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Chapter 13Her Final Struggle
Why Not Ali?
Everything becomes clear. Why had
the Prophet upon his return from his last pilgrimage and prayer at Ghadir Khom
introduced Ali in front of all of the groups of Moslems who had accompanied
him to the gathering and have them admit that the leadership of Ali was the
same as his leadership?
Why was it that when the Prophet
had not yet entered the city, a group of 12 people circled the mountainous
road so that he and perhaps Ali would be killed? And this plot which came about
after Ghadir relates to it because the elections were no accident.
And why is it that, although the
Prophet is informed about the plot before hand and orders them to be taken away
after the event, he does not reveal their names? It is not a small accident
especially considering the particular interest of the Companions of the Prophet
who have even the least important events of his life recorded with care.
Why did the Prophet in his last
battle, the Battle of Tabuk, accept considering his age and the age of his
great and elder Companions and those who were not military men, who were not
men of the sword but more political elements that they go to this battle to
fight the powerful foreign Romans in the north of the country where the danger
of death was very great? Why did he single out Ali, and, against the will of
Ali, the reproach of the Jewish people and the hypocrites, keep Ali in Medina
even though Ali is known as a man of the sword, the hero of many battles, the
bearer of the flag and the conqueror of the famous and great battles of the
Prophet? He says to him, I leave you for that which I left behind in Medina.
Are you not satisfied that your relationship to mine is the same as the
relationship of Moses' with that of his brother Aaron?'
Why did he, at the time of his
death, send an army to attack the Romans and not because of an emergency and/
or for defense? Why does he send Abu Bakr, Omar and the other great men and
politicians who had influence along with the army? Why, with such an army, does
he choose the 18 year old Osameh to lead the army while these great men are
among the common soldiers? Why, when there is objection to his leadership
because of his youth, does the Prophet get angry and in strong terms criticize
those who think age is more important than worthiness?
And why when he is feverish and
at the door of death, does he insist and persist, pray and insult so that the
army would move quickly, the elders would move and he kept Ali in Medina? Why,
at the last moment of his life does he ask for a tablet and pen and say, 'I
want to write down something so that you will never go astray.' Why do those
who had just been elected not allow him to write anything down? They even argue
in front of him and create an uproar. They bother him. They even insult and
protest to his wives who were crying behind the curtain saying, 'The Prophet
wants to leave his last will and testament. Bring him a tablet and a pen.' They
delay. They call themselves friends of Joseph until the Prophet, in anger
says, 'All of those women are better than you.' and then he asks to be left
alone.
Why at the end of his life, when the Prophet says, 'I have
three pieces of advice for you,' he mentions only two of them and the third
one, which is about Ali, remains unsaid? Why when Balal says, 'it is the time
of ritual prayer,' and he is not able to rise from his bed, he says, ?ell Ali
to come.' Suddenly both of them appear in answer to the message of his daughter
and the Prophet sees all three of them at one time and then, without saying
anything, asks ail three to leave.
Why? Why? Why?
Why was it that the Prophet, who
at the most difficult time of battles, face to face with the power of the
enemy, and he lacking power, filled with loneliness, always spook full of hope
and strength, certain of the future? Why during the last days of his life when
he is on the edge of his victory, is he so afraid and worried?
Why the last night of his
sickness before his death, in the middle of the night, alone with his man
helper, does he go to the graveyard and spend a long time whispering to the
silent corpses, with the greatest of pain, saying, 'May God bless you all. How
lucky you are to be dead and therefore not facing this present situation.'
Why is it that as he gets closer
to death he repeats more and more often that plots and conspiracies like parts
of the black night are now continuously appearing? Yes. Now all of these why's
are answered. A part of that black night has passed by. Ali has finished
burying the Prophet and the great Companions, at the same moment, bury his
rights.
They come from Saqifeh to the
mosque so that the Caliph can announce his leadership in a message to the
people. Ali returns from the empty home of the Prophet to Fatima's home to
begin 25 years of silence, full of pain, loneliness and blackness.
And it is Fatima who must bear
the weight and anger of this unmerciful blow along with her delicate soul. Her
father, her refuge, her dearest beloved, has gone. Ali, her brother, husband,
friend and only familiar family and sympathizer, sad and broken, remains at
home and, like herself, remains alone. It seems like in a space of a few short
hours, they all became strangers. Medina no longer recognizes them.And Islam?
And Islam? This faith endows a
devotion in the soul of Fatima so that from her childhood onwards, inspite of
her young years and delicateness, she can perform the jihad for the
establishment of Islam during the lifetime of her father at the time of the
first mojaheds [warriors, those who fight to defend the faith]. The endowment
also includes that she suffer difficulties, poverty, the barriers of life and
sorrow throughout her childhood and her youth so that her soul may move upon
the way. With her delicate and fragile feet, she steps along the way with the
first mojaheds and real pilgrims.
She paves this difficult and
bumpy way for those who follow her. With all her faith, power and feelings, she
helps so that the message of her father can find permanence amid this group,
so that correctness, the worship of Truth, freedom, justice, piety, equality,
the roots of brotherhood among all creatures cab become strong and so that this
young community, which is without power and without awareness, where the germs
of old diseases are hidden in the depths of corpses, can take root in the
powerful way of knowledge, awareness, justice and human chastity. She leads
upon the way that the unlettered Prophet took her. She did the things that he
had ordered be done and had made part of the Traditions.
But now for Fatima we could say
all things have become silent. All the walls, foundations, watch towers and
ramparts which are built with all that effort, suddenly fall into ruins.
The fate of Islam is decided in
Saqifeh without the presence of Ali, Salman, Abuzar, Ammar, Meghdad and others.
Now, these people have all gathered in Fatima's home, sad and angry. Why have
they remained faithful to Ali. They are not from among the aristocrats of the
Oussand Khazraj tribes. They have no family or hold no prestige in Medina.
They are not from among the original Qoraish family whose luxury of blood,
family and class has given them station and position. They do not desire to
have the slightest part of the Caliphate of the Prophet.
