LADY FATIMAH’S DECLARATION THAT SHE WOULD COMPLAIN TO THE PROPHET AND SUPPLICATE AGAINST ABU BAKR
A COLLECTION FROM SUNNI AND SUNNI-RECEIVED SOURCES
At least eleven named Sunni or Sunni-received works preserve the exact declarations, later reproductions, or direct canonical corroboration connected with this episode:
1. al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah
2. Ansab al-Ashraf
3. Rasa’il al-Jahiz
4. al-Saqifah wa Fadak
5. Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah
6. A‘lam al-Nisa
7. al-Islam wa al-Hadarah al-Arabiyyah
8. Sunan al-Tirmidhi
9. Musnad Ahmad
10. Sahih al-Bukhari
11. Sahih Muslim
The Arabic phrase:
والله لأدعون الله عليك
literally means:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.”
The more complete wording:
والله لأدعون الله عليك في كل صلاة أصليها
means:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you in every prayer that I perform.”
This is more accurate than translating it merely as “I will curse you.” It means that Lady Fatimah declared that she would invoke Allah against Abu Bakr.
CORE NARRATION 1
ABU BAKR AND UMAR ADMIT THAT THEY HAD ANGERED LADY FATIMAH, AND SHE DECLARES THAT SHE WILL COMPLAIN TO THE PROPHET ABOUT BOTH OF THEM
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.
فتكلم أبو بكر فقال: يا حبيبة رسول الله! والله إن قرابة رسول الله أحب إلي من قرابتي، وإنك لأحب إلي من عائشة ابنتي، ولوددت يوم مات أبوك أني مت ولا أبقى بعده، أفتراني أعرفك وأعرف فضلك وشرفك وأمنعك حقك وميراثك من رسول الله؟ إلا أني سمعت أباك رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: «لا نورث، ما تركنا فهو صدقة».
فقالت: أرأيتكما إن حدثتكما حديثا عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم تعرفانه وتفعلان به؟
قالا: نعم.
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.
ثم خرج باكيا، فاجتمع إليه الناس، فقال لهم:
يبيت كل رجل منكم معانقا حليلته، مسرورا بأهله، وتركتموني وما أنا فيه، لا حاجة لي في بيعتكم، أقيلوني بيعتي.
قالوا: يا خليفة رسول الله، إن هذا الأمر لا يستقيم، وأنت أعلمنا بذلك، إنه إن كان هذا لم يقم لله دين.
فقال: والله لولا ذلك وما أخافه من رخاوة هذه العروة، ما بت ليلة ولي في عنق مسلم بيعة، بعدما سمعت ورأيت من فاطمة.
قال: فلم يبايع علي كرم الله وجهه حتى ماتت فاطمة رضي الله عنهما، ولم تمكث بعد أبيها إلا خمسا وسبعين ليلة.
English:
Umar said to Abu Bakr:
“Let us go to Fatimah, for we have angered her.”
They went together and sought Lady Fatimah’s permission to enter, but she did not permit them.
They then went to Ali and spoke to him. Ali admitted them into her presence. When they sat before her, she turned her face toward the wall.
They greeted her, but she did not return their greeting.
Abu Bakr spoke and said:
“O beloved of the Messenger of Allah! By Allah, the relatives of the Messenger of Allah are more beloved to me than my own relatives. You are more beloved to me than my daughter Aisha. On the day your father died, I wished that I had died and had not remained alive after him.
Do you believe that I recognise you, your virtue and your honour, yet deny you your right and inheritance from the Messenger of Allah? I only heard your father, the Messenger of Allah, say: ‘We are not inherited from. Whatever we leave is charity.’”
Lady Fatimah said:
“Tell me: if I narrate to both of you a statement from the Messenger of Allah which you recognise, will you act according to it?”
They answered:
“Yes.”
She said:
“I adjure both of you by Allah: did you not hear the Messenger of Allah say:
‘The pleasure of Fatimah is from my pleasure, and the anger of Fatimah is from my anger. Whoever loves Fatimah, my daughter, has loved me. Whoever pleases Fatimah has pleased me, and whoever angers Fatimah has angered me’?”
They answered:
“Yes, we heard it from the Messenger of Allah.”
She said:
“I call Allah and His angels to witness that both of you have angered me and have not pleased me. If I meet the Prophet, I will certainly complain to him about both of you.”
Abu Bakr said:
“I seek refuge in Allah from His anger and from your anger, O Fatimah.”
Abu Bakr then began to weep intensely, until it appeared that his soul might leave him, while Lady Fatimah continued saying:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you in every prayer that I perform.”
