Shia Strength: [MahdiUniteMuslims] The final attack

Umar was incensed by the reply of Janabe Zahra (s.a.) and said,

"Why should these women interfere in our work?"

He ordered the people present there to collect firewood.[1]

As per another report, on hearing the reply of Janabe Zahra (a.s.), Umar became extremely restless. He said to Khalid ibne Waleed and Qunfuz,

"Gather wood and fire."[2]

Abu Bakr told Umar to call the most hardhearted and insensitive person that he could find.[3] Go to their house and draw them out. If they do not agree, then wage war with them.[4]

Umar gathered a large group[5] which included the companions,[6] Mohajir, Ansar,[7] those who were freed after the conquest of Mecca,[8] hypocrites,[9] some weak Arabs,[10] foot soldiers and led them to the house of Janabe Zahra (s.a.). A narration reports that the group was made up of 300 people.[11] Some narrators have even reported a higher number. Some of the members of that group were"

1. Umar bin Khattab[12]

2. Khalid bin Waleed[13]

3. Qunfuz[14]

4. Abdur Rahman bin Auf[15]

5. Aseed bin Azeer (Haseen) Ash'haly[16]

6. Salmah bin Salaamah bin Duqsh Ash'haly[17]

7. Salmah bin Aslam.[18] According to one tradition it is Salmah bin Aslam bin Jarish Ash'haly

8. Mughayra bin She'ba[19]

9. Abu Obaydah bin Jarrah[20]

10. Sabit bin Qays bin Shemas[21]

11. Mohammed bin Salmah[22]

12. Saalem, slave of Abu Huzayfah[23]

13. Aslam Adavi[24]

14. Ayyash bin Rabi'[25]

15. Hirmaz Al Farsi (Grandfather of Umar bin Abil Miqdam)[26]

16. Usman[27]

17. Zaid bin Lubayd[28]

18. Abdullah bin Abi Rabi'[29]

19. Abdullah bin Zama'[30]

20. Sa'ad bin Malik[31]

21. Hammad[32]

Some narrators have reported that Abu Bakr too was present in this group.[33] Some have mentioned the name of Zayd ibn Saabit.[34] Umar said to them,

"Come, let us all collect firewood."[35]

The people brought wood[36] and fire,[37] while Umar himself clutched a lighted rope[38] (or as per another narration, Umar was holding a lighted piece of wood).[39] He was heard saying,

"If these people do not come out of their house to pay their allegiance, I will burn down their house."

The people asked him,

"Janabe Zahra (s.a.) is within this house. Will you also burn her along with the house?"

He replied,

"I will confront Fatemah."[40]

The crowd left towards the house of Hazrat Ali (a.s.). The harboured the intention of burning down the house along with the inhabitants.[41] Ibn Abi Ka'ab reports that we heard the neighing of horses, the clatter of bridles and the clanging of spears. We left our houses. The crowd had already gathered at the house of Hazrat Ali (a.s.).[42] Janabe Zahra (s.a.) was standing behind the door. There was a bandage on her head. It was obvious that she had been weakened by the relentless grief for her father – the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.).[43] When she saw the approaching crowd, she shut the door to her house. She was confident that these people would not enter the house without her permission.[44]

The people reached the door and knocked on it with great force.[45] They began pushing and pulling at the door violently. They kept on hurling abuses at the inhabitants of the house[46] and insisting that they do the bay'at of Abu Bakr.[47] Umar shouted,

"O son of Abu Talib, open the door![48] I swear by Allah that if you do not open the door, I will burn it down.[49] I swear by the One in whose Hands is my life, come out and do bay'at or else I will set this house on fire.[50] O Ali, come out and accept the verdict of the people, or else we will wage war with you.[51]

O son of Abu Talib! If you do not come out and pay allegiance to Abu Bakr like the others, I will burn the house down along with its residents.[52]

O son of Abu Talib! Open the door or else we will set your house on fire[53] Step out to do bay'at – pay allegiance to the caliph of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) or we shall set fire to your house.[54] O Ali, come out or we shall set this house ablaze."[55]

Janabe Zahra (s.a.) positioned herself behind the door of the house and reproached him saying,

"O deviated people and liars, what are you saying! What is your intention?"

