Infallibility of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a)

Priority: a, Quality: b
From wikishia

The Infallibility of Lady Fāṭima (a) refers to the purity and immunity of the daughter of the Prophet (s) from sin and error. According to Shaykh Mufid, the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) is a consensus among Muslims, and according to 'Allama Majlisi, it is agreed upon among Shias. Lady Fatima's (a) infallibility requires that she (a) possessed some of the qualities of the Prophets (s) and Imams (a), such as the validity of argument from her speech, manner, and conduct implying approval, religious authority, and the competence to explain the religion, with her practical conduct and stances serving as criteria for distinguishing truth from falsehood. She is also considered a perfect role model in various aspects of life.

Among the reasons mentioned for the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) are the verse of Tathir, the hadith of Bad'a, and the hadiths that indicate the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), such as the hadith of Thaqalayn and Safina. Fakhr Razi, among the Sunni exegetes, known as the Leader of the Skeptics, also believes in Lady Fatima's (a) infallibility.

Importance and Status

According to Shia belief, Fatima (a), the daughter of the Prophet (s), is infallible[1] and protected from sin and error.[2] Shaykh Mufid[3] mentioned the consensus of Muslims, and 'Allama Majlisi[4] noted the definitive consensus of Shia regarding her infallibility.

Researchers have presented various outcomes for the infallibility of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a), including:

  • Possessing certain qualities and ranks of the Prophets (s) and Imams (a): If the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) is proven, she will possess certain attributes of the Prophets (s) and Imams (a), such as the validity of argument from her speech, manner, and conduct implying approval, religious authority, and the competence to explain the religion.[5]
  • The standard for distinguishing right from wrong: Based on the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a), her practical conduct and stances on various issues, such as her protest against the usurpation of Imam Ali's (a) caliphate and the confiscation of Fadak, will serve as the standard for distinguishing right from wrong.[6]
  • Being a Role Model: If Lady Fatima's (a) infallibility is accepted, she (a) can be considered a perfect role model in all aspects of life, as it has been explicitly mentioned in some verses of the Quran[7] regarding the Prophets (s).[8]

The infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) has been discussed in exegetical books and the interpretation of some verses of the Quran, and from there, it has found its way into theological discussions and the principles of jurisprudence.[9] It has been said that the origins of the discussion on the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) date back to the time of the Prophet (s) and some of his statements, as well as certain verses of the Qur'an such as the verse of Mubahala and the verse of Tathir.[10] The earliest historical reports regarding the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) date back to the time after the demise of the Prophet (s) and the confiscation of Fadak, during which Imam Ali (a) cited the verse of Tathir to support the infallibility of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a).[11]

Citing the Verse of Tathir to Prove the Infallibility of Lady Fatima (a)

The Shia scholars have cited the verse of Tathir to prove the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a).[12] According to narrations from both Shia[13] and Sunni sources,[14] this verse was revealed about Ashab al-Kisa' (the Companions of the Cloak). Therefore, the intended meaning of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) in the verse is the Five Individuals (the Prophet (s), Imam Ali (a), Lady Fatima (a), and Hasan (a) and Husayn (a)).[15] According to some narrations, the Prophet (s) would go to Fatima’s (a) house upon every Fajr prayer, and according to other reports, at the time of every daily prayer, he greeted them and said: "O the Ahl al-Bayt (a), prayer, prayer!" He (s) then recited the verse of Tathir.[16] Fakhr al-Razi considered the narration regarding the occasion of the revelation of the verse of Tathir, which identifies the Ahl al-Bayt (a) as Ashab al-Kisa' (the Companions of the Cloak), to be agreed upon by the scholars of hadith and Quranic exegesis.[17] This verse informs us of God's will to remove the impurity from the Ahl al-Bayt (a), and removing impurity and filth from the Ahl al-Bayt (a) signifies their infallibility.[18]

It has been narrated from the Prophet (s) that those for whom the verse of Tathir was revealed are infallible, and they are myself (the Prophet (s)), Ali (a), Fatima (a), Hasan (a), and Husayn (a).[19] Regarding Fadak, Imam Ali (a) used the verse of Tathir to prove Lady Fatima's (a) purity from any sin.[20] It is also said that the verse of Mubahala indicates the infallibility of Fatima (a).[21]

Proving the Infallibility of Lady Fatima (a) through the Hadith of Bad'a

The hadith of Bad'a has been considered one of the proofs for the infallibility of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a).[22] In this hadith, which 'Allama Majlisi has considered as mutawatir,[23] the harm and anger of Fatima (a) is considered equated with the harm and anger of the Messenger of God (s), and her satisfaction is considered equated with the satisfaction of the Messenger of God (s). Based on this, if Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a) had committed a sin, her harm and anger would not be considered as the harm and anger of the Prophet (a) in an absolute sense because, for example, if someone were to prevent Fatima (a) from sinning and this caused her distress, her distress would be unjustified and would not cause the Prophet (s) any distress.[24] Since God is pleased only with righteous deeds and does not approve of sin and disobedience to His commands, if Lady Fatima (a) had committed a sin, she would have been pleased with something God is displeased with.[25] Some scholars have inferred from this hadith her infallibility from sin, and some others, such as Ayatollah Wahid Khurasani, have inferred her absolute infallibility (infallibility from sin and error).[26]

The hadith of Bad'a has been narrated[27] in Sunni sources such as Sahih Bukhari[28] and Sahih Muslim.[29] In some narrations, the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of Fatima (a) is equated with the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of God.[30]

Proving the Infallibility of Fatima (a) Using the Hadith of Thaqalayn and Safina

Hadiths that prove the infallibility of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), such as the hadith of Thaqalayn and the hadith of Safina, are also considered among the proofs of Fatima's (a) infallibility.[31] This is because Fatima (a) is undoubtedly one of the Ahl al-Bayt (a).[32] According to 'Allama Majlisi, the hadiths that indicate the obligation of adhering to the Ahl al-Bayt (a), such as the hadith of Thaqalayn and the hadith of Safina, also imply the infallibility of Lady Fatima (a), because the obligation to adhere is only established for the Infallible Ones (a). Not only is adhering to and following a person who sins not obligatory, but it is also obligatory to reject and deny them based on the ruling of forbidding the evil.[33]

In a narration, it is mentioned that the Prophet (s) witnessed the light of Fatima (a) and the Imams (a) of Shia during the Night of Ascension and asked God who they were. The response came that they were Ali, Fatima (a), Hasan (a), Husayn (a), and the children of Husayn (a), who are pure and infallible.[34]

The View of Sunnis regarding the Infallibility of Fatima (a)

Some Sunni scholars, such as Shahab al-Din Alusi (d. 1270/1854), a Qur'an exegete, considered Mary (a) to be pure from sin and impurity based on the verse, "And when the angels said: O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the world's women."[35] and then regarded Lady Fatima (a) as superior to Mary (a).[36]

According to Hasan Hasanzada Amuli (d. 1400 Sh/2021), a Shia scholar, Fakhr Razi, a Sunni exegete in the 6th century AH, despite being skeptical about everything and being known as the "Leader of the Skeptics", had no doubt or hesitation regarding Lady Fatima's (a) infallibility.[37]

