Wrath of Fatima(a.s)

Fatimah (a.s.) passed away while being angry with Abu Bakr and Umar because they had deprived her of the inheritance left for her by her father, the Prophet (a.s.). Relying on the authority of `A'ishah, al-Bukhari quotes the latter as saying, "... Fatimah (a.s.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) was to receive the inheritance left for her from the fay' [property gained as a peace offering from a hostile party] which Allah had bestowed upon His Messenger (a.s.). Abu Bakr said to her, 'The Messenger of Allah (a.s.) had said, 'We [prophets] leave no inheritance; what we leave behind is charity;' therefore, Fatimah (a.s.) daughter of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) became angry. She dissociated herself from Abu Bakr until she died. She lived for only six months after the death of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.)." `A'ishah adds saying, "And Fatimah (a.s.) demanded that Abu Bakr give her the share to which she was entitled of the inheritance of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) from Khaybar, namely Fadak, and the Madinah charity, but Abu Bakr refused saying, 'I shall not leave out anything which the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) used to do.'"[1]

[1] Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Vol. 4, p. 208, in the book of khums in a chapter about obligations.

Her anger with Abu Bakr and Umar was so great that it prompted her to go as far as leaving a will with `Ali (a.s.) that Abu Bakr should not perform the funeral prayers for her after her demise, nor to even walk behind her coffin. Imam `Ali (a.s.) buried her pure body secretly at night as al-Bukhari states in his Sahih, relying on `A'ishah who said, "... Abu Bakr refused that anything should be paid to Fatimah (a.s.). Fatimah (a.s.), therefore, was extremely angry with him, so much so that she dissociated herself from him and never spoke to him until she died. She lived after the demise of the Prophet (a.s.) for six months. When she died, her husband buried her at night. Abu Bakr never called the adhan [to announce her death], nor did he perform the funeral prayers for her."[2] 

[2] Sahih Bukhari ., Vol. 5, p. 382, in the book about military campaigns in a chapter about the invasion of Khayber.

The land of Fadak which Fatimah (a.s.) demanded is a village in Hijaz which used to be inhabited by some Jews. When the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) commenced the conquest of Khayber, Allah cast fear in the hearts of those Jews; therefore, they reconciled with the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) in exchange for Fadak. Thus, Fadak became the property of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) because  neither cavalry nor infantry was ever involved in its conquest. Then he gave it to his daughter Fatimah (a.s.) in addition to what the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) had owned out of the levy of the khums from Khayber and his own charities. All of these used to be the personal property of the Messenger of Allah; nobody else had any right in it besides him.

Fatimah (a.s.), then, according to Abu Bakr's view, was demanding to get what was not hers. She, according to this view, had to be doing either one of two things without any third possibility:

First: She was ignorant and did not know the rulings applicable to the inheritance of the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) (while Abu Bakr knew), or

Second: She was a liar who coveted to take what did not belong to her.

The fact is that both are impossible to attribute to al-Zahra' (a.s.) for whose anger Allah used to become angry, the Head of the Believing Women and of the people of Paradise that she was, the lady who was purified by Allah Almighty from any sin or impurity.

According to what is recorded by al-Bukhari in his Sahih, the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) said,

"O Fatimah! Are you not pleased with being the Head of the believing women or the Head of the women of this nation?!"[1]

[1] Al-Bukhari, Sahih, Vol. 8, p. 202, in the book about seeking permission to enter in a chapter about one who addressed the people.

"Fatimah (a.s.) is part of me; whoever makes her angry makes me angry"[2]

[2] Al-Bukhari.,Sahih, Vol. 5, p. 75, in the book about the virtues of the sahabah in a chapter about the merits of Fatimah, Allah be pleased with her.

"Fatimah (a.s.) is the Head of the women of Paradise."[3]

[3] Al-Bukhari.,Sahih, Vol. 5, p. 74.

