Introduction

Praise be to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala; we praise Him, seek His help, and seek His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala from the evils of our souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala guides, none can mislead, and whomsoever He misleads, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala, alone without partners, and that Muhammad salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is His servant and messenger.

We present this research to readers and researchers interested in the heritage of the Ahlul Bayt and Companions, in which we have exerted our utmost effort to trace and examine the reports narrated and circulated about the fable of the breaking of Fatimah’s rib. This is a story that is recited on pulpits and repeated in gatherings every year. Storytellers claim that Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu, ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and a group of Companions went to ‘Ali’s radiya Llahu ‘anhu house after allegiance was pledged to Abu Bakr as Khalifah. they allege that ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu refused to pledge allegiance, and was thus threatened to either do so or they would forcefully enter his home. ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu refused and took refuge in his house where Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha was present. ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu and those with him attacked the door and set it on fire. Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha was behind the door to prevent them from entering, but ‘Umar forced it open, breaking Fatimah’s rib and causing her to miscarry the unborn child she was carrying. They then dragged ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu out of the house and forced him to pledge allegiance. Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha fell ill after this incident and remained ill until she passed away because of this event.

This is a summary of that heinous lie that has been inserted into the classical narrative legacy, which then had chains of transmission fabricated for it, and came to be attributed to the best of the Companions and the Ahlul Bayt, may Allah be pleased with all of them. In reality, it is nothing but a fabricated tale and a falsehood intended to create a rift between the Companions and the Ahlul Bayt; depicting the Companions as brutal aggressors—who showed no regard for the Prophet’s daughter radiya Llahu ‘anha—and the Ahlul Bayt as oppressed and persecuted, their homes being attacked and their wives assaulted. It is a falsely concocted image that contradicts clear facts and well-established events.

Is it conceivable that such a horrific event could occur without any consequences, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu remaining silent and enduring the harm he suffered, leaving his wife to be insulted, beaten, her ribs broken, and her unborn child killed in her womb? Can one imagine that Abu Bakr al Siddiq radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who was known for never forcing anyone to pledge allegiance to him and was one of the most tender-hearted Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum, would order an attack on the Prophet Muhammad’s salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam beloved daughter? Can anyone believe that ‘Umar ibn al Khattab radiya Llahu ‘anhu, known for his exemplary justice, would commit such a heinous act, harming the Prophet’s daughter with a sword at times and a whip at others, as they claim?

There is no doubt that any rational person would not question the falsehood of such stories. However, some people may believe in such myths when they see them narrated in books and discussed in gatherings, because they do not know how to distinguish between authentic and weak reports. Hence, this research aims to clarify the truth of this story through its study and critique.

The origin of this research was articles and studies by Dr. Sa’d al Shanfa, in which he traced most of the reports about the tale of Fatimah’s radiya Llahu ‘anha rib being broken, highlighting the flaws in their chains of transmission and thoroughly discussing their paths. These studies were published and spread across the internet and forums, but they were scattered and unorganised. The style in which they were written suited debates and dialogues, thus the idea came to compile this research into an independent study to preserve the significant effort put into this issue.

By Allah’s subhanahu wa ta ‘ala grace, the result is this research in its current form. We collected scattered articles from the internet, reformulated and organised them according to the established methodology for evaluating narratives, added discussions on their contents, and pointed out the contradictions and differences between them. We also touched upon some unrelated reports frequently used by opponents, addressing the most famous ones to make this research comprehensive of the main objections and arguments used to assert this myth.

By clarifying the truth of this story as a myth and a lie that should be forgotten and discarded, we aim to defend the Ahlul Bayt before the Companions. The greatest offense to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu is portraying him as a man unable to protect his wife, who is harmed and insulted, while he can defend her, resulting in her miscarriage. Therefore, let no one think that the goal is to offend the beliefs and ideas of any party. Rather, we believe that exonerating the Companions radiya Llahu ‘anhum and the Ahlul Bayt radiya Llahu ‘anhum from lies and fabrications, and cleansing their history from the reports of storytellers and liars is a paramount duty that should be prioritised.

We have tried to be concise and brief in this research, limiting the discussion to important matters and fundamental narratives. We did not expand on responding to everything written and said about this issue but focused on what relates to the core topic, the story of the attack on Fatimah, the breaking of her rib, and her miscarriage. If we pursued all writings and sayings in this regard, the book’s volume would have been enormous.

Lastly, we wish to thank everyone who reviewed this book and provided feedback on its content, whether they were colleagues at the Research and Studies Centre at the Foundation or other scholars who kindly gave their time to read the book. Whoever does not thank people does not thank Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.

We present this effort to the readers, hoping that we have done justice to this issue in our research and that this work serves as a comprehensive reference for this matter.

The Authors

Dr. Sa’d ibn Rashid al Shanfa

Hafiz Asdaram

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