Shi'a view of Fatimah - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This is a sub-article of Fatima Zahra and Shi'a Islam

Shi'a Islam

Shia Islam is the second largest denomination of Islam. The followers of Shia Islam are called Shi'ites or Shias. "Shia" is the short form of the historic phrase Shīʻatu ʻAlī , meaning "followers of Ali", "faction of Ali", or "party of Ali".Like other schools of thought in Islam, Shia Islam is...

According to Shi'a and non-Muslim scholars, Fatima Zahra was Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

's only daughter. The Sunni belief that he had other daughters by Khadijah denies Ali ibn Abu Talib the distinction of being Muhammad's only son-in-law. She is held in highest of esteem, as being the single most ideal example for all women; in terms of her purity and the eventual martyrdom of her son, she is considered to be the Muslim counterpart to the Christian Mary, mother of Jesus; indeed, one of her names is Maryam al-Kubrá, or "the greater Mary".

A'isha

Shi'a state that Muhammad's young wife, A'isha, disliked both Fatima and her husband Ali; that Aisha envied the relationship between Fatima and Ali, and also Muhammad's high regard for Fatima as deceased Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

Khadijah bint Khuwaylid

Khadījah bint Khuwaylid or Khadījah al-Kubra was the first wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She was the daughter of Khuwaylid ibn Asad and Fatimah bint Za'idah and belonged to the clan of Banu Asad. She is important in Islam as Muhammad's first wife, and one of the "mothers of the believers"...

's only daughter. Shi'as state that Aisha was also jealous that Muhammad gave Ali more attention than Abu Bakr

Shi'a view of Abu Bakr

This article is about the Shi'a view of Abu Bakr, the first Sunni Caliph.-Introduction:Abu Bakr is reported to have been a friend of the Prophet Muhammad before the Prophet announced his Prophethood. However, beyond this not much is known about Abu Bakr's early life except that he was by profession...

, Aisha's father.

Coup d'état — 632

When Muhammad died, Aisha and her father, Abu Bakr, intrigued to grab the leadership of the Muslim community in a Coup d'état

Coup d'état

A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

. The Shi'a believe that Muhammad had wanted Ali to succeed him

Hadith of the pond of Khumm

The Hadith of the pond of Khumm refers to the saying about a historical event crucial to Islamic history. This event took place on 18th of Dhu al-Hijjah of 10 AH in the Islamic calendar at a place called Ghadir Khumm, which is located near the city of al-Juhfah, Saudi Arabia and was a place...

but his commands were ignored. After Abu Bakr assumed leadership, he asked Muslims to swear allegiance to him, as was the Arab custom of the time. Ali and his followers refused and were harassed and threatened by Abu Bakr's supporters.

The meeting at Saqifah

During the time that Fatimah and her husband were washing and burying her father, Umar and Abu Bakr left them and went to the meeting at Saqifah, without informing her, her husband or any of her relatives. At that meeting, Abu Bakr was chosen to become her father's successor.

Umar at Fatimah's house

According to the Shi'a view, Umar ibn al-Khattab

Shi'a view of Umar

-Historical context:Umar ibn al-Khattab was one of the earliest figures in the history of Islam. However, the Shia have traditionally asserted that the Sunni perspective of Umar, including ideas inadvertently borrowed by certain Western orientalists, is at best inaccurate, and at worst largely...

was not only one of Abu Bakr's most zealous supporters, but also his co-conspirator and in some cases his superior. Umar led a party of armed men against Ali's house in Medina and called for Ali and his men to come out and swear allegiance to Abu Bakr, who they had decided would take power in the meeting at Saqifah. Umar and Khalid ibn Walid threatened to burn the house down if they did not submit. The Shi'a view culminated in them breaking in, resulting in Fatimah's ribs being broken between the broken door and the wall, and she miscarrying an unborn son named Muhsin

Muhsin ibn Ali

Al Muhsin or Mohsin, in Shi'a belief, was the unborn child of Fatima Al Zahra, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali ibn Abu Talib. She miscarried after being crushed behind a door by Umar and his men who had come to threaten her husband...

Bay'ah to Abu Bakr

Many of those who were presented also are among the List of Sahaba not giving bay'ah to Abu Bakr.

Fadak and inheritance

Abu Bakr successfully seized power. They proceeded by stripping Fatima of all financial means: The land of Fadak

Fadak

Fadak was a garden oasis in Khaybar, an tract of land in northern Arabia; it is now part of Saudi Arabia. Situated approximately thirty miles from Medina, Fadak was known for its water-wells, dates, and handicrafts. When the Muslims defeated the people of Khaybar at the Battle of Khaybar; the...

