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138-507: Shi'a believe that divine wisdom— 'Aql —is the source of the souls of the Prophets and Imams and gives them esoteric knowledge— hikmah —and that their suffering is a means by which their devotees may acquire divine grace. The Imam is not the recipient of divine revelation , but has a close relationship with God, who guides him, allowing the Imam in turn to guide others. The Imamat, or belief in

276-641: A Jewish tribe, half of the agricultural land of Fadak was considered fay and belonged to the prophet, in line with verse 59:6 of the Quran. There is some evidence that Muhammad gifted his share of Fadak to Fatima when verse 17:26 was revealed, and her agents managed the property when Muhammad was alive. This is the Shia view. Among Sunnis, al-Suyuti ( d.  1505 ) and al-Dhahabi ( d.  1348 ) are of this view, while al-Jurjani ( d.  1078 ) and Ibn Kathir ( d.  1373 ) are uncertain if

414-461: A 14th century Shi'a Twelver Islamic scholar , writes: "Imamah is a universal grace (lutf ‘amm) while Nubuwwah (prophethood) is a special grace (lutf khass), it is possible that a specific period in time can be void of a living Nabi while the same is not true for the Imam. To reject universal grace is worse than to reject any special grace. The prophet founded an eternal Shari'ah for all the times and this eternal religion could not continue without

552-768: A chief of the Ansar was likely beaten into submission by Umar, those gathered at Saqifa agreed on Abu Bakr as the new head of the community. The Saqifa event is said to have excluded Muhammad's family, who were preparing to bury him, and most of the Muhajirun. To protest the appointment of Abu Bakr, al-Baladhuri ( d.  892 ) reports that the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and some of his companions gathered at Fatima's house. Among them were Muhammad's uncle Abbas and his companion Zubayr , according to Madelung. The protesters, including Fatima, held that her husband Ali

690-532: A guide. Al-Mufid states that an Imam is necessary for defining the exact laws that are obligatory upon the Muslims. Many verses in Quran are ambiguous, revelation of Quran without further explanation is unlikely from Allah. While Imamate brings the people nearer to obedience and away from disobedience, it is Grace (Lutf) that is incumbent of Allah. Regarding rejecting the Imamah-doctrine, Allamah Al-Hilli ,

828-467: A leader. In the period of Minor Occultation, theologians like Ibn Qube Razi, Newbakhtis, al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Seyyed Morteza and al-Shaykh al-Tusi rebuild the theological school of Imamiyah. In the second and third century of Hijra , a Ma'sum (infallible) and divinely chosen leader of the religion was more focused than the political role of the Imams by the theologians. Although Imamiyah believed that most of

966-597: A name of God) as the earthly symbol of the divine creative power. A kunya or honorific title of Fatima in Islam is Umm Abiha ( lit.   ' the mother of her father ' ), suggesting that Fatima was exceptionally nurturing towards her father. Umm al-Aima ( lit.   ' the mother of Imams ' ) is a kunya of Fatima in Twelver sources, as eleven of the Twelve Imams descended from her. Fatima

1104-475: A nascent Islam, which faced internal and external threats, according to Mavani. In particular, Jafri notes that Ali turned down proposals to forcefully pursue the caliphate, including an offer from Abu Sufyan . In reference to Abu Bakr's caliphate, Madelung writes that a poem later began to circulate among the Banu Hashim ending with, "Surely, we have been cheated in the most monstrous way." Ali forbade

1242-486: A nobler substance than the clay from which prophets were made. More generally, prophecy and imamate may be joined in a person. That is, some prophets, including the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were also imams in that they too possessed the esoteric knowledge of religion. Yet not every imam was a prophet for some imams did not transmit a divine scripture. In Twelver doctrine, Muhammad and the twelve imams are regarded as

1380-533: A paradisial state. Mulla Sadra argues that hikmah is tied to religion and spiritual life, and it is distinct from Western philosophy, which focuses mainly on mental activities. As a term of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), Taqi Usmani describes it as "the wisdom and the philosophy taken into account by the legislator while framing the [Islamic] law or the benefit intended to be drawn by [the law's] enforcement". One Dr Dipertua calls it "the objectives and wisdom" as "prescribed by Shariah". Usmani gives as an example

1518-420: A permanent need for a divinely-guided (infallible) leader and an authoritative teacher in religion, one that would expound the divine law and correctly interpret the revelation. As the high custodian of religion, this leader would also execute the divine law and judge among men. Existence of such a leader, it is argued, is necessary for the welfare and salvation of the community. Providing this figure, called imam,

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1656-527: A prophet appointing a successor is found in the Old Testament where Joshua son of Nun is declared Moses ’ successor or manager of his affairs after his death. Shias believe that just as Moses appointed Aaron as his successor on Bani-Israel, ( Hadith of position ), in accordance with God's order, Muhammad, the final prophet, appointed Ali ibn Abi Talib to be the leader of the believers. The Shi'a Twelver denomination of Islam consider it to be

1794-436: A raid on Ali's home. A typical Shia response is that Ali gave up his rights and exercised restraint for the sake of a nascent Islam, according to Abbas. Fatima died in 11/632, within six months of Muhammad's death. She was 18 or 27 years old at that time according to Shia and Sunni sources, respectively. The exact date of her death is uncertain but the Shia commonly commemorates her death on 13 Jumada II . The Sunni belief

1932-411: A raid on her house to subdue Ali, ordered by Abu Bakr. It is believed that Fatima's dying wish was that the caliph should not attend her funeral. She was buried secretly at night and her exact burial place remains uncertain. Her most common epithet is al-Zahra ( lit.   ' the one that shines, the radiant ' ), which encodes her piety and regularity in prayer. This epithet is believed by

2070-545: A similar view. Madelung suggests that the caliphate of Abu Bakr was inherently inconsistent with maintaining the privileged status of Muhammad's kin and applying the Quranic rules of inheritance to them. As phrased by Mavani, if the Banu Hashim had inherited Muhammad's material property, then they might have also been expected to inherit the spiritual authority of Muhammad. Similar views are voiced by Jafri , Margoliouth , Ayoub , and Lalani, while El-Hibri does not view

2208-656: A sister of Khadija. According to Abbas , most Shia Muslims hold that Fatima was Muhammad's only biological daughter, whereas Fedele limits this belief to the Twelver Shia. Hyder reports that this belief is prevalent among the Shia in South Asia . Fatima also had three brothers, all of whom died in childhood. Fatima grew up in Mecca while Muhammad and his few followers suffered the ill-treatment of disbelievers. On one occasion, she rushed to help Muhammad when filth

2346-680: A speech at the Prophet's Mosque , known as the Sermon of Fadak , Among other sources, this sermon appears in Balaghat al-nisa' , a collection of eloquent speeches by Muslim women, though the attribution of this speech to Fatima is rejected by Sunnis. Fatima is said to have upheld Ali in her speech as the rightful successor to Muhammad. She is also reported to have chastised Abu Bakr for denying her inheritance and accused him of (hadith) fabrication, saying that Muhammad could have not contradicted

