Fadak

Fadak (Arabic: فدك) was a tract of land in Khaybar, an oasis in northern Arabia; it is now part of Saudi Arabia.

When the Muslims defeated the forces of Khaybar at the Battle of Khaybar; this land was one of the items seized as booty and given to the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Upon his death, Fadak became the cause of a dispute between Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah, and the first caliph of the time, Abu Bakr.

Description

Fadak was a city, which was situated thirty miles from Medina [Imam Malik's Muwatta, Book 41, Number 41.2.13] . There were wells of water and trees of dates in it [*Tarikh Khamis, v2, p88
*Wafa al-Wafa, v4, page1480] Kitab mu'jam al-buldan by Yaqut al-Hamawi, v14, p238 ] . Yaqut al-Hamawi states that this city was named Fadak, while Ham, the son of Noah, first came to this place and put the foundation of the city .

History

Before the Islamic Conquest

In the 7th century, the Khaybar oasis was inhabited by the Jews, who pioneered the cultivation of the oasis and made their living growing date palm trees, as well as through commerce and craftsmanship, accumulating considerable wealth. Some objects found by the Muslims in a redoubt at Khaybar — a siege-engine, 20 bales of Yemenite cloth, and 500 cloaks — point out to an intense trade carried out by the Jews. Veccia Vaglieri, L. "Khaybar". Encyclopaedia of Islam Online. Ed. P.J. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill Academic Publishers. ISSN 1573-3912] The oasis was divided into three regions: al-Natat, al-Shikk, and al-Katiba, probably separated by natural diversions, such as the desert, lava drifts, and swamps. Each of these regions contained several fortresses or redoubts containing homes, storehouses and stables. Each fortress was occupied by a separate family and surrounded by cultivated fields and palm-groves. In order to improve their defensive capabilities, the fortresses were raised up on hills or basalt rocks.

Islamic conquest (629)

The muslim forces attacked the Khaybar oasis in May 629 (7 AH). Thanks to the speed and secrecy of the march, the Muslims caught the Jews by surprise, and occupied the Jewish forts one after another.PresentScholar|Ibn Ishaq|8th writes in his early Sirah Rasul Allah:

Muhammad's era (629 – 632)

Since Muhammad was the leader of the muslim community until his death, he was in charge of Fadak when it was seized by the muslim forces in yeah 629. Muslim's heavily disagree on how Muhammad actually did handle this possession. Ibn Taimiyya wrote in his Minhaj al-Sunnah that Muhammad appointed Amr ibn al-As as the guvenor of the Khaybar oasis [Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Taimiyya, volume 4 page 460]

Fay

It is important to understand the difference between "Ghanimah" and "Fay" to understand the history and disputes regarding this land:

Some muslim sources state that the Qur'an in Sura Al-Hashr, 6 state that the property was the private property of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, received through fay. Howerver, a minority of Sunni scholars reject these sources.As opposed to all other Sunni historians, Shah Waliullah in Quratul Ain p228 and Ibn Taymiyyah in Minhaj al-Sunnah, Dhikr of Fadak, do not accept that Fadak was in possession of Muhammad ]

Multiple scholars state:cquote|bgcolor=#F0FFF0|When the Prophet (s) returned from Khaybar, he sent Muhisa bin Masood to propagate Islam to the people of Khaybar. The leader of the Jews of Khaybar at that time was Yusha bin Nun. The people of Fadak refused to accept Islam, but offered to give them half of their Land of Fadak. The Prophet (s) took half the land and allowed them to live there. This half Land of Fadak was property of the Prophet (s), as the Muslims didn't ride horses over it. [*Fath al-Buldan, p46, by Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri.
*Kitab mu'jam al-buldan, p139, v14
*History of Tabari, v3, p1583
*The Complete History, v2, p108, by Ibn Atheer Jazari
*Tareekh Khamees, v2, page58, by Husayn Diyar Bakari ]

PresentScholar|Yahiya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi|13th|Sunni|Shafi'i writes:

This view of Fadak being the exclusive property of Muhammad was also shared by
*Ali bn Ahmad al-Samhudi [Wafa al-Wafa, v4, p1280]
*Ibn Hisham [Sirah Rasul Allah by Ibn Hisham, v3, p353]
*Abu al-Fida [The Concise History of Humanity or Chronicles, p140, Dhikr Ghazwa Khaybar]

Fatimah

Some Muslim sources state that Muhammad gifted Fadak to his daughter Fatimah quoting the Qur'anic verse Al-Hashr, 7. There is a dispute between Muslim scholars at this point. Prophet Muhammad gave the land of Fadad to Bibi Fatimah as inhertance before his death. Abu Bakr the 1st Caliph stole her rights over it and said that prophets do not leave any inhertance. Which his order was in stark contradiction with the verses of the Qur'an. Which Bibi Fatimah addresses to Abu Bakr in her historical speech about Fadak.

