What al-Mufid Records in Al-Amali

10. Aba `Abdullah, al-Mufid, has said,

Abu Bakr, namely Muhammed (A.S.) ibn `Omer al-Ji`abi, has said that Abu Bakr, Ahmed ibn Mansar al-Ramadi, has said that Sa`ad ibn `Afar saying that Ibn Laha`ah, quoting Khalid ibn Yazid, from Aba Hilal from Marwan ibn `Othman saying that when people swore the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, Ali (A.S.), al-Zubayr and al-Miqdad entered the house of Fatima (A.S.) and refused to go out (to swear it). `Omer ibn al-Khattab said, “Set the house on fire!” Al-Zubayr went out with his sword. Abu Bakr said, “Take care of the dog!” So they went in his direction. His foot slipped and he fell on the ground, and the sword fell from his hand. Abu Bakr said, “Hit it [his sword] on the rock!” His sword was hit on a rock till it was broken.

Ali (A.S.) ibn Abi Talib went out to a cliff. He was met by Thabit ibn Qais ibn Shammas who asked him, “O father of al-Hasan (A.S.)! What are you doing here?” He said, “They wanted to burn my house as Abu Bakr was sitting on the pulpit receiving the people’s oath of allegiance without defending or even denouncing such an act.” Thabit said to him, “My hand shall not part with yours till I am killed defending you.” They both set out and entered Medina. Fatima (A.S.) was standing at her door. Her house was empty. She was saying, “I dissociate myself from people worse than whose presence there is nothing at all! You left the coffin of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) lying before us [as you went to the saqifa to “elect” Abu Bakr]; you violated your oath to be obedient to us, and you did not let us take charge of you. You have done what you have done to us without being mindful of our status!”¹

11. Shaikh al-Mufid, may Allah have mercy on him, has said,

When people assembled at the house of Fatima (A.S.) from Bani Hashim and others in order to demonstrate their opposition to Abu Bakr and to show that they differed in their views from him, `Omer ibn al-Khattab dispatched Qunfath, saying to him, “Get them out of the house. If they get out (to swear fealty), it is alright. Otherwise, collect firewood at his (Ali [a]’s) house door and tell them that if they did not come out to swear fealty, you would burn their house.”

Then `Omer led in person a group of people including al-Mugharah ibn Shu`bah al-Thaqafi and Salim slave of Aba Huthayfah till they arrived at the door of Ali’s house. `Omer shouted, “O Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! Get those who have sought shelter at your house out or else I shall burn you all!” All this is very well known.²

12. Al-Kanji has attributed to al-Mufid and to Ibn Qutaybah their statement relevant to the miscarriage of Muhassan, the fetus. Al-Kanji has cited Shaikh al-Mufid saying, “... And he added to what the masses have said that Fatima (A.S.) had miscarried after the demise of the Prophet (A.S.) a male child whom the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) had named Muhassan... This is something which only Ibn Qutaybah from among the transmitter has stated.”³

But what we have stated in these chapters proves the inaccuracy and imprecision of his latest statement. Such a fact exists in scores of references.

13. Shaikh al-Mufid has said,

Not many people attended the burial of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) because of the bickering which took place between the Muhajiran and the Ansar about the caliphate. Most of them missed the opportunity to perform the funeral prayers for him as well. Fatima (A.S.) kept lamenting that day’s morning, whereupon the second caliph said to her, “Your morning is surely evil.”⁴

14. Al-Mufid has said that Aba Ja`fer, namely Muhammed ibn Ali ibn al-Husain, has says that his father narrates saying that Ahmed ibn Idras says that Muhammed ibn `Abd al-Jabbar quotes al-Qasim ibn Muhammed al-Razi quotes Ali ibn al-Hirmizan quotes Ali ibn al-Husain (A.S.) ibn Ali (A.S.) quoting his father, al-Husain (A.S.), saying,

When Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Prophet (A.S.) fell sick, she told Ali (A.S.) by way of a will to keep what was happening to her as a secret, not to tell anyone about her and not to announce her sickness, and he did. He used to look after her in person assisted by Asma’ daughter of `Umays, may Allah have mercy on her, on the condition that she, too, had to keep it a secret. When death approached near her, she told the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) by way of a will to take care of her burial and to obliterate all signs of the location of her grave. The Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) did so, burying her and hiding the location of her grave.⁵