Even if we submit that Fatimah (a.s.) was like any other woman and  did not have all such distinctions, as the narratives above indicate, her being the daughter of the teacher of humanity and the wife of the Commander of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu'minin), `Ali (a.s.), for whom they testified that he was the most judicious of all, the most knowledgeable, it negates from her any possibility of being ignorant. This is so because had Fatimah (a.s.) been demanding what did not belong to her, and that the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) was not to leave any inheritance, according to the view of Abu Bakr, either her father (a.s.) or her husband (a.s.) was supposed to inform her, especially since her anger with Abu Bakr lasted for six months. This was the entire period which Fatimah (a.s.) lived after the departure of the Chosen One (a.s.) from this world.

But far it is for Fatimah (a.s.) to be as such. We seek refuge with Allah against thinking like that of her. When she came to know that Abu Bakr deprived her of her right of ownership of Fadak and the property which Allah had bestowed upon His Prophet (a.s.) in Medinah, in addition to the khums of Khayber, she (a.s.) went to meet him, and he was among a crowd of the Muhajirun and the Ansar. She delivered a speech which caused the people to burst in tears, a speech from which we would like to quote the following:

... while you claim that we have neither inheritance nor any share; do you wish to implement the judgment of the days of jahiliyyah? Whose judgment is better than that of Allah for people who have conviction? O folks of Islam! Does the Book of Allah say that you can get your inheritance from your fathers while I have no inheritance at all You will truly then bring about falsehood.

Then she recited the verse saying,

"Muhammed is no more than a Prophet: Many prophets passed away before him. If he died or were killed, would you then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heels, he would not harm Allah in the least, but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude" (Qur'an, 3:144).

Then she went on to say,

"O people of Qayla! Should I thus complain about the injustice of being deprived of inheritance from my father while you see and hear me?...etc," [1]

[1] Ibn al-Athir, Manal al-Talib fi Sharh Tiwal al-Ghara'ib, p. 501 (printed at Al-Madani press).

Moreover, the meaning of the statement "We [prophets] leave no inheritance" which the Messenger of Allah (a.s.) made does not convey the inapplicability of the laws of inheritance to prophets according to the Ijtihad of Abu Bakr.

The Holy Qur'an states the following:

"And Solomon was David's heir" (Qur'an, 27:16).

Zakariyy? [Zachariah] pleaded to the Almighty to grant him someone who would be his heir, so Allah granted him Yahya [John the Baptist]:

"... '(one who) will (truly) inherit me, and represent the posterity of Jacob, and make him, O Lord, one with whom You are well pleased!' (His prayer was answered:) 'O Zakariyya! We give you glad tidings of a son: His name shall be Yahya (John): We have never conferred distinction on any by that name before'" (Qur'an, 19:6-7).

Hence, the meaning of "... inherit me" in the previous verse does not convey the sense of inheriting his [Zakariyya's] status as a prophet, for prophethood is not hereditary. Thus, the meaning of "We [prophets] leave no inheritance" in the statement of the Prophet (a.s.) means that prophets do not hoard gold and silver so it may be their legacy after them as do kings and those who seek the life of this world.

With Abu Bakr thus depriving Fatimah (a.s.) of inheriting the Prophet (a.s.) gave the opportunity to some people to claim that this was the real reason why `Ali (a.s.) was reluctant to swear fealty to Abu Bakr, not because he (a.s.) saw himself as the legitimate claimant to the post of caliph. Had the matter been as such, how do you explain the reluctance of a large number of the sahabah to swear fealty to Abu Bakr while granting their support to `Ali (a.s.)? And how do you explain this statement of `A'ishah: "`Ali (a.s.) sent a message to Abu Bakr saying, 'You may come to visit us, provided nobody accompanies you,' out of his concern that `Umar might be present"? `Umar ibn al-Khattab had nothing to do with the issue of contention regarding the inheritance of the Prophet (a.s.), whereas he played a decisive role in ending the dispute at the Saqifah in Abu Bakr's favor. Moreover, the issue of the inheritance is not considered a stumbling block or a justification under any condition for the refusal of `Ali (a.s.) and Fatimah (a.s.) to swear fealty to Abu Bakr or even for their reluctance to do so.