Many people think the reports about Lady Fatimah (sa) being angry with Abu Bakr and Umar only exist in Shia books. But when we searched we find similar reports in Sunni and non-Imami historical sources as well.
Important note before reading:
I am not claiming every report below is Sahih like Bukhari or Muslim. This post is only collecting the historical narrations from Sunni / non-Imami authored books. The strongest Sahih foundation still remains Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim: Fatimah (sa) became angry with Abu Bakr, avoided him, and did not speak to him until she died.
Now here are the historical reports.
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1. al-Imamah wa’l-Siyasah, attributed to Ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari
Arabic:
فقال عمر لأبي بكر، رضي الله عنهما: انطلق بنا إلى فاطمة، فإنا قد أغضبناها، فانطلقا جميعا، فاستأذنا على فاطمة، فلم تأذن لهما، فأتيا عليا فكلماه، فأدخلهما عليها، فلما قعدا عندها، حولت وجهها إلى الحائط، فسلما عليها، فلم ترد عليهما السلام.
فقالت: نشدتكما الله ألم تسمعا رسول الله يقول:
رضا فاطمة من رضاي، وسخط فاطمة من سخطي، فمن أحب فاطمة ابنتي فقد أحبني، ومن أرضى فاطمة فقد أرضاني، ومن أسخط فاطمة فقد أسخطني؟
قالا: نعم سمعناه من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
قالت:
فإني أشهد الله وملائكته أنكما أسخطتماني وما أرضيتماني، ولئن لقيت النبي لأشكونكما إليه.
فقال أبو بكر: أنا عائذ بالله تعالى من سخطه وسخطك يا فاطمة.
ثم انتحب أبو بكر يبكي، حتى كادت نفسه أن تزهق، وهي تقول:
والله لأدعون الله عليك في كل صلاة أصليها.
English:
Umar said to Abu Bakr: “Come with us to Fatimah, for we have angered her.” So they both went and asked permission to enter upon Fatimah, but she did not allow them. They came to Ali and spoke to him, so he admitted them to her. When they sat with her, she turned her face to the wall. They greeted her, but she did not return their greeting.
Then she said: “I ask you both by Allah: did you not hear the Messenger of Allah say: ‘Fatimah’s pleasure is from my pleasure, and Fatimah’s anger is from my anger. Whoever loves my daughter Fatimah has loved me; whoever pleases Fatimah has pleased me; and whoever angers Fatimah has angered me’?”
They said: “Yes, we heard it from the Messenger of Allah.”
She said: “I make Allah and His angels witness that you two angered me and did not please me. If I meet the Prophet, I will surely complain about you two to him.”
Abu Bakr said: “I seek refuge with Allah from His anger and from your anger, O Fatimah.”
Then Abu Bakr began weeping intensely, while she was saying: “By Allah, I will supplicate against you in every prayer I pray.”
Reference:
al-Imamah wa’l-Siyasah, attributed to Abu Muhammad Abdullah ibn Muslim ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari, vol. 1, p. 31, edited by al-Shiri.
Note:
The attribution of al-Imamah wa’l-Siyasah to Ibn Qutaybah is disputed by some researchers, so the safe wording is: “attributed to Ibn Qutaybah.”
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2. al-Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf
Arabic:
المدائني عن سعيد بن خالد مولى خزاعة عن موسى بن عقبة قال:
دخلت فاطمة على أبي بكر حين بويع فقالت: إن أم أيمن، ورباح يشهدان لي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أعطاني فدك.
فقال: والله ما خلق الله أحبّ إلي من أبيك، لوددت أن القيامة قامت يوم مات، ولئن تفتقر عائشة أحب إليّ من أن تفتقري، أفتريني أعطي الأسود والأحمر حقوقهم وأظلمك وأنت ابنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، إن هذا المال إنما كان للمسلمين فحمل منه أبوك الراجل وينفقه في السبيل، فأنا أليه بما وليه أبوك.
قالت:
والله لا أكلمك.
قال:
والله لا أهجرك.
قالت:
والله لأدعونّ الله عليك.
قال:
لأدعونّ الله لك.
English:
Al-Mada’ini narrated from Sa’id ibn Khalid, the client of Khuza’ah, from Musa ibn Uqbah, who said:
Fatimah entered upon Abu Bakr when allegiance had been given to him and said: “Umm Ayman and Rabah testify for me that the Messenger of Allah gave me Fadak.”
