Fatima the Gracious

PREFACE

In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

All praise is due Allah who created mankind and made for them an example to follow throughout their fierce battle with evil.

Prophet Muhammad (S) was the last apostle sent by Allah to communicate to mankind His Divine code (i.e. Islam). Because this code was a comprehensive one, it also dealt with the needs of women throughout history, and assigned a perfect example for them to prove beyond doubt that what Islam preaches is practical and, if properly followed, leads to everlasting felicity. This example set by Islam to women was manifested in the person of Lady Fatima Zahra (A), daughter of Allah's Messenger.

Yet, the English Library lacks a comprehensive book in regard to her life; so I was asked to take upon myself the duty of translating the work of a profound Shiite speaker ‑ Muhammad Kazim Qazwini‑ entitled Fatima Zahra Min Al‑Mahde Ila Al‑Lahd, into English. As I was translating, I found the book to be in the form of speeches regarding the successive events of Fatima's life; therefore I decided to depend mainly on the said book for recording Fatima's biography until the time of the Prophet's death. Because of the extremely sensitive period which followed his death, and the everlasting effects which the events thereafter left upon the Islamic ideology and the structure of various Muslim sects and issues, I deemed it necessary to study various historical books, especially those which dealt with Lady Fatima Zahra's life, to come up with the most accurate information regarding the prime of the post‑period of the Prophet's death. Moreover, various sermons, which were delivered during those events, were intentionally included in the book‑especially Fatima's speeches‑so as to allow researchers to study the said historical events independently.

The main books on which I depended in bringing about the book at hand were:

1. Fatima Zahra Min Al‑Mahde Ila Al Lahd
written in Arabic by Muhammad Kazim Qazwini: pp.680

2. Fatima Zahra (A) Banou‑ya Namoune‑ye Islam
written in Persian by Ibrahim Amini: pp. 246

3. Fatima Zahra (A) Umme Abiha
written in Arabic by Fadhl Hussaini Milani: pp. 203

4. Fadak Fi Al‑Tarikh
written in Arabic by Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir Sadr: pp. 152

5. The Message
in English‑ written in Persian by Allama Ja'far Subhani: pp. 781

6. The Early History of Islam,
in English, written by Sayyid Safdar Hussain: pp.358

7. Al‑Mizan, English translation,
written by Allama Syed Muhammad Hussain Tabatabai: v. 1

8. Nahjul Balagha, by Imam Ali (A).

In conclusion, it is most accurate to state that this book will be very useful not only to information‑seeking readers, but also to researchers and history students.
Many thanks are extended to Br. Muhammad Taqi Ansariyan for giving me the opportunity to serve the cause of this Great Lady of all times.

I beseech Allah to supply us all with his abundant mercy, which overwhelms every living thing, and to guide all truth seekers to His right path. May His peace, blessings, and grace be upon Muhammad and his righteous progeny.

Abu ‑ Muhammad Ordoni (Jordanian)
Qum, Zulhijja 20, 1407 A.H. August 16, 1987

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful.

Fatima is a female created by Allah to be a sign of His marvelous and unprecedented might. For, The Almighty Lord created Muhammad (S) as a sign of His might among prophets; and created from him his daughter Fatima Zahra to be a sign of His ability to create a female possessing all moral excellence and talents. In fact, Allah Almighty bestowed Fatima with a vast share of greatness and a high level of majesty, which no other woman can ever claim to have reached.

She is one of the prominent people close to Allah, whose greatness was acknowledged by Heaven before the creation of mankind; and in whose regard verses from the Quran, that are and will be read day and night until the Day of Resurrection, were revealed.

Fatima is a Lady, who as mankind advances in the understanding and realization of facts and secrets, the greatness of her personality will become more apparent, and the deep meanings and characteristics of her actions will be more appreciated.

She is Fatima Zahra (A) whom Allah praises, and is "satisfied with her satisfaction, and is angered when she is angered." And the Messenger of Allah (S) commends her nobility and meritorious personality, while Imam Ali (A) looks to her with respect and admiration and the holy Imams of Ahlul Bayt sanctify and venerate her.

I believe the book will be greatly beneficial and useful. It is rich with informative material, has a captivating style of description, and is a comfort to the soul. The reader will realize all this as he reads on....

In addition, Fatima Zahra's life speaks of many events from which many morals and admonitions can be learned, and through which one can familiarize himself with the true believers' lifestyles and the viewpoints they held. Also, a period of Islamic history that was connected to Fatima's life can be reflected upon; this is despite her short life span and the fact that she was confined to her house where only her kin knew of what went on with her.

In spite of the fact that she was abused and enough attention was not given to her history, Fatima's genius is considered an example of a Muslim woman's adherence to noble traits. Fatima is a perfect example of how a daughter, wife, and mother should act while keeping their decency and pure character; she also shows us the Muslim women's role in the social field within the limits of religion and virtue. Her life confirms that Islam does not deprive women of acquiring scientific, cultural, and literary knowledge; granting that they safeguard themselves from nudity, recklessness, unrestraint and such actions, which would bring sorrow upon them and destroy their identities.

I believe, it is impossible that another system can exist in the world, which guards women and protects their honor and identities more than Islam. It is clear that the women's associations and foundations which are scattered through various Islamic countries are not only fruitless, but also have drastically brought misery to the lives of women. I read in a newspaper that a woman's association is calling on its government to legislate a law that forbids polygamy!! This association, which apparently considers polygamy oppressive to women and an encroachment on their lives, and seeks to stop men from marrying more than one woman, is clearly ignorant or ignores the fact that such a law would open the gates to corruption and misery, depriving many women of marital happiness and motherly love. Suppose that a woman had to choose between marrying an already married man, or staying at home alone until her hair begins to turn gray waiting for her fate; had this woman been obliged to choose the second option, then it is inevitable that she would fall victim to one of the following predicaments:

First: She would either have to spend her life, including the prime of her youth, under suppression, tension and deprivation of the joys of life.

Second: Or she would indulge in corruption, such as participating in late night parties and drinking, to become a cheap product for the fulfillment of men's lust. Consequently, she would wake up to find herself with a ruined personality, a defamed name, a tarnished reputation, and deprived of honor and chastity. She would be the subject of men's lusts and desires as long as she is young and attractive; but when she loses her charm and beauty, she will be rejected by everyone and forsaken by all men.

Therefore, what is better for a woman? Having to choose between living a single life, deprived of marriage, and falling victim to one of the above mentioned predicaments; or to marry an already married man and enjoy the happiness of a marital life under the reign of Islamic justice, while keeping her honor and chastity, thus living with an untarnished name and reputation and establishing a family with children and participating in building a virtuous society!!

There is no third to the above-mentioned choices. The population of women in the world exceeds that of men, so if every man were to limit himself to one wife, then millions of women would remain unmarried; keeping in mind the fact that some men cannot, for many reasons, limit themselves to one wife. As such, some women cannot live in harmony with their husbands, due to their different experiences and motives in life. Also, women are subject to sterility, sickness, trouble and so on... which would need special effort to speak of and would divert us from our main topic.

Returning to our subject, Fatima Zahra (A), I say: be informed that despite the greatness, honor and moral excellence which Fatima enjoyed, still she has been the target of harsh statements made by some evil Muslim and non‑Muslim writers.

This becomes apparent when one refers to hadith books and studies, which besides the many excellent characteristics mentioned in her regard, a group of forged stories have been fabricated and added to these books by agents of past oppressive regimes. Those agents who spread poisonous flowers of speech and false hadith, which were revealed to them by their evil masters, have actually sold their souls to some creatures and achieved nothing save the wrath of Allah. They used their pens of enmity and daggers of hypocrisy in obedience to those who bought from them their faith and dead consciousnesses, heedless of the Prophet's position, and indifferent to contradicting the narrations recorded in their own books and publications, which praise Fatima Zahra (A).

It seems as if they are pleased to encroach upon Fatima's honor in response to the call of their evil consciousnesses; while it is clear that they realize she is the Prophet's daughter and the most beloved and dear person to him. It is as if they fear to announce their wish to disgrace the great Messenger of Allah directly; so they choose the crooked method of slandering his daughter in order to fulfill their evil lusts.

Despite that, I do not realize the real motives behind these furious and harsh attacks against Fatima Zahra! Or what the reasons are for this strange and deep enmity against this great lady?!

Is she not the Messenger of Allah's daughter, and "his spirit who he holds in his heart"?!

Was she the Prophet's successor, to say that their (political) motives forced them to try to tarnish her reputation as they did with her great husband (A)?


What is the reason for this concentrated insistence to put her down? Is it because she is the Prophet's daughter? If so, then why don't we find such a phenomenon regarding the Prophet's other daughters?! Or could it be that she is Imam Ali’s (A) wife? But he married four wives after her and we do not find such agitation and prejudice against them!!

I can imagine no sin to Fatima Zahra (A), save being the most beloved person to the Prophet of Allah (S), who preferred her over his other daughters and wives, and that she defended and protected her husband's rights when she appeared in the mosque to demand her usurped rights and property granted to her by Allah and His Prophet.

But do these reasons justify the unfounded attacks and attempts carried out by so called Muslims to tarnish her serenity?

Moreover, Jewish and Christian Orientalists played an important role in this deal; they attempted to tarnish the sacred Islamic beliefs and holdings by spreading vain and baseless sayings among the Muslims. Some so‑called Muslims translated their poisonous writings and published and distributed them throughout the Islamic world without commenting or revising them, as if their intentions were the same as those of the orientalists.

It is best to bring a summarized example in this regard, which Sheikh Amini mentioned in his book, Al‑Ghadir, volume 3, page 10:

A Christian Orientalist called Amil Darmangam wrote a book entitled The Life of Muhammad, in which he slandered Islam, the Quran and the Holy Prophet (S) and fabricated misleading and deceitful stories about them. This book was then translated by a Palestinian by the name of Muhammad Adil Zu'aitir, who did not comment on the fables and myths included in it. Zu'aitir claimed that he did so in observance to the rules of translation! I wish I knew! Does commenting on such false information contradict the so‑called rules of translating?

Among the fables mentioned in this book are:

"Fatima was gloomy, Ruqayya was prettier than her, and Zainab was wittier. She (Fatima) did not even consider her Father's feelings when he informed her, from behind the curtain, that Ali Ibn Abu Talib had mentioned her name. Fatima considered Ali to be homely, despite his great courage, so his desire to marry her was more than her wish to do so.

Ali's' face was not handsome, for he had two slack eyes, and a low point of nose; in addition he had a large belly and baldhead. But with all of this, Ali was courageous, pious, honest, faithful, devout and virtuous together with limpness and irresolution!!
Ali used to irrigate palm trees which belonged to a Jew, in return for a handful of dates; when he returned home he would give them to his wife and gloomily say: “eat and feed your children!”

He would become so furious after every argument that he would leave the house to sleep in the mosque, where his father‑in‑law followed him and patting his shoulder advised him to temporarily reconcile with Fatima!! It even happened that once the Prophet saw Fatima crying with traces of Ali's physical abuse on her face?!!

Despite Muhammad's praise of Ali for his early conversion to Islam, to satisfy his daughter, the Prophet did not give much attention to him; contrary to this, the two Umayyad sons‑in‑law of the Prophet, the Generous 0thman and Abu Al‑Asi, were more considerate of the Prophet than Ali, used to complain about the Prophet's carelessness to bring happiness to his daughter's life and about the Prophet's reckoning Ali an executer of non-honorable jobs. Although he authorized him to cut off necks, he avoided entrusting leadership positions to him ...Yet, worse than this was when a quarrel occurred between Ali and Fatima regarding their enmity to the Prophet's wives, Fatima would sorrowfully blame her Father for not siding with his daughters..."

The writer of the above mentioned book added many other such fables which are nothing but crimes against history which, the writer marred the pages of his book with.

Sheikh Amini (may Allah be pleased with him) wrote in answer to this Christian's fabrications:

"1 do not blame the author (may Allah amputate his ears) despite the fact that he fabricated many false stories; because he is from a people who resent Islam, and good deeds are not expected from him; for both his obvious and hidden shortcomings are revealed in his book. Rather all the blame lies on the translator who committed a massive crime against Islam and the Arabs‑while considering himself one of them‑ but indeed: "Birds of a feather flock together."

It is clear that all, which was written in the book from these different fables and fabricated lies are nothing but heedless words that contradict the true historical facts, and oppose what the Islamic Ummah collectively agree upon in accordance to what they heard from the Holy Prophet (S).

Do the rumors spread by this book against Fatima correspond with her Father's (S) saying:

"Fatima is a human huri, whenever I long for paradise I kiss her."? [1]

or:

"My daughter Fatima is a human huri." [2]

or:

"Fatima is the true splendor." [3]

or with Anas Ibn Malik's Mother saying:

"Fatima was like a moon on its full night, or the sun covered with no clouds. She was white with a touch of rose color on her face, her hair was black and she had the beautiful features of the Messenger of Allah (S)” [4]

Her given name "Zahra" reveals the truth of the matter. Besides, do the writers' arbitrary false judgements against Fatima's intelligence and noble manners conform to her Mother's (The Mother of the Faithful, Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her) saying:

"Fatima used to speak when she was in her Mother's womb; when she was born, she fell on the ground in a prostrating position with her finger raised." [5]

or Aisha's saying:

"I have not seen a person more similar to the Prophet's appearance, conduct, guidance and speech whether sitting or standing than Fatima. When she enters, the Messenger of Allah stands up, kisses and welcomes her, then takes her hand and asks her to sit in his place." [6]

Also in Bihaqi's quotation in Sunah vol. 7, p. 101, Aisha said:

"I have not seen anyone more similar to the Messenger of Allah's habit of speech and dialogue than Fatima... "

As for the writer's awkward description of Imam Ali (A) that Fatima considered him homely and gloomy, the least that can be said is that it does not consist with what has been mentioned regarding his handsome features: He had a splendid face, as if it was the full moon, his neck appeared like a silver jug, [7] and he was cheerful, [8] whenever he smiled, his teeth appeared to be organized pearls. [9]

Neither does that rude description consist with Abu Al‑Aswad Duali's poetic saying that whenever he came face to face with Ali (A), he felt as if he was facing the full moon.
Does your clear conscience agree with the Orientalist's slandering of Ali (A) as being "limp and irresolute"? While it is he that is the well ‑ known adventurer and invincible knight who participated in many battles and wars.

Is not Ali the one who relieved the Messenger of Allah (S) from many inflictions and calamities which had clouded his life since he spoke openly of the righteous religion until he lay down on his death bed, and sacrificed himself for the great Prophet until he entered his last dwell?

Is Ali not the only soldier of Islam in whose name the following verses have been revealed?

"Do ye make the giving of drink to pilgrims, or the maintenance of The Sacred Mosque, equal to (the pious service of) those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and strive in the cause of Allah?" (9:19)
and:

"There is the type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of Allah." (2: 207)

Hence, when did Ali stop competing with men, and defending the Prophet so that he deserved to be described as limp and irresolute?!

But indeed false claims never end.

Can it be conceived that the Prince of The Faithful (A) acted in such an atrocious manner with his noble wife, while the Prophet says to him "Your conduct and looks are similar to mine, and you are from the same tree from which I came." [10]

While the Prophet declared that Ali was the best man of his nation, for he was the most patient and best mannered one of them all, and says:

"Ali is the best of my nation, most knowledgeable and most patient from among them” [11]

Would Ali behave in such a manner when he heard the Prophet (S) say to Fatima?

"I gave you in marriage to the first one to adhere to Islam from my nation, he is also the most knowledgeable and most patient among them?" [12]

and:

"I gave you in marriage to the first Muslim and best mannered man." [13]

Would the Prophet (S) say all of this about Ali, while he behaved cruelly with Fatima?

Surely the croaks fabricate many a falsehood; for Ali was exactly the honest and truthful one Messenger of Allah (S) said about.

Can you accept the slanderous accusation made by the writer (how evil has he spoken) that Ali physically abused Fatima, the Prophet's daughter?! While you know that Ali is that obedient believer of the Messenger who heard the Prophet say to Fatima:

"Surely Allah is angered when you are angered, and is pleased at your pleasure." [14]

He also said to Fatima while holding her hand:

"He who knows this, knows her, and he who does not know her; she is part of me, she is my heart and my spirit which is in my side, thus he who harms her harms me." [15]

He also said:

"Fatima is part of me, that which annoys her annoys me, and harms me that which harms her." [16]

and:

"Fatima is part of me, he who angers her angers me." [17]

Did the Prophet limit his praise of Ali to his precedence in adhering to Islam? Did he endeavor to keep this a secret by only informing his daughter in order to satisfy her?!
Had this been true!! Then why did he (S) take Ali's hand and raise it publicly and announce:

"He was the first to believe in me, and he will be the first to shake my hand on the Day of Rising!?"

He also informed his companions that:

"The first among you to appear at my domain (reservoir), is he who was the first among you to follow Islam Ali Ibn Abu Talib."

Could this so‑called secret remain hidden from the companions and those that followed them in adhering to the truth; while they insisted on extolling him as the following group did: Salman the Persian, Anas Ibn Malik, Zaid Ibn Arqam, Abdullah Ibn Hijl, Hashim Ibn Utba, Malik Al‑Ashtar, Abdullah Ibn Hashim, Abu Amrah Adi Ibn Hatem, Abu Rafe, Buraidah, Jundub Ibn Zuhair, and Um Al‑Khair Ibnat Al‑Harash. [18]

And, does claiming that the Prophet (S) paid little attention to Ali consist with the Quranic declaration that he (Ali (A)) is the same as the Prophet's self?! Or that it (Quran) made the reward for the divine message the love of Ali (A)?... Or with that which was narrated in the story of the roasted bird‑which is mentioned in the Sahihs and Musnads‑when the Prophet said:

"O Allah, bring the most beloved creature to You so that he may eat with me."

or when he said to Aisha:

"Surely Ali is the most beloved of all men and the most precious to me. Therefore, recognize his rights, and pay tribute to him." [19]

And:

"The most beloved of all men to me is Ali.” [20]

And:

“Ali is the best of those whom I leave behind me (after death)." [21]

And:

"The best of your men is Ali Ibn Abu Talib, and the best of your women is Fatima Bint Muhammad." [22]

And:

"Ali is the best of mankind, and he who denies (this) is an infidel." [23]

And:

"He who does not say that Ali is the best of mankind is surely an infidel." [24]

And in Banner's narration where it has been unanimously agreed that he (S) said:

"Tomorrow I will hand over the banner to a man whom Allah and His Messenger love, and who loves Allah and His Messenger."

