As for my daughter Fatima (A.S.), she is the Head of the Women of Mankind… When I saw her, I remembered what she will have to endure after me. It is as if humiliation entered inside her house, violating her privacy, confiscating her rights, depriving her of her inheritance, breaking her side, causing her to miscarry as she will call our: `O Muhammed!’ but there will be none to respond to her. She will seek help, but she will not be helped. She will remain after me grieved, depressed, weeping… Then she will see herself humiliated after being, during her father’s lifetime, honored and dignified… She will be the first to rejoin me from among my Ahl al-Bayt. She will come to me sad, depressed, usurped, murdered. It will then be said by the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), `O Lord! Condemn whoever condemned her! Punish whoever confiscated what belonged to her! Humiliate whoever humiliated her! And keep in Your Fire whoever hit her on her side till she miscarried her son!’
SALIM ibn Qais has quoted `Abdullah ibn al-`Abbas, when Jabir ibn `Abdullah [al-Ansari] was sitting beside him, saying that the Prophet (A.S.) said to Ali (A.S.) at the conclusion of a lengthy sermon, “Quraish will revolt against all of you, and they will be unanimous in oppressing you. So, if you find supporters, you should fight them. But if you do not find supporters, hold your hand away and do not shed your blood. Martyrdom is behind you, and may Allah condemn your killer.” Then Prophet (A.S.) faced his daughter (A.S.) and said, “You will be the first to join me from among my Ahl al-Bayt, and you are the Head of the Women of Paradise. You will face oppression and malice, so much so that you will be hit, and one of your ribs will be broken; may Allah condemn your killer…”[1]
Ibrahim ibn Muhammed al-Juwayni al-Shafi`i, relying on the isnad of Ali bin Ahmed ibn Masa al-Daqqaq from Muhammed ibn Aba `Abdullah al-Kafi from Masa ibn `Imran al-Nakh`i from al-Nawfali from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Aba Hamzah from his father from Sa`ad ibn Jubayr from Ibn `Abbas, has narrated saying that the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) was once sitting when al-Hasan (A.S.) came. When he saw him, he wept. Then he said, “Come to me, come to me, O son!” Then al-Husain (A.S.) came, then Fatima (A.S.). After that the Commander of the Faithful (A.S.) came. His companions asked him, and he answered them. Among what he (A.S.) said to them was: “As for my daughter Fatima (A.S.), she is the Head of the Women of Mankind… When I saw her, I remembered what she will have to endure after me. It is as if humiliation entered inside her house, violating her privacy, confiscating her rights, depriving her of her inheritance, breaking her side, causing her to miscarry as she will call our: `O Muhammed!’ but there will be none to respond to her. She will seek help, but she will not be helped. She will remain after me grieved, depressed, weeping… Then she will see herself humiliated after being, during her father’s lifetime, honored and dignified… She will be the first to rejoin me from among my Ahl al-Bayt. She will come to me sad, depressed, usurped, murdered. It will then be said by the Messenger of Allah (A.S.), `O Lord! Condemn whoever condemned her! Punish whoever confiscated what belonged to her! Humiliate whoever humiliated her! And keep in Your Fire whoever hit her on her side till she miscarried her son!’ The angels will at that time say, `ameen!’”[2]
Shaikh al-Islam, `allama al-Majlisi, wile citing this narrative, says, “This is narrated by al-Saduq in his Amali depending on a reliable isnad from Ibn `Abbas.”