Umar replied,

"O Fatemah!"

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"O Umar, what do you want?"

Umar:

"What has happened to the son of your uncle? Why has he sent you and remained hidden behind the curtain?"

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"O accursed person! I have come out on account of your excesses. I wish to complete my proof upon you and on every deviated person."

Umar:

"Leave all this aside. Do not narrate the stories of women and ask Ali to come out."

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"Don't you have any shame? Do you wish to frighten me with a group from Shaitaan? O Umar, know that the party of Shaitaan is weak!"

Umar:

"If Ali does not appear, know that I have collected a huge pile of wood and will burn the house along with its inhabitants if he does not do bay'at."[56]

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"O Umar, why don't you go and let us remain in our own condition?"

Umar:

"Open the door or else, I will burn it down!"[57]

As per another narration, Umar said,

"O Fatemah, daughter of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.)! Send the people gathered in your house outside. Like the other Muslims, they too must submit (give bay'at). Or else, I will set the entire house ablaze."[58]

As per another narration, Umar said,

"You too should accept what has been accepted by the community."[59]

In yet another narration, Umar said,

"O Fatemah! Why have these people gathered in your house? If they do not given themselves up, I will burn the house down along with its inhabitants."[60]

A fourth narration reports that Umar said to Janabe Zahra (s.a.),

"Take out the people hidden in your house, or else, I will burn the house down along with its dwellers."

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"Will you burn my children along with my house?"

Umar:

"Yes! I swear by Allah, (I will do it) if they do not come out and give bay'at."[61]

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"O Ibne Khattab! Will you bear the sight of my burning house?"

Umar:

"Yes!"[62]

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"Woe be upon you! Do you wish to do away with the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.)? Do you wish to extinguish the light of Allah? But know that Allah (s.w.t.) will complete His light."

Umar:

"Enough has been said, O Fatemah! Keep quiet! Mohammed (s.a.w.a.) is no longer with us and neither are those angels who bring the revelation and the orders from Allah (s.w.t.). Now there are just us Muslims. If you wish, send out your family members to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr or else, I will burn your house down."

Janabe Zahra (s.a.) (while crying):

"O Allah! We put forward a complaint to you about the absence of Your Prophet (s.a.w.a.), Your Messenger and Chosen One! We appeal to You that the ummat gathered in opposition to us. O Lord! Those rights which You revealed in Your book, and through Your Prophet (s.a.w.a.) ordained for us, the ummat is snatching away those very rights."

Umar:

"O Fatemah! Leave aside the behavior of women and do not say such useless things! Allah (s.w.t.) will never grant both messengership (nabuwwat) and leadership (khilafat) in the same house."[63]

Janabe Zahra (s.a.):

"O Umar! Don't you have the fear of Allah in your heart that you wish to enter my house and assault me."

Umar stood his ground and refused to budge from there.[64]

[1] Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 83.

[2] Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 250.

[3] Ansaabul Ashraaf, volume 1 page 587/588.

[4] Eqdul Fareed, volume 1 page 259 (Egypt edition).

[5] Al Ya'qoobi, volume 2 page 126; Al Mustarshid page 377/378; Shar'he Nahjul Balagha volume 2 page 49; Al Ihtejaj page 70.

[6] Al Kashkol, page 73/74.

[7] Tareekhe' Khamees, volume 2 page 169.

[8] Ilmul Yaqeen, volume 2 page 676.

[9] Ibid; Kamile' Bahai, volume 1 page 305; Hadeeqatush Shiah, page 30.

[10] Misbah u Zaaer, volume 463/464.

[11] Jannaatul Kholood, page 19.

[12] All historians are unanimous that Umar was present in that group.

[13] Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 66; Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 57; Al Ikhtesas, page 176, Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 251; Kamile' Bahai, volume 1 page 305; Al Kashkol, page 73/74; Al Hidayatul Kubra, page 178/179; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 30 page 290/347 and volume 35 page 13.

[14] Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 307/308; Al Jamal page 117; Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 174; Al Hidayatul Kubra, page 178/179/400; Hadeeqatush Shiah, page 30; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 30 page 290/347 and volume 53 page 17.

