sources are viewed collectively Ali s lack of retribution is attributed to the Prophets order to him to be patient Your likeness is that of Ka ba people come to it and it does not come to people incumbent upon you is sabr who what shall befall you

Sayyid Radi in his Khai al-Aimmah narrates from Imam al- Kazim (a) through his forefathers that during the last days of the Prophet (s): ... ... ... . . ... ( ): ...

Imam Ali did not fight It was not for Ali to fight back fearing the people leaving Islam all together If he was to fight- nothing would be left of Islam to return to- this tends to be the Shi i perspective (perhaps viewed as apologetic) It is not homogenous but it tends to be the overwhelming viewpoint We see this in al-Ikhtisas, after burring Fatima, he confronts Umar clearly saying I abandoned my right fearing the irtidad of the people- tarktu haqqi makhafatan irtidad al-nas However there is a reference to this attack being an issue raised later on by Imam al-Hasan

General Conclusion What exactly transpired? Answer- we cannot be certain Sunni sources tend to leave this rather ambiguous but do indicate there was some sort of conflict at the home following Saqifa Shi i sources outside of Sulaym are replete with references and it is for this reason that the belief in some serious altercation causing the death of Fatima remains a commonly accepted notion among most Shi i scholars even though it would seem implausible or even impossible by Sunni authorities