These are people who are either
strangers like Saiman who was Iranian, or Abuzar who came from the.desert, or
Ammar whose mother was a black African slave and his father had come from Yemen
or other unknown people without any prestige or any claim to being high class.
They are simple, deprived people like Meitham who sold dates.
These people, in the eyes of the
Prophet, were dear and beloved but now that he has gone, they have been obliged
to return to a permanent state of humility. Values have changed again.Ali is the Only Refuge
Their only refuge is Ali. Ali
himself has the same position they do in Medina. He also suffers from the
renewed regime of old values. His story goes like this: He is a young man,
thirty some years old (in comparison to the elders of the community). He is a
man empty handed, without class, without the shackles of politics or tribal
bonds. He holds only the pious virtues of knowledge, bravery, persistance upon
the way, high thinking and awareness. He has the power of speech and the sword.
His entire fortune is amassed from and consists of the dangers he met
remaining loyal to the Prophet as well as his sword which was raised in jihad
and the great amount of blood which was drawn from the hatred of yesterday's
enemies who have 'surrendered' to the 'decree' of the Prophet.
Those values, consciousness of
self and the unawareness of provoking the jealousy of friends, sacrifices and
courage, created a hatred in his enemies which could never be made up for. Both
friends and enemies alike joined hands and stories in attacking and condemning
Ali. They slandered him, humiliated him and finally they ostrasized him and
left him alone.
When a spirit rises above the
level of his time and grows beyond the container of the patience of the people
of its time, it is left alone. The profundity, beauty and richness of his
'being' of and by itself, humbles the empty, trivial ugliness of others.
Whenever one humbles oneself, friend and foe alike, consciously and
unconsciously, join together to negate or destroy the spirit of the great
personality or else they try to destroy its distinct rights. They mutually
benefit each other. Then, friends, companions and those who have the same
thoughts, because of the greatness of 'being', show contempt. They create a
vacumn in their personalities. They suffer. They try by negating or denying his
virtues to contaminate the personality, to feign closeness in order to reduce
the space which is causing them to suffer. Since they can never reach the
spirit directly, they try to pull it back so that they can reach it in this
way. It is in this effort that they join with the enemies and find mutual
interests. When this happens, friends also find a need to destroy that spirit.
They unknowingly become the toys of the enemy. They become the representative
of murder. They become amateur servants of oppressors. This is why Ali must be
humiliated.
This is why the 0mayyid tribe,
who are the enemies of the Emigrants, Helpers and Ali advertise that, 'All is
the son of the earth." All does not perform his ritual prayers.' The
Omayyids are writers of revelation, who have
gathered the Qoran and the uncles
and relatives of the Prophet. The daughter of Abu Sufiyan is the wife of the
Prophet, so his house is a sacred place. It is an area where fighting is
forbidden. It is in the immense palace of Abu Sufiyan which, in the eyes of the
Prophet like the house of God in Mecca is a place of refuge for all. Whosoever
seeks refuge there is safe.
How is it that Ali is killed in
the mihrab [the place which gives the direction of prayer] of a mosque? What
sort of news is this? What was Ali the 'father of dust', 'the man who'
supposedly, 'does not perform his prayers,' doing at the mihrab? Ali,
performing his prayers? How could that be?Others Are Busy Destroying Him
Everyone knows that this hatred
of Ali resulted from his heroic deeds at Badr , Khandaq and other such battles.
But a friend? The sore becomes infected with they who participated in the
battles of Badr and Khandaq against the Omayyids, now join them and sing the
same tune. Why?
The well known of the great
Companions were obliged to lower their heads at the Battle of Khandaq where
Ali, a young man, twenty seven years old, struck such fear into the enemy
through his sword and the cries of allaho
akbar which issued forth from him that the Prophet praised him, 'The blows
of Ali in the battle of Khandaq are worth more than the worship of all the men
and jinn.' The blows of his sword made them happy and they grew eager for
confrontation, but, hidden, nevertheless, was a jealousy which planted itself
in their unconscious conscience. It grows later on without they thelmselves
being aware of it. The seed grows into branches bearing leaves which eventually
cover their whole spirit and thoughts. Its roots form in the depths of their
bones.
At Khaybar where Abu Bakr carried the flag of the Prophet
and went forwad to conquer the citadel, and after great effort, he returns
broken, then Omar goes and returns defeated, the Prophet says, Tomorrow, I
will give the flag into the hands of someone who loves both God and His Prophet
and both God and His Prophet love him.'
The next day he gives the flag to
Ali. Ali amazingly conquers one citadel after another. He opens a citadel up
and people enter in to plunder and he moves on to attack another citadel.
At Badr, at Ohud the great ones,
the Companions who consider themselves from the point of view of age and
position in society, to be at the highest level, either run away or else go and
sit in a corner, afraid and hopeless. It is Ali who like lightening and wind
passes through the scenes and creates a new front amidst the fear and defeat.
When he carries the flag towards victory at Honein, while the great influential
and respected Companions run away from the narrow strait and Abu Sufiyan cries
out, 'The way they are running away, they will not stop until they reach the
Red Sea!', Ali, like a rock, closes the mouth of the strait.
This sword creates hatred in the
enemies as well as in the friends. Even though they are fighting for the same
thing, jealousy and contempt arises. This is how friends and enemies join into
one front whenever the character, virtues or strength of Ali is spoken about.
This is when a friend needs an enemy and an enemy needs a friend and they both
work together. This is why the reaction to the greatness of Ali is compensated
for by showing contempt for Ali.
How? By not taking his Islamic
virtues into account, by not emphasizing them. Even though it is unmanly, they
describe him in terms which are contrary to what he really is. They express
words or spread stories in a way which is slander. If they do not reach this
low level, they just keep quiet as to his values. If they mention his weak
points whenever they get the chance, they exaggerate them and make mountains
out of molehills. They oppress his rights and destroy the Truth. They admit the
rights of Ali to the extent of Abu Bakr or Omar, but they do so in order to
destroy his rights. They act from a motive.The Result: His Chances Are Destroyed
'Ali? Yes. But he is still young.