15. Al-Mufid and al-`Ayyashi have quoted `Amr ibn Aba al-Miqdam quoting his father quoting his grandfather saying,

Two occasions were the very hardest on Ali (A.S.). The first of those occasions was when the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) passed away. The second occasion was, by Allah, when I sat at the saqifa of Bani Sa`idah on the right side of Abu Bakr as people were swearing the oath of allegiance to him. `Omer said [to Ali (A.S.)], “You [Abu Bakr]! You have not done anything [worth doing] unless Ali (A.S.) swears the oath of allegiance to you, so send for him so that he may come to you and swear fealty to you.” Abu Bakr dispatched Qunfath after instructing him thus: “Say to him: `Answer the call of the successor of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)’.” Abu Bakr, `Omer, `Othman, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Mugharah ibn Shu`bah, Aba `Ubaydah al-Jarrah and Salim slave of Aba Huthayfah stood up, and I stood up and went with them. Fatima (A.S.) thought that nobody would enter her house without her permission, so she closed her house door and locked it. When they arrived at the door, `Omer kicked it with his foot and broke it, and it was made of palm branches. They forcefully entered Ali’s house and arrested him.⁶

16. Muhammed ibn Jarar ibn Rustam al-Tabari has quoted al-Waqidi saying that the son of Aba Hanifah has quoted Dawad ibn al-Hasan saying that some men from among the Muhajiran and Ansar were very angry when Abu Bakr received the oath of allegiance. They said that he had done so without consulting them and without their agreement. Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr were both angry. They took to Fatima’s house and did not swear it. `Omer, accompanied by a group of men which included Asad ibn Hasan and Salamah ibn Aslam ibn Jarash al-Ashhali. `Omer shouted, “Come out or else we shall burn you all!” They refused to come out. Fatima (A.S.) called upon those men and pleaded to them in the Name of Allah to leave. `Omer ordered Salamah ibn Aslam who entered by force. He took the sword of one of them [of al-Zubayr] and kept hitting it on the wall till he broke it. Then he led them after having arrested them till they were forced to swear the oath of allegiance (to Abu Bakr).

17. He has also said that he was told by Ishaq ibn Ibrahim that the latter was told by Salamah ibn al-Fadl who cited `Abdullah ibn A`yan quoting Harb ibn Abul-Aswad al-Du’ali saying,

My father sent me to Jundab ibn `Abdullah al-Bijli to ask him about what went on between Abu Bakr and `Omer on one hand and Ali (A.S.) on the other when they invited the latter to swear the oath of allegiance [to Abu Bakr]. He said, “They took it [by force] from Ali (A.S.).” So he wrote him asking him to state, in writing, his view of what he had seen in person. He wrote him saying the following: They both [Abu Bakr and `Omer] sent for Ali (A.S.) who was brought to them tied. Once in their presence, they required him to swear the oath of allegiance. “What if I do not?” Ali (A.S.) inquired. They both told him that they would kill him. He said, “Then you will be killing a servant of Allah (A.S.) and a Brother of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.).” They said, “as being a servant of Allah (A.S.), yes, a very good one, indeed, but as for being the Brother of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), No.” Then they repeated their demand and he repeated his question, whereupon they said, “Then you shall be humiliated and killed.” He repeated his response, returning that day without swearing it..., etc.⁷

18. `Imad ad-Din, namely al-Tabari, one of the seventh century [Hijri] scholars, has said the following (which is a translation from the original Persian text):

... Meanwhile, `Omer, accompanied by the folks of stubbornness and hypocrisy, arrived. He said, “O son of Aba Talib! Open the door or else I shall burn your house!” Fatima (A.S.) said, “O `Omer! Fear Allah with regard to the sanctity of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! Do not enter, for you are prohibited.” `Omer insisted, forcing his way and the way of his hypocritical companions in. Fatima (A.S.) called out, “O Father! Witness what we have suffered at the hand of Abu Bakr and `Omer after you!” `Omer took his sword, which was still in its scabbard, and hit Fatima (A.S.) with it on the side. Qunfath hit her with the sword on her shoulder. Fatima (A.S.) screamed, “O Father! Witness what your Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) have suffered at the hands of Abu Bakr and `Omer after you!”⁸

19. The same author, discussing how Fatima (A.S.) was buried without the knowledge of the caliph and how `Omer became angry and almost hit al-Miqdad who told him the news, cites al-Miqdad saying the following to `Omer: “Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) left this life while blood was coming out of her back and side because of you hitting her with the sword and with the whip.” The author goes on to say the following:

They went to Ali (A.S.) and found him sitting at his house door surrounded by his companions. `Omer said to him, “O son of Aba Talib! You never abandon your ancient envy! Yesterday, you washed the corpse of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) without our knowledge, and today you perform the funeral prayers for Fatima (A.S.) also without us.” `Aqal, may Allah have mercy on him, said to him, “And you, I swear by Allah, are the most of all people in your envy and more ancient in animosity towards the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) and his Ahl al-Bayt. You hit her in the past, and she left this world and blood was on her back, and she was not pleased with you both at all.”⁹

