Objection 2: Burial of Hazrat
Among the doubts and objections, which they have raised against
the topic of martyrdom of Lady Fatima Zahra (s) is that her nocturnal burial is
not due to the cause which Shia believe; that it was not due to her enmity to
the rulers; on the contrary, it was because she had made a bequest to Asma
binte Umais (wife of Abu Bakr) that after her death no stranger (Namehram)
should be able to see the shape of her body.
Such objections are mentioned in different words and we present
one of them, which is present on Wahabi websites as follows:
Shia always misuse the topic of concealment of the location of
the grave of the daughter of the Prophet (s) to instigate emotions and as a
tool of propagating their ideas, but they are not aware that if this matter was
a crime, the Shia themselves are culpable for it first of all.
We say to Shia: The grave of Lady Fatima (r) was known to Ali,
Hasan and Husain (r) and its location was certainly known to their descendants:
Sajjad, Baqir, Sadiq and their other descendants. Now, the most important
question is whether these Shia Imams went to the grave of Fatima
and performed the Ziyarat or not? If they did not do so, why do you want to
perform this act and do that which they did not like and which is against
Islamic law? And if they did visit it; it can be either of the two: either they
did so secretly or openly. If they did so secretly, they had themselves
concealed the location of the grave of their mother from the people, and it is
not a sin. And if it is a sin, it is their sin and not the crime of Abu Bakr
and Umar, but if they visited it openly, the 4000 students of Imam Sadiq (a) should
also have been aware of it. Then why do you accuse us of this?[1]
Nocturnal burial, funeral prayers without informing the ruler of
the time, with a concealed grave, is a secret having unutterable mysteries. It
is correct that this lady wanted this and she made bequest in this way, but
what a coincidence that Lady Zahra (s) completed her historical bequest with
these requests?!
But is not the most important message of this bequest declaration
of her anger and displeasure with those who harassed her?
Lady Fatima (s), in fact through these steps, has posed some
questions before the sharp sight of history and the coming generations so that
these questions are raised all the time that why the grave of Fatima
is unknown?
Why the daughter of the Prophet was buried during the night and
secretly?
Why Ali (a) recited her funeral prayers without informing Abu Bakr
and Umar?
Can one who is the successor of the Prophet (as they have themselves
claimed) is not eligible to recite her funeral prayer? And why and why…
Yes, Fatima made a will that she
must be buried at night and none of those who have harassed should be informed
and this is the best evidence of her victimization, so that it may be proved
that she was oppressed and she departed from the world as a martyr and she was never
reconciled to those had oppressed her.
Numerous traditional reports have been recorded in Shia and Sunni
books, which prove this claim; and some of them are mentioned as follows in
brief:
That which is important in this and is a direct reply to the
captioned question is that why Lady Zahra (s) made a will that she should be
laid to rest during the night?
Before hinting at some of the reports in this regard, it is
necessary to mention the reports about the actual topic of nocturnal burial in Sahih
Bukhari. Muhammad bin Ismail Bukhari writes:
Fatima Zahra (s) lived for six months after the passing away of
the Messenger of Allah (s). When she passed away, her husband buried her at
night and did not inform Abu Bakr.[2]
And as for the cause of her nocturnal burial; it is hinted at in
numerous reports of Ahle Sunnat books.
In his book, Ibne Qutaibah Dainawari has clearly discussed the
cause of nocturnal burial of Fatima and he
says:
Abdur Razzaq Sanani has also clearly discussed the cause of
nocturnal burial in his book:
Fatima, daughter of the Prophet, was buried at night, so that Abu
Bakr may not pray her funeral prayers, because there was enmity between them.[4]
Also, Ibne Battal has written in his Sharh Sahih Bukhari:
Most scholars have permitted burial at night time. Ali Ibne Abi
Talib buried his wife, Fatima at night, so that Abu Bakr may not pray her
funeral prayer, since there was animosity between them.[5]
Ibne Abil Hadid, quoting from Jahiz (d. 255), has written:
Complain and displeasure of Fatima
(s) (at the hands of Abu Bakr and Umar) went to such limits that she made a
will that Abu Bakr should not pray her funeral prayer.[6]
On another occasion, he writes:
Concealing the demise and location of the burial of Fatima (s)
and not reciting her funeral prayers by Abu Bakr and Umar and everyone whom
Sayyid Murtaza has mentioned, is supported and accepted by me, because the
reports regarding this are most authentic and numerous and in the same way,
displeasure and anger of Fatima on Abu Bakr and Umar are more reliable in my
view than other opinions.[7]
Since the cause of the bequest of Lady Fatima Zahra (s) is clear
in view of Shia and there is consensus among Shia scholars regarding it, we
would be content only to quote one authentic report about it.