Let some years pass for him.'
'Ali? Yes. But he is a man of the
sword, devoted, knowledgeable, but he knows nothing however about politics. He
is brave but he does not know the science of war.'
'Ali? Yes. But he jokes too much.'
'Ali? Yes. But at the present
time it is not advisable for Islam that he be elected. He has many enemies. At
the time of the Prophet, during the wars, he killed many of the great and
influential Arabs. The hatred is still warm. It is not advisable.'
'Ali? Yes. But he is too sure of
himself.'(Their inferiority complex becomes obvious).
'Ali? Yes. If the Caliphate were
to be given to him, he would run this camel firmly in the right direction. But
is he really serious about that?'
The result? The result is that
Ali is destroyed both at the hands of the Bani Omayyids as well as at those of
Omar, who is the enemy of the Bani Omayyid and of the same rank as Ali. Othman
is victorious with the help of Omar and also the Bani Omayyid who are the
enemies of Omar and the family of Othman.
Fatima knows all these things
very well. She understands them. She is not someone who sits at home aware of
nothing which is going on. Fatima has learned how to walk through struggles.
She knows how to cut through propaganda. Her youth had been spent in the heart
of the movement's storm and her maturing years in the political fire of her
times. She is a Moslem woman: a woman whose ethical purity does not prohibit
her from social responsibility. Now, a few hours have passed since the Prophet
has been buried. Ali is in his home surrounded by some of the Bani Hashimi and
the beloved Companions of the Prophet who had remained loyal to him. They have
joined together in their opposition to what had happened at Saqifeh and in
their disobedience to the allegiance which had drawn people to it. The decree
of the Caliph has been read at the mosque. People have also pledged allegiance
to him. Omar, a political agent, tries unrelentlessly to gather the remaining
votes so as to pave the way.
Saied ibn Obadeh, the leader of
the Khazraj, a man of influence who was the candidate of the Helpers at Saqifeh,
did not accept the Caliphate of Abu Bakr. Out of protest, he left Medina. He
headed towards Damascus. News reached them that half way there he had been
attacked and killed by a jinn! Who has assassinated him? They even knew the
jinn who killed him because a poem circulated in praise of that jinn. But soon
murmurs were heard that he had been murdered by command of Omar Khalid ibn
Valid.
The fate of the tribes is still
unknown. There is a possibility that they will not accept Abu Bakr as Caliph.
But the most dangerous focal point is at Fatima's house. Yes. From this day on,
the house of Fatima becomes a center, dangerous to governments.Three Centers of Patience
Now in Medina, history shows us
three important centers of great patience: the mosque, the home of Fatima, and
next to it, the Prophet's home, which has now been silenced. It is strange that
these three are all located in one place, wall to wall. Yes. Only the distance
of a wall separates them.
Omar is very angry about this
single point of strength in opposition to the new leaders. He who has struggled
a great deal to establish Abu Bakr's leadership and who has removed hundreds of
obstacles, cannot now bear the fact that there is a group in this house which
has been established to resist, who gather together to put aside that allegiance.
And still more important is the fact that this house is next to the mosque.
The mosque is the Parliament of
the Caliphate, the house of government. Fatima's house is in the corner and the
faces of those who were until yesterday the dearest and most beloved of the
Prophet can be seen there.
Fatima, like a wounded bird, is
pressed between two heavy tragedies: the death of the Prophet and the defeat of
Ali. Her head is .bowed with the weight of the black sorrow. She thinks about
the past. She thinks of her father who had always been so worried about the
future as to what would the fate be of the religion of justice and its
leadership. Bitter sweet memories fill her mind and her spirit. Like a bird who
flaps its wings within its cage, wing to wing of her father, flying through the
past horizons, she is able to find peace for a few moments from the anger of
the tragedy which has most recently fallen upon her and destroyed her home.
Suddenly, a loud uproar comes from the mosque. Fatima, in the midst of the
uproar, cries and confusion, hears the voice of Omar ibn Khatab saying, 'I will
burn this house to the ground with all its inhabitants.'
She hears these words of attack
loud and clear. They have come closer now. The door of Fatima's house opens to
the mosque. She hears the words of someone in amazement, asking, Even if
Fatima is in there?'
And Omar answers, 'Even if she is in there.'
It is true that Omar's servant
brought fire to the mosque. The fire is now at her door. In the midst of the
confusion, Omar shouts out, 'Ali come out!'
Inside the house there is great
commotion. The flames of fire are close. They are visible from between the
cracks in the door. The cries of Omar grow louder and more violent by the
moment. Suddenly the cry of Fatima is heard. She is standing behind the door.
Her cry holds within it all of the sorrow of the world.
'Father, Prophet of God! After
you; what have I not seen from Omar and Abu Bakr!.'
The followers of Omar take
several steps backwards. These are the cries and anger of the beloved daughter
of the Prophet! A group can not contain themselves. They begin to cry and wail
out loud. Another group remains looking fixedly upon the home of Fatima and the
Prophet.
They say they were all fixed with
shame. Omar, who had remained alone, stands confused for a moment. He does not
know what to do. Then he returns to Abu Bakr. Everyone gathers around Abu Bakr.
They relate the story of Fatima to him. Some of them tell it as if they are
speaking of a tragedy.
Abu Bakr returns to Fatima's
house followed by Omar and others, but this time they go softly and quietly.
One says, 'Abu Bakr cuts with cotton [i.e. his policy is softness] whereas Omar
cuts with the sword [his policy is rough].'
Fatima is used to difficulties.
She has grown up in the cradle of resistance and struggle. She now finds
herself facing the most difficult of her tragedies when she senses herself to
have the least strength. She stands alone behind the door bf this home like its
guard, gathering together all of her strength before she falls to her knees
under the pressure and weight weighing down upon her. She is trying to protect
Ali who is now all alone.
They ask permission to enter. She
does not giver permission. Ali, whose patience is hard to conceive of, comes
out. He asks Fatima to give them permission. to enter. She does not resist Ali.
