Lady Fatimah al-Zahra' (a): Difference between revisions

==After the Demise of the Prophet==

Main entries: Fadak and the Sermon of Fadakiyya

After the Prophet’s demise, Abu Bakr took over the caliphate and ordered the confiscation of the Prophet’s inheritance (including what he had given to his children during his life). Fatima (s) said that she was the Prophet’s daughter, and like every other daughters, she will receive her father’s inheritance. On the contrary, Abu Bakr said, “I have heard the Apostle of God (s) saying that, we, prophets, do not leave inheritance and what we leave is charity.”

Fatima (s) was puzzled and shocked when she heard this. She wondered that how the Prophet (s) could have said this while she, his heiress, or Ali, his son in law and the nearest person to him, did not know about it. So Fatima (s) resisted against the Caliph and delivered a sermon in Masjid al-Nabi in front of Muhajirin and Ansar and by reading verses of Qur’an about offspring of prophets who inherited from their fathers condemned Abu Bakr’s opinion and decision.

According to explicit words of Shi’a and some Sunni scholars, the Prophet (s) gave Fadak to Fatima (s) during his life after revelation of the verse: “And give the relatives their right” (Surat al-Isra’:26)

According to Bukhari’s report, when Abu Bakr narrated from the Prophet (s) that prophets do not leave inheritance and what they leave is charity, Fatima (s) became angry with him and did not talk to him to the end of her life.

Ibn Qutayba writes, “After that Fatima became angry at them, Abu Bakar and ‘Umar came to her house for propitiating her; but when they asked for permission to enter the house, Fatima did not let them in. So they went to Ali and asked him for help. Ali took them to the house to Fatima; but Fatima turned his face away from them and did not reply their Salam. After that Abu Bakr talked, Fatima asked them, “If I narrate for you a hadith from the Prophet, will you acknowledge that and act according to it?” They said, “Yes.” Fatima said, “I implore you to God, did you hear the Prophet saying “Fatima’s happiness is my happiness and Fatima’s anger is my anger; so, whoever like Fatima, my daughter, had liked me and whoever make Fatima happy had made me happy and whoever make Fatima angry had made me angry?”” They replied, “Yes, we heard this from the Apostle of God.” Fatima said, “I call God and his angles as witnesses that you two have made me angry and did not made me happy and if I see the Prophet I will complain about you to him.” Abu Bakr started talking, but Fatima continued her words addressing him, “ By God, I will curse you after each prayer I perform.””

Her anger and annoyance is important because not only Shi’a but also Sunni narrators have quoted the Prophet (s), “Fatima is a part of my body, whoever make her angry has made me angry.” In addition, in this event the confiscators of Fadak denied her right publicly which implies that she had lied in her true claim that his father has given it to her in his life, although she was repelled from all impurities by God as Qur’an explicitly mentions in Surat al-Ahzab:33.

Analyzing the sermon of Fadakiyya, Dr. Shahidi writes, “It is clear that they ignored the core of her words and dealt with it as a speech that was only delivered for getting her inheritance. Obviously, she did delivered her sermon for taking some date trees and sheaves of wheat. A household that give away the only food they have to feed the hungry, would not cry for their stomach. She wanted to keep the Tradition (sunna) and justice alive. She feared that the thoughts of Ignorance Era, which was hidden under the cover of Islam, comes to light; and tribal prides comes to existence. Today is Bani Tamim’s turn and rommorow is Bani ‘Uday and then Bany Umayya, who fought Islam with all they got and embraced Islam not by heart by tongue as they did not have any other option.”

The author of A’lam al-nisa’ narrates from Ali b. Muhana’ al-‘Alawi that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar usurped Fadak from Fatima (s) because they were afraid that Ali (a) would become strong and struggle with them over caliphate.

In his book “Fadak fi al-tarikh”, Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr writes “Starting the protest by Lady Fatima (s) had two important and positive elements:

- The emotional aspect: as the Prophet’s daughter, she was more influential eliciting emotions and reviving the memories of the Prophet (s).

- The political aspect: if Ali had started the opposition, it probably could have led to a civil war, armed uprising against the government and, eventually, dissension within the Muslim nation.”

Moreover, Imam Ali’s neutrality about giving Fadak to its legal owners, after he took over the caliphate, supports the analysis that it was only a symbol for protesting and giving the power to its rightful owner.