Fadak

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Fadak was a tract of land in Khaybar, an oasis in northern Arabia; it is now part of Saudi Arabia.

Contents

[edit] Overview

When the Muslims defeated the forces of Khaybar at the Battle of Khaybar; this land was one of the items seized as booty and given to the Islamic leader, Muhammad. Upon his death, Fadak became the cause of a dispute between Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah, and the first caliph of the time, Abu Bakr.

It is important to understand the difference between Ghanimah and Fay to understand the history and disputes regarding this land:

[edit] Description

Fadak was a city, which was situated thirty miles from Medina [2]. There were wells of water and trees of dates in it [3][4]. Yaqut al-Hamawi states that this city was named Fadak, while Ham, the son of Adam, first came to this place and put the foundation of the city [4].

[edit] History

[edit] Before the Islamic Conquest

In the 7th century, the Khaybar oasis was inhabited by the Jews, who pioneered the cultivation of the oasis and made their living growing date palm trees, as well as through commerce and craftsmanship, accumulating considerable wealth. Some objects found by the Muslims in a redoubt at Khaybar — a siege-engine, 20 bales of Yemenite cloth, and 500 cloaks — point out to an intense trade carried out by the Jews. [5]

The oasis was divided into three regions: al-Natat, al-Shikk, and al-Katiba, probably separated by natural diversions, such as the desert, lava drifts, and swamps. Each of these regions contained several fortresses or redoubts containing homes, storehouses and stables. Each fortress was occupied by a separate family and surrounded by cultivated fields and palm-groves. In order to improve their defensive capabilities, the fortresses were raised up on hills or basalt rocks.[5]

[edit] 629: Islamic conquest

Main article: Battle of Khaybar

The muslim forces attacked the Khaybar oasis May 629, 7 AH. Thanks to the speed and secrecy of the march, the Muslims caught the Jews by surprise, and occupied the Jewish forts one after another. Ibn Ishaq, a 8th century Sunni Islamic scholar writes in his early Sirah Rasul Allah:

[edit] 629 – 632: Muhammad's era

Since Muhammad was the leader of the muslim community until his death, he was in charge of Fadak when it was seized by the muslim forces in yeah 629. Muslim's heavily disagree on how Muhammad actually did handle this possession.

[edit] Fay

Some muslim sources state that the Qur'an in Sura Al-Hashr, 6 state that the property was the private property of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, received through fay. Howerver, a minority of Sunni scholars reject these sources [7].

Multiple scholars state:


Yahiya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi, a 13th century Sunni Shafi'i Islamic scholar writes:

This view of Fadak being the exclusive property of Muhammad was also shared by


[edit] Fatimah

Some Muslim sources state that Muhammad gifted Fadak to his daughter Fatimah quoting the Qur'anic verse Al-Hashr, 7. There is a dispute between Muslim scholars at this point.

Suyuti, a 16th century Sunni Islamic scholar writes in his Tafsir-book Dur al-Manthur:

Other sources writes in Tafsir on Al-Hashr, 7:

Shah Abdul Aziz, a 18th century Sunni Deobandi Islamic scholar agrees on this. He further wrote that it's a sin to deny Fatimah's rights in Fadak. [19] However, these sources are rejected by some Sunni scholars. [7]

All the major Sunni Tafsir works does however not mention anything about that the Quranic verse Al-Hashr, 7 was referring to Fatimah and her rights in Fadak [20], thus denying that this verse makes Fadak a gift.

In fact, some of these Tafsirs is stating quite the opposite: Muhammad Assad, a 20th century Sunni Islamic scholar states in his Tafsir:

In Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas we read:

[edit] 632 – 634: Abu Bakr's era

After Muhammads demise, Abu Bakr was elected as a Caliph (see Saqifah). Fatima came to him, asking for her inheritance of what Allah's Apostle had left of the property bestowed on him by Allah from the Fai in Medina, and Fadak, and what remained of the Khumus of the Khaibar booty. Abu Bakr refused to let her have it, saying:

Allah's Apostle said, "Our property is not inherited. Whatever we leave, is Sadaqa, but the family of (the Prophet) Muhammad can eat of this property.' By Allah, I will not make any change in the state of the Sadaqa of Allah's Apostle and will leave it as it was during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle, and will dispose of it as Allah's Apostle used to do. [23]

This caused Fatima to become very angry with Abu Bakr. According to some Shi'a sources, Fatima was also angry with her husband Ali because he refused to help her in this matter [24]. Muslim scholars are divided regarding the exact course of events and Abu Bakr's legality to do what he did.

