The Shia propagandists will argue for hours claiming that Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) denied Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) her inheritance. Unfortunately for the Shia, the Sunni position on Fadak is a “slam-dunk” because of the fact that the Shia’s own Hadith declares that Prophets do not leave inheritance, thereby completely nullifying the Shia position on the matter. As the Shia often do when they lose an argument, they completely change their position in order to assume a position that will allow them to win said argument. In the case of Fadak, the Shia will suddenly claim that Fadak was not given to Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) as an inheritance, but rather as a gift (”hiba”) from the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم).
Every single authoratative narrative, both on the Sunni and Shia side, affirms that Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) approached Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) seeking Fadak as her inheritance. The term “inheritance” is always used, and never “gift.” Even the Shia books accuse Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) of denying Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) her inheritance. This is the primary accusation of the Shia, not of stealing a gift. Indeed, an integral part of the Shia accusation is that Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) fabricated a Hadith in regards to Prophets not leaving behind inheritance. Even a cursory glance of Shia websites shows that the recurring theme is that Fadak was an inheritance denied. The authoratative Shia website, Al-Islam.org, declares:
“Umar was the most harsh person in keeping Fatima (as) from Fadak and her inheritance as he himself confessed.”
(Al-Islam.org, http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter4/9.html)
If Fadak was bestowed upon Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) as a gift, then why did she claim it as her inheritance and not say anything about a gift? We see narration after narration in which Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) talks to Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) about inheritance; if it was a gift, then why would she mention inheritance at all? And let us dwell on the timing of the issue: it was immediately after the Prophet’s death (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) that Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) came to claim Fadak. If it had been a gift during the lifetime of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم), then it would have already been in her possession at the time of the Prophet’s death (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) and there would have been no reason to go to Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) for it.
Some Shia propagandists will then claim that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) gifted Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) Fadak as inheritance that she would assume after his death. Do the Shia not realize that this is accusing the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) of commiting a Haram act? Both the Sunni and Shia jurists do not allow a man to “gift” inheritance upon his death. If this was possible, then a man could simply “gift” all his inheritance to the son, and thereby completely deny inheritance to the daughter. In fact, one could “gift” inheritance to whomever he pleases! The entire Islamic laws of inheritance would become nothing short of a joke. Indeed, once a person dies, the property must be doled out according to the portions ascribed in the Islamic laws of inheritance. (In the case of Prophets, the only portion–according to the Shariah–is to charity.)
Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) never sought Fadak as a gift: in every single narration about this incident, Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) spoke about her inheritance. It was immediately after the Prophet’s death that Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) came to claim Fadak, and if it had been a gift during the lifetime of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم), then it would have already been in her possession at the time of the Prophet’s death, and there would have been no reason to go to Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) for it. It is impossible that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وآله وسلّم) gifted Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) the property as inheritance that she would assume after his death, since this would be a violation of the Quranic rules about inheritance, in which one cannot simply gift things to whomever one wants. Could not then a father gift all of his inheritance to one son to the exclusion of his daughters? Indeed, a little thought into the matter quickly leads us to the conclusion that the Shia argument holds no weight.
The Shia propagandists will then do what they always do: quote strange, obscure, and weak narrations claiming that these are “authoratative Sunni sources.” The truth of the matter is that all of these reports that are so-called “Sunni reports” are of a dubious character and cannot be used to prove that Fadak was a gift. We have seen “Answering-Ansar” and other anti-Sunni sites use reports from someone named “Fudayl ibn Marzooq” and yet we find that he is not a Sunni authority but rather he is considered a liar and a fabricator by the Ahlus Sunnah! And there are even other reports and quotes on Shia websites that are from books that our scholars have never even heard of, and are no doubt outright falsifications.
The Shia propagandists will twist words and events in order to improve their arguments in the debate with the Ahlus Sunnah. Let us even accept the fallacious assertion of the Shia that Fadak was a gift. The Shia still cannot explain why Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) wrongfully said that Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) lied and fabricated Hadith about Prophets not giving inheritance.
(On the other hand, the Ahlus Sunnah holds the view that Fatima [رضّى الله عنها] made a sincere mistake, and nothing more. Neither does the Ahlus Sunnah accept the exaggerated tales of Fatima [رضّى الله عنها] cursing Abu Bakr [رضّى الله عنه] and other such things.)
We have proven that this Hadith (about Prophets not giving inheritance) exists even in the Shia literature and it is considered Sahih. At minimum, the Shia must admit that if the Shia version of history is correct, then Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) was horribly wrong for accusing Abu Bakr of fabricating the Hadith (which is in Al-Kafi).
This completely negates the Shia views on everything, since a central tenet of the Shia doctrine is that Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) was infallible. If she was truly infallible, then why doesn’t she know a Hadith that we have even proved from the Shia Al-Kafi? Thus, if the reader finds himself in a debate with a Shia propagandist who demands that Fadak was a gift, then we urge the reader to place the onus on the Shia: do not see the need to even prove that Fadak was not a gift, but rather repeatedly ask why Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) wrongfully claimed that this Hadith does not exist, even though it appears in Al-Kafi and is considered Sahih even by Ayatollah Khomeini. No matter if Fadak was an inheritance or a gift, one thing that can be proven is that if Fatima (رضّى الله عنها) accused Abu Bakr (رضّى الله عنه) of fabricating Hadith, then she was wrong.
Next: Part VII, Charity is Good
