Ali marries Fatima: the houtami armor as dowry

The chapter of Ali ibn Abi Talib’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) entering upon his wife Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): that in the second year after Badr, for what al-Boukhari and Mouslim related, through the chain of az-Zuhri, from Ali ibn al-Hussein, from his father al-Hussein, from Ali ibn Abi Talib: I had a she-camel of my share of the spoils on the day of Badr, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had given me a she-camel of the fifth Allah granted him that day. When I wished to wed Fatima, daughter of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), I had promised a man, a goldsmith among the Banu Qaynuqa, to travel with me bringing idhkhir grass, which I would sell to the goldsmiths and aid myself with its price for my wedding feast.

While I gathered for my she-camel the harnesses, skins and ropes : my two she-camels were tied beside an Ansari’s chamber : and I had gathered what I gathered, behold my she-camel with her two humps gashed and her flanks cut open, and taken from their livers. I could no longer master my eyes at the sight, and I said: “Who did this?” They said: “Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib did it, and he is in this house, drinking with Ansaris, and with him a songstress and his companions.” She said in her song: “O Hamza, for the camels of the bulging humps!”

Hamza leapt to his sword, split the humps of the two she-camels, cut open their flanks and took from their livers. Ali said: I set out until I entered upon the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who had with him Zayd ibn Haritha. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recognized what I had met and said: “What ails you?” I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have seen none like today: Hamza fell upon my two she-camels, gashed their humps and cut open their flanks, and there he is in a house drinking.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) called his garment, wrapped himself in it, then went walking, and Zayd ibn Haritha and I followed him until he came to the house wherein was Hamza: he sought permission, and it was granted. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began blaming Hamza for what he had done, and Hamza was drunk, his eyes reddened. Hamza looked at the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), raised his gaze to his knees, then raised his gaze to his face, and Hamza said: “You are but slaves of my father!” The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) recognized he was drunk: the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) turned back upon his heels and went out, and we went out with him.

Such is al-Boukhari’s wording in the book of campaigns, and he related it in other places of his Sahih with many wordings.

That proves what we preceded: that Badr’s spoils were subjected to the fifth, not as Abu Ubayd al-Qasim ibn Sallam claimed in the book of wealth, that the fifth was only legislated after its division: a majority contradicted him therein, among them al-Boukhari and Ibn Jarir, and we showed his error therein in our Tafsir and what has preceded. Allah is most knowing. And this deed of Hamza and his companions (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) occurred before wine was forbidden; Hamza himself was killed on the day of Uhud, as will come, before wine’s prohibition. Allah is most knowing. This hadith may be used as proof by whoever holds the drunkard’s speech suspended, of no effect: neither divorce, nor confession, nor other, per the view of some scholars, as is established in the book of religious rulings.