Ibne Abil al-Hadeed Motazali in Sharhe Nahjul-Balagha vol. 4 pg. 192 (Beirut Edition) has documented the following incident:
Some apostates belonging to a group led by Habbareen b. Aswad were making elaborate plans to trouble Zainab the daughter of the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P). Zainab was on camel-back heading towards Medina from Mecca. The apostates were giving her chase. The first to catch up with her was Habbareen b. Aswad. He threateningly pointed his spear towards Zainab’s saddle (so as to scare her and the camel). This terrified Zainab so much so that she suffered a miscarriage as a result. Due to this the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) ordered Habbareen b. Aswad to be killed on sight.
After narrating this incident, Ibne Abil Hadeed writes – I have recorded this incident from Naqeeb Abi Jafar.
Naqeeb said – It is clear that Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P) considered Habbareen b. Aswad a criminal deserving death due to his terrifying Zainab leading to her miscarriage. Without doubt if the Prophet of Allah (P.B.U.H&H.P) had been alive at the time of Fatimah, he would likewise have considered permissible shedding the blood of the one who terrorized his daughter leading to her miscarriage.
Ibne Abil Hadeed relates – I asked Naqeeb – Should I report the incident of Fatimah being terrorized by a group of people leading to her miscarriage on your authority?
Naqeeb replied – Do not report this incident on my authority. Also do not report its rejection on my authority. I do not wish to give my view and belief on this subject.
A simple analysis of Naqeeb’s statement tells us that Fatimah’s (S.A) miscarriage was evident for him. If that was not the case and he did not believe in the miscarriage, he would have outright denied it and would have gone on record saying that he did not believe in the incident. However, he did believe in the miscarriage, it was only because of his prejudice and predisposition that he refused to go on record and in this way tried to show that he was not certain about the incident.
It is worth stating over here Shaikh al-Hurr al-Aameli’s comment in Isbaat al-Hudaat vol. 2 pg. 360 after recording Naqeeb’s confession – It is not concealed from us that witness of something having occurred is closer to acceptance than witness of something not have occurred. The witness of something not having occurred is not acceptable except in the rarity that the witness who refutes the event is doubtful about it. (This is clearly not the case with Naqeeb who confesses that the incident did in fact occur only he did not wish to go on record with the same.)