Here is an excerpt from her historical speech about Fadak.

"O Muslims! Is my inheritance usurped? O son of Abu Quhafa (Abu Bakr), is it in the Book of Allah that you inherit your father and I do not inherit my father? Surely you have done a strange thing! Did you intendedly desert the Book of Allah and turned your back on it? Allah said: (And Sulaiman was Dawood's heir. 27:16) and said about Yahya bin Zachariah: (Grant me from Thyself an heir, who should inherit me and inherit from the children of Yaqoub. 19:5-6) and said: (And the possessors of relationships are nearer to each other in the ordinance of Allah. 8:75), and He said: (Allah enjoins you concerning your children: The male shall have the equal of the portion of two females. 4:11), and He said: (Bequest is prescribed for you when death approaches one of you, if he leaves behind wealth for parents and near relatives. 2:180)."

A narration present in Dur al-Manthur by PresentScholar|Suyuti|16th|Sunni states:It should be noted here that Dur al-Manthur is an objective narration index rather than an expression of Suyuti's own opinion.

Other sources writes in Tafsir on Al-Hashr, 7:cquote|bgcolor=#F0FFF0|Jibrael (as) came to Prophet Muhammad (s) and told him that Allah (swt) had ordered that he give the "Dhul Qurba" (close relatives) their rights. Rasulullah (s) asked who was meant from "Dhul Qurba" and what is meant from "Right".

Jibrael (as) replied that "Dhul Qurba" refers to Fatima Zahra (r), and from right it is meant the property of "Fadak".

The Prophet (s) called Fatima and presented Fadak to her giving her a written paper about it. This is the same written paper which was presented to Abu Bakr after the death of Rasool Allah (saww) by Fatima Zahra (as) and she said that it was the same written paper which the Prophet (s) wrote for her, Hasan and Husayn [ *Ruzatul Safa as quoted in Tashdheed-ul-Mathaeen page 102
*Ma'arij-ul-Nabuwwah, part 4, chapter 10, page 228
*Habib al-Siyar vol 1, Dhikr of Ghazwa-e-Khayber]

presentScholar|Shah Abdul Aziz|18th|Sunni agrees on this. He further wrote that it's a sin to deny Fatimah's rights in Fadak. [Fatawa Azizi, page 165] However, these sources are rejected by some Sunni scholars.

All the major Sunni Tafsir works does however not mention anything about that the Quranic verse Al-Hashr, 7 was referring to Fatimah and her rights in Fadak [Tafsir ibn Kathir, Muhammad Assad, Tafhim al-Quran, Tafsir al-Jalalayn, Tafsir al-Kabir and Tanwir al-Miqbas all does not mention anything about Fatimah in this connection] , thus denying that this verse makes Fadak a gift.

In fact, some of these Tafsirs is stating quite the opposite:PresentScholar|Muhammad Assad|20th|Sunni states in his Tafsir:

In Tanwir al-Miqbas min Tafsir Ibn Abbas we read:

Abu Bakr's era (632 – 634)

After Muhammad's demise, Abu Bakr was elected as a Caliph (see Saqifah). Fatimah came to him, asking for her inheritance of what Allah's Apostle had left of the property bestowed on him by Allah from the Fai in Medina, and Fadak, and what remained of the Khumus of the Khaibar booty. Abu Bakr refused to let her have it, saying:

Allah's Apostle said, "Our property is not inherited. Whatever we leave, is Sadaqa, but the family of (the Prophet) Muhammad can eat of this property."' By Allah, I will not make any change in the state of the Sadaqa of Allah's Apostle and will leave it as it was during the lifetime of Allah's Apostle, and will dispose of it as Allah's Apostle used to do. [Sunni source: [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/059.sbt.html#005.059.546 Sahih Bukhari, Volume 5, Book 59, Number 546] ]

This caused Fatimah to become very angry with Abu Bakr. According to some Shi'a sources, Fatimah was also angry with her husband Ali because he refused to help her in this matter. [Haqq-ul-Yaqeen by Allamah al-Majlisi pp.203-204; also recorded in Al-Tusi's Amali, p.295] But some other sources report that Ali together with Umm Ayman testified to the fact that Muhammad granted it to Fatimah Zahra, when Abu Bakr requested Fatima to summon witnesses for her claim. [* Ordoni (1990) p. 211]

Muslim scholars are divided regarding the exact course of events and Abu Bakr's legality to do what he did.

