Important Note:

Al-Jahiz has said the following about al-Nizam: “He used to be the most critical of the Rafidis because of their casting doubts about the characters of the sahaba.”¹

58. In their biography of Muhammed ibn `Abdullah ibn `Omer ibn Muhammed ibn al-Hasan al-Faris, namely Abul-Hayat, the preacher from Balkh [Baluchistan], “Ali ibn Mahmad has told me saying that the preacher from Balkh was addicted to taunting the sahaba, so I attended her meeting place once. He said, `Fatima (A.S.) wept once, whereupon Ali (A.S.) said to her, `Are you crying because of me?! Did I confiscate your property (Fadak)? Did I usurp what belongs to you? Did I do such-and-such...?’ and he kept counting the things which the Rafidis claim that both shaikhs [Abu Bakr and `Omer] did against Fatima (A.S.). All the Rafidis present there wept loudly.’ He died in Safar of 196 A.H.”²

59. Ibn Sa`d, through his isnad to Salma, has said, “Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) fell sick among us. On the day when she died, Ali (A.S.) went outside. She said to me, `O bondmaid! Pour the water for me so I may bathe.’ I poured it for he, and she took the best bath then said, ‘Bring me my mourning clothes.’ I brought them to her and helped her put them on. Then she said to me, ‘Let my bed be in the middle of the house.’ I did, and she slept on it, facing the qibla. Then she said to me, ‘O bondmaid! I am dying now, and I have already taken by bath; so, nobody should uncover even my shoulder.’ She died. Ali (A.S.) returned, and I informed him of what happened. He said, ‘No, by Allah! Nobody shall ever uncover even her shoulder!’ He carried her and buried her as she was.”³

60. In another text, it is stated that when Abu Bakr received the oath of allegiance from the public, Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr kept consulting with Fatima (A.S.), and `Omer heard about it, so he went to Fatima (A.S.) and said, “O daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! By Allah! Nobody at all I love more than I love your father, and nobody is more dear to us after your father than yourself. By Allah! This does not stop me at all from burning the door of these individuals assembling with you!” When `Omer went out, she said to them, “You know that `Omer has been here and he swore by Allah to burn the house door. By Allah! He shall carry out what he swore to do; so, disperse to your destinations and flee.” They left her and did not return to her till they had sworn fealty...”⁴

61. Al-Balathiri has quoted Ibn `Abbas saying, “Abu Bakr and `Omer ibn al-Khattab sent for Ali (A.S.) when he refused to swear the oath of allegiance. He said, `Bring him to me in the most violent of violent ways.’ When he was brought to him, a dialogue went on between them both. He [Ali (A.S.)] said to `Omer, `Milk some milk a portion of which is yours. By Allah! You are not concerned about his government so much except that in the future he will advance you for it.’”⁵

62. Al-Ya`qabi has said, “It came to the knowledge of Abu Bakr and `Omer that a group of the Muhajiran and Ansar assembled with Ali (A.S.) ibn Abi Talib at the house of Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.). They went in a group till they assaulted the house. Ali (A.S.) went out carrying his sword. `Omer met him and they had a brawl. Ali (A.S.) subdued `Omer and broke his sword. They entered the house by force, so Fatima (A.S.) went out and said, “I plead to you in the Name of Allah to get out or else I shall uncover my hair and complain to Allah against you!” Everyone in the house went out. The people stayed for days and one by one swore the oath of allegiance save Ali (A.S.) who did not do so except six months later or, according to some, forty days.”⁶

His statement that “Ali (A.S.) went out carrying his sword” is not accurate; what is accurate is that al-Zubayr did so as is well known from all texts.

63. Zaid ibn Aslam has said,

I was one of those who carried firewood with `Omer to Fatima’s house door when Ali (A.S.) and his supporters refused to swear the oath of allegiance. `Omer said to Fatima (A.S.), “Get out of the house or else I shall burn it and everyone inside it!” Ali (A.S.), al-Hasan (A.S.), al-Husain (A.S.) and a group from among the companions of the Prophet (A.S.) were inside it. Fatima (A.S.) said to `Omer, “Shall you really burn my sons?!” “Yes,” `Omer answered, “by Allah, if they all do not come out to swear fealty.”⁷

The narrator goes on to say, “This is also narrated by Ibn Khrthathbah or Ibn Kharthabah or Ibn Khayranah or Ibn Khathabah.”⁸

