House of Lady Fatima (a)

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The entrance to al-Masjid al-Nabawi, where the Prophet's (s) tomb and Fatima's (a) house are located

The House of Lady Fāṭima (a) was a residence connected to the Prophet's (s) Mosque, serving as the home of Imam Ali (a) and Lady Fatima (a). Most Shia scholars believe her grave is located within her house. During the event of Sadd al-Abwab (the Closing of the Doors), God commanded the closure of all doors leading to the Prophet’s (s) Mosque, except for the door of this house, which was permitted to remain open.

In a hadith transmitted from Imam al-Sadiq (a), it is stated that praying in this house holds greater virtue than praying in the Rawdat al-Nabi (the Prophet's (s) Chamber). This house was demolished during the Umayyad era to expand the Prophet's (s) Mosque and, along with the chamber where the Prophet (s) is buried, is now enclosed within a darih (a lattice structure).

Some scholars have identified the house of Fatima (s) that was attacked during the attack incident, resulting in injuries to her, as the house of Imam Ali (a) located in the Bani Hashim alley. These researchers have presented reasons and evidence supporting the existence of this house and the occurrence of the incident in Bani Hashim Alley.

Significance and Virtue of Fatima's (a) House Among Muslims

The house of Fatima (a) refers to the residence of Lady Fatima (a) in Medina, which is discussed in Shia and Sunni sources of hadith and history for its virtues[1] and the attack incident.[2] Additionally, some Shia scholars believe it to be the burial place of Fatima (a).[3]

In a hadith found in both Shia and Sunni sources, the Prophet (s) described the house of Fatima and Ali (a) as among the best examples of the houses mentioned in Qur'an 24:36: "In houses [such as these], Allah has allowed [His Name] to be exalted and remembered therein. His glorification is performed therein, morning and evening."[4]

The house of Fatima (a) was the birthplace of her children and, according to one hadith, also the birthplace of Imam al-Sajjad (a).[5] In a hadith cited in al-Kafi, Imam al-Sadiq (a) regarded praying in the house of Fatima as superior to praying in the Rawdat al-Nabi (the Prophet's (s) Chamber).[6] It is also reported that Imam al-Jawad (a) would pray in the house of Fatima (a) every day.[7]

The Prophet's (s) Request for Fatima's (s) Relocation

Ibn Sa'd, the third/ninth-century Islamic historian, narrates from Imam al-Baqir (a) that after Imam Ali (a) married Fatima (a), he prepared a house that was somewhat distant from the Prophet's (s) home. The Prophet (s) expressed his desire for his daughter to live closer to him. Fatima (a) asked the Prophet to speak with Haritha b. Nu'man about residing in his house.[8] Haritha had previously given some of his homes to the Prophet (s) for him and his wives to live in.[9] The Prophet (s), however, said he felt shy to make such a request. When Haritha learned of this, he gifted his house to the Prophet (s), saying that the Prophet accepting his gift was more beloved to him than his declining it. Thus, Ali (a) and Fatima (a) moved into Haritha's house.[10]

Only House with a Door Opening to the Mosque

Main article: Sadd al-Abwab

The house of Lady Fatima (a) was located to the east of the Prophet's (s) Mosque, positioned centrally among the other chambers of the Prophet (s). This house had two doors: one opening into the mosque and the other opening outward.[11] During the event of Sadd al-Abwab (the Closing of the Doors), the Prophet (s), by God's command, ordered all doors leading to the mosque to be closed except for the door of this house.[12] Sadd al-Abwab is considered an exclusive honor for Ali (a).[13]

Attack on the House of Fatima (a)

Main article: Incident of the attack on the house of Lady Fatima (a)

According to both Shia and Sunni sources, after the Prophet's (s) demise and the event of Saqifa, a group of the Prophet's (s) companions attacked Lady Fatima's house to compel Imam Ali (a) and others who had refused to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr and had sought refuge there.[14] Shia sources report that during this incident, the door of the house was set on fire,[15] resulting in injuries that caused Fatima (a) to miscarry her unborn child, Muhsin (a).[16] Fatima (a) herself succumbed to her injuries and was martyred shortly after that.[17]

Which House Was Attacked?

Some researchers believe that the attack on Lady Fatima's (a) house did not occur at the house near the mosque but rather at another house located farther away.[18] According to Muhammad Sadiq Najmi (d. 2011) in his book Tarikh-i haram-i A'imma-yi al-Baqi' (History of the Shrines of the Imams in al-Baqi'), certain historical accounts support this theory. One such account mentions that as Imam Ali (a) was being taken to the mosque to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, people in the streets of Medina were observing the events.[19] This report is documented in al-Saqifa wa Fadak by Ahmad b. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Jawhari al-Basri (d. 323/935).[20] Additionally, it is said that this house was located to the east of the Prophet's (s) Mosque, facing al-Baqi', next to the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari. It reportedly included a courtyard, storage rooms, multiple chambers, and a large wooden door.