And:

“Ali to me is like my head to my body." [25]

And:

“Ali to me is like I am to my Lord." [26]

And:

“Ali is the most beloved to me, and the most beloved to Allah." [27]

He (S) also said to Ali:

"I am from you, and you are from me; or you are from me and I am from you.” [28]

And:

'Ali is from me and I am from him; he is the guardian (wali) of every believer after me." [29]

And:

‑In the narration regarding sending Ali (A) to read Surah At-tawbah (Surah No. 9) to the pilgrims on which it has been unanimously agreed, he said:

"No one takes it (to the pilgrims) except a man being from me and I from him." [30]

And:

"Your flesh is my flesh, your blood is my blood, and righteousness is on your side.” [31]

And:

"There is not a prophet who has not had a peer, and Ali is my peer.” [32]

Also, in a narration that Al‑Hakim deemed authentic, Tabarani related to Umme Salama the following:

"Whenever the Prophet of Allah was angered, no one dared to speak to him save Ali.” [33]

Also Aisha said:

"(I declare) by Allah that I have not seen anyone more beloved to Allah 's Messenger than Ali, or a woman on earth more beloved to him than his wife (Ali's wife, Fatima)." [34]

Buraida and Ubae also said:

"The most beloved to the Messenger of Allah from among women is Fatima, and from among men is Ali.,, [35]

And Juma Ibn Umair said:

"I entered Ali's house with my Aunt, when I inquired as to who was the most beloved of all people to Allah's Messenger?! She said: Fatima. Then she was asked: And from among men? She said: her husband, ever since I met him he has been fasting and praying." [36]

Furthermore, how could it be true that Allah's Messenger preferred others over Ali and paid more attention to them, while Ali was the first man chosen by Allah to follow his Messenger from among the dwellers of Earth, as he (S) told Fatima in the following narration:

"Surely Allah has examined the dwellers of Earth and has chosen your Father to be a prophet, He then examined (them) and chose your husband, then He revealed to me that I give (you to him in) marriage and appointed him as my successor." [37]

He (S) also said to Fatima:

"Surely Allah chose two men from the dwellers of Earth, one being your Father and the other your husband." [38]

There are many other authentic traditions that Sheikh Amini (may Allah bless him) mentioned, refuting the false claims made by the misguided writer. Nevertheless, the harsh assaults against the family of Allah's Messenger are endless; as the situation requires, we will mention more of these narrations, if Allah wills. It is worthy to made a brief introduction, before we embark on the core of the subject. Because this book tackles the life story of a person higher than that which mankind is accustomed to, it is incumbent upon us to speak of matters, which can be considered "transcendental" for the character discussed here is an excellent genius, and the truth of this will become clear to you as you read on.

References:

[1] Tareekh Baghdad by Khateeb Baghdadi: v.5, p.86.
[2] Sawaiq Al‑Muhriqa and Is'af Ar‑Raghebeen: p.173.
[3] Nuzhat Al‑Jaliss: v.2, P222.
[4] Mustadrak Al‑Hakim: v.3, p.161.
[5] Sirat Al‑Muwla, Dhakha'er Al‑Uqbi.
[6] Tirmadhi and Ibn Abdurabbeh in Eqd Al‑Farid: v.2, p.3.
[7] Esti'ab: v.2, p.469.
[8] Tahdheeb Al‑Asma Wal‑Lughāt.
[9] Hilyat Al‑Awlia: v.1, p. 84.
[10] Tareekh Baghdad: v.11, p.171.
[11] Tabari, Khateeb, Dulabi as was mentioned in Kanz Al‑Umal: v.6, p.153.
[12] Musnad Ahmad: v.5, p. 26, Ryadh An‑Nadherah: v.2, p.194.
[13] Ryadh An‑Nadherah: v.2, p.194.
[14] Mustadrak Al‑Hakim: v.3, p.154., Tadhkirat Al‑Bast: p.175., Maqtal Al‑Kharazmi: v.1, p.54., Kefayat At‑Talib: p.219., Kanz Al‑Umal: v.7, p.111., Sawiq: p.105.
[15] Al‑Fusul Al‑Muhammad: p.150., Nuzhat Al‑Majalis: v.2, p.228., Nur Al‑Absar: p.45.
[16] Sahih Al‑Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmadhi, Musnad Ahmad: v.4, p. 328., Khasaes An‑Nisaee: p.35.
[17] Sahih Al‑Bukhari, Khasaes An‑Nisaee: p.35.
[18] Most historical sources mention them
[19] Ryadh An‑Nadherah: v.2, p.161., Dhakha'er Al‑Uqbi: p.62.
[20] In another narration of: "of my kin."
[21] Mawaqif Al‑Aiji: v.3, p.276, Majma' Al‑Zawa'ed: v.9, p.113.
[22] Tareekh Baghdad: v.4, p.392.
[23] Tareekh Baghdad, Kunuz Al‑Haqaeq, Hamish Al‑Jame' Al‑Saghir p.16, Kanz Al‑Umal: p.159.
[24] Tareekh Baghdad: v.3, p. 192, Kanz Al‑Umal: v.6, p.159.
[25] Tareekh Baghdad: v.7, p.12, Sawaeq: p.75, Jame' Al‑Saghir by Suyuti, Nur Al‑Absar: p.80.
[26] As‑Sirat‑Ul‑Halabiyah: v.3, p. 391 Ryadh An‑Nadherah: v.2, p.163.
[27] Tareekh Baghdad: v.1, p.160.
[28] Musnad Ahmad: v.5, p.204, Khasaes An‑Nisaee: pp.36,51.
[29] Musnad Ahmad: v.5, p.356.
[30] Khasaes An‑Nisaee: p.8.
[31] Al‑Mahasen Wal‑Masawi: v.1, p.31.
[32] Ar‑Ryadh An‑Nadherah: v.2, p.164.
[33] Sawaeq: p.73, Tareekh Al‑Khulafa by Suyuti: p.116.
[34] Mustadrak Al‑Hakim: v.3, P154, Khasaes An‑Nisaee: p.29.
[35] Khasaes An‑Nisaee: p.29, Mustadrak Al‑Hakim: v.3, p.115.
[36] Jame' At‑Tirmadhi: v.2, p.227, other collective books.
[37] Tabarani, Kanz Al‑Ummal: v.6, p.153, Majma' Al‑Zawaed: v.9, p.165.
[38] Mawaqif Al‑Aiji: p.8.




CHAPTER 2 THE LAW OF INHERITANCE


A fact that has been proven since old times, is children's inheritance of their parents characteristics, and that these characteristics are found in children's genes before they are transferred into their mothers' wombs. They live with these characteristics as growing unborn children, and after birth, with the growth of the child, these characteristics become more apparent.

In fact, even nursing has an amazing effect on nursed children's characteristics, as Imam Ali said:

"Don't have an idiot woman nurse your children, for surely nursing is a means for passing on contagious diseases."

Additionally, many detailed scripts have been published regarding this law. In light of this, it is appropriate to briefly discuss the biographies of the parents of Fatima (S), so we may derive a conclusion about the magnificence that surrounded her life from the genetic viewpoint. Because this is not the (direct) subject of our book, we will summarize the subject as follows:

The chief of prophets and messengers, Muhammad Ibn Abdulluh is the purest being, the most honorable creature, and the foremost of all the world. It was for Muhammad's sake that Allah created all beings, and there is not an honor, virtue or noble deed in the existing universe that the great Prophet doesn't enjoy the greatest share of.

This is the least that can be said about the Messenger (S), there is no exaggeration or extravagance in these words, rather they are like saying: The sun shines, and honey is sweet. For this is the Messenger of Allah (S) from whom Fatima Zahra (A) descended.

As for Lady Khadija, she was a beautiful, tall, light skinned woman, considered noble among her people; she was wise in decision‑making, enjoyed a great deal of intelligence and sharp discernment. She bestowed her brilliant insight of economical principles, especially in the export and import field, on the trade market. This was Khadija the human, the woman, and the wife; on the other hand, she granted thousands of dinars to her husband to use as he saw fit. Thus, Khadija's financial support had a great role in strengthening Islam during its prime days, when it was still in the formation stage and critically needed material aid. Thus, Allah foreordained Khadija's property to help Islam and fulfill its goals.

Allah's Messenger said in this regard:

"No property has ever been so useful to me as Khadija's."

While in Mecca, the Prophet used this property to free slaves, help the needy, support the poor and rescue his financially inflicted companions. He also paved the way for those who wished to immigrate; all this through Khadija's wealth from which he spent freely during her life; and when she died, he and her children inherited it. [39]

Therefore, the meaning of the Prophet's saying:

"Religion succeeded and became manifest only through Ali's sword and Khadija's property," becomes clear.

Furthermore, her conduct throughout her married life with the Messenger, is worthy of praise and glorification; for this reason whenever he remembered his wife or her name was mentioned to him, he would bless her and a feeling of sadness overcame him and perhaps tears would run down his face in her remembrance.

Once the Prophet mentioned Khadija near Aisha, Aisha responded:

"She was not but a such and such of an old lady, and Allah replaced her with a better one for you."

He (S) replied:

"Indeed Allah did not grant me better than her; she accepted me when people rejected me, she believed in me when people doubted me, she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me, and Allah granted me children only through her." [40]

References:

[39] Amali Al‑Sheikh as Sadduq.
[40] Al‑Esti'ab.


CHAPTER 3 THE PROPHET'S MARRIAGE

The Messenger of Allah (S) married Lady Khadija at the age of twenty‑five, while Khadija herself was forty years old. Yet some historians allege that she was twenty‑five, and still others claim that she was twenty‑eight years old.

It is also said that she had two previous marriages before marrying the Prophet (S) some historians dispute this and indicate that she was a virgin when He (S) married her. This last claim is not common.

The Prophet's marriage to Khadija was not a usual one, it was a unique marriage because it was not initiated as a result of a love relationship, nor was there material or political motives behind it, which was commonplace among the elite classes. In fact, there was no correspondence between the Prophet's economical position and that of Khadija's. On one hand, the Messenger was sponsored by his poor uncle, Abu Talib and on the other hand, Khadija was the wealthiest lady in Mecca. Thus, there was an evident gap between them in this peculiarity.

Khadija heard that the Prophet had a bright and sacred future ahead of him‑perhaps she heard this from her servant Maisarah, who informed her of what had happened to the Messenger during a commercial trip to Syria in which he had worked for her. Or perhaps he conveyed to her what the monk in Busra said about the future of the Prophet‑upon learning this, Lady Khadija suggested that prophet Muhammad (S) marry her, and urged him to ask for her hand from her Father, Khuwaylid (according to some historians it was her uncle).

The Prophet, who preferred to marry a poor woman from his own economical class, apologized to Khadija and refused her request. But she, being a wise, reasonable, and honorable woman informed him that she was ready to grant him herself and that property was not a difficult thing to put at his disposal. So she once again urged him to send his uncles to ask for her hand from her Father, Khuwaylid.

The Prophet's uncles and aunts were astonished at this news; a very wealthy lady who sponsors hundreds of people, and tens of men work for her in her property and trade for her throughout the summer and winter seasons, between Yemen, Mecca and Syria; a great Lady whom the noblemen had asked to marry, but she had refused them all, giving herself to a poor Quraishan young man, sponsored by his poor uncle, Abu Talib!! Could she have been honest in doing so?! Could this news be true? Safiya bint Abdul Muttalib (the Prophet's aunt) rushed to Khadija's house to validate the news. She was warmly welcomed by Khadija who informed her of her earnest desire to do so.



CHAPTER 4 LADY KHADIJA ON THE WAY TO A BLESSED LIFE

When Safiya returned home and informed her brothers (the Prophet's uncles) of the authenticity of the news, happiness mixed with amazement and astonishment overtook them.

Khadija who refused to marry the princes and lords of the Arabs, because she deemed them unworthy to marry, chose to be the wife of a poor man who owned nothing of the ephemeral things of this world, of even a foot of land!!

This was the wonder of wonders!!

The Prophet's uncles proceeded towards Khadija's house and asked for her hand from her father (or uncle) who at first rejected them but later agreed to the proposal.

Inevitably, an appropriate sum of money had to be presented to Khadija as her dowry; how could it be obtained? And who would donate it?

This was a difficult question at hand, until Khadija once again surprised everyone by giving four thousand dinars as a gift to the Prophet, and urged him to pay it to her father as her dowry. Although according to another historical finding, it was Abu Talib who paid the dowry from his own money.

Even though Khadija was a woman of high standards who sacrificed material gains to achieve honor, her father, Khuwaylid, possessed contradicting values. This difference between Khadija and her father is not rare between parents and their children; in fact, this ideological difference can also be found between various classes of people, brothers, spouses, and parents.

Khadija's payment of the dowry was a unique, amazing and unforeseen act; for the Arabs were not acquainted with women giving dowries to their husbands. Thus, it was not unexpected of Abu Jahel to incite an envious commotion and say:

"O people, we have thus seen men paying dowries to women; we are not used to women giving dowry to men” In answer to this, Abu Talib angrily replied:

"What is the matter with you? O you wicked man! Men like Muhammad are to be given gifts and grants, but your likes give gifts that people always reject."

or he said:

"If it was a man like my nephew then the greatest dowries are to be granted to him, but men like you cannot get married save by paying large sums of money."

The blessed wedding took place in the best possible way, the Messenger moved in with Lady Khadija who felt that she was going through the happiest period of her life, because she had reached her best wishes and sweetest dreams.

Khadija gave birth to several children of whom only four daughters survived: Zainab, Umme Kulthum, Ruqiya, and Fatima‑Zahra who was the youngest and most exalted of them all.

There is a difference between historians regarding the first two daughters, for some claim that they were the Prophet's step-daughters; but the fact is that they were his direct daughters. This fact will be explained in the coming pages, if Allah wills. [41]

References:

[41] The story of Khadija's marriage was summarized and carried on from Bihar Al‑Anwar: v.6.


CHAPTER 5 A GLANCE AT "TRANSCENDENTAL EVENTS"

The previous paragraphs spoke of Lady Khadija's excellent and noble characteristics, which should be a fantastic example for mankind to follow. She is the lady who gave birth to Fatima Zahra and brought her up with talents and virtues.

Fatima Zahra was a descendant of two great people; we have briefly spoken about her parents, lives and virtues and have drawn a picture through which we can look at Fatima's genius and a corner of her life in light of genetic inheritance becomes clear to us.

Furthermore, there are undisputed facts that have been declared by the Sacred Messenger and Ahlul‑Bayt (A) that neither science nor contemporary discoveries have been able to conquer the deep meanings of, despite what science has achieved in these fields. Because these facts are beyond the reach of machines and telescopes, photographers' advanced lenses cannot capture their rays, nor can natural or logical senses realize them.

Actually, the truth goes beyond material and logical realization, for the five senses are unable to define it. So you may, if you wish, call these facts "Transcendental Facts."
Before elaborating on these facts, it is incumbent upon us to make a brief introduction, thus we say:

The sperm which is formed in the womb to become an embryo develops from the blood, which is produced from digesting the food by various organs of the body. Hence, there is no doubt that sperm which is a product of eating pork or drinking liquor differs from that which is produced from lamb meat; because of the difference in composition between various types of foods. In addition, food has peculiar effects on the human psyche and spirit; there are some foods that bring happiness to the heart and calm the nerves, while others do exactly the opposite.

Permissible and pure food have beneficial effects on man; contrary to this, impure food such as liquor or impermissible food like stolen or usurped meat harm men. The influence of the food we eat becomes apparent in the sperm. Elaboration on this subject by procuring proof and evidence takes special effort, which would lead us away from our original subject.

In conclusion, food, which is eaten by the parents, has an enormous effect of the future of the child, because it is from this food that the sperm is formed and carried on to the womb to grow and become a human being.

Furthermore, the psychological state of the parents during sexual intercourse has a great effect on the child's state of mind and his psychological behavior in the future. Besides this, persistent want and earnest desire to have sexual intercourse are influential on the appearance and intelligence of the child.

In light of these two points (the nutritional and psychological effects upon children), we move on to elaborate on the subject by verifying it through a selection of narrations mentioned in Volume 6 of Bihar Al‑Anwar.

Gabriel descended to the Messenger of Allah (S) and told him: “O Muhammad! The Most Exalted sends His peace upon you and commands you to refrain from (coming close to) Khadija for forty days.”

It was difficult for the Prophet, who loved and adored Khadija to do so; nevertheless (in obedience to Allah's command) he spent forty days fasting and praying nights. When it was close to the end of the forty days, he summoned Ammār Ibn Yasser and asked him to go to Khadija and tell her:

"O Khadija! do not assume that my separation from you means abandoning or forsaking you, rather my Lord commanded me to do so, so expect nothing save benevolence, for surely Allah (exalted is His Name) praises you to His most honorable angels several times a day. Therefore, with nightfall, close the door and lay down to sleep; for I will be staying at Fatima Bint Assad's house."

This brought sad tidings to Khadija who missed having the Prophet by her side.

At the end of the forty days, Gabriel once again descended to Allah's Messenger and said:

"O Muhammad! The Most Exalted sends His peace upon you and commands you to be prepared for His salutation and gift."

The Prophet said:

"Gabriel! What is the Lord of the world's gift and what is His salutation?"

Gabriel said: "I have no knowledge of it."

At that moment, Michael descended with a plate covered with a kerchief made of brocade or sarcenet and presented it to the Prophet! Gabriel said to him (S):

"O Muhammad, your Lord commands you to break your fasting with this food tonight."

Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib (A) said in this regard:

"The Prophet (S) used to order me to open the door to whoever wanted to join him when he came to break his fast, but that night he ordered me to guard the door of the house and said to me: `O son of Abu Talib! this food is forbidden to everyone save me. "
Then he (A) said:

"I sat at the door, and the Prophet (S) uncovered the plate, in privacy, to find a cluster of dates and a bunch of grapes; he ate until satisfied and drank his need of water. He then extended his hands to be washed, so Gabriel poured the water, Michael washed his hands, and Israfil dried them. Thereafter, the remaining food with the plate ascended to heaven. Then he (S) started to prepare himself for prayers when Gabriel said to him:

"Prayer is forbidden to you until you go to Khadija's house and perform coition with her; for Allah (Glory be to Him) ordained upon Himself to create noble progeny from you tonight.' So he rushed to Khadija's house."

Khadija said:

"I had gotten used to seclusion by that time, so when night arrived I covered my head, put down the curtains, locked the doors, performed my prayers, put out the lantern, and retired to my bed. That night while I was between the states of sleeping and being awake, the Prophet knocked on the door; so I exclaimed: Who is knocking on the door that only Muhammad knocks on?"

The Prophet gently and politely replied:

“Open the door Khadija, I am Muhammad”

Khadija said:

"I cheerfully got up and opened the door for the Prophet to come in. He (S) usually requested the water jug to perform ablution and two short prayer prostrations before he retired. On the contrary, that night he (S) did not request the jug nor did he perform prayers... instead, what occurs between a woman and her husband occurred between us; and by Allah, who created the heavens and caused water to come out of springs, before the Prophet left me, I felt Fatima's weight in my womb..."

It can be concluded from the above mentioned narration that:

1.Allah Almighty commanded His Messenger to abandon Khadija a period of time so that his longing and wanting her increased.

2. He (S) performed more worship so as to achieve a higher level of spirituality and sacredness, as a result of being in constant contact with the heavenly world.

3. He (S) broke his fast on the pure heavenly gift, which was quickly transformed into sperm because of its delicateness.

4. The sperm was produced from eating a delicate heavenly food that differs from material nutritions.

5. The Prophet (S) immediately proceeded to Khadija's house in order to transfer the sperm to her womb after the previously mentioned preparations.

This narration was mentioned by the following Sunni scholars with minor variations between some of their accounts of it:

1. Khawarazmi in his book Maqtal Al‑ Hussain p. 63, 68.
2. Dhahabi in Al‑Etedal v.2, p. 26.
3. Talkhees Al‑Mustadrak v. 3, p. 156.
4. Asqalani in Lisan Al‑Mizan v. 4, p. 36.

In addition, there are various traditions with minor verbal differences and the same fundamental meaning that Fatima Zahra (A) was created from a sperm produced from heavenly food. We mention herein some of these narrations and restrict ourselves to the part which are related to our subject in observance of briefness and omit the rest:

Imam Reza (A) said: "The Prophet (S) said:

“On the night of my ascension to Heaven, Gabriel took my hand and led me into Paradise, then he handed me dates from which 1 ate; those dates were formed into sperm. When I descended to Earth, I came unto Khadija who became pregnant with Fatima; thus, Fatima is a human huri, whom whenever I long for Paradise I smell.” [42]

Imam Baqir (A) on the account of Jabir Ibn Abdullah, said:

"It was said to the Messenger of Allah: Surely you kiss, embrace and bring Fatima close to you... and treat her better than your other daughters!"

He (A) commented:

"Indeed, for Gabriel brought me an apple from heaven, which I ate and it was transformed into sperm that I placed in Khadija who later bore Fatima. Hence, I smell paradise's fragrance in her." [43]

Ibn Abbas said:

"Aisha entered the house while the Messenger of Allah was kissing Fatima, so she said: Do you love her, O Messenger of Allah?'

He replied: ‘Indeed, by Allah if you knew the extent of my love for her, your love would increase for her. When I was in the forth heaven... (until he said) that I found these dates softer than butter, more pleasant than musk and sweeter than honey. So when I descended to earth, I came unto Khadija and she bore Fatima. Thus, Fatima is a human huri, whenever I long for paradise I smell her. "' [44]

This last narration was also mentioned with variations by:
1. Al‑Khateeb Al‑Baghdadi in Tarikh Baghdād v. 5, p. 87.
2. Kharazmi in Maqtal Al‑Hussain p. 63.
3. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al‑Demashqi in Mizan Al‑Etedal v.1, p. 38.
4. Az Zarandi in Nazm Durar As Simtain.
5. Asqalani in Lisan Al Mizan v.5, p. 160.
6. Qanduzi in Yanabi' Al‑Mawaddah.
7. Muhib‑Ad‑Din At‑Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi p. 43.

These narrations are mentioned on the accounts of Aisha, Ibn Abbas, Saed Ibn Mālik, and Umar Ibn Al‑Khattab.

8. Sheikh Shua'b Al‑Misri in Ar‑Rawd Al‑Faeq p. 214 writes:

"Some noble narrators mentioned that one day Lady Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Master of creatures (the Prophet P.B.U.H) to show her a fruit from the Dwell of Peace (Paradise). Thus, Gabriel brought him who was chosen above all two apples from Paradise and said:

'O Muhammad, He who appointed a due proportion for all things says to you:
"Eat one apple and give the other to Lady Khadija, then come unto her, for I will create from you (both) Fatima Zahra. "The Chosen One did what The Guardian (Gabriel) told him to do, and.. (Until he said): ‘Thus, whenever the Chosen One longed for Paradise and its greatness, he would kiss Fatima and smell her beautiful fragrance and say: 'Fatima is a human huri.’"

There are successive narrations in this regard, but we satisfy ourselves with what has been mentioned.

There remains a point here on which elaboration is rather important; it is noticeable that the narrations clearly state that Khadija bore Fatima immediately after the Prophet's Ascension to heaven, which took place in the second or third year after revelation.

Nevertheless, there is a collection of narrations from the Holy Imams of Ahlul‑Bayt (A), which state that Fatima was born five years after the first revelation to the Prophet This indicates that she stayed in her mother's womb for more than two years, which is definitely incorrect. How can the contradictions between the narrations be explained?!

There are several probabilities, which can be given as answers to this question; they are:

1. The Messenger of Allah ascended to heaven more than once, as was stated in the Book of Kāfi. This, in my opinion, is the most accurate account of this affair.

2. Taking into account some narrations which state that Fatima (A) was born in the second or third year after the first revelation (as will be mentioned together with the historians' opinions who claim that Ascension took place in the third year of revelation); this contradiction can be explained especially in light of the various sayings regarding the month during which Ascension occurred.

Among the unique merits of Fatima Zahra was that she spoke to her mother while she was still in her mother's womb. Shiite scholars are not alone in reporting this merit of Fatima; several Sunni scholars and narrators also support this fact. For instance, Abdur Rahman Shafe'i narrated in his book Nuzhat Al‑Majalis v. 2, p. 227, that Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) said:

"When I was pregnant with Fatima, which was an easy pregnancy, she would speak to me from inside my womb."

Also, Dahlawi in Tajhiz Al‑Jaish quoted the author of Madh Al‑Khulafa Ar‑Rashidin as saying:

"When Khadija was pregnant with Fatima, she (Fatima) used to speak to her from her womb, but Khadija kept this from the Prophet.

One day, the Prophet entered the house and found Khadija speaking to someone while no one was in the room with her. He inquired as to whom she was speaking; she replied:

‘That which in my womb, surely it speaks to me.'

Then the Prophet said:

'Rejoice Khadija, for this is the girl whom Allah has made to be the mother of eleven of my successors who will come after me and after their father. "'

Shuab Ibn Saad Al‑Misri mentioned the following in Ar Rawd Al‑Faeq, p. 214:

"At the time when Khadija's pregnancy had become apparent, the infidels asked the Prophet to show them the splitting of the moon; upon hearing this Khadija declared:

"O what a disappointment it would be! Had Muhammad lied while he is the best Messenger of my Lord?"

It was then that Fatima called Khadija from her womb and said:

"O Mother, do not be grieved nor sorrowful, for surely Allah is with my father."

When Fatima was born, the skies became illuminated from the brightness of her face.

Likewise, the narration, which states that Khadija spoke of Fatima Zahra's talking while still in her womb, has already been mentioned at the beginning of this chapter.

References:

[42] Amali As‑Sadouq.
[43] Elal Ash‑Sharaye'.
[44] Bihar: v.6.


CHAPTER 6 FATIMA ZEHRA'S BIRTH

The clear disagreement on Fatima's birth date is surprising. Some scholars state that she was born five years after revelation; while others say that she was born two or three years before that; and still others claim that she was born five years before revelation. It should be noted that the first statement was narrated from the Imams of Ahlul‑Bayt (A) a group of Sunni scholars also favor the same viewpoint. On the other hand, Sunni scholars and narrators alone speak of the second date.

The following are narrations, which have been cited concerning the date of Fatima Zahra's birth:

1. Kāfi (Kulayni):

"She was born five years after (the beginning of) Prophethood, and three years after Ascension to heaven. When the Prophet died, Fatima was eighteen years old....”

2. Al‑Manaqib (Ibn Shahr Ashub):

"Fatima was born five years after (the beginning of) Prophethood and three years after Ascension, namely on the 20th of Jamadi Al‑Thani. She lived eight years in Mecca with her father, and then she immigrated...”

3. Al‑Bihar: Imam Baqir (A) said:

"Fatima Bint Muhammad was born five years after the (first) revelation to Allah's Messenger. She died when she was eighteen years and seventy‑five days old."

4. Rawdhat Al‑Waedin:

"Fatima was born five years after the (first) revelation to the Prophet....”

5. Iqbal Al‑Aamal: Sheikh Mufeed in his book Hadaiq Ar‑Ryadh, said:

"The 20th of Jamadi Al‑Thani was the birthday of Fatima Zahra during the second year after (the first) revealation."

6. Misbah Al‑Kaf'ami:

"Although it has been said that she was born five years after (the first) revelation, (Fatima) was born on Friday the 20th of Jamadi Al‑Thani, two years after revelation."

7. Misbahain:

"Friday the 20th of Jamadi Al‑Thani, two years after revelation, was the birthday of Fatima, as was cited by some narrations. It has been mentioned in a narration that she was born five years after revelation. The Sunnis narrate that she was born five years before revelation."

8. Dala'el Al‑Imamah, on the authority of Imam Sadiq (A):

"Fatima was born on the 20th of Jamadi Al‑Thani, forty five years after the Prophet was born…etc.” [45]

The above-mentioned statements are a selection of narrations from the Imams of Ahlul‑Bayt (A) and the old Shiite scholars (may Allah bless their souls) declaring that Fatima Zahra's birth took place after revelation. Contrary to this, the Sunni scholars have stated:

1. Ma'refat As‑Sahabah by Abu Nu'eym:

"Fatima was the youngest of Allah's Messenger's daughters. She was born while Quraish was building Kaaba."

2. Maqatil At‑Talibin by Abu Al‑Faraj Al‑Isfahani:

“Fatima's birth took place before revelation, during the time that Quraish was building Kaaba."

3. Ibn Al‑Athir in Al‑Muhktar Fi Manaqib Al‑Akhiar.

4. Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi.

5. Suyuti in Ath‑Thughour Al‑Basimah.

Perhaps more research would reveal that the Sunnis adopted this viewpoint in most of their books.

After briefly examining the above-mentioned narrations and in view of the fact that neither Ascension nor Revelation took place before the beginning of Prophethood, it becomes clear that Lady Fatima Zahra's birth was after revelation. Therefore, the falsity of the traditions, which claim that she was born five years prior to the first revelation, becomes obvious.

There are two motives which can be cited for those who made such false claims: The first is to refute the prophetic traditions which reveal the story of heavenly food and that Fatima was born from sperm produced from an apple that came from paradise.

The second is to prove that Fatima Zahra was unattractive to the point that she became eighteen years old before anyone asked to marry her.

(More light will be shed on this subject when we elaborate on Fatima's marriage.)

Nevertheless, Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi, Asfuri Shafe'i in Nuzhat Al‑Majalis and Qanduzi in Yanabea Al‑Mawaddah narrated that Khadija (A) said:

"... Then, when (Fatima's) delivery came near, I sent for the Quraishan midwives who refused to help me because of Muhammad (S). During childbirth, four ladies whose beauty and brilliance were indescribable entered the house’.

One of them said:

“I am your Mother Eve”

The second said:

“I am Umme Kulthum, Musa's sister”

The third said:

“I am Mariam, and we have come to help you.”

Here is the same narration but in a different manner:

'When Khadija was about to deliver, she sent for the Quraishan women to help her give birth to her child. They refused and said: 'We will not help you; for you became Muhammad's wife.'

In the meantime, four women entered the house; their beauty and brilliance cannot be described. One of them said:

‘I am your Mother Eve.'

The second said:

`I am Āsyia Bint Muzahim.'

The third said:

‘I am Kulthum, Musa's sister.'

The fourth said:

“I am Mariam Bint Imran, (Isa's mother). We have come to deliver your child. "

Fatima was then born.

“When Fatima fell on the ground, she was in a prostrating position, raising her finger."

Furthermore, the detailed narration was mentioned by Al‑Mufaddal Ibn Amr on the authority of Imam Sadiq (A) in v.1 of Al‑Bihar by Al‑Majlisi.

In addition to what we have already mentioned about Fatima's birth, Ibn Asaker in At‑Tarikh Al‑Kabir said:

"Khadija gave her children to other women for nursing; but when Fatima was born, Khadija herself nursed her."

This was also stated by Ibn Kathir in Al‑Bidayah wan‑Nihayah.

References:

[45] The above mentioned narrations were recorded in Bihar: v.10.

CHAPTER 7 NAMING FATIMA (A)

Naming newborn children is considered a principle divine rule. Allah Almighty named Adam and Eve the first day He created them; He also taught Adam all names. Man, too, has followed this rule and practiced it ever since. Naming is an essential rule for civilized people.

People's names vary according to different times, generations and languages. There may also be a relationship between the name and it’s meaning; although this is not always true. Thus, some names can be derived from entities other than lingual material.

Nevertheless, advocates of Allah's religion give names special importance. This practice has a significant meaning, for a human being is called by his name; hence a good or bad name leaves its effect on the holder. Indeed, there is special importance in good names; it is noteworthy to mention that when Imran's wife gave birth to a daughter she said:

“And I therefore call her Mariam”.

Furthermore, Allah chose the name for His prophet Yahya (A) before he was conceived. Allah Almighty says that Zakariya, Yahya's Father, said:

"So give me an heir as from Thyself. "(One that) will (truly) represent me, and represent the posterity of Jacob; and make him, O my Lord! One with whom Thou art well pleased!"

(His prayer was answered):

"O Zakariya! We give thee good news of a son: His name shall be Yahya: On none by that name have we conferred distinction before." (19: 5‑7)

It is also clear from His saying, "On none by that name have we conferred distinction before;" that Allah (Glory be to Him) assigns the names of His special worshippers, such as prophets and Imams, in place of their parents.

Let's take a look at a large group of narrations which discuss naming Fatima Zahra, plus the reason for giving her this name; then also state that her name was given to her because of certain incitements, not offhand, nor as a result of admiring of preferring such a name; rather, it is the relationship between the name and the person which was considered.

Imam Sadiq (A) said:

"Fatima has nine names near Allah (Exalted be His Name), they are: Fatima, Siddiqah (the honest), Al‑Mubarakah (the blessed one), At‑Tahirah (virtuous), Az‑Zakiyah (the chaste), Ar‑Radhiatul Mardhiah (she who is gratified and who shall be satisfied), Al‑Muhaddathah (a person, other than a prophet, that the angels speak to), and Az‑Zahra (the splendid)."


CHAPTER 8 FATIMA (A)

1. It was reported in Bihar, v. 10, [46] that Imam Abu Ja’far Al‑Baqir (A) said:

"When Fatima was born, Allah (Exalted is His Name) revealed to an angel to speak the name Fatima with Muhammad's tongue. Allah then said:

“I have bestowed knowledge upon you and safeguarded you from menstruation." Then Abu Ja’far (A) added:

"By Allah, Allah (Blessed and Exalted is His Name) bestowed knowledge on her and safeguarded her from menstruation with the covenant." [47]

2. Imam Redha and Imam Jawad (A) said:

"We heard Ma'moon narrating from Rashid, from Al‑Mahdi, from Al‑Mansoor, from his father, from his grandfather that Ibn Abbas said to Mu’awiya:

‘Do you know why Fatima was given that name?'

He said: `No.'

Ibn Abbas said:

`Because she and her followers are protected from Hell, I heard Allah's Messenger say thus.’

3. Imam Redha, quoting his Fathers (A) said:

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

`O Fatima, do you know why you have been given the name Fatima?'

Ali (A) said:

`Why was she named (Fatima)?'

He replied:

`Because she and her followers (Shiites) are protected from Hell. "'

4. Imam Sadiq (A) said:

"Do you know the explanation of (the name) Fatima?

I said:

`Inform me my Master.'

He said:

`She is safeguarded from evil.'

He then added:

`Had AmirAl‑Mu'mineen not married her, no man on earth from Adam on would have been suitable for her until the Day of Rising. "'

This narration was also reported by a group of Sunni scholars, among them being Ibn Shirooyah Ad‑Dailami who said:

"Um Salamah said: 'The Messenger of Allah said:

`Had Allah not created Ali, there would not have been an equal to Fatima.'

Besides Ad‑Dailami, Kharazmi in Al‑Manaqib, Munawi in Kunuz A1‑Haqaeq, and Qandouzi in Yanabea Al‑Mawaddah have reported this tradition by quoting Um Salamah and Al‑Abbas, the Prophet's uncle.

5. Kharghoushi and Ibn Batta reported in their books Sharaf An‑Nabi and Ibaneh that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said to Ali:

`Do you know the reason Fatima was given that name?'

