After denying Fadak why were Abu Bakr and Umar buried in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) house?

There are two facts that the Muslim majority accepts without much debate:

1. The Shaikhain refused to grant Fadak to Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) by dismissing the testimonies of her infallible husband Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) and even Umm Ayman on the excuse that Prophets (s.a.w.a.) do not leave any inheritance.
2. Abu Bakr and Umar are buried next to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) by virtue of the property inherited by their daughters Ayesha and Hafsa.

Reply

The obvious contradiction between points a. and b. is plain even to a lay Muslim –

If Hazrat Fatima Zahra (s.a.) cannot inherit property from her father (s.a.w.a.) then how can the Shaikhain inherit their burial place in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) house?

An eye-opening debate on the subject nullifies the burial of the Shaikhain and proves that the land on which they are buried is usurped from the Muslims.

Abu Hanifa fails to defend the Shaikhain

One day, Fuzzaal Ibn Hasan Ibn Fuzzaal al-Kufi (refer Qamoos al-Rijal, vol. 4 pg 313), a companion of Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s.), was walking through the streets of Kufa with his friend.

He saw Abu Hanifa surrounded by people who were posing religious questions.

Fuzzaal decided to approach Abu Hanifa with some questions of his own, despite protests to the contrary by his friend, who warned him that Abu Hanifa was an intelligent person. Fuzzaal poses as a ‘Sunni’ Muslim with a Shia brother.

(We reproduce excerpts of the debate relevant to the discussion.)

Abu Hanifa: Tell your (Shia) brother that Ayesha and Hafsa by virtue of being the wives of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) received their chambers as inheritance and in turn offered their portion of inheritance to their respective fathers for burial.

Fuzzaal: I told him the same thing but he shot back saying – you Muslims believe that the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) did not leave behind any inheritance, which is why Fadak was not granted to Fatima (s.a.) his only daughter at the time.

Even if we consider the chambers as inheritance, the fact remains that the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had nine wives at the time of his demise. So every wife had equal right over that property and without the permission of other wives Abu Bakr and Umar should not have been buried. If we divide the inheritance equally among nine wives then each person will be entitled to no more than a span and not a burial place like Abu Bakr and Umar have taken for themselves.

After listening to this argument, Abu Hanifa resigned himself to defeat and vented his frustration on Fuzzaal by ordering his companions: Get him out of here he is a Shia.

• Al-Ehtejaaj, p 207

The Shaikhain very nonchalantly dismissed Hazrat Fatima Zahra’s (s.a.) claim to Fadak by advancing a fake report on the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) authority. Little did they realize that one day they would be buried next to the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) on property that was supposedly inherited by their daughters.

If the daughter cannot inherit property, how can the wives claim inheritance – that too in the case of a Prophet (s.a.w.a.) who supposedly does not leave behind any inheritance.

Clearly the Shaikhain are a victim of their own contradictions and every time a Muslim visits the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) shrine he asks himself – what are the Shaikhain doing here in the Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.) house when the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) does not leave behind any inheritance?

As the tradition goes – One who digs a well for his brother, falls in it.