The following is a response to Guided’s “Why Abubakr Attacked Fatima’s House – Ibn Taymiyyah”. The article can be found on the Wilayat website.
Guided quotes and translates Ibn Taymiyyah’s commentary on what happened between Abu Bakr and Fatima:
“The reason for what is said that he (Abubakr) broke into the house (of Fatima) was to see if there was some thing of Allah’s money to distribute it or give it to those who deserved it.”
Guided comments: “Ibn Taymiyyah here is attempting to defend why Abubakr broke into Fatima’s (as) house. The word he has used كبس means to forcefully break into something. This shows that Abubakr gave an order for his thugs to break the door into Fatima’s (as) house and search it. He levelled two grievous allegations against her:
- Fatima (as) was suspected of having stolen Allah’s (swt) money
- Fatima (as) was suspected of having illegal property in her possession!”
The statement by Ibn Taymiyyah is taken out of context, since the previous paragraph he rejects the narration that suggests that Abu Bakr mistreated those that were with Fatima. He argues, “The incrimination cannot be accepted without an authentic chain and needs to be a clear evidence for incrimination, and if one of the two is missing, one cannot be incriminated.”
Ibn Taymiyyah then proceeds by suggesting that even if we were to accept that he entered the house of Fatima, it was not for the sake of harming anyone, since the narration does not state that, but rather, that he was looking for money to be distributed, since that is why houses are barged into.
Ironically, the narration shows a remorseful Abu Bakr, who believe that he should have no acted in such a way.
We remind readers again that this narration has not been affirmed as authentic in the first place.
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