FATIMA
(We present here a brief chapter from Fatima’s life consequent to Mohammad’s death. This is particularly relevant from the point of view of Book-III on the subject of Vedas. This description is particularly important because it gives a glimpse of the woman that Islam wanted to create? Fatima is the most ardent worshipper of God, who performs all acts in remembrance of God. She is the bold, courageous lady, who fights for the injustices meted out on her and her husband, is firm, straightforward, ethical and never willing to compromise, she is unafraid, she is full of love and care for her husband and children and also for father, who goes on to respect her for immense values. She is knowledgeable and possesses all the virtues that an ideal woman ought to have, an ideal or absolute woman; an exact feminine copy of the Absolute Person described by Krishna in Gita.)
The Holy Prophet had said:
Fatima is my flesh and blood. Whosoever causes suffering to her in fact causes suffering to me. He who has pained me in fact has pained Allah; and indeed, he is a disbeliever.
(This is a widely accepted narration that has found space in the pages of Sahih Bukhari: Vol. 2; page 206 published in 1355 Hijra from Egypt, Sahih Muslim: Vol. 4; page 125 published in 1349 Hijra from Egypt).
Writes a commentator: “At another occasion, the Holy Prophet declared that Fatima is the chief of the women in the universe; (because) Bibi Fatima was the daughter of the superior most Prophet of Allah, the seal of prophethood; and the wife of an Imam who alone has the unique distinction of, “Ali’s flesh is my flesh, Ali’s blood in my blood, and I and he are from the same divine light” (saying of the Holy Prophet), and the mother of eleven holy Imams and through her last son (Mahdi) the divine will and justice shall prevail on the earth, and the son of Maryam - Isa - shall follow him. Through verse 33 of Surah Al-Ahzab, she, Ali and their sons have been thoroughly purified. Fatima is the most blessed, thoroughly purified, and the choicest woman, the best of all the women in the universe from beginning to the end, in all ages, among whom are included Asiyah, Maryam, and Khadija.
In spite of these narrations in praise of Fatima, Muslims couldn’t get to know her Divine role in God’s Creation Plan. On the contrary, many books of history and traditions clearly mention the disgraceful attitude of the companions towards the dearest daughter of the Holy Prophet, after his death. After the departure of the Holy Prophet, within a year, his followers ignored the symbolic events of Mubahila and Ghadeer-e-Khumm. The house of Fatima was set on fire. A well-known companion kicked the door of her house, which fell on her. The injury caused by the falling door finally killed her.
In Vol. 1, page 64 of Tarikh Abul Fida, published from Egypt, it is written that the two caliphs were among those who went to the house of Fatima for setting it on fire. In view of the saying (Sahih Bukhari-Vol. 2, page 206) of the Holy Prophet that we have described above, her killer stands condemned forever:
It happened when a large crowd under the leadership of the above said companions came to arrest Ali ibn Abu Talib, described by the Prophet as his nafs (self), his brother, his vicegerent and his successor, who was deprived of his rightful mission to administer the affairs, after the Holy Prophet, so as to enable some to distort and corrupt the true religion of Allah and utilize its name to enforce tyranny, injustice and ignorance of the pagan days.”
Ali Shariati has described the description of the events that happened consequent to Mohammad’s death in detail. We invite you to go through them:
Immediately after Saqifah, the decree of the Caliph was read at the mosque. People pledged allegiance to him. Those loyal to Ali and those who regarded him as the rightful inheritor did not go to the mosque to pledge allegiance. Omar, a political agent, tried unrelentlessly to gather the remaining votes so as to pave the way.
Saad ibn Obadah, the leader of the Khazraj, a man of influence who was the candidate for Caliphate of the Helpers (Ansar) at Saqifa, did not accept the Caliphate of Abu Bakr. Out of protest, he left Medina. He headed towards Damascus. News came back that halfway there he had been attacked and killed by a Jinn! Who had assassinated him? People even knew the Jinn who had killed him because a poem circulated in praise of that Jinn. But soon murmurs were heard that he had been murdered by command of Omar by Khalid bin Walid.
