Al-Muhassan was Miscarried Because of Grief for the Demise of the PROPHET (A.S.)

 

58. `Omer Aba al-Nasr has said, “The author of the book titled Al-Isnad fi Ma`rifat Hujaj-Allah `alal `Ibad says that Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, miscarried al-Muhassan after the demise of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.). She may have miscarried him due to her intense grief and anxiety.”1

 

I think that the last sentence belongs to `Omer Aba al-Nasr, not to the author of the book titled Al-Isnad fi Ma`rifat Hujaj-Allah. (Obviously, the correct titled is Al-Irshad fi Ma`rifat Hujaj-Allah `ala al-`Ibad, one of the books written by al-Mufid, may Allah have mercy on him).

Nevertheless, it is quite obvious that this is a blatant insult against al-Zahra’ (A.S.) by saying that she lost patience while facing the destiny of Allah (A.S.), Glory to Him, to such an extent although she (A.S.) is much more pious and righteous to attribute such impatience to her which reached the extend of jeopardizing the health of her fetus and killing him. She is the patient and persevering woman who said once to the ladies of Bani Hashim, when they gather to mourn the Prophet (A.S.), “Do not wail; take to supplication.”2

The Messenger of Allah (A.S.) had admonished Fatima (A.S.) saying, “If I die, do not scratch your face, nor should you let your hair loose, nor should you wail nor lament.”3

Regarding the same occasion, he admonished her thus: “Rely on Allah, and persevere just as your forefathers from among the prophets persevered.”4

Al-Zahra’ (A.S.) was not to go against the command of her father, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his purified progeny, nor can we imagine her going against the Commandments of Allah in obedience to her emotions. But those who harbor mischief, and the vicious ones, tried to depict Fatima (A.S.) as the woman who lost her patience and was wailing and lamenting and whose impatience reached the extent of killing her fetus and miscarrying him, so much so that someone reported that “She remained following the death of her father tying her head with a scarf, very thin, fatigued, weeping, depressed, falling into swoons from time to time and saying to both her sons..., etc.”5 Someone else added in another text to the previous statements saying, “And whenever she sniffed his shirt, she would lose consciousness.”6 This depicts her as violating her father’s instruction not to wail, calling out thus: “O Father! The Garden of Eternity is his reward! O Father! Near the One of the Throne is his abode! O Father! Gabriel used to visit him! O Father! After today, I shall never see him!”7

Add to the above the narrative which they transmit from her maid, Fidda (A.S.), and other such stuff.

We may interpret this as a justification for getting her out of her house and near her father’s grave. It is to justify prohibiting her from showing her grief which exposes the oppression to which she was exposed and how the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) was forced to build her “bayt al-ahzan” at al-Baqee` so that this name remains forever a document indicting the new oppression and harsh persecution to which she was exposed.

1`Omer Abul-Nasr, Fatima (A) Bint Rasul Allah Muhammed (A), p. 94 (published by the office of `Omer Aba Nasr for authorship, translation and journalism, Beirut, Lebanon).

2Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 22, p. 522, quoting Al-Kafi and p. 294, Vol. 1, of Manaqib Al Aba Talib by Ibn Shahr ashab.

3Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 22, p. 496 in a footnote from p. 66, Vol. 2, of Al-Kafi.

4Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 22, p. 502 in a footnote citing pp. 32-33 of Al-Amali by the mentor Al-Tusi.

5Ahmed Fahmi, Al-Batal al-Tahira, p. 128 from Al-Manaqib by Ibn Shahr Ashub.

6Refer to the book titled Fatima al-Zahra’ (A.S.) in al-Ahadith al-Nabawiyya, pp. 183-84 and p. 87 of Al-Nafahat al-Qudsiyya from Rawdat al-Wa`izan.

7Consult the following references: p. 126 of Al-Batal al-Tahira by Shaikh Ahmed Fahmi Muhammed from al-Suddi, p. 43, Vol. 13 of Sharh Nahjul Balagha by the Mu`tazilite scholar [Ibn Abul-Hadid], pp. 527-28, Vol. 22, of Bihar al-Anwar by al-Majlisi, p. 294, Vol. 1 of Manaqib Al Aba Talib, p. 85 of Al-Nafahat al-Qudsiyya by `Abd al-Razzaq Kammana (published in 1390 A.H. by Dar al-Sadiq in Beirut, Lebanon) from p. 312, Vol. 1 of al-Nisa’i’s Sunan and other references.