2484-551: Is a hidden virtue known to God. In particular, the fallible community has no voice in appointing infallible imams, or prophets for that matter. Rather than political power, the Twelver doctrine of imamate revolves around the esoteric knowledge ( ilm ) of their quiescenct imams, who are thought to have successively inherited Muhammad's divine knowledge about God. Twelvers hold that their imams did not receive revelation as prophets did but were still divinely-inspired. Imams were spoken to by angels, but, unlike prophets, could not see

2622-490: Is also said to have praised his other son-in-law, possibly Uthman or Abu al-As . Soufi notes that the reference to the third caliph Uthman might reflect the Sunni orthodoxy, in which Uthman is considered superior to his successor Ali. Buehler suggests that such Sunni traditions that place Ali in a negative light should be treated with caution as they mirror the political agenda of the time. In Shia sources, by contrast, Fatima

2760-406: Is argued, followers would benefit from imams’ exoteric and esoteric guidance. the above all-encompassing bond of spiritual loyalty that binds true followers to their imams is called walaya , transcending politics and self-interest. Walaya is the condition for the acceptance of all good deeds and salvation, It is regraded as a pillar of the faith ( iman ), and what elevates (true) Shias over

2898-779: Is cited in a Sunni tradition by Aisha as the reason Umar was excluded from a supposed attempt at reconciliation between Ali and Abu Bakr. Kelen describes an incident of Umar's violence against his sister when she professed Islam (before Umar). It is uncertain what followed the above altercation at Fatima's house. Shia sources allege that Fatima suffered injuries and miscarriage during a raid on her house led by Umar. In particular, Shia alleges that Fatima miscarried her son Muhsin , whose name had been chosen by Muhammad before his death, according to Abbas . These claims are categorically rejected by Sunnis, who maintain that Muhsin died in infancy of natural causes. The allegations of violence and miscarriage appear in some Shia works, including

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3036-482: Is described as the esoteric aspect of prophecy. Indeed, in his capacity as an imam, Muhammad was also a spiritual guide. Walaya also denotes the exclusive religio-political authority of imams. To sum, in Twelver Shi'ism, the twelve imams hold the ultimate religious authority, both in matters of law and spiritual guidance, as an extension of Muhammad's authority. Their duty is essentially threefold: first, rule

3174-448: Is incumbent upon Him to preserve and expound this knowledge through imams. That is, imamate in Twelver Shi'ism is regarded as the continuation of prophecy. It is thus argued that imamate is a continuous necessity, that is, Earth has never been devoid of imams. There could only be one such imam at any time, however. As long as he lived, his successor would be a silent ( samit ) imam. Divine designation and divine knowledge, both of which

3312-459: Is known to have alluded to the violent arrest of Ali in a letter to him before the Battle of Siffin . Madelung is uncertain about the use of force. Still, he notes that there is evidence (in Sunni sources) that Fatima's house was searched. According to Madelung, Ali later repeatedly said that he would have resisted (Abu Bakr) had there been forty men with him. Alternatively, Buehler suggests that

3450-427: Is mentioned in various places of the Quran, but one of the most commonly cited is "He giveth wisdom [hikmah] unto whom He will, and he unto whom wisdom is given, he truly hath received abundant good". (2:269). In the Quran, God thus bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses. In this context, "Wisdom" is interpreted to mean knowledge and understanding of the Quran, fear of God, intelligence (' aql ), comprehension (fahm),

3588-620: Is more closely related to the original Greek concept of theosophy. For Nasr, hikma is also sapiential because its meaning is related to the Latin word "sapere" and the Arabic word "dhawq," both of which mean "taste." Additionally, hikmah can be considered "speculative wisdom" because it seeks to make the human soul a mirror, reflecting divine knowledge, which is similar to the meaning of the Latin word "speculum," which means "mirror." The term "hikmah"

3726-649: Is often accompanied in Shia sources by inheritance of secret religious scrolls and prophet's weapons. The latter paralleled the Ark of the Covenant for the Israelites . Nass is regraded as a logical necessity in the Twelver doctrine, in which imams are thought to have been infallible, that is, immune from sin and error. Indeed, only an infallible imam can correctly identify his infallible successor. The appointment of imam must also be sanctioned by God, for infallibility

3864-444: Is one of the Quranic verses cited to support the infallibility of imams, in which all wrongdoers are excluded from imamate. Each imam is the best of men ( afdal al-nas ) in his time, that is, most excellent among them in religious qualities, for otherwise, it is argued, God would have appointed someone else as the imam. Similarly, it is argued that imams must be foremost in observing the religious values that they preach. Imamate

4002-430: Is only accessible to the virtous and pious. The word wali and its cognate mawla can mean 'Lord', 'master', 'trustee', 'guardian', 'helper', 'protecting friend', 'freed slave', and (spiritual or material) 'heir'. First, wali Allah ( lit.   ' friend of God ' ) signifies the nearness of imam to God, who reveals to him His secrets, and grants him authority over His creation. Second, imam and wali

4140-411: Is ranked even higher than prophethood in Twelver Shi'ism, citing the Quranic story in verse 2:124, where Abraham is promoted to imamate when he is already a prophet. In particular, the twelve imams are thought to have been more excellent than all previous prophets, except Muhammad, for he inherited the total knowledge of all prophets, and the twelve imams in turn inherited Muhammad's superior knowledge. Yet

4278-427: Is reported to have had a happy marital life, which continued until her death in 11 AH . In particular, Ali is reported to have said, "Whenever I looked at her [Fatima], all my worries and sadness disappeared". The Sunni al-Hakim al-Nishapuri ( d.  1014 ) and al-Khwarazmi ( d.  1173 ), and the Shia al-Qadi al-Nu'man ( d.  974 ) and al-Tabari al-Shia (eleventh century ), have likened Fatima to

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4416-517: Is reported to have said that the Islamic leadership is in Quraysh (i.e., his tribe) and that 12 "Imams" shall succeed him . Sunni and Shiite sects differ as to whom Muhammad was referring. Muhammad stated (authenticated by Sunnis and Shiites), that "Whoever does not know the Imam of his Lifetime (Hadith of the Current Imam: i.e., recognizes same) has died the death of Ignorance". The idea of

4554-537: Is reportedly supported by her son Hasan's wish to be buried next to his mother. On the other hand, the Sunni al-Samhoodi ( d.  1533 ) concludes that Hasan is buried next to his grandmother Fatimah bint Asad , rather than his mother Fatima. This uncertainty in Shia sources again underscores Fatima's displeasure with the Muslim community. Fatima was survived by two sons, Hasan and Husayn , and two daughters, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum . Controversy surrounds

4692-454: Is that Fatima died from grief after Muhammad's death. Shia Islam, however, holds that Fatima's injuries during a raid by Umar directly caused her miscarriage and death shortly after. Al-Tabari mentions the suffering of Fatima in her final days. Shia traditions similarly describe Fatima's agony in her final days. In particular, the Isma'ili jurist al-Nu'man similarly reports a hadith from