Al-Waqidi has said that `Omer went to Ali (A.S.) with a group of people which included Asad ibn al-Hudayr and Salamah ibn Aslam al-Ashhali and said, “Get out, or else we shall burn you all!”⁹

Al-Hurr al-`amili, may Allah have mercy on him, has said,

Narrators have transmitted, and so have chronicler, that when `Omer secured the oath of allegiance to his friend [Abu Bakr] and Ali (A.S.) lagged behind, he went to Fatima’s house to demand that Ali (A.S.) swear fealty. He used a very rough language and ordered firewood to be brought in order to burn the house and everyone inside it. Inside it were: the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.), his wife (A.S.) and sons (A.S.). Those who supported Ali (A.S.) included al-Zubayr and a group from Bani Hashim. Among those who narrated the incident in detail are: al-Waqidi, Ibn Jubayr and Ibn `Abd Rabbih.¹⁰

65. Masa ibn `Uqbah has quoted Ibn Shihab saying that men from among the Muhajiran were very angry when people swore the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr. Among them was Ali (A.S.) ibn Abi Talib and al-Zubayr ibn al-`Awwam. They entered the house of Fatima (A.S.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.). `Omer ibn al-Khattab went there accompanied by a group from among the Muhajiran and Ansar including Asad ibn Hudayr, Salamah ibn Salamah ibn Waqsh, both from Bani al-Ashhal, and Thabit ibn Qais ibn Shammas al-Khazraji. They spoke to both of them till one of those folks took al-Zubayr’s sword and kept hitting it on a stone till he broke it.¹¹

Masa ibn `Uqbah has said the following in his book about the Prophet ‘s military campaigns [Kitab al-Maghazi]:

Sa`d ibn Ibrahim is quoted as saying, “My father narrated to me that his father, `Abd al-Rahman ibn `Awf, was with `Omer [when they all attacked the house of Fatima], and that Muhammed ibn Maslamah broke al-Zubayr’s sword. Then Abu Bakr delivered a sermon and apologized to the people.”¹²

66. Having listed the names of those who refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr and sided with Ali (A.S.) ibn Abi Talib, Ibn al-Shahnah says the following: “Then `Omer went to Fatima’s house to burn it and everyone inside it. Fatima (A.S.) met him. He said to her, `Join what the rest of the nation has done.’ Ibn Wasil says that Ali (A.S.) went out to Abu Bakr and swore fealty to him. `a’isha said that Ali (A.S.) never swore the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr till Fatima (A.S.) died.”¹³

67. Ibn `Abd Rabbih, a Mu`tazilite, is quoted by al-Balathiri and by others as having said,

As regarding Ali (A.S.), al-`Abbas and al-Zubayr, they took to Fatima’s house till Abu Bakr sent them `Omer ibn al-Khattab to get them out of Fatima’s house, saying to him, “If they refuse, you should fight them.” `Omer brought a torch of fire in order to burn their house. Fatima (A.S.) met him and said to him, “O son of al-Khattab! Have you really come here to burn our house?!” Or she said to him, “Are you really going to burn my house door?” or “my house?” He said, “Yes, if you do not join the rest of the nation.” Or he said, “Yes, and this is stronger than what your father (A.S.) had brought.” Ali (A.S.) went and swore fealty.¹⁴

68. Ibn Jarar [al-Tabari] has said,

Ibn Hamad has narrated to us saying that Jarar quotes al-Mugharah quoting Ziyad ibn Kulayb saying that `Omer ibn al-Khattab went to the house of Fatima (A.S.) where Talhah and al-Zubayr and men from among the Muhajiran were assembling. He said to them, “By Allah! I shall burn your house or else you get out to swear the oath of allegiance!” Al-Zubayr went out to meet him, bearing his unsheathed sword, but he stumbled, so the sword fell from his hand. They leaped at him and arrested him.¹⁵

69. In another text, the same author says,

Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr lagged behind [did not swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr]. Al-Zubayr unsheathed his sword and said, “I shall not place it back in its scabbard till people swear the oath of allegiance to Ali (A.S.)!” Abu Bakr and `Omer came to know about it. `Omer said, “Take al-Zubayr’s sword and hit it on a stone.” `Omer set out to meet them. He arrested both of them, saying, “You shall both swear fealty at will or else we shall force you to swear it.” So they swore fealty.¹⁶

