Fadak: Difference between revisions

'''Fadak''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|فدک}}) a village in [[Hijaz]], [[Saudi Arabia]], had lush gardens with date palm trees which was located near [[Khaybar]]. [[Abu Bakr]] and [[Lady Fatima (a)]] disagreed on the rightful ownership of Fadak. According to historical reports, after Muslims conquered [[Khaybar]] castles, based on the peace treaty, half of the gardens and farming fields were given to [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] by the Jews. As Fadak was conquered in peace, according to the [[Qur'an|Holy Qur'an]] it was particularly owned by Prophet Muhammad (s). As ordered by the Prophet (s), the revenue from Fadak was given to the poor, particularly the needy of [[Banu Hashim]]. According to historical reports, after some time Prophet Muhammad (s) gave Fadak to Lady Fatima (a) as a gift. After the Prophet (s) passed away, Abu Bakr confiscated Fadak. The [[Sermon of Fadakiyya]] was delivered by Lady Fatima (a) in order to complain about this incident, and Abu Bakr refused to give it back to Lady Fatima (a). For many centuries, the garden of Fadak was frequently given back to and retaken from the descendants of Lady Fatima (a). Today Fadak is located in a city called al-Ha'it.

Fadak is located in [[Hijaz]], 160 Km from [[Medina]]. Although it is situated in the dry lands of al-Harra, it is covered with date palms and provided land for gardens and farming. In the early Islamic period, Jews resided there. The Shamrukh castle was located near Fadak, which was strategically regarded as the main military base for the Jews. Reports state that the Jewish people were living there until the time of [['Umar b. Khattab]], the second caliph, who ordered them to evacuate the region.

During the emergence of [[Islam]], the fertile soil and rich water sources allowed Fadak to be rich in date palms and other gardens. As a result, Fadak was a productive and fruitful land with profitable income. It is said the date palms of Fadak are worth the same as date palms of [[Kufa]]; it is well-known for its extensive cultivation of date palms in the world. When 'Umar b. Khattab decided to expel the Jews, he paid them 50 thousand Dirhams (old currency of Hijaz) for the remaining half of Fadak, which was owned by the Jews.

After conspiracy by the Jews against Muslims in the [[Battle of Khandaq|Battle of Trench]] where Muslims defeated their opponents, Prophet Muhammad (s) ordered his forces to attack Khaybar and defeat the Jews.

Several [[Hadith]] scholars such as [[Al-Shaykh al-Tusi]], [[Al-Fadl b. al-Hasan al-Tabrisi|al-Tabrisi]], Huskani and [[al-Suyuti]] have interpreted the verse, "And render to the kindred their due rights as (also) to those in want and to the wayfarer: but squander not (your wealth) in the manner of a spendthrift" (Sura [[Al-Isra']], 26). They believed following the [[revelation]] of this verse, Prophet Muhammad (s) gave Fadak to Lady Fatima (a) as a gift.

However according to a hadith from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] in the book ''[[Al-Kafi (book)|al-Kafi]]'' , Fadak is regarded as [[Anfal]] (The spoils of war), not Fay'. As Prophet Muhammad (s) and [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]] were the only ones who attended the conquest of Fadak, the Prophet (s) was allowed to give Fadak to his daughter, Lady Fatima (a), as a gift.

After the event of [[Saqifa]], Abu Bakr took over the caliphate and seized Fadak as if it was state property. Then [[Lady Fatima (a)]] reacted to this event, and they had a discussion about Fadak which is narrated in historical sources in different fashion. As it is narrated, Lady Fatima (a) claimed Fadak was her rightful property, as it was a gift given by her father Prophet Muhammad (s). [[Abu Bakr]] said, "I have heard Prophet Muhammad (s) saying that, we, prophets, do not leave any inheritance behind and what is left is charity." Then Lady Fatima (a) responded, "Fadak was given to me as a gift by my father, Prophet (s)." So Abu Bakr asked her to prove it. According to several narrations, 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and Umm Ayman approved Lady Fatima (a) was right. As a result Abu Bakr accepted their claim and documented Fadak as property of Lady Fatima (a). However, it is said after [['Umar b. Khattab]] found out about the document, he tore it to pieces.

According to other narrations, after 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and Umm Ayman came to Abu Bakr to provide evidence for Fadak as property of Lady Fatima (a), the caliph did not accept them and refused to give it back to Lady Fatima (a). Then she went among companions of Prophet Muhammad (s) and delivered [[Al-Khutba al-Fadakiyya]] (Sermon of Fadakiyya) in which she claimed Fadak was a gift given to her by Prophet (s), although again, the caliph refused to return it.

The number of witnesses who came to testify against Abu Bakr's claim are mentioned differently in sources. According to one narration [[Lady Fatima (a)]] brought her sons, [[Al-Hasan (a)]] and [[Al-Husayn (a)]] to testify. [[Fakhr al-Razi]] believed one servant of Prophet Muhammad (s) also came to testify; [[al-Baladhuri]] mentioned the name of the servant as Ribah. Shi'a sources state Asma' bt. 'Umays was among the witnesses of Lady Fatima (a). It is said Prophet Muhammad (s) himself wrote a letter to reassure the fact that Fadak is property of Lady Fatima (a).