Abu Bakr replied: “By Allah, Allah did not create anyone more beloved to me than your father. I wish the Day of Resurrection had come the day he died. For Aishah to become poor is more beloved to me than for you to become poor. Do you think I would give the rights of black and red people and wrong you while you are the daughter of the Messenger of Allah? This wealth only belonged to the Muslims. Your father used it to provide for men and spend in the path of Allah. So I will manage it as your father managed it.”
She said: “By Allah, I will not speak to you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will not abandon you.”
She said: “By Allah, I will supplicate against you.”
He said: “I will supplicate for you.”
Reference:
Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf, p. 79 in the online Arabic edition. In the Dar al-Fikr arrangement, it is also cited under the biography of Abu Bakr, vol. 10, p. 79.
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3. Abu Bakr al-Jawhari, al-Saqifah wa Fadak
Arabic:
قالت فاطمة لأبي بكر: إن أم أيمن تشهد لي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أعطاني فدك.
فقال لها: يا ابنة رسول الله، والله ما خلق الله خلقا أحب إلي من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أبيك، ولوددت أن السماء وقعت على الأرض يوم مات أبوك، والله لأن تفتقر عائشة أحب إلي من أن تفتقري، أتراني أعطي الأحمر والأبيض حقه وأظلمك حقك، وأنت بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، إن هذا المال لم يكن للنبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم، وإنما كان مالا من أموال المسلمين، يحمل النبي به الرجال، وينفقه في سبيل الله، فلما توفي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم وليته كما كان يليه.
قالت:
والله لا كلمتك أبدا.
قال:
والله لا هجرتك أبدا.
قالت:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
قال:
والله لأدعون الله لك.
فلما حضرتها الوفاة أوصت ألا يصلى عليها، فدفنت ليلا، وصلى عليها عباس بن عبد المطلب، وكان بين وفاتها ووفاة أبيها اثنتان وسبعون ليلة.
English:
Fatimah said to Abu Bakr: “Umm Ayman testifies for me that the Messenger of Allah gave me Fadak.”
He said to her: “O daughter of the Messenger of Allah, by Allah, Allah did not create anyone more beloved to me than your father, the Messenger of Allah. I wish the sky had fallen upon the earth the day your father died. By Allah, for Aishah to become poor is more beloved to me than for you to become poor. Do you think I would give the red and white their rights and wrong you regarding your right, while you are the daughter of the Messenger of Allah? This wealth did not belong personally to the Prophet; it was wealth from the wealth of the Muslims. The Prophet used it to provide for men and spend in the path of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah passed away, I managed it as he had managed it.”
She said: “By Allah, I will never speak to you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will never abandon you.”
She said: “By Allah, I will supplicate against you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will supplicate for you.”
When death came to her, she instructed that he should not pray over her. So she was buried at night, and al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib prayed over her. Between her death and the death of her father were seventy-two nights.
Reference:
Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Jawhari al-Basri al-Baghdadi, al-Saqifah wa Fadak, p. 102 in the Rafed online edition. In another printed edition it is cited as p. 104, edited and collected by Dr. Muhammad Hadi al-Amini, Shirkat al-Kutubi, Beirut, 2nd edition, 1413 AH / 1993 CE.
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4. al-Jahiz, al-Rasa’il al-Siyasiyyah
Arabic:
قال أبو عثمان:
وقد زعم أناس أن الدليل على صدق خبرهما، يعني أبا بكر وعمر، في منع الميراث وبراءة ساحتهما، ترك أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم النكير عليهما.
قد يقال لهم: لئن كان ترك النكير دليلا على صدقهما، إن ترك النكير على المتظلمين والمحتجين عليهما والمطالبين لهما دليل على صدق دعواهم أو استحسان مقالتهم، ولا سيما وقد طالت المناجاة وكثرت المراجعة والملاحاة، وظهرت الشكية واشتدت الموجدة.
وقد بلغ ذلك من فاطمة أنها أوصت أن لا يصلي عليها أبو بكر.
ولقد كانت قالت له حين أتته مطالبة بحقها ومحتجة لرهطها:
من يرثك يا أبا بكر إذا مت؟
قال: أهلي وولدي.
