تويت
The significance of Fadak lies in the fact that it was a village whose spoils were distributed by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) among his household and the poor Muslims. After the Prophet's death, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra inherited it. When she demanded her right, she was denied and refrained from further claims, but she left, angered and resentful—as the narrators recount.
Al-Bukhari reports in the chapter on the distribution of Khums that Fatimah (peace be upon her), the daughter of the Messenger of God, asked Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) after the Prophet's death to give her the inheritance from what the Prophet had left from the spoils God had bestowed upon him. But Abu Bakr replied: "The Messenger of God said: ‘We, the prophets, do not leave inheritance.’” Fatimah became angry and avoided Abu Bakr, and continued to avoid him until she passed away (1).
Al-‘Aqqad wrote: When the Prophet passed away, Fatimah sent a request to Abu Bakr asking for her inheritance from Fadak and what remained from the Khums of Khaybar. Abu Bakr replied: "The Messenger of God said: 'We, the group of prophets, do not leave inheritance; what we leave is charity.' I will not change anything the Messenger of God had established." He then said to her: "But if your father had gifted this property to you, I will accept your word and carry out his instruction." Fatimah replied that her father did not inform her of such a gift directly but that Umm Ayman had informed her that it was the Prophet's intent. Abu Bakr then insisted on keeping Fadak and Khaybar under the treasury of the Muslims (2).
However, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) countered with her own proof from the Qur’an, citing the verse about Prophet Zechariah: "He shall inherit me and inherit from the family of Jacob" and the verse: "And Solomon inherited from David." Abu Bakr then said to her: "O daughter of the Messenger of God, your word is compelling and reflects the truth of the message. But it was Ali who informed me about what you had taken or left behind." (3)
It is worth noting that Abu Bakr said: "O daughter of the Messenger of God, your father did not leave behind a dinar or dirham. He said: 'Prophets do not leave inheritance.'" She replied: "Fadak was a gift from my father, the Messenger of God." Abu Bakr then asked: "Who can testify to this?" Ali ibn Abi Talib testified, as did Umm Ayman. Then Umar ibn al-Khattab and Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf testified that the Prophet used to divide Fadak. Abu Bakr said: "You speak the truth, O daughter of the Messenger of God. Ali, Umm Ayman, Umar, and Abdur-Rahman also speak the truth. The Prophet used to take what you needed from Fadak and distribute the rest in the way of God. What will you do with it?" She replied: "I will do as my father used to." He said: "Then I swear by God, I will handle it as your father did." She said: "By God, you must!" He replied: "By God, I shall!" She said: "O God, bear witness." Abu Bakr then would provide for them from it and distribute the rest. Umar followed the same path, and so did Uthman and Ali (4).
Fatimah came accompanied by her relatives and women from her people, her gait no different from that of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). She entered upon Abu Bakr while the Muhajirun and Ansar were gathered. A curtain was drawn between her and them. She sighed deeply, and the people burst into tears. She waited until they were silent and then gave a long sermon, ending with:
"There has come to you a Messenger from among yourselves; it grieves him that you should suffer; he is concerned over you and is kind and merciful to the believers..." Then she said: "If you trace him, you will find that he is my father, not your fathers, and the brother of my cousin, not your men." And later she said: "Now you claim that I have no inheritance? Do you seek the judgment of ignorance? And who is better in judgment than God for a people who have certainty?"
"O Muslims! Is the inheritance of my father being taken from me? Has God decreed that you inherit your fathers, and I not inherit mine? You have done a monstrous thing! Have you intentionally abandoned the Book of God and cast it behind your backs?"
She cited the verses:
- "And Solomon inherited from David"
- "Grant me from Yourself an heir who shall inherit me and inherit from the family of Jacob"
- "Blood relatives are more entitled to inheritance in the Book of God"
- "God instructs you regarding your children: to the male a share equal to that of two females"
She then turned to the Ansar and said: "O group of young men and protectors of Islam! Why this neglect of my right? Did not the Prophet say: ‘A person is preserved through his offspring’?"