[15] As Sonan by Baihaqi, volume 7 page 152; Mustadrak volume 3 page 66; Hayatus Sahabah by Kanz Halawi, volume 2 page 13; Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 47; Al Kashkol, page 73/74; Hadeeqatush Shiah, page 30.

[16] Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 50 and volume 6 page 11/47; Al Imamah was Siyasah, volume 1 page 17; 49; Al Ihtejaj page 73; Tareekhe' Khamees, volume 2 page 169.

[17] Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 50 and volume 6 page 11/47; Al Ihtejaj page 73; Tareekhe' Khamees, volume 2 page 169.

[18] Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 6 page 11; Al Imamah was Siyasah, volume 1 page 17.

[19] Al Mustarshid, page 378.

[20] Al Ikhtesas, page 176; Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 66; Kaukabe' Durri, volume 1 page 194.

[21] Kaukabe' Durri, volume 1 page 194.

[22] Tareekhe' Khamees, volume 2 page 169; Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 47.

[23] Al Jamal, page 117, Al Ikhtesas, page 176; Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 67.

[24] Ash Shaafi by Ibne' Hamzah, volume 4 page 173.

[25] Ash Shaafi by Ibne' Hamzah, volume 4 page 173.

[26] Al Ikhtesas, page 176; Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 66/67.

[27] Al Ikhtesas, page 176; Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 66/67.

[28] Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 3 page 56 and volume 6 page 47.

[29] Tasbeetul Imamah, page 17.

[30] Masalebun Nawaseb, page 136.

[31] Masalebun Nawaseb, page 136.

[32] Masalebun Nawaseb, page 136.

[33] Al Ikhtesas, page 176; Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 66; Kaukabe' Durri, volume 1 page 194/195. Perhaps this is taken from the narration reported by Shaykh Mufeed in his Amali, page 49/50.

[34] The name of Zayd bin Saabit is in a fabricated tradition which Abu Sa'eed Khudri has narrated in Kanzul Ummal, volume 5 page 613.

[35] Dalaelul Imamah volume 2; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 30 page 293.

[36] Taraef page 239; Nahjul Haq, page 271; Sulaym Ibne' Qays page 173.

[37] Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 307, Sulaym Ibne' Qays page 250;Al Hidayatul Kubra, page 178/179.

[38] Ansaabul Ashraaf, volume 1 page 576.

[39] Eqdul Fareed, volume 4 page 242; Taarekhe' Abul Fida', volume 1 page 156.

[40] Ash Shafi by Ibne' Hamzah, volume 4 page 173.

[41] Eqdul Fareed, volume 4 page 242; Taarekhe' Abul Fida', volume 1 page 156; Amali Shaykh Mufeed, page 50.

[42] Kaukabe' Durri, page 194/195.

[43] Sulaym Ibne' Qays page 250.

[44] Tafseer'e Ayyashi, volume 2 page 67; Al Ikhtesas, page 176.

[45] Dalaelul Imamah volume 2; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 30 page 290; Al Kashkol, page 73/74.

[46] Hadeeqatush Shiah, page 30.

[47] Ash Shafi by Ibne' Hamzah, volume 4 page 171.

[48] Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 250.

[49] Ilmul Yaqeen volume 2, page 687.

[50] Al Saqeefah by Allamah Jauhari and from this in Shar'he Nahjul Balagha, volume 2 page 56. A similar narration in Tareekhe' Tabari, volume 3 page 202; Al Mustarshid, page 378.

[51] Al Hidayatul Kubra page 406; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 53 page 13.

[52] Al Kashkol, page 73/74.

[53] Kamile' Bahai, page 305.

[54] Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 73.

[55] Kaukabe' Durri, page 194/195.

[56] Dalaelul Imamah, volume 2; Behaarul Anwaar, volume 30 page 293.

[57] Sulaym Ibne' Qays, page 47-73 and page 250.

[58] Al Jamal, page 117.

[59] Rauzatul Manazer, volume 11 page 113.

[60] Kamile' Bahai, volume 2 page 24.

[61] At Taraef, page 239; Nahjul Haq, page 271.

[62] (Sunni ref) Ansaabul Ashraaf, volume 1 page 586.