Fadak: Difference between revisions

'''Fadak''' (Arabic: {{ia|فدك}}) a village in [[Hijaz]], [[Arabia]], had lush gardens with date palm trees which was located near [[Khaybar]], which 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. al-Khattab]], the second caliph, who ordered them to evacuate the region.

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.

After the conquest of [[Khaybar]], Jews surrendered to Muslims. When the Jewish people of Fadak were informed about their defeat to the Muslim forces, they were afraid of a probable attack to Fadak; therefore, they sent their representative to Prophet Muhammad (s) in order to negotiate and make peace with Muslims.

As Muslims did not attend the conquest of Fadak, according to the order of [[Qur'an|the Holy Quran]], Fadak was owned specifically by Prophet Muhammad (s). As dictated in the Quran, the properties achieved for Muslims, in which they did not fight for, are owned only by Prophet (s). Such properties are called [[fay']] which belong to Prophet Muhammad (s) and he can transfer the ownership or control of such properties to whomever he decides.

Some Shiite and Sunni exegetes believe that following the [[revelation]] of the verse 26 of [[sura al-Isra']] (17){{enote|{{ia|وَآتِ ذَا القُربىٰ حَقَّهُ وَالمِسكينَ وَابنَ السَّبيلِ وَلا تُبَذِّر تَبذيرًا}}: Give the relatives their [due] right, and the needy and the traveller [as well], but do not squander wastefully. (Qur'an 17:26)}}, Prophet Muhammad (s) gave Fadak to Lady Fatima (a).

{{Main|Usurpation of Fadak}}

The fame of Fadak among Shi’a is due to an event which took place after the demise of the Prophet (a). In this event, Abu Bakr took Fadak from Lady Fatima (a) and confiscated it for the caliphate. Abu Bakr argued that the Prophets (a) do not leave inheritances as he had heard it from the Prophet (a). But, Lady Fatima (a) mentioned that Abu Bakr’s argument was against the Qur’an and took Imam Ali (a) and Umm Ayman as witnesses that the Prophet (a) had gifted Fadak to her before his demise (and Fadak was not an inheritance). Abu Bakr accepted that and wrote a handwriting that no one should encroaches on it. When Lady Fatima (a) exited the meeting, ‘Umar b. Khattab saw her, took the handwriting and torn it. As Imam Ali’s (a) petition was rejected, Lady Fatima (a) went to the mosque and gave Fadakiyya speech.

After the first caliphs, Fadak was in the hands of caliphs during the time of Umayyads and ‘Abbasids and only in some periods, was given to the descendants of Lady Fatima (a): 1. during the caliphate of ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, 2. the time of Abu al-‘Abbas Saffah, 3. The time of Mahdi son of Mansur ‘Abbasi, 4. During the caliphate of Ma’mun. After Ma’mun, Mutawakkil ‘Abbasi ordered to change Fadak’s ownership to the condition before the order of Ma’mun. Most historical books have not mentioned anything about Fadak after the caliphate of Ma’mun.

When Ma’mun (ruled 198 – 218 AH) decided to return Fadak to descendants of Lady Fatima (a), many oppositions arose. Thus, he invited 200 of prominent scholars of his time and asked them to mention their opinions about Fadak’s ownership. After the presentation of ideas, the conclusion of the meeting was that Fadak belonged to Lady Fatima (a) and needed to return to its original inheritors. The insistence of objectors made Ma’mun hold another meeting with more scholars from around the Islamic world. The result of this session was similar to the result of the first meeting. Therefore, in 210 AH, he wrote to the governor of Medina, Qutham b. Ja’far, to return Fadak to children of Lady Fatima (a).

==Today’s Condition==

Fadak is today located in Ha’il province of Saudi Arabia. According to a report (in 2008), the region of Fadak is known as “Wadi Fatima (a)” and its palm gardens are known as “Bustan Fatima (a)”. Also, there are a mosque and wells in this area which are called “Masjid Fatima (a)” and “’Uyun Fatima (a)”. Houses and towers of this area are turned to ruins and most palm trees have died.  

 

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