Ali said:

`Why was she given that name?'

He said:

`Because she and her followers (Shiites) are safeguarded from the fire.”

6. Imam Redha (A) said that his father quoted Amir Al‑Mo'mineen (A) as saying:

"I heard Allah's Messenger say:

'Fatima was given that name because Allah has safeguarded her and her progeny from the Fire; those who meet Allah as monotheists and believers in what 1 preach. " [48]

The above mentioned traditions have also been narrated by a large group of Sunni scholars, among them are:

1. Khwarazmi in Maqtal Al‑Hussain, p. 51, said:

“Ali Ibn Abu Talib said: 'The Messenger of Allah said:

`My daughter was named Fatima because Allah (Glory be to Him) safeguarded her from the Fire. ‘"

2. Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi, Qandouzi in Yanabea Al‑Mawaddah p. 194 and Safawi in Nuzhat Al‑Majalis reported that Ali Ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said to Fatima:

`O Fatima, do you know why you have been named Fatima?'

Ali said:

`O Messenger of Allah, why was she named Fatima?'

He said:

`Because Allah will surely safeguard her and her progeny from the Fire on The Day of Resurrection. "

Fatima's name was dear to Ahlul‑Bayt; they respected the name and those who held it. For instance, Imam Sadiq (A) inquired from one of his companions about the name to be given to his newborn daughter, the man replied:

"I named her Fatima."

Imam Sadiq then said:

“Fatima?! May the peace of Allah be upon Fatima. Now that you have given her the name Fatima, refrain from slapping or abusing her, rather honor her."

Besides this tradition, it was reported in Wasa'el v. 7, on the authority of Sukunei as:

"O Sukunei; what grieves you?

I answered:

A girl has been born to me...'

He said:

`What have you named her?'

I said:

'Fatima.'

Then he said:

`Fatima!! Oh, Oh, Oh (in admiration). He then said, `Now that you have named her
Fatima, refrain from abusing, cursing or slapping her. "

Also in Safinat Al‑Bihar, Imam Abu Al‑Hassan Al‑Kadhim said:

"Poverty shall not enter a house inhabited by people having the names Muhammad.. and Fatima from among women."

The first of these three traditions was commented on by Imam Baqir (A); he stated:

"By Allah, He (Glory be to Him) bestowed her with knowledge and safeguarded her from menstruation with the covenant."

The covenant mentioned here refers to the corpusclent (seeds) world mentioned in the Holy Quran in the following verse:

"When thy Lord drew forth from the children of Adam from their loins‑ their descendants, and made them testify concerning themselves (saying): Am I not your Lord?'

They said: `yea!" (7: 172)

In summary, this means that Allah Almighty drew forth from Adam (from his loin), his descendants in the form of seeds (or corpuscles), then presented them to him and said:

"I will make a covenant with your descendants that they shall worship me without associating anything with me; I shall‑in turn‑guarantee their sustenance."

He then said to them: "Am I not your Lord?"

They said: "Yes, we bear witness that you are our Lord."

He (Glory be to Him) said to the angels: "Bear witness."

The angels said: "We bear witness."

It was mentioned that Allah Almighty gave Adam's descendants the ability to realize, understand, and hear His speech. He then placed them back in Adam's loin. Therefore, mankind is held in Adam until everyone shall be brought forth by Allah at the time, which has been destined by Him. So whoever adheres to Islam, holds to the covenant; and whoever disbelieves and rejects it, violates that covenant.

This account was derived from a large number of traditions and verified narrations. Imam Baqir (A) pointed out that it was decreed that Fatima would be safeguarded from menstruation in that world, which is also called the "World of Covenant."

In relation to the many traditions that spoke of the world of Covenant, we mention some of them herein as examples:

1. It was reported in Tafsir Al‑Burhan that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

The Prophet was asked: "How do you excel over mankind?"

The Prophet answered: "I was the first one to bear witness to my Lord; when Allah took the oath from the Prophets and made them testify concerning themselves (our Lord Said): Am I not your Lord?'

They replied: ‘Yes. Therefore, I was the first of them to reply."

Abu Basir: "I asked Abu Abdullah‑Imam Sadiq

How did they answer Him when they were corpusclens?'

He said: `He implemented in them that with which they could answer Him when He asked;

Aisha added: “He means the covenant."

2. Zurareh reported that he inquired from Imam Baqir about what is meant by:

"When thy Lord drew forth from the children of Adam‑from their loins‑their descendants”

He said: “(It means that He drew forth) from Adam's loins his descendants until the Day of Resurrection, so they came forth in the form of corpusclens. He then taught and acquainted them to His creation; and had He not done so, no one would have known His Lord.”

3. When Umar Ibn Al‑Khattab performed pilgrimage and embraced the (Black) Stone, he said:

"I know by Allah‑that you are a stone which neither harms nor benefits, and had I not seen Allah's Messenger embrace you, I would not have embraced you."

However, Imam Ali (A) said:

“Abu Hafz, do not say this, for Allah's Messenger did not embrace it (the black stone) save for wisdom he knew, and had you read the Quran and realized its interpretation, as others have, you would have understood that it can harm and bring benefits to you. It has two eyes and two lips and possesses a keen tongue that testifies for those who fulfill their obligations to it."

Umar then said: "Then show me that in Allah's book, Abu Al‑Hassan."

Imam Ali (A) said: 'Allah Almighty said:

“When thy Lord drew forth from the children of Adam (from their loins) their descendants and made them testify concerning themselves (saying): Am I not your Lord? They answered: Yea! we do testify. Thus, when they affirmed their obedience to Him as their Lord and as His slaves, He make a covenant with them that they would make pilgrimage to His sacred House. He then created parchment finer than water and said to the Pen: Write down My creatures’ fulfillment of pilgrimage to my Sacred House. The pen wrote mankind's fulfillment of pilgrimage on the parchment, then it was said to the (Black) Stone: Open your mouth; it opened it and the parchment was inserted there.

He then said:

`Safeguard it and testify for My worshippers their fulfillment (of pilgrimage). The Stone then descended in obedience to Allah.’

"O Umar, do not you say when you embrace the stone‑ I have fulfilled my covenant, and kept my oath, so you may testify for me?'

Umar said: "Yes, by Allah."

Imam Ali (A) then said: "It is for this reason that you do so."

A large group of narrations, which include a study regarding the world of Covenant, can be found such as Al‑Kāfi collected by Al‑Kulayni, Al‑Bihar by Al Majlisi, and other collections of traditions.

Nevertheless, some scholars‑may Allah forgive them‑‑misunderstood these narrations, which leads them to doubt their authenticity despite the unambiguous meaning of the verse.

In conclusion, it was since or even prior to the events of the world of seeds (which is also called the world of Covenant) that the Messenger of Allah and his Progeny's‑including Fatima's‑virtue was recognized.

This fact should not be doubted for there are many narrations, which have been successively reported by scholars of both sects (Sunni and Shiite). All these narrations support this affair; the traditions that have been mentioned by the Shiite scholars are too numerous to include here. As for those, which have been reported by the Sunni scholars, Safuri Shafe'i mentioned in his book Nuzhat Al‑Majlis v. 2, p. 223, that Kesae and others said:

"When Allah created Adam... (until he said) there was a brilliant girl from whom light was illuminating and on her head was a golden crown ornamented with diamonds; the like of whom Adam had never seen.
Adam asked: `My Lord who is this girl?'
Allah said: 'Fatima Bint Muhammad.'
Adam said: `My Lord, who is her husband?'
Allah said: `O Gabriel, open the gate of the ruby palace;' when Gabriel did, Adam saw a dome of camphor and inside it was a golden bed equipped by a young man as beautiful as Yusef.'

He then said: “this is her husband, Ali Ibn Abu Talib.”

Also, Asqalani in his book Lisan Al‑Mizan v. 3, p. 346, writes that Imam Al‑Hassan Ibn Ali Al‑Askari (A) reported that his Fathers quoted Jabir Ibn Abdullah as saying: "The Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'When Allah created Adam and Eve, they strutted through paradise and said: `Who are better than we?' At that moment they noticed an image of a girl like they had never seen before; from this girl came an illuminating light so bright that it almost blinded the eyes.

They said: 'O Lord, what is this?'

He answered: 'This is the image of Fatima, the mistress of your women descendants.'

Adam asked: 'What is this crown on her head?'

Allah said: 'Her husband Ali '

Adam then asked: 'What are her two earrings?'

Allah replied: 'Her (two) sons, they were ordained in My ever‑existent knowledge two thousand years before I created you’

References:

[46] Bihar: v.10.
[47] An explanation of this tradition will soon be made.
[48] Bihar: v.10.


CHAPTER 9 AL–SIDDIQAH (THE HONEST)

We have already mentioned that one of Fatima's names was Siddiqah. This word means a woman with scrupulous honesty or sincerity.
Siddiqah differs from the word Sadook, in that the first is scrupulous and precise in telling facts. Furthermore, several other meanings have been given to the word Siddiqah; among them are:
A. She who is a truth‑teller.
B. She who never lies.
C. She whose deeds conform to her words.
D. She who never lied, because she is used to truthfulness.
E. A woman with scrupulous speech and beliefs, and whose deeds conform to her words.
F. She who believes in the commands of Allah and His Prophet's, without doubting any of them.

This last opinion is supported by the following Quranic verse: 'and those who believe in Allah and His apostles; they are the truthful..." (57: 19)

Although these various meanings have been given to "Siddiqah," it is unanimously agreed upon that the various verses and traditions, counted "Siddiqun" among the apostles and martyrs, who will enjoy special treatment. This becomes apparent when looking at the following Quranic verses:

'All who obey God and the Apostle, are in the company of those on whom is the Grace of God, ‑ of the Prophets. (Who teach) the Sincere (lovers of Duth), the Witnesses (who testify), and the righteous (who do good): Ah! What a beautiful fellowship!" (4: 69)

"(Also) mention in the Book (the story of) Ibrahim: He was a man of truth, a prophet." (19: 41)

'Also mention in the Book the case of Idris: He was a man of truth (and sincerity), (and) a prophet." (19: 56)

"Christ the son of Mary was no more than an apostle; many were the apostles that passed away before him. His mother was a woman of truth." (5: 78)

When interpreting "His mother was a woman of truth", it was said that Mariam was called "Siddiqah" because she believed in the signs of the Lord, her son's position, and that which he preached to her. This point is supported by the verse:

“And she believed in the words of her Lord."

Another meaning, which is given to this verse, is that Mariam was called "Siddiqah" for her truthfulness and the greatness of her position.

After reviewing the verse, we can easily conclude that some people say they believe in Allah, the apostles, the divine books and religious rules, but show contradictory actions. This becomes clear when some people claim they believe that Allah watches them, yet they disobey and violate His rules; while knowing of Allah's prohibition of liquor usury adultery, and that He decreed some rules and assigned certain duties to them, which if they perform, He will grant them paradise; and those who violate them will be subjected to Hell. These people have not reached the level of applying their words and claims into actions.

On the other hand, "Siddiqun" are those who believe in truth and righteousness, and practice what they believe. Their number is small at any given place or time; in fact, a survey might show that in some town there is not even one Siddiqah.

Finally, it is easily recognized that Lady Fatima (A) reached this level of "Siddiqun." She was given the title Siddiqah by Allah's Apostle (S), as was mentioned in Ryad An‑Nadherah v.2, p.202. and in Sharaf An Nubuwwah; he (S) said to Ali (A):

"You have been given three things which have been given to no one else, not even me, (they are):
You have been given a father‑in‑law like me and my father‑in‑law was not like me.
You have been given an honest (Siddiqah) wife like my daughter, and 1 have not been given the like of her as a wife.
And, you have been given Hassan and Hussain from your loin and 1 was not given two sons like them.
But you are from me, and 1 am from you."

Also, Mufadhdhal Ibn Amr said:

"I asked Imam Sadiq (A): Who gave major ablution to Fatima (Ghusl Mayyet)?

He answered: ‘Amir Al ‑Mo'mineen (A) (Ali)’

I reacted in such a way that made it appear as if I could not believe he (A) would do so.

Thus, Imam Sadiq (A) said: It appears as if you feel uncomfortable about what I told you?

I said: May I be your sacrifice, I indeed do.

He then said: Do not be annoyed by this, for Fatima was a `Siddiqah' and no one save a `Siddiq' can give her ablution. Don't you know that no one gave ablution to Mariam save Isa (A)."


CHAPTER 10 AL – MUBARAKEH (THE BLESSED ONE)

Barakah means: multiplication, felicity and abundance; as Tāj Al‑Arous clarifies. Also, Ragheb said: Because divine goodness springs from an ever ‑ continuous source in an unlimited manner, it is said that anything which noticeably multiplies or increases is Mubarak or blessed.

Allah Almighty gifted Fatima with abundant blessings, and made her the Mother of the Prophet's descendants on whom Allah has bestowed ever ‑ lasting benevolence.
Upon reviewing the history of Fatima's offspring, we find that when she died, she left behind two sons and two daughters, they are:

Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, Zainab and Umme Kulthum. But when the event of Karbala occurred, Imam Hussain and his children achieved martyrdom, and Ali Ibn Al ‑ Hussain (Imam Zain Al‑Abedeen) was the only surviving child of Imam Hussain. Also seven of Imam Hassan's children and two of Zainab's sons achieved martyrdom. Umme Kulthum had no children.

After the events of Karbala, inflictions successively befell the Prophet's descendants. Torture and massacres continued against them starting with the battle of Harra, Zaid Ibn Ali's and Fakh, and going through the agony they suffered throughout the Umayyad era. But when the Abbassides came to power, they broke the Umayyad record of eradicating and annihilating Fatima's offspring (more details about the sufferings they encountered can be found in Maqatel Al Talibeen).

The struggle continued for two centuries until Imam Al‑Hassan Al‑Askari died in Samera as a result of eating poison, which was placed in his food. Furthermore, Salah Ad‑Din Al‑Ayobi was as savage as the Abbassides in massacring the Prophet's descendants and followers. He committed mass murders and brutal crimes, which bring shivers to the spine.

Nonetheless, Allah Almighty bestowed benevolence and blessings upon Fatima Zahra's descendants. He implemented abundant multiplicity in them.
The interpretation of the verse:

"To thee have we granted Kauthar" (108:1) varies according to interpreters. The most popular viewpoint of the meaning of Kauthar is a famous fountain or domain, which will be given to the Apostle on the Day of Resurrection; the literal meaning of Kauthar is abundance or abundant benevolence.

Suyuti in Dur Al‑Manthour, regarding the meaning of Kauthar, writes: "Buhkari, Ibn Jarir and Al‑Hakim reported on the authority of Abu Bishr Ibn Said Ibn Jubair that Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

`Al‑Kauthar is abundant goodness which Allah gave the Apostle.'

Abu Bishr said:

I told Ibn Jubair that some people claim that it is a river (fountain) in Paradise, he said:

`The fountain in Paradise is part of the abundant benevolence which He (Allah) gave him (S)’

Razi's interpretation of the above-mentioned verse is more appropriate. He held the view that what is meant by Kauthar is Fatima Zahra. In Majma' Al Bayan, Tabarsi writes regarding this subject:

"It was said that Kauthar means abundant benevolence, it has also been said that it means the multiplicity of a given person; and the descendants of Fatima have enormously multiplied in a way that they will exist until the Day of Resurrection."

Fakhr Razi made the following comment in his Interpretation of the Quran regarding this verse:

"In reference to the third viewpoint which advocates the meaning of descendants to "Kauthar," some scholars say:

“Since this chapter was revealed to refute the claim of an infidel who attempted to denounce the Prophet (S) for not having sons, it becomes clear that the meaning given here is that Allah gave the Prophet (S) offspring, which will be everlasting. We must keep in mind that numerous massacres have been committed against Ahlul‑Bayt, yet still the world is full of them; while the Umayyads have vanished save a few who are worthless. Besides this, prominent scholars have descended from Fatima's sons, such as Al‑Baqir, Al‑Sadiq, Al‑Kadhim, Al‑Redha (A), Al Nafs Al‑Zakyyah and others."

This explanation correlates to the following: An infidel denounced the Prophet when one of his children died and said Muhammad is now without offspring, therefore when he dies his name will die with him. It was because of this incident that Allah revealed this chapter to His Apostle assuring him; it is as if He (Glory be to Him) said:

"You have lost your son, but We have given you Fatima; although she is just one, Allah will make that one many."

A survey of the world's population attests to this conclusion; for Fatima's descendants (who are also the Prophet's descendants) are spread around the globe as follows: Iraq‑one million, Iran‑three million, Egypt‑five million, Morocco‑five million, Algeria, Tunis, Libya, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, the Persian Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Indonesia‑approximately twenty million descendants of the Prophet of Islam.

An Islamic country in which descendants of Fatima Zahra do not live is hard to find. Their number is estimated to be thirty ‑ five millions; however, if precise and accurate statistics are taken, their number could be much higher.

Included among the Prophet's descendants are kings, princes, ministers, scholars, writers, prominent characters, and geniuses. Some are honored by their lineage and others ignore it and give no importance to it. Some follow Ahlul‑Bayt, while others violate their doctrine. I have even heard of some descendants of Fatima (A) who live in Indonesia and are enemies of Ahlul‑Bayt (A)!

More amazing is the fact that some Muslims refuse to accept their lineage of Fatima and Ali; rather they claim that such a lineage is forged and unacceptable. These people ferociously fought this idea up to the point that they shed innocent blood to implement their ideas.

Hajjaj, Mansour Dawaniqi, Haroon Al‑Rashid and others are known advocates of this idea.

It was mentioned in volume ten of Bihar that Amr Al‑Shube said:

"One night Hajjaj summoned me to his palace; this horrified me, so I performed ablution and wrote my will; then went to meet him. When 1 entered his room, I saw a sword and a leather mat (usually used for executions). I greeted him and he replied to me and said: Do not fear anything, for I pardon you throughout the night and until tomorrow noon.' He then ordered me to sit next to him; meanwhile a tied and shackled man was brought to him;

Hajjaj said: `This old man claims that A1‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain are the Prophet's children; he shall prove this from the Quran or I will cut his head off.'