But she remains silent, a silence which is overflowing with anger. Ali asks
them to enter. They do so. They greet Fatima. Fatima, in anger, turns away from
them and does not answer. She creates a
distance between herself and them. Because of her anger, she places herself
beyond a wall. Abu Bakr sense that Fatima's anger and disgust is beyond limit.
He does not know what to say or how to begin.
Shame and silence create a shadow upon the heads of the two leaders. It
is difficult for them at this moment to be present between Fatima and Ali. Ali
is sitting beside them. They say there is only one host, silence. And Fatima,
next to the wall, is pouting, full of anger. She has hidden herself from them
so she will not see them. It is a wall, the distance between which is never
removed from that time forward.
Abu Bakr tries to have a positive encounter. He tries to find the
strength so .that he can speak at this difficult moment. Moments pass and the
silence which is full of words remains fixed in this house. Abu Bakr, with a
face full of deep and apparent sorrow and in a tone trembling with sympathy,
begins in a friendly voice.
'Beloved daughter of the Prophet, I swear that the family of the Prophet
is dearer to me than my own family. You are dearer to me than my own daughter,
Aiesha. The day your father died, I had wished that I had died so that I would
not remain after him. You see that I know you and I admit your virtue and
nobility and if I were to take the rights and heritage of the Prophet of God
from you, it is only because I had heard him, peace be upon him, say, 'We
Prophets do not leave a legacy. That which remains from us is charity.'
Abu Bakr grows quiet. Omar is also silent. They wait to see the effects
of these soft and praiseworthy words upon Fatima's spirit. Fatima, without
hesitating for a moment, in answer, begins with a quiet introduction full of
reason, without any anger or cries. 'If I were to quote the words of the
Prophet of God to both of you, would you admit them to be his word$ and follow
them?'
They both
answer in one voice...'Yes...'
She says, '1 hold you both to
your oath to God. Did either of you not hear the Prophet say, 'Fatima's contentment
is my contentment and Fatima's anger is my anger. That which my daughter, Fatima,
likes, I like. That which contents Fatima contents me. That which brings about
Fatima's anger brings about my anger.'
They both answer, 'Yes. We heard
these words from the Prophet of God.'
She immediately continues, 'Then
I have authority from God and the angels to tell you that you both brought me
to anger and you have not given me contentment. When 1 see the Prophet of God,
1 will tell him about you. I will complain to him about you.'
Abu Bakr begins to cry. He senses
that neither does he have the strength to speak nor does Fatima have the
strength to listen. He arises and Omar behind him. He enters the mosque. Full
of confusion and tears, he cries out with anger and pain to those gathered
there that ....Fadak is Confiscated
But the power structure and the
policy making agents convince Abu Bakr that it is in in the best interests of
the community for him to move aside. With deep sorrow and after much
disagreement, he is convinced. He accepts their advice and is tamed. He
imagines that by accepting the Caliphate, he will be able to continue the
victory of Islam and implement the Traditions of the Prophet. The first
decision he makes is to confiscate Fadak, the grazing area which belonged to
Fatima.
Ali is personally and
economically paralyzed by this act. His income now depends completely upon what
he received from the public purse. They leave Ali alone. Those who had gathered
around him are dispersed either through force or by their own decision. In this
way, there is no danger of revolt from his non allegiance and disobedience.
They know that as long as Fatima is alive, they can not get Ali's allegiance.
Ali cannot give his allegiance because Fatima opposes a power or force which
does not know the meaning of right. She has not the least bit of softness for
them. She holds her strict position until her death. The feeling of anger does
not leave her. She attacks what she has in relation to them. She does not let
go for a moment.
The Prophet dies. Ali remains at
home. Fatima's legacy, which is the only means of income for herself, her
husband and her children, is confiscated. Power falls into the hands of Abu
Bakr and Omar. The fate and future of Islam is given into the political hands
of men such as Abdul Rahman ibn Ouf, a worshipper of money, the aristocrat,
Othman, the careless, Khalid ibn Valid and Saied ibn Vaqas, a man without
piety. They become the principal agents of the Caliphate of the Prophet.
Ali remains at home. He spends
his time gathering together the Qoran because he fears for the future. Balal
has to leave Medina. He goes to Damascus and remains silent forever. Salman
retreats to a corner. He tells those who are hurriedly and victoriously
returning from Saqifeh, 'You did what you shouldn't have done and you didn't do
what you should have done.' Then, full of sorrow, having lost hope, he returns
to Iran. He dies at Madayen. Abuzar, the close Companion of the Prophet and
Ammar remain idle.Fatima Does Not Give Up
But Fatima does not sit down.
Under a mountain, full of sorrow, bearing her bereaving spirit, she continues
her resistance and her struggle against the oppressive Caliphate. She believes
the Caliphate to be unworthy. In order to get back Fadak, she does not stand
still. Her efforts are always to attack and criticize. She tries to prove to
everyone that the Caliph was taking out political revenge upon her and striking
an economic blow to Ali with this act of taking Fadak. Fadak is a small grazing
area and even if it had been larger, it would have still been too small for Fatima
to get involved with. But Fadak has taken on the importance of showing the
usurpation and force of the new regime. By keeping the problem of Fadak alive,
she tries to condemn the regime. She proves what rights they deny in order to
serve their own purposes. They do not refrain from deviating from a saying of
the Prophet or its meaning. She wants the thoughts of people to know to what
extent these people who call themselves followers of the custom of the
Prophet' and who actually establish their own Caliphate on this basis, oppress
the family of the Prophet. They cut off the right which each and every Moslem
child has to receive and every father has the right to give.
They say the Prophet has
children, but leaves no legacy. Fadak becomes a political issue for Fatima and
a means of rebellion. Fatima's insistence is because of this, not because of
its economic value as her conscious enemies and unconscious friends announce.
Fatima does not give up. Even
though the death of the Prophet has burned her spirit and strongly hurt her.
Each blow follows upon the other. The. majority of the great Companions and
Emigrants of the Prophet who have reached a number which can be counted on one
hand, all have given their vote to the Caliph or they have accepted the election
and coup d'etat of Saqifeh.
