On distortion of ‘Fatima is a part of me’ hadith by Ahlul Bayt’s enemies

Question:

I read somewhere that the Holy Prophet (s) said “Fatima is a part of me, and he who makes her angry makes me angry?” in order to prevent Imam Ali (as) from marrying the daughter of an idolator whilst married to Fatima al Zahra (as)? Could you please shed some light on this narration?

Answer:

The Prophetic Hadith ‘Fatima is a part of my flesh (Badh’a), and whosoever makes her angry makes me angry, and whatever hurts her hurts me’ is one of the most authentic narrations. However, its context is often distorted by the enemies of Ahlul-Bayt (as).

Bukhari and Muslim have narrated from al-Miswar bin Makhramah that Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) proposed to the daughter of Abu Jahl (one of the Meccan polytheists and a leading figure against the Holy Prophet (s). According to this narration, as soon as Fatima (as) hears the story she goes to her father complaining about her husband! The narrator (i.e., al-Miswar) claims: “I had reached the age of puberty in those days when I heard Allah’s Messenger (s) addressing the people on the pulpit: Fatima is a part of me, and I fear that she may be put to trial regarding her faith. By Allah! The daughter of Allah’s Messenger and the daughter of the enemy of Allah can never be combined (in marriage) in one place. Upon hearing that Ali dismissed the proposal.” [Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 6, p. 126; Sahih Muslim, vol. 4, p. 1903] 

Ahmad in his Musnad has narrated a similar story from Abdullah ibn Zubair. According to this narration, the Prophet (s) also added: “Fatima is a part of my flesh. It hurts me whatever may hurt her, and whoever shows enmity to her is my enemy.” [Musnad, vol. 26, p.46]

The first step in examining the validity of a narration is to find out about its narrators. The above fake news is narrated only by al-Miswar ibn Makhramah and Abdullah ibn Zubair. Let me briefly introduce them to you:

Al-Miswar ibn Makharamah: He was born in the year 2 (A.H). He became one of the supporters of al-Kharijites who waged the Battle of Nahrawan against Imam Ali (as).

Abdullah ibn Zubair: He was born in the year 1 (A.H). He was one of the leading figures who waged the Battle of the Camel against Imam Ali (as). Abdullah refused to salute the Holy Prophet (s) in his Friday sermons. His excuse being: “If I salute him (i.e., the Holy Prophet (s) his family will be pleased, and I do not wish to do anything to please them!” [Morooj Al-Thahab, vol. 3 p. 79). He was one of those who was cursing Imam Ali (as). [Ibn abil-Hadid, vol. 4, p. 79).

Although the above introduction is enough to acknowledge the bias narration, I humbly invite you to also consider the following points:  

1. The fabricated story is claimed to have happened in the year 8 (A.H) [Al-Isabah, vol. 6, p. 119]. That means during the incident Al-Miswar would be around 6 years old while Abdullah would be 7! Is this not strange that out of all the Companions only these two young boys are the narrators of the story?!

2. Remember al-Miswar claimed that ‘he had reached the age of puberty’ when he heard the Holy Prophet (s) reproaching Imam Ali (as)! It seems the fabricators had forgotten that al-Miswar would be then only 6 years old.

3. Although this fabrication aims to defame Imam Ali (as) it accuses the Holy Prophet (s) of standing by his daughter against the teachings of the Holy Qur’an with regards to the law of polygamy!

4. The fabrication also contradicts the practice of the Holy Prophet (s) when he married Umm-Habiba after she embraced Islam. Umm-Habiba was the daughter of Abu-Sufyan; one of the chief enemies of Islam. According to the teachings of Islam, as soon as someone embraces Islam, they are qualified to marry a Muslim irrespective of their family background.

5. Finally, ‘Alqama raised your question to Imam Sadiq (as). The reply of the Imam (as) is very interesting:

Imam Sadiq (as) lists several fabrications that were attributed to the Holy Prophets (as); such as Prophet Yusuf, Prophet Ayyub, Prophet Dawood, and Prophet Jesus whom they even claimed to be one of the three deities! The Imam (as) then invites ‘Alqama to observe patience and piety and promises him that the Almighty Allah will eventually perish their enemies and will inherit the ruling of the world to the Noble Descendant of Imam Ali (as). [al-Sadooq, al-Amāli, p.63].

Finally, if the fabricators truly believed in the words of the Holy Prophet (s) they would have not hurt his daughter by attributing such fabrications to her beloved husband!

Answered by: Sheikh Mansour Leghaei