I said: ‘He should be freed from his chains, because if he proves his claim, he will surely go free, and if not, then a sword cannot break those chains.'

They freed the man of his shackles, but kept his hands cuffed; I was grieved when I saw that he was Sa’id Ibn Jubair and said: How can he bring proof from the Quran in this regard?

Hajjaj said: `Bring me proof from the Quran or will behead you.'

He said: `Wait.' He waited for a while when Hajjaj repeated his demand and Sa’id asked for more time to think. When Hajjaj repeated his demand for the third time, Sa’id said:
`I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed devil, in the Name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful.

We gave him Isaac and Jacob; all (three) We guided; and before him, We guided Noah; and among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron; thus do We reward those who do good.' (6: 84)

Then he stopped and said to Hajjaj: `Read the following verse And Zakariya and John and Isa.'

Then Sa’id said: `How does Isa fit in here?'

Hajjaj replied: `He is one of Ibrahim's offspring.'

Sa'id said: `Isa did not have a father, yet he was Ibrahim's descendant because he was his daughter's (Maryam) son, therefore Hassan and Hussain are more worthy of being called the Prophet's children especially that they are closer to him (the Prophet) than Isa was to Maryam.'

When Hajjaj heard this, he granted him ten thousands dinars and set him free.

Shube added:

"In the morning I said to myself. `It is incumbent upon me to visit that old man and learn the meaning of the Quran, which I thought I know but really do not.' I entered the Mosque and found that old man giving everyone ten dinars; I then heard him say: All this is because of the blessings of Hassan and Hussain (A). We were grieved once but cherished a thousand times, we also pleased Allah and His Apostle. "

Another narration which shows the extent of arrogance and insistence on discrediting Ahlul‑Bayt and depriving them of the honor of relationship to the Prophet (S) says:
Sheikh Majlisi reported on the authority of Ihtijaj and Tafsir Ali Ibn Ibrahim in Bihar that Abu Al‑Jaroud said:

'Abu Ja’far Al‑Baqir (A) said to me:

'Abu Jaroud, what do they (followers of other than Ahlul‑Bayt) say about Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A)?'

I said: 'They deny the fact that they are sons of Allah's Apostle.'

He then said: 'So with what do you debate them?'

I said: 'With Allah's saying about Isa Ibn Maryam:

"And among his progeny David and Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron; thus, do we reward those who do good," (6: 84) and that Allah Almighty made Isa a descendant of Ibrahim.”

He said: 'Then what do they say?'

I said: 'They say: 'A daughter's son can be called a son but he is not actually a real descendant.’

He said: 'How do you argue with them?'

I said: 'We quote the following verse for them':

'Say: Come! Let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your woman.' [49]

Then he said: 'Then what do they say?'

I replied: 'They say: "It is common in Arabic for a man to call another man's children Our children while they are really others' children."'

Imam Baqir (Abu Ja’far (A)) then said:

'By Allah, Abu Al‑Jaroud, I shall quote a verse from the Book of Allah which shows that Hassan and Hussain are his (S) direct children (form his loins); proof that can only be denied by infidels.'

I said: `May I be your sacrifice, what verse are you speaking of?' He answered: `When Allah said:

"Prohibited to you (for marriage) are your mothers, daughters... until (those who have been) wives of your sons proceeding from your loins. "

Ask them, Abu A1 Jaroud, was it permitted for Allah’s Messenger to marry Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain's wives (had they been divorced)?

If their response is affirmative, then they have lied and sinned; and if their answer is negative, it is because they are his children proceeding from his loins. "'

In another debate, which took place between Haroun Al‑Rashid and Imam Musa Ibn Ja’far (A) mentioned by Bihar Majlisi on the authority of Oyun Akhbar Al‑Redha, Haroun said to the Imam:

"Why did you permit people to trace your ancestry back to Allah's Messenger (S) and call you sons of Allah's Apostle while you are descendants of Ali? Men are traced to their fathers; Fatima was not but a vessel and her father, the Prophet your maternal grandfather!"

The Imam (A) replied: "Had the Prophet been brought back to life and asked you for your daughter's hand in marriage, would you fulfill his wish?"

Rashid answered: "Glory be to Allah! Why wouldn't I fulfill his wish? Indeed I would be honored among the Arabs, non Arabs, and Quraish to do so."

The Imam then said: "But he would not ask to marry my daughter, nor could I give her to him in marriage."

Rashid exclaimed: "Why not?"

The Imam said: "For he has begotten me and has not begotten you. "

Rashid then said: "You are right, Musa;" and added: "but why do you claim to be the Prophet's offspring while he did not beget sons? And since offspring are sons not daughters and you are Fatima's children, she did not have offspring."

Upon hearing this, the Imam apologized to Rashid and asked to be excused; he did not want to answer him in observance to the law of prudence (taqiya). Nevertheless, Rashid insisted on hearing his arguments and said: "You are obligated to bring me your arguments from the Quran, you children of Ali, and since you are their Imam of the time and chief, as I was told, I will not excuse you until you bring me proof from Allah's Book, from which you know the interpretation of every letter, as has been written in this verse:

`Nothing have We left unattended from the Book.'

Furthermore, you dispensed with the opinions of other scholars and `qiyas' (inference)."

The Imam then said: 'am I permitted to give you the answer?"

Rashid said: "Indeed you are."

The Imam then said: "I seek refuge in Allah from the cursed devil. In the name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful:

And among his progeny, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses, and Aaron; Thus do We reward those who do good;

“And Zakariya and John, and Jesus (Isa). "

The Imam continued, "Who is Isa's Father?"

The Imam then said: "Therefore, he is considered among the Prophet’s offspring through Maryam; likewise, we are the offspring of the Holy Prophet (S) through our Mother, Fatima (A)..."

These were some of the verses that Ahlul‑Bayt (A) used as proof of their lineage to Allah's Apostle through Fatima Zahra.

There are a great number of narrations, which declare the same thing; among them are:

1. Al‑Khateeb Al‑Baghdadi v.1, p.316, in Tārikh Baghdad reported that Ibn Abbas said:

"I was in the company of my father, A1‑Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib, sitting in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (S) when Ali Ibn Abu Talib entered and greeted us. The Prophet(S) returned his Salam, stood up and while smiling, embraced him and kissed his forehead. The Prophet then asked him to sit near to him."

Al‑Abass asked: "Messenger of Allah, do you love him?"

The Prophet replied: "Uncle of Allah's Messenger! By Allah, Allah loves him more than I do. Surely Allah made every Prophet’s progeny proceed from him, and made my progeny proceed from this one."

2. Also, Kharazmi in Manāqib p.229, narrates the following:

Allah’s Apostle declared: "Surely Allah made every Prophet's progeny proceed from his own loins, and made my progeny proceed from Ali's loins."

This narration was reported by the following writers:

Muhib Ad‑Din‑Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi, Hamueeni in Faraed As‑Semtain, Dhahabi in Mizan Al‑Etedal, Ibn Hijr in Sawaiq Al‑Muhriqa p.74, Mirza Hindi in Muntakhab Kanz Al‑Umal, Zarqani in Sharh Mawahib Ladonyyah, and Qandouzi in Yanabi' Al‑Mawaddah p.138.

Nisaee also mentioned in Khasaes Amir Al‑Mo'mineen on the authority of Muhammad Ibn Usama Ibn Zaid, that his Father said:

“Allah's Messenger said: ‘As for you Ali, you are my son‑in‑law and the father of my offspring; you are from me and I am from you.'”

The same narrator reported that Usama said:

"I went to visit the Prophet of Allah one night; he (S) came out carrying something that I didn't recognize under his cloak. When I finished my work with him I said. `What do you have under your cloak?' When he opened his cloak, I saw Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain on his lap. The Prophet then said:

`These are my children and my daughter’s sons; O Allah, you surely know that I love them, therefore love them. "

Despite the large number of traditions, which declare that Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain are the Prophet of Allah's children, some ignorant writers try to deny this fact. These writers quote the Quranic verse:

"Muhammad is not the Father of any of your men,"

to prove that he (S) was not anyone's Father. These writers use this verse even though it is an uncontested fact that it was revealed to prove that Zaid, the Prophet's adopted son, is not related to the Prophet (S). The Apostle gave him (Zaid) in marriage to his cousin Zainab; but when Zaid divorced her, he (S) married her in obedience to Allah's command, and to prove that he(S) was not Zaid's Father, which would make Zainab prohibited to him

"Then when Zaid had dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary formalities, We joined her in marriage to thee: In order that (in the future) there may be no difficulty to the Believers in (the matter of) marriage with the wives of their adopted sons, when the later have dissolved with necessary formalities (their marriage) with them. And Allah's command must be fulfilled." (32: 39)

Thus, prohibiting marriage with the previous wives of a son depends on proving their actual lineage to the father; if such a lineage cannot be proved, then marrying the previous wives is not prohibited. It is for this reason that Allah Almighty said:

"Of any of your men."

If this was not the case, then what about Ibrahim, Al‑Qasim, Al‑Taeeb and Al‑Mutahhar who were all his (S) sons.

Furthermore, it has already been verified that the Prophet (S) said to Imam Hassan (A):
"This son of mine is a Master."

He also said:

“Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain, these two sons of mine, are Imams whether they rise or forebear."

and:

"Every daughter's children are called to their Father, save Fatima's children; for I am their Father."

In another interpretation of "of any of your children," some scholars say: "What He meant by "Men", was the mature ones; and none of his children were mature at that time."

In conclusion, whatever has been said about the Apostle's sons, can be said to include Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain. They were the Prophet of Allah's sons.

[49] The Prophet (S) chose Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain to represent his sons, Fatima for "women," and himself and Ali (A) for "ourselves." (Translator's note)


CHAPTER 11 AT‑TAHERAH (THE VIRTUOUS)

As we have already mentioned, one of Fatima Zahra's (A) names was "At Taherah" (the virtuous or pure). This meaning is related to the verse:

"And Allah only wished to remove all abomination from you, ye member of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless." (33: 33)

The above-mentioned verse is of great importance because of its subtle meaning and significance.

This verse is considered the main source of virtues granted to Ahlul‑Bayt (A); around it various debates and many writings took place. It might be more appropriate to say that this verse was the field of debates, contradicting viewpoints and inconsistent opinions. This is especially true when it comes to who was meant by "the Family," or Ahlul‑Bayt.

Nevertheless, it is indisputable that this verse, known as "the verse of purification" concerns Fatima At‑Taherah (A) and both Shiite and Sunni scholars agree on this, except a very small number. This established fact has been reached in light of the traditions, which unanimously state that the said verse includes Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A). Yet some hold the viewpoint that the verse includes the Prophet's wives‑because of the word "Family" and the sequence of the surrounding verses that include a speech to them; however, he (S) prohibited even his wife, Umme Salama, from joining them under the cloak prior to the revelation of this verse.

Although the number of narrators who report that the "verse of purification" was revealed regarding Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A) reach several hundreds, it will be useful to include narrations and sources which are reported by prominent Sunni scholars about this subject. I would like to point out that this list should be satisfying for any clear conscience.

1. Baghdadi in his history book Tareekh Baghdad, v. 10, mentioned that Abu Sa'id Al‑Khudare remarked regarding the verse:

'And Allah only wished to remove all abomination from you, ye members of the Family and to make you pure and spotless,"

that the Messenger of Allah gathered Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain under a cloak and said:

"These are my Ahlul‑Bayt (i.e., Family), O Allah; remove all abominations from them and make them pure and spotless "

Umme Salama, who was standing near the door, said:

“Am I not one of them, O Messenger of Allah?"

He said: "You are (up to a) good ending."

2. Zamakhshari in Al‑Kashaf, v.1, p. 193 narrated on the account of Aisha, that Allah's Messenger came out wearing an embroidered, ornamented cloak of woven black hair, when Al‑Hassan Ibn Ali came to him and went under it; then Al‑Hussain followed him, then Fatima, then Ali. At that moment (S) quoted the verse:

“And Allah only wished to remove all abominations from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless."

3. Razi in his interpretation of the Quran v. 2, p. 700, (printed in Istanbul), writes:

“When he (the Prophet) came out wearing the black cloak, and A1 Hassan came under it and Al‑Hussain, and Fatima and Ali the Prophet said: 'And Allah only wishes……”

4. Ibn Al‑Athir Al‑Jazari reported in his book Usd Al‑Ghaba Fi Maarefat As‑Sahabah v. 2, p. 12, that Omar Ibn Abu Salamah, the Prophet's stepson, said:

"When the verse And Allah only wishes...' was revealed to the Prophet (S) he had gathered Fatima, Hassan and Hussain under his cloak, while Ali was behind him, and said:

`This is my family, therefore, remove all abomination from them, and make them pure and spotless.'

Umme Salama said: Am I one of them, Messenger of Allah?' He said: 'You will be in good condition."

5. Sebt Ibn Al‑Jawzi reported in Tazkerah Al‑Aemah, p.244, that Wathelah Ibn Asqa' said:

"I went to ask Fatima (A) about Ali; she told me to go to the Messenger of Allah (S) and ask him, so I went and sat down to wait for him; I then saw the Prophet coming in the company of Ali, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain. He held their hands until they entered the room. He then sat Al‑Hassan on his right leg and Al‑Hussain on his left leg and ordered Ali and Fatima to sit near him. The Prophet (S) covered them with his cloak (or garment) and read: And Allah only wishes… than he (S)) supplicated to Allah and said:

“O Allah, truly these are my Ahlul‑Bayt (Family)."

6. Imam Wahedi reported in his book Asbāb An‑Nozul that Umme Salama, the Prophet's wife, narrated that Allah's Messenger (S) was present in her house when Fatima brought him an earthenware pot filled with wheat cooked with milk. He (S) said: "Call in your husband and two sons for me." Thus, Ali, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain came and joined him in eating the food. Meanwhile, he (S) sat on a bench, covered with a Khairban cloak.

Umme Salama added: "I was in my room performing prayers when the Arch‑Angel Gabriel revealed:

“O Allah, these are my Family and Kin; therefore, remove all abomination from them and make them pure and spotless.”

At hearing that, I looked in the house and said: “Am I one of them, O Apostle of Allah?'

Moreover, Tirmadhi reported in his "Sahih" that Allah's Messenger since the time this verse was revealed and for six months thereafter, stood by Fatima's house (door) and said:

"(Time for) prayers Ahlul‑Bayt; Allah only wished to remove all abomination from you and make you pure and spotless."

7. Ibn Sabagh Al‑Maliki in his book Al‑Fosoul Al‑Muhemah p.7, narrated a tradition similar to the one already mentioned by Wahidi; but he added: Some poets said the following in this regard:

Surely Muhammad and his successor and
Their two sons, and his virtuous and pure daughter;
are the people of the cloak who in adhering to them, I long for
peace and success on the Last Day.

8. Abu Bakr Suyuti narrated this tradition on the authority of Umme Salama, Aisha, Abu Sa'id Al‑Khudari, Zeid Ibn Arqam, Ibn Abbas, Dahak Ibn Muzahim, Abu Al‑Hamra, Omar Ibn Salama and others in his books: Al‑Dur Al‑Manthour v. 5, p. 198, Al‑Khasaes Al‑Kubra v. 2, p. 264, and Al‑Itqan v. 2, p. 200.

They all reported that the Prophet (S) gathered Fatima, Ali, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain, when the verse 'And Allah only wishes to remove... " and covered them with a cloak.

He then said: "By Allah, these are my Ahlul‑Bayt, therefore remove all abomination from them pure and spotless."

9. Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi p. 21, declared that this verse was revealed in regard to the purified five (the Prophet, Ali, Fatima, Hassan, Hussain), relying on Omar Ibn Abu Salama's narration.

He also reported that Umme Salama said:

“Allah's Messenger covered Fatima, Ali, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain, including himself with a garment and read this verse:

“And Allah only wished to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and to make you pure and spotless." (33: 33)

She then added: "So I came to join them when the Prophet (S) said: 'Stay where you are, you will have a good conclusion."

In another narration, she was quoted as saying:

“Allah's Messenger said to Fatima: 'Bring your bright cloak; and put his hands on them and said:

'O Allah, these are the progeny of Muhammad, thus bless and praise them for surely you are praiseworthy and Exalted."'

Umme Salama added:

"I then lifted the cloak to join them, but he pulled it away and said: You are alright. "

10. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al‑Ghoutroubi reported that this verse was revealed in regard to Ahlul‑Bayt (A) in his book Al‑Jame' Li Ahkam Al‑Quran v.14, p.182.

11. Ibn Al‑Arabi in his book Ahkam Al‑Quran v. 2, p. 166.

12. Ibn Abd Al‑Bir Al‑Ondolosi in his book Al‑Esti'ab v. 2, p. 460.

13. Al‑Bihaqi in his book As Sunan Al‑Kubra v., p. 149.

14. Al‑Hakim Al‑Nishaburi in his book Al‑Mustadrak Al‑ Sahihain v.2, p.416.

He narrated a tradition on the authority of Umme Salama similar to what has already been mentioned and...

He (S) said: "O Allah, this is my family (Ahlul‑Bayt)."

Um Salama then said:

"Messenger of Allah, am I not from Ablul‑Bayt?"

The Prophet answered:

"You are alright, but these are my Ahlul‑Bayt..."

15. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in Musnad v. 1, p. 331.

16. Nisaee in Khasa'es p. 4.

17. Muhammad Ibn Jarir At Tabari in his interpretation of the Quran, v. 22, p. 5.

18. A1‑Kharazmi in Kitab Al‑Manaqib p. 35.

19. Al‑Haithami in Majma' Al‑Zawaed v. 9, p. 166.

20. Ibn Hijr Al‑Haithami in Sawaiq Al‑Muhriqa p. 85.

It is necessary to further elaborate on this subject, since the verse of purification declares, beyond doubt, that Fatima (A) is pure. Nevertheless, it may be beneficial to explain the meaning of the word "Rijs" or abomination mentioned in the verse.

"Rijs" means that Allah purified her from the monthly menstruation in addition to all abomination and depravities. "Rijs" is all that is deemed impure by human nature, conforms with evil doings, deserves punishment, detracts from one's good reputation, brings about sins, rejected by nature or mars any of the knightly virtues.

Ibn Al‑Arabi also said in Al‑Futouhat Al‑Makkiah, Chapter 29, that Rijs is "anything which detracts from one's character."

The definition that Al‑Arabi gave for the word Rijs, is the definition for the word "infallible" which the Shiites believe is an inseparable character of all Prophets, Imams, and Lady Fatima Zahra (A). It is indeed an excellent virtue and a great honor that Allah has bestowed upon some of his servants.

It is worthy to mention that infallibility is an inseparable trait of those who propagate divine laws; yet, because infallibility is a prerequisite for prophets and Imams in their roles of propagating divine rules, it does not mean that others, who also propagate, are safeguarded from sins.

Imam Ali (A) proved Fatima's infallibility using the verse of purification in his argument with Abu Bakr.

The Imam (A) said: “Abu Bakr, do you read Allah's book?"

He answered: “yes"

Imam Ali (A) then said: "Then tell me about whom was the following verse revealed?

‘And Allah only wishes to remove all abomination from you, ye Members of the Family, and make you pure and spotless.'

“Was it not revealed in regard to us, Ahlul‑Bayt?"

Abu Bakr said: "Yes, it was revealed regarding you"

He (A) said: "If some men testify that Fatima, the Messenger's daughter, committed an abomination what would you do?"

He answered: "I would administer the legal punishment to her, just like any other Muslim woman!'

He (A) then said: "If you did so, you would be an infidel in the eyes of Allah."

Abu Bakr said: "Why?"

Imam (A) replied: "Because you would have rejected Allah's testimony of her purity and virtue (infallibility), and surpassed people's testimony over it..." [50]

A manifestation of this purity, is safeguarding the person from impurity upon death, regardless of the fact that any human being‑no matter how pious and obedient to Allah he is‑becomes intensely impure upon passing away, making it obligatory to perform ablution (Ghusl) when touching his body. The dead person, himself, only becomes pure after being washed by others.

Contrarily, the infallibles are purified before and after death. Al‑Hassan Ibn Ubaid said in Al‑Wasa'el:

I wrote to Imam Sadiq (A) and asked him:

"Did the Commander of the Faithful perform ablution (Ghusl) after abluting the Messenger of Allah (S) upon his death?"

His answer was:

"The Prophet was pure and safeguarded all impurities; yet the Commander of the Faithful (A) did so and this became a customary practice (Sunnah)."

We will elaborate on Fatima's ablution at the end of the book if Allah wills.


[50] Al‑Bihar: v.10.CHAPTER 12 THE EVENT OF CLOAK (HADITH AL‑KISA)

A famous event known as the "Event of the Cloak" was reported in the Shiite books regarding "the verse of purification." The context of the event is as follows:

Jabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari (Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the authority of Lady Fatima, the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be on her) that she said:

“One day when my beloved father, the Holy Prophet (S), visited me in my house,
he (S) said: `O Fatima! Peace be on you.'

I replied: `O father! Peace be on you too.'

He then said: `I am feeling some weakness within me.'

I said: ‘Allah forbid that you may be sick.'

Then he said: 'Fatima! Fetch me a Yemenite cloak and wrap it round me.' I brought the Yemenite cloak and covered my dear father with it. I then noticed that his face was glowing like a full moon.

A moment later, my beloved son, Hassan came and said: ‘O my dear mother! Peace of Allah be on you.’

1 replied: ‘O my loving son, the apple of my eyes, the delight of my heart! Peace be on you too.’

He then said: ‘O my dear mother! I am smelling the fragrance of my loving grandfather!'

I said:`Yes, your beloved grandfather is here under the cloak.'
Hassan then went forwards his grandfather and said: `O my grandfather! Peace be on you. May I enter the cloak.'

My loving father replied: `O my son, the owner of my fountain (of Kauthar)! Peace be on you too. Yes; you may enter.'

Thus Hassan entered the cloak. Soon after, my loving son, Hussain came and said: `O my dear mother! Peace be on you.'

1 replied: `O my loving son, the apple of my eyes, the delight of my heart! peace be on you too.'

He then said: `O my dear mother! I am smelling the fragrance of my affectionate grandfather!' I replied: ‘Yes, your loving grandfather and your elder brother Hassan, are inside the cloak.'

Hussain then went near the cloak and said: `O my dear grandfather, the chosen Prophet of Allah! peace be on you. May I also come inside the cloak to be with both of you.'

My loving father replied: `O my son, the interceder of my Ummah! peace be on you too. Yes you may enter.'

Thus Hussain too entered the cloak.

Then Ali‑Ibn Abu Talib came and said: `O beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet! peace be on you.'

1 replied: `O Abul‑Hassan, Commander of the Faithful! peace be on you too.'

He then said: 'Fatima! I am smelling the fragrance of my brother, the son of my Uncle.'

I replied: ‘Yes! He along with your two sons is inside the cloak'

Ali then proceeded towards the cloak and said: `O Prophet of Allah! peace be on you. May I also come to you inside the cloak!'

My beloved father replied: 'Peace be on you also my brother, my vicegerent, my successor, my standard bearer! You may also come inside.'

Thus Ali also went inside the cloak

Then I went near the cloak and said: `Peace be on you, O my loving father! O Prophet of Allah! May I also come to you inside the cloak.'

My loving father replied: 'Peace of Allah be on you also, my beloved daughter! All
dear heart! You too have my permission.'

Thus, I also went inside the cloak. Now when all of us got assembled inside the Cloak,
my affectionate father held the two corners of the cloak and raising his right hand towards the sky said:

'O Allah! These are my Ahlul‑Bayt.
They are my confidants and my supporters.
Their flesh is my flesh and their blood is my blood.
Whoever hurts them, hurts me.
Whoever displeases them, displeases me.
Whoever makes peace with them, will make peace with me.
Whoever has enmity against them, will have enmity against me.
Whoever is a friend to them, is a friend of mine. It is because they belong to me and I belong to them.
O Allah! Bestow Your peace, Benevolence, Mercy, forgiveness and Your Pleasures on me and on them.
And keep them aloof from uncleanliness and keep them pure and thoroughly purified.'

Then the Lord, Almighty Allah said:

`O my Angels! O inmates of the heavens!
I created this solid firmament, well‑stretched earth,
well‑lighted moon, shinning sun, rotating planets, rippling oceans, floating boats,
and all other things for the sake and love of these five persons who are inside the cloak.'

At this, the Archangel Gabriel asked:

`O Lord! Who are they inside the cloak?'

The Lord said:

`They are Ahlul‑Bayt of the Prophet and the assets of the Prophethood. They are Fatima, her father, her husband and her two sons.'

Gabriel said:

`O Lord! permit me also to descend to earth and join them as the sixth inside the cloak.'
The Lord said: ‘You are permitted.'

Thus Gabriel, the Archangel came down to earth and said:

`O Prophet of Allah! peace be on you. The Gracious Lord, the Almighty Allah sends His Greetings to you to bestow on you His Grace and Mercy and says:
"By My Grace and Grandeur! I have created this solid
firmament, well‑stretched earth, well‑lighted moon,
shining sun, rotating planets, rippling oceans, floating boats and
all other things for the sake and love of you and
your chosen people."

And the Lord, Almighty has given me the permission to join you inside the cloak
O Prophet of Allah!
May I come in and be with you?'

The Holy Prophet replied:

'O Bearer of the Divine revelations! Peace be on you also. Yes, you may come in.'

Then Gabriel too came inside the cloak
Thereafter, he spoke to my affectionate father:

‘Allah sends His revelation to you people and says:

“Surely, Allah has decided that He should keep you and your Ahlul‑Bayt clean of all pollution and purify you people with a thorough purification."'

Then Ali said to my loving father:

'Tell me! What merit the coming under this cloak has before Allah ?'

The Holy Prophet replied:

`By that Being, Who made me His Prophet and Who, for the salvation of mankind appointed me to prophethood! When any of our Shiites and supporters will assemble in a
gathering of the inmates of this earth and narrate this Hadith, Allah will bestow on them His Blessings and Mercy; angels will encircle them and as long as they do not disperse,
the angels will pray for the forgiveness of their sins.'

At this, Ali said:

`By Allah! We and our Shiites have now become triumphant.'

Then the Holy Prophet said:

‘O Ali! By that Being, Who made me the righteous prophet and appointed me to the prophet‑hood for the sake of people's salvation, whenever in the gathering of the inmates of this earth our Shiites and friends will assemble and narrate this Hadith of ours, and if some‑one amongst them will be in agony, Allah will remove his trouble; and if someone was sorrowful, Allah will relieve him of his sorrows; will answer his needs.'

Then Ali said:

`By Allah! At this moment we have been crowned with success and Blessings; and by the Lord of Kaabah, in the same way our Shiites too have become triumphant and blessed in this world and the Hereafter.'

Note: (We have depended on the good translation of our brothers in the Islamic Seminary of Pakistan to include this event in the book)


CHAPTER 13 AZ-ZAKEAH (THE CHASTE)

The word "Tazkiah" has been mentioned several times and in different forms in the Holy Quran. It means the attestation of someone's honorable record, or to purify one's self. For instance, the following verses spoke of "Tazkiah":

"Truly he succeeds that purifies it," (91: 9)

"Hast thou slain an innocent person," (18: 74)

"(To announce) to thee the gift of a holy son." (19: 7]

and

"That is (the course making for) most virtue and purity amongst you." (2: 232)

The meaning of the first verse is to purify one's self from evil characteristics which develop from corrupt nutrition, excessive speech, anger, envy, greed, self and material worship, conceit and vanity. This type of purification is performed by abandoning such traits and adhering to the noble characteristics which contradict the above mentioned ones.

The second verse means: Have you killed someone who, I attest to his honorable record, for he has not committed a crime or an action, which necessitates punishing.

The third verse speaks of granting a prophet a virtuous son made pure from all sins, and whose nations conform to goodness. Lady Fatima Zahra (A) is Zakiyah in all the above-mentioned meanings. This is understood from the verse of purification, which we have already discussed, and concluded that She was pure of all abominations or "Rijs."

As for the fourth verse, you can refer to the study in regard to her name "Al‑Mubarakah", for here we have explained the purification meant in this verse.


CHAPTER 14 AR‑RADHIAH (THE SATISFIED OR GRATIFIED ONE)

Accepting what Allah ordains for one's self, is considered an excellent degree of belief in Allah‑Glory be to Him. Throughout her difficult life, Lady Fatima Zahra (A) was delighted with whatever Allah Almighty ordained for her. In fact, this book specializes in discussing the inflictions and disasters, which befell Fatima from the day she was born until she was martyred at a young age. During the difficult stages of her life, Fatima was content with the fear, oppression, deprivation, poverty, sorrows and pains, which Allah had predestined for her.

Therefore, Fatima is worthy of being included with those mentioned in the verse:

"To the righteous soul will be said: O (thou) soul, In (complete) rest and satisfaction! Come back to thy Lord.‑‑well pleased (thyself) and well pleasing unto Him!" (79: 27-28)

Because she is satisfied with Allah's rewards and grants to her, and is satisfied with Allah's will in this world, He has become well pleased with her.

CHAPTER 15 AL‑MARDHIYAH (SHE WHO WELL‑PLEASES ALLAH)

"Mardhiyoun" have an excellent rank, and lofty position near Almighty Allah.
Just a few of Allah's worshippers achieve this rank, which is attained by righteousness and sincerity. Fatima Zahra (A) was one of those who was able to reach this lofty position. She achieved this rank through her good deeds that pleased Allah and made Him well‑satisfied with her.


CHAPTER 16 AL‑MUHADDATHAH (SHE WHO WAS INSPIRED DIVINELY BY ALLAH)

First of all, it should be explained that angels speak, appear, and can be heard by others than prophets.

It is written in the Holy Quran:

1. "Behold! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee‑chosen thee above the women of all nations. O Mary! Worship thy Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself, and bow down (in prayer) with those who bow down." (3: 42‑43)

This verse clearly states that angels spoke to Mary by praising her and conveyed to her Allah's commands. It is evident that she heard their speech and realized their intention, for if not, it would be useless to speak to her. [51]

It is even mentioned that the Arch‑angel Gabriel, himself, spoke to her.

2. "Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: 'I seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious; (come not near) if thou dost fear God.' He said: 'Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.' She said: 'How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?'
He said: 'So (it will be): Thy Lord saith, "That is Easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from Us'; it is a matter (so) decreed. " (19: 16‑21)

The interpreters of the Holy Quran have unanimously agreed that the angel mentioned in the second verse was Gabriel. He “appeared before her as a man in all respects”. Then a dialogue was held between the two of them.

3. 'And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed; but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said: Alas for me! Shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!' They said: 'Dost thou wonder at God's decree? The grace of God and His blessings on you, O ye people of the house! For He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!" (11: 71‑73)

These verses speak of the angels visit to Ibrahim (A), bringing him the good news of a son. Ibrahim's wife, Sara, who was serving the guests thinking that were men, spoke to the angels and they replied to her. This matter is clear from the verses.

4. "So We sent this inspiration (revelation) to the mother of Moses: 'Suckle (thy child), but when thou hast fears about him, cast him into the river. " (28: 7)

Some interpreters claim that Musa's mother was inspired to act in such a manner; while others say that she was spoken to (by the angels) in order to follow the Divine Commands.

Al‑Manawi said in Al‑Jame'Al‑Saghir v. 2, p. 270, on the authority of Qurtubi:

"(Muhaddathoon) means those who are inspired or whose expectations are accurate and directed by Divine power."

It can also mean those who utter true and accurate words, those who are spoken to by angels, or those whose opinions and viewpoints always conform to righteousness as if they were inspired by the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence, this position is a generous miracle bestowed upon a selected group of Allah's pious worshippers, and an exalted position granted to Allah's chosen ones.

Thereupon, it becomes readily easy to distinguish that Fatima Zahra (A) was spoken to by angels. Because the Mistress of all women, and the daughter of the best of all Prophets and Messengers is not any less significant than Maryam Bint Imran, Sarah, Ibrahim's wife, or Musa's mother. Of course, this does not mean that any of these ladies‑including Lady Fatima‑was a prophet.

Furthermore, Sheikh Saduq narrated in Ilal Ash Sharaea' that Zaid Ibn Ali said:

"I heard Abu Abdullah (Imam Sadiq (A)) say:

“Fatima was called "Muhaddathah" because the angels descended from Heaven and called her as they called Maryam Bint Imran and said: "O Fatima! Allah hath chosen thee above the women of all nations.""

It has been narrated in v. 10 of A‑Bihar that Imam Sadiq (A) said to Abu Basir:

"... We also possess Fatima's book Mushaf, and had they known about the book of Fatima!!! It is three times the size of your Quran; and by Allah, it has not a letter of your Quran; rather it was dictated and revealed to her by Allah ....” [52]

This narration needs elaborate research and explanation, for the Imam (A) compared the size of Fatima's book to the size of the most familiar book to all Muslims‑the Holy Quran. Thus, if the Quran was printed in average‑sized letters on standard paper, and let us suppose that it would fill five hundreds of such pages; then Fatima's book would need fifteen hundred had it been printed according to the same standards. This is what the Imam (A) meant when he said: "It is three times the size of your Quran."

This, however, does not mean in any way that the Holy Quran is deficient or that Fatima's book completes it, nor does it mean that another divine book was revealed to her. In fact anyone who makes such a claim is either ignorant or an infidel.

The word "Mushaf' does not mean "Quran"; rather it means volume, book, or a collection of articles in one notebook.

When a group of Imam Sadiq's (A) companions questioned him about Fatima's book, he was quiet for a long time then explained: "Surely you search for what you need and that you need naught”.

Actually, Fatima lived seventy‑five days after the Prophet's death; when she was intensely depressed, Gabriel would visit and condole her on the Prophet's death. He would cheer her up by mentioning the good situation her father was enjoying, and tell her what would come to pass after her death. Imam Ali (A) wrote what Gabriel said, and this is Fatima's book.

In addition, Hussain Ibn Abu Al‑Ala reported that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

"...Fatima's book, I don't claim that it is Quran, rather it contains what makes people need us and makes us in need of no one. It even mentions (the legal punishment for) a lashing, half a lashing, one fourth of a lashing, and the indemnity for a scratch mark." [53]

There remains a need for an explanation of what is meant by "It was revealed to her."
This explanation can be derived from the Quranic verses that revelation is not confined to prophets; but rather Allah, the Exalted, reveals to some chosen people as mentioned in the following verses:

A. "So Zakariya came out to his people from his chamber; told them by signs to celebrate God's praises in the morning and in the evening." (19: 11)

B. "So He completed them as seven firmaments in two days, and He assigned to each Heaven its duty and command." (41: 12)

C. 'And behold! 1 inspired the Disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Apostle." (5: 114)

D. "Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): '1 am with you; give firmness to the Believers." (8: 12)

E. "And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills." (16: 68)

F. "So we sent this inspiration to the mother of Moses: 'Suckle (thy child)." (28: 7)

G. "And indeed We conferred a favor on thee another time (before)" (20: 38)

Moreover, these verses state that revelation is not confined to mankind, but it also includes other creatures such as: the Heavens, the Disciples, the angels, the bees, and Musa's mother.

Therefore, there can be no doubt that Allah, the Exalted, sent revelations to the Mistress of Women and daughter of the Master of Prophets, as he revealed to Musa's mother or Maryam Bint Imran.

In conclusion, Fatima's book is enormous, and includes detailed information about the legal punishments and the Islamic penal code, whether major or minor.

It was also declared that her book lists the names of kings who ruled and will rule on Earth until the Day of Resurrection. All this was according to the will of Allah the Knowing, the Omniscient. The book also contains descriptions of all-important events that will take place throughout history.