, which Shi'a believe was a gift from Muhammad to her before the Conquest of Mecca

Conquest of Mecca

Mecca was conquered by the Muslims in January 630 AD .-Background:In 628 the Meccan tribe of Quraysh and the Muslim community in Medina signed a 10 year truce called the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah....

, was confiscated and any inheritance due to her was denied since Abu Bakr had conveniently been the only one to hear Muhammad state that "prophets do not leave an inheritance".

Fatima opposed this confiscation, and contested Abu Bakr's statements: She still had the merit of being Muhammad's daughter and people were still watching, although they were in shock over how the events had turned out. However, even though Fatima and Ali successfully contested Abu Bakr's claim, Abu Bakr refused to return her property as this would jeopardize their newly gained power. Fatima made one last attempt: She interrupted Abu Bakr's speech in the mosque of Medinah, with a long speech of her own. After this speech, Abu Bakr repented and went to return the deed to the land. However, he was stopped by Umar, who grabbed Abu Bakr's beard and demanded an explanation, forcing him to stop jeopardizing the mission. Abu Bakr yet again changed his mind.

Breach in relations

This caused a major breach in their relations, she refused to talk to Abu Bakr until her death, something noted in Sunni hadith collections. The question of this inheritance is one of the most debated points in the Sunni/Shi'a conflict. In effect, Abu Bakr's hands were tied: if he acknowledged her claim to Fadak, it would lend credence to her lineage's claim to the succession of Muhhammad.

Shia continue that some time later, it became evident that Fatima would not be recovering from her wounds. She still had the people's heart as she was Muhammad's favorite and only biological daughter and was also the mother of Muhammad's only grandchildren. Abu Bakr and Umar went to her house to seek her pardon, and asked permission to enter. Fatimah refused to answer them, but eventually the was door opened by Ali. Fatimah, still angered that Abu Bakr was refusing her inheritance, angrily rebuked them:

"God be my witness

By Allah

By Allah is Arabic expression meaning "[I promise] by God" used to make a promise or express great credibility on an expression. It is considered a sin among Muslim to use this phrase and follow it up with a lie...

that you two have offended me. In every prayer I curse

Curses in Islam

In Islam, one can pray for God to curse someone. This is done with the Arabic word La'nat. "La'nat" means deprivation, and can be used in expressions such as "La'anatullah", "May be deprived of God's "...

you and will continue cursing you until I see my father and complain against you.".

Last period

When Fatima was ill with the final sickness which caused her death, the wives of the emigrants and companions of Muhammad went out visit her to ask how she was feeling. In reply to them, after asking for the blessings of God for her father, Muhammad, she said:

Death

Fatima did not survive long after the demise of her father. Sources differ from one month to six months. According to numerous Shi'a sources, because of the rift between her and the Abu Bakr faction, before her death she made these requests of her husband:

O Ali, you will personally perform my funeral rites.
Those who have displeased me should not be allowed to attend my funeral.
My corpse should be carried to the graveyard at night.

Ali did as she wished: she was buried at night, and accompanied to the grave by her relatives and sons. The burial was done secretly, so that Abu Bakr and Umar could not attend.

The Shi'a believe that Fatima died at the age of eighteen in Medina. This caused great grief to her husband. Eventually, in accordance with another part of her will, Ali married the woman of Fatima's choice, so that Fatima's children would be well take care of. After Fatima's death, Ali renewed the claim to the properties, but was again denied by Abu Bakr.

Shi'a gave Fatima Zahra many titles of praise. See List of Shi'a titles for Fatima Zahra

Legacy

In Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, her birthday was chosen as the date for National Women's Day, and annual mowludi or birthday celebrations are held in her honor by Iranian women; the themes routinely reflected in sermons at these functions are those of Fatimah's example as a pious daughter and wife and caring mother, and her simple lifestyle.

Among the Shi'a writings about Fatimah, the following is included:

Fatemeh is Fatemeh
Fatemeh is Fatemeh
Fatemeh is Fatemeh is a book written by Ali Shariati. In the book, Fatima Zahra the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad is described as a role model for Muslim women around the world...
Fatima the Gracious

External links

Shi'a links:

Baabeilm.org
Biography and picture gallery — karbala-najaf.org
Picture gallery and quotes — ezsoftech.com
Shia.org
"Sunni Traditions in praise of Syeda Fatima Zahra (AS)" — article at shianews.com

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