In this part of the article titled “The Historic Fadak Sermon of Fatima”, we shall discuss other sections of the sermon.
Criticism Against the Treachery of Men
Thus when Allah the Almighty exalted his Prophet from this perishable world towards the abode of His prophets and His chosen ones, the thorns of hypocrisy became manifest in you and the mantle of your religion gave, and the astray ones, who were silent until yesterday, suddenly started shrieking; the degraded and mean ones came out of their burrows into the open ground, and the valiant ones of the polytheists of falsehood started roaring.
Now, these very people have taken the reins of authority into their hands and Satan has raised his head from the place of his concealment, inviting you towards evil – thus he found you to be among those accepting his invitation and you held him (in esteem) with the intention of securing position or being deceived.
Satan invited you to rebel and found you to be (among the) base and meanest of people and he incited your rage and thus you became enraged.
Then you started to snatch the rights of others and entered the spring that did not belong to you and you did all of this when not much time had passed since the passing of the Prophet and the wound (of his death) was deep and our hearts had not yet healed, and the corpse of the Prophet was not even laid to rest in the grave!
You acted very swiftly dreading the outbreak of an agitation – beware that they themselves have fallen into the pit of agitation. Surely into trial have they already fallen, and verily hell encompasses the infidels.(1)
Far be it away from you! What has happened to you? Where are you wandering while the book of Allah (The Qur’an) is amongst you; whose orders are apparent and judgements are illuminated; its emblems dazzling and whose commandments and prohibitions are straightforward.
Did you not leave it behind your backs and then turned your faces away from it in disgust and turned to something else for judgement?
Evil for the unjust will be the exchange;(2) and whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the next world he will be among the losers.(3)
You did not even wait that the tempest may calm down! Rather, you hastened to take the reins (of the caliphate) into your hands. After having acquired it (the caliphate), you started to ignite the fire of mutiny and you became engrossed in inciting the fire.
You responded to the call of Satan, the seducer, and you intended to put out the light of the glorious religion.(4) You started to destroy the practices of the chosen Prophet, then you delighted in suckling the delicacies of the caliphate and opposed the Ahlul-Bayt in secret and in the open. We have no choice but to bear the cuts of your daggers and the piercing of your spears into the body.
Reasoning of Fatima for Fadak
Now you presume that we do not have any inheritance from the Prophet – do you follow the customs of the (age of) ignorance? Is it the judgement of (the days of) ignorance (the Pagan era) that they desire? Who (else) can be better than Allah to judge for the people of assured faith (5).
Indeed, it is as bright as the sun that I am the daughter of the Prophet of Allah. O Muslims! Is it befitting that I am deprived of my inheritance? O son of Abū Quhafah (Abu Bakr)!
Is it contained in the Glorious Qurʾan that one should inherit from their father; while in your opinion, I should not inherit from my father? Indeed you have come with an unusual thing (6) (attributed) upon Allah and His Prophet.
Did you then intentionally forsake the Book of Allah and leave it behind your backs? Allah says: “And Sulayman inherited Dawūd” (7). In regards to the life of Zakariyyah, He says: “So grant me from Yourself an heir who shall inherit from me and inherit from the family of Yaqūb” (8); Allah also says: “And the blood relations are nearer to each other in the Book of Allah”(9); Allah says: “Allah enjoins upon you about your children – the male shall have the equal of the shares of two females” (10). And He also says: If he (the believer) leaves behind any goods that he makes a bequest for parents and (the nearest) kinsmen in goodness (this is) a duty upon the pious ones” (11).
You claimed that I do not have a share and allowance (in the inheritance) and that I should not inherit from my father and that there is no relation between us? Has Allah in His verses (of the Quran) not taken into consideration everyone in general and are not all (of the) classes of men included in these verses?
Is my father discharged from the applicability of this verse or do you say that two people of the same community do not inherit from one another? Are my father and I not a part and parcel of one community?
Then, are you more cognizant of understanding the general and particular verses of the Quran than my father and my cousin (Imam Ali)?
