Fadak in History

Introduction

By: Dr. Sharara

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the universe and blessing and peace be on the master of the prophets and messengers, Prophet Muhammad, and on his pure progeny and his excellent companions.

About the author and the book:

Fadak in History was the firstling scholarly work by the martyred Imam Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr. It was really, according to the historical period, in which it was written, a unique study because it relied on modern scientific methods in investigating the details and the documents related to the case.[1] It engaged the reader in a debate that was profound, logical and exact.

 If you examine the studies published at that time-half a century ago-or in the later period, concerning such sensitive subjects, you will realized what a scientific antecedence and a historical achievement the martyred Imam had achieved in this study. It was no wonder, for the martyred Sayyid as-Sadr's genius gushed out when he was too young. His talents developed rapidly to equip the Islamic library with his original studies in different fields of knowledge and the Sharia. He was a devoted jurisprudent, a pious mujtahid and a nonesuch brilliant. He enriched the Islamic thought and supplied it with the elements of vitality.

In fact, it may not be an exaggeration to say  

[1] It is the case of Fadak, which will be explained in details later on.

that Imam as‑Sadr was a living thesis of the revived Islam. He assumed intellectual and jihad responsibilities that no one did like him except very few others along the history of Islam. He was in continuous jihad and persevering effort in order to free the thought of the umma from the disbelieving west's thesis and to free its future from the hegemony of the universal arrogants and their agents until his holy life was crowned with martyrdom in the way of Allah and Islam.

The method of the book

The martyred Sayyid used a scientific method in this book Fadak in History. He thought that he had to use this method in such historical studies that had political concepts. This method depended on objectivity, which he referred to by saying (to be impartial), examination and scrutiny (deliberateness in judgment) and then to be free in thinking. Imam as-Sadr considered these things as basic conditions to build a compact historic construction concerning the ancestors' cases to give a fair image about their real lives as they already knew about themselves or as it was well known by the others at that time. He thought: “that construction must contain a wide scrutiny of every subject of that past time historically and socially according to the general and private life in order to be the matter of the research such as the religious, moral, social and political life.”[1]

If this would be the aim of such historical studies, which would be its general frame, so Imam as-Sadr drew the attention to the necessity of “that this scrutiny must be acquired from the real life of  

[1] See chap.3.

people and not from a world invented by affection and fanaticism or by blind worshipping and imitation”. Then he put a condition for that scrutiny not to depend on a deviate imagination to raise the bad to the top and to issue incorrect results according to that. Then the martyred Sayyid confirmed the necessity of keeping to the essence of the scientific research and leaving away our emotion and bad inheritance. He drew the attention to a dangerous fact in the field of the historical studies, which would make a historian as a novelist deriving from his own mind not from the historic events.

The aspects of this method showed the Sayyid’s early deep conscience of the fundamentals and basic conditions of the scientific research. I found him going into this research arming himself with the scientific logic, being enthusiastic about the truth and clinging to what he could derive from the real events. In all of that he depended on what the historians had related and what the historical documents had recorded. Then he concluded according to the accurate fundamentals and principles.

A summary about the chapters of the book

Imam as-Sadr discussed the case of Fadak according to the Fatimite[1] perspective, which referred to its ramified dimensions in relation to the aspects of the Islamic life and the later ages. So he considered it (the case of Fadak) as comprehensive revolution. He discussed the background of the case according to the thoughts rankling in Fatima’s mind and the great memories of her father, Prophet Muhammad (s), circuiting in her  

[1] Concerning Fatima, the prophet’s daughter (s).

mind. Then she came to a bitter phenomenon surging with unlimited ordeal and sedition. All that motivated her to squawk and to announce her start to confront. Then Sayyid as-Sadr moved to the second chapter (Fadak in its real meaning and symbolic meaning). He defined Fadak and moved with it through the successive historical periods since it was extorted from Fatima (s) until what became of it at the last days of the Abbasid reign. Then he moved to the third chapter (the history of the revolution), in which he talked about the revolution, defining the conditions of the research and the method of writing the biography of the individuals and the umma. He commended the first Islamic age and its great achievements. Then he discussed al-Aqqad’s[1] book Fatima and the Fatimites. He criticized al-Aqqad for his futile treatment of the case of Fadak and his attempt to limit it in a narrow corner according to the logic of unthoughtful worship and blind imitation of the bad inherited traditions without using his mind.

After that the Sayyid tried to explain the dimensions of Fadak that it was not a dispute about a certain matter or an extorted property but it was much greater that that. He said: “We feel, if we study the real history of the case of Fadak and its disputes, that it had aspects of a revolution, whose motives were available. We notice that those disputes in their reality and motives were as revolution against the ruling policy…” Then he gave a logical justification by saying: “If you study whatever you like of the historical documents about this case, will you find that there was a dispute about a property? Or will you find a disagreement  

[1] An Egyptian Writer.

about Fadak in its limited meaning of possession or yields of a piece of land? Certainly not! It was the revolution against the reign and the outcry, by which Fatima (s) wanted to pluck up the cornerstone, on which history was built after the day of Saqeefa[1]…” Here Sayyid as-Sadr began to observe the events happened before the day of Saqeefa. He discussed them focusing on the hidden corners whether related to the situations or to the persons. He expressed Imam Ali’s situations, which he had done loyally for the sake of Islam.

In another chapter Imam as-Sadr discusses Fatima’s address before the public. He analyzes and condemns the purposes of the opponents and through that he shows Imam Ali’s characteristics and situations, which made him the only one, who deserved the first ruling position and the intellectual and political authority over the Islamic umma.

