Alleged attack on Fatimah's house
| Alleged attack on Fatimah's house | |
 The door of Fatimah's House | |
| Arabic | حادثة كسر الضلع |
|---|---|
| Romanization | Hadithat Kasr alzal |
| Literal meaning | Rib fracture accident |
| Part of a series on |
| Islam |
|---|
 |
| Part of a series on |
| Sunni Islam |
|---|
 |
 Islam portal |
| Part of a series on Islam Shia Islam |
|---|
 |
 Shia Islam portal |
Alleged attack on Fatimah's house refers to a disputed violent attack on the house of Fatimah, daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.[1] This alleged attack took place shortly after Muhammad's death in 11 AH (632 CE) and it was instigated by Muhammad's successor, Abu Bakr, and led by Umar, an aide to Abu Bakr.[2] The purpose of the disputed attack is said to have been the arrest of Fatimah's husband, Ali, who had refused to acknowledge Abu Bakr's authority.[3] It is alleged that Fatimah's injuries during the raid directly caused the young Fatimah's miscarriage and death, within six months of Muhammad's demise.[4]
The above allegations are brought forward by the Shia and categorically rejected by the Sunni, the two largest branches of Islam.[5] On the one hand, Shia historians list multiple early Sunni sources that corroborate these allegations and point out that sensitive information has been censored by Sunni scholars who were concerned with the righteous presentation of Muhammad's companions.[6] On the other hand, for Sunnis, it is unimaginable that Muhammad's companions would violate the Quranic sanctity of Muhammad's family and home.[7] In turn, Sunni Islam holds that Fatimah died from grief, following Muhammad's death, and that her child died in infancy of natural causes.[8]
It is well-documented that Fatimah's dying wish was that Abu Bakr and Umar should not attend her funeral.[9] She was buried under the cover of darkness and her exact burial place remains unknown to this day.[10] Fatimah's discontent is famously linked to Muhammad's anger in hadith literature and she occupies a similar position in Islam that Mary, mother of Jesus, occupies in Christianity.[11] In view of Fatimah's place in Islam, these allegations are highly controversial, with beliefs primarily split along sectarian lines between Sunni and Shia denominations.[1]
Background
In the immediate aftermath of Muhammad's death in 11 AH (632 CE), the Ansar (natives of Medina) gathered in the Saqifah (courtyard) of the Saida clan.[12] According to W. Madelung, the Ansar likely believed that their allegiance to Muhammad had elapsed with his death and expected that Muhammad's community would disintegrate. For this reason, the purpose of their meeting might had simply been to re-establish control over their city, Medina, under the belief that the majority of the Muhajirun (migrants from Mecca) would return to Mecca anyway.[13]
Nevertheless, Abu Bakr and Umar, both senior companions of Muhammad, upon learning about the meeting, hastened to the gathering and reportedly forced their way into Saqifah.[14] After a heated meeting, in which a chief of the Ansar was beaten into submission by Umar, those gathered at the Saqifah agreed on Abu Bakr as the new head of the Muslim community.[15]
The Saqifah event excluded Muhammad's family, who were preparing to bury him, and most of Muhajirun.[16] To protest this election, members of Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim, and several of his companions gathered at Fatimah's house.[17] The protesters, including Fatimah, held that Ali was the rightful successor of Muhammad, appointed by him at the Event of Ghadir Khumm.[18] A number of close companions of Muhammad, including Abbas and Zubayr, were among the protestors.[19] Ali is reported to have explained his position to Abu Bakr.[20]
Overwhelming evidence points that Abu Bakr and his aide, Umar, led an armed mob to Ali's house and threatened to set the house on fire if Ali and his supporters would not pledge their allegiance to Abi Bakr.[21] Notably, Umar was known for his severity and short temper.[22] The scene soon grew violent and, in particular, Zubayr was disarmed and carried away.[23] However, the armed mob retreated after Fatimah loudly admonished them, "O my father, O the Messenger of God, what is this that has befallen us after you at the hands of the son of Khattab [Umar] and the son of Abi Quhafah [Abu Bakr]."[24]
