The relationship between Hazrat Fāṭima and Imam Ali (as) in Ibn Sa'd's Tabaqat Al-Kubra

Authors

1 Master of Shiite history, Payame Noor University

2 Assistant Professor, Department of History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Payame Noor University

3 Assistant Professor, Department of History and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

10.22081/csa.2022.62264.1132

Abstract

The relationship between Fāṭima and Ali (as) is one of the topics that has been reported in various and sometimes contradictory ways in historical sources. Meantime, Tabaqat al-Kubara is one of the oldest historical sources written by Ibn Sa'd (died 230AH) and one of the main representatives of Ahl al-Ḥadīth in the 3rd century AH that presented reports about this issue, many of which have been repeated in later sources. According to the narrations of Ibn Sa'd, Hazrat Fāṭima and Ali (as) had differences in their life together, the most important and oldest of which probably dates back to Ali's proposal to Abu Jahl's daughter. The main question of the research is to what extent can we trust these narrations regarding the existence of differences between Hazrat Zahra and Imam Ali (as)? According to the findings of this article, the narrations of Ibn Sa'd and some other Sunni writers regarding the severity of these differences are not very reliable. It seems that some of this news was meant to build the dignity of issuing the prophetic Ḥadīth "Fāṭima is a part of me..." and to absolve the sheikheyn of the persecution of Fāṭima. The report of differences between spouses is not only limited to Sunni sources but is reflected in some Shiite sources as well. Some of these narrations have been forged in Shiite sources under the pretext of expressing the virtues of Amir al-Mu'minin. By presenting a false image of Fāṭima, such narrations show her being influenced by the words of those around her. These fake narrations pretend that he went to the Prophet many times to complain due to his weakness.

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