Was AL-ZAHRA’ (A.S.) Pleased With Both Senior Sahabis?!

The same individual adds saying that the issue came to a conclusion during her lifetime, for she, peace and blessings of Allah be upon her, became pleased with Abu Bakr and `Omer when they both sought to appease her. We say the following:

FIRST: True, to please al-Zahra’ (A.S.) is the hope of the line which attacked her (A.S.) out of concern for not seeming to be among those who harmed the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) and who incurred his anger, so they would be held in public as those who harmed and angered Allah, Praise to Him. Some of them made attempts to commit forgery in the narration which mentioned that same issue for the benefit of those whom they loved; so, they said that she was pleased with them^[1]; this is what al-Sha`bi says, and his is a disputed hadith because he was not old enough to be present at the time when the incident took place.

Another party took to silence, stating neither pleasure nor displeasure.^[2] What is more strange than all of that is the claim of some people that those who performed her funeral prayers were Abu Bakr^[3] and Ali (A.S.)!

But the scholars who agree with the same sectarian line of these folks are the same who have accurately narrated this incident for us, paying no heed to what these folks have added to it. Rather, they said that when both men went to appease her, she did not grant them permission to enter her house till they pleaded to Ali (A.S.), who also approached her on their behalf, and even then she refused to let them in but said to him, “The house is yours,” that is, “You are free to let in anyone you like according to the dictates of circumstances which are beyond your control.” As for her, she maintained her view and stand, and there was nothing else that would mandate anything on her. Ali (A.S.) then permitted them to go inside because he was the owner of the house; al-Zahra’ (A.S.) did not permit them in.

Once they were both in, she refused to speak to them. She spoke to Ali (A.S.) and required both men to admit what they had heard the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) say, that is, “Fatima’s pleasure is from my own pleasure, and her anger is from mine. Whoever loves Fatima (A.S.), my daughter, loves me, and whoever pleases Fatima (A.S.), pleases me, and whoever incurs Fatima’s anger incurs mine.” She said to them (after they had admitted the above), “Then I plead to Allah and to His angels to testify that you incurred my anger and never pleased me, and when I meet the Prophet (A.S.), I shall complain to him against you.”^[4]

When Abu Bakr wept because of that, `Omer rebuked him saying, “Are you upset on account of a woman being angry with you?!”^[5] As regarding the text according to SALIM ibn Qais, here it is:

Ali (A.S.) was performing the five daily prayers at the (Prophet)’s Mosque. After each prayer, Abu Bakr and `Omer asked him, “How is the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) doing?” till they felt tired of saying it. They asked about her once more saying (to Ali [a]), “Between us and her is what you already know; so, could you please seek permission for us to apologize to her for the sin which we have committed in her regard?” He (A.S.) said, “I shall grant you that.” They stood up and sat at the door. Ali (A.S.) went inside to see Fatima (A.S.). He said to her, “O free lady! So-and-so are at the door and they wish to greet you, so what do you say?” She (A.S.) said, “The house is yours, and the free lady is your wife; so, do whatever you please.” He said, “Tie your headpiece.” She did, turning her face to the wall. They entered, greeted her then said, “Be pleased with us, may Allah be pleased with you.” She said, “What prompted you to do what you did?” They said, “We have admitted our wrongdoing and hoped that you would forgive us and get out of your displeasure with us.” She said, “If you were truthful, then provide me with the answers to my questions, for I shall not ask you a question except that I know that you are familiar with its answer. If you tell the truth, I shall come to know that you are truthful as to why you have both come here.” They said, “Ask whatever you please.” She said, “I ask you in the Name of Allah, did you ever hear the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) saying, `Fatima is part of me; whoever harms her harms me’?” They said, “Yes.” She, thereupon, raised her hand to the heavens and said, “O Lord! They have both harmed me, so I am complaining to You and to Your Messenger about them. No, by Allah, I shall never be pleased with you till I meet my father, the Messenger of Allah, and tell him about what you did to me, and he will judge you both.” It was then that Abu Bakr was extremely upset and started wailing and weeping. `Omer said to him, “Are you, Caliph, upset on account of a woman being angry with you?!”^[6]

We do not know why the man chose the version narrated by non-Shi`as without taking the trouble to compare it with the other version. Nay! He even makes no reference whatsoever to the other version although his version is forged by those who wish to justify what those who assaulted and harmed al-Zahra’ (A.S.) had committed despite the clear evidence leading to such a forgery. Yes, he has accepted it, leaving the accurate and the authentic version aside.

