Muhsin ibn Ali

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Muhsin ibn Ali (Template:Langx), also spelled Mohsin, was the youngest son of Fatima bint Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib, and thus a maternal grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was a brother of Husayn and Hasan. Controversy surrounds the fate of Muhsin as some canonical Shia sources report that Muhsin died in miscarriage, following a raid on her house led by Umar, a companion of Muhammad.Template:Sfn Alternatively, Sunnis hold that Muhsin died in infancy of natural causes.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

NameEdit

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The name Muhsin, like those of his brothers Hasan and Husayn, comes from the Arabic root Ḥ-S-N. Muhsin can mean 'beneficent,'Template:Sfn 'benefactor,'<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or 'one who does the act of helping.'

Historical backgroundEdit

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SaqifaEdit

In the immediate aftermath of Muhammad's death in 11/632, the Ansar (natives of Medina) gathered in the Saqifa (Template:Lit) of the Sa'ida clan.Template:Sfn The conventional wisdom is that they met to decide on a new leader for the Muslim community among themselves. For Madelung, however, the absence of the Muhajirun (migrants from Mecca) from this meeting suggests that the Ansar gathered to re-establish the control of the Ansar over their city Medina, under the belief that the Muhajirun would mostly return to Mecca after Muhammad's death.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Abu Bakr and Umar, both companions of Muhammad, hastened to the gathering upon learning about it.Template:Sfn After a heated session, in which a chief of the Ansar was likely beaten into submission by Umar, those gathered at Saqifa agreed on Abu Bakr as the new head of the community.Template:Sfn

Opposition to SaqifaEdit

The Saqifa event is said to have excluded Muhammad's family, who were preparing to bury him, and most of the Muhajirun.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn To protest the appointment of Abu Bakr, al-Baladhuri (Template:Died in) reports that the Banu Hashim (Muhammad's clan) and some of his companions gathered at Fatima's house.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Among them were Muhammad's uncle Abbas and his companion Zubayr, according to Madelung.Template:Sfn The protesters, including Fatima, held that her husband Ali was the rightful successor to Muhammad,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn possibly referring to Muhammad's announcement at Ghadir Khumm.Template:Sfn Ali is believed to have explained this position to Abu Bakr.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Threats against AliEdit

After the Saqifa affair, Abu Bakr reportedly tasked his ally Umar with securing Ali's pledge of allegiance.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn As noted by the Sunni al-Tabari (Template:Died in),Template:Sfn the latter led an armed mob to Ali's residence and threatened to set the house on fire if Ali and his supporters would not pledge their allegiance to Abu Bakr.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The scene soon grew violent, and Zubayr was disarmed and carried away.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The mob, however, retreated without Ali's pledge after Fatima pleaded with them,Template:Sfn as reported in al-Imama wa al-siyasa.Template:Sfn Alternatively, al-Baladhuri states that Ali capitulated and pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr immediately after Umar's threat.Template:Sfn In contrast, the canonical Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim relate that Ali pledged to Abu Bakr after Fatima died.Template:Sfn

Attack on Fatima's houseEdit

File:Residence of Fatimah.JPG

The location of Fatima's house in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, present-day Saudi Arabia

It is uncertain what followed the above altercation at Fatima's house.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Some Shia sources report that Fatima suffered injuries during a raid on her house led by Umar,Template:Sfn including the canonical Kitab al-Kafi.Template:Sfn

The allegations of violence are categorically rejected by Sunnis,Template:Sfn though such claims appear in some Sunni historical sources: In his al-Saqifa wa Fadak, al-Jawhari (Template:Died in Template:Sfn) includes a tradition to the effect that Umar and his men first threatened to set Fatima's house on fire. Then they entered the house, despite her pleas, and forced Ali and his supporters out of the house.Template:Sfn The remainder of the account in al-Imama wa al-siyasa describes that Ali was pulled out of his house by force and threatened with death, according to Khetia.Template:Sfn Mu'awiya (Template:Reign) is known to have alluded to the violent arrest of Ali in a letter to him before the Battle of Siffin.Template:Sfn Al-Tabari notes that Abu Bakr regretted the events after Saqifa on his deathbed,Template:Sfn writing that Abu Bakr wished he had "never opened Fatima's house to anything, even though they had locked it as a gesture of defiance."Template:Sfn

Modern viewsEdit

Madelung is uncertain about the use of force. Still, he notes that there is evidence (in Sunni sources) that Fatima's house was searched. According to Madelung, Ali later repeatedly said that he would have resisted (Abu Bakr) had there been forty men with him.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Alternatively, Buehler suggests that the allegations of violence should be treated with caution as they reflect the political agendas of the time.Template:Sfn In contrast, Veccia Vaglieri is of the view that the Shia allegations are based on facts, even if they have been exaggerated.Template:Sfn Abbas writes that some well-regarded Sunni sources mention Umar's raid and Fatima's injuries.Template:Sfn

Sunni viewEdit

Some Sunni authors record a fifth child of Fatima, named Muhsin.Template:Sfn These include al-Baladhuri who maintains that Muhsin died in infancy.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Al-Mas'udi and al-Ya'qubi also list Muhsin among the children of Fatima without alluding to miscarriage,Template:Sfn though they have both been accused of Shia tendencies.Template:Sfn

Shia viewEdit

Some Shia sources report that Fatima suffered injuries during a raid on her house led by Umar,Template:Sfn including the canonical Kitab al-Kafi.Template:Sfn Many of these sources also allege that Fatima miscarried in this raid her son Muhsin,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn whose name had been chosen by Muhammad before his death, according to Abbas.Template:Sfn