20. Al-Maqdisi al-Ardabili (d. 993 A.H.), discussing `Omer, has stated the following (a translation from the Persian text):

According to his order, they carried firework to the house of al-Zahra’ (A.S.) in order to burn it, seeing and knowing that Fatima (A.S.) was sitting behind the door. `Omer ordered her beaten and he, `Omer, himself beat her on her stomach, and his slave beat her with the whip on her shoulder. This was the cause of her miscarriage. The effects of the beating remained on her body. She fell sick because of that and died. All of this happened because of her orders. Sunnis do not deny any of these incidents, but some of them, such as al-Qawshaji, have tred to rebut it, but the rebuttals have come very cold and weak.¹⁰

21. Al-Khawajoo’i al-Mazandarani has quoted a narrative transmitted by al-Kalbi from Ibn `Abbas as follows:

Al-Zuhri has quoted Aba Ishaq, namely Ibrahim al-Thaqafi, citing Za’idah ibn Qudamah saying that he went out with `Omer accompanied by about sixty men. `Omer sought permission to enter their house, but he was not granted permission, so he made a lot of fuss and noise.

Al-Zubayr went out to him unsheathing his sword. The second [caliph, i.e. `Omer] fled away before them as was his habit. Al-Zubayr chased him, but he stumbled on a rock in his way, so he fell headlong. `Omer shouted, “Take care of the dog!” Al-Zubayr was surrounded. Salamah ibn Aslam took al-Zubayr’s sword and kept hitting it on a rock till it broke. Al-Zubayr was roughly led to Abu Bakr. `Omer returned to the door and again asked permission to enter. Fatima (A.S.) said to him, “I plead to you in the Name of Allah, if you are a believer, not to enter my house, for I am without a veil.” `Omer did not pay her any attention and attacked the house. Fatima (A.S.) called out, “O Father! Witness what we have suffered from Abu Bakr and `Omer after you!”

His supporters followed him inside. He demanded from the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) to come out. Ali (A.S.) did not resist because of the instructions which he had been given by the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) by way of a will, thus avoiding a serious dissension among the Muslims.

`Omer went out with them, and the Pure Lady went out behind him and kept saying to him, “O son of the black woman [Sahhak, the prostitute]! How swiftly you permitted humiliation to enter the house of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)!” All the women belonging to Bani Hashim went out with her. When Abu Bakr saw Fatima (A.S.) coming to meet him, he stood out and said, “What caused you to come out like that, O daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)?!” She said, “You and the son of the black one caused me to come out.” Abu Bakr said, “O Daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! Do not talk like that, for he used to love your father.” Fatima (A.S.) said, “Had he loved him, he would not have caused humiliation to enter his house.”¹¹

22. Al-Khawajoo’i al-Mazandarani has also said, “They have narrated that Fatima (A.S.) had a house, and she had a door overlooking the Mosque. Abu Bakr said, `I have heard the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) saying that the door should not lead to the Mosque,’ so he ordered the door of her house to be removed or sealed. Then he regretted having left her house thus exposed and said, `How I wish I left Fatima’s house alone and did not expose it!’”¹²

We say that the regret referred to above by Abu Bakr was not because he left Fatima’s house exposed, but it was on account of assaulting her house on the day of his inauguration. What points out to this fact is his own statement at the end of his speech wherein he said: “... although it was closed by force.”

23. Al-Tibrisi has narrated the incident of the assault. In a detailed narrative, he has said the following:

`Othman and `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Awf and those in their company stood up and swore the oath of allegiance [to Abu Bakr]. Ali (A.S.) and Bani Hashim went to Ali’s house, and al-Zubayr was with them.

`Omer went to them in a group of those who swore fealty including Asad ibn al-Hudayr and Salamah ibn Salamah and found them assembling. He said to them, “Swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, for the people have already done so.” Al-Zubayr was swift to take to his sword, so `Omer said to them, “Go take care of the dog and spare us his evil!” Salamah ibn Salamah took the sword out of al-Zubayr’s hand. `Omer took the sword and kept hitting it on the ground till he broke it.

