EVIDENCE IN SHIA SOURCES REGARDING THE ATTACK ON THE HOUSE OF LADY FATIMAH (SA)

[Taqavi]

Is there any evidence in Shia sources regarding the attack on the house of Lady Fatimah (SA)?

There is authentic evidence in Shia sources regarding the attack on the house of  Lady Fatimah (SA) and her martyrdom, emphasizing the significant injustice she faced. For example, consider the following accounts:

1.        Statement by Sulaym bin Qays (d. 76 AH) quoting Salman al-Farsi:

"Fatimah (SA) said: 'O Umar, what is this between you and us?' He replied: ‘Open the door, or else we will set your house on fire!’ She responded, ‘O Omar, are you not afraid of Allah that you enter my house without permission?’ But Umar refused to turn back. Umar called for fire, ignited it at the door, then pushed it open and entered. Lady Fatimah confronted him, crying, ‘O father, O Messenger of Allah!’ Umar raised his sword, which was in its sheath, and struck Fatimah’s side. she cried out: 'O my father!' He then raised a whip and struck her arm. Lady Fatimah exclaimed, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what ill-treatment Abu Bakr and Omar, your companions, have shown us!’”.[1]

2.        Statement by Muhammad bin Jarir bin Rustam Tabari (d. 310 AH):

“The cause of Lady Fatimah’s death was the blows inflicted upon her. Qunfudh, Omar’s servant, struck her with the sheathed sword upon Omar’s command. As a result, her son Mohsen was miscarried, and she fell seriously ill. She did not allow any of her oppressors to visit her.” [2] He shared this story in another part of his book as well. [3]

3.        Statement by Muhammad bin Mas’ud 'Ayyashi (d. 320 AH):

 "Umar said: 'Come with me to him.' So, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Salim, (the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfa), and Qunfuz, and I (the narrator) went together. When we approached Lady Fatimah’s house, she saw them and closed the door, as she did not doubt that they would not enter without her permission. Umar struck the door with his foot and broke it, as it was made of palm fronds. They entered and brought out Ali (AS)..." [4]

4.        Statement by Sheikh al-Kulayni (d. 329 AH):

Kulayni narrates a narration in Al-Kafi from Imam Kazim (AS) referring to Lady Fatimah (SA) as a martyr: “Indeed, Fatimah (SA) is truthful and a martyr…”[5]

5.        Statement by Husayn ibn Hamdan Khasibi (d. 346 AH):

From Lady Fatimah’s own words, Khasibi recounts the following incident: “Then they sent Qunfuz and Khalid ibn al-Walid to our house to bring out my cousin to the Saqifah of Bani Sa'ida for their harmful allegiance. And he would not go out to them, being occupied with the will of the Messenger of Allah (SAW)... So they gathered wood at our door and brought fire to burn the house. I held onto the doorpost and said, 'I beseech you by Allah and by my father, the Messenger of Allah (SAW), to cease and desist.' Then Umar took the whip from Qunfuz, the freed slave of Abu Bakr, and struck my arm with it, so that the whip twisted around my hand until it was like a bracelet. And he kicked the door with his foot and it struck me, and I fell on my face while I was pregnant, and the fire was blazing..." [6]

6.        Statement by Muhammad ibn Qulawayh (d. 368 AH):

Gabriel addressed the Prophet, saying: ‘"And as for your daughter, she will be wronged and deprived, and her rights which you have appointed for her will be taken from her by force. She will be beaten while she is pregnant, and people will enter her private house without permission. Then she will be treated with contempt and humiliation, and she will find no one to protect her. As a result of the beating, she will miscarry and die from it." [7]