The Late Shaykh Saduq has written in the reason of her nocturnal
burial as follows:
Ali bin Abi Hamza asked Imam Sadiq (a): Why Fatima (s) was buried
at night and not during daytime? Imam (a) replied: Fatima
(s) had made a bequest that she must be buried during the night, so that Abu
Bakr and Umar may not pray on her bier.[8]
As a result of which, with attention to the present sources and
admissions of prominent Ahle Sunnat scholars, the cause of nocturnal burial of
Lady Fatima (s) was her bequest that she did not want those who had oppressed
her to pray on her coffin.
[1]
http://forum.mosalman.net/showthread.php?t=13272
[2] Al-Jami
as-Sahih al-Mukhtasar (Sahih Bukhari), Vol. 4, Pg. 1549, Tr. no. 3998,
Kitabul Maghazi, Chapter of Battle of Khyber, Muhammad bin Ismail Bukhari Jofi,
Abu Abdullah (d. 256 A.H.), Edited: Dr. Mustafa Dibul Bagha, Daar Ibne Kathir,
Yamama, Beirut ,
3rd edition, 1407 – 1987.
[3] Tawil
Mukhtaliful Hadith, Vol. 1, Pg. 300, Abu Muhammad Abdullah bin Muslim Ibne
Qutaibah Al-Dainawari, (d. 276 A.H.), Edited: Muhammad Zuhri al-Najjar, Darul
Jeel, Beirut , 1393,
1972
[4] Musannaf
Abdur Razzaq, Vol. 3, Pg. 521, tradition 6554, Abu Bakr Abdur Razzaq bin
Hamam Sanani (d. 211), Darul Nashr Maktabul Islami, Beirut – 1403, Second
edition, Edited: Habibur Rahman Azmi
[5] Sharh
Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 3, Pg. 325, Abdul Hasan Ali bin Khalaf bin Abdul Malik
Ibne Battal Bakri Qurtubi (d. 449 A.H.), Edited: Abu Tamim Yasir bin Ibrahim,
Maktabe Rushd – Saudia/Riyadh, 2nd Edition, 1423 A.H. – 2003 A.D.
[6] Sharh
Nahjul Balagha, Vol. 16, Pg. 157, Abu Hamid Izzuddin bin Hibatullah bin Muhammad
bin Muhammad Ibne Abil Hadid Madaini Mutazali (d. 655 A.H.), Edited: Muhammad
Abdul Karim Namri, Darul Kutubul Ilmiya, Beirut / Lebanon, First Edition, 1418
A.H. – 1998 A.D.
[7] Sharh
Nahjul Balagha, Vol. 16, Pg. 170, Abu Hamid Izzuddin bin Hibatullah bin
Muhammad bin Muhammad Ibne Abil Hadid Madaini Mutazali (d. 655 A.H.), Edited:
Muhammad Abdul Karim Namri, Darul Kutubul Ilmiya, Beirut / Lebanon, First
Edition, 1418 A.H. – 1998 A.D.
[8] Ilalush
Sharai, Vol. 1, Pg. 185, Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali bin Husain Saduq (d.
381 A.H.), Edited: Sayyid Muhammad Sadiq Bahrul Uloom, Manshurat Maktabal
Haidariya wa Matbatha, Najaful Ashraf, 1385 – 1966 A.D.