At one occasion during Abu Bakr's reign as Caliph, a fornicator was banished to Fadak as a part of his punishment. [Al-Muwatta [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muwatta/041.mmt.html#041.41.2.13 Book 41, Number 41.2.13] , by Imam Malik]

Fatimah's anger

In a narration attributed to Ayesha recorded in Sahih Bukhari, Fatimah died six months after this incident, and during this period, she refused to talk to Abu Bakr. [Bukhari 5:54:325] According to the very same narration, Fatimah was buried at night by her husband Ali in a still unknown place. Ali did not inform Abu Bakr about the funeral, and he said the funeral prayer by himself. Sahih Bukhari is considered authentic among Sunnis, meaning that Sunnis consider it to include authentic narrations only. According to another narration in Sahih Bukhari, Abu Bakr was greatly saddened by Fatimah's anger, saying:

By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, to keep good relations with the relatives of Allah's Apostle is dearer to me than to keep good relations with my own relatives. [ [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/059.sbt.html#005.059.546 Bukhari 59:546] ]

However, other Sunni sources states that Abu Bakr actually sought to reconcile with Fatimah, and that she ultimately became pleased with him again:QuoteHadith|matn=When Fatima became ill, Abu Bakr came to her and asked for permission to enter. So Ali said, ‘O Fatima, this is Abu Bakr asking for permission to enter.’ She answerd, ‘Do you want me to give him permission?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So she allowed him (to enter), and he came in seeking her pleasure, so he told her: ‘By Allah, I only left my home and property and my family seeking the pleasure of Allah and His Messenger and you, O Ahlel Bayt.’ So he talked to her until she was pleased with him [*Sunan al Kubra by Imam al-Baihaqi vol.6 pp.300-301
*Riyad Al Nadira by Mohib al-Dîn al-Tabari vol.2 p.96-97 no. #534] "The above mentioned narration is recorded by al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan and in his Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, where he rated it Hasan (sound)." [Rated "Hasan" in Dala'il al-Nubuwwa 7:273-281 by Imam al-Bayhaqi] The Sunni website [http://www.ahlelbayt.com AhlelBayt.com] seeks to explain the differences in the above mentioned narrations in the following way:

Shi'a Muslims believe that Fatimah died unhappy with Abu Bakr, and denies that she eventually became pleased with him before she died. They present following tradition as a proof:

Shias also ssay that Aisha lived near the house of fatimah. There is no way that she could not have known about the incident up till her death.

Umar's era (634 – 644)

When Umar became Caliph, the value of the land of Fadak along with its dates was 50,000 dirhams . Ali again claimed her inheritance during Umar's era, but was denied with the same argument. Umar, the caliph who succeeded Abu Bakr, did restore the estates in Medina to `Abbas ibn `Abd al-Muttalib and Ali, as representatives of Muhammad's clan, the Banu Hashim. The properties in Khaybar and Fadak were retained as state property. [
* Madelung (1997) pp.62-64
*Bukhari|4|53|326]

Some sunni historical accounts mentions that both Ali and Abbas initially sought a portion of Fadak as inheritance [Mujam al Buldan (vol 4 p 238-9), Wafa al Wafa (3:999), Tadhib al Tadhib, (10:124), Lisan al Arab (vol 10 p 473)] . According to these, Ali claimed a part of the property as his inheritance, since Muhammad has bestowed it on Fatimah during her lifetime, and because Fatimah was married to Ali until she died, thus he claimed himself to be the right inheritor. Abbas however denied Ali's claims, he denied that Muhammad gifted Fadak to his daughter Fatimah, and claimed that Fadak remained under the control of Muhammad until his demise. Abbas was the paternal uncle of Muhammad, and thus he felt that "he" was the right inheritor. Then they sought Umar to reconcile between them. Umar refused to let anyone have a portion of Fadak as inheritance, instead, as mentioned earlier, he made them trustees of Fadak.
According to Sahih Muslim, the second most trusted Hadith collection among Sunnis, another dispute arose among Ali and Abbas after they were made trustees of Fadak. They again asked Umar to adjudge between them, which he refused, saying:

"No, by Allah. I will not give any other judgment except this until the arrival of the Doomsday. If you are unable to hold the property on this condition, return it to me" [Sahih Muslim Book 019, Number 4349] .

