Incident of the attack on the house of Lady Fatima (a): Difference between revisions

The incident of the attack on the house of Lady Fatima (a) refers to going of ‘Umar b. Khattab and his companions in front of the house of Lady Fatima (a) to call Imam Ali (a) and other people in the house to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr. Shiite and Sunni sources have reported that in this incident, which took place after the demise of the Prophet (a) (28 Safar 11 AH), ‘Umar b. Khattab threatened to set the house on fire if the people of the house did not exit the house.

In the book of Sulaym b. Qeys, Ithbat al-wasiyya and Tafsir ‘Ayashi, among the first Shiite sources, it is mentioned that in this incident, which led to the breaking and burning of the door of the house, the unborn child of Fatima (a), Mohsen (a), was aborted and it later led to the martyrdom of Lady Fatima (a). Sunni sources deny burning the door and injuring Lady Fatima (a), and accused its narrators of being “Rafidiyy” [lit. “dissenter”].

Abu Bakr’s need for allegiance of Imam Ali (a) to strengthen the position of his caliphate and Ali’s (a) refusal to give allegiance, has been considered as one of the causes of this incident. According to Mohammad Hadi Yousefi Gharavi, a researcher in Islamic history, this incident occurred about 50 days after the demise of the Prophet (a).

According to the book of Sulaym b. Qeys, and the book al-Imama wa al-siyasa, in the meeting with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, Lady Fatima (a) recited the hadith of “Bid’a” and took God as Witness that they annoyed and angered her. According to Sunni sources, Abu Bakr was quoted as saying in the last moments of his life that he wished he had not ordered the entrance to the house of Fatima (a).

The story of the attack on Fatima’s (a) house, which took place after the Saqifa incident and with the aim of taking Imam Ali’s (a) allegiance for the caliphate of Abu Bakr, and led to the martyrdom of Lady Fatima (a), has been one of the issues affecting Shiite-Sunni relations. Some of the earliest Shiite sources, such as the book of Sulaym b. Qeys, Ithbat al-wasiyya, Tafsir ‘Ayashi, and Dala’il al-Imama, have reported the incident and its consequences and in contrast, Sunni sources deny setting the door of the house on fire and the abortion of Muhsin (a), and called the narrators unreliable and Rafidiyy.