THE MARRIAGE OF UMM KULTHUM (S) WITH UMAR: A STUDY OF A HISTORICAL CLAIM

Taqavi · 2025-12-21T06:22:13Z

Did Imam Ali (AS) Marry His Daughter Umm Kulthum to Umar?

The issue of the marriage of Umm Kulthum, daughter of Imam Ali (AS), to Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph, is a complex historical subject and a point of contention among researchers. Various opinions have been narrated in both Shia and Sunni sources, totaling eight distinct views:[1]

1. Denial of the Marriage: The first view is that the marriage never took place. This is held by scholars such as the late Sheikh al-Mufid, [2] Sayyid Mir Nasir Husayn Lakhnavi al-Hindi, [3] and several other Imami scholars. [4]

2. Marriage under Coercion: The second view is that the marriage occurred but was forced. Those who hold this view rely on existing narrations and include scholars like Sayyid al-Murtada,[5] al-Kulayni (based on a narration he recorded), [6] Abu al-Qasim al-Kufi, [7] Qadi Nu'man, [8] Sheikh al-Tusi, [9] Sheikh al-Tabarsi, [10] and Allamah al-Majlisi. [11]

3. Marriage to a Step-daughter: The third view suggests that Umar married a step-daughter of Imam Ali (AS). This girl might have been the daughter of Asma bint Umays (Imam Ali's wife) or the daughter of Abu Bakr (and sister of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr). In this case, she was Imam Ali’s step-daughter, not his biological daughter. This was mentioned by Sheikh Naqdi in "al-Anwar al-Alawiyyah"[12] and accepted by the late Ayatollah Sayyid Shihab al-Din Mar'ashi in his commentary on "Ihqaq al-Haqq". [13]

4. Marriage to a Jinn: This view claims Umar married a Jinn who took the form of Umm Kulthum. This is considered a very weak opinion, though narrated by the late Qutb al-Rawandi. [14]

5. Denial of an Independent Daughter Named Umm Kulthum: This view suggests that "Umm Kulthum" was simply a title (kunya) for Zaynab al-Sughra, [15] Zaynab al-Kubra, [16] Ruqayya, [17] or Nafisa. [18] This is because historical sources are unclear about her birth and death dates. Some Imami and Sunni scholars support this; for instance, al-Damiri mentions the dowry of "Zaynab, daughter of Ali" in a marriage to Umar. [19] If she was Zaynab or Ruqayya, their husbands are well-known: Zaynab (daughter of Lady Fatima) married Awn ibn Ja'far, [20] Zaynab al-Kubra married Abdullah ibn Ja'far, [21] Ruqayya married Muslim ibn Aqil, [22] and Nafisa married Abdullah ibn Aqil. [23] Thus, Umar's name does not appear as a husband in reliable records.

6. Daughter of a Concubine: The sixth view is that the girl Umar married was the daughter of a concubine (slave-girl) of Imam Ali (AS). Some researchers lean toward this, and it can be found in "Mawalid al-A'imma". [24]

7. Unconsummated Marriage: This view states that although a marriage contract was performed, Umar died before it was consummated. This is narrated by al-Nawbakhti. [25] Sheikh Ja'far Naqdi writes in "al-Anwar al-Alawiyyah" that Umar only saw her from a distance and could not approach her, sufficing only with the title of husband. [26] Some believe they never lived together as husband and wife. [27]

8. The Common Sunni View: The eighth view, famous among Sunnis, is that the marriage was successful and produced children named Ruqayya and Zayd. [28]

However, this eighth view lacks sufficient scientific support and faces serious objections. First, the chains of narration (isnad) are problematic; some narrators are weakened by Sunni scholars themselves, and others are considered unreliable by Shias due to their open enmity toward the Ahl al-Bayt (AS). Most importantly, this narration is not recorded in any of the primary Sunni Hadith collections (Sihah al-Sitta), nor is it found in books like "Musnad Ahmad". Consequently, this view lacks historical and scientific strength. [29]

Furthermore, this view faces serious contradictions: some narrations describe Umm Kulthum as a young child when Umar proposed, while other reports show her presence at the event of Saqifa, [30] meaning she would have been an adult at the time of the proposal. Additionally, Imam Ali’s (AS) mention of her young age could indicate that he was not referring to the daughter of Lady Fatima (SA). Some sources even mention Umar marrying "Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Abu Bakr," which adds to the confusion. [31]

It is said Umar’s motive was a Hadith attributed to the Prophet (SAW): "Every lineage is severed on the Day of Judgment except my lineage," and he wished to gain kinship with the Prophet (SAW). [32] However, Umar himself stated that lineage was not important to him and that his indifference to it was a remnant of pre-Islamic (Jahiliyyah) traits. [33] Moreover, Umar was already related to the Prophet (SAW), as the Prophet (SAW) was his son-in-law (through Hafsa). [34]

There are also conflicting reports regarding her death. Some say she and her son Zayd died on the same day[35] and were prayed over by Ibn Umar [36] or Sa'id ibn al-As[37] (Mu'awiyah's governor in Medina),[38] sometimes mentioning the presence of Hasan (AS) and Husayn (AS) [39] and sometimes not. [40] According to this, she died during Mu'awiyah's reign. Conversely, other sources place her at the Event of Ashura, [41] creating a clear contradiction in the timing of her death.