Fatima has no real hope to be
able to get back any power. She knows that Ali has lost his rights. The chosen
power, who have pre-designed and pre-planned the whole thing, have become
fixed. She must fight and struggle with the little hope that she has. She must
rebel against the ruler. Even if she cannot defeat him, she will at least have
condemned him. If it does not fall, it can, at least, be disgraced. If the
truth cannot be implemented, it can be proven and designed so that time will
come to know it. It can be kept alive, so that people come to know that the
ruling forces do not represent the truth. They are oppressive. It is truth,
justice and freedom which have been defeated and imprisoned.
This is why Medina now witnesses
one of the most wonderful views of history. Next to the mosque of the Prophet,
in the heart of the dark night, a woman in mourning, sitting upon a horse,
being led by a man, passes through the dark empty streets of the town.
Ali walks. Fatima, the beloved
and rebellious daugter of the Prophet rides. Every night they leave their home
with the same purpose. Ali goes with her to seek out the Helpers. They are more
sincere and impartial than the Emigrants who are mainly from the Qoraish
tribe. They support each other. An aged political structure brings them together.,
Now the Caliph, from among them, is their influential master. All of them
share in his leadership. But the Helpers play no role in the present
leadership. Their candidate has been Saied ibn Obadeh who left Medina and was
assassinated on his way to Damascus.
They give in although they
disagree with Abu Bakr's reasoning. Abu Bakr had been an emigrant, a relative
of God's Prophet and the elder of the Qoraish. They surrendered when he said
that the Prophet wished for the Caliph to be from his Qoraish family, from
among the relatives and family of the Prophet. Out of respect for the saying
of the Prophet and his family, they submitted and overlooked their differences.
They gave leadership to Abu Bakr who was from the Prophet's tribe and the
father in law of the Prophet. He had shown himself to be among the loyal
followers and family of the Prophet. He received the majority vote. These are
the present people of Medina.
Now Fatima goes to them
personally. Every night she accompanies Ali to their sessions. She speaks with
them. She speaks of each and every one of the desires of the Prophet. She
accounts one by one for Ali's worthiness, virtues and superiorities. Through
her influential spirit, with her great human personality, her political
awareness, with the 4ccurate knowledge she had of Islam, its spirit and goals
and finally with the power of logic and reasoning, she proves the rightfulness
of Ali and the wrongfulness of the election. She shows the deception. She
counts the results and makes them apparent. She shows how they will suffer from
this superficial and hurriedly determined decision of political negligence. She
frightens them with the dark and unstable future which awaits Islam with their
leadership of the community.
Not even one historian has
mentioned this story. No one has retold the fact that no one opposes the logic
of Fatima to argue with her interpretation and reception of the event. They
stand by her. All give her the right. All admit their great error. All accept
the virtues of Ali and the superiority of his leadership. Fatima is asking them
to support Ali and help him get his rights.
But their answers? 'You should
see the Prophet's daughter now that we have given our allegiance to Abu Bakr.'
'The affair is finished. If your husband, your cousin, Ali, had taken the lead
and mentioned all of this sooner, we would certainly have elected him. We
prefer him to anyone else.'
Ali, surprised and in a tone of
protest, asks them, 'Do you really believe that I should have left the dead
body of the Prophet in his home, neglected his funeral ceremonies, come out of
the house, and fought for a legacy?'
Fatima, seeing that once again
Ali is sacrificed because of his loyalty to the Prophet, says, 'Ali has done
nothing other than what he should have done. He did the noble thing, but what
did they do? God will punish them and will take care of them.'The Promised Gift is Sent
Now everything has ended. Fatima is content to await death. She feels
more alone than she ever thought she could. She sees all the familiar faces who
for so many years surrounded her father, who went everywhere with him and who
have now turned into strangers.
The Companions are now breathing another air. Medina is no longer the
city of the Prophet. Policy and soverreignity are now governing the 'City of
Faith'. The great and powerful spirit which had spirited the bedouins, that is
, feelings, generosity, worship of the truth, standing for the truth, sensitivity
towards human values and the beauties of a life of spiritual struggle,
faith and piety are gone.
Instead there is a burning and destroying of and a
rebuilding based upon ancient customs, tribal traditions, blood relationships,
selfishness, pride, self worship, tribal killing, inferior political games and
conservatism. All of this opposes the lashes of his words which are lashes of
certainty containing the fire of the revolution, committment and engagement in
social action, responsibility, progress, manifestations of the spirit, meaning
and the constant chance of life and resistance to oppression.Ali Remains Silent
Now he is silent. He is settled
inside Fatima's house, His dearest friends are left out as well, they who had
lived a classless existence and who had found a high place in the eyes and the
heart of the Prophet. They who had earned their nobility and respect through
their faith, sincerity, awareness and resistance had fallen from the eyes of
the new political leaders. Those who are clever and eye catching, move
forward.
Ears are so busy with talk of
power, leadership and self protection that one can no longer hear the softness
of emotions, friendship and sincerity. The personality of Abu Bakr, harshness
of Omar and the sword of Khaled and the genius of Amr al Aas suddenly build a
high wall around Medina, and the people, frightened and/or attracted, and the
Companions aware and/or unaware, are taken into the middle of the wall. But
Fatima's house is left out of it. Fatima's voice reaches no one!
The enemies of Fatima are much
stronger than those whom they resisted and fought against in Mecca. Her father
fought alone in Mecca with only his young daughter as his companion and
support. In the Masjid al Haram, the place of the power of the enemy before
Islam, the Prophet and his daughter faced the Qoraish senate together. The
Prophet has been calling the 300 idols, the worshipped and intercessors of the
Qoraish, and all Arabs, dumb, idiots. Without hesitation and weakness, he cries
out that he will break all of them with God's help. He compares their ancestors
to fools and that which they hold sacred as being superstition.
But we see that the Prophet, at
the height of his power, when he was more loved, more powerful and more
influential than ever before, during the last days of his life, can not move
Osameh's army. Even though he gives strict commands, prays and curses, tired
and sick with fever, on the verge of death, he cannot move the army standing in
Jazaf, near Medina.