To force Ali into line, Abu Bakr later placed a boycott on him and, more broadly, on Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim.[25] This strategy proved successful over time. Even in the mosque, Ali prayed alone.[26] Ali is reported to have later repeatedly said that he would have resisted (Abu Bakr) had there been forty men with him.[27] By that point, however, only his wife, Fatimah, and their four small children remained on his side.[28] Ali chose passive resistance instead.[28]
Attack on Fatimah's house
While it is believed that Ali continued to passively resist the authority of Abu Bakr until Fatimah died, what followed after the above altercation is uncertain.[29] Indeed, what followed has been the subject of intense controversy and censorship in Islam.[30] One the one hand, Shia historians list over a dozen well-regarded Sunni sources which mention that Fatimah suffered injury and miscarriage during a raid on her house led by Umar.[31] On the other hand, it is known that sensitive information has been censored by Sunni scholars who were concerned with the righteous presentation of Muhammad's companions.[6]
In particular, Shia sources include similar variations of Umar's final attempt to subdue Ali, narrated by Muhammad's close companion, Salman, and supplemented by Shia Imams:[32]
When Umar arrived with an armed mob to take Ali away by force, Fatimah, pregnant at the time, firmly refused them entry. Instead, from behind the door, she implored Umar to fear God and leave them alone. An enraged Umar (or his client, Qunfudh) ignored Fatimah's pleadings, asked for a torch and set the door on fire, before hurling himself inside and striking Fatimah behind the door. Screaming in pain, Fatimah continued to resist the intruders. There are reports that Umar physically assaulted her with a sheathed sword. Fatimah's husband, Ali, rushed towards her before being overpowered and dragged to Abu Bakr by the aggressors. Fatimah tried to position herself between Ali and the aggressors before being struck by Qunfudh. She carried the bruise from the assault when she died.[32]
Muawiya later alluded to Ali's violent arrest in a letter before the Battle of Siffin.[33]
Shortly after the alleged raid, there are reports that Fatimah miscarried her son, Muhsin, whose name had been chosen by Muhammad before his death.[34] Sunni sources, however, maintain that Muhsin was born but died in infancy.[35]
Controversy
Shia holds that her injuries during the raid by Umar directly caused the young Fatimah's miscarriage and death, a few months after Muhammad's demise.[4] For Sunnis, however, it is unimaginable that Muhammad's companions would violate the Quranic sanctity of Muhammad's family and home.[7][36][37]
Both al-Tabari and al-Masudi write that Abu Bakr, on his deathbed, regretted his order to break into Fatimah's house.[38] This appears to be a sensitive admission that has been censored by, for example, the Sunni author Abu Ubayd in his book, Kitab al-Amwal.[39] It might be noted that Umar's history of violence against women is well-documented.[40]
A common argument is that Ali would have never continued his relations with Umar had the latter organized a raid on Ali's home.[41] On the other hand, it has been suggested that Ali gave up his rights and exercised restraint for the sake of a nascent Islam.[42] There are reports that Ali turned down Abu Sufyan's offer to support his claim to the caliphate.[43] Later, in reference to Abu Bakr's caliphate, a poem began to circulate among the Banu Hashim which ended with, "Surely, we have been cheated in the most monstrous way."[44] Ali forbade the poet to recite it, adding that the welfare of Islam was dearer to him than anything else.[45] While Ali never withheld his help for the cause of Islam, the mutual distrust and hostility of Ali with Abu Bakr and Umar is well-documented.[46] About the outcome of Saqifah, Ali was recorded to have said that, "I would have overturned the tables if I was not concerned about divisiveness and disunity leading some to return to the times of infidelity."[47]
The prevalent view is that Fatimah never reconciled with Abu Bakr and Umar.[48] It is well-cited that Fatimah's dying wish was that Abu Bakr and Umar should not attend her funeral.[49] According to al-Imama wa al-Siyasa, when the two visited Fatimah on her deathbed, she reminded them of Muhammad's words that, "Fatimah is part of me, and whoever angers her has angered me."[50] The dying Fatimah then told the two that they had indeed angered her and that she would soon take her complaint to God and His prophet, Muhammad.[51] It has been suggested that the damning implications of Fatimah's anger motivated the invention of stories about the reconciliation of Fatimah with Abu Bakr and Umar.[52]