External Links

Notes

  1. Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 88; Sayyid Murtaḍā. al-Shāfī, vol. 4, p. 95; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 332; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 335.
  2. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 69.
  3. Mufīd, al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara, p. 88.
  4. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 335.
  5. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 72.
  6. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 72.
  7. Qurʾān 33: 21; 60; 4.
  8. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 72.
  9. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 72.
  10. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 71.
  11. Kāfī & Shafīʿīān, ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s), p. 71.
  12. Sayyid Murtaḍā. al-Shāfī, vol. 4, p. 95; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 335.
  13. Kulaynī, al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 287; Baḥrānī, Ghāyat al-marām, vol. 3, p. 193- 211.
  14. Muslim Nayshābūrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1883, ḥādīth no. 61; Tirmidhī, Sunan al-Tirmidhī, vol. 5, p. 351, ḥādīth no. 3205; vol. 5, p. 352, ḥādīth no. 3206; ol. 5, p. 663, ḥādīth no. 3787; Ibn Ḥanbal, Musnad, vol. 28, p. 195; vol. 44, p. 118- 121.
  15. Baḥrānī, Ghāyat al-marām, vol. 3, p. 193; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 16, p. 311; Subḥānī, Manshūr-i jāwid, vol. 4, p. 387- 392.
  16. Furāt al-Kūfī, Tafsīr furāt al-kūfī, p. 338, 339; Ṭabāṭabāʾī, al-Mīzān, vol. 16, p. 318, 319; Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, vol. 22, p. 402.
  17. Fakhr al-Rāzī, al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr, vol. 8, p. 247.
  18. Fāryāb, ʿIṣmat-i Imām dar tārīkh-i tafakkur-i Imāmiyya, p. 335, 336.
  19. Furāt al-Kūfī, Tafsīr furāt al-kūfī, p. 339, 340.
  20. Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ, vol. 1, p. 191, 192.
  21. Anṣārī Zanjānī, "Mawsūʿat al-Kubrā, vol. 21, p. 132; The verses of al-Mubahala and al-Tathir and narrations prove the infallibility of lady Fatima (a).
  22. Sayyid Murtaḍā. al-Shāfī, vol. 4, p. 95; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 333; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 335.
  23. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 335.
  24. Sayyid Murtaḍā. al-Shāfī, vol. 4, p. 95; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 333; Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 337, 338.
  25. Subḥānī, Pajūhishī dar shinākht wa ʿiṣmat-i Imām, p. 27.
  26. Rūḥī Barandaq, Qalamruw-i ʿiṣmat-i Fāṭima Zahra (a) dar ḥadīth-i Fāṭima Biḍʿa minnī, p. 83- 85.
  27. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 336, 337; Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, vol. 22, p. 404, 405.
  28. Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 5, p. 21, 29.
  29. Muslim Nayshābūrī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1902, 1903.
  30. Ṣadūq, ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā, vol. 2, p. 46, 47; Mufīd, al-Amālī, p. 95; Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-kabīr, vol. 1, p. 108; vol. 22, p. 401; Ibn Maghāzīlī, Manāqib ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, p. 284, 285.
  31. Subḥānī, Pajūhishī dar shinākht wa ʿiṣmat-i Imām, p. 27; Muḥaqqiq, ʿIṣmat az dīdgāh-i Shīʿa wa Ahl-i Tasannun, p. 256.
  32. Muḥaqqiq, ʿIṣmat az dīdgāh-i Shīʿa wa Ahl-i Tasannun, p. 256.
  33. Majlisī, Biḥār al-anwār, vol. 29, p. 340.
  34. Khazzāz al-Qummī, Kifāyat al-athar, p. 185, 186.
  35. Qurʾān 3: 42.
  36. Ālūsī, Rūḥ al-maʿānī, vol. 2, p. 149- 150; Mazharī, Tafsīr al-mazharī, vol. 2, p. 47, 48.
  37. Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, Hizār wa yik nukta, p. 603.

