The researcher and philosopher, Faydh al-Kashani in his book ‘Ilmul Yaqin’ quotes from the book, al Tihab Niranul Ahzan regarding the circumstances relating to how people assaulted the house of Imam Ali (as) in the following words: “‘Umar (la) gathered a group of emancipated slaves and hypocrites around him and came to the house of ‘Ali. They saw that the house was bolted from inside and called out, ‘O ‘Ali! Come out of the house for the caliph of the Prophet wishes to see you.’
Imam Ali (as) refused to open the door and so they brought firewood and fire in order to burn the door of the house. ‘Umar (la) called out, “By Allah! If you do not open the door, I will burn down the house.”
When Sayyidah Fatimah (sa) realized that they wanted to burn down her house, she got up and began to open the door. The group pushed open the door before she could even (completely) veil herself and thus, when Fatimah (sa) saw this, she hid behind the door so that the foreign men (men not related to her by blood or marriage – her non-Mahram) would not see her. ‘Umar (la) pushed the door forcibly at which point,
Fatimah (sa) took refuge between the door and the wall. ‘Umar (la) and his accomplices then laid an assault on the house of Imam Ali (as) who was sitting upon a mat (in another room). They surrounded him, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him to the Masjid. Seeing this, Fatimah (sa) came and stood in between them and Ali (as) and said, “By Allah! I will not let you take my cousin to the Masjid in this
oppressive manner. Woe be to you! How soon you have committed treason with Allah and His Prophet and oppressed his family, when the Prophet had advised you towards maintaining our obedience and friendship and had told you to adhere to us in all affairs, and Allah said in the Qur’an,
‘Say (O Prophet), I demand no recompense for it (the toils of prophethood), save the love of (my) relatives. (Suratul Shura: 23).’”
The narrator says that upon hearing these words of Fatimah (sa), most of the people scattered, however Umar (la) along with his accomplices, remained there. He told his cousin Qunfudh (la), “Hit Fatimah (sa) with your whip.” Qunfudh (la) hit her back and side with his whip and the scars (of this assault) became visible upon her body. He hit her with such force that the child in her womb, whom the Prophet had named Mohsin (as), died.
The people then dragged the Commander of the Faithful ‘Ali (as) to the Masjid and made him stand in front of Abu Bakr. At that moment, Fatimah (sa) came to the Masjid in a distressed state so as to save ‘Ali (as) from their clutches but she could not do so and proceeded to the grave of her father and wept profusely, reciting the following heart-rendingly elegy: “My life is trapped in my chest, and I wish it could flow out;
There is no good remaining in life after you (O father) and now I weep profusely so as to not remain alive anymore.”
Then she said, “O Father! Alas upon your separation; and alas upon the bereavement of your beloved Abul Hasan – the Commander of the Faithful, the father of your two grandsons, Hasan (as) and Husayn (as). ‘Ali (as), whom you trained in his childhood and when he grew up, you declared him to be your brother, the one who was the most eminent and beloved among your companions in your sight, and is the one who
preceded others in accepting (Islam) and the one who migrated towards you. O dear father! O the best of (Allah’s) creations! Now he (‘Ali (as)) is being dragged and arrested similar to how they treat a camel!” Then she cried out while wailing, “O Muhammad (sawa)! O beloved! O father! O Abul Qasim! O Ahmad! O the minority of helpers! O aide! O remoteness of relatives! O sorrow! O afflictions! O evil day!” Then she let out a cry and fell down unconscious. The people started wailing in a loud voice due to her wailing and the Masjid of the Prophet was engulfed in sorrow.
Ali (as) was then made to stand face to face with Abu Bakr (la) and it was said to him, “Extend your hand and pledge allegiance.” Imam ‘Ali (as) replied, “By Allah! I will not pay allegiance, for my allegiance still remains upon your necks (that you all had pledged at Ghadir by the Prophet’s command).”
Ref : Bayt al-aḥzān fī maṣāʾib Sayyidat al-Niswān, Pg.106