4830-457: Is that the loss of Fatima was so traumatizing for Ali that he threatened Umar with violence for the first time, despite his previous restraint. Fatima's exact burial place in Medina remains uncertain, with often contradictory reports. The two most probable locations for her grave are the al-Baqi' cemetery and her home, which was later annexed to the Prophet's Mosque . The former location

4968-1015: Is the Mighty, the Wise). "Hikmah" also appears in Hadith literature , which comprises the teachings and sayings of Muhammad. One Hadith emphasizes that "the acquisition of hikmah is incumbent upon thee: verily the good resides in hikmah". Another Hadith cautions against speaking of "hikmah" to fools, stating "speak not of hikmah to fools." Muslim authorities have disagreed on the meaning of hikmah in Quranic verses and prophetic sayings, with some like Fakhr al-Din al-Razi associating it with kalam. However, throughout Islamic history, many have linked hikmah to intellectual sciences, particularly traditional philosophy, and this field came to be known as "al-hikma al-ilahiyyah" or "theosophia" in its original sense in Persia . Various Islamic commentaries describe hikmah as "to know

5106-604: Is the Shia view. Among Sunnis, the charge of usurpation appears, for instance, in the works of Ibn Hajar al-Haythami ( d.  1566 ) and Ibn Sa'd ( d.  845 ). Among others, the Sunni al-Baladhuri ( d.  892 ) reports that Fatima objected to Abu Bakr, saying that Fadak was a gift from her father. Her husband Ali and a maid at Muhammad's house, named Umm Aiman , are reported to have offered their testimonies in support of Fatima. By some accounts, Fatima also brought her two sons as witnesses. Abu Bakr, however, did not find their testimonies sufficient to establish

5244-442: Is the highest proof ( hujjat ) of God on Earth and His evidence on the judgement day against those who deny or disobey Him. The fourteen infallibles are said to have been a primordial light that became the cause and instrument for the rest of the creation. This so-called Muahammadan light was carried through the line of prophets, beginning with Adam , until it became embodied in the fourteen infallibles. Through this divine light

5382-432: Is the supreme spiritual guide, and the exclusive religio-political authority after Muhammad. In Twelver belief, Muslims have a religious duty to know their imam, and those who die without knowing their imam have died a death of ignorance ( Jahilliya ), a reference to a well-attested prophetic saying. At an esoteric level, knowing the imams is said to be equivalent to knowing what can be known about God, for imams embody

5520-423: Is therefore incumbent upon God at any moment, as an obligatory grace ( lutf wajib ), for He acts in the best interest of His creation. Conversely, absence of such an imam would imply that God is both uncaring, for He has neglected His creation, and unjust, for He would punish men without providing them with right guidance. Just as it is incumbent upon God to send prophets who would teach mankind divine knowledge, it

5658-616: Is thus said that imams knew the greatest name of God ( ism Allah al-a’zam ), the past, the present, and the future. At an even more esoteric level, imams are thought to have manifested the knowable God, that is, what can be known about God to His creation. As with the Islamic prophet Muhammad, the twelve imams are regarded as infallible in Twelver Shi'ism, that is, protected from sin and error through divine grace. The scope of this isma has been debated, but at least covers imams’ religious rulings and views. Infallibility ( isma ) of imams, in their capacity as divinely-sanctioned leaders,

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5796-436: Is viewed as a logical necessity in Twelver Shi'ism lest the religion is corrupted, or people are led astray. This infallibility, however, is not viewed as inability to sin. Rather, the esoteric knowledge of prophets and imams, for instance, their vivid understanding of God's punishment, produces a faculty that prevents them from disobedience of God. That is, their infallibility is a byproduct of their divine knowledge. Verse 2:124

5934-530: The Ahl al-Bayt , including Fatima, for those who empathize with their divine cause and suffering. Multiple sources report that Fatima never reconciled with Abu Bakr and Umar, partly based on a tradition to this effect in the canonical Sunni collection Sahih al-Bukhari . There are some accounts that Abu Bakr and Umar visited Fatima on her deathbed to apologize, which Madelung considers self-incriminatory. As reported in al-Imama wa al-siyasa , Fatima reminded

6072-662: The Battle of Khaybar . Fatima was at some point given a maidservant, named Fidda. Following the Battle of Uhud , Fatima tended to the wounds of her father and regularly visited the graves to pray for those killed in the battle. Later, Fatima rejected Abu Sufyan 's pleas to mediate between him and Muhammad. Fatima also accompanied Muhammad in the Conquest of Mecca . Among others, the Sunni al-Suyuti ( d.  1505 ) ascribes to Muhammad that, "God ordered me to marry Fatima to Ali." According to Veccia Vaglieri and Klemm, Muhammad also told Fatima that he had married her to

6210-449: The Isma'ili imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il , though this claim has been challenged. While Fatima is not mentioned in the Quran by name, some verses are associated with her in classical exegeses. An example is verse 3:61 of the Quran. After an inconclusive debate about Jesus with a Christian delegation from Najran in 10/631–2, it was decided to engage in mubuhala , where both parties would pray to invoke God's curse upon whoever

6348-413: The companions , including Abu Bakr and Umar , had earlier asked for Fatima's hand in marriage but were turned down by Muhammad, who said he was waiting for the moment fixed by destiny. It is also said that Ali was reticent to ask Muhammad to marry Fatima on account of his poverty. When Muhammad put forward Ali's proposal to Fatima, she remained silent, which was understood as a tacit agreement. On

6486-424: The fifth Imam to the effect that "whatever had been done to her by the people" caused Fatima to become bedridden, while her body wasted until it became like a specter. This hadith seems to contain a reference to Fatima's injuries during the raid. Ayoub describes Fatima a symbol of quiet suffering in Islamic piety. In particular, the Twelver Shia believe in the redemptive power of the pain and martyrdom endured by

6624-470: The hereafter , they intercede for many, especially for their followers. By contrast, the prerogative of intercession is limited to the Islamic prophet in Sunni Islam. However, some Shia scholars reject such supernatural functions. In Twelver Shi'ism, existence of imam is regarded as a continuous and rational necessity. For instance, one rational argument in favor of imamate contends that mankind has

6762-457: The spirit or intellect . Hikmah is sometimes associated with prophethood , faith , intelligence ( 'aql ), comprehension (fahm), or the power of rational demonstration. In the Quran, God bestows wisdom upon whomever He chooses, and various individuals including the House of Abraham , David , Joseph , Moses , Jesus , Muhammad and Luqman are said to have received wisdom. The Quran also uses

6900-637: The Book and Wisdom has a more universal significance, as it has been used in relation to other Quranic figures, such as Jesus (3:48; 5:110), the Children of Israel (45:16), and the House of Abraham (4:54). According to the Quran, God bestowed wisdom on many individuals, including David (2:251), Joseph (12:21), Moses (28:14), and Luqman, who is not considered a prophet by majority. The Quran instructs people to invite others to God using wisdom (16:125), which can be understood as calling others to religion based on

