The Myth of the House burning of Fatima (ra) and her martyrdom
Shias claim that after the death of the Prophet (peace be upon him), the sahaba went to her home, burnt her home while Ali (ra) was staying inside the home, watching the incident closely, and jumped into the incident right after the burning door was fallen on his wife and his son Muhassin killed and beating the 'thugs' right before surrendering to them.
It so happened that when the Prophet (saww) died, Sahaba rendered allegiance to Abu Bakr (ra), and at last, Ali (ra) and his friends were left and they hadn't rendered allegiance to Abu Bakr (ra).
Now there are lot of contradictions surrounding this incident.
Who actually hit Fatima
Now there are three different versions regarding who actually hit Fatima.
1. Mughaira ibn Shuba
According to some Shia reports, Mughaira ibn Shuba hit Fatima. It is mentioned in Ehtijaj al tibrisi that Hassan said to Mughaira
وأما أنت يا مغيرة بن شعبة! فإنك لله عدو، ولكتابه نابذ، ولنبيه مكذب وأنت الزاني وقد وجب عليك الرجم، وشهد عليك العدول البررة الأتقياء، فأخر رجمك، ودفع الحق بالأباطيل، والصدق بالأغاليط وذلك لما أعد الله لك من العذاب الأليم، والخزي في الحياة الدنيا، ولعذاب الآخرة أخزى، وأنت الذي ضربت فاطمة بنت رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله حتى أدميتها وألقت ما في بطنها، استدلالا منك لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله ومخالفة منك لأمره، وانتهاكا لحرمته
O mughaira, you are the enemy of Allah, the rejector of Quran and the Prophet (saww), and you committed adultery, so stoning is obligatory for you, and the pious people testified on this crime of yours, your stoning has been delayed, and the truth has been demolished by falsehood, and this is because Allah has prepared a great punishment for you, the shame of the hereafter is much more than that of this world, you are the same person who hit the daughter of the Prophet (saww), till she bled, and her foetus fell, this act of yours is an insult of the Prophet (saww), and opposition of his command, and insult of his nobility.
2. Umar
According to Majlisi's jila ul uyun, this job was done by Umar himself
حضرت فاطمه عليها السلام گفت: اي عمر از خدا نميترسي ميخواهي به خانه ما بيرخصت درآيي، اين خانه اهل بيت رسالت و بيت الحرام عزت و جلالت است، از اين حرم محترم شرم دار، اين جور و ستم روا مدار. پس آن ملعون بيحيا و آن دشمن خدا و رسول خدا، از آن سخنان هيچ پروا نكرد و هيزم طلبيد، در خانه اهل بيت رسالت را سوخت و در را گشود، حضرت سيده النساء فرياد برآورد كه: يا ابتاه يا رسول الله، مانع شد آن ملعون را از داخل شدن. باز آن بيحياء لعين ممتنع نشد و سر غلاف شمشير را به پهلوي فاطمه زد، آن مظلومه باز فرياد برآورد، باز آن ملعون تازيانه بلند كرد و بر دست مباركش زد
Fatima said : O Omar, Don't you fear Allah, and you want to enter my home without permission. This is the home of ahlelbayt of the Prophet (saww), respect it, and don't show such cruelty. That accursed and shameless person, and the enemy of Allah and Messenger of Allah didn't care a bit for what Fatima said, he gathered woods and burnt the door Fatima pleaded : O my Father, O messenger of Allah, and then she again stopped him from entering home, but Umar didn't care. And he hit Fatima with the hilt of sword. She started pleading. Umar hit her again with his whip.
Jila ul uyun, Vol. 1, p. 229-230
3. Qunfudh, the slave of Umar
Accoding to Dalail ul Imamah, by Muhammad ibn Jarir al tabari (al rafidhi), it was done by Qunfudh
Abu Basir narrated from Imam Jafar that he said :
وكان سبب وفاتها أن قنفذا مولى عمر لكزها بنعل السيف بأمره
Her death happened because Qunfudh, the slave of Umar, on his order, hit her with the hilt of the sword.
Was she hit by the hilt of sword, or the door was thrown upon her?
Here again, there is another series of contradictions.
1. She was hit by the hilt of sword
As we already mentioned, Shia book Dalail ul imamah says she was hit by the hilt of sword
Abu Basir narrated from Imam Jafar that he said :
وكان سبب وفاتها أن قنفذا مولى عمر لكزها بنعل السيف بأمره
Her death happened because Qunfudh, the slave of Umar, on his order, hit her with the hilt of the sword.