7.        Statement by Sheikh Saduq (d. 381 AH):

The Messenger of Allah spoke about the events after his passing, saying: When I saw her, I remembered what would happen to her after my demise. It was as if I could see humiliation entering her house, her sanctity being violated, her rights being usurped, her inheritance denied, her side being broken and her unborn child miscarried. She would cry out, ‘O Muhammad!’ But no one would answer her call for help. She would seek assistance, but no one would come to her aid...... She would be the first from my household to join me, appearing before me as a grieving, oppressed, sorrowful, and martyred. At that moment, I would say, ‘O Allah, curse those who wronged her, punish those who seized her rights, humiliate those who oppressed her, and eternally condemn those who struck her side until she lost her child.’ And the angels would respond, ‘Ameen.’ [8]

8.        Statement by Sheikh Mufid (d. 413 AH):

 "Umar said:  'Get up and go to Ali.' So, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Khalid ibn al-Walid, al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba, Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Salim, (the freed slave of Abu Hudhayfa), and Qunfuz, and I (the narrator) went together. Lady Fatimah suspected that they would not enter the house without permission. So, she closed and locked the door. When they reached the door, Umar struck the door with his foot and broke it, as it was made of palm. They entered and forcibly dragged Ali out, and Lady Fatimah followed." [9] This incident is also mentioned elsewhere. [10]

9.        Statement by Muqatil ibn Atiyya (d. 505 AH):

"After Abu Bakr had forcefully taken the allegiance of the people through intimidation, the sword, threats, and coercion, he sent Umar, Qunfuz, Khalid ibn al-Walid, Abu Ubaidah al-Jarrah, and a group of hypocrites to the house of Ali and Fatimah. Umar gathered firewood at the door of Fatimah's house and set it on fire. When Fatimah came to the door to repel Umar and his companions, Umar squeezed Fatimah between the wall and the door with such force that she miscarried her child and the nail of the door pierced her chest. Fatimah cried out, 'O my father, O Messenger of Allah! Look what we have suffered after you from the son of Khattab and the son of Abu Quhafa!' Umar turned to those around him and said, 'Strike Fatimah!' So, they rained blows upon the beloved of the Messenger of Allah and his daughter until they bruised her body." [11]

10.      Statement by Abu Mansur Tabarsi (d. 6th century AH):

Tabarsi recounts the dialogue between Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS) and Mughira (may Allah curse him), where the martyrdom of Lady Fatimah (SA) is explicitly mentioned: “You are the one who beat and injured Fatimah (SA) until she miscarried her child. Your actions were due to your opposition to the Messenger of Allah (SAW), your defiance of his command, and your violation of his sanctity.” [12]

11.      Statement by Allama Hilli (d. 726 AH):

And among these [events] is that he and Umar sought to burn the house of the Commander of the Faithful, in which were the Commander of the Faithful, Fatimah, their children, and a group of the Banu Hashim, who had not pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr and had opposed it. Tabari mentioned in his history, saying: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab came to the house of Ali and said, "By Allah, I will surely burn you all or you will come out to pledge allegiance." [13]

12.      Statement by Allama Majlisi (d. 1110 AH):

“When the rulers seized power and usurped the caliphate, most people pledged allegiance to them. They sent someone to Ali (AS) to force him into allegiance. He refused, so Umar sent fire to burn down their house. They intended to enter by force, but Fatimah blocked the door. Qunfuz, a slave of Umar, struck the door on Fatimah's abdomen, breaking her side and causing her to miscarry the child whom the Messenger of Allah (SAW) had named Muhsen. As a result, she fell ill and died." [14] This incident is also mentioned in Bihar al-Anwar. [15]

Conclusion:

Based on numerous and reliable Shia sources, the incident of the attack on the house of Lady Fatima (SA) is well-established and historically verified among Shia Muslims. Sayyid Murtadha (d. 436 AH) affirms that there is a significant abundance of narration chains regarding the martyrdom of Lady Zahra (SA). [16] Sheikh Tusi (d. 460 AH) also considers the attack on Lady Fatima Zahra's (SA) house to be well-known and states that there is no disagreement among Shia scholars on this matter. [17] Furthermore, Allama Majlesi (d. 1110 AH) regards the reports of the attack on the house and the martyrdom of Lady Fatima (SA) as widely accepted. [18]