What can I say? Even in his own
house, among his nearest companions, he could not write a letter, he could not
announce his testimony. If he were to simply say it, it would not be safe from
alteration and deviation.
Her husband, Ali, the hero of the
day, the man who in the battle of Khandaq where all of the enemy tribes had
joined together to attack Medina, where both profane and religious groups had
gathered to attack, that is, Arabs and Jews, joined in a single unit to destroy
the young Islamic movement entirely, to crush Mohammad's support and the
revolution upon the heads of its warriors, and, as they said, 'to take Medina's
soil with the feed bags of their horses', while Ali, a young man, twenty or so
years old, with one blow, changed the whole fate of the battle.
The man, who at the Battle of
Ohud when the Qoraish occupy the valley and the Moslems are dispersed and.
fleeing, when the great Companions are hidden, having lost hope and the Prophet
is wounded and defenseless in his position, circles around the Prophet like a
whirlwind, returns to the battlefield and scatters the front of the enemy which
is pressing forward, progressing towards the Prophet over the bodies of the
martyrs. He returns to Mohammad to circle around him once again. As he goes
back to the battlefield, closing the way of escape, shouting to the scattered
forces to form a new front, he regroups the defeated, hopeless, deserters and
forms a resistance group which forces the Qoraish, full of joy at hearing the
news of the death of the Prophet, seeing the mass of martyrs, the defeat of the
warriors and drinking the blood of Hamzeh, the Prophet's uncle, to retreat from
the battlefield.
The men who guaranteed the
victory of Khaybar, the man who upon the battlefield uses his sword like a
sickle which moves through the wheat fields at harvest time, harvesting heads
and blood and amasses the army of the enemy and lays them in front of his
horse, now sits in the corner of a house.
Where is His Sword?
What has happened to the famous
sword of her husband, Ali? Whenever he returned from battle, it was full of
blood and was given to her along with the sword of the Prophet. Ali would say
to her in a voice full of honor, glory and pride, 'Fatima, wash these!' Now, he
is becoming lifeless and after ten years of constant struggle, he is laying
down in bed.
She also sees that they are
attacking Ali's house, but he does not leave his silent corner. Thus, in the
battlefield where the Prophet could not succeed, Ali, the warrior, the champion
who gave glory to the field of battle, has been defeated and Fatima is alone.
What can she do?
Always fighting in the battle
front, he is more severe and causes more misery than the front in which the
external enemy is standing opposite him. Now a battle has begun where Abu
Lahab, Abu Jahl, Abu Sufiyan, Hind and Otbeh Omiyeh ibn Khalaf and Akarmeh are
not opposite him. These visages are well known as lacking any respect or human
desires. It is obvious that they fight only to protect their power, interests,
force, strength, business caravans, slave markets and not because of poverty,
spiritual meaning, faith and human wishes. It is a battle between despotism
and revolution, slavery and freedom, captivity and salvation, humiliation and
lordship, purity and filth. Finally, it is a war against the guardians of
ignorance and darkness in human disguise by the messengers of awareness and
enlightment.
What is it? On one side is Ali
and Fatima as it was in Mecca, Badr, Ohud Khaybar, Fath and Honein. But, on the
other side is Abu Bakr, the first person who, outside the Prophet's home, joins
him, his friend, his companion on the migration, and father of his wife. A
person who gives him friendship when the Prophet has no one and is alone who
spends all of his wealth in the way of the Prophet, and, as a result, in
Medina, he is so poor that it is said that he had to work for Jews and strange
and despised people. He was a person whom people had seen for 23 years, that
is, from the first year of the mission of the Prophet until his death of the
Prophet, beside the Prophet.
And Omar, the 40th person who, in
the hidden Shelter of the Prophet, accepted Islam. With his joining and that
of Hamzeh, the first few weak friends gained power and appeared among the
people to announce Islam. From that time on, he gave all of his power towards
the progress of the movement. He is from among the closest friends and most
distinguished of the Emigrants of the Prophet. He was the father of Hafaseh,
one of the other wives of the Prophet and people accept him as one of the
leaders and great Companions of the Prophet of God.
Othman, an Emigrant who had made
two emigrations in the way of Islam was the son in law of the Prophet who had
married two daughters of the Prophet. He had an eyecatching, sacred
personality and he belonged to two of the great families of the Qoraish. He had
a great wealth which he distributed among the poor friends of the Prophet and
had actively participated in social services and helped the people a great
deal. The masses of the people call upon him as one of the Companions, great
Emigrants, friend and family of the Prophet.
And Khalid ibn Walid, who is a
hero in the religious struggles against the enemies of Islam. At the Battle of
Muteh, where he is a simple soldier, he breaks nine swords over the heads of
Romans. He is known as 'the sword of God'. Amr al Aas is one of the four famous
Arab geniuses who had become a Moslem many years before. He showed the power of
Islam to the Emperor of Rome at the Northern borders. Saied ibn Vaqas , the first
person who in Islam fires an arrow at an enemy, takes Moslems from the position
of defense and shows them how to attack. He shows the enemies what attack is
all about and at the Battle of Ohud he carefully released several arrows and
saved the life of the Prophet who was in great danger. He had defended himself
so bravely that the Prophet praised him.
There were many, many more
including great Emigrants, Helpers, all the army, leaders and builders of the
foundation of Islam and closest friends and pioneers of the Prophet among them.
Their Slogan is Islam
And their slogan? Not idol
worship, disbelief, polytheism, myths, protection of the business of the
Qoraish nor the nobility of the tribe, but establishment of unity and the
spread of Islam, the gathering and propagation of the Qoran, piety, the
negating of the gathering of wealth and gold, helping people,. seeking of the
satisfaction of God, the implementation of religious law and finally, the
putting of the Prophet's Traditions into effect and most important of all,
promoting Unity and the uniting of Moslems.