Then he concludes the book with a chapter titled with the court of the book, in which he discusses the case of Fadak showing its details and ambiguities. He provokes the deep paradoxes, on which those, who prevented Fatima her certified right, depended. He depends in all of that on the holy Quran and the Sunna and according to the logic of truth and fairness.

This was a summary about the chapters of the book, in which the reader will find a well-versed analysis and sedate arguments in an eloquent method with keeping to the conditions and  

[1] It was the day when the Prophet (s) died and the companions gathered in the saqeefa (shed) of Beni Sa’ida to choose the caliph, in fact to seize the caliphate hurriedly as long as the Hashimites (the Prophet’s family) were busy with the procedures of the burial.

requirements of the impartial research.

A word on the case

The case of Fadak according to Fatima’s opinion was not just a matter of a gift extorted from her hand because of some reasons fabricated and justified by the state, but it was much more serious than that. It formed a dangerous initiative in the fate of the Islamic state and in the life of the newborn Islamic experiment, which the Prophet (s) had striven bitterly to build on the right Sharia and the bases of justice, that state and experiment, which the Prophet (s) wanted to spread all over the world and along the ages.

The gravity was when the elite statesmen, who were supposed to be responsible to safeguard this new experiment, went hurriedly towards the instantaneous gains and tried to seize the leading positions without paying any attention to the established principles and the true traditions. That led, before all, to open the door widely in front of the opportunists and the covetous persons or as Aa’isha, the Prophet’s wife, said: “The caliphate, then, will be gained by everyone, whether he was pious or dissolute.”[1] Therefore az-Zahra’[2] confronted this matter in order not to let such feared results happen.

Hence the aim of evoking the case of Fadak was to enlighten the umma, the leaders and the public on the terrible dangers that would occur if they kept on this way. She declared that by saying: “By Allah, it**[3]** was impregnated so wait until it bears then milk its blood…then they will perish who say  

[1] Refer to as-Sayouti’s book ad-Durr al-Manthoor vol.6, p.19.
[2] One of Fatima's surnames.
[3] She referred to the situation of the rulers and the public.

false things and the successors will know what bad the earlier ones have established. Be at ease and wait relaxedly for the sedition. Rejoice at a sharp sword, general commotion and despotism, which will make your victuals so insignificant and your gathering separate…”[1]

In the light of that, we can see the enthusiasm that Sayyid as-Sadr has and the serious feeling that is moved inside him when he analyzes, discusses and concludes (according to the Fatimite thought) out of his care for the purity of Islam.

The martyred Sayyid, along the research, prays Allah to bless the companions and appreciates their exploits for the sake of Islam, but at the same time he does not ignore their defects and faults. We do not see any objection in that because the most important thing and the worthier to be regarded is the safety, the genuineness and the purity of the Islamic experiment. If someone wants to protest-and he has the right to do so- he will not oblige us to submit. Besides, he will be against the truth. Let us here, for example, remind of the saying of the caliph Omar about Khalid bin**[2]** al-Waleed related to the case of Malik bin Nuwayra. The Caliph Omar said to Abu Bakr: “Khalid killed a Muslim man and took his wife (for himself)…”[3] Abu Bakr interpreted an excuse for Khalid’s crime but that did not convince Omar, who preserved it in his mind until he became the caliph then he deposed Khalid according to that very case.

So we are not obliged to accept every interpretation. Specifying the faults, recording the events and examining them will, undoubtedly, keep  

[1] Refer to ibn Abu Tahir Tayfoor’s book Balaghat an-Nissa’, p.33.
[2] (bin) means: (the son of) and (bint) means: (the daughter of).
[3] At-Tabari’s Tareekh, vol.2, p.280.

us away from the bad results. That will be for the benefit of the umma and the genuineness of Islam.

This was exactly the aim of the martyred imam as-Sadr. It was the same aim, which led us to do the scientific inquiry for this study. We found that every hint, saying, analysis or conclusion mentioned in this study was according to the reality of the famous events, the reliable sources and the conducts of those certain companions.

It will be clear for the reader through this inquiry that there is no rashness in a saying, no discrimination in a thought and no any conclusion without evidences.

My role in this revision

The book Fadak in History was published twice; the first edition was by al-Haydariyya press that was owned by the pious sheikh Muhammad Kadhim al-Kutubi in holy Najaf in 1374 AH/1955 AD, which was a good edition and had few mistakes and the second was published some years later by Dar at-Ta’aruf in Beirut. I did not find any other editions. Because the Haydariyya edition was more accurate and Sayyid as-Sadr himself had read it, so I depended on it as the source.

I checked and verified the verses and the traditions against their sources and I documented the references of Sayyid as‑Sadr and post-fixed them with the word “the martyr” to distinguish them from the references, notes and additions, which were required by the verification that I thought they were fit to be mentioned. In all of that, I referred to the reliable books and sources of our Sunni brothers in order to confirm that the facts which were quoted were based on those sources. After that I had to declare that the truthfulness of analysis and keeping

to the scientific method in presentation, discussion and conclusion were among the characteristics of the martyred sayyid’s approach in this study.

Finally, whilst thanking Allah for granting me success to do this work, I pray Him to make it exclusively for His sake and I pray Him to grant success to those, who work in al-Ghadir Centre of the Islamic Studies to serve our dear Islam and the teachings of the Prophet and his family (s).

Praise be to Allah firstly and finally.

Dr. Abdul Jabbar Sharara
Doctorate in Islamic and Religious Studies