House of Lady Fatima (a): Difference between revisions

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

==Attack on the House of Fatima==

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

==Which House Was Attacked?==

Some researchers believe that the attack on Lady Fatima's house did not occur at the house near the mosque but rather at another house located farther away. According to Muhammad Sadiq Najmi (d. 2011) in his book History of the Shrines of the Imams in Baqi', certain historical accounts support this theory. One such account mentions that as Imam 'Ali was being taken to the mosque to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr, people in the streets of Medina were observing the events. This report is documented in al-Saqifa wa-Fadak by Ahmad b. 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Jawhari al-Basri (d. 323 AH). Additionally, it is said that this house was located to the east of the Prophet’s Mosque, facing 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 AH), a Sunni scholar and expert on Medina, also mentioned a house near the Baqi' cemetery belonging to Imam 'Ali. The historical source al-Tabaqat al-kubra, written in the third century AH, references a house of Imam 'Ali located near Baqi'. Some believe this house to be the same one that Haritha b. Nu'man gifted to Fatima for her residence.

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