7038-517: The Book and Wisdom, and also teaches them what they did not know. This messenger is understood to be Muhammad. According to the Study Quran , the term "wisdom" in 2:129 is understood as a reference to the Sunnah , which encompasses Muhammad's exemplary sayings and actions, or more generally to knowledge and understanding of the religion . However, the Study Quran notes that the Quranic pairing of

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7176-591: The Book those We have chosen of Our servants". Shias mind verse 4:59 , which signifies a perfect love and obedience to divine guides. Other Shia sources claim that Imams are expressed in Quran as: "the Supreme Sign" (al-Ayat al-Kobra) ( 79:20 ), "the August Symbol" (al-Mathal al-a'la) ( 16:60 ), "the Most Solid Handle" (al-Urwat al-Wuthqa) ( 2:256 ), ( 31:22 ). According to al-Baqir Imams are

7314-654: The Holy Spirit. They receive additional information on the Night of Power Laylat al-Qadr . They make Spiritual Ascension to the Divine Throne on Friday to add their knowledge. Shias claim the verse of Light ( 24:35 ) is attributed to The Fourteen Infallible . According to Shia sources on the nature and basis of Imamate, H al-Baqir emphasizes that verse 5:55 refers to Ali . According to al-Baqir's interpretation of verse 35:32 , Imams are "Then we caused to inherit

7452-463: The Light of Allah ( 64:8 , 57:28 ). These verses ( 28:68 , 2:30 , 38:26 , 2:124 , 21:73 ) state that Imamate is a divine appointment and a fallible person can not be an Imam. Wilferd Madelung , regarding the blood ties which is found in Quran, states the superiority of Ali for his succession. Regarding verse 2:124 , Tabataba'i states that Imamah is a divine status, Imam must be Ma'sum (infallible),

7590-562: The Quran, to the point that imam is also called the “speaking Quran.” The near consensus among Twelver scholars is that imams did not have knowledge of the unseen ( ilm al-ghiyb ), but were granted glimpses of it as a divine favor. This was indeed the opinion of al-Mufid ( d.  1022 ), Sharif al-Murtada ( d.  1044 ), al-Tusi ( d.  1067 ), three prominent Twelver scholars. Alternatively, some have argued that imams were omniscient or nearly so, including Ibn Babawayh ( d.  991 ), another prominent Twelver scholar. It

7728-535: The Quran. To support her claim, she is believed to have quoted verse 27:16 of the Quran in which Solomon inherits from his father David and verse 19:6 in which Zechariah prays for a son who would inherit from him and from the House of Jacob . As reported in Balaghat , Fatima also quoted verses 8:75 and 33:6 about the rights of every Muslim to inheritance. Abu Bakr terminated the status of purity of Muhammad's kin by forcing them to rely on general alms which

7866-479: The Saqifa affair, while these conflicts might have been amplified in Shia records. Both al-Tabari and al-Mas'udi note that Abu Bakr regretted the events after Saqifa on his deathbed. In particular, al-Tabari states that Abu Bakr wished he had "never opened Fatima's house to anything, even though they had locked it as a gesture of defiance." This appears to have been a sensitive admission that has been censored by

8004-525: The Scripture. The Prophet Muhammad thus is reported to have been granted the Book and Wisdom (2:151; 3:164; 4:54). In 2:129 of the Quran, Abraham prays to God, asking Him to raise a messenger from among his people who will recite God's signs to them, teach them the Book and Wisdom, and purify them. This prayer is taken to be granted in 2:151, where it is stated that God sent a messenger from among his people who recites God's signs, purifies them, teaches them

8142-420: The Shia to be a reference to her primordial creation from light that continues to radiate throughout the creation. The Shia Ibn Babawahy ( d.  991 ) writes that, whenever Fatima prayed, her light shone for the inhabitants of the heavens as starlight shines for the inhabitants of the earth. Other titles of her in Shia are al-Ṣiddiqa ( lit.   ' the righteous ' ), al-Tahira ( lit.   '

8280-478: The Sunni Ibn Sa'd in his Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kubra suggests that Fatima was born when Muhammad was about thirty-five years old. The Sunni view is that Fatima had three sisters, named Zaynab , Umm Kulthum , and Ruqayyah , who did not survive Muhammad. Alternatively, a number of Shia sources state that Zainab , Ruqayyah , and Umm Kulthum were adopted by Muhammad after the death of their mother, Hala,

8418-524: The Sunni al-Tabari, her dying wish was that Abu Bakr should not attend the funeral, and this request was fulfilled by Ali. Fatima's wish is believed to be at odds with the common practice of Muslims, who are encouraged to join funerals. In Shia sources, her wish for a secret burial is viewed as a sign of the disassociation of Muhammad's daughter with the Muslim community who largely failed to support her against Abu Bakr. The prominent Twelver traditionist al-Tusi ( d.  1067 ) reports an account of

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8556-406: The Sunni author Abu Ubayd al-Salam in his Kitab al-amwal . Abu Bakr's regret is also cited by the Shia al-Ya'qubi ( d.  897-8 ). Sunni sources are nearly unanimous that Ali pledged his allegiance to Abu Bakr after Fatima's death. When it became clear that Muslims did not broadly support his cause, Ali is said to have relinquished his claims to the caliphate for the sake of the unity of

8694-456: The absence of the Muhajirun (migrants from Mecca ) from this meeting suggests that the Ansar gathered to re-establish the control of the Ansar over their city Medina, under the belief that the Muhajirun would mostly return to Mecca after Muhammad's death. Abu Bakr and Umar , both companions of Muhammad, hastened to the gathering upon learning about it. After a heated session, in which

8832-407: The actualization and refinement of the human soul. He described it as the process of achieving perfection of the human soul through the understanding of things and the assessment of both theoretical and practical truths according to human capacity. Mulla Sadra characterized hikmah as a means by which humans can attain a level of understanding that makes them resemble the objective world and align with

8970-453: The allegations of violence should be treated with caution as they reflect the political agendas of the time. In contrast, Veccia Vaglieri is of the view that the Shia allegations are based on facts, even if they have been exaggerated. Abbas writes that some well-regarded Sunni sources mention Umar's raid and Fatima's injuries. Khetia believes that there are known instances where sensitive information has been censored by Sunni authors, such as

9108-404: The angels. Imams are also said to have inherited certain secret texts, such as Sahifa , Jafr , Jami’a , Mushaf of Fatima . For example, Jami'a supposedly contains the knowledge of what is licit and illicit. Imams thus perfectly knew exoteric aspects of the religion, such as tradition and jurisprudence, and its esoteric aspects, such as hidden and allegorical interpretations of

