As-salaamu'alaykum,
A’ishah (radiyAllahu anha) said: "Fatimah and al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Abu Bakr (radiyAllahu anh) asking for their inheritance from the Messenger of Allah , mentioning his land in Fadak and his share of Khaybar. Abu Bakr said to them:
'I heard the Messenger of Allah say: We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity. Rather the provision of the family of Muhammad should come from this wealth.”
(Bukhari, no. 6726)
According to another report, Abu Bakr said:
"I am not going to leave anything that the Messenger of Allah used to do but I will do it too, because I am afraid that if I leave anything that he used to do, I will go astray.”
(Muslim, no. 1759)
It was narrated that A’ishah said that when the Messenger of Allah died, the wives of the Prophet wanted to send 'Uthman ibn Affan to Abu Bakr to ask him for their inheritance from the Prophet. A'ishah said to them:
"Didn't the Messenger of Allah say: 'We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity'?"
(Bukhari no. 6730; Muslim no. 1758)
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
"The Messenger of Allah said:
'My heirs should not share out any dinar that I leave behind. Whatever I have left, after the maintenance of my wives and the remuneration of my agent, is charity.’”
(Bukhari no. 6729)
Ahu Bakr as-Siddeeq followed these instructions with regard to Fatimah, in obedience to the words of the Prophet. Hence Abu Bakr said:
"I am not going to leave anything that the Messenger of Allah used to do, but I will do it too."
(Muslim, 1758)
And he said:
"By Allah, I will not leave anything that I saw the Messenger of Allah do, but I will do it too."
(Bukhari, no. 6726)
Fatimah stopped disputing with him after he quoted this hadith and explained the matter to her. This is evidence that she accepted the truth of what he said. Ibn Qutaybah said:
"As for the dispute of Fatimah with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both) concerning the inheritance of the Prophet this was not something strange, because she did not know what the Messenger of Allah had said, and she thought that she would inherit from him as children inherit from their fathers. When Ahu Bakr told her what the Prophet had said, she gave up her demand.”
(Shadharat adh-Dhahab, 2/169; Ta’weel Mukhtalif al-Hadeeth, p. 1/19)
The Rafidis went to extremes with regard to the story of the inheritance of the Prophet. They drifted away from the truth, turning away from and ignoring the sound reports stating that he was not to be inherited from. They made it one of the foundations of the differences between the Companions and Ahl al-Bayt (may Allah be pleased with them all) and an extension of the issue of the caliphate. They accused the Companions (especially Ahu Bakr as-Sideeq and 'Umar al-Farooq) of mistreating and being unfair to Ahl al-Bayt. They alleged that these two seized the caliphate by force from Ahl al-Bayt and then confiscated their wealth and all of the financial rights that Allah had enjoined for them. The Rafidis regard the issue of Fadak and denying Fatimah her inheritance as one of the most serious issues in which the Companions conspired after Abu Bakr seized the caliphate from them by force, according to their claim. They argue that he kept the inheritance from them to prevent the people from becoming inclined towards Ahl al-Bayt because of this wealth, lest they unite against him and dismiss him from the caliphate.
(al-Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt al-Ifrat wa’t-Tafreet, p. 435)
The one who checks this matter in the Rafidi books will find that they focus on denying the hadith of the Messenger of Allah:
"We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity."
(Muslim no. 1758)
They try to show that it is false by producing evidence such as the following:
1)They claimed that this hadith was fabricated by Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq. With regard to that, al-Hilli said:
“Fatimah did not accept the hadith fabricated by Abu Bakr when he said:
'...what we leave behind is charity."'
He also said:
"He resorted to quoting a report that no one else narrated."
(Minhaj al-Karamah, printed with Minhaj as-Sunnah, 4/192. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt)
Al-Majlisi said, after stating that Abu Bakr and 'Umar seized Fadak:
"For that purpose, they fabricated this evil and false report, 'We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity.’”
Khomeini said concerning that:
"We say that the hadith which is attributed to the Prophet is not valid, and that it was said in order to eliminate the progeny of the Prophet."
(al-Khomeini: Kashf al-Asrar, p. 132-133. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt)
The response to that is that these statements are pure lies and obvious fabrications, because this report was not narrated by Abu Bakr only.