Abu Bakr then went out weeping. The people gathered around him, and he said:
“Every man among you spends the night embracing his wife and rejoicing with his family, while you have left me in the condition in which I find myself. I have no need for your allegiance. Release me from my allegiance.”
They answered:
“O successor of the Messenger of Allah, this matter cannot remain stable without you. You know this better than us. If this position is abandoned, the religion of Allah will not remain established.”
Abu Bakr said:
“By Allah, were it not for that, and for my fear that this bond would become weakened, I would not spend a single night while the allegiance of a Muslim remained upon my neck, after what I heard and saw from Fatimah.”
The report continues that Imam Ali did not give allegiance until Lady Fatimah died, and that she remained alive for seventy-five days after her father.
References:
1. al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah, traditionally attributed to Ibn Qutaybah al-Dinawari, vol. 1, p. 31, edition edited by Ali Shiri.
2. al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah, vol. 1, p. 17, Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Beirut, 1418 AH/1997, edited by Khalil al-Mansur.
3. Other editions place the passage around vol. 1, pp. 14, 20, or 23.
4. Umar Rida Kahhalah, A‘lam al-Nisa, vol. 4, pp. 123–124; another edition cites vol. 3, around p. 1214.
5. Muhammad Kurd Ali, al-Islam wa al-Hadarah al-Arabiyyah, chapter titled “Siyasat al-Khulafa al-Rashidin,” reproducing both the complaint to the Prophet and the supplication against Abu Bakr.
Short comment:
The visit did not end in forgiveness or reconciliation. The report begins with Umar admitting, “We have angered her,” and ends with Lady Fatimah declaring that both men had angered her, that she would complain to the Prophet about both of them, and that she would supplicate against Abu Bakr in every prayer.
The grammar is also decisive:
لأشكونكما
“I will complain about both of you,” referring to Abu Bakr and Umar.
عليك
“Against you,” singular, addressed directly to Abu Bakr.
CORE NARRATION 2
AL-BALADHURI RECORDS LADY FATIMAH SAYING: “BY ALLAH, I WILL SUPPLICATE TO ALLAH AGAINST YOU”
Arabic:
المدائني، عن سعيد بن خالد مولى خزاعة، عن موسى بن عقبة، قال:
دخلت فاطمة على أبي بكر حين بويع، فقالت:
إن أم أيمن ورباحا يشهدان لي أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أعطاني فدك.
فقال:
والله ما خلق الله أحب إلي من أبيك، لوددت أن القيامة قامت يوم مات، ولأن تفتقر عائشة أحب إلي من أن تفتقري، أتريني أعطي الأسود والأحمر حقوقهم وأظلمك وأنت ابنة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
إن هذا المال لم يكن للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، إنما 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 أكلمك.
قال:
والله لا أهجرك.
قالت:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
قال:
لأدعون الله لك.
English:
Al-Mada’ini narrated from Sa‘id ibn Khalid, the client of Khuza‘ah, from Musa ibn Uqbah, who reported:
Lady Fatimah entered upon Abu Bakr after allegiance had been given to him. She said:
“Umm Ayman and Rabah testify on my behalf that the Messenger of Allah gave Fadak to me.”
Abu Bakr said:
“By Allah, Allah created no one more beloved to me than your father. I wished that the Day of Resurrection had occurred on the day he died.
I would prefer that Aisha become poor rather than you become poor. Do you believe that I would give every black and white person their rights while oppressing you, although you are the daughter of the Messenger of Allah?
This property did not belong personally to the Prophet. It was property belonging to the Muslims. The Prophet used it to equip men and spent it in the path of Allah. When the Messenger of Allah died, I administered it as he had administered it.”
Lady Fatimah 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 to Allah against you.”
He replied:
“I will supplicate to Allah for you.”
Reference:
Ahmad ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri, Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 1, p. 79, edited by Suhayl Zakkar and Riyad al-Zirikli, Dar al-Fikr, Beirut, first edition, 1417 AH/1996.
Short comment:
This report is important because it is independent of the longer visit account in al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah. Al-Baladhuri separately preserves Lady Fatimah’s explicit declaration:
والله لأدعون الله عليك
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.”
This was not an expression of temporary disappointment followed by forgiveness. It was a solemn declaration invoking Allah against Abu Bakr after he refused her claim.
CORE NARRATION 3
AL-JAHIZ PRESERVES LADY FATIMAH’S SUPPLICATION AGAINST ABU BAKR AND ARGUES THAT HIS SOFT RESPONSE DOES NOT PROVE HIS INNOCENCE
Arabic:
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 ألا 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.
