The bonds of brotherhood were established in the homes of Banū al-Najjār, as Anas reported in an authentic hadith. They were not established in the Prophet’s Mosque—peace and blessings be upon him—as alleged in the fabricated hadith. Rather, they were established in a house belonging to a member of Banū al-Najjār (1); the Prophet had built his mosque in their quarter.

The report by Anas concerning these bonds of brotherhood is recorded in the two Sahih collections through Āsim ibn Sulaymān al-Ahwal, who said:

I said to Anas, “I have been informed that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said, ‘There is no alliance in Islam.’” Anas replied, “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—did indeed establish an alliance between Quraysh and the Ansār in my house.” (2)

Fourth: The statement in this hadith—“You are my brother and my heir”—is false according to both Ahl al-Sunnah and the Shia. If he meant inheritance of property, their assertion that Fātimah inherited from him would be invalid. How could a paternal cousin inherit when a paternal uncle—namely, al-Abbās—was still alive? And what singled him out to inherit rather than all the other paternal cousins, who stood in the same degree of kinship? If he meant (3) “an heir (4) to knowledge and authority,” their argument based on His words,

“Solomon inherited from David” [Surah al-Naml: 16],

and His words,

“So grant me, by Your grace, an heir who will inherit from me” [Surah Maryam: 5–6],

would be invalid;