Forcing Imam Ali (A.S.) to Pay Homage

By: Baqir Shareef al-Qurashi
The Party of Quraysh agreed on forcing Imam Ali (a.s.) to pay homage to Abu Bakr. They sent after him a group of policemen who surrounded and brought him to Abu Bakr unwillingly and in a low manner. They shouted at him, ‘Pay homage to Abu Bakr!’
Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, ‘I am worthier of this matter than you. I do not pay homage to you. Rather, you are required to pay homage to me. You have taken this matter from the Ansar and argued with them by the kinship to the Prophet (S) and you take it from us the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) by force. Did you not claim to the Ansar that you were worthier of this matter because Muhammad was from you and so they gave you the leadership and delivered to you the emirate? I argue against you by the very thing which you argued by against the Ansar. We are worthier of the messenger of Allah alive and dead. Be fair to us if you are believers; otherwise, incur oppression on yourselves while you know.’20
Umar bin al-Khattab followed the way of violence towards the Imam for he had no evidence to reply with. He said to Imam Ali (a.s.), ‘You shall not be let alone until you pay homage.’
Imam Ali (a.s.) said to him, ‘Milk some milk that you shall have half of it, and support him (Abu Bakr) today to recompense you tomorrow!’
Imam Ali (a.s.) exposed the secret that made Umar so zealous for the homage of Abu Bakr. Umar took that strict situation towards Imam Ali (a.s.) so that the caliphate would come to him after the death of his friend.
Imam Ali (a.s.) said to Umar, ‘I neither accept your saying nor do I pay homage to him…’
Abu Bakr feared that the situation might be complicated, and so he said to Imam Ali (a.s.), ‘If you do not pay homage, I shall not force you to do.’
Abu Ubayda bin al-Jarrah said to the imam deceitfully, ‘O cousin, you are young and these are the old men of your people. You have no experience and awareness of the affairs like theirs. I do not see except that Abu Bakr is more potent than you in this matter and more tolerant and expert in it. Give this matter to Abu Bakr, and if you remain alive, you will be fit for this matter in your virtue, religiousness, knowledge, understanding, favor, lineage and being son-in-law (to the Prophet).’
This deceit moved the latent pain inside Imam Ali who said to the Muhajireen, “O people of the Muhajireen, do not take the authority of Muhammad in the Arabs away from his house to your houses, and do not keep his family away from his position and right among people. By Allah O the people of the Muhajireen, we are the worthiest among all people of him (the Prophet) because we are the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) (his household). We are worthiest of this matter (the caliphate) than you for from among us there is the reciter of the Book of Allah, the aware of the religion of Allah, the knower of the Sunna of the messenger of Allah, the undertaker of the affairs of the subjects, the defender of them against misfortunes, the equally divider among them. By Allah, he is from among us. Therefore, do not follow fancy that you may deviate from the way of Allah and be more away from the truth…”21
However, the people turned a deaf ear to Imam Ali’s speech and they panted after the rule and authority. Their previous ignorance (jahiliyyah) came back to them, as Prof. Abdul Fattah Abdul Maqsud says, and they committed against the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) all what Allah had prohibited.

The Attack on Imam Ali’s House
Most of historians and narrators have mentioned the companions’ attack on Imam Ali (a.s.) and Fatimah’s (s.a.) house which was sacred to the Prophet (S) who stopped everyday for six months at its door and recited this Qur’anic verse, “Allah only desires to keep away the uncleanliness from you, O people of the House, and to purify you a (thorough) purifying.” 33:33
Umar and some other companions attacked Fatimah and Ali’s (peace be upon them) house and threatened of setting fire to it. The following are the narrations of the historians who have mentioned this fact:

Al-Balathiri
Al-Balathiri mentioned that Abu Bakr sent for Imam Ali to pay homage to him but Imam Ali (a.s.) refused to pay homage. Therefore Umar came with a wick. Fatimah (s.a.) met him at the door and said to him, ‘Shall you set fire to my door?’
He said, ‘Yes, and this is stronger than what your father had brought.’22

At-Tabari
He mentioned: “Umar came to Ali’s house wherein there were Talha, az-Zubayr and some men from the Muhajireen, and said to them, ‘By Allah, I will burn (the house) over you or you come out to the homage.’ Az-Zubayr went out drawing his sword, but he stumbled and fell to the ground and the sword fell from his hand. They (Umar and his fellows) jumped on and took him.”23

