Excerpt from 'The Message':
...from one of the distinguished teachers of Madressa-i Gharbi Baghdad, named Ali bin Faruqi. He says: 'I said to him:
'Was the daughter of the Prophet truthful in making the claim?' He said: 'Yes'.
I said: 'Did the Caliph know that she was a truthful woman?' He said: 'Yes'.
I said: 'Why did the Caliph not give her that to which she was admittedly entitled?'
At this moment the teacher smiled and said with great dignity: 'If he had accepted her word on that day and had returned Fadak to her on account of her being a truthful woman and without asking for any witnesses she could very well avail of this position for the benefit of her husband on the following day and say:
'My husband Ali is entitled to the caliphate' and then the Caliph would have been obliged to surrender the caliphate to Ali on account of his having acknowledged her to be a truthful woman. However, in order to obviate any such claim or dispute he deprived her of her admitted right.' '