70. The Mu`tazilite scholar (Ibn Abul-Hadid) has said,

Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz] has said that Aba Sa`ad, `Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammed, narrated to us saying that Ahmed ibn al-Hakim has said that `Abdullah ibn Wahab narrated to us citing Layth ibn Sa`d saying that Ali (A.S.) did not swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, so he was taken out tied up dragged in a hurry as he kept saying, “O Muslims! Why should a Muslim be killed because he lagged behind others not because of a disagreement but because he has something very important to do [the compilation of the text of the Holy Qur’an]?!” Whenever he passed by a meeting place, he would be told to go and swear the oath of allegiance [to Abu Bakr].¹⁷

71. The same author has also said,

Only Ali (A.S.) refused to swear the oath of allegiance, confining himself to Fatima’s house, so they took him out by force. Fatima (A.S.) went to the house door and said something to the person who went there seeking to arrest him.¹⁸

72. Ibn Abul-Hadid, the Mu`tazilite Shafi`i scholar, has also said,

I said that he took this theme from some poets belonging to Bani Talib, from the people of Hijaz. Al-Naqab Jalal ad-Din `Abd al-Hamad ibn Muhammed ibn `Abd al-Hamad, the `Alawide, recited it to me. He said that the poet himself had recited it to me, but I forgot his name. Said he,

O father of Hafis! Wait! You would not have been to plead to

Had it not been for the death [of the Prophet (A.S.)].

Should al-Batal die angry while we are pleased?

Such are not the deeds of gracious sons at all.

The poet was addressing `Omer saying to him, “Slow down! Wait! O `Omer! Have some compassion and some wisdom, and do not be rough like that with us. You are not qualified to talk to us like, nor should we ask you gently like that, nor could you have entered the house of Fatima (A.S.) by force had her father, because of whom her house was safeguarded and respected, had died, so you coveted what you could not have coveted before.” Then he says something like this: “Should our mother die while still angry and we are pleased?! We would not be then good offspring at all because a good son is pleased when his parents are pleased and angry when they, too, are angry.” I have confirmed that she died while still very angry with Abu Bakr and `Omer and that she left a will saying that they both should not perform her funeral prayers.¹⁹

73. The same scholar has also said,

Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz] has said that Abu Bakr al-Bahili has cited Isma`il ibn Mujalid quoting al-Sha`bi saying that Abu Bakr said, “O `Omer! Where is Khalid ibn al-Walid?” He said, “Here he is.” Abu Bakr said, “Go to both of them (meaning to Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr) and bring them to me.” They both went thee. `Omer entered while Khalid remained outside at the door. `Omer said to al-Zubayr, “What is this sword for?” Al-Zubayr [ibn al-`Awwam] said, “I have prepared it to swear the oath of allegiance to Ali (A.S.).” There were a lot of people at the house including al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad and many people from Bani Hashim. `Omer took [al-Zubayr’s] sword and hit it on a rock at the house till it broke. Then he dragged al-Zubayr by the hand, forced him to stand, then pushed him out. Then he said, “O Khalid! Take this one!” Khalid took hold of him. With Khalid outside the house were many people sent by Abu Bakr as reinforcements. Then `Omer entered again and said to Ali (A.S.), “Stand up and swear the oath of allegiance.” Ali (A.S.) relented. `Omer grabbed Ali (A.S.) by the hand and told him to stand up, but he refused, so he carried him and pushed him just as he had done to al-Zubayr. Khalid arrested both. `Omer and those with him dragged them violently as a large number of people looked on. The streets of Medina were filled with men. Fatima (A.S.) saw what `Omer had done, so she screamed and complained, and many women from Bani Hashim and from others assembled around her. She went out to the door of her chamber and called out saying, “O Abu Bakr! How swift you are in waging an assault on the family of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! By Allah! I shall never speak to `Omer till I meet Allah!”²⁰