At one occasion during Abu Bakr's reign as Caliph, a fornicator was banished to Fadak as a part of his punishment. [25]

[edit] Fatimahs anger

In a narration attributed to Ayesha recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Fatimah died six months after this incident, and during this period, she refused to talk to Abu Bakr [26]. According to the very same narration, Fatimah was buried at night by her husband Ali in a still unknown place. Ali did not inform Abu Bakr about the funeral, and he said the funeral prayer by himself. Sahih Bukhari is considered authentic among Sunnis, meaning that Sunnis consider it to include authentic narrations only. According to another narration in Sahih Bukhari, Abu Bakr was greatly saddened by Fatimah's anger, saying:

By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, to keep good relations with the relatives of Allah's Apostle is dearer to me than to keep good relations with my own relatives. [27]

However, other Sunni sources states that Abu Bakr actually sought to reconcile with Fatimah, and that she ultimately became pleased with him again:

The Sunni website AhlelBayt.com seeks to explain the differences in the above mentioned narrations in the following way:

Shi'a Muslims believe that Fatimah died unhappy with Abu Bakr, and denies that she eventually became pleased with him before she died. They present following tradition as a proof:

[edit] 634 – 644: Umar's era

When Umar became Caliph, the value of the land of Fadak along with its dates was 50,000 dirhams [9]. During his reign as Caliph, he made Ali (Fatima's husband) and Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (the paternal uncle of Ali) trustees of the Fadak. As trustees, they would be responsible for doling out the charity funds derived from Fadak. This is what is stated in Sahih Bukhari [32].
Some sunni historical accounts mentions that both Ali and Abbas initially sought a portion of Fadak as inheritance [33]. According to these, Ali claimed a part of the property as his inheritance, since Muhammad has bestowed it on Fatimah during her lifetime, and because of the fact that Fatimah was married to Ali until she died, thus he claimed himself to be the right inheritor. Abbas however denied Ali's claims, he denied that Muhammad gifted Fadak to his daughter Fatimah, and claimed that Fadak remained under the control of Muhammad until his demise. Abbas was the paternal uncle of Muhammad, and thus he felt that he was the right inheritor. Then they sought Umar to reconcile between them. Umar refused to let anyone have a portion of Fadak as inheritance, instead, as mentioned earlier, he made them trustees of Fadak.


According to Sahih Muslim, the second most trusted Hadith collection among Sunnis, another dispute arose among Ali and Abbas after they were made trustees of Fadak. They again asked Umar to adjudge between them, which he refused, saying:

No, by Allah. I will not give any other judgment except this until the arrival of the Doomsday. If you are unable to hold the property on this condition, return it to me [34].

The fact that Ali and Abbas was in charge of the management of Fadak, is sometimes used by the Shi'a as an evidence, proving that Abu Bakr was wrong, and that Umar overturned his decision. Sunnis disagree with the Shi'a at this point, saying that Umar made Ali and Abbas trustees of the Fadak - NOT inheritors.

At this time, parts of Fadak was still mainly populated by Jews, but this came to an end during Umar's rule. He heard that Muhammad once stated that two deens never shall co-exist in the Arabian peninsula. He searched for information about that until he was absolutely convinced that Muhammad actually said that, and then he expelled the Jews from the Khaybar oasis. [35] Because of the fact that the Jews was given half of the land of Fadak in their treaty with Muhammad, Umar entrusted to them the value in gold, silver, camels, ropes and saddle bags of half the fruit and half the land, and handed the value over to them before he expelled them. [36]

[edit] 644 – 656: Uthman's era

During Uthman's caliphate, Marwan ibn al-Hakâm, who was his cousin, was made trustee of the Fadak [37]. The Shi'a accuse Caliph Uthman of wrongfully upholding Abu Bakr's unjust decision and withholding Fadak from Fatima's sons, Hasan and Husayn. The Sunnis believe that Uthman was correct in upholding Abu Bakr's decision since it was the will of Muhammad that prophets should not leave an inheritance.

[edit] 656 – 661: Ali's era

Fatima's husband, Ali, is revered by Shi'as. He became caliph after Uthman, but he did not return Fadak to Fatima's progeny; instead, he upheld the decision of Abu Bakr. He also maintained Marwan's position as trustee of the Fadak. Sunnis argue that this is strong evidence to support that Abu Bakr's decision was correct, since Fatima's own husband upheld this decision. Ali was, according to a Shi'a tradition, quoted as saying "I am ashamed before Allah to overturn something that was prohibited by Abu Bakr and continued by Umar"[38]. Shi'as disagree with this viewpoint and believe that Ali was using taqiyya. "Taqiyya" translates loosely as "dissimulation" and means a Shi'a is religiously allowed to lie to save himself from harm. Most sunnis reject the concept of taqiyya as immoral. [39]

[edit] 661 – 750: Umayyad era

Mu'awiyah, the first Umayyad Caliph did not return Fadak to Fatima's descendants. This way was continued by later Umayyad Caliphs until Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz seized power.