قالت:
فما بالنا لا نرث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم؟!
فلما منعها ميراثها وبخسها حقها واعتل عليها وجلح أمرها وعاينت التهضم وأيست في التورع ووجدت نشوة الضعف وقلة الناصر قالت:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
قال:
والله لأدعون الله لك.
قالت:
والله لا كلمتك أبدا.
قال:
والله لا أهجرك أبدا.
English:
Abu Uthman al-Jahiz said:
Some people claimed that the proof for the truthfulness of the two of them, meaning Abu Bakr and Umar, in preventing the inheritance and the innocence of their position, is that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not object to them.
It may be said to them: If the lack of objection is proof of their truthfulness, then the lack of objection against those who complained, argued against them, and demanded from them is also proof of the truthfulness of their claim or the soundness of their position, especially since the private discussions became long, the back-and-forth became frequent, the complaint became apparent, and the anger became intense.
The matter reached such a level with Fatimah that she instructed that Abu Bakr should not pray over her.
She had said to him when she came demanding her right and arguing on behalf of her family:
“Who will inherit from you, O Abu Bakr, when you die?”
He said: “My family and my children.”
She said: “Then why do we not inherit from the Prophet?”
When he prevented her inheritance, diminished her right, argued against her, persisted in his matter, and she saw herself being wronged and found weakness and lack of supporters, she said:
“By Allah, I will supplicate against you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will supplicate for you.”
She said: “By Allah, I will never speak to you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will never abandon you.”
Reference:
Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahr al-Jahiz, al-Rasa’il al-Siyasiyyah, p. 467, Dar wa Maktabat al-Hilal, Beirut. In Shamela / Usul online numbering: page 230, under “Hamish Kitab Fadl Hashim ala Abd Shams.”
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5. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, quoting Abu Bakr al-Jawhari
Arabic:
قال أبو بكر: وروى هشام بن محمد، عن أبيه قال:
قالت فاطمة لأبي بكر: إن أم أيمن تشهد لي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أعطاني فدك.
فقال لها: يا ابنة رسول الله، والله ما خلق الله خلقا أحب إلى من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله أبيك، ولوددت أن السماء وقعت على الأرض يوم مات أبوك، والله لأن تفتقر عائشة أحب إلي من أن تفتقري، أتراني أعطي الأحمر والأبيض حقه وأظلمك حقك، وأنت بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟ إن هذا المال لم يكن للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وإنما كان مالا من أموال المسلمين يحمل النبي به الرجال، وينفقه في سبيل الله، فلما توفي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وليته كما كان يليه.
قالت:
والله لا كلمتك أبدا.
قال:
والله لا هجرتك أبدا.
قالت:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
قال:
والله لأدعون الله لك.
فلما حضرتها الوفاة أوصت ألا يصلى عليها، فدفنت ليلا، وصلى عليها عباس بن عبد المطلب، وكان بين وفاتها ووفاة أبيها اثنتان وسبعون ليلة.
English:
Abu Bakr al-Jawhari narrated from Hisham ibn Muhammad, from his father, who said:
Fatimah said to Abu Bakr: “Umm Ayman testifies for me that the Messenger of Allah gave me Fadak.”
He said to her: “O daughter of the Messenger of Allah, by Allah, Allah did not create anyone more beloved to me than the Messenger of Allah, your father. I wish the sky had fallen upon the earth the day your father died. By Allah, for Aishah to become poor is more beloved to me than for you to become poor. Do you think I would give the red and white their rights and wrong you regarding your right, while you are the daughter of the Messenger of Allah? This wealth did not belong personally to the Prophet; it was wealth from the wealth of the Muslims. The Prophet used it to provide for men and spend in the path of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah passed away, I managed it as he had managed it.”
She said: “By Allah, I will never speak to you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will never abandon you.”
She said: “By Allah, I will supplicate against you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will supplicate for you.”
When death came to her, she instructed that he should not pray over her. So she was buried at night, and al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib prayed over her. Between her death and the death of her father were seventy-two nights.
Reference:
Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu’tazili, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 16, p. 214. The online text explicitly says: “قال أبو بكر وروى هشام بن محمد...” meaning he is quoting Abu Bakr al-Jawhari’s report.