Fatima's book was not a Quran, as is clearly stated in the traditions of Ahlul‑Bayt, in spite of the claims of the enemies of the Shiite who argue that the Shiites believe in another divine book called Fatima's book, with the intention of undermining their authentic faith.

[51] Majma' Al‑Bayan.
[52] Bihar: v.5.
[53] Bihar: v.6.


CHAPTER 17 AZ-ZAHRA (THE SPLENDID ONE)

As it was reported in v. 10 of Bihar Al‑Anwar, Ibn Abbas narrated that Allah's Messenger said:

"Surely my daughter Fatima is: The Mistress of all women from the beginning to the end. She is part of me, and the light of my eyes, She is the f lower of my heart, and is my soul, (Fatima) is a human huri, who whenever she stands in prayers in the presence of Her Lord (Exalted is His Name), her light illuminates the skies for the angels, like stars shine to people on Earth."

This narration clarifies the reason for which Fatima (A) was given the name Zahra. There are other narrations, which mention that she had a bright and splendid face.

Lady Fatima (A) had other titles and everyone of them reflected a virtue of noble trait which she enjoyed. Among those titles were: Al‑Batoul, Al‑Adhra (The Virgin), and
Al‑Hania (The Affectionate one to her children).

Fatima's favorite title was "Umme Abiha" meaning her father's mother.



CHAPTER 18 AL‑BATOUL (THE CHASTE AND PURE ONE)

Allah, the Exalted, created His creatures and implemented in them certain laws and habits. He also subjected these creatures to laws and habits. For instance, a law that rules fire is incendiary; while plants require certain spans of time and specific environments to grow and produce; likewise, animals require specific conditions that vary according to their sizes, types and colors, to grow.

Generally speaking, humans are subjected to assigned universal laws and physiological, psychological and spiritual peculiarities; yet, certain people who have been chosen by Allah and on account of His far‑reaching wisdom, have been excluded from these laws. In other words, Allah subjected special laws to the chosen ones. Fire, for example, turns everything in its way to ashes; yet Allah said to it:

"O fire! Be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Ibrahim."

When Yunis was "cast forth on the naked shore in a state of sickness," after the whale swallowed him, Allah caused a "spreading plant" to grow quickly and cover Yunis's sick body.

Procreation, too, cannot take place without impregnation and the implementation of sperm in the woman's womb, wherein the sperm is made into a clot that grows to be a fetus covered with bones that becomes an unborn child. This process takes at least six to nine months; but his natural process that Allah implemented in mankind was invalidated in the case of Maryam (A) who gave birth to Isa (A) without any of these steps. It has been said that she carried him six to nine hours in her womb before giving birth to him under a palm tree in a secluded location.

Likewise, all miracles, which occurred through other prophets, took place in environments that did not conform to natural laws. The examples of such events are tremendous. The Holy Quran narrated many stories about prophets' and Imams' challenges to the laws of nature. Among these stories are Adam's descension from Paradise to Earth, the gushing forth of the fountains of earth in the story of Noah, Sara's pregnancy with Ishaq at an old age, the turning of Musa's stick into a snake, healing the blind and the lepers and raising of the dead by Isa, and Ascension into the Heavens by Allah's last Apostle (S)

Now that the above is understood, the following conclusion can be derived:

Women's monthly menstruation, which starts at maturity and continues until the fifties or sixties, is nothing but the discharge of spoiled blood and tissues which were to hold the fetus had it been conceived.

Allah, the Almighty, says:

"They ask thee concerning women's menstruation. Say: They are a discomfort and a pollution."

This indicates that the discharged blood is a harmful substance, which would harm women if it stayed in their bodies. It is even noticeable that women's psychological and physiological states, including their facial appearance and everyday conduct change at this time of the month. By this, we conclude that the bleeding which results from monthly menstruation differs from the normal kind of bleeding, which any human being‑including women‑might suffer.

It is unquestionable that monthly menstruation causes women to feel nervous, shy and dejected despite the fact that this occurrence is an involuntary natural course. Yet women suffer this course, which is unmentionable to anyone especially to men. For this reason, women are not obligated to perform prayers or fast during menstruation. They are also forbidden from staying in Mosques or to enter the Sacred Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. In addition, reciting the chapters of Qalam, Najm, Alif Lam Mim Tanzil, and Ha Mim as Sajdah are not to be read during women's monthly periods.
These laws, which have just been mentioned, are also valid during confinement in childbed.

Nevertheless, Allah, The Exalted, relieved Fatima Zahra (A) from such pollution, as He removed from her all abomination and purified her a total purification. This fact is authenticated by various traditions among which are the following:

1. Qanduzi reported in Yanabi' Al‑Mawaddah p.260. that the Prophet (S) said: "She was safeguarded from menstruation and childbed (bleeding)."

2. Muhammad Salih Al‑Kashfi Al‑Hanafi reported in Al‑Manaqib that the Prophet (S) said: "Fatima was called Al‑Batoul because she was safeguarded and relieved from that which women encounter every month (menstruation)."

3. A1‑Amr‑Tasri narrates in Arjah Al‑Matalib that the Prophet (S) was asked about the meaning of Batoul‑someone said to him: "Messenger of Allah, we have heard you say that Maryam is Batoul and Fatima, too, is Batoul!!"

The Prophet replied: "Batoul is she who never see blood, meaning that she never discharges menstrual blood; because menstruation is resented if it occurs in Prophet's daughters."

The above-mentioned narration was authenticated by Al‑Hakim.

4. A1‑Hafez Abu Bakr Ash‑Shafe'i narrates in Tarikh Baghdad v.13, p.331, on the account of Ibn Abbass that the Prophet said: "My daughter is a human huri, she never menstruates, nor does she encounter any menses."

Nisaee also narrates this tradition.

5. Ibn Asaker mentioned in At‑Tarikh Al‑Kabir v.1, p.391, on the account of Anas Ibn Malik that Umme Salim said:

"Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) has never menstruated nor discharged childbed blood."

6. Al‑Hafez Al‑Suyuti said:

'Among Fatima's particularities is that she did not menstruate, and when she gave birth to a child, she would immediately become purified from childbed confinement so as not to miss her prayers."

7. Rafae mentioned in At‑Tadween that Umme Salama said:

"Fatima never discharged blood during her childbed confinement; nor does she menstruate."

8. Tabari narrates in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi that Asma Bint Umais said:

"When Fatima gave birth to Al‑Hassan, she did not bleed; she also does not bleed during periods of menstruation. (When I informed the Prophet of this) he said: `Do you not know that my daughter is pure and chaste; she does not discharge blood as a result of childbirth or menstruation."'

Safari narrates this tradition in Nuzhat Al‑Majalis p.227.

9. It was mentioned in v.10 of Al‑Bihar that Abu Basir quoted Imam Sadiq (A) as saying:

'Allah, the Exalted, forbade Ali (A) from marrying women while Fatima was still alive."

Abu Basir exclaimed: "Why was that?”

The Imam replied: "Because she was pure and does not menstruate."

Sheikh Majlisi commented on this narration by the following:

"This narration means either. First: Because Fatima did not menstruate, Ali (A) had no reason to marry another woman. So Allah forbade him to marry other women in observance of her sanctity. Or, Second: Her eminence disallowed him from marrying another woman; where as this particularity of hers is part of this eminence."

Fatima's exaltation from encountering menstrual or childbed blood, confirms to the verse of purification which has already been discussed. CHAPTER 19 AL ADHRA (THE VIRGIN OR THE CHASTE)

This is one of the names given to Fatima. This name declares that she was always a virgin, in the meaning that she was chaste.

Many traditions have already been mentioned, which attest to the fact that she was conceived of heavenly food, and that Fatima was a human huri. There is not exaggeration in this expression, rather, stating that Fatima was always virgin, is nothing but the absolute truth. Besides the narrations that verify this fact, the Holy Quran states:

"We have created (the huri) of special creation; and made them virgin pure (and undefiled)." (56: 35-36)

This clarifies that huris are always virgins. Majma Al‑Bayan explains this verse as follows: "(What is meant by virgin pure) is that whenever their husbands come near them (have sexual intercourse with them), they find them virgins."

Imam Sadiq (A) was asked: "How can a huri always be a virgin (no matter how many times her husband comes near her)?"

The Imam (A) answered: "Because (huris) are created from pure goodness where no blight can alter them, nor does decrepitude inflict them... menstruation does not pollute them..."


CHAPTER 20 FATIMA'S YOUTH

Lady Fatima Zahra (A) opened her eyes to the world to enjoy prophetic fatherly love and to suckle Khadija's milk, which was mixed with excellent morals and perfection.

Growing in the house of revelation, gave her the chance to achieve the highest degree of perfection and excellence. The Prophet (S) taught her divine knowledge and endowed her with special intelligence, so that she realized the true meaning of faith, piety, and the reality of Islam.

The virtuous upbringing of Fatima by Allah's Messenger as accompanied by her capability to perceive divine facts and her spiritual brilliance and preparedness to ascend to the highest levels of perfection.

Parallel to this, was Allah's will that Fatima Zahra should face many sorrows and live in anguish from the very beginning of her life. She opened her eyes to see her father being fought by his relatives and strangers and treated with hostility by the infidels and polytheists. For instance, Fatima might have entered the Sacred Mosque and seen her father reading Quran in the private chamber of Ismael (around Kaaba), while polytheists were harming him and waging a psychological war against him. One day, Fatima saw the infidels pour camel placenta on her father while he was prostrating to Allah; so she cleaned his back and while bitterly crying, cursed he unbelievers and supplicated to Allah to punish them. But the infidels were sarcastic, in the same respect as any lowly people and rubble would be.

Ibn Abbas reported that the Quraishians once held a meeting in the Sacred Mosque and vowed by their Idols that as soon as they saw Muhammad, they would all participate in killing him; upon hearing this, Fatima (A) went crying to her father and informed him of their conspiracy.

The crisis became more intense when the Messenger of Allah was forcefully confined to Abu Talib's trail (valley) along with his family and all the members of Abu Talib's family. They lived in an atmosphere overtaken by fear and anxiety of the constantly expected attack by the infidels at night. The situation grew even worse when the polytheists drew up a treaty to besiege Bani Hashim and impose economic sanctions against them; this treaty allowed no one to sell or buy anything from them, including food supplies.

Therefore, the cries of starving children reached the ears of all Meccan inhabitants. The people of Mecca were divided into two groups: One who was enjoying the misfortunes of the Bani Hashim and the other was deeply affected with their misery.

This situation continued for more than three years. Fatima was one of those who suffered from this siege, which resulted in awakening the spirit of struggle, honesty and endurance in her; it was as if she was spending a period of training and exercise for the near future.

Nevertheless, the predicament was made easier when Fatima saw the courageous hero, Abu Talib, aided by Hamza keeping steadfast and helping her father in every way against the infidels' aggression. Abu Talib declared his adherence to Islam through uttering poetry. Once, the Quraishan heads objected to Abu Talib's support of the Prophet; they said to him: "We will give you a handsome, generous, and courageous Quraishan youth (Amarh Ibn Al‑Walid) to become your son, if you give us your nephew ‑Muhammad ‑ who disunites us and humiliates our idols, so that we may kill him!"

Abu Talib said: "This is an unfair offer! Do you mean to give me your son, so I can feed him for you and I give you my nephew to kill? (If this is your way of dealing) then each one of you should give me his son to kill if you want me to give you Muhammad to kill."

Abu Talib's honorable stands in protecting the Prophet were numerous. Had it not been for his faith and strong adherence to Islam, he would not have been steadfast in defending the Messenger and his divine faith. Contrary to Abu Talib, another uncle of the Prophet (S), Abu Lahab‑fought fiercely and opposed the Prophet. His shameful conduct was recorded in various history books and in the Holy Quran.


CHAPTER 21 LADY KHADIJA'S DEATH

Fatima's life was passing by with years full of sorrow and infliction. When she reached her seventh or eighth year, another tragedy clouded her life. The death of Fatima's mother, Lady Khadija, brought sadness and grief to her heart; for Khadija was an affectionate mother who had predicted the tough life her darling daughter would live.

During Khadija's last days, she was confined to bed. One day the Prophet of Allah (S) said to her:

"What you are encountering, is because of us Khadija; when you meet your peers send my Salam to them!"

Khadija questioned: "Who are they; O Prophet of Allah?"

He answered: "Maryam Bint Imran, Kalthum (Musa's sister), and Assia‑Pharaoh's wife."

She then said: "May you live in harmony and have sons, O Prophet of Allah."

The Messenger of Allah used to say: "I was commanded to give Khadija the good news of a dwelling in Paradise made of brocade where there is neither clamoring nor strain.” [54]

Ibn Al‑Athir said that the brocade mentioned in this tradition, is palace‑like hallow pearls.

Lady Khadija was once crying in the presence of Asma Bint Umais, who said to her:

"Why are you crying while you are the Mistress of all women, and the Prophet's wife, who will enter Paradise as he has said?"

Khadija replied: "l am not crying (for fear of death), rather, I am crying because every woman needs a close friend on her wedding night to tell her secrets to and help her in certain issues; Fatima is still very young and I am afraid that she will be alone on her wedding night!"

Asma said: "O my mistress, I vow to you, by Allah, that if I am alive then, I will take your place..."

Lady Khadija died at the age of sixty‑three (according to some historians). Her death brought deep sorrow to the Holy Prophet, especially since it was followed by the death of Abu Talib, the Prophet's uncle, who died several days (or months) after that. Hence, the year in which the deaths of Khadija and Abu Talib occurred, was called "the year of sorrow" by the Prophet (S)
Khadija's death was a disaster for the Prophet; not only because she was his wife, but also because she was the first one to believe in his messengership. Khadija also supported her husband with abundant shares of her property for the sake of Islam. She held a unique character in Mecca and between all Arab women.

When Khadija was buried at Houjoun, the Messenger of Allah stepped down into her grave to bless it. Meanwhile, Fatima kept close to her father and asked him:

"Messenger of Allah, where is my Mother?"

The Prophet avoided Fatima's question, so she looked around for someone to ask where her Mother was! At that point, Gabriel descended and revealed the following to the Prophet "Your Lord commands you to inform Fatima that He sends His blessings upon her and says: Your Mother is in a house of brocade, its corners are made of gold, and its poles are of rubies. It is located between Assia's (Pharaoh's wife) and Maryam Bint Imran's houses."

Fatima then said: Surely Allah is As-Salam, and peace is from Him and to Him.”

Another mournful event that inflicted the Prophet was his uncle’s death Abu Talib had adopted Muhammed when he was eight years old upon the death of his grand father .Abu Talib was the Prophet ‘s guardian until he reached Fifty three years of age.

Abu Talib‘s services and support for Islam and the Prophet never ceased throughout those years .Had it not been for abu Talib possibly Islam could not have passed the stage of its prime days of propagation.

These two tragic events had a great effect on the messenger’s life; the death of Abu Talib caused the Prophet to immigrate to Medina, for he had lost the strongest supporter and advocate of the religion from among his uncles.

[54] Musnad Ahmad.

CHAPTER 22 FATIMA'S IMMIGRATION

Upon being inflicted with the deaths of Lady Khadija and Abu Talib, the Prophet decided to immigrate to Medina. He ordered Ali to lie down in his bed during the night that later came to be known as (the night of stay). During that night, about forty (40) or fourteen (14) polytheist men sieged the Prophet's house and were determined to attack and kill him. But the Prophet had escaped to a nearby cave, and Fatima stayed at home expecting the enemies assault at any given minute. She listened to their infidel and atheistic slogans against her father. Only Allah knows how scared and disturbed she was that long night, for she knew the infidels’ cruelty and mercilessness.

At dawn, the infidels attacked the house while leveling their swords as if they were ferocious beasts or savage dogs. They proceeded to the Prophet’s bed intending to kill him, but were surprised to find Ali (A) laying in it wearing the Prophet's clothes. They departed from the house feeling defeated and harboring resentment, fury, and fire against the Prophet and Ali

Those hours were most aggravating, frightening, and anguish‑filled for Fatima. Soon relief entered her life; Imam Ali (A) took her and his mother and Fatima Bint Zubair Ibn Abdul‑Muttalib out towards Medina. When the infidels learned this, they intercepted them in an attempt to prevent their migration out of Mecca. Had it not been for the Mercy and Protection of Allah and the heroism and courage of Imam Ali (A), a catastrophe would have taken place. The infidels were driven back by Imam Ali, who continued the journey towards Medina.

Upon arriving in Medina, the Prophet met them and took Fatima to his home, which was originally Abu Ayoub Ansari's. Thus, Fatima became the guest of Abu Ayoub's mother.
Fatima lived with the Prophet in Medina after suffering typhoons of painful incidents, such as the death of her mother, her immigration and the continuous agitations against her. Fatima's miseries did not stop here; rather her immigration was the beginning of an era of uninterrupted sorrows.

One year after the Prophet's immigration to Medina, the infidels mobilized their men and headed towards the Muslim's stronghold, intending to destroy the new faith; but Gabriel informed the Prophet of their conspiracy, who in turn ordered the immigrants and Medinites to leave the city and meet the infidels in a place located on the way to Mecca called Badr.

Although the infidels outnumbered the Muslims three to one, the Prophet and his followers defeated them and returned to Medina triumphant and victorious.


CHAPTER 23 FATIMA AT UHUD

One year and one month after the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud took place. In this battle, seventy of the Prophet's most prominent companions were martyred among them being Hamza, the Prophet's uncle and the most notable hero.

In this battle, the Prophet was injured by two rocks on his forehead and mouth. As a result of his injury, the Prophet lost some teeth and blood clotted on his beard as if it was henna. At that moment, Satan shouted in such a manner that all Muslims heard him; he said: "Muhammad has been killed." This created disarray among the Muslims, and many men, save the true faithful, fled the battlefield. Confusion also overtook the Muslim families residing in Medina.

Safiah Bint Abdul Muttalib, the Prophet's aunt, accompanied Fatima Zahra to Uhud.