 

 

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[1]. Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays Hilali: Al-Hilali, Sulaym bin Qais, p. 150. «فقالت فاطمة عليها السلام : يا عمر ، ما لنا ولك ؟ فقال : افتحي الباب وإلا أحرقنا عليكم بيتكم . فقالت : يا عمر ، أما تتقي الله تدخل علي بيتي ؟ فأبي أن ينصرف . ودعا عمر بالنار فأضرمها في الباب ثم دفعه فدخل فاستقبلته فاطمة عليها السلام وصاحت: يا أبتاه يا رسول الله فرفع عمر السيف وهو في غمده فوجأ به جنبها فصرخت: يا أبتاه. فرفع السوط فضرب به ذراعها فنادت: يا رسول الله، لبئس ما خلفك أبو بكر وعمر.» 

[2]. Dalail al-Imamah: Muhammad ibn Jarir ibn Rustam Tabari, p. 134. «وَ كَانَ سَبَبُ وَفَاتِهَا أَنَّ قُنْفُذاً مَوْلَى عُمَرَ لَكَزَهَا بِنَعْلِ السَّيْفِ‏ بِأَمْرِهِ، فَأَسْقَطَتْ مُحَسِّناً وَ مَرِضَتْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَرَضاً شَدِيداً، وَ لَمْ تَدَعْ أَحَداً مِمَّنْ آذَاهَا يَدْخُلُ عَلَيْهَا.» Allama Mamaqani, one of the great scholars of Rijal, considers the chain of transmission of this narration to be authentic and strong in his book "Mara'a al-Kamal". Mara'a al-Kamal: Allama Mamqani, Abdullah, vol. 3, p. 267.

[3]. Dalail al-Imamah: Muhammad ibn Jarir ibn Rustam Tabari, p. 104.

[4]. Tafsir al-'Ayyashi: al-'Ayyashi, Muhammad ibn Mas’ud, Vol. 2, p. 66. «قال عمر: قوموا بنا إليه، فقام أبو بكر، و عمر، و عثمان و خالد بن الوليد و المغيرة بن شعبة، و أبو عبيدة بن الجراح، و سالم مولى أبي حذيفة، و قنفذ، و قمت معهم، فلما انتهينا إلى الباب- فرأتهم فاطمة ص أغلقت الباب في وجوههم، و هي لا تشك أن لا يدخل عليها إلا بإذنها، فضرب عمر الباب برجله فكسره و كان من سعف‌ ثم دخلوا فأخرجوا عليا ع ملببا......»

[5]. Al-Kafi: al-Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya’qub, Vol. 1, p. 458.

[6]. Al-Hidayah al-Kubra: al-Khasibi, Husayn ibn Hamdan, Vol. 1, p. 178. «ثُمَّ يُنْفِذُونَ إِلَى دَارِنَا قُنْفُذاً وَ مَعَهُ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ لِيُخْرِجَا ابْنَ عَمِّي إِلَى سَقِيفَةِ بَنِي سَاعِدَةَ لِبَيْعَتِهِمُ الْخَاسِرَةِ وَ لَا يَخْرُجُ إِلَيْهِمْ مُتَشَاغِلًا بِوَصَاةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ).... فَجَمَعُوا الْحَطَبَ بِبَابِنَا وَ أَتَوْا بِالنَّارِ لِيُحْرِقُوا الْبَيْتَ فَأَخَذْتُ بِعِضَادَتَيِ الْبَابِ وَ قُلْتُ: نَاشَدْتُكُمُ اللَّهَ وَ بِأَبِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (عليه السلام) أَنْ تَكُفُّوا عَنَّا وَ تَنْصَرِفُوا فَأَخَذَ عُمَرُ السَّوْطَ مِنْ قُنْفُذٍ مَوْلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ، فَضَرَبَ بِهِ عَضُدِي فَالْتَوَى السَّوْطُ عَلَى يَدِي حَتَّى صَارَ كَالدُّمْلُجِ، وَ رَكَلَ الْبَابَ بِرِجْلِهِ فَرَدَّهُ عَلَيَّ وَ أَنَا حَامِلٌ فَسَقَطْتُ لِوَجْهِي وَ النَّارُ تَسَعَّرُ...»

