Are There in “Mushaf Fatima” Judicial Injunctions?

 

Someone claims that “mushaf Fatima” contains judicial injunctions. He relies on a noorration by Imam Ja`fer al-Sadiq (A.S.) saying, “I have with me the white cipher.” I asked him, “What does it contain?!” He said, “The Psalms of David, the Torah of Moses, the Bible of Jesus, the Tablets of Abraham, peace be upon them all, and it contains what is permissible and what is prohibitive, and Mushaf Fatima, and I do not claim that there is a Qur’an in it. It contains what people need, so they come to us seeking it, while we do not need anyone. Even the whip and half the whip and quarter of the whip, even the tiny scratch on one’s cheek.”[1]

We say the following:

 

FIRST: His statement “It contains what people need” is not conjoint with the one saying, “I do not claim that there is a Qur’an in it” so that it may explain what the contents of the mushaf are. Rather, it is conjoint with the one saying, “The Psalms of David, the Torah of Moses, the Bible of Jesus, the Tablets of Abraham, ...etc.,” that is, the white cipher contains the Psalms of David, the Torah of Moses, the Mushaf of Fatima, and it contains what is permissible and what is not and everything people need us for.

Another noorration from `Anbasah ibn Mis`ab states that in the cipher are: the weapon of the Messenger of Allah, the (divinely revealed) books, and Mushaf Fatima.[2]

 

SECOND: Al-Kulayni has quoted a number of our own folks quoting Ahmed ibn Muhammed from `Omer ibn `Abd al-`Azaz from Hammad ibn `Othman from Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.) a tradition wherein he stated that an angel used to talk with al-Zahra’ (A.S.) and entertain her, so she complained about that to the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) who said to her (A.S.) “If you feel any such thing, and if you hear the sound, tell me,” so I let him know, and the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) kept writing everything he heard till he compiled a whole book of it. Then he said, “There is nothing in it about what is permissible or prohibitive, but there is in it the knowledge of what will be.”[3]

Someone discussed this tradition saying, “It is supposed that the angel went to her to talk to her and entertain her in order to please her; so, how could she complain about this to the Commander of the Faithful? This proves that she was not comfortable about it. It is also apparent that the Imam (A.S.) did not know about it and that the whole issue was hearing the angel’s voice rather than seeing him.”

We say that there is no problem with seeing the angel or only hearing his voice, nor in whether or not the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) knew about it. This is not the focal point although proving it is quite easy, but it has nothing to do with proving or disproving anything about “mushaf Fatima” nor in her being or not being the first author in Islam; so, there is no need to inject such a statement like that.

As regarding her discomfort (A.S.) it was not with regard to her talk with the angel. Rather, it was due to the angel mentioning to her what will her offspring have to endure. In the book titled Al-Muhtadir, it is stated that when her Father (A.S.) passed away, Fatima (A.S.) said to the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) “I hear someone telling me about things and events which will happen to my offspring.” He said, “If you hear it, dictate it to me,” so she kept dictating it to him, and he kept writing it down. It is noorrated that its bulk is three times the size of the text of the Holy Qur’an without containing anything of the Qur’an itself.

When he finished it, he named it “Mushaf Fatima” because she was the one who was addressed by the angels.[4] The same confused person, immediately after having stated the above, mentions a tradition by Aba `Ubaydah containing the statement that “Gabriel used to visit her to console her following the demise of her father and to remove distress from her, telling her about her father and his place (in Paradise), informing her of what will happen to her offspring. He (A.S.) used to write all of that. Such is Fatima’s mushaf.”[5]

Al-Majlisi I has described this noorration as authentic.[6]

Someone passed his own judgment on this noorration, labeling it as “weak and should be examined and ascertained” for apparently Aba `Ubaydah is al-Haththa’ (shoemaker), namely Ziyad ibn Aba Raja’, who is a trusted authority. We do not know why someone thought that he was al-Mada’ini although we could not find any noorration by Ibn Ri’ab from this Mada’ini, nor did he noorrate from al-Mada’ini except apparently one single noorration. This could be the cause of noorrators being confused (about the last names of these noorrators).

If Aba `Ubaydah is mentioned, he must be al-Haththa’ especially since Ibn Ri’ab has quoted more than one noorration by him despite the fact that there was nothing serious which he could noorrate from al-Mada’ini.[7]

What is also noteworthy is that this same individual has made a comment about this tradition saying, “It is apparently relevant to knowledge of only what will happen to her progeny, whereas the other noorration talks about what is much more general to the extent that it discusses the appearance of the atheists in the year 128 A.H. which is what the Imam (A.S.) read in Fatima’s Mushaf.”

We say the whole matter is: the noorrative has proved Gabriel (A.S.) speaking to Fatima (A.S.) regarding what will happen to her offspring, and it does not contain anything negating the existence of other things related to the unknown. It is obvious that confirming something does not negate other things. Nor does the noorrative contain any evidence denying the existence of other branches of knowledge or other things in the mushaf. But she wanted to point out to something which made her (A.S.) very concerned and which she mentioned to Ali (A.S.) because it was relevant to what would happen to their offspring.