The fact that Ali and Abbas was in charge of the management of Fadak, is sometimes used by the Shi'a as an evidence, proving that Abu Bakr was wrong, and that Umar overturned his decision. Sunnis disagree with the Shi'a at this point, saying that Umar made Ali and Abbas "trustees" of the Fadak - NOT "inheritors".At this time, parts of Fadak was still mainly populated by Jews, but this came to an end during Umar's rule. He heard that Muhammad once stated that two deens never shall co-exist in the Arabian peninsula. He searched for information about that until he was absolutely convinced that Muhammad actually said that, and then he expelled the Jews from the Khaybar oasis. [Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, Book 45, Number 45.5.18] Because the Jews was given half of the land of Fadak in their treaty with Muhammad, Umar entrusted to them the value in gold, silver, camels, ropes and saddle bags of half the fruit and half the land, and handed the value over to them before he expelled them. [ Al-Muwatta by Imam Malik, [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/muwatta/045.mmt.html#045.45.5.19 Book 45, Number 45.5.19] ]

Uthman's era (644 – 656)

During Uthman's caliphate, Marwan ibn al-Hakâm, who was his cousin, was made trustee of the Fadak [Wafa al Wafa (vol 3 p 1000), Tarikh Abu al-Fida (vol 1 p 168)] . The Shi'a accuse Caliph Uthman of wrongfully upholding Abu Bakr's unjust decision and withholding Fadak from Fatima's sons, Hasan and Husayn. The Sunnis believe that Uthman was correct in upholding Abu Bakr's decision since it was the will of Muhammad that prophets should not leave an inheritance.

Ali's era (656 – 661)

Fatima's husband, Ali, is revered by Shi'as. He became caliph after Uthman, but he did not return Fadak to Fatima's progeny; instead, he upheld the decision of Abu Bakr. He also maintained Marwan's position as trustee of the Fadak. Sunnis argue that this is strong evidence to support that Abu Bakr's decision was correct, since Fatima's own husband upheld this decision. Ali was, according to a Shi'a tradition, quoted as saying "I am ashamed before Allah to overturn something that was prohibited by Abu Bakr and continued by Umar" [ash-Shafi fil-Imamah, by Sheikh al Murtada, p. 231] . Shi'as disagree with this viewpoint and believe that Ali was using "taqiyya". "Taqiyya" translates loosely as "dissimulation" and means a Shi'a is religiously allowed to lie to save himself from harm. Most sunnis reject the concept of "taqiyya" as immoral. [ [http://www.ansar.org/audio/dimashqia/altaqiah.ram Taqiyya Rejected] , a speech by Shaikh Damashqia (RealAudio Required)]

Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr, the revered Shi'a scholar, stated in his book "Fadak in History", that Imam 'Ali did not use Taqiyyah to deny ownership of Fadak. He states, that as Fadak was under the authority of the state, based on the decrees of the former Caliph Abu Bakr, Fadak during 'Ali's Caliphate came under the authority of 'Ali himself, and his two deputies, Imam al-Hasan and Imam al-Husayn, his sons.

Therefore, 'Ali deemed it satisfactory that Fadak was now under the control of the Prophet's family, and did not make a formal declaration of personal possession, to avoid resurrecting the old feud, and causing strife and fitna at the dishonouring of the legacy of the first Caliph.

Umayyad era (661 – 750)

Mu'awiyah, the first Umayyad Caliph did not return Fadak to Fatima's descendants. This way was continued by later Umayyad Caliphs until Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz seized power.When Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, known as Umar II, became Caliph in 717, the income from the property of Fadak was 40,000 Dinars [Sunan Abu Dawud, v3, p144, Dhikr Fa'y] . Fadak was returned to Fatima's descendants by an edict given by Umar II [Wafa al-Wafa, page 99] , but this decision was renounced by later caliphs and Fadak was once again converted into a public trust.

The sunni scholar Dr A. Rahim writes:

The shia scholar Abu Hilal al-Askari writes:

Umar II's successor, Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik (known as Yazid II) overturned his decision, and Fadak was again made public trust. Fadak was then managed this way until the Ummayad Caliphate expired.