Sunni sources also claim she married several men: Umar, Awn, Muhammad, and Abdullah. [42] These reports are highly contradictory. Regarding Awn and Muhammad, some reports say they were killed during Umar's lifetime, while others say they were martyred at Siffin or Karbala. [43] Furthermore, a marriage to Abdullah (ibn Ja'far) would be historically and legally impossible; based on the date of Imam Ali's martyrdom, it would mean two sisters were married to Abdullah at the same time, which is forbidden in Islamic law. [44] Thus, Sunni reports lack historical consistency and are full of errors.

When we set aside the ambiguities, many of these reports contain language that is offensive to both Imam Ali (AS) and Umar (who is respected by Sunnis). Examples are found in Ibn Sa'd, [45] al-Dulabi, [46] and Ibn al-Athir. [47] Some narrations claim Imam Ali (AS) sent his daughter to Umar and he kissed her [48] or embraced her [49] —acts that are strictly forbidden (Haram) with a non-mahram in both Shia and Sunni law.

Sibt ibn al-Jawzi, a Sunni scholar, strongly criticized these narrations, calling them disgraceful and unacceptable. He stated that even attributing such behavior to Umar is improper. [50]

Finally, reason and conscience find it hard to accept that Imam Ali (AS) would willingly give his daughter to an elderly man described in history as being bald [51] and having an eye condition, [52] while the young sons of Ja'far were available. The Prophet (SAW) himself had recommended that Ali's daughters were for Ja'far’s sons, and that the daughters of the Bani Hashim were best suited for the sons of the Bani Hashim. [53] Furthermore, given Umar's temperament and historical reports, [54] many women—including Aisha's sister—refused to marry him. [55]

Conclusion:

Therefore, a review of these opinions shows that the reports are filled with contradictions and weak chains of narration; so, this marriage is not historically or scientifically certain or reliable and attributing such a marriage to Imam Ali (AS) as a voluntary act is neither consistent with reason and fairness nor acceptable from a scientific and historical perspective.

[1] . Muammaye Yek Ezdevaj (The Mystery of a Marriage), Sayyid Ali al-Shahrastani, p. 27.

[2] . Al-Masa'il al-Sarawiyyah, Sheikh al-Mufid, p. 86.

[3] . Ifham al-Ada wa-al-Khusum, al-Musawi al-Hindi, Sayyid Nasir Husayn, p. 46.

[4] . Adab al-Taff aw Shuara al-Husayn (a), Shubbar, Jawad, Vol. 1, p. 76.

[5] . Al-Shafi fi al-Imamah, al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Murtada, Vol. 3, p. 272 / Tanzih al-Anbiya, al-Sayyid al-Sharif al-Murtada p. 191 / Rasail al-Sharif al-Murtada, Vol. 3, p. 149.

[6] . Al-Kafi, Sheikh al-Kulayni, Vol. 5, p. 346.

[7] . Al-Istighathah fi Bidae al-Thalathah, al-Kufi, Abu al-Qasim Ali ibn Ahmad, Vol. 1, p. 81.

[8] . Sharh al-Akhbar fi Fadail al-Aimmah al-Athar, al-Qadi al-Numan al-Maghribi, Vol. 2, p. 507.

[9] . Tamhid al-Usul fi Ilm al-Kalam, Tusi, Muhammad ibn Hasan, p. 386.

[10] . Ilam al-Wara bi-Alam al-Huda, Sheikh al-Tabarsi, Vol. 1, p. 398.

[11] . Mir’at al-Uqul, Allamah Majlisi, Vol. 20, p. 42.

[12] . Al-Anwar al-Alawiyyah, al-Naqdi, Jafar, p. 436.

[13] . Ihqaq al-Haqq wa-Izhaq al-Batil, al-Tustari, Qadi Nur Allah, Vol. 2, p. 490.

[14] . Al-Kharaij wa-al-Jaraih, Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi, Vol. 2, p. 825.

[15] . Al-Irshad, Sheikh al-Mufid, Vol. 1, p. 354.

[16] . This view can be understood from the poetry of Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Yahya Ameli, Sayyid Abd al-Razzaq Muqarram, and others (quoted from Muammaye Yek Ezdevaj (The Mystery of a Marriage), Shahrestani Ali, p. 33).

[17] . Al-Majdi fi Ansab al-Talibiyyin, al-Alawi, Ali ibn Muhammad, p. 17.

[18] . Ibid., p. 18.

[19] . Al-Taratib al-Idariyyah, Muhammad Abd al-Hayy al-Kattani, Vol. 2, p. 268.

[20] . Tanqih al-Maqal fi Ilm al-Rijal, Mamaqani, Abdullah, Vol. 2, p. 355.

[21] . Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sad Katib al-Waqidi, Vol. 8, p. 340.

[22] . Ansab al-Ashraf, al-Baladhuri, Vol. 2, p. 70.

[23] . Al-Majdi fi Ansab al-Talibiyyin, Ali ibn Abi al-Ghanaim al-Umari, p. 200.

[24] . Tarikh Mawalid al-Aimmah, al-Baghdadi, Ibn al-Khashshab, p. 15.

[25] . Manaqib Al Abi Talib, Ibn Shahrashub, Vol. 3, p. 89.

[26] . Al-Anwar al-Alawiyyah, al-Naqdi, Jafar, p. 435.

[27] . Al-Majdi, al-Alawi, Vol. 1, p. 17.

[28] . Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, Ibn Sad, Vol. 8, p. 463.