The Book of Fatimah (AS)

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                       The Book of Fatimah (AS)

Some anti-Shi'i booklets published by Wahhabis groups allege that based on
Usul Kafi, Shia believe there is a Quran called "Quran of Fatimah"! This is
a malicious accusation. There is no tradition in Usul Kafi saying "Quran of
Fatimah".  There are however, very few traditions in one chapter of Usul
Kafi which assert that Fatimah (AS) wrote a book (mushaf). The tradition
states "The book of Fatimah". Surely Quran is a book (mushaf), but any book
is NOT Quran. This allegation is as silly as saying "Quran of al-Bukhari"
instead of "book of al-Bukhari"!

Also those few traditions in al-Kafi clearly state that there is NO single
verse of Quran in the Book of Fatimah. This shows that the book of Fatimah
is TOTALLY different than Quran. Of course, it was three time bigger than
Quran in length.

In one tradition it said that Fatimah (AS), after the Prophet (PBUH&HF)
passed away, used to write what she was told that would happen to her
descendants and stories about other rulers to come (up to the day of
resurrection). Fatimah (AS) recorded (or asked Imam Ali to record) those
information, which was kept in her family of Imams, and was called  "The
Book (Mushaf) of Fatimah". A tradition which follows this one clearly
states that what is referred to by "The Book of Fatimah" is not a part of
Quran and has NOTHING to do with Allah's commandments/halals/harams. It
does NOT have anything to do with Shari'ah (divine law) and the religious
practices. Let me give you some of those traditions:

     Abu Abdillah (AS) said: "... We have with us the Book of Fatimah, but
     I do not claim that anything of the Quran is in it." (Usul al-Kafi,
     Tradition #637)

     Abu Abdillah (AS) also said about the book of Fatimah: "There is
     nothing of what is permitted and what is forbidden (al-Halal and al-
     Haram) in this; but in it is the knowledge of what will happen." (Usul
     Kafi, Tradition #636)

     Abdul Malik Ibn Ayan said to Abu Abdillah (AS): "The Zaydiyyah and the
     Mu'tazilah have gathered around Muhammad Ibn Abdillah (Ibn al-Hasan,
     the second). Will have they any rule?" He (AS) said: "By Allah there
     are two books in my possession in which every prophet and every ruler
     who rules on this earth (from the beginning of the earth till the day
     of Judgment) has been named. No, by Allah, Muhammad Ibn Abdillah is
     not one of them." (Usul Kafi, Tradition #641)

"Mushaf" refers to a collection of "Sahifa" which is singular for "page".
The literal meaning of Mushaf is "The manuscript bound between two boards".
In those days they used to write on leather and other materials. They
either rolled the writings -- what is known as scroll in English. Or they
kept the separable sheets and bound them together, in what could be called
as "Mushaf", a book in today's terms. The equivalent to the word book
"Kitab" used to (and still is) refer to either a letter (e.g. of
correspondence) or to an document that was written down or recorded. The
Arabic word for wrote "Kataba" is a derivative of the same word.

Although the Quran is commonly called a "Mushaf" today, perhaps referring
to its "collection" after it was dispersed. Quran is a Mushaf (book), but
any Mushaf (book) is not necessarily the Quran!  There is no Quran of
Fatimah! As the above and many other traditions suggest, The book of
Fatimah has absolutely no connection with Quran. This concept is commonly
pulled out of context and published by anti-Shi'i groups due to their
hatred toward the Followers of the Members of the House of Prophet
(PBUH&HF). I have seen it mentioned in a book printed by the government of
Saudi Arabia.

What is also *very* important to recognize and understand is that belief in
Mushaf Fatimah is NOT a requirement of BELIEF to the Shia. It is just few
traditions which report such a thing. It is nothing crucial for us, nor any
one (except Imam Mahdi) has access to it.
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