Jumping to Conclusions: Have You Proven that Her Rib was Broken?!

 

We find someone, upon being asked to provide his view in the subject of assaulting al-Zahra’ (A.S.) and breaking her rib, taking the initiative to ask the inquirer, “Have you proven that her rib was, indeed, broken?! If so, what is your proof?!”

We say the following in answer:

 

FIRST: It is not appropriate for someone who considers himself a man of knowledge, regarding himself responsible for providing guidance to the public, to confront an ordinary person with this question except if he intends to raise doubts in his mind in order to easily control his way of thinking and subject him to what he wants in the easiest way.

 

SECOND: The texts proving what al-Zahra’ (A.S.) went through are numerous, and the books written in the previous centuries are continuously reprinted, while manuscripts are discovered here and there. In all of these, we find more of what supports and underscores this issue.

We do not want to insist that this man accept the narratives regarding how al-Zahra’ (A.S.) was wounded and her rib broken and how she (A.S.) was martyred though numerous and diverse ways, but we would like to provide the kind reader with samples of them here; so, let us say the following:

 

1. Al-Tibrisi has said, “Al-Zahra’, Fatima (A.S.), acted as a barrier between them and her husband at the house’s door, so Qunfath whipped her... Abu Bakr had sent a message to Qunfath to beat her, so he cornered her at the latch of her house’s door, pushed her and broke one of her side ribs, and she miscarried her fetus.”[1]

In the Introduction of his book, Al-Ihtijaj, al-Tibrisi states the following:

 

Most of the narratives are quoted here due to their isnad or the existence of consensus in their regard or agreement with what many people have thought, or due to its fame in biography books between those who agree or who disagree about it except what I have quoted from Aba Muhammed, (Imam) al-Hasan al-`Askari (A.S.).”[2]

 

2. Sayyid Tawas, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates the text of the ziyara wherein he says, “... the Lady who was deprived of her inheritance, whose rib was broken, whose husband was oppressed, whose son was killed...”[3]

 

3. Al-Kulayni narrates from Muhammed ibn Yahya from al-`Amraki bn Ali from Ali ibn Ja`fer from his brother from the father of al-Hasan (A.S.) saying, “Fatima (A.S.) is a truthful martyr, and the Prophets’ daughters do not menstruate.”[4]

 

4. Al-Saduq narrates from Ali ibn Ahmed ibn Masa ibn `Imran al-Nakh`i from al-Nawfali from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Aba Hamzah from his father from Sa`ad ibn Jubayr from Ibn `Abbas saying that the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) was once sitting when al-Hasan (A.S.) came. and that he (A.S.) said, “As for my daughter Fatima..., when I saw her, I recalled what she will have to endure after me. It is as though I see ignominy entering her house, her privacy violated, her right confiscated, her inheritance inaccessible, her side broken, her fetus miscarried..., etc.”[5] The same tradition is narrated by al-Daylami[6] and al-Juwayni[7], too.

 

5. SALIM ibn Qais al-Hilali has narrated saying, “Qunfath, the curse of Allah be upon him, forced her to the door knob of her house and pushed her, breaking one of her side ribs. She miscarried her fetus and remained sick, bed-ridden, till she died, peace and blessings of Allah be upon her, as a martyr.”[8]

 

6. Ibn Shahr ashab has cited Ibn Qutaybah saying that she (A.S.) miscarried al-Muhassan because of the wound inflicted on her by Qunfath al-`Adawi.

 

7. Al-Sayyid al-Himyari, may Allah have mercy on him, has composed the following verses of poetry:

 

She was beaten and deprived of her rights

And after him was made to taste of wounds.

May Allah sever the hand that hit her,

And the hand of whoever is pleased thereby

And that of whoever followed the latter.

 

Al-Himyari’s poetry indicates how widespread the knowledge of this matter was during the time of Imam al-Sadiq (A.S.), so much so that poets referred to it, denouncing it, condemning the culprits.

 

8. Imam al-Hasan (A.S.) said that al-Mugharah hit al-Zahra’ (A.S.) till she bled.

 

9. We find the Shi`as during the time of al-Saduq, may Allah have mercy on him, insisting on reciting her ziyara which includes calling her “a truthful martyr.” This book will cite such texts and also texts proving that she (A.S.) was martyred.

 

SECOND: If the breaking of her rib is not proven, this does not mean that it never happened, and it is not appropriate to prohibit the recitation of the commemoration containing reference to it, especially since the historians have narrated it and cited its traditions.

 

THIRD: Should there be an authentic isnad for each and every historical issue?! How many issues have been thus proven? Does the confirmation of any historical incident hinge on the existence of an authentic isnad for it according to the criterion applied for hadith?! Why does the inquirer demand an authentic isnad for this issue in particular especially since he is the one who has said, “We do not authenticate isnad in proving issues. Suffices us to ascertain that they did happen.” He actually is satisfied with the fact that there is no need to tell a lie to prove the authenticity and acceptance of a particular narrative even from non-Shi`a Imamite books, although he tries to cast doubts about the narratives of Ahl al-Bayt (A.S.) by continuously stressing that there are false and fabricated narratives without pointing out to the efforts of the scholars to distinguish what is false and acceptable and what is not.

To sum up, it is not possible, taking into consideration what we have stated above, to label this issue as a lie so long as evidences abound that they did, indeed, assault her, beat her and cause her to miscarry. Texts have clearly described her as a “martyr,” something which makes breaking her rib plausible and acceptable as a fact; so, what if it is narrated in both Shi`i and Sunni books, and even poets referred to it, especially ancient ones?

 

FOURTH: If we suppose that there is no proof that they broke her rib, why should anyone take it as a pretext to cast doubt about beating al-Zahra’ (A.S.), her miscarriage, and the invasion of her privacy, facts which have already been proven, keeping in mind that this is the consensus of the Shi`a Imamites whose narratives in its regard abound and are narrated by a host of historians and traditionists from the rest of Islamic sects?

Or is the subjective research requires concentration on a particular issue which someone regards as the weakest point, so he wants to use it as a tool to cast doubt about everything else, applying the style of issuing a judgment on the whole, discussing in general terms and dealing with ambiguities where people do not pay attention to the details? He will then have been able to undermine what have already been proven and fixed, things regarding which there is a consensus among the sect’s scholars and are consecutively narrated and detailed, and even others reported them as well, those who were not happy at all to prove them because they bring shame to those whom they love and in whose footsteps they follow.

[1]Al-Tibrisi, Al-Ihtijaj, Vol. 1, p. 212. Mir’at al-`Uqal, Vol. 5, p. 320.

[2]Al-Tibrisi, Al-Ihtijaj, Introduction, p. 4.

[3]Iqbal al-A`mal, p. 625. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 97, p. 200.

[4]Iqbal al-A`mal, p. 625. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 97, p. 200.

[5]Al-Saduq, Al-Amali, pp. 100-01. Al-Daylami, Irshad al-Qulab, p. 295. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 28, pp. 37-39 and Vol. 43, pp. 172-73. Al-`Awalim, Vol. 11, p. 391 (the section dealing with al-Zahra’ [a]). Other references will be cited as well.

[6]In his book Irshad al-Qulab, Vol. 2, p. 295.

[7]In his book Fara’id al-Simtayn, Vol. 2, p. 35.

[8]Refer to the book by Salam as edited by Muhammed Baqir al-Ansari, Vol. 2, p. 588.