The Mention of Her Martyrdom in the Visitation Texts
The visitation supplications dedicated to Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) explicitly affirm her martyrdom. Among them:
1. Shaikh al-Mufid records in a visitation supplication:
“Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God. Peace be upon your daughter, the truthful and manifest one. Peace be upon you, O Fatimah, daughter of the Messenger of God, O Mistress of the women of the worlds, O chaste and martyred lady…”
2. Another visitation supplication reads:
“Peace be upon the chaste martyr, the daughter of the Prophet of Mercy.”
3. Yet another:
“Peace be upon you, O truthful martyr… Peace be upon you, O immaculate one who was martyred.”
4. In another text:
“Peace be upon you, O truthful martyr, whose inheritance was denied, whose rib was broken, whose husband was wronged, and whose son was slain.”
And in a further passage:
“O Allah, send blessings upon the noble, praised, and exalted martyr, the lady who was lost to us…”
The Circumstances of Her Martyrdom in the Writings of Shia Scholars
Throughout history, Shia scholars have preserved the memory of the martyrdom of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and her son Muhsin (peace be upon him), ensuring that this tragic event remains a living testimony to her defense of truth and justice. A few key testimonies are as follows:
1. Shaikh al-Mufid narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him):
“Umar demanded from Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) the document of Fadak. When she refused, he kicked her, though she was pregnant with a son named Muhsin, causing her violent miscarriage. He then struck her face with his hand, breaking her earring, and tore up the document.”
2. Shaikh al-Tusi, known as the “Shaikh of the Sect,” writes:
“The well-known report upon which there is no disagreement among the Shia is that Umar struck the blessed womb of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), causing her violent miscarriage. The child was named Muhsin, and this account is famous among our scholars.”
3. Ibn Shahrashub al-Mazandarani records:
“The children of Fatimah (peace be upon her) were al-Hasan, al-Hussain, and al-Muhsin, who was miscarried. Ibn Qutaybah mentions that Muhsin was lost due to the blow of Qunfudh al-Adawi.”
Later editions of al-Maarif altered this passage, but earlier scholars such as al-Ghanji al-Shafii (d. 658 AH) confirmed its original wording, admitting that Ibn Qutaybah had reported the incident.
4. Allamah al-Hilli states concisely:
“Fatimah (peace be upon her) was beaten, and she miscarried her son Muhsin (peace be upon him).”
5. The sacred scholar al-Muqaddas al-Ardabili writes:
“According to certain narrations, Umar kicked the half-burned door, striking Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and causing her to fall unconscious, leading to her violent miscarriage. He ordered Qunfudh to strike her with his whip, injuring her shoulder, which remained swollen until her martyrdom. When Khalid ibn al-Walid acted insolently before her, he struck her with the sheath of his sword, and this blow, as some trustworthy narrators relate, caused her violent miscarriage. All of this injustice stemmed from Umar’s cruelty and transgression.”
6. Shaikh al-Hurr al-Amili composed poetry affirming:
“Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) had five children—al-Hasan, al-Hussain, Zaynab, Umm Kulthum, and al-Muhsin, who, as is well-known, was miscarried on the day Umar attacked her house.”
7. Shaikh Yusuf al-Bahrani (d. 1186 AH) wrote:
“Umar insulted the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), dragged him by force from his home, gathered firewood to burn the house upon him and those within it, and struck Fatimah (peace be upon her) so violently that her unborn child was lost. He slapped her until she fell to the ground, her cry echoing through the heavens.”
8. Allamah Sayed Mahdi Bahr al-Ulum laments in his verses:
“Those two men established the foundation of oppression upon the guides of truth. Had they not acted as they did, there would have been no council of six (Saqifah), no tyranny of Uthman, no Battle of Jamal, and no deception at Siffin. Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) would not have been oppressed, her right usurped, nor buried secretly alongside her martyred child.”
9. Sayed Muhammad al-Musawi al-Hindi wrote:
“Among the grievous acts of Umar was his threat to set the house of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) ablaze. This crime is recorded not only by Shia authorities but also by reliable Sunni historians who documented his threat and assault upon the Household of Revelation.”
Acknowledgement of Her Martyrdom in Non-Shia Sources
10. Allamah Sayed Nasir Hussain al-Hindi (d. 1361 AH), known as Shams al-Ulama, affirms:
“The sorrowful incident of the violent miscarriage of Muhsin (peace be upon him) within the womb of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) is acknowledged by all seekers of truth. Even the eminent Mutazili scholar Ibrahim ibn Sayar al-Nazam (d. 231 AH), a noted opponent of the Ahl al-Bayt, confessed openly to this tragic event.”
11. Abul-Fath al-Shahristani (d. 548 AH) in al-Milal wal-Nihal quotes al-Nazam:
“Umar struck the stomach of Fatimah (peace be upon her) on the day of allegiance until she miscarried her child. He cried out, Set the house ablaze upon its inhabitants!”—though none were inside except Fatimah, Ali, al-Hasan, and al-Hussain (peace be upon them).
12. Salah al-Din al-Safadi (d. 764 AH) in al-Wafi bil-Wafayat also quotes al-Nazam:
“Umar struck Fatimah (peace be upon her) on the day of allegiance, causing her to miscarry her son Muhsin (peace be upon him).”
Sayed Rahmatullah al-Hindi commented:
“O Shia, value this admission by al-Nazam, for he was among the leading opponents of the Ahl al-Bayt, yet even he could not deny this truth.”
The View of the Ahl al-Bayt (Peace be upon them) Toward the Perpetrators
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said:
“Not a drop of unjustly shed blood has been spilled since then except that its sin rests upon those two men until the Day of Resurrection, without diminishing the sins of those who committed it.”
Zayd al-Shahid, the son of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him), when struck by an arrow, was asked who shot him. He replied:
“Those two men—they killed me.”
Her Steadfast Loyalty to the Imamate
These narrations illustrate the unwavering stand of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) in defending the divine right of Imamate after the passing of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). Despite unbearable oppression, she remained firm in upholding the truth until her final breath. Her wounds, her violent miscarriage, and her martyrdom all testify to her enduring loyalty to the cause of justice and the leadership of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