SECOND: Pardon^[7] comes from one who sincerely regrets and repents what he has committed, and repentance means taking what is right to its rightful owner, correcting the damage and repairing the harm done. Otherwise, no repentance can be accepted from a usurper who holds on to everything then says, “Forgive me and be pleased with me, and I shall not return anything belonging to you back to you.” Forgiving someone like that is more painful to one’s heart because it is uglier than the sin which he committed. So, why and on what basis should she forgive both men while they did not retreat even one step from what they had committed against her?! They did not return Fadak to her, nor did they return anything of her inheritance from the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) or from anything else except when one thinks that she was wrong in presenting her claim.

They also did not admit their crime against Allah’s right and against the nation when they usurped the caliphate from its rightful owner, nor did either of them show any readiness to accept retribution for the crime of assaulting her by beating her till she miscarried.

Those who did so were the cornerstones of the government and the aides of the ruler who thus went seeking to apologize as his swords were unsheathed against the necks of anyone who opposed him or who complained against him. There was no repentance whatsoever. Rather, there was an attempt at polishing their image, strengthening their position and gaining more power to keep what they had confiscated.

Had the matter been contrariwise, and had they been serious about seeking to be forgiven, what stopped Abu Bakr from punishing Qunfath or al-Mugharah ibn Shu`bah or `Omer ibn al-Khattab or others who violated the privacy of her home, peace and blessings of Allah be upon her?! If he could not do any of that, the least he could have done was to reprimand them or to frown in their faces or do something like that. Rather, he added to it providing a cover for them and awarding them more care and attention.

I do not know, did he give government jobs and money to so-and-so as a reward for the assault which they had committed?!

As for Qunfath, they exempted him from paying any taxes on the wealth which he amassed while working for them, as the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) narrated, as his reward!

I do not know if al-Zahra’ (A.S.) wanted to take back from them what they had confiscated from her, would they beat her anew, or would they publicly sentence her to death?!

THIRD: Had she (A.S.) been pleased with them, why did she, then, state in her will to be buried at night and that neither of them should be present at her funeral?! Ali (A.S.) carried out her will precisely, hiding her grave site, so they both, and their supporters, were furious about it and tried to exhume a number of graves which Ali (A.S.) had dug up just to divert others from the real one. Ali (A.S.) confronted them with a strong and decisive stand, so they both retreated.^[8]

If the government was strong and in full control, it was able to circulate the rumor that she (A.S.) had been pleased after being displeased, and nobody would have the courage to belie the government’s claims. This rumor would have been accepted by many people. But when she stated in her will to be buried during the night and neither of those men should attend her funeral, nor any of those who oppressed her, she foiled their chance to thus falsify the truth. She did so when she provided the decisive evidence and the shining proof in the form of a historical testimony to her anger with them embodied also in the fact that nobody knew her grave (A.S.) across the ages, the Head of the Women of Mankind that she was, the only daughter of the Seal of all Prophets and Messengers of Allah (A.S.).

FOURTH: It is quite reasonable and acceptable that they both wanted from trying to appease al-Zahra’ (A.S.) to make the point that it was merely a personal matter which ended just as it began, and that now she was pleased with them and there was no problem with her, as someone’s statement suggests.

There was an insult against Fatima (A.S.), and there was an assault committed against her holy person with beating or through other means. An attempt like that may be interpreted as merely a rash action, or an overwhelming anger which took the doers out of their normal moderation.

