Umar and Umm Kulthum

Reposted

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Aslam O alykum brother !! i hope u guys are fine

Many ahlus sunnah belive that umar r.a married the daughter of Imam Ali a.s commonly known as "Ume Kalsoom or kaltoom" !! what is your view on this matter ? do u guys also reject this marriage as 12ers do ?

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Wa alaykum as salaam wa rahmatullahi!

Thank you for your question! We first begin by saying that one of the main reasons that this belief is able to flourish and prosper is that the Sunnis seek to justify the actions of Abu Bakr and 'Umar when it comes to the caliphate. After all, they say, if Imam Ali (as) married his daughter to Umar, this shows that he didn’t have any issues with the first two. And if that is the case, this shows that he justified their rule and did not consider that their taking of the caliphate was wrong. However, such assumption is not based on narrated tradition and history.

As for the Zaidi view concerning the marriage of Umm Kulthum to ‘Umar, our early imams have one of two positions—either they are uncertain of its authenticity or they affirm its authenticity. As for the first view, in one of the earliest sources, the Masa`il of Imam al-Qasim ar-Rassi (as), the imam was asked about the marriage of ‘Umar to the daughter of ‘Ali (as). He replied that it was narrated but he didn’t know of the authenticity.

As for the second view, there are statements that attest to the authenticity of those narrations that mentioned the marriage. In Al-Jami al-Kafi, Imam Muhammad al-Mansur (as) said:
“It is firmly established (thabit) according to us that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, married his daughters Umm Kulthum and Ruqqaya to ‘Uthman—one after the other. It is firmly established according to us that ‘Umar proposed to ‘Ali (as) for his daughter from Fatima, and he married her.”

It is narrated in Al-Bahr az-Zakhkhar in the biography of ‘Umar that his children included Zayd al-Akbar and Ruqayya. It says: “Their mother is Umm Kulthum, the daughter of ‘Ali.” It is narrated in An-Nur al-Asna that Umm Kulthum was the wife of ‘Umar. And the late Sayyid Allama Majideen al-Muayyadi (ra) said in his Lawami al-Anwar that although the narrations regarding the contracting are conflicting, “there is no doubt that the marriage occurred.”

Assuming that those narrations are authentic, bear in mind that ‘Ali’s acceptance of the marriage of his daughter to ‘Umar does not prove or justify the caliphate of ‘Umar nor does it show that the Commander of the Believers (as) was pleased with the second caliph. After all, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, was married to Umm Habiba, the daughter of Abu Sufyan when the latter was still an idolater. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, also married the daughters of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar so why wouldn’t it be legal for Ali (as) to marry his daughter to ‘Umar?

We must also remember that in all sources—Sunni and Zaydi—‘Ali (as) rejected ‘Umar’s proposal at first. We do not find in any source in which he (as) went to ‘Umar with the proposal. ‘Umar is said to have insisted until Ali (as) finally relented. This does not show an attitude of goodwill and brotherly love.

Since the Commander of the Believers (as) did not have any religiously legal reason to reject ‘Umar’s proposal, he had to relent. Allah says: {…marry of the women, who seem good to you…} (Q. 4:3). Also, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his progeny, also prevented the Muslims from abstaining from marriage.

And Allah knows best!

IRS