Umm Kulthum bint Ali

Umm Kulthum bint Ali (Arabic: أم كلثوم بنت على ) was the fourth child of Ali ibn Abu Talib (the first Shi’a Imam and fourth Sunni Caliph) and Fatima Zahra, the daughter of Muhammad.

Umme Kulsoom bint Ali was the 4th child of Ali and Fatima. Her believed marriage to the Caliph Umar Al Khattab [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umar] is the cause of much contention between the Sunni and the Shiites. The reason for this is the Umar is considered to be a disrespected character by the Shi'as and therefore unworthy of the daughter of Ali. However according to Sunnis, Umme Kulsoom bint Ali was married to Umar Ibn Al Khattab.

hi'a view

"Umar ibn Adheena asked sixth Shi’a Imam, Ja’far al-Sadiq, “People claim that Ali married his daughter to such a person”. The Imam, who was until then sitting down, stood up and said angrily, "Whoever holds such a viewpoint is misled." Subhanallah! Was Imam 'Ali unable to free his daughter from their clutches? He could have stood between them and her to protect, they have fabricated a lie." [http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/umme_kulthum/en/chap13.php]

The wife of Umar ibn al-Khattāb was Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr, whose mother was Asmaa binte Umays (she was a sister of Mohammad ibn Abu Bakr and a stepdaughter of Ali ibn Abu Talib), on the bases of which she has been uncounted amongst the daughters of Ali ibn Abu Talib just as he has deemed Mohammad ibn Abu Bakr as his own son from the lineage of Abu Bakr- One of the son of Umm Kulthum binte Abu Bakr was Zayd ibn Umar ibn al-Khattāb whose mention is found in history.

The reality is that Sayyida Umme Kalthum (as) married on only one occasion and that was to Aun bin Ja'far. The Umme Kalthum that married Umar ibn al Khattab in 17 Hijri was someone else. The wife of Umar died during the reign of Mu'awiya bin Hind, whilst Umme Kalthum - the daughter of Sayyidah Fatimah (as) was witness to the tragedy of Kerbala and died after 62 Hijri. [http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/umme_kulthum/en/chap14.php]

Lady Umm Kulthum is buried in Baab Sagheer cemetery in Damascus, Syria.

unni view

After the death of Umar she was married to her cousin Awn ibn Jafar, and after his death to his brother Muhammad ibn Jafar. Ultimately she died while married to a third of the sons of Jafar, namely Abdullah during the first half of the fourth decade after the Hijrah. Her son Zaid died on the same day as his mother, and the funeral prayer for mother and son was performed together.

Umm Kulthum was the second daughter of Ali and Fatimah, and the youngest of their children. She was born in about the year 6 Hijrah. She became of marriagable age during the khilafah of Umar ibn al-Khattab, and the khalifah asked for her hand in marriage. This is recorded by Ibn Sa‘d in his work at-Tabaqat al-Kubra (vol. 8 p. 338, ed. Muhammad 'Ab al-Qadir ‘Ata, Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut 1990) as follows:

I was informed by Anas ibn ‘Iyad al-Laythi, who reports on the authority of Ja‘far ibn Muhammad [as-Sadiq] , and he from his father [Muhammad al-Baqir] that Umar ibn al-Khattab asked Ali ibn Abi Talib for the hand of Umm Kulthum in marriage. Ali said, "I had kept my daughters for the sons of Ja‘far." Umar said, "Marry her to me, O Abul Hasan, for by Allah,there is no man on the face of the earth who seeks to achieve through her good companionship that which I seek to achieve." Ali said, "I have done so."

Then Umar came to the Muhajirun between the grave of Muhammad and the pulpit. They i.e. Ali, Uthman, Zubayr, Talhah and Abd ar-Rahman used to sit there, and whenever a matter used to arrive from the frontiers, Umar used to come to them there and consult with them. He came to them and said, "Congratulate me." They congratulated him, and asked, "With whom are we congratulating you, O Amir al-Muminin?" He replied, "With the daughter of Ali ibn Abi Talib."

Then he related to them that Muhammad said, "Every tie of kinship, and every association will be cut off on the Day of Judgment, except my kinship and my association." [Umar said,] "I have had the companionship of the Messenger of Allah; I would like also to have this [kinship] ."Two children were born from this marriage, namely Zaid and Ruqayyah. After the death of Umar she was married to her cousin Awn ibn Jafar, and after his death to his brother Muhammad ibn Jafar.

Ultimately she died while married to a third of the sons of Jafar, namely Abdullah during the first half of the fourth decade after the Hijrah. Her son Zaid died on the same day as his mother, and the funeral prayer for mother and son was performed together.

ee also

*Ahl al-Bayt
*Sahaba

References

* [http://www.abc.se/~m9783/fiqhi/sp2-gfh_e.html#2 abc.se (a)]
* [http://www.abc.se/~m9783/o/umuk_e.html abc.se (b)]
* [http://www.al-shia.com/html/eng/books/encyclopedia/chapter5a/9.html al-shia.com]
* [http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/umme_kulthum/en/chap1.php answering-ansar.org]
* [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/hadithsunnah/bukhari/052.sbt.html#004.052.244 usc.edu]