Mubahala means to ask for divine curse. It occurs when two sides of an argument invoke the wrath of God on each other when a religious debate are locked in stalemate. They implore God to disgrace the one who lies. In this article, I review the story of bishop of Najran who came for Mubahala with the Prophet (pbuh&hf) and his household.
Should anyone argue with you concerning him, after the knowledge that has come to you, say, ‘Come! Let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us pray earnestly and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.’ (Qur’an 3:61)
Based on Islamic sources, a group of major christen authorities from Najran came to Medina after Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hf) wrote and invited them to Islam. A heated debate occurred about Isa (jesus). Each side insisted on his own belief and position. The Prophet (pbuh&hf) received divine revelation to put an end to their debate by doing Mubahala. Therefore, they agreed to be present for Mubahala out of city the next day.
Early next morning, the Messenger of God went to Imam Ali's house and asked Imam Ali (as), Lady Fatimah (as), Imam Hassan (as) and Imam Hussain (as) to accompany him. Upon noticing them coming, the bishop of Najran, Abu Haritha asked about the identity of the Prophet's companions. Soon he was told that the Prophet (pbuh&hf) was being accompanied by his beloved cousin and son in-law, his beloved daughter and his beloved grandchildren. Abu Haritha said, "By God I see people who if ask God to move a mountain, the mountain shall be moved. Do not do Mubahala, or you would be perished and no christen would remain on the face of the earth."
Regarding the position of Lady Fatima in the verse of Mubahala, we should take into consideration that the noble Prophet only took Lady Fatima as 'our women' not any of his wives. The bishop of Najran spoke of Lady Fatimah’s greatness to his people by saying, “I see such faces who if they were to ask God to uproot mountains He would do so." This story elucidates the fact that Lady Fatimah (as) was an exemplar of infallibility and honesty, because Lady Fatimah (as) was the only person qualified to accompany the Prophet (pbuh&hf) among 'our women' stated in the verse.
Reference:
https://www.al-islam.org/message-thaqalayn/vol-13-no-3-autumn-2012/posit...