فإن يكن ترك النكير على أبي بكر دليلا على صواب منعها، إن في ترك النكير على فاطمة دليل على صواب طلبها؟
وأدنى ما كان يجب عليهم في ذلك تعريفها ما جهلت، وتذكيرها ما نسيت، وصرفها عن الخطأ، ورفع قدرها عن البذاء، وأن تقول هجرا، وتجوّر عادلا، أو تقطع واصلا؟
فإذا لم نجدهم أنكروا على الخصمين جميعا، فقد تكافأت الأمور واستوت الأسباب، والرجوع إلى أصل حكم الله في المواريث أولى بنا وبكم، وأوجب علينا وعليكم.
فإن قالوا:
كيف تظن به ظلمها والتعدي عليها، وكلما ازدادت عليه غلظة ازداد لها لينا ورقة، حيث تقول له:
والله لا أكلمك أبدا.
فيقول:
والله لا أهجرك أبدا.
ثم تقول:
والله لأدعون الله عليك.
فيقول:
والله لأدعون الله لك.
ثم يتحمل منها هذا الكلام الغليظ والقول الشديد في دار الخلافة وبحضرة قريش والصحابة، مع حاجة الخلافة إلى البهاء والتنزيه وما يجب لها من الرفعة والهيبة، ثم لم يمنعه ذلك أن قال معتذرا متقربا، كلام المعظم لحقها، المكبر لمقامها، الصائن لوجهها، المتحنن عليها:
ما أحد أعز علي منك فقرا، ولا أحب إلي منك غنى، ولكن سمعت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول:
«إنا معاشر الأنبياء لا نورث، ما تركناه فهو صدقة».
قيل لهم:
ليس ذلك بدليل على البراءة من الظلم والسلامة من الجور، وقد يبلغ من مكر الظالم ودهاء الماكر إذا كان أريبا وللخصومة معتادا، أن يظهر كلام المظلوم وذلة المنتصف وحدب الوامق ومقة المحق.
English:
Some people have claimed that the proof of the truthfulness of Abu Bakr and Umar regarding their denial of inheritance, and the proof of their innocence, is that the Companions of the Messenger of Allah did not object to them.
It may be said to them:
If the absence of objection is evidence of Abu Bakr and Umar’s truthfulness, then the absence of objection to those who complained of oppression, argued against them, and demanded their rights from them must likewise be evidence of the truthfulness of their claim, or at least evidence that their position was considered valid.
This is especially so because the private discussions continued for a long time, the arguments and exchanges became numerous, the complaint became public, and the anger became severe.
Lady Fatimah’s anger reached such an extent 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 answered:
“My family and my children.”
She said:
“Then why do we not inherit from the Prophet?”
When he denied her inheritance, diminished her right, argued against her, treated her cause harshly, and she witnessed the injustice, lost hope of receiving fairness, and experienced the force of weakness and the lack of supporters, she said:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.”
He replied:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah for you.”
She said:
“By Allah, I will never speak to you.”
He replied:
“By Allah, I will never abandon you.”
If the absence of objection to Abu Bakr proves that he was correct in denying her claim, then does the absence of objection to Lady Fatimah not prove that she was correct in demanding it?
At the very least, the people should have explained to her what she did not know, reminded her of what she had forgotten, turned her away from error, and protected her rank from uttering improper words, accusing a just man of injustice, or severing relations with one who maintained them.
Since we do not find that the people condemned either of the two opposing sides, the two claims become equal in this argument. Returning to the original law of Allah concerning inheritance is more appropriate and more obligatory upon both us and you.
If they say:
“How can you believe that Abu Bakr oppressed and transgressed against her when, every time she became harsher toward him, he became gentler and softer toward her?
She would say:
‘By Allah, I will never speak to you.’
He would answer:
‘By Allah, I will never abandon you.’
Then she would say:
‘By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.’
He would answer:
‘By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah for you.’
He endured this harsh speech and severe language from her in the seat of the caliphate, in the presence of Quraysh and the Companions, even though the caliphate required dignity, honour, elevation, and authority.
That did not prevent him from speaking apologetically and attempting to draw near to her, with the words of one who recognised her right, magnified her position, preserved her dignity, and showed tenderness toward her:
‘No one’s poverty is more grievous to me than yours, and no one’s wealth is more beloved to me than yours. However, I heard the Messenger of Allah say: We, the community of Prophets, are not inherited from. Whatever we leave is charity.’”
It is answered:
“That does not prove freedom from oppression or innocence from injustice. The deceit of an oppressor and the cunning of a clever schemer, when he is skilled in disputes, may reach the extent that he displays the speech of the oppressed, the humility of one seeking justice, the tenderness of a loving person, and the affection of one claiming righteousness.”