It is well-documented that Fatimah's dying wish was that Abu Bakr and Umar should not attend her funeral.[9] She was buried under the cover of darkness and her exact burial place remains unknown to this day.[10]
See also
- Burial place of Fatimah
- Shia view of Fatimah
- Shia view of Ali
- Marital life of Fatimah
- Fatimiyya
- Fadak
- Twelver
- Ahl al-Bayt
- Hadith of the pen and paper
- The Lady of Heaven
References
- ^ a b de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 77). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56). Abbas (2021, p. 98)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 77). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56). Abbas (2021, p. 98)
- ^ a b Khetia (2013, p. 77). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 98). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ a b Abbas (2021, pp. 97, 98). Khetia (2013, p. 39)
- ^ a b Abbas (2021, p. 98)
- ^ Vaglieri (2021). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56). Abbas (2021, p. 98)
- ^ a b Hazleton (2009, p. 73). Abbas (2021, p. 103)
- ^ a b Khetia (2013, p. 82). Abbas (2021, pp. 103, 104). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ Abbas (2021, pp. 55, 103). Rogerson (2006, pp. 42, 43). Campo (2009, pp. 230, 231). Glassé (2011, p. 137). McAuliffe (2002, p. 193). Aslan (2011, pp. 185, 186). Ernst (2003, p. 171). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56). Khetia (2013, pp. 35, 36). Ruffle (2011, p. 14). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, pp. 182, 185, 186)
- ^ Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 3)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 31). Abbas (2021, p. 92)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 92). Hazleton (2009, p. 60)
- ^ Hazleton (2009, p. 65). Madelung (1997, pp. 31, 32)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 32). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, pp. 3, 4). Abbas (2021, p. 93). Hazleton (2009, p. 65). Momen (1985, p. 18)
- ^ Khetia (2013, pp. 31, 32). Madelung (1997, p. 32)
- ^ Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). Meri (2006, pp. 248, 249). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ Khetia (2013, pp. 31, 32). Abbas (2021, p. 95)
- ^ Mavani (2013, p. 116). Jafri (1979, p. 39). Abbas (2021, p. 96)
- ^ Madelung (1997, pp. 43). Jafri (1979, p. 39). Abbas (2021, p. 97). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). Hazleton (2009, pp. 71, 72). Meri (2006, p. 249)
- ^ Madelung (1997, pp. 43, 52). Hazleton (2009, p. 71). Abbas (2021, p. 97). Khetia (2013, p. 67). Hazleton (2013, p. 124)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 43). Jafri (1979, p. 41)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 34). Jafri (1979, p. 39)
- ^ Madelung (1997, pp. 43, 44). Hazleton (2009, p. 73)
- ^ Hazleton (2009, p. 73)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 43)
- ^ a b Hazleton (2009, p. 71)
- ^ Madelung (1997, pp. 43, 44, 52, 53). Jafri (1979, pp. 39, 40). Abbas (2021, p. 97). Hazleton (2009, pp. 71, 75). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186)
- ^ Abbas (2021, pp. 97, 98)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 98)
- ^ a b Khetia (2013, pp. 66–78)
- ^ Hazleton (2009, p. 217)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 78). Abbas (2021, p. 98). Hazleton (2009, p. 72). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186). de-Gaia (2018, p. 56)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 73). Glassé (2001, p. 137). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, p. 186)
- ^ "(Q33:53) O you who have faith! Do not enter the Prophet's houses unless permission is granted you for a meal, without waiting for it to be readied. But enter when you are invited, and disperse when you have taken your meal, without settling down to chat. Indeed such conduct torments the Prophet, and he is ashamed of [asking] you [to leave]; but Allah is not ashamed of [expressing] the truth. And when you ask anything of [his] womenfolk, ask it from them from behind a curtain. That is more chaste for your hearts and their hearts. You may not torment the Apostle of Allah, nor may you ever marry his wives after him. Indeed that would be a grave [matter] with Allah".