Was the reason for such an anger al-Zahra’ (A.S.) herself? Did she do anything or say anything to cause it? Was it the tone of her voice? Or were there any other reasons? They would surely close their eyes rather than determine who was/were responsible for it.

The assailants themselves reverted to themselves and repented, and al-Zahra’ (A.S.) supposedly was obligated to forgive and to overlook, for this is exactly what Islamic ethics mandate and is emphasized by the verses of the Qur’an, especially since she was the most worthy of all people to uphold such ethics, the pious, purified and infallible woman that she was.

This means that she thus rendered legitimacy to the aggression, to the confiscation of the caliphate, and to the usurpation of the inheritance which she had received from the Messenger of Allah (A.S.). So, nothing remained except that they simply were too rash to beat her during the confrontation, and they were to be excused for it because it came when emotions reached their ebb and because of the state of suspension and upheaval! And she herself may have been the reason for it anyway because she (A.S.) was wrong when she stood in their face, and so was Ali (A.S.) who did not rush to recognize the new victorious ruler, nor was he in the vanguard of those who rushed to swear the oath of allegiance and to support! Thus will they regain the public’s respect, which is the most precious of their aspirations.

But when al-Zahra’ (A.S.) refuses even their entry into her house, rejecting their “repentance,” insisting on complaining against them to the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), then she states in her will to be buried at night, that both men should not attend her funeral, then she asks that her grave be unknown to the public..., she surely spoils their plan.

Despite all the alteration and forgery, history records how she died while being still angry with those who assaulted her, so Ali (A.S.) buried her at night. He did not even declare the athan, another fact which is documented by respected and reliable references available with a large mass of the Muslims.^[9]

Imam al-Rida (A.S.) was asked once about both of these senior sahabis. He said, “She was for us a kind mother who left this world angry with both of them, and we shall never be pleased till she is pleased.”^[10] Almost the same wording has been transmitted through `Abdullah son of al-Hasan.^[11]

Thus, it becomes obvious that al-Zahra’ (A.S.) is an infallible and purified woman; Allah is Pleased for her pleasure and is Wrathful when she is angered. She, through her insightful stand, informed everyone in the past or in the future, whoever enters the gateway of history, that the issue was not a personal one, that it was the issue of the creed, of Islam, of transgressing against Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny, against righteousness, and against humanity. It was an assault against Islam which she personified. Aggression against her aimed at prohibiting her from defending the Imamate whereby the faith stands and which is a decisive Divine edict; it is the nation’s right, the right of man, every man, every human being.

She recorded her stand after she extracted their confession which clearly indicted them. Such an indictment demonstrated the fact that the aggression affected the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) and, hence, it was an aggression against Allah, Glory to Him, and it was not her privilege to forgive one who transgressed the bounds of Allah, Glory to Him, and those of His Glorious Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his progeny. She informed both men of this fact when she said to them, “I shall complain against you to the Messenger of Allah (A.S.).”

In order to stop anyone from telling the public that al-Zahra’ (A.S.) reverted to herself after that or sent them a message with so-and-so that she was pleased with both of them, she stated in her will to be buried at night.

Some may also claim that it is a Sunnah to bury the dead at night^[12], as it actually happened, and it is legislated as such, she surmised that doing so was not sufficient to prove the continuation of her anger with them even after her demise, so she stated in her will that both men should not attend her funeral, nor should they perform the funeral prayers for her. Ali (A.S.) prohibited them from doing any of these things in compliance with her will.^[13]

Some references mention that “She took from the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (A.S.), a covenant for which Allah and His Messenger (A.S.) are the Witnesses, that nobody would attend her funeral except Umm SALIMah, Umm Ayman, Fidda, al-Hasan and al-Husain (A.S.), Salman, `Ammar, al-Miqdad, Aba Tharr and Huthayfah.”^[14] Ali (A.S.) performed her funeral prayers^[15], reciting the takbar fve times^[16].