The fate of the tribes of Arabia was still unknown. There was a possibility that they would not accept Abu Bakr as Caliph. But the most dangerous focal point was at Fatima’s house, which was the rightful claimant to the Caliphate. Even though none of the members of this house ever revolted or worked to create disharmony, from this day on, it became a centre, dangerous to governments.
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Three centres of patience
We again take recourse to Ali Shariati who has very dramatically described the events that unfolded outside the house of Ali and Fatima:
Now in Medina, history shows us three important centres of great patience: the mosque, the home of Fatima, and next to it, the Prophet’s home, which has now been silenced. It is strange that these three are all located in one place, wall to wall. Yes. Only the distance of a wall separates them.
Omar is very angry about this single point of strength in opposition to the new leaders. He who has struggled a great deal to establish Abu Bakr’s leadership and who has removed hundreds of obstacles, cannot now bear the fact that there is a group in this house which has been established to resist, who gather together to put aside that allegiance. And still more important is the fact that house is next to the mosque.
The mosque is the Parliament of the Caliphate, the house of government. Fatima’s house is in the corner and the faces of those who were until yesterday the dearest and most beloved of the Prophet can be seen there.
(Fatima has just been able to) find peace for a few moments from the anger of the tragedy which has most recently fallen upon her and destroyed her home. Suddenly, a loud uproar comes from the mosque. Fatima, in the midst of the uproar, cries and confusion, hears the voice of Omar ibn Khattab saying, ‘I will burn this house to the ground with all its inhabitants.’
She hears these words of attack loud and clear. They have come closer now. The door of Fatima’s house opens to the mosque. She hears the words of someone in amazement, asking, ‘Even if Fatima is in there?’
And Omar answers, ‘Even if she is in there.’
It is true that Omar’s servant brought fire to the mosque. The fire is now at her door. In the midst of the confusion, Omar shouts out, ‘Ali come out!’
Inside the house there is great commotion. The flames of fire are close. They are visible between the cracks in the door. The cries of Omar grow louder and more violent by the moment. Suddenly the cry of Fatima is heard. She is standing behind the door. Her cry holds within it all of the sorrow of the world.
Father, Prophet of God! After you, what have I not seen from Omar and Abu Bakr!
The followers of Omar take several steps backwards. These are the cries and anger of the beloved daughter of the Prophet! A group cannot contain themselves. They begin to cry and wail out loud. Another group remains looking fixedly upon the home of Fatima and the Prophet.
They say they were all fixed with shame. Omar, who had remained alone, stands confused for a moment. He does not know what to do. Then he returns to Abu Bakr. Everyone gathers around Abu Bakr. They relate the story of Fatima to him. Some of them tell it as if they are speaking of a tragedy.
Abu Bakr returns to Fatima’s house followed by Omar and others, but this time they go softly and quietly. One says, ‘Abu Bakr cuts with cotton (i.e. his policy is softness) whereas Omar cuts with the sword (his policy is rough).’
Fatima is used to difficulties. She has grown up in the cradle of resistance and struggle. She now finds herself facing the most difficult of her tragedies when she senses herself to have the least strength. She stands alone behind the door of this home like its guard, gathering together all of her strength before she falls to her knees under the pressure and weight weighing down upon her. She is trying to protect Ali who is now alone.
They ask permission to enter. She does not give permission. Ali, whose patience is hard to conceive of, comes out. He asks Fatima to give them permission to enter. She does not resist Ali. But she remains silent, a silence which is overflowing with anger. Ali asks them to enter. They do so. They greet Fatima. Fatima, in anger, turns away from them and does not answer. She creates a distance between herself and them. Because of her anger, she places herself beyond a wall. Abu Bakr senses that Fatima’s anger and disgust is beyond limit. He does not know what to say or how to begin.
Shame and silence create a shadow upon the heads of the two leaders. It is difficult for them at this moment to be present between Fatima and Ali. Ali is sitting beside them. They say there is only one host, silence. And Fatima, next to the wall, is pouting, full of anger. She has hidden herself from them so she will not see them. It is a wall, the distance between which is never removed from that time forward.