Reference:
Abu Uthman Amr ibn Bahr al-Jahiz, Rasa’il al-Jahiz, the political letter commonly titled Kitab al-Abbasiyyah or the discussion concerning the superiority of Banu Hashim over Banu Abd Shams; around p. 467 in some collected editions.
Short comment:
Al-Jahiz does not merely preserve the words:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.”
He also rejects the argument that Abu Bakr’s soft language proves that no injustice occurred. His response is critical: gentle words spoken by the politically powerful do not erase the complaint of the oppressed or prove innocence from wrongdoing.
CORE NARRATION 4
ABU BAKR AL-JAWHARI CONNECTS LADY FATIMAH’S SUPPLICATION AGAINST ABU BAKR WITH HER FINAL INSTRUCTION EXCLUDING HIM FROM HER FUNERAL
Arabic:
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 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 يصلي عليها، فدفنت ليلا، وصلى عليها عباس بن عبد المطلب، وكان بين وفاتها ووفاة أبيها اثنتان وسبعون ليلة.
English:
Hisham ibn Muhammad narrated from his father:
Lady Fatimah said to Abu Bakr:
“Umm Ayman testifies on my behalf that the Messenger of Allah gave Fadak to me.”
He said to her:
“O daughter of the Messenger of Allah, by Allah, Allah created no one more beloved to me than your father, the Messenger of Allah. On the day your father died, I wished that the sky had fallen upon the earth.
By Allah, I would prefer that Aisha become poor rather than you become poor.
Do you believe that I would give every red and white person their rights while oppressing you regarding your right, although you are the daughter of the Messenger of Allah?
This property did not belong personally to the Prophet. It was property from the wealth of the Muslims. The Prophet used it to equip men and spent it in the path of Allah.
When the Messenger of Allah died, I administered it as he had administered it.”
Lady Fatimah 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 to Allah against you.”
He replied:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah for you.”
When her death approached, she instructed that he should not pray over her. She was therefore buried at night.
Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib prayed over her. Seventy-two nights passed between the death of her father and her own death.
References:
1. Abu Bakr Ahmad ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Jawhari, al-Saqifah wa Fadak, p. 104, reconstructed edition collected and edited by Muhammad Hadi al-Amini, Beirut.
2. Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 16, around p. 214, preserving al-Jawhari’s report.
Short comment:
This report connects three stages of Lady Fatimah’s protest:
First, she swore that she would never speak to Abu Bakr.
Second, she declared that she would supplicate to Allah against him.
Third, she instructed that he should not pray over her, and she was buried at night.
The night burial therefore appears as the final public consequence of an unresolved grievance, not as evidence of forgiveness.
CORE NARRATION 5
SUNAN AL-TIRMIDHI RECORDS THAT LADY FATIMAH SWORE NEVER TO SPEAK TO ABU BAKR AND UMAR, AND DIED WITHOUT SPEAKING TO THEM
Arabic:
حدثنا بذلك علي بن عيسى البغدادي، قال:
حدثنا عبد الوهاب بن عطاء، قال:
حدثنا محمد بن عمرو، عن أبي سلمة، عن أبي هريرة:
أن فاطمة جاءت أبا بكر وعمر رضي الله عنهما، تسأل ميراثها من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
فقالا:
سمعنا رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول:
«إني لا أورث».
قالت:
والله لا أكلمكما أبدا.
فماتت ولا تكلمهما.
قال علي بن عيسى:
معنى لا أكلمكما، تعني في هذا الميراث أبدا، أنتما صادقان.
وقد روي هذا الحديث من غير وجه عن أبي بكر الصديق، عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم.
English:
Ali ibn Isa al-Baghdadi narrated to us:
Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ata narrated to us:
Muhammad ibn Amr narrated from Abu Salamah, from Abu Hurayrah:
Lady Fatimah came to Abu Bakr and Umar, asking them for her inheritance from the Messenger of Allah.
They answered:
“We heard the Messenger of Allah say: ‘I am not inherited from.’”
She said:
“By Allah, I will never speak to either of you.”
She then died without speaking to either of them.
Ali ibn Isa commented:
“The meaning of ‘I will never speak to either of you’ is that she would never again speak to them concerning this inheritance, while accepting that they were truthful.”
This hadith has also been narrated through other routes from Abu Bakr, from the Prophet.
References:
1. Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Siyar, chapter concerning the estate of the Messenger of Allah, hadith 1609.
2. Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 1, p. 241 in the al-Risalah edition, hadith 79.
3. The narration is reproduced in Sunni hadith databases from both al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad. Al-Albani listed it as sahih in his treatment of Sunan al-Tirmidhi.