They surrounded all those of Bani Hashim assembling there and let them to Abu Bakr. When they were present there, they were told to swear fealty to Abu Bakr since other people had already done so.¹³

24. In another text stated by al-Tibrisi, the author says the following as he discusses `Omer:

He [`Omer] came to know that some people remained at home [rather than swear fealty to his friend Abu Bakr], so he used to go to them accompanied by a large number of his fellows and bring them to the Mosque to swear fealty. After a few days, he went with a large number of people to the house of Ali (A.S.) ibn Abi Talib and demanded that he come out, but Ali (A.S.) refused. `Omer ordered firewood and a torch of fire to be brought and said, “I swear by the One Who holds the life of `Omer in His hand that he either comes out or I burn his house and everyone inside it!” He was told that Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) was there, and so were al-Hasan (A.S.) and al-Husain (A.S.), grandsons of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) and his offspring, and people found his statement very contemptible.

When he knew that they resented his statement, `Omer said, “What is wrong with you?! Do you see that I have done anything like that?! I only want to scare them.” Ali (A.S.) sent them the following message; “I have no intention to leave the house because I am very busy compiling the text of the Holy Qur’an which you have abandoned behind your backs, and your love for the life of this world has diverted your attention from it. I have sworn not to come out of my house nor put my outer garment on till I compile its entire text.”

Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) went out to reason with them. She stood behind the door and said, “I do not know any day of my life worse than the one when I thus face you. You left the corpse of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) to us as you decided your affair among yourselves and did not let us take charge of you, nor did you uphold our rights, as if you did not understand what the Prophet (A.S.) had said to you on the Ghadir Khumm day, by Allah...!”¹⁴

25. Al-Majlisi, may Allah have mercy on him, detailed a letter sent by the second caliph to Mu`awiyah narrating what al-Zahra’ (A.S.) had to go through at his hand. Among its contents are the following details:

I went to his [Ali’s] house bent on getting him out of it. I said to the maid, Fidda, “Tell Ali (A.S.) to come out to swear fealty to Abu Bakr since all the Muslims have already done so.” She said, “The Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) is busy.” I said to her, “Leave such talk aside and tell him to come out or else we shall enter and get him out by force.”

Fatima (A.S.) came out and stood behind the door. She said, “O you folks of misguidance and falsehood, what are you saying, and what do you want?!” I said, “O Fatima!” Fatima (A.S.) said, “What do you want, `Omer?!” I said, “What is wrong with your cousin? Why did he send you to answer the door as he sat behind the curtain?” She said, “It is your own oppression, you wretch, that has forced me to come out thus and has tied you to the evidence as well as every misguided deviator.” I said, “Leave such falsehood and women’s fables aside and tell Ali to come out.” She said, “No love to you from us nor respect; are you scaring me with the Party of Satan, O `Omer?! Surely the Party of Satan is weak.” I decided that if he refused to come out, I would bring plenty of firewood and burn everyone in his house unless Ali is led to swear the oath of allegiance. I took the whip of Qunfath and hit her with it, then I said to Khalid ibn al-Walid, “Go, you and our men, and gather firewood, for I shall set it ablaze myself.” She said, “O enemy of Allah and of His Messenger and of the Commander of the Faithful!” I hit Fatima (A.S.) on the hand because she was holding the door, thus stopping me from entering it. I tried to open it but I could not, so I hit her hands with the whip, and it hurt her. I heard her exhaling and crying, and I almost felt that my heart was becoming soft, then I remembered Ali’s grudges and how much blood he had spilled of the heroes of the Arabs. I kicked the door. Fatima (A.S.) had supported the door with her body, and I heard her let a scream whereby I thought she turned Medina upside down. She said, “O Father! O Messenger of Allah! Should this be done the one your loved, to your daughter?! O Fidda! Take me, for by Allah what I have in my womb has been killed.” I heard her birth-pangs as she supported herself with the wall. I pushed he door and entered. She faced me with a face that caused my vision to be blurred, so I slapped her on her cheeks from outside the veil. Her ear-ring was crushed into bits and pieces that scattered on the ground. Ali (A.S.) came out. When I realized his presence, I hurried to get out of the house and said to Khalid, Qunfath and those in their company, “I have been saved from something tremendous!” According to another narrative, he said, “I have committed a great crime from which I do not feel safe for my life at all, and here is Ali (A.S.) coming out of the house. Neither I nor all of you combined can overpower him. Ali (A.S.) came out. She hit with her hands her forelock to expose it and to complain to Allah, the Great, because of what had befallen her. Ali (A.S.) shrew her outer mantle on her saying, `O daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! Allah sent your father as a mercy to the worlds... so, O Head of the Women of the World, you too should be a mercy to these afflicted folks and do not be a torment.’ The pain of child-birth intensified. She entered the room and miscarried a child whom Ali (A.S.) named Muhassan. I gathered many people, not to overpower Ali (A.S.) but so that I feel more safe. I approached him as he was besieged and took him out of his house... Abu Bakr said to me, `Woe unto you, O Abu Bakr! What have you done to Fatima?!”¹⁵