Fadakiyya Sermon

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Fadakiyya Sermon
Part of the Fadakiyyah sermon in the handwriting of Muhsen 'Ibadi.
Part of the Fadakiyyah sermon in the handwriting of Muhsen 'Ibadi.
Other namesKhutba Lumma
SubjectPraise of God, Philosophy of rulings • Usurpation of Fadak • Usurpation of the caliphate
Issued byLady Fatimah al-Zahra' (a)
NarratorsImam al-Hasan (a) • Imam al-Husayn (a) • Zaynab (a) • Imam al-Baqir (a) • Imam al-Sadiq (a) • A'isha, Abd Allah b. Abbas and ...
Validity of the chain of transmissionMutawatir
Shi'a sourcesMan la yahduruhu al-faqih • Bihar al-anwar
Sunni sourcesBalaghat al-nisa' • Sharh nahj al-balagha (by Ibn Abi l-Hadid)


The Khuṭba Fadakīyya (Arabic: الخُطبَة الفَدَكِيَّة; Fadakiyya Sermon) or Khuṭba Lumma (Arabic: الخُطبَة اللُمَّة) is a sermon delivered by Lady Fatima (a) in the Mosque of the Prophet (s) in protest against the usurpation of Fadak. After assuming the caliphate, Abu Bakr, attributing a hadith to the Prophet (s), stating that prophets do not leave inheritance, confiscated the village of Fadak, which the Prophet (s) had gifted to Fatima (a), in favor of the caliphate. After her appeals proved futile, Fatima (a) went to the Prophet’s mosque and delivered a sermon, later known as the Fadakiyya Sermon. In this sermon, she asserted her ownership of Fadak, defended Ali’s (a) right to the caliphate, and criticized the Muslims for their silence in the face of the injustice done to the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

The Fadakiyya Sermon encompasses a collection of teachings on topics such as theology, eschatology, the prophethood and mission of the Prophet (s), the greatness of the Quran, the philosophy of religious rulings, and wilaya.

The text of this sermon has been cited in both Shia and Sunni sources. Several Shia scholars and jurists, including Sayyid 'Izz al-Din Husayni Zanjani, Hussein-Ali Muntazeri, Mujtaba Tihrani, Nasir Makarim Shirazi, Khalil Kamarei, and Muhammad Taqi Misbah Yazdi, have written commentaries on this sermon.

Value and Significance of the Sermon

The Fadakiyya Sermon outlines Fatima's (a) political positions against the ruling system and criticizes those who seized Fadak and the caliphate.[1] In this sermon, emphasis is placed on fostering unity within the Islamic community and avoiding division and discord under the acceptance of the imamate and guardianship of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[2] Due to its inclusion of teachings on monotheism, the hereafter, prophethood, the mission of the Prophet (s), the greatness of the Quran, the philosophy of religious laws, and guardianship, this sermon is regarded as one of the most valuable religious legacies of Fatima (a).[3]

The Fadakiyya Sermon is also regarded as comparable to the sermons of Imam Ali (a) in terms of eloquence, rhetorical mastery,[4] and the use of well-known logical principles in the art of speech. For this reason, Ibn Tayfur included it in his book Balaghat al-nisa', categorizing it among the speeches distinguished by eloquence and rhetoric.[5]

The Fadakiyya Sermon is used as evidence for the permissibility of Muslim women participating in political gatherings.[6] Additionally, the account of Fatima's (a) manner of presence while delivering the sermon has been interpreted in various ways, such as: the hijab not preventing women from engaging in social, economic, or political spheres; Fatima's (a) clothing being so long that it covered her feet and trailed on the ground as she walked; and Fatima (a) taking the Prophet (s) as her role model in intellectual, spiritual, and practical terms.

According to Abdollah Jawadi Amuli, a Shia authority, sermons such as the sermon of Fatima (a) should be taught in Islamic seminaries as formal courses.

Motivation for Delivering the Sermon: Defending Wilaya and Imama

Main articles: Usurpation of Fadak and Fadak

After the Prophet's (s) demise, Abu Bakr, citing a hadith attributed to the Prophet (s), claimed that prophets do not leave inheritance.[7] As a result, the village of Fadak, which the Prophet (s) had granted to Fatima (a)[8] following the revelation of the verse, "Give the relatives their [due] right,"[9] and which was under Fatima's (a) possession,[10] was confiscated in favor of the caliphate.[11] To prove that Fadak was a gift and not an inheritance, Fatima (a) presented Ali (a) and Umm Ayman as witnesses.[12] According to one account, Abu Bakr wrote a document affirming Fatima's ownership of Fadak, but Umar b. Khattab tore it up.[13] Some Sunni sources indicate that Abu Bakr rejected Fatima's witnesses and demanded the testimony of two men.[14] According to Makarim Shirazi, a Shia authority, the caliphs confiscated Fadak to prevent it from becoming a source of economic power for Imam Ali (a) and his family.[15]

Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Sadr, in his book Fadak fi l-tarikh, argues that the claim over Fadak was neither a personal matter nor a material dispute. Instead, it was a form of opposition to the ruling authority of the time and a rejection of the legitimacy of its foundations, namely the Saqifa.[16] He views the claim over Fadak as the starting point of Fatima’s (a) movement against the ruling authority and one of the stages of her defense of the imamate and guardianship.[17] When Fatima (a) realized that her claim over Fadak would be futile, she went to the Prophet's (s) mosque accompanied by a group of her female relatives.[18] According to Ibn Tayfur’s account in Balaghat al-nisa', when Fatima (a) arrived at the mosque, Abu Bakr and a group of the Muhajirun and Ansar were seated there. A curtain was placed between Fatima (a) and the attendees. The Prophet's daughter began with a heartfelt lament that moved those present to tears. She then paused until the people calmed down before delivering her speech.[19] Since this sermon was delivered in response to the confiscation of Fadak and addressed that issue, it became known as Khutba Fadakiyya.[20] Sometimes, it is also referred to as Khutba Lumma in reference to Fatima (a) entering the mosque with a group of her relatives before delivering the sermon.[21]