Al-Samhudi (d. 911/1505-6), a Sunni scholar and expert on Medina, also mentioned a house near the al-Baqi' cemetery belonging to Imam Ali (a). The historical source al-Tabaqat al-kubra, written in the third/ninth century, references a house of Imam Ali (a) located near al-Baqi'. Some believe this house to be the same one that Haritha b. Nu'man gifted to Fatima (a) for her residence.

Sayyid Ja'far Murtada 'Amili (d. 1441/2019), a Shia historian, considers the attack to have occurred at the house mentioned in the Sadd al-Abwab incident.[21]

Was Fatima (a) Buried in Her House?

Main article: Burial Place of Lady Fatima (a)

According to Sayyid Ja'far Murtada al-'Amili (d. 1441/2019), an expert in Islamic and Shia history, it is impossible to determine the exact location of Lady Fatima's (a) grave.[22] However, Shia scholars have proposed various possibilities regarding her burial site. As noted by Isma'il Ansari Zanjani in al-Mawsu'at al-kubra 'an Fatima al-Zahra, most Shia scholars believe that Fatima (a) was buried in her own house.[23] Additionally, Ayatollah Makarim Shirazi cites the phrase "al-nazila fi jiwarik" (the one who has settled near you), attributed to Imam Ali (a) during Fatima's (a) burial, as supporting the view that she was buried in her home.[24]

Incorporation of the House into the Prophet's (s) Darih During the Expansion of the Prophet's (s) Mosque

Fatima's (a) house was demolished during the reign of 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan (reign: 65-86/685-705)[25] or al-Walid b. 'Abd al-Malik (reign: 86-96/705-715)[26] as part of the expansion of the Prophet’s (s) Mosque. This chamber, along with the one where the Prophet (s)was buried, was incorporated into the darih (lattice structure) surrounding the Prophet's (s) tomb.[27]

Notes

  1. ↑ See: Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 493, vol. 4, p. 556.
  2. ↑ Masʿūdī, Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, vol. 1, p. 146.
  3. ↑ See: Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruh al-faqīh, vol. 2, p. 572.
  4. ↑ Suyūṭī, al-Durr al-manthūr, vol. 6, p. 203; Irbilī, Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 1, p. 313.
  5. ↑ Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma, p. 191.
  6. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 4, p. 556.
  7. ↑ Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 493.
  8. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 8, p. 132.
  9. ↑ ʿĀmilī, al-Ṣaḥīḥ min sīrat al-Imām ʿAlī (a), vol. 3, p. 132-133.
  10. ↑ Ibn Saʿd, al-Ṭabaqāt al-kubrā, vol. 8, p. 132.
  11. ↑ Qāʾidān, Darsnāma-yi amākin-i madhhabī-yi Makka-yi mukarrama wa madīna-yi munawwara, p. 177.
  12. ↑ Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya, vol. 7, p. 342.
  13. ↑ Ḥākim al-Nayshābūrī, al-Mustadrak ʿala l-ṣaḥīḥayn, vol. 3, p. 125.
  14. ↑ Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk, vol. 3, p. 202.
  15. ↑ Sulaym b. Qays, Kitāb Sulaym ibn Qays, vol. 1, p. 150.
  16. ↑ Masʿūdī, Ithbāt al-waṣiyya, p. 146.
  17. ↑ Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma, p. 134.
  18. ↑ Mūsawī, Pāsukh bi shubahāt-i tārīkhī-yi ātash zadan-i khāna-yi waḥy dar āyīna-yi tārīkh wa riwāyāt-i farīqayn, p. 140-141.
  19. ↑ Najmī, Tārīkh-i ḥarām-i aʾimma-yi Baqīʿ wa āthār-i digār dar madīna-yi munawwara, p. 163-166.
  20. ↑ Jawharī, al-Saqīfa wa Fadak, p. 72.
  21. ↑ Samhudī, Wafāʾ al-wafāʾ, vol. 2, p. 59.
  22. ↑ ʿĀmilī, Maʾsāt al-Zahrāʾ (a), vol. 1, p. 252, 253.
  23. ↑ Anṣārī, al-Mawsūʿat al-kubrā ʿan Fāṭimat al-Zahrāʾ, vol. 16, p. 113.
  24. ↑ Makārim Shīrāzī, Payām-i Imām Amīr al-Muʾminīn (a), vol. 8, p. 32.
  25. ↑ Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 2, p. 211.
  26. ↑ Samhudī, Wafāʾ al-wafāʾ,
  27. ↑ Jaʿfarīyān, Āthār-i islāmī-yi Makka wa Madīna, p. 295.

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