4. Finding Fault With the Ruling System
 

They consider what Fatima (A.S.) had to suffer as the most serious fault which they could find against the ruling system. Al-Shahristani used to quote one of the greatest Mu`tazilite mentors saying, “`Omer hit Fatima’s stomach on the day of swearing the oath of allegiance (to Abu Bakr) till she miscarried. He used to shout: `Burn her house and everyone inside it!’ Those inside it were Ali (A.S.), Fatima (A.S.), al-Hasan and al-Husain (A.S.).”<sup>[1]</sup> Al-Baghdadi considered `Omer’s admission that he hit Fatima (A.S.) and deprived her of her inheritance as one of the ruling system’s deviations (from the Shara`a).