Note:
Ibn Abi al-Hadid was a Mu’tazili scholar, not an Imami Shia scholar. Here he is quoting Abu Bakr al-Jawhari’s historical report.
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6. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, quoting al-Jahiz’s argument
Arabic:
وقد أجاب أبو عثمان الجاحظ في كتاب العباسية عن هذا السؤال جوابا حسن المعنى واللفظ، نذكره على وجهه.
قال أبو عثمان:
وقد زعم أناس أن الدليل على صدق خبرهما، يعني أبا بكر وعمر، في منع الميراث وبراءة ساحتهما ترك أصحاب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم النكير عليهما.
ثم قال:
قد يقال لهم: لئن كان ترك النكير دليلا على صدقهما، ليكونن ترك النكير على المتظلمين والمحتجين عليهما والمطالبين لهما دليلا على صدق دعواهم أو استحسان مقالتهم، ولا سيما وقد طالت المناجاة وكثرت المراجعة والملاحاة، وظهرت الشكية واشتدت الموجدة.
وقد بلغ ذلك من فاطمة حتى إنها أوصت ألا يصلي عليها أبو بكر.
ولقد كانت قالت له حين أتته طالبة بحقها ومحتجة لرهطها:
من يرثك يا أبا بكر إذا مت؟
قال: أهلي وولدي.
قالت:
فما بالنا لا نرث النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
فلما منعها ميراثها وبخسها حقها واعتل عليها وجلح في أمرها وعاينت التهضم وأيست من التورع ووجدت نشوة الضعف وقلة الناصر قالت:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
قال:
والله لأدعون الله لك.
قالت:
والله لا أكلمك أبدا.
قال:
والله لا أهجرك أبدا.
English:
Ibn Abi al-Hadid says that Abu Uthman al-Jahiz answered this question in Kitab al-Abbasiyyah with a good answer in meaning and wording, and he quotes it.
Abu Uthman al-Jahiz said:
Some people claimed that the proof for the truthfulness of the two of them, meaning Abu Bakr and Umar, in preventing the inheritance and the innocence of their position, is that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not object to them.
Then he said:
It may be said to them: If the lack of objection is proof of their truthfulness, then the lack of objection against those who complained, argued against them, and demanded from them is also proof of the truthfulness of their claim or the soundness of their position, especially since the private discussions became long, the back-and-forth became frequent, the complaint became apparent, and the anger became intense.
The matter reached such a level with Fatimah that she instructed that Abu Bakr should not pray over her.
She had said to him when she came demanding her right and arguing for her family:
“Who will inherit from you, O Abu Bakr, when you die?”
He said: “My family and my children.”
She said: “Then why do we not inherit from the Prophet?”
When he prevented her inheritance, diminished her right, argued against her, persisted in his matter, and she saw herself being wronged and found weakness and lack of supporters, she said:
“By Allah, I will supplicate against you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will supplicate for you.”
She said: “By Allah, I will never speak to you.”
He said: “By Allah, I will never abandon you.”
Reference:
Ibn Abi al-Hadid al-Mu’tazili, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 16, pp. 264–265, quoting Abu Uthman al-Jahiz from Kitab al-Abbasiyyah / al-Rasa’il.
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Final point
These reports are not being quoted from Shia hadith books. They are found in Sunni and non-Imami historical literature:
1. al-Imamah wa’l-Siyasah, attributed to Ibn Qutaybah
2. al-Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf
3. Abu Bakr al-Jawhari, al-Saqifah wa Fadak
4. al-Jahiz, al-Rasa’il al-Siyasiyyah
5. Ibn Abi al-Hadid quoting al-Jawhari
6. Ibn Abi al-Hadid quoting al-Jahiz
The safest conclusion is this:
Even if someone debates the strength of these historical reports, the core fact is already in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim:
Fatimah became angry with Abu Bakr.
She avoided him.
She did not speak to him until she died.
Ali buried her at night.
Abu Bakr was not informed.
And Sahih al-Bukhari also records the Prophet’s statement:
فَاطِمَةُ بَضْعَةٌ مِنِّي، فَمَنْ أَغْضَبَهَا أَغْضَبَنِي
“Fatimah is a part of me; whoever angers her has angered me.”
So this matter cannot be dismissed as a small political disagreement.
This concerns the anger of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (sa), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
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