9246-486: The anger of Sunnis. In his al-Saqifa wa Fadak , al-Jawhari ( d.  935 ) includes a tradition to the effect that Umar and his men first threatened to set Fatima's house on fire. Then they entered the house, despite her pleas, and forced Ali and his supporters out of the house. The remainder of the account in al-Imama wa al-siyasa describes that Ali was pulled out of his house by force and threatened with death, according to Khetia. Mu'awiya ( r.  661–680 )

9384-485: The announcement of Muhammad about Ali ibn Abi Talib at the Ghadir Khumm , shortly before the former died in 632. According to Twelvers, the imamate was inherited after Ali by his eldest son Hasan , then by his other son Husayn , and then successively inherited by nine of Husayn's descendants . That is, these twelve imams owe their legitimacy to “apostolic succession,” rather than political leadership. Indeed, except

9522-401: The basis of this report, woman's consent in marriage has always been necessary in Islamic law. Muhammad also suggested that Ali sell his shield to pay the bridal gift ( mahr ). Muhammad performed the wedding ceremony, and they prepared an austere wedding feast with gifts from other Muslims. Shia sources have recorded that Fatima donated her wedding gown on her wedding night. Later,

9660-487: The best member of his family. There is another version of this hadith in the canonical Sunni collection Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal , in which Muhammad lauds Ali as the first in Islam, the most knowledgeable, and the most patient of the Muslim community. Nasr writes that the union of Fatima and Ali holds a special spiritual significance for Muslims, as it is seen as the marriage between the "greatest saintly figures" surrounding Muhammad. Ali did not marry again while Fatima

9798-401: The best of things by way of the best of sciences ...", having experience, using "justice in judging", "knowledge of the reality of things", "that which prevents ignorance," and putting "things in their proper places, assigning them to their proper status". In Ibn Sina 's view, "hikmah" is closely tied to the realization and perfection of the human soul, as he defines it as "the perfecting of

9936-415: The burial that vividly describes the suffering of Ali after the death of his wife, attributed to their son Husayn . Al-Mufid ( d.  1022 ), another notable Twelver scholar, includes in his Ikhtisas a related tradition ascribed to Ja'far al-Sadiq , the sixth Imam . This tradition describes that the next morning Abu Bakr and Umar berated Ali for the secret burial of Fatima. After learning that this

10074-575: The caliph. Abu Bakr was initially the sole witness to this statement, referred to as the hadith of Muhammad's inheritance . In his al-Tabaqat al-kubra , the Sunni traditionist Ibn Sa'd ( d.  845 ) furnishes the hadith of inheritance with two chains of transmission which include numerous prominent companions of Muhammad, such as Umar , Uthman , and Zubayr . In particular, he includes in these chains some notable Hashimites , such as Ali and Ibn Abbas , who are both known to have vehemently disputed this claim of Abu Bakr in other sources. On

10212-513: The canonical Kitab al-Kafi , Kamil al-ziyarat , Kitab al-Irshad , Tarikh al-Ya'qubi , and Dala'il al-imama. Of these, Tarikh al-Ya'qubi does not mention miscarriage, while Kitab al-irshad by al-Mufid ( d.  1022 ) is quiet about any violence. For the latter, considering that al-Mufid writes about violence against Fatima elsewhere, Khetia suspects that he refrained from controversial topics in his Kitab al-Irshad to render it accessible to most Twelvers without provoking

10350-509: The community affairs. In this sense, imam is synonymous to caliph in Sunni Islam as the highest temporal authority, but this authority is limited and mundane. In Shia Islam , the figure of imam dominates the belief system. Necessarily a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , imam is the supreme leader that combines both temporal and religious authorities, for the two were combined in Muhammad. Various Shia sects, however, disagreed over

10488-525: The community as Muhammad's rightful successors, second, teach hidden aspects of the revelation and authoritatively interpret ambiguous verses of the Quran , and third, guide men in their spiritual life. At an even more esoteric level, imams are often regarded as intermediaries between God and mankind. In this world, they are thought to be the cause for the creation, and the source of sustenance and divine blessings for creatures, thus maintaining all life on Earth. In

10626-505: The couple moved into a house next to Muhammad's quarters in Medina. Their marriage lasted about ten years until Fatima's death. Fatima's age at the time of her marriage is uncertain, reported between nine and twenty-one. Ali is said to have been about twenty two. As with the majority of Muslims, the couple lived in severe poverty in the early years of Islam. In particular, both had to do hard physical work to get by. Shia sources elaborate that Ali worked at various jobs while Fatima

10764-402: The dearest person to him. She is often viewed as an ultimate archetype for Muslim women and an example of compassion, generosity, and enduring suffering. It is through Fatima that Muhammad's family line has survived to this date. Her name and her epithets remain popular choices for Muslim girls. When Muhammad died in 632, Fatima and her husband Ali refused to acknowledge the authority of

10902-411: The deed written by Abu Bakr. Probably after Abu Bakr rejected Fatima's claim, she demanded her inheritance from the estate of her father. Abu Bakr rejected this too, claiming that Muhammad had disinherited his family. More specifically, he maintained that Muhammad had personally told him that prophets do not leave inheritance, and what they leave behind is public property that should be administered by

11040-627: The divine guide, is a fundamental belief in Shia Islam and is based on the concept that God would not leave humanity without access to divine guidance. According to the Twelvers, an Imam of the Age is always the divinely appointed authority on all matters of faith and law. Ali was the first Imam in this line and in the view of Twelvers the rightful successor to Muhammad, followed by the male descendants of Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah . Each Imam

11178-410: The earth can not be without an Imam, Imam have the complete knowledge which is related to this world and the next of the people, Imam excels all people in all virtues. However it is argued by many scholars that the 12 Shia Imams have not been mentioned in the Quran. Al-Baqir states that while people need a guide for their journey to a strange place, their journey to heaven is stranger and more in need of

11316-661: The fate of her third son Muhsin . Some canonical Shia sources report that Muhsin died in miscarriage, following Umar's raid on Fatima's house. Alternatively, Sunnis hold that Muhsin died in infancy of natural causes. It is through Fatima that Muhammad's progeny has spread throughout the Muslim world. Fatima's descendants are given the honorific titles of sayyid ( lit.   ' lord, or sir ' ) or sharif ( lit.   ' noble ' ) and are respected by Muslims. The Fatimid dynasty ( r.  909–1171 ) in North Africa claimed descent from Fatima via

11454-424: The first caliph , Abu Bakr . The couple and their supporters held that Ali was the rightful successor of Muhammad, possibly referring to his announcement at the Ghadir Khumm . Controversy surrounds Fatima's death within six months of Muhammad's. Sunni Islam holds that Fatima died from grief. In Shia Islam , however, Fatima's (miscarriage and) death are said to have been the direct result of her injuries during

11592-467: The first of the twelve imams, Ali ibn Abi Talib , who reigned from 661 CE until his assassination in 665. Whereas Muhammad brought divine revelation and taught divine law to his followers, the twelve imams interpreted the revelation and safeguarded the religion against innovations in their capacity as law-givers and guardians of religion. At this exoteric level, many teachings of these imams are general enough to be accepted by Sunnis, who regard many of