According to Sheikh Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah: "It was incumbent upon Abu Bakr first to prove that the Prophet owned Fadak at the time of his death and that it was among what he left behind, and then argue with Lady Fatimah. But he reversed the matter and demanded proof from the one who already possessed and controlled it."
Mughniyah added: "Even if we accept the Prophet's statement that what he left is charity, we must ask: Did he own Fadak at the time of death? No—Fadak was already in Lady Fatimah’s hands, recognized by Abu Bakr and all the companions."
The story is like a father gifting his son a house, and the son lives in it during the father’s life. After the father dies, someone claims the house was part of the father’s estate and demands it, without proving it was ever the father’s at death—while it was clearly in the son’s possession.
Indeed, such compelling words stirred controversy about the Prophet’s inheritance, which a group sought to withhold. But Lady Fatimah confronted them with unmatched courage and unshakable arguments that unsettled hearts and left behind a deep, unresolved grief.
Omar once said to Abu Bakr: “Let us go to Fatimah, for we have angered her.” They sought permission to see her, but she refused. They turned to Ali who got them in. When they sat before her, she turned her face to the wall. They greeted her, but she did not respond. Abu Bakr said: "O beloved of the Messenger of God, his kin are dearer to me than mine. You are dearer to me than my own daughter Aisha. I wish I had died on the day your father died. Do you think I could know you and your status and prevent you from your right and inheritance? No! But I heard your father say: ‘We do not leave inheritance; what we leave is charity.’"
She replied: "If I tell you something from the Prophet, will you believe me?" They said: "Yes." She said: "I call God and His angels to witness that you have angered me. If I meet the Prophet, I shall surely complain to him about you." Abu Bakr then wept profusely and said: "I seek God’s protection from His and your wrath, O Fatimah." He cried until he almost died. He went out to the people and said: "Each of you sleeps with his wife at night and rejoices in his family, while you left me in this state. I don’t want your allegiance. Release me from it." (5)
Fatimah continued her protest and chose not to speak another word to Abu Bakr, saying: “By God, I will not speak to him as long as I live,” and she did not until her death.
Do you see Lady Fatimah’s boldness and stance? By God, she was like a blazing flame that cannot be extinguished even by the fiercest storm—an example for all women, adorned with virtues and lofty traits.
And Fadak—it always came back into the picture whenever truth shone again. Umar ibn Abdul Aziz recognized the value of justice and returned Fadak to Fatimah. Later, Abu al-‘Abbas al-Saffah and then al-Ma'mun ibn al-Rashid also restored it, acknowledging Lady Fatimah's unmatched spirit in reclaiming her rightful inheritance.
As the saying goes: “No right is lost as long as someone demands it.”
What I know for certain is that Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) lived estranged, in lonely sorrow, overwhelmed by the weight of a usurped right. Her grief filled her chest, and her sighs echoed through the House of Sorrows. Death's shadow loomed, and often she drifted into deep emotional withdrawal—cut off from the outer world.
References
- Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 5, Page 5.
- Fatimah al-Zahra and the Fatimids by Abbas Mahmoud al-Aqqad, Pages 57–58.
- The Life of Muhammad by Muhammad Husayn Haykal, Page 321.
- Previous source (i.e., al-Aqqad), Page 58.
- Previous source (i.e., al-Aqqad), Page 58.
- A‘lam al-Nisa’ (Eminent Women) by Umar Rida Kahhalah, Volume 4, Pages 116–117.
- The Science of Usul al-Fiqh in its New Form by Sheikh Muhammad Jawad Mughniyah, Page 403.
- Al-Imamah wa al-Siyasah (Imamate and Politics) by Ibn Qutaybah, Volume 1, Page 14; see also A‘lam al-Nisa’, Volume 3, Page 1214.
- Islamic Civilization by Adam Mez (translated), Volume 1, Page 128.