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 (s)]] (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. Qays]]'', ''[[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), [[Muhsen (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”].

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.

On the anniversary of the martyrdom of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a), which is called Fatimiyya Days, Shiites mourn the martyrdom of Lady Fatima (a).

In a narration reported by Shiites and Sunnis, it is stated that the Prophet (a) introduced the house of Fatima (a) and Ali (a) as the best example of houses mentioned in verse 36 of sura al-Noor.

In Shiite and Sunni sources, the occasions of revelation of some verses from the Qur’an are considered related to the households of Lady Fatima’s (a) house (including Imam Ali (a), Lady Fatima al-Zahra (a), Imam al-Hasan (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a)), including the verse “It’am” and the verse “Tathir”. In the interpretation of the verse “And bid your family to prayer…” (20:132), it is narrated from Abu Sa’id Khidri that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet (a) used to go to the house of Fatima (a) every day for eight months, call the households to prayer and then recite the verse of “Tathir”.  

According to Sayyid Muhsin Amin in A’yan al-Shi’a, the Prophet (a) built a house for Imam Ali (a) next to the Prophet’s (a) Mosque and beside the houses of his wives. Imam Ali (a) rented another house after marrying Lady Fatima (a) and they (a) lived in it for a while. After a while, they (a) returned to the house next to the mosque and their children were born there. Ali b. Ahmad Samhudi, a Sunni scholar (d. 911 AH), considered the location of Lady Fatima’s (a) house next to the pillar of “Murabba’at al-Qabr” in the Prophet’s (a) Mosque, which is also called “the station of Gabriel”.

The Prophet (a) had introduced Ali b. Abi Talib (a) as his successor on the 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah in 10 AH, returning from Hajjat al-Wida’ [“the Farewell Hajj”]. ‘Umar b. Khattab was among those who congratulated Imam Ali (a) on that day. But just after the demise of the Prophet (a), a number of the Emigrants and the Helpers in a gathering formed in Saqifa Bani Sa’ida, against the will of the Prophet (a), agreed on the caliphate of Abu Bakr and pledged allegiance to him. According to Ibn Kathir, allegiance to Abu Bakr took place before the Prophet’s (a) burial, at which time Imam Ali (a) was preparing the Prophet’s (a) body for burial.

According to Hussein Mohammad Ja’fari, the author of Tashayyu’ dar masir-e tarikh, people’s allegiance to Abu Bakr was not enough for him to gain power, because Ali (a), who was the most important candidate for caliphate among the Prophet’s (a) family, as agreed by Shiites and Sunnis, as well as his close companions and Bani Hashem were not aware of the decision of the members of the Bani Sa’ida meeting. Therefore, Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, fearing a serious reaction from Imam Ali (a) or his followers, called them to allegiance and used force when faced with their refusal.

One of the factors in opposing Imam Ali (a) and leaving him out of the caliphate is considered their jealousy of his many virtues. This factor is also mentioned in a narration of the Prophet (a). Also, in the narrations quoted in Shiite and Sunni sources, the Prophet (a) had predicted that some people would show their hatred against Ali (a) after the demise of the Prophet (a). According to some reports, the Quraysh’s hatred against Imam Ali (a), which was due to the killing of the chiefs of Quraysh in the Prophet’s (a) battles, such as the battle of Badr, played the most important role in this issue.

Note 2: In another narration, Salma b. Aslam b. Juraysh is mentioned.