Fadak was still seized as state property in the time of the second caliph, [['Umar b. Khattab]]. Then [['Uthman]], the third caliph, gave it to [[Marwan b. Hakam]]. It also remained under the control of Marwan, in the time of caliphate of 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) until the end of [[Umayyad dynasty]].

According to [[Sunni]] sources, income achieved from Fadak was used for the needy of [[Banu Hashim]] and travelers in need until the rule of 'Uthman, the third caliph, when Fadak was again seized from Lady Fatima (a). They mentioned the words of Prophet Muhammad (s) saying Fadak was the source for helping Banu Hashim, but Umayyad dynasty ordered to stop giving the income to Banu Hashim.

[[Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr]] in his book, ''Fadak fi l-tarikh,'' (Fadak in history) discusses the raising of the topic of Fadak by Fatima (a) as a political move which represents opposition of Islam and belief against disbelievers and hypocrites. He believes that Fadak is a symbol of a significant goal and a full-scale revolution against the government of that time which was founded in Saqifa by three people: [[Abu Bakr]], [['Umar b. Khattab]] and [[Abu 'Ubayda al-Jarrah]]. If Lady Fatima (a) was willing to reclaim Fadak as her heritage, she could have certainly brought a number of Shi'a Muslims in order to testify for her. According to the analysis presented by Baqir al-Sadr, Lady Fatima (a) manifested her opposition to the government in six stages:

# A brief conversation with Abu Bakr and 'Umar stating that she was angry at them when they had come to propitiate her;

[[Al-Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr]] explained the reason why Lady Fatima (a) herself started this movement, not 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a): "Starting this movement by Lady Fatima (a) had two significant elements: An emotional aspect, as she was the daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s) she could remind people of Prophet's saying along with evoking public feelings; and a political aspect, because if Imam 'Ali (a) would have started this argument, it could lead to a civil war among Muslims or an uprising against the caliphate. "It seems after [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]] became caliph of Muslims he did not pursue Fadak, because it was a symbol of protesting and giving power to its rightful owner.

The author of ''A'lam al-nisa''' narrates from [['Ali b. Muhana' al-'Alawi]] that Abu Bakr and 'Umar kept Fadak away from Fatima (a) because they were afraid that Ali (a) would become powerful and challenge them over the caliphate.

===Caliphate of Imam 'Ali (a)===

When Imam 'Ali (a) accepted the caliphate due to insistence of the people, he did not attempt to get Fadak back to its owners. As mentioned in a narration, because both Lady Fatima (a) and [[Abu Bakr]] have passed away at that time, Imam refused to reclaim Fadak. Imam believed confiscation of Fadak was illegal, and he left it for [[God]] to judge the confiscators.

In a letter to [['Uthman b. Hanif]], Imam 'Ali (a) explained about Fadak and his judgment. He wrote, "Fadak was only our property, while some people were jealous of it and some were not. God Almighty is the best Judge of all, having or not having Fadak does not change me as we all die leaving our properties behind." [[Ibn Abi l-Hadid]] in analyzing Imam's narration stated, "Imam (a) was displeased with the situation of Fadak and left it for God to judge."

Regarding historical reports, Fadak was owned by the government during the [[Umayyad]] era. When [['Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz]] became caliph, he ordered to spend the income of Fadak on descendants of [[Prophet Muhammad (s)]] although it was still the property of government.

Paying the income of Fadak to descendants of Prophet Muhammad (s) by 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz angered Umayyads, so he tried to justify his decision. He claimed Fadak was property of Prophet Muhammad (s) by saying, "Then his daughter, Lady Fatima (a) asked to own Fadak but Prophet refused. From the time of Prophet Muhammad (s) a part of income of Fadak was used for the needy of [[Banu Hashim]], but after years this tradition was changed. Now I am trying to give its income back to its owners."

History researcher and author, [[Sayyid Ja'far Shahidi]], believes al-Ma'mun's order on giving Fadak back to descendants of Ahl al-Bayt (a) was issued some days after the anniversary of Prophet Muhammad's demise, and it is regarded a political strategy of al-Ma'mun. Although al-Ma'mun did it in order to compensate the troubles of the descendants of 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a), more importantly it was to tempt the feelings of Shi'a Muslims. He writes that he should have done what 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz has done and only give the income of Fadak to them, not rejecting previous rulers' command. He believes the disagreement between Lady Fatima (a) and Abu Bakr on Fadak took place only to prevent later [[Ijtihad]] (diligence) against what the Prophet (s) had explicitly stipulated (''[[nass]]'') because it would prevent imminent changes in Sunna of Prophet Muhammad (s) in Islamic community.

* The material for writing this article has been mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D9%81%D8%AF%DA%A9 فدک]in Farsi WikiShia.