11730-417: The first three of them, these imams were effectively apolitical. More specifically, they all had claims to political leadership, but did not come forward for they would have been persecuted. The alternative theory is that many of them did not have any political claims at all. At any rate, this hereditary nature of imamate obviously closed the field to outside claimants. Divinely-sanctioned designation ( nass )

11868-415: The full moon, the sun hidden by clouds, or the sun that has come out of the clouds. The first expression is a common metaphor for beauty in Arabic and Persian. The Shia al-Majlesi ( d.  1699 ) explains that the second expression is a reference to Fatima's chastity, while the third expression refers to her primordial light. Soufi details that Fatima's manners closely resembled Muhammad's. Her gait

12006-399: The highest level of responsibility given by God to a human. Hikmah Hikmah (also Hikmat , Arabic : حكمة , ḥikma ) is an Arabic word that means wisdom , sagacity, philosophy , rationale or underlying reason . The Quran mentions "hikmah" in various places, where it is understood as knowledge and understanding of the Quran, fear of God , and a means of nourishing

12144-427: The highest manifestations of the most beautiful names of God ( al-asma’ al-husna ), which are the qualities that describe the knowable God, that is, those descriptions of God which are manifested in his creation. For instance, God is indulgent ( afuww ) and vengeful ( muntaqim ), satisfied ( radi ) and angry ( sakhit ). Imams are thus the best representatives of God's attributes; they are His image and face;

12282-475: The human soul through the conceptualization of things and the judgment of theoretical and practical truths to the measure of human capability". According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr , Ibn Sina's definition implies a "close accordance between knowledge and its practice", which became influential in later Islamic philosophy. Mulla Sadra defined hikmah as the tool through which "man becomes an intelligible world resembling

12420-611: The identity of these imams. In Twelver Shi’ism , Muhammad is believed to have been succeeded by a line of twelve imams from his descent, who also inherited his divine knowledge of religion. Even though these twelve imams are thought to have been entitled, through a divine mandate, to the temporal authority to manage Muslim affairs, their status in Twelver Shi’ism does not depend upon it, as they instead owe their status to their divinely-sanctioned designation by their predecessors ( nass ). Indeed, temporal leadership only materialized for

12558-448: The imam inherits through his successor from Muhammad, are the key markers of imamate in Twelver Shi'ism. In Twelver doctrine, imamate is confined to certain descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, from the marriage of his daughter Fatima to his cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib. Every imam is believed to have been designated by his predecessor through a divine mandate, going back successively to

12696-401: The imams as outstanding religious scholars. In addition to their exoteric function, the twelve imams, by virtue of their divine knowledge, are regarded as the sole authoritative guides toward salvation, as they initiated a small group of their followers into esoteric aspects of the religion. This function of imams, as spiritual guides after Muhammad, is known as walaya or wilaya , which

12834-457: The imams illuminate the hearts of believers, guiding them toward God. This divine light is also said to be responsible for the infallibility of imams. It is believed that the fourteen infallibles will intercede for the Muslim community in the hereafter, through which their sins will be overlooked or they will reach a higher spiritual status. It is the Shia community, however, that will especially benefit from this intercession ( shafa'a ). Just as

12972-473: The imams, particularly Husayn, patiently endured suffering, privation, rejection and persecution on Earth, they will be exalted and vindicated by God in the hereafter, sharing in His sovereignty over the creation through intercession, a prerogative which they will share with their true followers, who had in turn suffered for imams’ sake. Yet this absolutist perspective has been curtailed by emphasizing that intercession

13110-436: The knowable God, that is, His revealed “face” for His creation. As rightful successors to Muhammad and exclusive heirs to his divine knowledge, the twelve imams are owed the same level of loyalty in Twelver Shi'ism as Muhammad. Not only absolute obedience to them is obligatory, love for them is also mandated in the Quranic verse of the mawadda , according to Twelver (and some Sunni) exegetes. Through this love and obedience, it

13248-399: The last one was a companion of Muhammad. Nevertheless, Soufi notes that Abu Bakr's testimony is strong enough for Sunnis to make an exception to the Quranic rules of inheritance. Twelvers, however, reject the authenticity of the hadith of inheritance based on their own traditions, pointing also to the contradictions of this hadith with the Quran. In protest, Fatima is said to have delivered

13386-481: The mosque. Jafri adds that those who initially supported Ali gradually turned and pledged their allegiance to Abu Bakr. It appears that only his wife Fatima and their four small children remained on his side, writes Hazleton, in line with a statement to this effect attributed to Ali in Nahj al-balagha . Umar has been noted for his severity and misogyny, especially in Shia sources. "Umar's toughness" ( shidda )

13524-418: The mutual distrust and hostility of Ali with Abu Bakr and Umar is well-documented, though largely downplayed or ignored in Sunni sources. Their differences were epitomized during the proceedings of the electoral council in 644 when Ali refused to be bound by the precedence of the first two caliphs. A common Sunni argument is that Ali would have never continued his relations with Umar had the latter organized

13662-420: The objective world and similar to the order of universal existence." Sadra suggests that Muhammad's prayer to God to "show us things as they really are" is referring to this concept of hikmah. In addition, Sadra explains the Quranic verse "Surely We created man of the best stature, then We reduced him to the lowest of the low, save those who believe and do good works" (95:4-6) by interpreting "the best stature" as

13800-615: The order of the universe. He categorized hikmah into two types - theoretical and practical. Theoretical hikmah pertains to faith, while practical hikmah pertains to good deeds. Fakhr al-Din al-Razi equated hikmah with kalam , while Seyyed Hossein Nasr linked it to sapiential knowledge . Hikmah has also been linked to intellectual sciences , particularly traditional philosophy. On a more practical level, hikmah has been explained in several ways, such as acquiring knowledge through best of sciences, combining knowledge with action, having practical experience, applying fair judgment, understanding

13938-443: The other hand, Soufi holds that Abu Bakr is generally regarded as the only credible narrator of this hadith in Sunni sources, adding that similar reports attributed to other companions have been rejected by Sunnis. Along these lines, Sajjadi writes that all (credible) versions of this hadith are narrated from Abu Bakr, his ally Umar, his daughter Aisha , and Malik ibn Aus Al-Hadathan , though some primary sources have disputed whether

14076-413: The ownership of Fatima, requiring two men or one man and two women as witnesses per Islamic law. Khetia adds that Fatima might have expected her closeness with Muhammad to strengthen her case. In the same vein, Shias argue the truthful Fatima would have not claimed something which was not hers. In another account, Abu Bakr agreed to return Fadak to Fatima but was dissuaded by his ally Umar , who tore up

14214-560: The perfect human beings ( al-insan al-kamil ). In particular, knowing imams is equivalent to knowing (the knowable) God, which is in turn the ultimate goal of the creation. It is in this sense that the imam is said to be the Proof of God ( hujjat Allah ), the Vicar of God ( khakifat Allah ), and the Threshold of God ( bab Allah ). In particular, as the divinely-sanctioned guide, imam