74. The Mu`tazilite Shafi`i scholar narrated the incident of the saqifa²¹ from al-Jawhari saying:

Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz] has said that Aba Zaid, `Omer ibn Shabbah, has said that Ahmed ibn Mu`awiyah narrated to us saying that he was told by al-Nadar ibn Shumayl saying that Muhammed ibn `Amr has cited Salamah ibn `Abd al-Rahman saying that when Abu Bakr seated himself on the pulpit [of the Prophet (A.S.)], Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr and many people from Bani Hashim were at Fatima’s house. `Omer went to them and said, “I swear by the One Who holds my life in His hands that if you do not come out to swear the oath of allegiance, I shall burn your house!” Al-Zubayr went out unsheathing his sword. A man from the Ansar and Zaid ibn Labad overpowered him, causing his sword to fall. From his place on top of the pulpit, Abu Bakr called out, “Hit it on the stone!” He did so [breaking al-Zubayr’s sword]. `Amr ibn Hamas said, “I saw the stone with the marks of such hitting and said, `Here was al-Zubayr’s sword broken.’” Abu Bakr then said, “Leave them alone, for Allah shall bring them.” They went out after that and swore the oath of allegiance to him.²²

75. Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz] has said, “It is narrated in another narrative that Sa`d ibn Abi Waqqas was with them at the house of Fatima (A.S.), and so was al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad. They assembled with Ali (A.S.) to swear the oath of allegiance to him, so `Omer went there to burn their house. Al-Zubayr went out carrying his sword to meet him. Fatima (A.S.), too, went out crying and wailing, separated from the rest of people. They said, `We have not committed any sin, nor do we oppose anything good about which people come to an agreement, but we assembled in order to compile the text of the Qur’an in one single book.’²³ Then they swore the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, thus people felt secure.”

76. Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz] has said,

Aba Zaid, `Omer ibn Shabbah, has quoted some of his men saying that `Omer went to the house of Fatima (A.S.) accompanied by a number from the Ansar and a very small number from among the Muhajiran. He said, `By the One Who holds my life in His hand! You shall have to come out to swear fealty or I shall burn your house!’ Al-Zubayr went out to meet him, unsheathing his sword. Ziyad ibn Labad al-Ansari and another men grabbed him, and the sword fell from his hand. `Omer hit it on a stone, breaking it. Then `Omer dragged them from their clothes violently till they swore fealty to Abu Bakr.²⁴

77. Aba Zaid has said that al-Nadar ibn Shumayl has narrated saying that al-Zubayr’s sword, when it fell from his hand, was carried to Abu Bakr as he was sitting on the pulpit delivering a speech. Abu Bakr said, “Hit it on a rock!” Aba `Amr ibn Hammas said, “I saw the rock with the mark of that hitting, and people were saying that it was left by the sword of al-Zubayr.”²⁵

78. The Mu`tazilite scholar has said,

Ibn `Abd al-Hamad has said that when people were talking about how Ali (A.S.) did not swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, and when Abu Bakr and `Omer pressured him to do so, the mother of Mastah ibn Athathah went out and stood at the grave [of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)] and cited the following verses of poetry [originally composed by Fatima (A.S.)]:

There were issues, events and hardships

Had you witnessed them, no calamities would have transpired.

We miss you as the earth misses its rain,

And your people slipped, so witness them and do not be absent.²⁶

Abu Bakr, namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Azaz, has said that Aba Zaid, `Omer ibn Shabbah, has informed us that Ibrahim ibn al-Munthir has quoted Ibn Wahab quoting Ibn Laha`ah quoting Abul-Aswad [al-Du’ali, the renown poet] saying that a man from the Muhajiran was angry that Abu Bakr received the people’s oath of allegiance without any consultation, and so were Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr. The latter entered the house of Fatima (A.S.) with their arms. `Omer went there accompanied by a number of men including Asad ibn Hudayr and Salamah ibn Salamah ibn Waqsh, both from Bani `Abd al-Ashhal, and they broke into the house. Fatima (A.S.) screamed and pleaded to them in the Name of Allah (A.S.). They took the swords of Ali (A.S.) and al-Zubayr and hit them on the wall till they broke them both. Then `Omer took them out dragging them till they swore fealty.²⁷

79. The same scholar goes on to say that Abu Bakr [namely Ahmed ibn `Abd al-`Aziz] has narrated the same incident from another venue saying that Thabit ibn Qais ibn Shammas was among those who were in the company of `Omer when the latter assaulted the house of Fatima (A.S.), and Thabit belongs to Bani al-Harith ibn al-Khazraj.

