thumb | right | alt=The old city of Fadak | The old city of Fadak
Fadak () was a village with fertile land in an ancient oasis about, ninety miles north of Medina, two or three days’ journey from Medina. The takeover of Fadak by Muslims in 629 CE was peaceful and a share of it thus belonged to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. After Muhammad died in 632, Fadak was confiscated from his daughter Fatima and administered as public property, despite her objections. Fadak later changed hands many times as a fief.
History
Jewish Khaybar
In the seventh century CE, the Khaybar oasis was inhabited by Jewish tribes and agriculturalists who produced dates, cereals, and handicrafts including women blankets and palm leaf borders., the Prophet mentioned to Fatima that “O Fatima! Fadak was secured without deploying horses and Augustus. The land belongs exclusively to me, and I bequeath it to you to honor God’s commandment with regard to it. So, take it for yourself and your progeny.” Some Twelvers reject the authenticity of the hadith of inheritance, believing that it contradicts the Quran, where verses 19:6 and 27:16 describe how Zechariah and David both left a sort of inheritance. These superficial contradictions have also been noted by some contemporary authors. It is argued however that the inheritance in question is referring to ilm (knowledge) and wisdom of the book or prophethood in general as foreshadowed in 19:12 and mentioned in 35:32, "Then we caused to inherit the Book those We have chosen of Our servants", a concept reinforced through Shia and Sunni hadith literature. Likewise, it is narrated from al-Hasan that is "he inherits his prophethood and knowledge" and the same has been reported from Mujahid among other early mufassirūn. Nevertheless, Soufi writes that Abu Bakr's testimony is strong enough for Sunnis to make an exception to the Quranic rules of inheritance.
Sermon of Fadak
According to the versions of the sermons that circulated in the 9th century, Fatima challenges the ruling of Abu Bakr on the possession of Fadak.