When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, known as Umar II, became Caliph in 717, the income from the property of Fadak was 40,000 Dinars [40]. Fadak was returned to Fatima's descendants by an edict given by Umar II [41], but this decision was renounced by later caliphs and Fadak was once again converted into a public trust.

The sunni scholar Dr A. Rahim writes:

The shia scholar Abu Hilal al-Askari writes:

Umar II's successor, Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (known as Yazid II) overturned his decision, and Fadak was again made public trust. Fadak was then managed this way until the Ummayad Caliphate expired.

[edit] 750 – 1258: Abbasid era

In year 747, a huge revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate occurred. The Umayyad's were eventually defeated by the Abbasid army under the rule of Abu Abbas Abdullah al-Saffah (see Battle of the Zab) in year 750. The last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan II, was killed in a lesser battle a few months after the Battle of the Zab, thus ending the Umayyad Caliphate.

Historical accounts differs on what happened to Fadak under the early Abbasid caliphs. There is however consensus among Islamic scholars that Fadak was donated to the descendants of Fatimah during Al-Ma'mun's reign as Caliph (831-833). Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri, a 9th century Sunni Islamic scholar narrates following:

This is also confirmed by the Sunni scholar al-Ya'qubi [46] and the Shi'a book al-Awail [47].

While traditional Shi'a history works states that the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (847-861) recaptured Fadak from the progeny of Fatimah [48], no sunni account confirms this. It is however agreed upon that his son and successor, Al-Muntasir (861-862), maintained the decision of Al-Ma'mun, thus letting Fatimah's progeny manage Fadak. [49]

What happened hereafter is uncertain, but Fadak was probably seized by the Caliph again and managed exclusively by the ruler of the time as his private property.

[edit] Muslim View

Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims highly disagree about this event.

[edit] Shi'a view

The Shi'a believe that Fadak was wrongfully withheld from Fatima, Muhammad's daughter, by Caliph Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law, whom the Shi'a consider to be a tyrant. According to the Shia, Fatima would die forever cursing the Caliph for wrongfully converting her personal land into a public trust. The Shi'a believe that Fatima possess ismah, or infallibility, and that she is immune from sin and incapable of mistake; it is thus a logical extension that Abu Bakr must be in error. Furthermore, Muhammad stated that whoever makes Fatima angry makes him angry as well. This hadith is included in the two main Sunni sources, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Hence, Muslims unanimously must agree that Abu Bakr and Umar made the Prophet and Allah angry.

They also deny Sunni claims that prophets do not leave inheritances. They argue that the Qur'an clearly states that Dawud (David) made Sulayman (Solomon) his heir, even though David is, according to Muslim belief, a prophet. Another argument is Qur'an 19:6 in which Zakariya asks God to give him a child that inherits him. However normally, in the Shia Fiqh, women cannot inherit land [50], but in this case, the Shia argues that inheritance is out of the question because Fadak was given to Fatima DURING the life of the Prophet - so there was no question of inheritance.

The popular Shi'a website Answering-Ansar.org argues:

Furthermore, regarding the Sunni claim that Fatimah sought Fadak as an inheritance rather than a gift, Answering-Ansar.org argues:

[edit] Sunni view

Sunnis believe that prophets do not leave inheritances, based on Muhammad's sayings:

"I heard the Prophet of Allah saying, 'We do not leave inheritance. What we leave behind is charity.'" [53]
"We, the Prophets, do not leave heirs." [54]

Sunnis also cite a Shi'a tradition supporting this position:

According to Abu 'Abdillah (Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq), the Prophet of Allah said: "The scholars are the heirs to the Prophets and the Prophets did not leave dinars and dirhams as inheritance, but they left knowledge." [55]

This Shi'ite tradition is widely considered Sahih by shi'ite ulema. Thus, Ayatollah Khomeini, a 20th century Shia Twelver Islamic scholar, said about the hadith:

Based on these sayings of Muhammad, Sunnis believe that Fatima was mistaken in her claim to Fadak as inheritance. However the shia reject those sunni hadith and say that the shia one is specific to islamic scholars and does not apply to the children of prophets.

Sunnis also reject that Muhammad gifted Fadak to Fatima. They point out the fact that Fatima never sought Fadak as a gift - in every single narration about this incident, Fatima spoke about her inheritance. They point out that it was immediately after the Muhammad's death that Fatima came to claim Fadak, and argues that if it had been a gift during the lifetime of the Prophet, then it would have already been in her possession at the time of the Muhammad's death, and there would have been no reason to go to Abu Bakr for it. Sunnis further argue that it is impossible that Muhammad gifted Fatima the property as inheritance that she would assume after his death, since this would be a violation of the Quranic rules about inheritance.

