QUESTION:
To clear the names of Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah curse them) and acquit them of assaulting Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) in her home, the ‘Sunnis’ deny the validity of the reports mentioning the incident by claiming that it is not realistic to believe something like that could have happened while Ali (peace be upon him), the fearsome warrior of Islam, was present. He would indeed defend his home and punish those who assaulted his wife.
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
In the books of Maqatil (the stories of how the Infallibles were martyred), such as Maqtal al-Hussain, by Al-Khawarizmi, he narrates the following of him (may peace be upon h
Such claims expose the ignorance of those who spout them. An unbiased researcher would undoubtedly conclude that the incident did take place and that those responsible for it were Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah curse them).
After setting fire to the door, Umar and his gang of worthless thugs (may Allah curse them) stormed her house. The tragic events that followed led to Lady Fatima’s (peace be upon) miscarriage and eventual death from the wounds she sustained while taking refuge behind the door. After she was wounded and beaten, Al-Zahra (peace be upon her) cried for help, and the Commander of the Believers (peace be upon him) rushed to save her from her attackers. He grabbed Umar by the collar, tossed him to the ground, hit his nose and neck then sat on his chest. He was about to kill him, but it was the vow he made to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that stayed his hand. He said to Umar:
O’ son of Sahhak, By He who honored Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his family) with Prophethood, if it were not for what Allah has revealed and for a covenant I made with the Messenger of Allah, you would not have entered my house and you know that.
Book of Sulaim Ibn Qais, page 387
The Imam (peace be upon him) is alluding to the fact that Umar was aware of the covenant he (the Imam) made with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his pure family). It was his knowledge of the covenant that emboldened him to assault the house of Fatima (peace be upon her) with some impunity, knowing that the Imam (peace be upon him) cannot kill him.
The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) rushed to save his wife once he heard her cry for help, unlike how these ignorants believe. Also, the minor incidents before the actual assault on his home were taking place in a surprising manner and escalated quickly.
As for the question: ‘Why did the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) not avenge Al-Zahra (may peace be upon her)?’ The answer is: The Great Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him and his family) had commanded him to refrain from doing so. Allah (Glorious and Exalted is He), in his wisdom, decreed that the perpetrators of the crime are not punished immediately for their actions to test the nation of Muhammad (blessings and peace be upon him and his pure family). There are several sources in history books that address this issue, so please refer to them.
Furthermore, the Great Prophet himself (blessings and peace be upon him and his family) did not exact revenge from those who attempted to kill him by pushing his camel off the mountain pass because he feared people might say: “After Muhammad achieved victory along with his companions, he began to kill them.” The Commander of the Believers (peace be upon him) acted in the same manner. It was the greater Islamic interest that required him to remain patient.
As for the question: “Why was Al-Zahra (may peace be upon her) at the door? Why wasn’t the Commander of the Believers (may peace be upon him) standing at the door?” The answer is: That was the will of Allah. Allah wished that Al-Zahra (may peace and blessings be upon her) is subjected to this oppression and tragedies so that she may become the witness who rebuked the people of Saqifa for their injustice. She denounced them for creating their false new religion while setting a clear line between the true Islam and the innovated version so that no excuses remain for those who chose to walk the wrong path.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib