Umar's marriage to Umm Kulthum
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Umar's marriage to Umm Kulthum occurred in 17 AH (637–638), when Umar was 55 years old. The event is notable in that Shi'a and Sunni differ as to the identity of the person named Umm Kulthum.
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[edit] Overview
The person Umar married in 17 AH was the fourth one having the name Umm Khulthum. The identity of the other three was:
- Umm Kulthum bint Asim
- Umm Kulthum bint Jarwila Khuzima - Her actual name was Maleeka.
- Umm Kulthum bint Uqba
Whilst the Shia believes that all these was married to Umar [1], Sunni believes that only Umm Kulthum bint Jarwila Khuzima was married to Umar. [2]
As for the last Umm Kulthum, Sunni view that it was Umm Kulthum bint Ali, While Shi'a argue it was Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr.
- Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr was born to Asma bint Umays, thus she was the sister of Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr. She was born in 12-13 ah (633-634), after the death of Abu Bakr. Asma, her mother, married Ali and the young Umme Kalthum joined her mother in the house of Ali.
- Umm Kulthum bint Ali was the daughter of Ali and his wife Fatima al-Zahra, thus she was the sister of Al-Hasan and Al-Husain. According to the Shi'a, she was present at the Battle of Karbala and eventually survived it [3]. This is, however, denied by the Sunnis [4].
[edit] Hadith
Several narrations recorded in both Sunni and Shi'a sources mentions Umar's marriage to Umm Kulthum.
[edit] Shi'a narrations
[edit] Sunni narrations
[edit] Sunni view
[edit] Recognizing the marriage
Most Sunni's believe that it was Umm Kulthum bint Ali that married Umar, as stated by several Shi'i and Shia narrations mentioned above. This view is, among many others, held by following prominent Sunni scholars:
- al-Ya'qubi [19]
- Ibn Shabba [20]
- al-Bukhari [21]
- Ibn Qutayba [22]
- Imam al-Bayhaqi [23]
- al-Dhahabi [24]
- al-Nawawi [25]
- al-Suyuti [26]
- Ibn Kathir [27]
- Ibn Asakir [28]
- Hakim al-Nishaburi [29]
- Ibn Abd al-Barr [30]
[edit] Deying the marriage
A minority of Sunni scholars rejects that it was Umm Kulthum bint Ali that married Umar.
These include
- Mufti Ghulam Rasool Jamaati, who has written a book named Hasab aur Nasab rejecting that it was Umm Kulthum bint Ali that married Umar.
- Malik Daulath Abadi, who wrote in his book Hidayaath al Saud:
[edit] Shi'a view
Like among the Sunni's, there is also a dispute among Shia's at this point. While the majority of Sunni's acknowledge Umar's marriage to Umm Kulthum bint Ali, this view is disputed among Shia scholars today.
[edit] Recognizing the marriage
The shi'i authors Muhammad Al-Hassun and Umm 'Ali Mashkur stated in their book A'lam al-Nisaa al-Mu'minat:
Also, the famous Shi'a website Al-Shia.com states following in a commentary to the hadith in Furu al-Kafi stating that she was a "woman" who was taken from us by force [8]:
The shi'a scholar Abul Qasim al-Kufi (died 352 AH) also believed that it was Umm Kulthoum binte Ali who married Umar, but stated that "when Umar asked for the hand of Umm Kulthoom, Ali thought to himself: “If I say no, that thing would come to pass which Rasool-Allah tried to prevent, and for which reason he asked me to exercise patience, which is that people will fall into apostacy.” Thus, it was better to hand over Umm Kulthoom to him [34]
Shaykh Tabarsi, a 12th century Shi'a Islamic scholar also believed that Umm Kulthoum binte Ali married Umar. He wrote following in his book I‘lam al-Wara bi-A‘lam al-Huda:
Among the Shi'a scholars who believed that the marriage took place is also:
- Agha al-Tahrani [36]
- Al-Hurr Al-'Amily [37]
- Al-Muhaqqiq al-Ardabili [38]
- Sheikh Abu Jaafar al-Tusi [39]
- Fadil al-Hindi [40]
- Mohamad Soleiman-Peneh [1]
While the above scholars believed that the marriage took place, all of them held the opinion that Ali was forced to give away his daughter - not that he happily married her off, as claimed by the Ahl al-Sunnah.
[edit] Denying the marriage
The view that Umm Kulthum bint Ali married Umar is not held by the majority of the Shi'a. The common Shi'a view is as follows:
- Asma bint Umays from the Banu Hashim was married to Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, also from Banu Hashim.
- After martyrdom of Jafar in 8 AH, she was married to Abu Bakr, from the Banu Taim.
Then the Succession to Muhammad in 10 AH happened, viewed by Shi'as as a joint military coup by Umar and Abu Bakr.
- After the death of Abu Bakr in 13 AH, she got married to Ali, from Banu Hashim.
When she went to the house of Ali, her daughter Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr also went with her.
Umar asked to marry Umm Kulthum binte Ali, but Ali refused, arguing she was to little. Umar got furious, and `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib helped to settle the issue.
Aisha, Abu Bakr's daughter, had special jealousy with Ali, so she could not bear it that one of her sister was in the house of Ali.
So, in 17 AH, she asked Umar (caliph at that time) to call Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr. Ali was not ready to send this girl but Abbas said "We must not fight on such minor issues". So Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr was sent to Umar.
Also, Shi'a point out that Fatima Zahra, the mother of Umm Kulthum binte Ali, refused to talk to Abu Bakr and Umar, and actually cursed them according to some sources, and willed that she be buried in secret, so that Umar and Abu Bakr would not be able to pray over her grave. Then, Shi'a argue that it is improbable that Ali would give Fatimah's daughter in marriage to the very same person four years later.
The Shi'a that denies that Umar maried Alis daughter also bring a Sharia based Mahram argumentation:
| “ | Islamically its haraam to marry your Mahram. In the Quran you cannot marry your step mother's mother.. (who is mother in law to your father) she is your Mehram to you. even if there is no blood relations. your step mother's mother does not have to observe hijab from you.. because she is mehram.) and your step mother's mother is also haraam to you to marry.. because she is mehram. also step mother's mother's mother is also haraam to you to marry. because she is also mehram.
Same with Ali's daughter's umm kulthum. Umm kulthum's grandfather is Muhammad. He married Hafsa bint Umar. that makes Hafsa umm kulthum's step grand mother. that makes umar; umm kulthum's step great grand father. this mariage relation is invalid in Islam. A step father cannot marry his step daughter, nor his step father's father, nor father's father can marry his great step grand daughter. in this case even thou there is no blood relation. |
” |
Several other Shi'a scholars denies this marriage. Amongst those is:
- Sheikh Mufid [41]
- Muhammad Nishapuri [42]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Answering-Ansar.org - Nikah of Lady Umm Kulthum (as)
- ^ AhlelBayt.com - A Different Umm Kulthum?
- ^ Sharh al-Akhbar fi Fada'il al-A'immat al-Athar, vol3 p198
- ^ Siyar Aalam al-Nubalaa by al-Dhahabi (Fikr edition) vol.4 p.418
- ^ Usul al-Kafi, Vol. 5, p. 346, as quoted in Tragedy of al-Zahra.
- ^ Nasehkul Tawareekh Volume 3 page 408
- ^
- Ahadith from Ali ibn Ibrahim was rated Sahih by Ayatollah Khomeini in his work Al-Hukumatu al-Islamiya p. 133.
- Ali ibn Ibrahim is also considered reliable in Jami' ar-Ruwât, vol.1, p.545
- One of the narrators, Ibn Abi Umayr, was considered very reliable by Abu Jaafar al-Tusi in Al-Fihrist p.169
- ^ a b Furu al-Kafi, vol. 5 p. 347, Dar al-Adwa, Beirut 1992
- ^ Furu al-Kafi, vol. 6 p. 117, Dar al-Adwa, Beirut 1992
- ^ As stated in Jami' ar-Ruwat, vol.1, p.284
- ^ As stated in Khulasathul al Kuwwal page 219. Also in Rijjal Kashi page 293
- ^ Tahdeeb al-Ahkam Vol.2, p.380 in Chapter “Meeras”
- ^
- al-Dhari`a, by Agha Burzug al-Tahrani vol. 5 pp.184)
- al-Mujdi fi Ansab al-Talibiyyin, by Ali ibn Muhammad al-`Alawi (p. 17)
- Kashf al-Litham, by Al-Fadil al-Hindi (2:312)
- Wasa’il al-Shi`a Al al-Bayt, by Al-Hurr Al-'Amily (15:19, 17:594, 21:263, 26:314)
- al-Munammaq fi Akhbar Quraysh, by Muhammad ibn Habib al-Baghdadi (p. 301)
- al-Dhari`a, by Agha Burzug al-Tahrani vol. 5 pp.184)
- ^ al-Tabaqat al-Kubra vol.8 p.338 by Ibn Sa'ad (ed. Dar al-Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah, Beirut 1990)
- ^ Jami‘ ar-Ruwat, vol. 1 p. 109, Dar al-Adwa, Beirut 1983
- ^ Sahih Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 52, Number 132
- ^ Sunnan Abu Dawood, Book 20, Number 3187
- ^ Sunan al-Sughra by Imam Al-Nasa'i Volume 1, Chapter Janâza, page 317
- ^ Tarikh al-Ya'qubi vol. 2 pp.260
- ^ Tarikh al-Madina vol 2 p654
- ^ Tarikh al-Saghir vol. 1 p. 102
- ^ Ma'arif p. 107
- ^ Sunan al-Kubra vol. 4 p. 33
- ^ Siyar Aalam al-Nubalaa 5:22-24
- ^ Tahdhib al-Asmaa wa al-Lughat 2:267 #1219
- ^ al-Hawi lil Fatawa 2:179
- ^ Al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah vol. 8 p. 14
- ^ Tarikh al Dimashq 42:555
- ^ Al-Mustadrak alaa al-Sahihain, by al-Hakim al-Nishaburi, 3/142
- ^ al-Istiab fi ma'rifat al-Ashab vol 4 p 509
- ^ Hidayaath al Saud page 359
- ^ “A‘lam an-Nisa al-Mu’minat” (p. 182) by Muhammad al-Hassun and Umm ‘Ali Mashkur
- ^ http://www.al-shia.com/html/ara/books/al-kafi-5/213.html
- ^ al-Istighathah fi Bida' ath-Thalathah”, p.90
- ^ I'lam al-Wara bi A'lam al-Huda by al-Tabarsi p.204
- ^ Al-Dhari'ah 5:184
- ^ Wasa'il al-Shi'a aal al-Bayt 15:19, 17:594, 21:263, 26:314
- ^ Majmaa al-Fa’ida vol.11 p.530
- ^ al-Mabsut vol.4 p.272
- ^ Kashf al-Litham vol 2 pp.312
- ^ ´Adah rasa'il 227-229
- ^ Tareekh al Qum Shaykh Saduq, by Muhammad Nishapur page 193, published in Tehran
[edit] External links
- http://www.ansar.org/english/marriage.htm - Sunni arguments by Ansar.org
- http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/umme_kulthum/en/chap5.php Shia counter-argument by Answering-Ansar.org
- http://www.ahlelbayt.com/articles/sahabah/rebuttal Sunni Response to Answering-Ansar.org's article by AhlelBayt.com
- http://www.al-islam.org/Organizations/Aalimnetwork/msg00166.html Shi'a scholar on al-Islam.org who views that it was Ali's daughter.