References

  • Ālūsī, Maḥmūd b. ʿAbd Allāh al-. Rūḥ al-maʿānī fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān al-ʿaẓīm. Edited by ʿAlī ʿAbd al-Bārī al-ʿAṭiyya. Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, 1415 AH.
  • Anṣārī Zanjānī, Ismāʿīl. "Mawsūʿat al-Kubrā ʿan Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (a)". Qom: Nashr Dalīlunā, [n.d].
  • Baḥrānī, Hāshim b. Sulaymān al-. Ghāyat al-marām wa ḥujjat al-khaṣām fī taʿīn al-imām min ṭarīq al-khāṣ wa al-ʿām. 1st edition. Edited by ʿAlī ʿĀshūr. Beirut: Muʾassisat Al-'Tārīkh al-Islāmī 1422 AH.
  • Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl al-. Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. 1st edition. Edited by Muḥammad Zuhayr. Beirut: Dār Ṭawq al-Nijāh, 1422 AH.
  • Fāryāb, Muḥammad Ḥusayn. ʿIṣmat-i Imām dar tārīkh-i tafakkur-i Imāmiyya tā pāyān-i qarn-i panjum-i Hijrī. 1st edition. Qom: Muʾassisa-yi Āmūzishī wa Pajūhishī-yi Imām Khomeinī, 1390 Sh.
  • Fakhr al-Rāzī, Muḥammad b. al-ʿUmar al-. Al-Tafsīr al-Kabīr (Mafātīḥ al-ghayb). Third edition. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1420 AH.
  • Furāt al-Kūfī, Abu l-Qāsim Furāt b. Ibrāhīm. Tafsīr furāt al-kūfī. 1st edition. Edited by: Muḥammad Kāẓim. Tehran: Sāzmān-i Chāp wa Intishārāt-i Wizārat-i Irshād-i Islāmī, 1410 AH.
  • Ḥasanzāda Āmulī, Ḥasan. Hizār wa yik nukta. 5th edition. Tehran: Rajāʾ, 1365 Sh.
  • Ibn Ḥanbal, Aḥmad b. Muḥammad. Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal. 1st edition. Edited by Shuʿayb al-Arnaʾūt and ʿĀdil Murshid & others. Beirut: Al-Risāla, 1421 AH.
  • Ibn Shahrāshūb, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī. Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib. 1st edition. Edited by Ḥāshim Rasūlī. Qom: Nashr-i ʿAllāma, 1379 Sh.
  • Ibn Maghāzīlī, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad. Manāqib ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib. Beirut: Dār al-Aḍwaʾ, [n.d].
  • Kāfī, ʿAbd al-Ḥusayn & Jawād Shafīʿīān. ʿIṣmat Fāṭima (s) In Dānishnāma-yi Fāṭimī. 1st edition. Tehran: Pajūhishgāh-i Farhang wa andīshah-yi Islāmī, 1393 Sh.
  • Kulaynī, Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-. Al-Kāfī. 4th edition. Edited by ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī & Muḥammad Ākhūndī. Tehran: Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmīyya, 1407 AH.
  • Khazzāz al-Qummī, ʿAlī b. Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. Kifāyat al-athar fī l-naṣṣ ʿalā l-aʾimmat al-ithnā ʿashar. Edited by ʿAbd al-Laṭīf Ḥusaynī Kūhkamaraʾī Khoeī. Qom: Bīdār, 1401 AH.
  • Majlisī, Muḥammad Bāqir al-. Biḥār al-anwār. Second edition. Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1403 AH.
  • Muḥaqqiq, Fāṭima. ʿIṣmat az dīdgāh-i Shīʿa wa Ahl-i Tasannun. 1st edition. Edited by: Khalīl Bakhshīzāda. Qom: Āshiyāna-yi Mihr, 1391 Sh.
  • Muslim Nayshābūrī. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. Edited by Muḥammad fuʾād ʿAbd al-Bāqī . Beirut: Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabiyyī, [n.d].
  • Mazharī, Muḥammad Thanāʾ Allāh. Tafsīr al-mazharī. 1st edition. Pakistan: Maktabat Rushdiyya, 1412 AH.
  • Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Al-Amālī. 1st edition. Edited by ʿAlī Akbar Ghaffārī and Ḥusayn Ustādwalī. Qom: Kungira-yi Shaykh Mufīd, 1413 AH.
  • Mufīd, Muḥammad b. Muḥammad al-. Al-Fuṣūl al-mukhtara. 1st edition. Qom: Kungira-yi Shaykh Mufīd, 1413 AH.
  • Rūḥī Barandaq, Kāwus. Qalamruw-i ʿiṣmat-i Fāṭima Zahra (a) dar ḥadīth-i Fāṭima Biḍʿa minnī. Journal of Pajūhishhā-yi iʿtiqādī kalāmī, No. 22 (1395 Sh).
  • Sayyid Murtaḍā. Al-Shāfī fī al-Imāma. 2nd edition. Edited by Sayyid ʿAbd al-Zahrāʾ Ḥusaynī. 2nd edition. Tehran: Muʾassisa al-Ṣādiq (a), 1410 AH.
  • Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. ʿIlal al-sharāʾiʿ. 1st edition. Qom: Intishārāt-i Dāwarī, 1385 Sh.
  • Ṣadūq, Muḥammad b. ʿAlī al-. ʿUyūn akhbār al-Riḍā. 1st edition. Edited by Mahdī Lājiwardī. Tehran: Nashr-i Jahān, 1378 AH.
  • Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Manshūr-i jāwid. Qom: Muʾassisat Imām al-Ṣādiq, 1383 Sh.
  • Subḥānī, Jaʿfar. Pajūhishī dar shinākht wa ʿiṣmat-i Imām. Mashhad: Bunyād-i Pajūhishhā-yi Islāmī, 1389 Sh.
  • Ṭabāṭabāʾī, Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusayn al-. Al-Mīzān fī tafsīr al-Qurʾān. 2nd edition. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1390 AH.
  • Ṭabarānī, Sulaymān b. Aḥmad. Al-Muʿjam al-kabīr. Edited by Ḥamdī ʿAbd al-Majīd Salafī. Cairo: Maktaba Ibn Taymīyya, 1415 AH.
  • Tirmidhī, Muḥammad b.ʿĪsā al-. Sunan al-Tirmidhī. 2nd edition. Edited by Aḥmad Muḥammad Shākir, Muḥammad fuʾād ʿAbd al-Bāqī and Ibrāhīm ʿUṭwa. Egypt: Shirkat Maktabat wa Maṭbaʿat Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī, 1395 AH.
  • The verses of al-Mubahala and al-Tathir and narrations prove the infallibility of lady Fatima (a). (Persian). Accessed: 2024/11/18.