The Sermon’s Chain of Transmission

Allama al-Majlisi regarded the Fadakiyya Sermon as one of the well-known sermons transmitted by both Shia and Sunni sources through various chains of transmission.[22] Al-Shaykh al-Saduq included part of this sermon in Man la yahduruhu al-faqih.[23] According to Husayn Ali Muntaziri, the earliest recorded source of this sermon is Balaghat al-nisa' by Ibn Tayfur (204/819–280/893), a Sunni scholar who lived during the time of Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a).[24] Ibn Tayfur documented the sermon in two versions,[25] but according to Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi, in later sources, the two versions became intertwined and were transmitted as a single account.[26] Over 16 sources have been cited for the Fadakiyya Sermon.[27]

It is said that figures such as Imam al-Hasan (a), Imam al-Husayn (a), Zaynab (a), Imam al-Baqir (a), Imam al-Sadiq (a), A'isha, and Abd Allah b. Abbas are among the transmitters of this sermon.[28]

Contents of the Sermon

The Fadakiyya Sermon begins with praise and glorification of God, followed by a reminder of the Prophet's (s) mission. It points to Ali's (a) closeness to the Prophet (s), his leadership among God’s chosen ones, and his unparalleled bravery in defending the Prophet (s) and Islam. Fatima (a) then reproaches the companions for following Satan after the Prophet’s (s) death, allowing hypocrisy to manifest among them, abandoning the truth, and succumbing to falsehood. The sermon references the usurpation of the caliphate and challenges Abu Bakr’s claim that prophets do not leave inheritance, presenting it as contrary to Quranic verses. Fatima (a) entrusts Abu Bakr to God's judgment on the Day of Resurrection and addresses the Prophet's (s) companions, questioning their silence in the face of oppression. She declares that their actions amount to breaking their covenant with the Prophet. In the concluding part of the sermon, Fatima describes their deeds as a lasting disgrace, with Hell as their ultimate fate.[29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ādharbādigān, Nigāhī gudharā bih asnād wa manābiʿ-i maktūb-i khuṭba-yi Fadak, p. 47-48.
  2. ↑ Mīrzāyī, Ahamīyyat, ḍarūrat wa jāygāh-i imāmat dar nigāh-i Ḥaḍrat-i ṣiddīqa-yi Ṭāhira (a), p. 41, 45.
  3. ↑ Pūrsayyid Āqāyī, Khuṭba-hā-yi Fāṭimī, p. 47.
  4. ↑ Sharaf al-Dīn, al-Murājiʿāt, p. 392.
  5. ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 16.
  6. ↑ Bahrām, Faʿʿālīyyat-hā-yi ijtimāʿī-yi zanān az dīdgāh-i fiqh wa ḥuqūq, p. 118.
  7. ↑ Balādhurī, Futūḥ al-buldān, p. 40, 41.
  8. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Tibyān, vol. 6, p. 468; Ṭabrisī, Majmaʿ al-bayān, vol. 6, p. 633-634; Ḥaskānī, Shawāhid al-tanzīl, vol. 1, p. 438-439; Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 4, p. 177.
  9. ↑ Qur'an 17:26.
  10. ↑ Ṭabrisī, al-Iḥtijāj, vol. 1, p. 91; ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-nabī, vol. 18, p. 241.
  11. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 543; Mufīd, al-Muqniʿa, p. 289, 290.
  12. ↑ Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 3, p. 512.
  13. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 543; Ḥalabī, al-Sīra al-ḥalabiyya, vol. 3, p. 512.
  14. ↑ Balādhurī, Futūḥ al-buldān, p. 40.
  15. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), vol. 10, p. 202.
  16. ↑ Ṣadr, Fadak fī al-tārīkh, p. 63-66.
  17. ↑ Ṣadr, Fadak fī al-tārīkh, p. 113-117.
  18. ↑ Irbilī, Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 1, p. 353-364.
  19. ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 16.
  20. ↑ Alwīrī, Khuṭba al-Lumma sanaduhā wa makanatu-hā ʿind al-Shīʿa, p. 15.
  21. ↑ Alwīrī, Khuṭba al-Lumma sanaduhā wa makanatu-hā ʿind al-Shīʿa, p. 15.
  22. ↑ Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 215.
  23. ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 3, p. 567-568.
  24. ↑ Muntaẓirī, Khuṭba-yi Ḥaḍrat-i Zahrāʾ, p. 37.
  25. ↑ Ibn Ṭayfūr, Balāghāt al-nisāʿ, p. 17-25.
  26. ↑ Shahīdī, Zindigānī-yi Fāṭima Zahrā (a), p. 122.
  27. ↑ See: Ādharbādigān, Nigāhī gudharā bih asnād wa manābiʿ-i maktūb-i khuṭba-yi Fadak, p. 49-56.
  28. ↑ Pūrsayyid Āqāyī, Khuṭba-hā-yi Fāṭimī, p. 51.
  29. ↑ Shahīdī, Zindigānī-yi Fāṭima Zahrā (a), p. 126-135.

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