Abu Bakr tries to have a positive encounter. He tries to find the strength so that he can speak at this difficult moment. Moments pass and the silence which is full of words remains fixed in this house. Abu Bakr, with a face full of deep and apparent sorrow and in a tone trembling with sympathy, begins in a friendly voice.
‘Beloved daughter of the Prophet, I swear that the family of the Prophet is dearer to me than my own daughter, Ayesha. The day your father died, I had wished that I had died so that I would not remain after him. You see that I know you and I admit your virtue and nobility and if I were to take the rights and heritage of the Prophets of God from you, it is only because I had heard him, peace be upon him, say, ‘We Prophets do not leave a legacy. That which remains from us is charity.’ (This was how traditions were created in the name of the Prophet).
Abu Bakr grows quiet. Omar is also silent. They wait to see the effects of these soft and praiseworthy words upon Fatima’s spirit. Fatima, without hesitating for a moment, in answer, begins with a quiet introduction full of reason, without any anger or cries. ‘If I were to quote the words of the Prophet of God to both of you, would you admit them to be his words and follow them?’
They both answer in one voice … ‘Yes…’
She says, ‘I hold you both to your oath to God. Did either of you not hear the Prophet say:
Fatima’s contentment is my contentment and Fatima’s anger is my anger. That which my daughter Fatima likes, I like. That which brings about Fatima’s anger brings about my anger.
They both answer, ‘Yes. We heard these words from the Prophet of God.’
She immediately continues. ‘Then I have authority from God and the angels to tell you that you both brought me to anger and you have not given me contentment. When I see the Prophet of God, I will tell him about you. I will complain to him about you.’
Abu Bakr begins to cry. He senses that neither does he have the strength to speak nor does Fatima have the strength to listen. He arises and Omar behind him. He enters the mosque. Full of confusion and tears, he cries out with anger and pain to those gathered there that …
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Fadak is confiscated
But the power structure and the policy making agents convince Abu Bakr that it is in the best interests of the community for him to move aside. With deep sorrow and after much disagreement, he is convinced. He accepts their advice and is tamed. He imagines that by accepting the Caliphate, he will be able to continue the victory of Islam and implement the Traditions of the Prophet. The first decision he makes is to confiscate Fadak, the grazing area which belonged to Fatima.
Ali is personally and economically paralyzed by this act. His income now depends completely upon what he received from the public purse (Bayt-ul-maal). They leave Ali alone. Those who had gathered around him are dispersed either through force or by their own decision. In this way, there is no danger of revolt from his non-allegiance and disobedience. They know that as long as Fatima is alive, they cannot get Ali’s allegiance. Ali cannot give his allegiance because Fatima opposes a power or force which does not know the meaning of right. She has not the least bit of softness for them. She holds her strict position until her death. The feeling of anger does not leave her. She attacks what she has in relation to them. She does not let go for a moment.
The Prophet dies. Ali remains at home. Fatima’s legacy, which is the only means of income for herself - her husband and her children - is confiscated. Power falls into the hands of Abu Bakr and Omar. The fate and future of Islam is given into the political hands of men such as Abdul Rahman ibn Ouf, a worshipper of money, the aristocrat, Usman, the careless, Khalid bin Walid and Saied ibn Vaqas, a man without piety. They become the principal agents of the Caliphate of the Prophet.
Ali remains at home. He spends his time gathering together the Quran because he fears for the future. Bilal has to leave Medina. He goes to Damascus and remains silent forever. Salman retreats to a corner. He tells those who are hurriedly and victoriously returning from Saqifah, ‘You did what you shouldn’t have done and you didn’t do what you should have done.’ Then, full of sorrow, having lost hope, he returns to Iran. He dies at Madayn. Abuzar, the close companion of the Prophet and Ammar remain idle.