14352-652: The personal enmity between Abu Bakr and Ali. Madelung, Abbas , and Anthony have noted the poor relations between the two men. In the immediate aftermath of Muhammad's death in 11/632, the Ansar (natives of Medina ) gathered in the Saqifa ( lit.   ' courtyard ' ) of the Sa'ida clan. The conventional wisdom is that they met to decide on a new leader for the Muslim community among themselves. For Madelung , however,

14490-425: The poet to recite it, adding that the welfare of Islam was dearer to him than anything else. In sharp contrast with Muhammad's lifetime, Ali is believed to have retired from public life during the caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. Anthony describes this change in Ali's attitude as a silent censure of the first three caliphs. While he reportedly advised Abu Bakr and Umar on government and religious matters,

14628-506: The power of rational demonstration, or prophethood . Wisdom is believed to nourish the spirit or intellect . Although wisdom is not the same as right action, it combines understanding and right action. In the words of al-Zamakhshari , the starting point and cornerstone of all wisdom is the recognition and comprehension of the Oneness of God ( tawḥīd ). In the Quran, the term "wisdom" is mentioned in several places alongside "the Book" or

14766-399: The prominent jurist Abu Ubayd al-Salam ( d.  837 ), who was possibly concerned with the righteous representation of Muhammad's companions. Similar allegations have emerged against al-Tabari and al-Mas'udi ( d.  956 ). Along these lines, Lucas and Soufi both note the Sunni tendency to minimize and neutralize the conflicts among companions after Muhammad, particularly about

14904-572: The prophet had forbidden for them in his lifetime. At the same time, Abu Bakr allowed the prophet's widows to inherit his quarters in Medina. In particular, he granted his daughter Aisha some properties in the Aliya part of Medina and in Bahrain. By maintaining their status, Abu Bakr might have signaled to the Muslim community that his daughter Aisha and the rest of Muhammad's widows were the true heirs of Muhammad, according to Aslan . Madelung holds

15042-417: The prophet that, "If beauty ( husn ) were a person, it would be Fatima; indeed she is greater," while some Shia authors have likened her to a human houri . Fatima was severely bereaved after Muhammad's death in A.H.   11/632 C.E . Several elegies to Muhammad, attributed to Fatima, have survived and are collected in a diwan of poetry. At the same time, Fatima also actively contested

15180-461: The pure ' ), al-Mubaraka ( lit.   ' the blessed ' ), and al-Mansura ( lit.   ' helped by God ' ). Another Shia title is al-Muḥadditha, in view of the reports that angels spoke to Fatima on multiple occasions, similar to Mary , mother of Jesus . Fatima is also recognized as Sayyidat Nisa' al-Janna ( lit.   ' mistress of the women of paradise ' ) and Sayyidat Nisa' al-Alamin ( lit.   ' mistress of

15318-490: The rest of Muslims, who have merley submitted to the exoteric Islam. As for the absence of walaya , enemies of imams are disbelievers ( sg. kafir ), who are not entitled to Muslim rights. Yet there is a gray area in between, for a Muslim who does not harbor enmity towards imams and their followers is neither a (true) believer mu'min nor disbeliever. That is, such non-Shias are considered Muslims, with their due legal rights, but not (true) believers. As Muhammad

15456-587: The revelation that has been received, using clear and truthful language, and presenting convincing evidence that brings intellectual certainty. Some scholars, such as al-Rāzī , consider the latter approach to be the most effective way of calling people to the way of God. Moreover, the Quran refers to itself as the Wise Book in several places as in 10:1 and 31:2. In 3:58, it refers to itself as "The Wise Reminder" (al-dhikr al-ḥakīm). The Quran also refers to God as The Wise (al-Ḥakīm) in numerous places as in 31:9 (He

15594-446: The saga of Fadak as a mere financial dispute. According to Aslan, Abu Bakr's actions are often regarded as a political move to weaken Muhammad's clan and strip his kin from their privileged status. Aslan also argues that Abu Bakr's efforts were intended to undermine Ali's claim to the caliphate. These efforts, writes Aslan, are partly explained by Abu Bakr's conviction that the caliphate must reside outside of Muhammad's clan and partly by

15732-539: The secular law for traffic lights, where illat (another term of fiqh meaning "the basic feature of a transaction that causes relevant law to be applied") is obedience to stopping at red lights, and hikmah is traffic safety—avoiding vehicle and pedestrian collisions. Fatima Fatima bint Muhammad ( Arabic : فَاطِمَة بِنْت مُحَمَّد , romanized :  Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ; 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fatima al-Zahra' ( Arabic : فَاطِمَة ٱلزَّهْرَاء , romanized :  Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ ),

15870-413: The spiritual realm and the angelic part of the soul, and "the lowest of the low" as the material world and the animalistic aspect of the soul, while stating that "those who believe" refers to theoretical hikmah, and "those who do good works" alludes to practical hikmah. According to this viewpoint, hikmah involves both knowledge and action, and it rescues humans from their wretched state and restores them to

16008-402: The succession of Abu Bakr and maintained that Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad. Fatima died within six months of her father and her death at a young age is subject of intense controversy with allegations against Abu Bakr and his ally Umar , as detailed below. Fadak was a village located to the north of Medina , at a distance of two days travel. As part of a peace treaty with

16146-401: The term hikmah in connection with the Book or the scripture in general. The Quran also refers to itself as the Wise Book, and refers to God as The Wise in several places. Hadith literature also emphasizes the importance of acquiring hikmah, which is believed to have been reflected in the sunnah of the Prophet . Ibn Sina believed that the concept of "hikmah" is intricately related to

16284-430: The traditions cited by al-Tabari and al-Baladhuri do not have chains of transmission that reach back to the time of the conflict. Madelung believes that Abu Bakr later placed a boycott on Ali and, more broadly, on the Banu Hashim to abandon their support for Ali. As a result, prominent men ceased to speak to Ali, according to a Sunni hadith attributed to Aisha . Hazleton similarly writes that Ali prayed alone even in

16422-410: The true nature of things, avoiding ignorance, placing things in their proper context and assigning them their rightful status, and doing good deeds. Hikmah is an Arabic word that means wisdom, sagacity, philosophy, rationale or underlying reason. Seyyed Hossein Nasr asserts that the Arabic term "hikmah" has a distinct meaning that does not align with modern European philosophy or theology. Rather, it

16560-422: The twelve imams are believed to have been equal in knowledge, although some of them, like Ali ibn Abi Talib, may have been superior to the rest in rank. This also implied that every new piece of divine knowledge was presented first to the imam's predecessors and then to him. At a mystical level, Muhammad, Fatima, and the twelve imams, collectively known as the fourteen infallibles , are said to have been created from