Kitab Sulaym ibn QaysEdit

Authenticity of the bookEdit

Perhaps the earliest and most detailed Shia account of Umar's raid appears in the Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays (Template:Lit).Template:Sfn The attribution of this collection of Shia hadiths to Sulaym, who might have been a close companion of Ali,Template:Sfn is often rejected by Sunnis.Template:Sfn On the other hand, when asked about it, the fifth Imam, Muhammad al-Baqir (Template:Died in), is said to have confirmed the authenticity of the book.Template:Sfn Nevertheless, there is no consensus among Shia theologians about the reliability of the whole book.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn After analyzing the text, Modarresi is of the view that the core of the text has been preserved and dates back to before 138 AH, while some parts of the book might be more recent, such as its prediction of black banners arriving from the East before the collapse of the Umayyads.Template:Sfn At the same time, such instances of anachronism have been viewed by the Shia as prophesies on the part of the prophet and the Shia Imams, notes Khetia.Template:Sfn

AttackEdit

Much of the post-Saqifa account in the Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays is similar to (Sunni) historical sources,Template:Sfn but the book also contains explicit details of an alleged raid led by an impatient Umar on Fatima's house after multiple failed attempts to subdue Ali.Template:Sfn The account is narrated on the authority of Salman (Template:Died in), a close companion of both the prophet and Ali. In the final standoff, according to this account, Fatima refused the mob entry into the house, after which an enraged Umar ignored Fatima's pleas and set the door on fire, pushing his way into the house. Upon Fatima's resistance, the account describes that Umar physically assaulted her with a sheathed sword. The mob soon overpowered Ali and dragged him away, striking Fatima again as she tried to prevent it. The account states that Fatima still carried the bruises from this raid when she died soon after.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn A slightly different version of the book also contains a reference to Fatima's miscarriage, according to Soufi.Template:Sfn

Kamil al-ziyaratEdit

Kamil al-ziyarat was compiled by al-Qummi (Template:Died in), a distinguished Twelver traditionist. The book includes a hadith ascribed to the sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq (Template:Died in), in which the prophet was informed during the Isra about the violent deaths of his family at the hands of Muslims. For his daughter Fatima, the report mentions her miscarriage and death because of her injuries during a raid on her house.Template:Sfn This tradition is reported on the authority of Hammad ibn Uthman, a well-known companion of al-Sadiq and a mainstream Shia. As a result, this tradition is again viewed as authentic in Twelver hadith circles.Template:Sfn

According to Khetia, this book contains the earliest reference to Fatima's miscarriage during Umar's raid.Template:Sfn Alternatively, Soufi notes that a slightly different version of the Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays already refers to Fatima's miscarriage during the alleged attack.Template:Sfn

Kitab al-IrshadEdit

This work was compiled by al-Mufid (Template:Died in), another prominent Twelver theologian. Therein, al-Mufid only mentions the Shia belief in the miscarriage of Muhsin without referring to Umar or listing any traditions to support this belief. Considering that al-Mufid writes about violence against Fatima elsewhere, Khetia suspects that he refrained in his Kitab al-Irshad from controversial topics to render the book accessible to most Twelvers without provoking the anger of Sunnis.Template:Sfn

Dala'il al-imamaEdit

In his Dala'il al-imama, Ibn Rustam (4/11 century) includes a tradition from Ja'far al-Sadiq on the authority of Abu Basir, a prolific transmitter of hadith and a close companion of the sixth Imam. The rest of the chain of transmission includes some of the most prominent Shia authorities, and this hadith is thus viewed as reliable. The content of the hadith is very similar to the account found in the Kitab Sulaym ibn Qays, except that it adds that Fatima lost Muhsin when she was struck by a client of Umar, named Qunfudh, rather than Umar himself.Template:Sfn

Death of FatimaEdit

Fatima died in 11/632, within six months of Muhammad's death.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn She was about eighteen or twenty-seven at that time according to Shia and Sunni sources, respectively.Template:Sfn The Sunni view is that Fatima died from grief after Muhammad's death.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Shia Islam, however, holds that Fatima's injuries during the raid by Umar directly caused her miscarriage and death shortly after.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Some sources report that Fatima never reconciled with Abu Bakr and Umar,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn partly based on a tradition to this effect in the canonical Sunni collection Sahih al-Bukhari.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn There are also some accounts that Abu Bakr and Umar visited Fatima on her deathbed to apologize, which Madelung considers self-incriminatory.Template:Sfn As reported in al-Imama wa al-siyasa,Template:Sfn Fatima reminded the two visitors of Muhammad's words, "Fatima is part of me, and whoever angers her has angered me."Template:Sfn Template:Sfn The dying Fatima then told the two that they had indeed angered her and that she would soon take her complaint to God and His prophet, Muhammad.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn There are also Sunni reports that Fatima reconciled with Abu Bakr and Umar, though Madelung suggests that they were invented to address the negative implications of Fatima's anger.Template:Sfn

Following her will, Ali buried Fatima secretly at night.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn As noted by al-Tabari, her dying wish was that Abu Bakr should not attend the funeral,Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn and this request was fulfilled by Ali.Template:Sfn Her exact burial place in Medina remains uncertain.Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn Template:Sfn

Shia CommemorationEdit

Muhsin ibn Ali is mourned by Twelver Shia Muslims as a martyr, a "prototype of all holy innocents in Islam," in the words of Massignon. He also draws a parallel between Muhsin and the infants killed at the order of King Herod in the Gospel accounts of the birth of Jesus.Template:Sfn

ReferencesEdit

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SourcesEdit

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