 

THIRD: There is one hadath by Habab al-Khath`ami stating that al-Mansar once wrote Muhammed ibn Khalid requiring him to ask the people of Medina, including Imam al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, a question relevant to the zakat. The Imam (A.S.) answered the question, so `Abdullah ibn al-Hasan asked him, “Where did you get this knowledge from?” The Imam (A.S.) said, “I obtained it from the book of your mother Fatima (A.S.).”[8]

The individual [critiqued throughout this book] commented about this noorrative saying, “This tradition apparently indicates that Fatima’s book, which is “mushaf Fatima,” contains what is permissible and what is prohibitive.”

We say:

 

FIRST: This tradition is weak.

 

SECOND: The term “Fatima’s book” also exists in a noorrative by Fudayl ibn Sakrah who quotes Imam al-Sadiq[9] (A.S.) and it is not necessarily “mushaf Fatima” which is the focal point of the research, let alone emphatically insisting on it, then taking that for granted, for Fatima might have had other books besides the mushaf:

 

1. Al-Kulayni, in his book titled Al-Kafi, has quoted Ali citing his father quoting Ibn Aba `Omayr quoting Ishaq ibn `Abd al-`Azaz quoting Zurarah quoting Aba `Abdullah (A.S.) saying, “Fatima (A.S.) came once to the Messenger of Allah complaining about something. The Messenger of Allah (A.S.) gave her the wide tip of a palm leaf and said to her, `Learn what is written on it.’ Its contents stated the following: `Anyone who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and anyone who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should be generous to his guest, and anyone who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should say what is right or remain silent.’”[10]

 

2. In Dala’il al-Imama, Ibn Mas`ad noorrated saying, “A man went to Fatima (A.S.) and said, ‘O daughter of the Messenger of Allah! Has the Messenger of Allah left anything with you with which you would provide us as something of a unique interest?’ She ordered her bondmaid to bring her something which she had wrapped. When the bondmaid told her that she could not find it, Fatima (A.S.) said to her, `Woe unto you! Find it, for it is to me equal to (my sons) Hasan and Husain.’ The bondmaid searched for it and found it wrapped. It contained the following: `One is not counted among the believers if his neighbor does not feel secure from his misfortunes. One who believes in Allah and in the Last Day does not harm his neighbor. One who believes in Allah and in the Last Day should either say what is right or remain silent. Allah loves one who is righteous, clement, above following his desires and hates the sinner, the miser, the argumentative and the one who incessantly asks people to help him. Modesty is an indication of good belief, and good belief is rewarded with Paradise. Vulgarity springs out of obscenity, and what is obscene is in the Fire.’”[11]

This noorrative and its precedent indicate that she (A.S.) was the one who wrote and authored. In the first noorrative, there is evidence to the contrary because she stated that he (A.S.) gave her the upper wider tip of the palm leaf with writing already written on it and told her to memorize it.

 

3. Al-Sadaq relies on Aba Nadrah who quotes Jabir in a noorrative indicating that he visited Fatima (A.S.) to congratulate her on the occasion of the birth of al-Husain (A.S.) and found her holding a white tablet. He asked her about it and she told him that it contained the names of the Imams from among her offspring, and that nobody was permitted to touch it except a prophet, a wasi, or a prophet’s household, but it was permissible to know its contents from the outside. He looked at it and read it, then he told others what he had read.[12]

[1]Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 240. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 26, p. 37. Basa’ir al-Darajat, p. 150.

[2]Basa’ir al-Darajat, pp. 154, 156. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 26, pp. 42, 45, and Vol. 47, p 271.

[3]Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 240. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 26, pp. 42, 45; Vol. 47, p. 271.

[4]`Awalim al-`Ulam, Vol. 11, p. 583 (Fatima’s Musnad). Al-Muhtadir, p. 132.

[5]Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, pp. 240, 241, 457, 458. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 22, p. 545. Refer to Ibn Shahr ashab, Al-Manaqib, Vol. 3, p. 337 (published by the scholarly press at Qum, Iran).

[6]Rawdat al-Muttaqan, Vol. 5, p. 342. Mir’at al-`Uqal, Vol. 3, pp. 59 and Vol. 5, p. 314.

[7]There is no harm in consulting Mu`jam Rijal al-Hadath, Vol. 21, pp. 233-236.

[8]Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 47, p. 227.

[9]Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 242.

[10]`Awalim al-`Ulam, Vol. 11 (this volume deals in its entirety with al-Zahra’ (A.S.) p. 187. Al-Kulayni, Al-Kafi, Vol. 2, p. 667. Consult also Vol. 1, p. 285 of the same reference. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 43, p. 51. Al-Wasa’il, Vol. 8, p. 487. Al-Junna al-Waqiya, p. 508.

[11]Dala’il al-Imama, p. 1. `Awalim al-`Ulam, Vol. 11, pp. 188, 620, 621 (the part relevant to al-Zahra’ (A.S.) in the footnotes of p. 113 there is reference to the Musnad of Fatima (A). Consult Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, Vol. 18 and Safanat al-Bihar, Vol. 1, pp. 229, 231. Al-Tabrani, Al-Mu`jam al-Kabar, Vol. 22, p. 413 where there is a slight difference in wording from the above reference.

[12]`Uyan Akhbar al-Rida, Vol. 1, pp. 40, 44, 46. Al-Ikhtisas, p. 210. Al-Tasi, Al-Amali, Vol. 1, p. 297. Al-Khisal, Vol. 2, pp. 477-478. Kamal ad-Dan, pp. 305, 313.