16698-531: The two visitors of Muhammad's words, "Fatima is part of me, and whoever angers her has angered me." The dying Fatima then told the two that they had indeed angered her, and that she would soon take her complaint to God and His prophet, Muhammad. There are also Sunni reports that Fatima reconciled with Abu Bakr and Umar, though Madelung suggests that they were invented to address the negative implications of Fatima's anger. Following her will, Ali buried Fatima secretly at night and hid her burial plot. According to

16836-517: The verse of mubahala must refer to Muhammad's grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn . In that case, he continues, it would be reasonable to also include in the event their parents, Ali and Fatima. Madelung writes that their inclusion by Muhammad in this significant ritual must have raised the religious rank of his family. A similar view is voiced by Lalani. Of those present on Muhammad's side, Shia traditions are unanimous that 'our women' refers to Fatima and 'ourselves' refers to Ali. In particular, since

16974-410: The verse refers to Ali as the self of Muhammad, Shia holds that the former enjoys the same authority as the latter. In contrast, most Sunni accounts by al-Tabari do not name the participants of the event, while some other Sunni historians agree with the Shia view. Some accounts about mubahala add that Muhammad, Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn stood under Muhammad's cloak, and this five are thus known as

17112-470: The verse was revealed to Muhammad in Medina. The revenue of Fadak largely supported needy travelers, the poor, military expeditions, and Muhammad's family, who were forbidden from receiving general alms. Following Muhammad's death in 632 and early in his caliphate , Abu Bakr is said to have seized Fadak from Fatima by evicting her agents, possibly as a show of authority to Muhammad's clan ( Banu Hashim ) who had not yet pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr. This

17250-452: The women of the worlds ' ) in Shia and Sunni collections of hadith, including the canonical Sunni Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim . The name Fatima is from the Arabic root f-t-m ( lit.   ' to wean ' ) and signifies the Shia belief that she, her progeny, and her adherents ( shi'a ) have been spared from hellfire. Alternatively, the word Fatima is associated in Shia sources with Fatir ( lit.   ' creator ' ,

17388-435: The works on the early Islamic centuries argue that Shi'ism began as a political movement rather than a religious group. However this does not mean that religious sentiments were absent in the first century. Dakake believes that the doctrine of Imamate was established in the time of Ja'far al-Sadiq , while Kohlberg states that the Twelver Shi'ism dates back not much before the beginning of the "Major_Occultation" . Muhammad

17526-401: Was Fatima's wish, the account continues that Umar threatened to locate and exhume Fatima's body and then re-bury her after funeral prayer . According to this account, what prevented Umar from materializing his threat was Ali's warning, "By God, as long as I'm alive and [my sword] Zulfiqar is in my hands, you will not reach her, and you know best [not to do it]." For Khetia, the interpretation

17664-423: Was alive. However, al-Miswar ibn Makhrama , a companion who was nine when Muhammad died, appears to be the sole narrator of an alleged marriage proposal of Ali to Abu Jahl's daughter in Sunni sources. While polygyny is permitted in Islam, Muhammad reportedly banned this marriage from the pulpit, saying that there can be no joining of the daughter of the prophet and the daughter of the enemy of God (Abu Jahl). He

17802-407: Was also similar to the prophet's, according to Veccia Vaglieri, who also argues that Fatima must have enjoyed good health on the account of bearing multiple children, her arduous house chores, and her journeys to Mecca. Her sources are silent about the appearance of Fatima, which leads her to the conclusion, "Fatima was certainly not a beautiful woman". In contrast, the Sunni al-Khwarazmi relates from

17940-572: Was born in Mecca to Khadija , the first of Muhammad's wives . The mainstream Sunni view is that Khadija gave birth to Fatima in 605 CE, at age fifty, five years before the first Quranic revelations . This implies that Fatima was over eighteen at the time of her marriage, which would have been unusual in Arabia . Twelver sources, however, report that Fatima was born in about 612 or 615 CE, when Khadija would have been slightly older. The report of

18078-442: Was disarmed and carried away. The mob, however, retreated without Ali's pledge after Fatima pleaded with them, as reported in al-Imama wa al-siyasa . Alternatively, al-Baladhuri states that Ali capitulated and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr immediately after Umar's threat. In contrast, the canonical Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim relate that Ali pledged to Abu Bakr after Fatima died. Soufi comments that all but one of

18216-490: Was responsible for domestic chores. It has also been related that Muhammad taught the couple a tasbih to help ease the burden of their poverty: The Tasbih of Fatima consists of the phrases Allah-hu Akbar ( lit.   ' God is the greatest ' ), Al-hamdu-lillah ( lit.   ' all praise is due to God ' ), and Subhan-Allah ( lit.   ' God is glorious ' ). Their financial circumstances later improved after more lands fell to Muslims in

18354-527: Was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija . Fatima's husband was Ali , the fourth of the Rashidun Caliphs and the first Shia Imam . Fatima's sons were Hasan and Husayn , the second and third Shia Imams, respectively. Fatima has been compared to Mary , mother of Jesus , especially in Shia Islam. Muhammad is said to have regarded her as the best of women and

18492-479: Was the last person to receive revelation, the Imams receive divine inspiration (elham) and, as such, are in contact with the holy source of knowledge. A hadith narrates that "Imam hears the voice of the Angel, but does not have his vision, either in sleep or in waking". Imams get Revelation but not like the prophets. They are called Muhaddath t and are spoken to by angels via sounds through their ears and are supported by

18630-473: Was the liar. This is when Muhammad is reported to have received verse 3:61 of the Quran, also known as the verse of mubahala , which reads And to whomsoever disputes with thee over it, after the knowledge that has come unto thee [about Jesus], say, "Come! Let us call upon our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us pray earnestly, so as to place the curse of God upon those who lie." Madelung argues that 'our sons' in

18768-531: Was the rightful successor to Muhammad, possibly referring to Muhammad's announcement at Ghadir Khumm . Ali is believed to have explained this position to Abu Bakr. After the Saqifa affair, Abu Bakr reportedly tasked his ally Umar with securing Ali's pledge of allegiance. As noted by al-Tabari ( d.  923 ), the latter led an armed mob to Ali's residence and threatened to set the house on fire if Ali and his supporters would not pledge their allegiance to Abu Bakr. The scene soon grew violent, and Zubayr

18906-476: Was the son of the previous Imam, with the exception of Husayn ibn Ali , who was the brother of Hasan ibn Ali . The twelfth and final Imam is Muhammad al-Mahdi , who is believed by the Twelvers to be alive and in hiding . The office of imamate is bestowed upon the figure of imam ( lit.   ' leader ' or ' master ' ), whose function in Sunni Islam is to implement the divine law and manage

19044-471: Was thrown over him at the instigation of Abu Jahl , Muhammad's enemy and a polytheist . Fatima lost her mother, Khadija, in childhood. When Khadija died, it is said that Gabriel descended upon Muhammad with a message to console Fatima. Fatima married Muhammad's cousin, Ali , in Medina around 1 or 2 AH (623–5 CE), possibly after the Battle of Badr . There is Sunni and Shia evidence that some of

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