- ^ "(Q24:36) In houses Allah has allowed to be raised and wherein His Name is celebrated, He is glorified therein, morning and evening".
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 38)
- ^ Khetia (2013, p. 39)
- ^ Kelen (1975, p. 75). Aslan (2011, p. 124). Khetia (2013, p. 67)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 99)
- ^ Abbas (2021, pp. 99, 100)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 100). Madelung (1997, p. 40, 41). Mavani (2013, p. 117)
- ^ Madelung (2021, pp. 37, 38). Hazleton (2009, p. 70)
- ^ Madelung (2021, pp. 37, 38)
- ^ Aslan (2011, p. 122). Madelung (1997, pp. 42, 52–54, 213, 214). Abbas (2021, p. 94). Hazleton (2009, p. 69). Mavani (2013, p. 117)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 100)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 52). Hazleton (2009, p. 73). Aslan (2011, p. 122). Abbas (2021, p. 103). Khetia (2013, pp. 30, 31, 35). Bowering (2013, p. 31). Jafri (1979, p. 47). Mavani (2013, p. 117)
- ^ Hazleton (2009, p. 73). Abbas (2021, p. 103)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 103). Khetia (2013, pp. 35, 36). Ruffle (2011, p. 14). Fitzpatrick & Walker (2014, pp. 185, 186)
- ^ Abbas (2021, p. 102). Khetia (2013, pp. 25, 26)
- ^ Madelung (1997, p. 52)
Bibliography
- Abbas, Hassan (2021). The prophet's heir: The life of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300252057.
- Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64696-0.
- Khetia, Vinay (2013). Fatima as a motif of contention and suffering in Islamic sources (Thesis). Concordia University.
- Aslan, Reza (2011). No god but God: The origins, evolution, and future of Islam. Random House. ISBN 9780812982442.
- Hazleton, Lesley (2009). After the prophet: The epic story of the Shia-Sunni split in Islam. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780385532099.
- Fitzpatrick, Coeli; Walker, Adam Hani (2014). Muhammad in history, thought, and culture: An encyclopaedia of the Prophet of God. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610691772.
- Vaglieri, Veccia (2021). "Fatima". Encyclopaedia of Islam (Second ed.). Brill Reference Online.
- Meri, Josef W. (2006). Medieval Islamic civilization: An encyclopedia. Routledge. ISBN 978-0415966900.
- Jafri, S.H.M (1979). Origins and early development of Shia Islam. London: Longman.
- Bowering, Gerhard, ed. (2013). "Ali b. Abi Talib". The Princeton encyclopedia of Islamic political thought. Princeton University Press.
- Ruffle, Karen (2011). "May you learn from their model: The exemplary father-daughter relationship of Mohammad and Fatima in South Asian Shiʿism" (PDF). Journal of Persianate Studies. 4: 12–29. doi:10.1163/187471611X568267.
- Momen, Moojan (1985). An introduction to Shi'i Islam. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780853982005.
- Kelen, Betty (1975). Muhammad: The messenger of God. T. Nelson. ISBN 9780929093123.
- de-Gaia, Susan (2018). Encyclopedia of women in world religions. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781440848506.
- Glassé, Cyril (2001). The new encyclopedia of Islam. AltaMira Press. ISBN 9780759101890.
- Mavani, Hamid (2013). Religious authority and political thought in Twelver Shi'ism: From Ali to post-Khomeini. Routledge. ISBN 9780415624404.