Abbasid era (750 – 1258)

In year 747, a huge revolt against the Umayyad Caliphate occurred. The Umayyad's were eventually defeated by the Abbasid army under the rule of Abu Abbas Abdullah al-Saffah (see Battle of the Zab) in year 750. The last Umayyad Caliph, Marwan II, was killed in a lesser battle a few months after the Battle of the Zab, thus ending the Umayyad Caliphate.

Historical accounts differs on what happened to Fadak under the early Abbasid caliphs. There is however consensus among Islamic scholars that Fadak was donated to the descendants of Fatimah during Al-Ma'mun's reign as Caliph (831-833). PresentScholar|Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri|9th|Sunni narrates following:This is also confirmed by the Sunni scholar al-Ya'qubi [at Tarikh, al Yaqubi, vol 3 p 195-96] and the Shi'a book al-Awail.

While traditional Shi'a history works states that the Caliph Al-Mutawakkil (847-861) recaptured Fadak from the progeny of Fatimah [*Kashf al Ghumnah vol 2 p 121-122 *Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah al-Majlisi, vol 8 p 108] , no sunni account confirms this. It is however agreed upon that his son and successor, Al-Muntasir (861-862), maintained the decision of Al-Ma'mun, thus letting Fatimah's progeny manage Fadak. [As stated in Tarikh Yaqubi (2:199, 3:48), Wafa al Wafa vol 3 p 999-1000, Tarikh ul Khulafa, p 231-32]

What happened hereafter is uncertain, but Fadak was probably seized by the Caliph again and managed exclusively by the ruler of the time as his private property.

Muslim View

Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims highly disagree about this event.

hi'a view

The Shi'a believe that Fadak was wrongfully withheld from Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter, by Caliph Abu Bakr, Muhammad's father-in-law, whom the Shi'a consider to be a tyrant. According to the Shia, Fatima would die forever cursing the Caliph for wrongfully converting her personal land into a public trust. The Shi'a believe that Fatima possess "ismah", or infallibility, and that she is immune from sin and incapable of mistake; it is thus a logical extension that Abu Bakr must be in error. Furthermore, Muhammad stated that whoever makes Fatima angry makes him angry as well. This hadith is included in the two main Sunni sources, Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, in a report which ironically relates to al-Imam Ali, her husband. Hence, Muslims unanimously must agree that Abu Bakr and Umar made Muhammad and Allah angry, the Shi'a claim.

They also deny Sunni claims that prophets do not leave inheritances. They argue that the Qur'an clearly states that Dawud (David) made Sulayman (Solomon) his heir, even though David is, according to Muslim belief, a prophet. Another argument is Qur'an Quran-usc|19|6 in which Zakariya asks God to give him a child that inherits him.However normally, in the Shia Fiqh, wives cannot inherit land [*Tahdhib al-Ahkam by Tusi, vol. 9 p. 298
*al-Istibsar by Tusi, vol. 4 p. 152
*al-Kafi by Kulayni, vol. 7 p. 127
*Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah al-Majlisi, vol 104 351] , however they beleive that daughters can inherit land, but in this case, the Shia also argue that inheritance is out of the question because Fadak was given to Fatima "during" the life of Muhammad — so there was no question of inheritance.

The popular Shi'a website [http://www.answering-ansar.org/ Answering-Ansar.org] argues:

Furthermore, regarding the Sunni claim that Fatimah sought Fadak as an inheritance rather than a gift, [http://www.answering-ansar.org/ Answering-Ansar.org] argues:cquote|bgcolor=#F0FFF0|There is no contradiction over Sayyida Fatima (as) claiming Fadak as a gift and inheritance. The initial demand of Sayyida Fatima (as) was that Abu Bakr returns the land that had been gifted to her by her father. Sayyida Fatima (as) had the land in her possession but Abu Bakr ignored this and the written bequest of her father (s) and refused to return the land. Abu Bakr deemed the land as that of the Prophet which was in possession of his daughter held on trust as long as he (s) lived and which reverted back to the State upon his death. Sayyida Fatima (as) used this assertion to challenge Abu Bakr's right to control the land. After all he usurped the land on the basis that it belonged to the Prophet (s). Sayyida Fatima (as) was still entitled to the land as the Legal Heir so she had every right to make a claim on this basis. Abu Bakr refused her claim that the land was under her control, and he also rejected her claim that she was her father's Waris (legal heir).