Then take it (Fadak) until we meet you on the Day of Judgement – where Allah will be the Best Judge, and Muhammad will be the claimant on that day, and our destined time of meeting will be the Resurrection and on that promised day, the fallacious ones will be engulfed in deep loss and their regret (on that day) will be of no use to them! For every prophesy, there is a (prefixed) time (12) and you will soon realize upon whom a torment (of tribulations) will descend which will disgrace him, and on who falls this lasting punishment”(13).
Intense Criticism of the Ansar
Then Sayyidah Fatima turned towards the Anṣar and said, “O group of valorous men! The aides of the nation! The helpers of Islam! What is this slackness (that you display) in regards to me while you are witnessing the oppression being meted upon me, but you still lie in a deep sleep!
Did my father not say that the rights of a father for his children must be considered? How soon have you changed tracks, even though you possess the strength to stand up for my rights and are capable of supporting me regarding my claim!
Do you then say that Muhammad has passed away and there remains no responsibility upon us? His loss is great and the crack that has appeared (in Islam) is severe and the division is immense. Unity has been shattered, the Earth is engulfed in darkness due to his concealment, the sun and the moon are eclipsed, and the stars have scattered away!
Hopes have broken, mountains have crumbled, the family of the Prophet has been lost and their sanctity has been dishonored after his death! This is, by Allah, a great calamity and a grand adversity, while this calamity is incomparable and there is no other greater calamity than the death of the Prophet!
This (the death of the Prophet) had already been conveyed to you in the Book of Allah, may He be glorified.(14)
You were reading the Quran day and night in a loud voice, lamentingly, in a normal tone and in a pleasant voice. As for what happened in the past to Allah’s prophets and apostles – the command is decisive and destiny enjoined:
“And Muhammad is not but an apostle, (other) apostles have already passed away prior to him, therefore if he dies or is killed, will you turn upon your heels? And he who turns upon his heels will by no means do harm to Allah in the least, and soon shall We reward the grateful ones”. (15)
Be aware! I have said what I wanted to say, even though I know that you will not assist me as this slackness of yours to assist us has become a part of your heart (your practice). But all of this complaint is the result of the grief of the heart and the internal rage (that I feel) and (I know that) it is of no use, but I have said this to manifest my internal sorrow and to complete my proof upon you.
Thus usurp it (Fadak) and fasten it firmly, for it is weak and feeble, while its shame and disgrace will always remain over you. The sign of the rage of the Supreme Allah has been cast upon it, and it will be an everlasting disgrace upon you and it will lead you to the fire of Allah which will engulf the heart. Thus Allah sees whatever you do, “And soon shall those who deal unjustly know what an (evil) turning they will be turned into.” (16)
I am the daughter of that Prophet who was sent to warn you against the severe wrath of Allah: (Act (you) whatever you can, and verily we (too) act, and wait, indeed we too are waiting.”) (17)
Source: https://www.al-islam.org/
NOTES:
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1. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Tawbah (9): 49
2. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Kahf (18): 50
3. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrat Āle ʿImrān (3): 85
4. Refer to the Qurʾānic verses, “They intend to put out the Light of Allāh with (the blow of) their mouths, and disdains Allāh save that He perfects His Light, though the infidels may detest this.”
Sūratul Tawbah (9): 32 and “They intend they to put out the Light of Allāh with their mouths, but Allāh will perfect His Light, though the disbelievers may be averse.” (Sūratul Saff (61): 8)
5. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Māʾidah (5): 50
6. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrah Maryam (19): 27
7. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Naml (27): 16
8. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrah Maryam (19): 5-6
9. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Anfāl (8): 75
10. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Nisāʾ (4): 11
11. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Baqarah (2): 180
12. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Anʿām (6): 67
13. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrat Hūd (11): 39
14. Refer to the Qurʾānic verse, “And Muḥammad is not but an Apostle, (other) Apostles have already passed away prior to him, therefore if he dies or be slain, will you turn upon your heels?” (Sūrat Āle ʿImrān (3): 144 )
15. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrat Āle ʿImrān (3): 144
16. Noble Qurʾān, Sūratul Shuʿarā (26): 227
17. Noble Qurʾān, Sūrat Hūd (10): 121-122