Rather the words of the Prophet,
"We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity"
- were narrated from him by Abu Bakr, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sa'd, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf, al-'Abbas ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, the wives of the Prophet, Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them all).
(al-Aqeedah fi Ahl as-Sunnah, p.444)
Concerning that, Ibn Taymiyah said:
"The report from these people is proven in the books of Saheeh and the Musnads, and it is well known to the scholars of hadith. The one who says that Abu Bakr was the only one who narrated this report is proving that he is extremely ignorant or is deliberately lying."
(Minhaj as-Sunnah, 4/199)
Ibn Katheer said, after mentioning those who narrated the hadith:
"This claim of the Rafidis is false. If Abu Bakr was the only one who narrated the hadith, all the people of earth would still be obliged to accept his narration."
(al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, 5/250)
Dr. Sulayman ibn Raja' as-Suhaymi, the author of the valuable book al-Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt al-Ifrat wa’t-Tafreet said:
"This is supported by what is narrated in the books of the Rafidis from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, the fifth infallible Imam according to them, as narrated from him by al-Kulayni, as-Saffar and al-Mufeed, according to whom he said: The Messenger of Allah said:
'Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge thereby, Allah will make easy for him a path to paradise. The scholars are trustees, the pious are fortresses and the twelve Imams are masters. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over all the other heavenly bodies on a night when it is full. The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets; they did not leave any dinars or dirhams to be inherited from them, rather they left behind knowledge, and whoever acquires any of it has got a good deal.'
(al-Kulayni: al-Kafi, 1/32-34)
According to another report:
'The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, because the Prophets did not leave behind dinars or dirhams, rather they left behind their savings in their hadith.’”
(ibid.; as-Saffar: Basa’ir ad-Darajat, p. 10, 11; al-Mufeed: al-Ikhtisas, p. 4. See also: al-Khashani: ‘Ilm al-Yaqeen, 2/747, 748. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah li Ahl al-Bayt, p. 444)
A’ishah (radiyAllahu anha) said: "Fatimah and al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) came to Abu Bakr (radiyAllahu anh) asking for their inheritance from the Messenger of Allah , mentioning his land in Fadak and his share of Khaybar. Abu Bakr said to them:
'I heard the Messenger of Allah say: We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity. Rather the provision of the family of Muhammad should come from this wealth.”
(Bukhari, no. 6726)
According to another report, Abu Bakr said:
"I am not going to leave anything that the Messenger of Allah used to do but I will do it too, because I am afraid that if I leave anything that he used to do, I will go astray.”
(Muslim, no. 1759)
It was narrated that A’ishah said that when the Messenger of Allah died, the wives of the Prophet wanted to send 'Uthman ibn Affan to Abu Bakr to ask him for their inheritance from the Prophet. A'ishah said to them:
"Didn't the Messenger of Allah say: 'We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity'?"
(Bukhari no. 6730; Muslim no. 1758)
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said:
"The Messenger of Allah said:
'My heirs should not share out any dinar that I leave behind. Whatever I have left, after the maintenance of my wives and the remuneration of my agent, is charity.’”
(Bukhari no. 6729)
Ahu Bakr as-Siddeeq followed these instructions with regard to Fatimah, in obedience to the words of the Prophet. Hence Abu Bakr said:
"I am not going to leave anything that the Messenger of Allah used to do, but I will do it too."
(Muslim, 1758)
And he said:
"By Allah, I will not leave anything that I saw the Messenger of Allah do, but I will do it too."
(Bukhari, no. 6726)
Fatimah stopped disputing with him after he quoted this hadith and explained the matter to her. This is evidence that she accepted the truth of what he said. Ibn Qutaybah said:
"As for the dispute of Fatimah with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with them both) concerning the inheritance of the Prophet this was not something strange, because she did not know what the Messenger of Allah had said, and she thought that she would inherit from him as children inherit from their fathers. When Ahu Bakr told her what the Prophet had said, she gave up her demand.”
