- Muhsin ibn Ali
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This article is part of the series: Islam 
Al Muhsin or Mohsin, in Shi'a belief, was the unborn child of Fatima Al Zahra, the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and wife of Ali ibn Abu Talib. She miscarried after being crushed behind a door by Umar and his men who had come to threaten her husband. Sunnis, however disagree and insist that Muhsin ibn Ali died in his infancy of natural causes.
Contents
The death of Muhammad
Muhammad died in the city of Medina in 632 CE. In the ten years between the Hijra (the flight of the small Muslim community from Mecca to Medina) to the death of Muhammad, Islam had grown by leaps and bounds. It had become the greatest power in the Arabian peninsula.
The question of who was to succeed Muhammad was thus both a religious and a political question. Shi'a Muslims believe that Muhammad had settled the question before his death, by indicating that he wanted Fatima's husband Ali as his successor-since the practice of naming a successor was a tradition from all of the previous prophets. The majority Sunni Muslims believe that Muhammad had not made any formal arrangements, leaving it up to the Muslim community to choose their own leader—as was the practice (called shura) in the pre-Islamic, tribal times.
A small, informal gathering of Muslim notables, which Ali did not attend, ended up throwing its support behind Abu Bakr as the new leader. Ali protested this arrangement. He and his supporters refused to swear allegiance to Abu Bakr. His supporters at that time were known as the Shi'at Ali, the party of Ali.
Pressure against the Shi'at Ali
It is not clear how many of the early Muslims supported Ali, or how long they held out against pressure from Abu Bakr's supporters. One source, quoted in Institute for Shia Ismaili Studies in London's Shia'ism researcher Wilferd Madelung[1]'s book (The Succession to Muhammad, p. 43), says that Ali and another prominent Muslim, Al-Zubayr, resisted for six months.
Nor is it clear exactly how the pressure was applied. Sunni versions of the events of this time tend to say that Ali resisted for only a short time, or even deny that he resisted at all, and insist that the only pressure applied was peaceful persuasion. Shi'a sources, on the other hand, depict a lengthy, violent persecution in which roving gangs of armed bullies threatened Ali and his supporters with instant death if they did not submit to Abu Bakr.
The searching of Ali's house
Shia View
Shi'a sources say that two days after Muhammad's death, Umar al-Khattab led a party of armed men to Ali's house. They called for the men of the house to come out and swear allegiance to Abu Bakr, and also threatened to burn the house down. No one came out, so the armed men pushed their way into the house. Fatima, who was pregnant at the time, was standing behind the door. Umar al Khattab pushed Fatima behind the burning door. He broke her ribs and wrist. Later, she miscarried a boy child, who was called Al Muhsin or Mushabbar. Fatima was gravely injured in the attack and died of her injuries some time later. One Can refer to LEsan Al Mizan Written by Ibne Hajar Al Asghalani, Then Mizan Al I'tedaal written by Al Zhahaby. Please also refer to the writings of Al Nazaam and #Al saffadi. The statement seen is "Umar Kicked Fatima until she miscarraiged her Som AL-Muhsin);About this Topic there was a discussion in Al Mustaqila TV as well, lasted for 90mins and the Sunni Ulema had afterwards no further comments to add and defend their cliam.
The Shi'a believe that both Abu Bakr and Umar were responsible for killing both Muhammad's daughter and grandson. For this section please refer to the Book Al Imamiah Val Syasiyah by Ibn Qutaiba Deinevari, where we clearly See reference to Fatima condemning and Cursing the two.
As Fatima was dying, she asked Imam Ali to bury her in secret; she did not want Abu Bakr and Umar at her funeral.
Some Shi'a believe that Fatima was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery, in Medina, and that her grave there is now marked.[2] Others believe that she might have been buried in other locations in Medina and that Shi'a should pray at all three locations to be sure of honoring her grave. [3]
Mohsin b. Ali's (a.s.) martyrdom is widely documented by renowned scholars across eras of both the sects as is evident from the following list:
According to Ahle Sunnah Sources
- Al-Milal wa al-Nehal vol. 1 pg. 57 (Beirut Edition) by Muhammad al-Shahrastaani exp. 548 AH
- Mizaan al-Etedaal vol. 1 pg. 139 by Abu Abdillah Shams al-Deen al-Zahabi exp. 748 AH
- Al-Waafi be al-Wafiyyaat vol. 6 pg. 17 by Allamah Khalil b. Aybak al-Safadi exp. 746 AH
- Al-Farq bain al-Faraaq pg. 107 by Abdul Qadir al-Tamimi al-Baghdadi exp. 429 AH
- Al-Faraaed al-Simtain vol. 2 pg. 35 Sadr al-Deen Ibraheem Ibn Sa’d al-Deen Muhmmad al-Hammuee exp. 732 AH
- Sharhe Nahjul Balagha vol. 4 pg. 192 (Beirut Edition) by Ibne Abil al-Hadeed Motazali exp. 656 AH
- Kitaabo Dalaael al-Imamah by Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Jurair al-Tabari exp. 310 AH
According to Shia Sources
- Al-Manaaqeb by Ibn Shahr Aashob al-Sarvi al-Mazandarani (exp. 583 AH) vol. 3 pg. 132 from Al-Maarif of Ibne Qutaybah al-Dinawari (Ahle Sunnah)
- Isbaat al-Wilaayah by Masoodi (exp. 346 AH) pg. 142
- Amaali-e-Sadooq pg. 99 by Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 AH)
- Bashaarah al-Mustafa le Shiah al-Murtaza pg. 197 by Abu Ja’far Muhammad Ibn Abu al-Qaasim al-Tabari (sixth century scholar)
- Iqbaal al-A’maal pg. 625 by Sayyed Ibn Taawoos (exp. 664 AH)
- Irshaad al-Quloob pg. 295 by Abu Muhammad al-Hasan Ibn Abi al-Hasan Muhammad Dailami
- Jalaa al-Uyoon vol. 1 pg. 184 by Allamah Muhammad Baqer Majlisi (exp. 1111 AH)
- Misbaah al-Kaf’ami pg. 522 by Shaykh Taqi Al-Deen Ibraheem al-Kaf’ami (exp. 905 AH)
- Al-Muhtazar pg. 109 by Husain Ibn Sulayman al-Hilli, a student of al-Shaheed al-Awwal
- Kaamil-e-Bahaai pg. 309 by Shaykh Bahaai (exp. 1031 AH)
- Hadiqah al-Shia pg. 265 by Ahmed b. Muhammad famous as Muqaddas-e-Ardebili (exp. 993 AH)
- Ma’ani al-Akhbaar pg. 205 by Shaykh al-Saduq (exp. 381 AH)
- Ilme Yaqeen pg. 686
- Rawzah al-Muttaqeen vol. 5 pg. 342
- Behaar al-Anwaar vol. 43 pg. 171 by Allamah Muhammad Baqer Majlisi (exp. 1111 AH)
- Isbaat al-Hudaat vol. 2 pg. 337 by Shaikh al-Hurr al-Aameli (exp. 1104 AH)
Who is right?
The whole question of the events surrounding the Succession to Muhammad is an extremely vexing one, discussed at length in the article of that name. When both sides to the argument are marshalling competing oral traditions, or hadith, it comes down to a question of which hadith are true. For a longer treatment of the difficulty of evaluating the sources, see Historiography of early Islam.
Sources
Madelung, Wilferd -- The Succession to Muhammad, Cambridge University Press, 1997.
References
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