80. He also narrates saying the Muhammed ibn Maslamah was with them, and that this Muhammed was the one who broke al-Zubayr’s sword.²⁸

81. Accompanied by many men, `Omer went to Fatima the house of (A.S.). Among those men were: Asad ibn Hudayr and Salamah ibn Aslam. He told those inside her house to get out to swear the oath of allegiance [to his friend, Abu Bakr], but they refused. Al-Zubayr came out to meet them with his sword. `Omer said, “Take care of the dog!” Salamah ibn Aslam leaped at him, took the sword from his hand and hit it on the wall, then they took him and Ali (A.S.) with a number of Bani Hashim. Ali (A.S.) kept saying to them, “I am a servant of Allah and the Brother of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.).” They brought Ali (A.S.) to Abu Bakr. He was told to swear fealty. He said, “I am more worthy of this matter than you. I will not swear the oath of allegiance. Rather, you ought to swear it to me. You took this matter from the Ansar under the pretext of your kinship to the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), so they submitted leadership to you, and I argue with you using the same argument you used with the Ansar. Be fair to us, if you fear Allah, and recognize our right just as the Ansar recognized; otherwise, be afflicted with injustice, and you know it.” `Omer said, “We shall not leave you alone till you swear the oath of allegiance.” Ali (A.S.) said to him, “O `Omer! Milk some milk in which you have a share! Support him [Abu Bakr] today so that he will hand it [caliphate] over to you tomorrow! By Allah! I shall not accept what you say, nor shall I swear fealty to him.”²⁹

82. The Mu`tazilite scholar has also said, “As regarding the terrible things which the Shi`as mention about dispatching Qunfath to the house of Fatima (A.S.), and that he whipped her, leaving a mark on her wrist like a bracelet which lingered there till her death, and that `Omer squeezed her between the door and the house, so she cried out, `O Father! O Messenger of Allah!,’ that her fetus was born dead..., our fellows do not report such incidents... Rather, the Shi`as are alone in transmitting it.”<sup>30</sup> This is so despite the fact that the scholar himself is the one who transmitted from his mentor the incident of the miscarriage of al-Muhassan and wondered about the stand of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) in its regard. He did so when he narrated how Habar ibn al-Aswad was to be killed for terrorizing Zainab. When he demanded of his mentor to tell him about it, his mentor told him that the incidents, according to him, were contradictory, and that he would leave it there.<sup>31</sup> We have also cited scores of texts narrated by non-Shi`as testifying to the authenticity of this incident, so his statement makes no sense.

83. Ibn Abul-Hadid has also said, “As regarding the incident of the attack on the house of Fatima (A.S.), we have already discussed it. Apparently, I can see the accuracy of what al-Murtada and the Shi`as narrate, but not all what they narrate, for some of it did take place, and Abu Bakr was right in regretting it and repenting, and this proves the strength of his conviction and fear of Allah Almighty. This ought to be used as a testimony for him rather than against him.”³²

84. He also says, “As regarding the incident of the burning and what awful things happened, and how some have said that they dragged Ali (A.S.) by his turban surrounded by people, this is far-fetched. Only the Shi`as make such a claim, but a group of traditionists have narrated almost the same.”<sup>33</sup> We do not know how he compromises his statement that “Only the Shi`a make such a claim” with the one saying “A group of traditionists have narrated almost the same”! Some such traditionists were Mu`tazilites like him, and the reader has already come to know that everything this scholar sees as “far-fetched” has been narrated by the masses following his own creed. Sayyid al-Murtada has said that nobody should pay any attention to one who rejects texts by simply regarding them as “far-fetched” without producing any proof or evidence.