...

The greatest proof that Fadak had been given as a gift to Sayyida Fatima (as) by Rasulullah (s), lies in the fact that she already had possession of the land at the time of her father's death. This would not have been the case if the land belonged to Rasulullah (s). Property which is given as a gift is handed over to the transfree at the time when gift is made (even before the death of the testator). Whereas the share in estate of deceased is taken hold of only after the death of the deceased. The fact that Syeda Fatima was already in possession of the land of fadak at the time of The Prophets death clearly shows that this land was given to her as a gift in the lifetime of her father and there was no question of its being treated as a share in inheritance.

...

If it was not in her possession then why didn't Abu Bakr point this out to Sayyida Fatima (as)? Al Mihal proves that Sayyida Fatima (as) had the land in her possession. Why didn't Abu Bakr dismiss this claim straight away, stating 'You never had possession of Fadak'? The fact that he didn't challenge this aspect of Sayyida Fatima (as)'s claim serves as proof that the land was in her possession.

...

(Umar II) can only restore something to someone who had an existing control, and that is why Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz returned Fadak to the descendants of Sayyida Fatima (as).

...

If Abu Bakr was indeed the rightful Khaleefa of Rasulullah (s), then he only had a right to control those lands that were in the possession of Rasulullah (s) prior to his death. This was not the case with Fadak; it was in the hands of Sayyida Fatima (as), so what right did he have to interfere in land that was in her possession? Hadhrat Abu Bakr should have had a different approach, enquiring into the matter and then deciding 'if the truth is established then I shall seize the land'. Abu Bakr's failure to make a claim, in the absence of proof, and decision to annex the land of another person cannot be deemed appropriate behaviour by the State. [ [http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/fadak/en/chap3.php www.answering-ansar.org] Fadak, chapter 3]

unni view

Sunnis believe that prophets do not leave inheritances, based on Muhammad's sayings:

:"I heard the Prophet of Allah saying, 'We do not leave inheritance. What we leave behind is charity.'" [Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Jihad was-Siyar, no 49]

:"We, the Prophets, do not leave heirs." [Musnad Ahmad ibn al-Hanbal, vol. 2 p. 462]

Sunnis also cite a Shi'a tradition supporting this position:

:According to Abu 'Abdillah (Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq), the Prophet of Allah said: "The scholars are the heirs to the Prophets and the Prophets did not leave dinars and dirhams as inheritance, but they left knowledge." [Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1 p. 42]

This Shi'ite tradition is widely considered Sahih by shi'ite ulema. Thus, PresentScholar|Ayatollah Khomeini|20th|Shia|Twelver, said about the hadith:Based on these sayings of Muhammad, Sunnis believe that Fatimah was mistaken in her claim to Fadak as inheritance. However the shia reject those sunni hadith and say that the shia one is specific to islamic scholars and does not apply to the children of prophets. Shias also point out that the contrasting of money and knowledge was mainly a stylistic aspect of the hadith to show the great value of knowledge compared to material possessions.

Sunnis also reject that Muhammad gifted Fadak to Fatimah. They point out the fact that Fatimah never sought Fadak as a gift - in every single narration about this incident, Fatimah spoke about her inheritance. They point out that it was immediately after the Muhammad's death that Fatimah came to claim Fadak, and argues that if it had been a gift during the lifetime of Muhammad, then it would have already been in her possession at the time of the Muhammad's death, and there would have been no reason to go to Abu Bakr for it. Sunnis further argue that it is impossible that Muhammad gifted Fatimah the property as inheritance that she would assume after his death, since this would be a violation of the Quranic rules about inheritance.

Furthermore, regarding Abu Bakr angering Fatimah, Sunnis point out a couple narrations from Shi'a sources that can be seen to indicate that Ali angered her too on several occasions, see Hadith of Fatimah's anger with Ali.
The sunnis argues that getting in arguments is no more than normal, and thus you cannot condemn anyone for getting in arguments which each other.

See also

* List of Muslim reports
* Succession to Muhammad
* Shi'a view of Abu Bakr

References

External links

* [http://www.al-islam.org/gallery/photos/fadak.gifA picture of Fadak]

Sunni

* [http://shiism.blogspot.com/2006/01/fadak.html Sunni Viewpoint]

Shia

* [http://www.abubakr.org Abu Bakr]
* [http://www.balagh.net/english/ahl_bayt/fatima_the_gracious/49.htm Shia Viewpoint]
*