Furthermore, regarding Abu Bakr angering Fatima, Sunnis point out a couple narrations from Shi'a sources that can be seen to indicate that Ali angered her too on several occasions, see Hadith of Fatimah's anger with Ali.
The sunnis argues that getting in arguments is no more than normal, and thus you cannot condemn anyone for getting in arguments which each other.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ We read in Tafsir Kabir, v8, p125, and Tafsir Muraghi, under the commentary of Sura Al-Hashr
  2. ^ Imam Malik's Muwatta, Book 41, Number 41.2.13
  3. ^
  4. ^ a b Kitab mu'jam al-buldan by Yaqut al-Hamawi, v14, p238
  5. ^ a b Veccia Vaglieri, L. "Khaybar". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912
  6. ^ Sirat Rasulullah, Chapter 'Khaybar'
  7. ^ a b As opposed to all other Sunni historians, Shah Waliullah in Quratul Ain p228 and Ibn Taymiyyah in Minhaj al-Sunnah, Dhikr of Fadak, do not accept that Fadak was in possession of Muhammad
  8. ^
  9. ^ a b Sharh Ibn Abi Al-Hadeed, v4, p108
  10. ^ Al Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim Volume 2, p92
  11. ^ Al-Sunan al-Sughra, v7, p137
  12. ^ Wafa al-Wafa, v4, p1280
  13. ^ Sirah Rasul Allah by Ibn Hisham, v3, p353
  14. ^ The Concise History of Humanity or Chronicles, p140, Dhikr Ghazwa Khayber
  15. ^ Sahih Muslim 19:4347
  16. ^ Sunan Abi Dawood Book 19, Number 2961
  17. ^ Dur al-Manthur Vol. 4, page 177
  18. ^
  19. ^ Fatawa Azizi, page 165
  20. ^ Tafsir ibn Kathir, Muhammad Assad, Tafhim al-Quran, Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Tafsir al-Kabir and Tanwir al-Miqbas all does not mention anything about Fatimah in this connection
  21. ^ The Message of the Qur'ân, by Muhammad Assad, commentary of verse 59:7
  22. ^ Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs, Tafsir on Surat Al-Hashr verse 7
  23. ^ Sunni source:Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 546
  24. ^ Haqq-ul-Yaqeen by Allamah al-Majlisi pp.203-204; also recorded in Al-Tusi's Amali, p.295
  25. ^ Al-Muwatta Book 41, Number 41.2.13, by Imam Malik
  26. ^ Bukhari 5:54:325
  27. ^ Bukhari 59:546
  28. ^
  29. ^ Rated "Hasan" in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa 7:273-281 by Imam al-Bayhaqi
  30. ^ http://www.ahlelbayt.com/articles/sahabah/fadak5
  31. ^ Peshawar Nights 7.5
  32. ^ Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 53, Number 326
  33. ^ Mujam al Buldan (vol 4 p 238-9), Wafa al Wafa (3:999), Tadhib al Tadhib, (10:124), Lisan al Arab (vol 10 p 473)
  34. ^ Sahih Muslim Book 019, Number 4349
  35. ^ Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, Book 45, Number 45.5.18
  36. ^ Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, Book 45, Number 45.5.19
  37. ^ Wafa al Wafa (vol 3 p 1000), Tarikh Abu al-Fida (vol 1 p 168)
  38. ^ ash-Shafi fil-Imamah, by Sheikh al Murtada, p. 231
  39. ^ Taqiyya Rejected, a speech by Shaikh Damashqia (RealAudio Required)
  40. ^ Sunan Abu Dawud, v3, p144, Dhikr Fa'y
  41. ^ Wafa al-Wafa, page 99
  42. ^ A short history if Islam (Rahim), page 168, Chapter Umar II
  43. ^ al Awail, Abu Hilal al Askari, p 209
  44. ^
  45. ^ See also Wafa al-Wafa page 999
  46. ^ at Tarikh, al Yaqubi, vol 3 p 195-96
  47. ^ al Awail, p 209
  48. ^ *Kashf al Ghumnah vol 2 p 121-122 *Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah al-Majlisi, vol 8 p 108
  49. ^ As stated in Tarikh Yaqubi (2:199, 3:48), Wafa al Wafa vol 3 p 999-1000, Tarikh ul Khulafa, p 231-32
  50. ^
  51. ^ www.answering-ansar.org
  52. ^ www.answering-ansar.org
  53. ^ Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Jihad was-Siyar, no 49
  54. ^ Musnad Ahmad ibn al-Hanbal, vol. 2 p. 462
  55. ^ Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 42
  56. ^ Ayatollah Musawi Khomeini, al-Hukumat al-Islamiyyah, p. 133, published by Markaz Baqiyyat Allah al-A’zam, Beirut

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