[7]. Kamil al-Ziyarat: Ibn Qulawayh, Ja’far ibn Muhammad, pp. 332. «وَ أَمَّا ابْنَتُكَ فَتُظْلَمُ وَ تُحْرَمُ وَ يُؤْخَذُ حَقُّهَا غَصْباً الَّذِي تَجْعَلُهُ لَهَا وَ تُضْرَبُ وَ هِيَ حَامِلٌ وَ يُدْخَلُ عَلَيْهَا وَ عَلَى حَرِيمِهَا وَ مَنْزِلِهَا بِغَيْرِ إِذْنٍ ثُمَّ يَمَسُّهَا هَوَانٌ وَ ذُلٌّ ثُمَّ لَا تَجِدُ مَانِعاً وَ تَطْرَحُ مَا فِي بَطْنِهَا مِنَ الضَّرْبِ وَ تَمُوتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الضَّرْبِ »

[8]. Al-Amali Saduq: Ibn Babawayh, Muhammad ibn 'Ali, p. 176. «وَ أَنِّي لَمَّا رَأَيْتُهَا ذَكَرْتُ مَا يُصْنَعُ بِهَا بَعْدِي كَأَنِّي بِهَا وَ قَدْ دَخَلَ الذُّلُّ بَيْتَهَا وَ انْتُهِكَتْ حُرْمَتُهَا وَ غُصِبَتْ حَقَّهَا وَ مُنِعَتْ‏ إِرْثَهَا وَ كُسِرَ جَنْبُهَا [وَ كُسِرَتْ جَنْبَتُهَا] وَ أَسْقَطَتْ جَنِينَهَا وَ هِيَ تُنَادِي يَا مُحَمَّدَاهْ فَلَا تُجَابُ وَ تَسْتَغِيثُ فَلَا تُغَاثُ فَلَا تَزَالُ بَعْدِي مَحْزُونَةً مَكْرُوبَةً بَاكِيَةً … فَتَكُونُ أَوَّلَ مَنْ يَلْحَقُنِي مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي فَتَقْدَمُ عَلَيَّ مَحْزُونَةً مَكْرُوبَةً مَغْمُومَةً مَغْصُوبَةً مَقْتُولَةً فَأَقُولُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ اللَّهُمَّ الْعَنْ مَنْ ظَلَمَهَا وَ عَاقِبْ مَنْ غَصَبَهَا وَ ذَلِّلْ مَنْ أَذَلَّهَا وَ خَلِّدْ فِي نَارِكَ مَنْ ضَرَبَ جَنْبَهَا حَتَّى أَلْقَتْ وَلَدَهَا فَتَقُولُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عِنْدَ ذَلِكَ آمِينَ.»

[9]. Al-Ikhtisas: Sheikh al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p. 186. «فَقَالَ عُمَرُ قُمْ إِلَى الرَّجُلِ فَقَامَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَ عُمَرُ وَ عُثْمَانُ وَ خَالِدُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ وَ الْمُغِيرَةُ بْنُ شُعْبَةَ وَ أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ الْجَرَّاحِ وَ سَالِمٌ مَوْلَى أَبِي حُذَيْفَةَ وَ قُمْتُ مَعَهُمْ وَ ظَنَّتْ فَاطِمَةُ ع أَنَّهُ لَا تُدْخَلُ بَيْتُهَا إِلَّا بِإِذْنِهَا فَأَجَافَتِ الْبَابَ‌ وَ أَغْلَقَتْهُ فَلَمَّا انْتَهَوْا إِلَى الْبَابِ ضَرَبَ عُمَرُ الْبَابَ بِرِجْلِهِ فَكَسَرَهُ وَ كَانَ مِنْ سَعَفٍ فَدَخَلُوا عَلَى عَلِيٍّ ع وَ أَخْرَجُوهُ مُلَبَّبَاً فَخَرَجَتْ فَاطِمَةُ»

[10]. Al-Muqni’ah: Sheikh al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p. 459.