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Fatima does not give up
But Fatima does not sit down. Under a mountain, full of sorrow, bearing her bereaving spirit, she continues her resistance and her struggle against the oppressive Caliphate. She believes the Caliphate to be unworthy. In order to get back Fadak, she does not stand still. She tries to prove to everyone that the Caliph was taking out political revenge upon her and striking an economic blow to Ali with this act of taking Fadak. Fadak is a small grazing area and even if it had been larger, it would have still been too small for Fatima to get involved with. But Fadak has taken on the importance of showing the usurpation and force of the new regime. She wants the thoughts of people to know to what extent these people who call themselves ‘followers of the custom of the Prophet’ and who actually establish their own Caliphate on this basis, oppress the family of the Prophet. (Our question is that if Fadak was rightly taken by the Caliph, why it was returned to the Ahlulbayt about a century later by Omar bin Abdul Aziz, regarded as the most pious of the Umayyad rulers, who tried to do away with the sins of his ancestors.)
Fatima does not give up. Even though the death of the Prophet has burned her spirit and strongly hurt her. Each blow follows upon the other. The majority of the great Companions and Emigrants of the Prophets who have reached a number which can be counted on one hand, all have given their vote to the Caliph or they have accepted the election and coup d’etat of Saqifa.
Fatima has no real hope to be able to get back any power. She knows that Ali has lost his rights. The chosen power, who have pre-designed and pre-planned the whole thing, have become fixed. She must fight and struggle with the little hope that she has. She must rebel against the ruler. Even if she cannot defeat him, she will at least have condemned him. If it does not fall, it can, at least, be disgraced. If the truth cannot be implemented, it can be proven and designed so that time will come to know it. It can be kept alive, so that people come to know that the ruling forces do not represent the truth. They are oppressive. It is truth, justice and freedom which have been defeated and imprisoned.
This is why Medina now witnesses one of the most wonderful views of history. Next to the mosque of the Prophet, in the heart of the dark night, a woman in mourning, sitting upon a horse, being led by a man, passes through the dark empty streets of the town.
Ali walks. Fatima, the beloved and rebellious daughter of the Prophet rides. Every night they leave their home with the same purpose. Ali goes with her to seek out the Ansar (Helpers). They are more sincere and impartial than the Emigrants who are mainly from the Quraish tribe. They support each other. An aged political structure brings them together. Now the Caliph, from among them, is their influential master. All of them share in his leadership. But the Helpers play no role in the present leadership. Their candidate has been Saad ibn Obaidah who left Medina and was assassinated on his way to Damascus.
They give in although they disagree with Abu Bakr’s reasoning. Abu Bakr had been an emigrant, a relative of God’s Prophet and the elder of the Quraish. They surrendered when he said that the Prophet wished for the Caliph to be from his Quraish family, from among the relatives and family of the Prophet. Out of respect for the saying of the Prophet and his family, they submitted and overlooked their differences. They gave leadership to Abu Bakr who was from the Prophet’s tribe and the father-in-law of the Prophet. He had shown himself to be among the loyal followers and family of the Prophet. He received the majority vote. These are the present people of Medina.
Now Fatima goes to them personally. Every night she accompanies Ali to their sessions. She speaks with them. She speaks of each and every one of the desires of the Prophet. She accounts one by one for Ali’s worthiness, virtues and superiorities. Through her influential spirit, with her great human personality, her political awareness, with the accurate knowledge she had of Islam, its spirit and goals and finally with the power of logic and reasoning, she proves the righteousness of Ali and the wrongfulness of the election. She shows the deception. She counts the results and makes them apparent. She shows how they will suffer from this superficial and hurriedly determined decision of political negligence. She frightens them with the ark and unstable future which awaits Islam with their leadership of the community.
Not even one historian has mentioned the fact that anyone opposes the logic of Fatima to argue with her interpretation and reception of the event. They stand by her. All give her the right. All admit their great error. All accept the virtues of Ali and the superiority of his leadership. Fatima is asking them to support Ali and help him get his rights.
But their answers? ‘You should see the Prophet’s daughter now that we have given our allegiance to Abu Bakr.’ ‘The affair is finished. If your husband, Ali, had taken the lead and mentioned all of this sooner, we would certainly have elected him. We prefer him to anyone else.’
Ali, surprised and in a tone of protest, asks them, ‘Do you really believe that I should have left the dead body of the Prophet in his home, neglected his funeral ceremonies, come out of the house and fought for a legacy?