85. Ibn Qutaybah al-Daynoori has said,

As regarding Ali (A.S.) and al-`Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib and their supporters from among Bani Hashim, they dispersed to their mounts, and al-Zubayr ibn al-`Awwam was with them. `Omer went to them accompanied by a group of men which included Asad ibn Hudayr and Salamah ibn Aslam. They were told to go to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr, but they refused. Al-Zubayr ibn al-`Awwam came out, sword in hand. `Omer said, “Take care of the man! Arrest him!” Salamah ibn Aslam leaped at him and took the sword from his hand and hit it on the wall. They took him away and he swore fealty, and Bani Hashim, too, went and swore it. Ali, may Allah glorify his countenance, was brought to Abu Bakr as he kept saying, “I am a servant of Allah and the Brother of His Messenger (A.S.) .” He was told to swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr. He said, “I have more right to this issue than you. I shall not swear the oath of allegiance to you. Rather, you ought to swear it to me. You have taken this issue from the Ansar, arguing with them that you have kinship with the Prophet (A.S.), yet you usurp it from us, while we are the members of his Ahl al-Bayt?! Did you not claim to the Ansar that you deserve it more than them since Muhammed (A.S.) is from you, so they handed you the reins of leadership and granted you the government?! I argue with you with the same argument which you used against the Ansar. We have more right to the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), be he alive or dead, than you do; so, be fair to us if you are believers; otherwise, be afflicted with injustice, and you know it.” `Omer said to him, “You shall not be left alone till you swear fealty.” Ali (A.S.) said to him, “Milk some milk in which you have a share! Support him [Abu Bakr] today so that he will hand it [caliphate] over to you tomorrow!” Then he added saying, “By Allah, O `Omer! I shall not accept what you say, nor shall I swear fealty to him.”³⁴

86. Ibn Qutaybah has also said, “Abu Bakr noticed that some people did not swear the oath of allegiance to him and were at the house of Ali, may Allah glorify his countenance, so he dispatched `Omer to them. `Omer called out to them as they were inside Ali’s house, but they refused to come out, so he ordered firewood to be brought and said, `I swear by the One Who holds the life of `Omer in His hand, you shall have to get out or else I shall burn the house and everyone inside it!’ Someone said to him, ‘O father of Hafs! But Fatima (A.S.) is inside it!’ He said, ‘so what?!’ They went out and swore fealty except Ali (A.S.) who said, `I swore not to go out nor put my outer garment on till I compile the text of the Qur’an.’ Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, stood at her house door and said, `I have never seen people whose presence is worse than yours. You left the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) as a corpse in front of us and managed your affair among yourselves without letting us take charge of you, nor did you uphold our rights.’ `Omer went to Abu Bakr and said, `Are you not going to take the oath of allegiance from this man who lagged behind and has not sworn it yet?’ Abu Bakr said to Qunfath, one of his slaves, `Go and bring me Ali (A.S.).’ He went to Ali (A.S.) who asked him, `What do you want?’ He said, `The successor of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) invites you to his presence.’ Ali (A.S.) said, `How quickly you all tell lies about the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)!’ Qunfath returned and conveyed the message. Abu Bakr wept for a long time. For the second time, `Omer said to him, `Do not grant a respite to the man who has not sworn allegiance to you et.’ Abu Bakr said to Qunfath, `Go back to him and tell him that the successor of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) invites you to swear fealty.’ Qunfath went to Ali (A.S.) and conveyed the message. Ali (A.S.) raised his voice as he said, `Praise be to Allah! He has claimed what does not belong to him!’ Qunfath returned and conveyed the message. Abu Bakr again wept for a long time. `Omer stood up and walked, accompanied by some men, till they reached the door of Fatima’s house. When Fatima (A.S.) heard their voices, she called as loudly as she could, `O Father! O Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! What have we suffered after you at the hands of the son of al-Khattab and the son of Aba Quhafah?!’ When those men heard her voice and crying, they dispersed, weeping, and their hearts almost softened. `Omer remained alone with his folks. They took Ali (A.S.) out by force, dragged him to Abu Bakr and told him to swear fealty. He said, ‘suppose I do not, what will you do?’ They said, `We shall, by Allah, the One and only God, kill you.’ Ali (A.S.) said, `You will then kill a servant of Allah and the Brother of His Messenger.’ `Omer said, `as regarding your being a servant of Allah, you are, indeed, a very good one, but we reject your being the Brother of His Messenger.’ During the whole time, Abu Bakr remained silent without saying anything. `Omer said to him, `Are you going to issue your order [of killing] in his regard?’ Abu Bakr said, `I shall not force him to do anything so long as Fatima (A.S.) is beside him.’ Ali (A.S.) went to the grave of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) crying and calling out, `O son of my mother! The folks deemed me weak and almost killed me!’”³⁵