Ibn Abd Rabbih
He said: “Those who did not pay homage to Abu Bakr were Ali, al-Abbas, az-Zubayr and Sa’d bin Ubada. As for Ali, al-Abbas and az-Zabayr, they remained in Fatimah’s house until Abu Bakr sent to them Umar bin al-Khattab to make them get out of Fatimah’s house. He said to him, ‘If they refuse, you should fight them.’ Umar came with a torch intending to set fire to the house. Fatimah (s.a.) met him and said, ‘O ibn al-Khattab, have you come to burn our house?’ He said, ‘Yes, or you enter into what the nation has entered into.’24

Ibn Abil Hadeed
He said, ‘Umar came to Fatimah’s house with some men from the Ansar and a few from the Muhajireen and said, ‘I swear by Whom in Whose hand Umar’s soul is, either you come out for the homage or I will burn the house over you.’25

Ash-Shahristani
Ash-Shahristani mentioned from an-Nidham that Umar was shouting: ‘Set fire to her (Fatimah) house with all those in it.’ There were none but Ali, Fatimah, al-Hasan and al-Husayn inside the house.26

Kahhala
Umar Redha Kahhala said, “Abu Bakr found that some men had defaulted his homage like al-Abbas, az-Zubayr and Sa’d bin Ubada. They were with Ali bin Abi Talib in Fatimah’s house. Abu Bakr sent to them Umar bin al-Khattab who called out to them while they were inside Fatimah’s house. They refused to come out. Umar ordered firewood to be brought. He said, ‘I swear by Whom in Whose hand Umar’s soul is, either you come out (for the homage) or I will set fire to it (the house) over all those in it.’
It was said to him, ‘O Abu Hafs,27 Fatimah is there.’
He said, ‘Even though!’”28

Al-Mas’oodi
He mentioned that al-Abbas went to Ameerul Mo'minin (Imam Ali) when the messenger of Allah (S) died. Ameerul Mo'minin and some men of his followers remained in his house with what the messenger of Allah had entrusted him. People (Abu Bakr’s men) attacked his house, set fire to the door and took him out by force. They pressed the Principal of Women behind the door.29
The fact of their determination to set fire to Imam Ali and Fatimah’s (peace be upon them) house is certain and has no way for doubt.
Hafidh Ibrahim, the Poet of the Nile, says, “And a saying to Ali that Umar said; How noble its hearer is and how great its sayer is: ‘I burn your house and leave you alive not in it, If you do not pay homage, though the daughter of al-Mustafa is therein.’
None but Abu Hafs was its sayer before the Knight of Adnan and its Guard.”30
Abu Bakr’s party acted very severely and violently just to firm the rule for themselves. They ignored the sacredness of the house which they attacked. It was the house of the revelation and prophethood. It was the house wherefrom the Word of Monotheism was raised. They paid attention to nothing of that. They announced their mottos against the prophetic family since the first moment after the Prophet’s death. Umar said, ‘Prophethood and caliphate should not gather in the same house.’
They tried to burn the house of the daughter of the messenger of Allah (S) for the sake of rule and authority. This fact was proved by the very lovers of the rule and authority who trod on everything in the way of fulfilling their desires.
Abu Bakr regretted too much what he committed against the house of Fatimah, the Principal of all Women of the Worlds. He said in his last illness, ‘I do not regret anything in this world except three things I have done that I wished I had not done…I wished I had not exposed anything in Fatimah’s house…’31
Once another, he said, ‘I regret nothing except three things that I wished I had not done; I wished I had not exposed Fatimah’s house and left it alone even if it was closed on war.’32
The attack on Fatimah’s house made Abu Bakr upset and uneasy feeling regret and sorrow at the last moment of his life.
20. The Life of Imam al-Husayn bin Ali, vol. 1 p.256.
21. Al-Imama wes-Siyasa, vol. 1 p. 11-12.
22. Ansab al-Ashraf, vol. 1 p. 586.
23. Tareekh at-Tabari, vol. 3 p. 198.
24. Al-Iqd al-Fareed, vol. 5 p.12.
25. Sharh Nahjol Balagha by Ibn Abil Hadeed, vol. 1 p. 124.
26. Al-Milal wen-Nihal, vol. 1 p. 56.
27. Umar’s surname.
28. A’lam an-Nisa’, vol. 4 p. 114.
29. Ithbat al-Wasiyya, p.123.
30. Divan of Hafidh Ibrahim, vol. 1 p. 75.
31. Tareekh at-Tabari, vol. 2 p. 619, Mizan al-I’tidal, vol. 2 p. 215, Kanzol Irfan, vol. 5 p. 631.
32. Lisan al-Mizan, vol. 4 p. 189.