In the middle of this, a right is
easily and quietly aiscarded. The rights of Ali. How? Very easily and with a
very understandable logic because of sympathy towards the community and because
of the fate of Islam and the danger of internal rebellion, pressure of the
foreign enemies and the fear of separation among the Moslems and... in short,
it is. because it is advisible for the moment.
A young man, thirty some years
old, often harsh, whose background does not stand well with the majority they
are jealous of him. His behaviour is of a type that causes the influential,
effective personalities and groups to not be optimistic towards him.
It is still too soon for Ali. It
is not advisable for Islam at the moment.' Yes. Advisability! The inauspicious
blow which is always used against the Truth. Advisability, a sword used by
clever people to sacrifice the Truth. It is done in accordance with the Divine
Law:face the giblah and say, In the
Name of God', a clean and pure sacrifice, a permissible meat.
How simple! Without any noise.
Without anyone understanding. Without any who are asleep, awakening: Without
the people rebelling. Without anyone to bring awareness to the people. Without
anyone being able to distinguish the rights which are asleep under the blows of
advisability, they silently die and are forgotten. Finally, without any effort,
or protest, to be able to save the Truth and stand against the power which is
armed with adviseability', the struggles, cries, protests, moanings anti:
even objections of Fatima go unheeded. When, a society is covered under
advisability, nothing can be done. The greatest tradegy in human history takes
place. It. is a silent and defenseless tragedy which sacrifices Ali and Fatima
and later on we see their successors and one by one all of their posterity.
Fatima sensed it had begun and she could do nothing about it.
Suddenly she felt the exhaustion
of a whole lifetime of resistance, bearing of miseries patiently, tortures,
poverty, difficulties and the bitterness of her life. She becomes convinced
that all has been lost. She senses that she can do nothing to keep what the
Prophet could not keep and what Ali could not protect.
All of the nights become blurred
in her eyes, nights which come successively. Her father, during the last days
of his life, gave news of it to her. The time has come. What will happen
tomorrow? What will become of the great efforts of her father in the cold winds
of policy and advisability which have now begun? What is the future of this
young community? Into whose hands will the future of these people fall whose
fate is to be sacrificed because of policy? The smell of aristocracy, nobility
and tribal ties once again has arisen. Allegiance replaces the commandment.
How can the votes of the tribes who elect their leader or the Qoraish who elect
their elders be more acceptable than the vote of the Prophet?
What kind of people are these who
at Saqifeh first give their allegiance to Saied and then with one word from Abu
Bakr, give their allegiance to him? Do they have sufficient growth and
awareness so that the Prophet does not need to interfere in their politics?
These people are the people of the Prophet's city who have lived near him and next to him.Fear for the Future of Islam
They have performed the jihad
together. They have learned of Islam from the Prophet but they have chosen Abu
Bakr. Tomorrow when Islam spreads beyond Medina and this generation passes,
what fate will this allegiance bring to the leader of the people? Who will vote
and who will be chosen?
'Now that the most sacrificed
visages of the Emigrants and Helpers of the Propeht of the first generation of
Islam and the pioneers of faith have put Ali aside because of policy and he is
forced to sit in his home, what will tomorrow's generation do to my children?
What will tomorrow's policies be when people have not grown up in the
atmosphere of faith, piety and jihad?' Even now the future of Hasan, Hosein and
Zainab can be seen and one can be certain what their future will be.
The beginning of Ali staying at
home is the beginning of a frightening and bloody history. The allegiance of
Saqifeh, which began quietly and cleverly will be followed by bloody
allegiances and the problem of Fadak will be the beginning of extortions and
the oppressions of tomorrow. Tomorrow is black, frightening and bloody.
Successive tomorrows will bring plunder, murders and torture.
The Caliphate of tomorrow will be
a great tragedy to Islam and a serious tragedy to humanity. But now what can be
done? Fatima does everything her strength will allow to try and see that the
first stone which is laid is not laid crooked. She can do nothing. She sense
that the ears of the Medina of the Prophet are deaf to her cries. Her heart is
made heavy by the silence of Ali, a silence which would cause any heart which
has any feeling, who understands Ali and knows the times, to heat up and burn
.
How difficult and merciless is selfishness to be able to
express itself with faith, particularly when it is armed with policy. It causes
the faithful and devoted Companions to sacrifice the rights of the people and
to kill Ali's rights.
Fatima is exhausted after a
lifetime of bearing patiently the weight of the mission of her father and the
difficulty of resistance when faced with the ignorance of her tribe, with a
life from beginning to end full of torture, danger, poverty and efforts because
the wishes are far from the despots of the time. In the misery of mourning for
the death of her father whose life had been mixed with hers and saddened by the
unbearable fate of Ali, who after a lifetime of jihad with the enemy, is forced
to sit at home by the hand of a friend, not that of an enemy. He is the
sacrifice of a force which has come into existence with the power of his faith,
sword, sacrifice and sincerity. She is defeated and without hope. She falls to
her knees as her last efforts put forth to get back Ali's rights proves fruitless.
It is not only further effort
which is difficult, but she finds the bearing of it patiently to be impossible,
not for that which was going on outside but rather, patiently bearing what she
sees within her home and finally, the bearing patiently of the frightening
silence which is taking over the house neighboring her's the house of the
Prophet.
Now the window is also closed,
the window from which every day would open onto hers, where they would smile at
each other, where kindness and faith would fall upon the simple house of
Fatima. Now one of those windows is closed. Death closed it forever upon
Fatima. Politics closed the one in her own home. And she is now imprisoned in
this house, next to Ali, who sits like a mountain of sorrow and is silent. It
is a silence which holds the fire of a volcano within itself. He reads in the
innocent and sorrowful faces of the children of the Prophet, the frightening
fate of the tommorow of each one of them.
To remain alive is too painful and unbearable for her.
'To remain' is a heavy load. It
is a load which is too heavy for the tired shoulders of Fatima to bear. Heavy
time slowly moves upon her wounded heart and passes by her. Every moment,
every minute, and every step is heavy and slow.She Seeks Out the Soil of Her Father's Grave
Now the only meaning she finds in life is the kind soil of
her father's grave and the hopeful news he, gave her when he said, 'Fatima, you
will be the first person to join me from among my family.'