87. `Omer said to Abu Bakr, “Let us go to Fatima (A.S.), for we have made her angry.” They both set out and sought Fatima’s permission to meet her, but she did not grant them permission. They went to Ali (A.S.) and talked to him. Ali (A.S.) permitted them to come in. When they entered, Fatima (A.S.) turned her face away from them, facing the wall. They greeted her, but she did not respond to their greeting. Abu Bakr spoke saying, “O one loved by the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! By Allah! The kinsfolk of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) are dearer to me than my own kinsfolk, and you are dearer to me than my daughter `a’isha. When your father (A.S.) died, I wished that I, too, had died rather than survive him. So, do you think that since I know you and know your distinction and prestige, I would deprive you of what belongs to you and of your inheritance from the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) except that I heard your father, the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), say, `We do not leave an inheritance; whatever we leave is charity’?” She said, “If I narrate to you a tradition from the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) with which you are already familiar, are you going to act according to it?” They both answered in the affirmative. She said, “I ask you in the Name of Allah, did you not hear the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) say, `What pleases Fatima pleases me, and what angers Fatima angers me; whoever loves Fatima loves me, and whoever angers Fatima angers me’?” Both men said, “Yes, we have heard the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) say so.” She said, “Then I plead to Allah and to His angels to testify that you both have made me angry and never pleased me, and when I meet the Prophet, I shall complain to him against you.” Abu Bakr said, “I seek refuge with Allah, the most Exalted One, against His wrath and yours, O Fatima!” Then Abu Bakr wept bitterly till his soul almost left his body as she kept saying, “By Allah! I shall plead to Allah against you in every prayer I perform.”

Abu Bakr went out weeping. People assembled around him. He said to them, “Every man from among you goes to bed embracing his wife, happy with his family, while leaving me in my agony. I have no need for your oath of allegiance. Let me resign from your fealty.” They said to him, “O successor of the Messenger of Allah! This cannot be right, and you know best of that. If such is the case, the religion of Allah will not stand.” He said, “By Allah! Had the case not been so, and had I not feared such a knot to be loosened, I would not have spent the night without relinquishing the oath of allegiance of any Muslim after having heard and seen what Fatima (A.S.) said.”

Ali, may Allah glorify his countenance, did not swear the oath of allegiance till Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, died. She lived only seventy-five days after the death of her father (A.S.). When she died, Abu Bakr sent `Omer..., etc.³⁶

88. `Omer Rida Kahalah has said, “Shi`a narrators have transmitted saying that Abu Bakr wrote Fatima (A.S.) a deed of her property of Fadak. When she came out carrying it, `Omer met her. He stretched his hand to take it from her by force, but she did not let him. He pushed his hand in her chest, taking the deed out and burning it.”³⁷

89. `Abd al-Fattah `Abd al-Maqsad has said,

Rumors were swift that day tracing the path of `Omer ibn al-Khattab as he led a group of his followers and helpers to the house of Fatima (A.S.) with the intention to get the cousin of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), willingly or unwillingly, to do what he till then had refused to do...

Is there a deterrent on people that prohibits them from narrating the incident of the firewood which the son of al-Khattab ordered to surround with it the house of Fatima (A.S.) as Ali (A.S.) and his followers were inside it in order to equip `Omer with the tool to either convince or trap Ali (A.S.)? The man [`Omer] went there in a tirade as a revolution was boiling inside him determined to assault Ali’s house. His helpers and those whom he had brought there supported him, and they forced themselves in or almost did so. Then suddenly a face like that of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) appeared at the door intercepting, grief-stricken, showing signs of pain, with eyes overflowing with tears and with a forehead on which a boiling rage painted its marks. As she faced the sacred tomb [of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.)], al-Zahra’ (A.S.) kept seeking help from this absent-present personality: “O Father! O Messenger of Allah! What have we faced after you at the hands of the son of al-Khattab and the son of Aba Quhafah?!” Her words left only hearts afflicted with grief.³⁸

90. Ibn Abul-Hadid, the Mu`tazilite Shafi`i scholar, has said that he read to his mentor, Aba Ja`fer al-Naqab, the story of Zainab’s grief and how she was terrorized by Habar ibn al-Aswad. Aba Ja`fer said to him, “Since the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) permitted the killing of Habar because he terrorized Zainab, so she miscarried, apparently, had he been alive, he would have permitted the killing of the individual who terrorized Fatima (A.S.), so she miscarried.” Ibn Abul-Hadid said to his mentor, “Shall I cite you saying that Fatima (A.S.) was terrorized, so she miscarried al-Muhassan?” He said, “Do not quote me, and do not narrate saying that this is not true, for I have my position regarding this topic due to the contradictions among the narratives which I have reviewed.”³⁹