[11]. Mutamar Ulama' Baghdad: Muqatil bin Atiyah, Vol: 1, P: 50. «ان ابابكر بعد ما اخذ البيعة لنفسه من الناس بالارحاب و السيف و التهديد و القوة أرسل عمر و قنفذاً و خالد بن الوليد و أبا عبيدة الجراح و جماعة اخرى - من المنافقين - إلى دار علي و فاطمة و جمع عمر الحطب على باب بيت فاطمة و أحرق الباب بالنار، و لما جاءت فاطمة خلف الباب لتردّ عمر و حزبه، عَصَر عمر فاطمة بين الحائط و الباب عصرة شديدة قاسية حتى أسقطت جنينها و أنبت مسمار الباب في صدرها و صاحت فاطمة: أبتاه يا رسول الله! أنظر ماذا لقينا بعدك من ابن الخطاب و ابن أبي قحافة! فالتفت عمر إلى من حوله و قال: اضربوا فاطمة، فانهالت السياط على حبيبة رسول الله و بضعته حتى أدموا جسمها!» 

[12]. Al-Ihtijaj: Abu Mansur Al-Tabarsi, Vol. 1, p. 278. «وَ أَنْتَ الَّذِي ضَرَبْتَ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص حَتَّى أَدْمَيْتَهَا وَ أَلْقَتْ مَا فِي بَطْنِهَا اسْتِذْلَالًا مِنْكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص وَ مُخَالَفَةً مِنْكَ لِأَمْرِهِ وَ انْتِهَاكاً لِحُرْمَتِهِ.»   

[13]. Nahj al-Haqq wa Kashf al-Siddiq: al-Hilli, Vol. 1, p. 271.  «و منها أنه طلب هو و عمر إحراق بيت أمير المؤمنين ع و فيه أمير المؤمنين ع و فاطمة و ابناهما و جماعة من بني هاشم لأجل ترك مبايعة أبي بكر. ذَكَرَ الطَّبَرِيُّ فِي تَارِيخِهِ‌ قَالَ: أَتَى عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ مَنْزِلَ عَلِيٍّ فَقَالَ وَ اللَّهِ لَأُحْرِقَنَّ عَلَيْكُمْ أَوْ لَتَخْرُجَنَّ لِلْبَيْعَةِ.»

[14]. Mirat al-'Uqul fi Sharh Akhbar Aal al-Rasul: al-Majlisi, Vol. 5, p. 318. «أنهم لما غصبوا الخلافة و بايعهم أكثر الناس بعثوا إلى أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام ليحضر للبيعة، فأبى فبعث عمر بنار ليحرق على أهل البيت بيتهم و أرادوا الدخول عليه قهرا، فمنعتهم فاطمة عند الباب فضرب قنفذ غلام عمر الباب على بطن فاطمة عليها السلام فكسر جنبيها و أسقطت لذلك جنينا كان سماه رسول الله صلى الله عليه و آله محسنا، فمرضت لذلك و توفيت صلوات الله عليها في ذلك المرض.»

[15]. Bihar al-Anwar: al-Majlisi, Vol. 82, p. 264.

[16]. Al-Shafi fi al-Imamah: Sharif Murtada, Vol. 3, p. 241.

[17]. Talakhis al-Shafi: Sheikh Tusi, Vol. 3, p. 156.

[18]. Mirat al-'Uqul fi Sharh Akhbar Aal al-Rasul: al-Majlisi, Vol. 5, p. 318.