`Allama al-Majlisi has said: I have found something handwritten by Shaikh Muhammed ibn Ali al-Jib`i, grandfather of Shaikh al-Baha’i, transmitted via the handwriting of the martyr, may Allah raise his status, who cites the Musbah of Shaikh Abi Mansur, may Allah make his resting-place good, saying that it has been narrated that the Prophet (A.S.) entered once the house of Fatima (A.S.) who prepared for him some food comprised of dates, a round loaf of bread and some oil. They all sat down to eat, he, Ali (A.S.), Fatima (A.S.), al-Hasan (A.S.) and al-Husain (A.S.). Once they have finished eating, the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) prostrated. Then he smiled. Then he wept. Then he sat. The most daring to speak up was Ali (A.S.) who said, “O Messenger of Allah (A.S.)! We have seen you today doing what we have never seen you doing before!” He (A.S.) said, “When I ate with you, I was pleased and felt happy for your safety and your assembling together, so I prostrated to Allah to thank Him. It was then that Gabriel (A.S.) descended and asked me, `Have you prostrated for being happy among your family?’ `Yes,’ I said. He said, ‘shall I inform you of what will happen to them after you?’ I said, `Yes, O my Brother, Gabriel! Do so.’ He said, `As for your daughter, she will be the first to rejoin you after being oppressed, what belongs to her will be taken away from her, and she will be deprived of her inheritance, and he husband will be dealt with unjustly. Her rib will be broken. As regarding your cousin, he will be dealt with unjustly, he will be deprived of his right (to be caliph), and he will be killed. As for al-Hasan (A.S.), he will be dealt with unjustly; he will be deprived of his right and will be poisoned. As for al-Husain (A.S.), he will be dealt with unjustly; he will be deprived of his right, his progeny will be killed, and his body will be crushed under the horses’ hoofs. His belongings will be plundered; his women and offspring will be taken captive; he will be buried shrouded in his blood, and strangers will bury him.’ I, therefore, wept and asked him, `Will anyone visit his grave?’ He said, ‘strangers will visit it.’ I asked him, `What rewards will be received by those who visit it?’ He said, `Each one of them will be written down in his/her book of deeds the rewards of performing the pilgrimage a thousand times and the `umra a thousand times, all in your own company,’ so I smiled.”[3]
Omer ibn al-Khattab asked Huthayfan ibn al-Yaman about a statement made by the Prophet (A.S.) regarding a dissension that would treat people as the raging waves treat a ship in the sea. Huthayfah said, “It is a dissension between which and yourself is a closed door.” `Omer said, “Will the door, O Huthayfah, be opened or will it be broken?” Huthayfah said, “It will be broken.” `Omer said, “If the door is broken, then it ought not to be closed till the Day of Judgment.”[4]
Then they attributed to Huthayfah the statement that what is meant by the broken door is the assassination of `Omer ibn al-Khattab and by the gate of dissension is `Othman taking charge.[5]
We say the following:
Had Huthayfah really said so, such ijtihad is not precise because the “shara” which was invented by `Omer was the one that brought `Othman to power, albeit whether `Omer was to be killed or to die naturally. He invented it after someone stabbed him in the stomach.
Installing `Othman as the caliph was not the cause of the dissension which still remains till our time and will continue till the Judgment Day. Rather, it was the issue of Imamate which was usurped through the violence that manifested itself by the assault on Fatima’s house, by breaking her door and taking Ali (A.S.) out by force to swear the oath of allegiance against his wish. It is a well known that the most serious dissension among the nation is the one regarding the issue of Imamate. No sword was ever taken out of its scabbard based on a theological basis like the one taken out against the Imamate in every time and clime, as al-Shahristani and others have stated.
This is an article taken from the book -TRAGEDY OF AL-ZAHRA’ (A.S.). DOUBTS CAST AND REBUTTALS
By: Ayatullah `Allama Sayyid Ja’far Murtada al-`Amili
Translated from the Arabic By: Yasin T. al-Jibouri
Published By: Imam Hussain Foundation
Read This Book Online
[1]Cited from the book of Salam ibn Qais (edited by al-Ansari), Vol. 2, p. 907.
[2]Fara’id al-Simtayn, Vol. 2, pp. 34-35. Al-Saduq, Amali, pp. 99-101. Ithbat al-Hudat, Vol. 1, pp. 280-81. Irshad al-Qulab, p. 295. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 28, pp. 37, 39 and Vol. 43, pp. 172-73. Al-`Awalim, Vol. 11, pp. 391-92 in the footnote of which a citation of p. 48 of Ghayat al-Maram, p. 48 and p. 109 of Al-Muhtadir. Al-Majlisi, Jala’ al-`Uyan, Vol. 2, pp. 186-88.
[3]Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 98, p. 44.
[4]Ibn Salam al-Abazi, Bid’ al-Islam wa Shara’i` ad-Dan, p. 107. Al-Bukhari, Sihah, Vol. 1, pp. 67, 164, 212 (1309 A.H. edition). Ibn Majah, Sunan, Vol. 2, p. 1306. Al-Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, Vol. 6, p. 386.
[5]Refer to the references listed in the previous footnote.
