Doors of the House of Hadrat Fatimah (SBUH)

Part 2

Another doubt having been instilled in minds, by those who have wished to conceal the truth regarding attacking and burning the door of the House of Hadrat Fatimah Zahra (SBUH), has been that her and Ali’s (SBUT) House had only one door in the Masjid and that the House had no door in the alley where the attack has been said to have occurred, therefore the incident of attacking and burning the door of her House did not happen at all!

Masjid of Prophet (SBUH & HP) had a central position in the city of Prophet (medina) and houses were built around it. The House of Hadrat ‘Ali and Hadrat Fatimah (SBUT) was one of those houses which had a door in the Masjid.

Houses around the Masjid had two doors otherwise after Allah’s closing command of all doors in the Masjid, the people of those houses would have been imprisoned in the houses! In this command the Door of the house of ‘Ali (SBUH) in the Masjid was exempt. It is noteworthy to mention  that the exempt Door of ‘Ali was the Door of the House of Fatimah and ‘Ali and their children (SBUT) as confirmed in many Shi’a and Sunni sources such as: the Sunni historian Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman Sakhawi in al-Tuhfah has stated that the House of Fatimah was next to the House of the Prophet (SBUT); and ibn Dhiya’ in Tarikh Makkah has mentioned that the House of Fatimah and ‘Ali had an opening to the House of the Prophet (SBUT) through which the Prophet used to watch them; and al-Maghribi in al-Badr al-Tamam has clarified that the Prophet use to recite the Verse of Tathir (Purity) repeatedly at the Door of this House …

The Sunni Yusof ibn Abd al-Rahman Mizzi in Tahzib al-Kamal vol. 6 p. 405 clearly confirmed that the House of Fatima (SBUH) was in the Masjid. Also ibn Shahrashub in Manaqib vol. 2 pp. 191-192 has stated that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar had also clearly said that the House of ‘Ali and Fatima (SBUT) was next to the Masjid … Thus no one can falsely claim that the door of ‘Ali was different from the House of Fatimah (SBUT) …

It is also noteworthy to mention that in the Sunni source Wafa’ al Wafa’ by ibn al-Jawzi vol. 2 pp. 89-90 it is stated that the Umayyad caliph Walid ibn ‘Abd al-Malik ordered the House of Fatima in the Masjid of the Prophet to be demolished; while Hassan son of Imam Hassan and Fatimah daughter of Imam Husain (SBUT) resisted; but in spite their resistance the House was destroyed …

It is vital to keep in mind that the Prophet (SBUH & HP) repeatedly emphasized on the very important point that leaving the Door of Fatimah and ‘Ali (SBUT) open was “Allah’s COMMAND”; and this clarification of the Prophet has even been recorded in Sunni documents such as in Faza’il al-Sahaba by Ahmad ibn Hanbal, vol. 2, p. 581, al-Sunan al-Kubra by Nasa’I, Ahmad ibn Sho’aib, vol. 7, p. 423 …

The Sunni Sa’d ibn Abi-Waqas was asked whether he remembered any virtue in regard to ‘Ali ibn AbiTalib (SBUT) and he said that after the Divine Command of closing doors in the Masjid, ‘Umar ibn Khattab went to the Prophet (SBUH & HP) and complained that the Prophet had thrown the Ashab and his uncles out of Masjid and kept that young man (‘Ali SBUH) in the Masjid, and the Prophet again asserted that it was all Allah’s command. (Sunni al-Sunan al-Kubra, vol. 7, p. 424)