Fatima, seeing that once again Ali is sacrificed because of his loyalty to the Prophet, says, ‘Ali has done nothing other than what he should have done. He did the noble thing, but what did they do? God will punish them and will take care of them.’ (All this must have happened within six months of the Prophet’s death, because it was the sixth month when Fatima died).”
Fatima’s last sermon, within six months of the passing of Mohammad, shows exactly what she really believed and practiced. Moreover, it shows how suddenly the message was thwarted from progress at a time when it was making its progress.
When Fatima was ill with the final sickness, which caused her death, the wives of the Emigrants and Companions of the Prophet went to visit her to ask how she was feeling. Abu Bakr had been elected Caliph and Ali was put aside. In reply to them, after asking for the blessings of God for her father, Mohammad, she said:
By God I am alive while I have nothing but contempt for this world. I detest your men. After I tried to show them who their real enemy was and they did not listen, I put them aside.
How ugly are the sharp edges of swords when they are broken and then play with people’s efforts and struggles which so many have undertaken, destroying the fortifications, breaking spears, making devious decisions and standing on the precipice of material and personal self-desires. What a terrible future they are preparing for by causing the wrath of God and thereby bringing about permanent torment for themselves.
I tried to awaken them to their acts and show them the burden they had placed upon their own shoulders. They deserve to be slaughtered, to be wounded by swords. Those who act oppressively are far from the blessings and mercy of God. Woe be to those people. They brought down a leader (Ali) who was at the peak of the mission. Mountains form upon the unconquerable pillars of prophecy, the place of inspiration, the wise and expert dominated by both routine and spiritual affairs. Beware! This is an obvious loss.
By God, why did they dislike Ali? Were they afraid of the sharpness of his sword in supporting right and truth, his braveness in fighting and martyrdom, his killing of oppressors, his effective blows in words and his anger for the sake of God?
By God, if they had followed the selection of the Prophet - Ali - he would have guided anyone who had gone astray and if one rejected the right reasoning Ali would have shown the error in a way that neither would the rider be hurt nor the horse he is riding upon, wounded.
If Ali had been leader, he would guide them to a clear, sweet spring of water. The watering spring would be full, its shores clean and sound and he would return them safely to the edge after they had drank from the water.
He would advise them in things both manifest and hidden without any benefit to himself from their needs and without taking more than a small share for himself – just enough so that he would not go thirsty or hungry. In such a case, worshippers of this world (materialists) would be distinguished from the ascetics and the right ones from the antagonists.
God says, ‘If citizens are faithful and avoid wrong deeds, We will give blessings from heaven and earth to them. But they deny the truths so we captivated them for their deeds. From those who oppressed, the results of their actions will be returned to themselves. They cannot change the traditions of history.’
Arise! Arise! If you stay a while you will see the wonder of nature, but more wonderful than these is speech. What is their argument? What pillars do they support? What rope do they hold onto? What family do they admire and dominate over?
What a terrible leader they have elected (Abu Bakr). What a terrible helper they have appointed (Omar). What a wrong and oppressive exchange they have made! By God, they gave superiority to those who deferred their decision to become Muslims rather than to those who were the pioneers. They elected weak ones instead of strong ones. They destroyed those who believe they are performing good affairs. They are corrupters who do not understand.
Woe be to them! Is it not more worthy to follow the one who guides rather than the one who cannot find his way if he is not guided? What has happened to you? What kind of a judgment is this? You have impregnated the earth with your act. Just wait until the time when it gives birth. I swear to you, instead of milk, you will have buckets full of blood and poison will flow from the breasts of the new-born.
It is then that the destroyers of rights will lose and those who will come in the future will find and realize the terrible results of what the ancestors have done. So you should be satisfied with your daily affairs and live in peace prior to the storm and terrible revolts.
For them, the sharp swords of the dominations of the oppressors, anarchy and the rule of tyrants will overcome you. The oppressors will enslave you. No public assets except a small quantity will remain. They will cultivate with force what you have planted with love. At that time you will only sigh for there will be nothing that you can do because you were blind and could not see the truth. They will oblige you because you have turned your faces from the right way and you did not accept it.
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