But when? What an exciting anticipation!
Her suffering spirit, like a
wounded bird whose wings have been broken, is imprisoned and impatient from
three sides: the silent and sorrowful visage of her husband, the saddened faces
of her children and the silent, cold earth upon her father in the corner of
Aiesha's house.
Whenever the pain in her heart
increases and she loses her breath from crying, she senses that she is in need
of the kindness and condolences of her father. She seeks him out. She falls
upon the silent earth of her father. She stares at his grave and suddenly it is
as if she just. heard of the death of her father for the first time. She cries
out.
She pushes her fingers into the
earth: She fills her empty hands with it. She tries to see him behind the curtain
of tears. She puts the earth upon her face and with all of the emotions through
which she loved her father, she smells it and for a moment she is at peace, she
has found condolence, but suddenly, in a tone which breaks with tears, she
says, 'Anyone who smells the earth of Ahmad (Mohammad) has lost nothing if they
never again smell any other musk. Oh, father, what miseries have fallen upon me
after you. If they had fallen upon a bright day, they would turn it into
night.' Gradually she would grow silent. The earth of her father's grave pours
through her senseless fingers. She looks at it with painful amazement. Then she
becomes motionless and silent.
She puts all of her sorrows in
the death of her father. Each day is like the first day of his death. Her
impatience grows everyday and her cries become more painful. The wives of the
Helpers gather round her and cry with her. The pressure and pain and the wave
of sorrows are pressing upon her heart and causing her eyes to bleed. She complains
of their extortion and remembers what they did to her and the right they destroyed.
Her sorrow is more disturbing
than anyone can conceive of to be able to console her or ask her to be
patient. Nights and days pass like this. The Companions have been warmed by
their powers, richness and conquering and Ali in his sorrow, silent and Fatima
in thoughts of death. The moment of impatience arrives, the gift her father had
promised her.The Death of Fatima
Each day that passes she becomes
more impatient for death. The only way she can bear to remain alive is if she
could seek refuge in her father and be drawn beside him when her faith and
spirit overflow with complaints and pain.
What need does she have to such a
refuge, such a peace? But time passes slowly. Ninety five days have passed
since her father promised her death and death would not come.
It came. Today is Monday, the 3rd
of Jamadi al‑thani, the 11th year of the migration, the year of the death
of her father. She kisses each one of the children. Hasan is 7, Hosein is 6,
Zainab, 5, and Umm Khulthum, 3.
And now is the moment to bid
farewell to Ali. How difficult it is! And Ali must remain alone in the world
for thirty more years. She sends for Umm Rafe'a to come. She had arranged the
Prophet's funeral.
She says, 'Oh slave of God. Pour
water on me so that I may wash myself. With patience and peace, she performs
the abulution. Then she puts on the clothes which she had not worn since the
death of her father and had put away. It is as if she had put aside the memory
of her mourning and now is going to see a dear friend.
She says to Umm Rafe'a, 'Put my
bed in the middle of the room.' Softly and quietly she steps into the bed. She
faces the Ka'ba and she waits. A moment passes, moments...
Suddenly cries are heard within
the house. She closes her lids and opens her eyes upon her beloved who was
awaiting her.
A candle of fire and sorrow is
extinguished in Ali's house.
And Ali remains alone, with his children.
She had asked Ali to bury her at
night so that no one would recognize her grave and so that those two elders
would not follow her corpse to the grave.
Ali did as she had asked. But no
one knows how. And they still do not know where. In her home? Or in Baghia'? It
is not clear. And where in Baghia? It is not clear. That which is clear is the
pain of Ali, tonight, next to the grave of Fatima.
Medina is silent in the night.
All Moslems are asleep. The night is only broken by the quiet whisperings of
Ali. Ali is very much alone both in the city and in his home without the
Prophet and without Fatima. Like a mountain of pain, he is sitting upon the
earth of the grave of Fatima. Hours pass. Night, quiet and silent, listens to
the pain of his whisperings. Baghia is peaceful, fortunate. Medina is without
loyalty and impoverished. All remains in silence. The awakened graves and
sleeping city listens!
The wind of the night takes the
words which flows with difficulty from the spirit of Ali at the side of
Fatima's grave towards the house of the Prophet. 'To you from me and from your
daughter, who fell down beside you and who in such haste joined you. Greetings,
oh Prophet of God.'
'My patience and my ability have
weakened from the fate of your dearest, oh Prophet of God. But how can I seek
patience with such terrible misfortune and missing you?
'I placed you in the grave but
you still exist in my heart. We are all from God and unto God we shall return.
But my sorrow is eternal and my nights, sleepless until God takes me to the
same home in which you are now.
'Right now, your daughter will
tell you how your tribe joined each other against her and took away her rights.
Insist that she tell you everything that happened. All these things happened
even though not much time has passed since your death and people have not
forgotten you.
Greetings to both of you,
greetings from a man who has neither anger nor sorrow.'
He remains silent for a moment.
He suddenly senses the exhaustion of a whole lifetime. It is as if with every
word which is pulled from the depths of his being, he gives up a part of his
existence.
He is alone. He does not know what
to do. Stay? Return home? How can he leave Fatima here alone? How can he
return alone to his home? The city looks like a devil in the darkness of the
night. Schemes, treacheries and shamelessness awaits him.
How can he stay? His children,
the people, Truth, responsibilities and a heavy mission await him. His pain is
so heavy that it destroys his strong spirit. He cannot decide. Hesitation grips
his soul. Go? Stay? He senses that he is unable to do either. He does not know
what he will do. He explains to Fatima.
'If I leave you it is not that I do not want to stay near
you and if I stay here have I not been unfair to the fate that God promises for
those who bear patiently?'
Then he arose; stood, faced the
Prophet's house, with a state which would overflow if poured into the word,
feelings, he wants to tell him that he is returning that which had been
entrusted to him. Listen to what she says. Ask her to tell you everything
precisely. Have her count all the things that she saw after you, one by one!'