The following sources have narrated that the Prophet ordered that all the doors of the houses opening toward the mosque be closed except the door of Ali's house: Ahmad bin Hanbal in Musnad. Volume I, page 175, Volume II, page 26 and Volume IV, page 369; Imam Abu Abdu'r-Rahman Nisa'i in Sunan and in Khasa'isi'l-Alawi, pages 13-14; Hakim Nishapuri in Mustadrak, Volume III, pages 117-125 and Sibt Ibn Jauzi in Tadhkira, pages 24-25 have testified to the reliability of this hadith on the basis of chains of narrators of Tirmidhi and Ahmad. Again, Ibn Athir Jazri in Athna'l-Matalib, page 12, Ibn Hajar Makki in Sawa'iq Muhriqa, page 76, Ibn Hajar Asqalani in Fathu'l-Bari, Volume VII, page 12, Tibrani in Ausat, Khatib Baghdadi in his Ta'rikh (History), Volume VII, page, 205, ibn Kathir in Ta'rikh, Volume 7, page 342, Muttaqi Hindi in Kanzu'l-Ummal, Volume VI, page 408, Haithami in Majma'u'z-Zawa'id, Volume IX;, page 65, Muhibu'd-Din Tabari in Riyadh, Volume II, page 451, Hafiz Abu Nu'aim in Faza'ilu's-Sahaba and in Hilyatu'l-Auliya, Volume IV, page 183, Jalalu'd-Din Suyuti in Ta'rikhu'l-Khulafa', page 116, in Jamu'l-Jawami', in Khasa'isu'l-Kubra, and in La'aliu'l-Masnu'a, Volume I, page 181, Khatib Khawarizmi in Manaqib, Hamwaini in Fara'id, Ibn Maghazili in Manaqib, Munawi Misri in Kunuzu'd-Daqa'iq, Sulayman Balkhi Hanafi in Yanabiu'l-Mawadda, page 87, devoting the whole Chapter 17 to this very issue, Shahabu'd-Din Qastalani in Irshad-e-Bari. Volume VI, page 81, Halabi in Siratu'l-Halabiyya, Volume III, page 374 and Muhammad bin Talha Shafi'i in Matalibu's-Su'ul and many others, particularly from among the prominent companions of the Holy Prophet, have narrated the same thing. For instance, Caliph Umar Bin Khattab, Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Abdullah Bin Umar, Zaid Bin Arqam, and Jabir Bin Abdullah Ansari have confirmed the reliability of this hadith. Muhammad Bin Yusuf Ganji Shafi'i, in his book Kifayatu't-Talib, chapter 50, has dealt with this hadith under a special heading. Quoting from authentic sources, he says that since a number of doors of the companions of the Prophet opened towards the mosque, and since the Prophet had forbidden everyone to enter the mosque in the state of janaba or haiz (pollution making the ritual bath essential), he ordered that all doors of the houses be closed excepting the door of Hazrat Ali's house. He said, close all the doors; but let the door of Ali's house remain open. Muhammad Bin Yusuf Shafi'i says that it is peculiar to Ali that he was permitted to enter and stay in the mosque in the state of janaba. He goes on to say: In short, the Holy Prophet's conferring this privilege exclusively on Ali was a great honor. It shows that the Prophet knew that Ali, Fatima, and their descendants were entirely free from impurity, as is clearly shown by the 'VERSE of PURITY' (33:33) in the Holy Qur'an. These remarks of a Shafi'i scholar may be compared to the hadith mentioned by Hafiz Sahib. Leaving aside all the authentic sources we have quoted. The fact is that even Bukhari and Muslim in their collections of traditions have pointed out this fact that a polluted person cannot stay in the mosque. The Prophet said, it is not permitted for anyone who is polluted to stay in the mosque except for me and Ali. Here let us quote a hadith from the second Caliph, Umar Ibn Khattab, which has been reported by Hakim in Mustadrak, page 125, by Sulayman Balkhi in Yanabiu'l-Mawadda chapter 56, page 210, and by others, like Imam Ahmad Bin Hanbal, Khatib Khawarizmi, Ibn Hajar, Suyuti, and Ibn Athir Jazri. He said: Verily, Ali Ibn Abi Talib possessed three outstanding merits. If I possessed any one of them, it would have been better for me than red-haired animals (camels): (1) The Prophet gave his daughter in marriage to him; (2) The Prophet ordered that all the doors of the houses opening towards the mosque be closed except the door of Ali's house; (3) The Prophet bestowed upon him the flag (of Islam) on the day of the Battle of Khaibar.

It is more than obvious that the Divine Command of leaving the Door of ‘Ali (SBUH) open was a virtue for Hadrat ‘Ali (SBUH), and not as falsely justified otherwise by some Sunni …

It is so sad that in spite of such undeniable proofs yet the Sunni scholars as usual have tried over and over to make the facts look otherwise!!!

Let us look at some Sunni sources referring to the second Door of the House of ‘Ali and Fatimah (SBUT) which opened to the alley and not to the Masjid:

Abu Hurayra reported that one day he and the Prophet went to the Qaynaqa’ market and on the way back the Prophet stopped and sat in the antechamber [large area] in front of Fatimah’s House … (Sunni Sahih Bukhari, vol. 3, p. 66; Musnad of Bazzaz, vol. 15, p. 106)

Let us pay attention that firstly Abu Hurayra did not say that the Prophet (SBUH & HP) entered the Masjid, and secondly the large antechamber in front of the Door of Hadrat Fatimah (SBUH) could not have been in the Masjid; thus this door was undoubtedly in the alley.

In another Sunni report it has been stated that one day the Prophet went to Fatimah’s house and ‘Ali (SBUT) was not there … so the Prophet asked Fatimah where ‘Ali was and Fatimah said that he (SBUT) had left the house … the Prophet sent someone after ‘Ali and after a while that man returned and said that ‘Ali (SBUT) was in the Masjid … (Sunni Sahih Bukhari vol. 1 p. 96)

Let us pay attention that according to this report if this Door of Fatimah’s House was in the Masjid the Prophet (SBUT) would have seen ‘Ali himself … thus undoubtedly this Door was in the alley …

There are more such Sunni reports … it is also noteworthy to mention that we do not necessarily confirm all contents of the stated Sunni reports rather we only wish to point to the issue at hand …

Therefore indeed Hadrat Fatimah and Hadrat ‘Ali (SBUT)’s House was next to the Masjid of the Prophet and it definitely had two doors, one which opened in the Masjid and another in the alley …

Thus Sunni hadiths which report that people such as Zubair, who had not pledged allegiance to AbuBakr, entered Fatimah’s house and ‘Umar went there … (‘Usami Makki, ‘Abd al-Malik, anba’ al-Awa’il … vol. 2 p. 332); and ‘Umar swore by Allah that he would burn the house with everyone in it … (Tarikh Tabari vol. 3 p. 202); and later AbuBakr wished that he  had never attacked Fatimah’s house … (Tarikh Tabari vol. 3 p. 430); …; were all about the House of Fatimah and ‘Ali and their children (SBUT) and the door which opened in the alley …

We cordially invite readers to also refer to all parts of the articles “The wage of the Prophetic Mission of the Last Divine Prophet (PBUH & HP)” and “Secret burial”, also available in the E-book “Fatima … Fadak …” in this site: kindfather.com

In addition we invite readers to study the precious book:

House of Sorrows, The life of Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra and her grief

Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi

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May Allah hasten the Appearance of Imam Mahdi (SBUH) who shall avenge all done to Hadrat Fatimah (SBUH) by bringing the criminals to trial in this world and …

AAMEEN …