Abu Bakr replied, "Certainly the words of Allah (s.w.t.) and His Prophet (s.a.w.s.) are true and right while you, O daughter of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s.) speak the truth. You are the mine of wisdom, the homeland of guidance and blessings, the Pillar ofReligion and the Evidences of truth, and I do not dispute your opinion and words. But this group of Muslims is seated in front of you that shall judge and they have opined similarly. And whatever I have done is in accordance to their opinion. And this (usurpation of Fadak) is not done by me to display arrogance or deem myself to be great, nor is my personal opinion present in it, neither do I prefer myself upon others, and these all are witness upon these words of mine".[217]
[217]Ibne Abil Hadeed in the sixteenth volume of his Shahr Nahjul Balaghah writes, that once I asked Ali bin al Farooqi, the tutor of the Madrasah al Arabiyah in Baghdad, and he was my teacher too, that, "Was the claim of Fatemah (s.a.) for Fadak true or false in your opinion"? He replied, "Yes, Fatemah (s.a.) was truthful in her claim". Then I asked, "Then why did Abu Bakr not return back Fadak to her"? He smiled at my question and replied, "If Abu Bakr had returned back Fadak to her that day, Fatemah (s.a.) would have cometo him the following day and claimed Caliphate (for Ali) back, then Abu Bakr would not have any excuse and evidence against it. If he would have accepted the truthfulness of Fatemah (s.a.) for Fadak, then he would also have to accept her claim for caliphate and he would have no choice but to accept it".