Dalail ul Imamah, p. 134
2. The burning door was thrown upon her
It is mentioned in Jila ul uyun,
به روايتي ديگر: مغيره بن شعبه با عمر در بر شكم مبارك آن حضرت زد و فرزند او را شهيد كرد، پس علي عليه السلام را به مسجد كشيدند
According to another tradition, Mughaira ibn Shuba killed her on the order of Umar by throwing the door upon her belly and killed her son, and dragged Ali to the masjid.
Jila ul uyun, Vol. 1 , p. 231
The lady supposed to have miscarried just a while before walks to the masjid
Now this is one of the amazing instances. After this incident, Fatima (ra) should have been in a very painful condition, but Shia traditions tell that she walks to the Masjid to follow the incidents
بسند ہائے معتبر جناب امام جعفر صادق سے روایت ہے، جب جناب امیر مسجد میں لائے۔ حضرت سیدۃ النساء فاطمہ زہرا مجروح و نالاں خشمناک و غمگین ہمراہ جمیع مخدمات بنی ہاشم گھر سے باہر تشریف لائیں۔ اور جانب مسجد رسول روانہ ہوئیں۔ جب مسجد میں آئیں، اور قریب ضریح اقدس رسول پہنچیں، چلا کر بآواز بلند روئیں۔ اور آہ سرد دل پر درد سے کھینچ کر فریاد کی۔ اے گروہ ستمگار اے گروہ غدار، پسر عم رسول خدا ﷺ سے ہاتھ اٹھاؤ، ورنہ بحق اس پروردگار جس نے پدر بزرگوار محمد مصطفٰی ﷺ کو براستی جانب خلق بھیجا، اگر ظلم سے دستبردار نہ ہوئے، اور علی بن ابی طالب سے ہاتھ نہ اٹھاؤ گے ، تو میں اپنے گیسوؤں کو اپنے سر پر بکھیر دوں گی۔
It is mentioned with authentic sanad that Imam Jafar said : When Ali (ra) was brought to Masjid, Fatima also came out of her home with the servants of Bani Hashim, and went to the Masjid of the Prophet (saww). When she entered the masjid, she said loudly : O cruel group, O deceiving group, remove your hands from the nephew of the Prophet (saww), i.e Ali, or else by the one who has sent the Messenger (saww) with the Truth towards mankind, if you don’t stop from this cruelty, and if you don’t remove your hands from Ali ibn abi Talib, I will spread my hair upon my head.
Jila ul uyun, Vol. 1, p. 233
Soon afterwards, she goes to Abu Bakr to claim Fadak as well
After this great tragedy, she goes to Abu Bakr to claim for Fadak.
Abu Bakr ordered that the administrators of Fatima over Fadak should be removed. When this news came to Fatima, she went to Abu Bakr along with the women of Bani Hashim and said: You want to take the land from me which was given to me by the Prophet (saww) by the command of Allah.
Jila ul uyun, Vol. 1, p. 235
Why didn't Ali show any resistance at this time
The narrations are also contradictory on why Ali didn't show any resistance at this time
1. Ali was ordered by Allah not to show resistance
According to some reports, Ali was ordered by Allah not to show resistance. It is mentioned in Jila ul uyun
Salman , Abu Dharr, Miqdad, Ammar, Buraida aslami went to help Ali and it was very near that this fitnah would have been rooted out. Ali (ra) stopped them, adn said : Leave me with these oppressors. Because God has not ordered me to do jihad at this time. Those cruel people dragged Ali to masjid by putting rope in his neck.
Jila ul uyun, Vol. 1, p. 220
2. Ali couldn't gather twenty persons that is why he stayed silent
It is mentioned in Tafsir anwar un najaf
حضرت علی نے بارگاہ خداوندی میں عرض کی۔ اے اللہ تو جانتا ہے کہ مجھے پیغمبر نے فرمایا تھا اگر تیرے پاس بیس آدمی بھی جمع ہو جائیں تو جہاد کرنا، اور تو نے بھی اپنی کتاب میں فرمایا ہے کہ اگر بیس صابر ہوں گے تو وہ سو پر غالب ہوں گے۔ اے اللہ ! میرے پاس بیس بھی موجود نہیں ہیں۔ تین دفعہ یہ فقرہ آپ نے دہرایا۔
Ali said : O God , you know that the Prophet (saww) had told me that even if you gather twenty persons, than do jihad. And you also said in your book that if there are twenty sabir, they will defeat hundred. O Allah, I don’t have even twenty persons with me. He repeated this thrice.
Tafsir anwar un najaf, Vol. 6, para 10, p. 252, surah anfal
Conclusion
The simple conclusion we can derive from this incident is that it was made up by the people trying to accuse the second caliph, Umar ibn Khattab, of charges that are not only disgusting but also insulting to the ahlelbayt. We seek refuge in Allah from the deceptions of the enemies of Islam.