(Shadharat adh-Dhahab, 2/169; Ta’weel Mukhtalif al-Hadeeth, p. 1/19)
The Rafidis went to extremes with regard to the story of the inheritance of the Prophet. They drifted away from the truth, turning away from and ignoring the sound reports stating that he was not to be inherited from. They made it one of the foundations of the differences between the Companions and Ahl al-Bayt (may Allah be pleased with them all) and an extension of the issue of the caliphate. They accused the Companions (especially Ahu Bakr as-Sideeq and 'Umar al-Farooq) of mistreating and being unfair to Ahl al-Bayt. They alleged that these two seized the caliphate by force from Ahl al-Bayt and then confiscated their wealth and all of the financial rights that Allah had enjoined for them. The Rafidis regard the issue of Fadak and denying Fatimah her inheritance as one of the most serious issues in which the Companions conspired after Abu Bakr seized the caliphate from them by force, according to their claim. They argue that he kept the inheritance from them to prevent the people from becoming inclined towards Ahl al-Bayt because of this wealth, lest they unite against him and dismiss him from the caliphate.
(al-Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt al-Ifrat wa’t-Tafreet, p. 435)
The one who checks this matter in the Rafidi books will find that they focus on denying the hadith of the Messenger of Allah:
"We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity."
(Muslim no. 1758)
They try to show that it is false by producing evidence such as the following:
1)They claimed that this hadith was fabricated by Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq. With regard to that, al-Hilli said:
“Fatimah did not accept the hadith fabricated by Abu Bakr when he said:
'...what we leave behind is charity."'
He also said:
"He resorted to quoting a report that no one else narrated."
(Minhaj al-Karamah, printed with Minhaj as-Sunnah, 4/192. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt)
Al-Majlisi said, after stating that Abu Bakr and 'Umar seized Fadak:
"For that purpose, they fabricated this evil and false report, 'We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity.’”
Khomeini said concerning that:
"We say that the hadith which is attributed to the Prophet is not valid, and that it was said in order to eliminate the progeny of the Prophet."
(al-Khomeini: Kashf al-Asrar, p. 132-133. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt)
The response to that is that these statements are pure lies and obvious fabrications, because this report was not narrated by Abu Bakr only.
Rather the words of the Prophet,
"We prophets are not inherited from; what we leave behind is charity"
- were narrated from him by Abu Bakr, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talhah, az-Zubayr, Sa'd, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn 'Awf, al-'Abbas ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, the wives of the Prophet, Abu Hurayrah and Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman (may Allah be pleased with them all).
(al-Aqeedah fi Ahl as-Sunnah, p.444)
Concerning that, Ibn Taymiyah said:
"The report from these people is proven in the books of Saheeh and the Musnads, and it is well known to the scholars of hadith. The one who says that Abu Bakr was the only one who narrated this report is proving that he is extremely ignorant or is deliberately lying."
(Minhaj as-Sunnah, 4/199)
Ibn Katheer said, after mentioning those who narrated the hadith:
"This claim of the Rafidis is false. If Abu Bakr was the only one who narrated the hadith, all the people of earth would still be obliged to accept his narration."
(al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, 5/250)
Dr. Sulayman ibn Raja' as-Suhaymi, the author of the valuable book al-Aqeedah fi Ahl al-Bayt al-Ifrat wa’t-Tafreet said:
"This is supported by what is narrated in the books of the Rafidis from Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq, the fifth infallible Imam according to them, as narrated from him by al-Kulayni, as-Saffar and al-Mufeed, according to whom he said: The Messenger of Allah said:
'Whoever follows a path seeking knowledge thereby, Allah will make easy for him a path to paradise. The scholars are trustees, the pious are fortresses and the twelve Imams are masters. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon over all the other heavenly bodies on a night when it is full. The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets; they did not leave any dinars or dirhams to be inherited from them, rather they left behind knowledge, and whoever acquires any of it has got a good deal.'
(al-Kulayni: al-Kafi, 1/32-34)
According to another report:
'The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, because the Prophets did not leave behind dinars or dirhams, rather they left behind their savings in their hadith.’”
(ibid.; as-Saffar: Basa’ir ad-Darajat, p. 10, 11; al-Mufeed: al-Ikhtisas, p. 4. See also: al-Khashani: ‘Ilm al-Yaqeen, 2/747, 748. Quoted in al-‘Aqeedah li Ahl al-Bayt, p. 444)