Short comment:
Unlike some other reports that address Abu Bakr alone, this narration explicitly includes both Abu Bakr and Umar:
والله لا أكلمكما أبدا
“By Allah, I will never speak to either of you.”
The report itself then states:
فماتت ولا تكلمهما
“She died without speaking to either of them.”
The later interpretation inserted after the report cannot erase its direct wording. The narration explicitly records a break with both men that continued until her death.
CORE NARRATION 6
SAHIH AL-BUKHARI AND SAHIH MUSLIM CONFIRM THAT LADY FATIMAH REMAINED ANGRY UNTIL HER DEATH AND WAS BURIED AT NIGHT WITHOUT ABU BAKR BEING INFORMED
Arabic:
فقال أبو بكر:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:
«لا نورث، ما تركنا صدقة، إنما يأكل آل محمد في هذا المال».
وإني والله لا أغير شيئا من صدقة رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن حالها التي كانت عليها في عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، ولأعملن فيها بما عمل به رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم.
فأبى أبو بكر أن يدفع إلى فاطمة منها شيئا.
فوجدت فاطمة على أبي بكر في ذلك، فهجرته، فلم تكلمه حتى توفيت.
وعاشت بعد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ستة أشهر.
فلما توفيت، دفنها زوجها علي ليلا، ولم يؤذن بها أبا بكر، وصلى عليها.
وكان لعلي من الناس وجه حياة فاطمة.
فلما توفيت، استنكر علي وجوه الناس، فالتمس مصالحة أبي بكر ومبايعته.
ولم يكن يبايع تلك الأشهر.
English:
Abu Bakr said:
“The Messenger of Allah said:
‘We are not inherited from. Whatever we leave is charity. The family of Muhammad may only consume their maintenance from this property.’
By Allah, I will not change anything from the charity of the Messenger of Allah from the condition in which it existed during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah. I will administer it exactly as the Messenger of Allah administered it.”
Abu Bakr therefore refused to give Lady Fatimah anything from it.
Lady Fatimah became angry with Abu Bakr over this matter, withdrew from him, and did not speak to him until she died.
She lived for six months after the Prophet.
When she died, her husband Ali buried her at night. He did not inform Abu Bakr of her death and personally prayed over her.
Imam Ali possessed standing among the people while Lady Fatimah was alive.
After she died, he perceived a change in the faces of the people. He therefore sought a political settlement with Abu Bakr and an arrangement concerning allegiance.
He had not given allegiance during those months.
References:
1. Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, hadiths 4240–4241.
2. Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Fard al-Khums and Kitab al-Fara’id, parallel versions of the inheritance report.
3. Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Jihad wa al-Siyar, hadith 1759.
Short comment:
Even if every non-canonical historical report were ignored, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim still establish the central outcome:
Lady Fatimah remained angry with Abu Bakr.
She withdrew from him.
She did not speak to him until she died.
Imam Ali buried her at night.
Abu Bakr was not informed.
Imam Ali had withheld allegiance during those months.
This canonical record agrees with the historical reports that preserve her words of complaint and supplication. Her secret night burial was the final historical testimony that the grievance remained unresolved.
FINAL CONCLUSION
The evidence is not confined to a single book.
Al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah preserves Lady Fatimah’s declaration that Abu Bakr and Umar had both angered her, that she would complain to the Prophet about both of them, and that she would supplicate against Abu Bakr in every prayer.
Al-Baladhuri independently preserves her statement:
“By Allah, I will supplicate to Allah against you.”
Al-Jahiz preserves the same declaration and argues that Abu Bakr’s gentle language does not prove that he was innocent of injustice.
Abu Bakr al-Jawhari preserves the same exchange and connects it to Lady Fatimah’s final instruction that Abu Bakr should not pray over her.
Al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad preserve her oath that she would never speak to either Abu Bakr or Umar, and that she died without speaking to them.
Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim confirm the undeniable conclusion: Lady Fatimah remained angry until her death and was buried at night without Abu Bakr being informed.
Therefore, it is historically false to claim that Lady Fatimah forgave Abu Bakr and Umar before her death.
The preserved record shows the opposite:
She turned her face away from them.
She did not return their greeting.
She declared that both had angered her.
She said she would complain about both of them to her father, the Messenger of Allah.
She declared that she would supplicate to Allah against Abu Bakr.
She swore that she would never speak to Abu Bakr and Umar.
She died without speaking to them.
She was buried secretly at night.
Abu Bakr was not informed.
Her hidden grave remains the final witness that no genuine reconciliation took place.
Lady Fatimah’s Complaint Against Abu Bakr and Umar
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