When Fatima heard of her father's injuries, she started crying and the Hashimite women rushed to help her.

Fatima's arrival at the scene of the battle, coincided with the Prophet's inspection of his soldiers, to find out how many had been martyred and wounded. When he reached Hamza, he found him in an indescribable situation; the infidels had badly mutilated his body; they had cut off his fingers, hands, legs, nose, ears, and ruptured his abdomen to get his liver out. They had also cut off his sexual organ and left him in that horrible position.

The scene of Hamza's defaced body brought sadness and pain to the Prophet's heart. The infidel had not abandoned any ugly method of mutilation, which they did not commit against the strong and steadfast supporter of Allah's Apostle, (Peace be upon him and Ahlul-Bayt). While the Prophet was deeply saddened by this infliction, his Aunt and Fatima were rushing towards the scene. As Soon as he noticed them, he covered Hamza's body with one of his garments. Safia and Fatima arrived and began crying and condemning the infidels for their crimes. They noticed that the Prophet's forehead was badly cut and that blood had become clotted on his face and beard; thus, Fatima Zahra started cleaning his face and said:

"Allah's punishment will be severe on him who caused the Messenger's face to bleed.”

Ali poured water on the Prophet's face, but this did not stop the bleeding, so Fatima burnt some rope and put its ashes on the cut, which stopped the bleeding. Fatima spent these moments in sadness and great anxiety. She was a faithful and devoted daughter to her father.

When Ali (A) returned to Medina, he gave his sword to Fatima and said:

"Take this sword Fatima; it surely proved itself to be most reliable today."

The Prophet added:

"Take it Fatima, for surely your husband has fully performed his duty; Allah killed the heroes of the Arabs through his hands."

Fatima's help to her father does not mean that she worked as a nurse on the battlefield, despite the claim of some writers who consider this story as proof that Fatima was a battlefield nurse!!








CHAPTER 24 FATIMA'S PROBLEMS AT HOME

One of the problems, which disturbed Fatima, was that some of her father's wives were envious and jealous of her. Certain wives of the Prophet (S) developed psychological complications against Fatima, because of the special treatment the Prophet bestowed upon her and the great love and kindness that he favored her with.

Al‑Majlisi (May Allah bless his soul) narrated in Bihar that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

"The Messenger of Allah entered his house to find Aisha yelling at Fatima, saying:

`By Allah, O Khadija's daughter, you feel that your mother was better than us; but what favor does she have above us? Is she not saved like us?'

The Prophet (S) heard Aisha's shouting. When Fatima saw him, she began to cry; the Prophet (S) then said:

`What makes you cry, O daughter of Muhammad?'

Fatima said: ‘Aisha degraded my mother, and this has caused me to cry.'

The Messenger of Allah (S) angrily said: `Hush, O Humaira (reddish woman)!! Surely Allah (Exalted is His Name) blessed this devoted and fertile woman; and Khadija (may Allah bless her soul) gave birth to my children, Al‑Tahir (Abdullah) who was purified, A1‑Qasim, Ruqayya, Um Kulthum, and Zainab; but Allah has created you with a sterile womb so you do not give birth to any children.”

Many other unappreciated utterances were made by Aisha against Fatima Zahra (A); which reflects the deep inborn deviation from which Aisha suffered, was not observed in any other of the Prophet's wives.

This narration clearly states that Khadija's daughters were all the Prophet's direct daughters and not step‑daughters. There are also many other proofs, which pertain to this fact; but we will deal with them in another book, for this is not the place for such a study.


CHAPTER 25 FATIMA ZAHRA (A) ON THE WAY TO MARRIAGE

When Fatima Zahra reached nine years of age, she was a full-grown woman who enjoyed intellectual maturity and integrity of conduct. Allah gifted her with a brilliant mentality and cleverness, together with beauty, grace and elegance. Her talents were many and her inherited and acquired noble traits excel those of any female or male.
Fatima's religious feelings and literary knowledge were unlimited. You will come to know that she was the most knowledgeable and most honorable woman in the world. In fact, history has not witnessed any other woman who achieved such a high level of education, knowledge, and social graces that Fatima reached; regardless of the fact that she did not graduate from any educational establishment save the school of Revelation and Messengership.

In light of this, it is not strange that prominent companions of the Prophet asked to marry her, but he (S) rejected them by saying:

"Her affair is left to her Lord; whenever He wills, she will marry."

Shu'aib Ibn Saab Al‑Misri said the following in Ar‑Rawd Al‑Faeq:

"When the sun of her beauty shined in the heavens of Messengership and became full on the horizon of exaltation of the moon of her perfection, the dawns of thoughts reached towards her and the sights of the chosen longed to observe her beauty; so the masters of the Muhajerin and Ansar asked to many her, but the one who was bestowed with Allah's satisfaction (the Prophet (S) rejected them and said: `I am waiting for Allah's ordinance in her regard."'

Abu Bakr and Umar were among those who asked to marry Fatima, but the Prophet (S) rejected them too, and said that she was still too young for marriage. AbdurRahman Ibn Awf also asked for her hand, but the Prophet (S) ignored him.

Ali Ibn Muragi reported in his book Kanz Al‑Umal v.2 p.99, that Anas Ibn Malik said:

"Abu Bakr came to see the Prophet (S). After sitting down he said:

`O Messenger of Allah, you surely know of my devotion and long standing service to Islam...'

The Prophet then said: `What is it that you want?'

Abu Bakr then said: `I want you to give me Fatima in marriage.'

When the Prophet heard this, he did not say anything, so Abu Bakr returned to Umar and said:

`I have ruined myself and others!!'

Umar said: `What happened?'

Abu Bakr replied: `I asked for Fatima's hand from the Prophet, but he ignored me.'

Umar said: `You stay here, and I will go ask the Prophet for the same thing that you asked him for.'

Umar went to the Prophet and after sitting down started saying:

`O Messenger of Allah, you surely know of my devotion and long standing service to Islam...'

The Prophet (S) then said: `What is it that you want?'

Umar replied: `I want you to give me Fatima in marriage.'

But the Prophet (S) ignored him too.

Umar returned to Abu Bakr and said: `He is waiting for Allah's command in her regard."'

Al‑Haithami also reported in his book Majma Az‑Zawa'ed that Abu Bakr and Umar sent their daughters to the Prophet (S) in order to ask him to give Fatima in marriage to them; but when the daughters mentioned why they had come, the Prophet said:

"No! Not until Allah's command in her regard is revealed"

Perhaps the Messenger avoided telling Abu Bakr and Umar openly that he is keeping Fatima for the qualified man, because he did not want to declare to them that they were unqualified to marry her, and that his daughter was above their level. The Prophet also wanted everything to occur in its natural order.

Imam Ali (A) was staying in the house of Saad Ibn Ma'adh (according to one historical finding) since he immigrated to Medina. One day, While Imam Ali was in one of the gardens of Medina, Saad came to him and said:

"What prevents you from asking to marry Fatima from your cousin?"

It has also been mentioned in Kanz Al‑Umal that Umar came to Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said:

"What prevents you from (marrying) Fatima?"

Imam Ali replied: "I fear that he (the Prophet) will not give her to me in marriage!"

Umar said: "If he does not give her to you in marriage, then who will she marry? Besides, you are the nearest of Allah's creatures to him ....”

Actually, Ali had never mentioned his desire to marry Fatima for two reasons; first his shyness to do so in front of the Prophet, and secondly because of his very difficult economic condition. Imam Ali owned nothing of the empherial belongings of this world‑not even a house or a peace of land!! So how could he get married? And where would he live with his wife? Besides, Fatima (A) is not the type of woman who can be neglected or looked down upon!!

Nevertheless, the purpose of marriage in Islam is to establish a family. The question of sex is not the main goal, rather it is a matter included and taken care of by marriage. In addition, Islam came to break the chains and the blind adoption of concepts which deprived many people from marriage by making it difficult for them to acquire partners; thus, preventing them from a basic and natural necessity needed for the survival of mankind. Therefore, thanks to Islam‑marriage became an easy affair. Tribalism and race consciousness were eradicated by the new religion. The Prophet (S), who was still going through the stage of building Islam, wanted to set an example through his words and deeds in this field; for he is the exemplar and model for the people. So he fought ignorant and infidel customs through his works and actions.

Imam Ali (A) finally approached the Prophet (S) and asked for Fatima's hand in marriage. The Messenger, who has absolute guardianship over all Muslim men and women, including his daughter, would not announce his agreement to the marriage without Fatima's consent. By this action, he (S) made it clear that it is inevitable to obtain the daughter's permission for marriage, because she is the one who is to live with the man and share his life. Indeed, giving a girl in marriage to someone without her prior approval or permission is a clear violation of her honor, degradation of her personality, disruption of her soul and a practical declaration to her that she is like an animal who can be sold or given as a gift to anyone without the right to state her opinion.

The Prophet (S) in reply to Ali said:

"Ah, many men have asked before you and she has rejected them‑her resentment to marry them was clear on her face. Yet, wait until I bring you the answer."

The Prophet (S) left Ali waiting for the answer. The Prophet informed his daughter that Ali wished to marry her. Fatima did not need to ask about Ali's occupation, manners, age and other traits; because she knew all about his talents, excellent traits and long standing service to Islam. It is for this reason that the Prophet only said to her:

"Fatima, you know Ali Ibn Abu Talib's relationship to us, his devotion and faithfulness to Islam. I asked Allah to give you in marriage to the best of His creatures, and the most beloved to Him; and he (Ali) has declared his wish to marry you; what do you say?"

Fatima did not reply, nor did she show a sign of rejection or resentment, so he (S) stood up and said:

“Allah is the Greatest! Her silence is her approval."

The Prophet considered Fatima's silence as her consent and approval of the marriage; because a shy, virgin girl is not expected to declare her agreement openly. Yes, disagreement and rejection of marriage can be openly expressed by her. But shyness prevents a girl from declaring her wish to marry a man, but it does not stop her from rejecting it.

The Prophet (S) went back to the waiting Ali and informed him of Fatima's approval of the marriage. He also inquired about the extent of his preparedness to fulfill the requirements needed for the wedding, because legally and traditionally there has to be a dowry. Especially in light of the fact that this marriage would be remembered and be of great influence to the future generations. Thus, it was important to observe every element and event, which would play a part of this marriage‑within the limits of simplicity and modesty.

The Prophet said to Ali:

"Do you possess anything (which you can pay for the dowry) to marry Fatima?'

Imam Ali answered:

"May my parents be your sacrifice By Allah, there is not a thing of my affairs hidden from you; I own my sword, shield and the camel which 1 use for irrigation"

Indeed, this was everything that Ali possessed in this world when he was about to get married!!

The Messenger openheartedly listened to Ali and said:

"Ali you cannot do without your sword, for you have to struggle with it and defend yourself against the enemies of Allah. As for your camel you need it to irrigate palm trees and support your family, and you need it as a means of travel. But I accept the shield as a dowry from you; thus, sell it and bring me the money.”

Ali had won this shield from the booty of the battle of Badr. It was given to him by the Messenger, who named it Al‑Hademah; because it destroyed all the swords, which stuck it.

The Commander of the Faithful (A) sold the shield for 480 or 500 dirhams and brought the money to the Prophet (S). They both agreed that this money would be the dowry of the most honorable girl and most exalted female of the universe. Yes, Fatima was the Mistress of the women of the world, and the daughter of the Master of Prophets and Messengers, who was the best of Allah's creatures.

Yet, he gave his daughter in marriage in return for such a modest dowry in order to teach other Muslim girls not to refrain from marriage because of modest dowries. There are many other lessons, which we can learn from Fatima's marriage, but this is not the place to mention them.

Despite Fatima's modest marriage on Earth, Allah, the Exalted, bestowed her with an honorable gift. He (Glory be to Him) gave her in marriage to Ali Ibn Abu Talib, before the Messenger himself did so. This is not abnormal, for Allah had given women who are much lower than Fatima in marriage to the Prophet For example, He gave Zainab Bint Jahsh to the Prophet in marriage as it is stated in the Holy Quran.

"Then when Zaid had dissolved (his marriage) with her, with the necessary (formality), We joined her in marriage to thee." (33: 50)

Therefore, was it not possible for Fatima's wedding to have been celebrated in the exalted heavens, and attended by the nearest angels to Allah, the Exalted, as Prophetic traditions state? ! Indeed, this is what happened in tribute to Fatima, her Father, her husband, and her future children who are the authorities of Allah on His creatures.

The celebration took place in the fourth Heaven near Al‑Bait Al‑Ma'mour (the constantly attended house of Allah). It was a unique event the like of which the universe had never encountered before. Angels from all the Heavens gathered in the fourth Heaven and erected the Minbar of Honor, which is made of light. Then Allah, The Almighty, revealed to one of His angels, Rahil, to ascend the Minber and praise and glorify His names as He deserves. Rahil, who was the most eloquent of all angels, did what his Lord revealed to him and said:

"Praise be to Allah, since creation of the first (creatures); He who is ever‑lasting (even) after the cessation of all beings; We praise Him for making us spiritual angels, who are submitting to His Godship, and for making us grateful to Him for His benevolence on us.

He safeguarded us from craving for lusts; and made our only pleasure and enjoyment to glorify and exalt Him.

He Who extended His Mercy (upon everything); and bestowed His benevolence (upon everyone). Exalted is His Name from the polytheism of polytheists of the dwellers of Earth, And Elevated by His Creatures from the fabrications of the atheists. Allah, The Omnipotent King, chose the one who was bestowed with special Divine Honor, and the worshipper of His Greatness, for His worshipper, the Mistress of women and the daughter of the best of prophets, the Master of all messengers and the Imam of the pious; so He brought into relations the Prophet with a man from his kin. One who is his believing companion, and was prompt in answering his call ‑Ali the devout, with Fatima the splendid and the daughter of the Messenger. "

Then Gabriel added the following words, which were from Allah, the Exalted:

"Praise is My garment Greatness is My Magnificence
All the creatures are My slaves men and women. I give Fatima, My Worshipper in marriage to Ali My chosen worshipper. So bear witness O My angels." [52]

This narration was also reported by a group of Sunni scholars, among them are:

1. AbdurRahman As‑Safawi in Nuzhat Al‑Majalis v.2, P.223, reported that Jabir Ibn Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

"Umme Ayman came to the Prophet crying; the Prophet asked her why she was crying?

She replied:

“A man from the Ansar just informed me that his daughter has just been married, and that sprinkled sweets and almonds on her. Thus, this reminded me that when Fatima married Ali, you did not sprinkle anything on her.”

There‑upon the Prophet (S) said:

“By Allah Who sent me with honor, and gifted me with the Messengership; when Allah gave Fatima to Ali in marriage, He ordered the nearest angels to surround the Throne‑including Gabriel, Michael and Israfil. He also commanded birds to sing and ordered the tree of Tuba to sprinkle them with fresh pearls, white gems, green chrysolites and red rubies.”

According to another tradition, he said:

“The marriage took place near the Lotus tree in the seventh Heaven, on the night of Ascension. (On that occasion) Allah revealed to the tree: `Sprinkle all that you bear on them.' So it sprinkled them with gems, jewelry and corals."

2. Al‑Hafiz Abu Nu'aym reported in Hilyat Al‑Owliya v.5, P.59, that Abdullah Ibn Masoud said:

"...then Allah commanded the Tree of Paradise to bear gems and jewelry; He then ordered it to sprinkle them over the angels. So whoever received more than the others on that day, will be proud of it until the Day of Resurrection."

3. This narration was mentioned by: Kharazmi in Maqtal Al‑Hussain, Asqalani in Lisan Al‑Mizan and Tahdhib Al‑Tahdhib, and Qandouzi in Yanabi' Al‑Mawaddah.

4. It has been reported in Nuzhat Al‑Majalis that Anas Ibn Malik said:

"The Prophet (S) was in the mosque when he said to Ali:

`Here is Gabriel informing me that Allah gave Fatima to you in marriage, and made forty thousand angels testify to her marriage. He also revealed to the Tree of Tuba to sprinkle them with gems, rubies, jewelry and embellishments. When it had done this, the Huris rushed to collect these gems, rubies, jewelry, and embellishments to exchange them for gifts until the Day of Resurrection. " (Suyuti reported this narration in Tahdheer Al‑Khawas.)

The Messenger (S) performed the engagement proceedings in the mosque while he was on the Minbar, in the presence of the Muslims, so as to enact the practice of announcing and assigning witnesses to engagement proceedings; and specified the amount of dowry, so that the Muslims could follow his practice in requesting modest dowries for marriages. He said:

“Avoid exaggeration in the (amounts of) dowries, because this causes enmity (between you).”

The Prophet also assigned the desirable practice of limiting dowry to five hundred dirhams. He and the Holy Imams of Ahlul‑Bayt never exceeded this amount of dowry in their marriages.

When Ali had sold his sword, he brought the money to the Prophet; who divided it into thirds: one‑third was for household necessities, one‑third was for perfumes and embellishments for the wedding, and the remaining one‑third he gave to Umme Salamah, who was to give it back to Ali to assist him in paying for food for the guests attending the ceremony.

Naturally, Ali's marriage to Fatima Zahra (A) raised envy and enmity in the hearts of some men; especially those who were rejected by Fatima and her father when they had asked for her hand. So it was not strange to see some Quraishans come to the Prophet and say:

"Surely you have taken a lowly dowry for Fatima from Ali."

The Prophet replied:

"It was not I who gave (Fatima to) Ali in marriage, rather Allah did so on the night of ascension near the Lotus tree (in the seventh Heaven)..." [53]

He then added: "Verily I am a man just like you, I marry (from) your women and give you my (marriageable) women in marriage, save Fatima, for her marriage was revealed in Heaven." [54]

The Prophet gave Abu Bakr some money and asked him to accompany Bilal and Salman, (or Ammār Ibn Yasir) to buy some household necessities for Fatima's house. The Prophet said to Abu Bakr:

"Buy some appropriate household necessities for my daughter with this money."

Abu Bakr said: "He gave sixty‑three (63) dirhams, so we went to the market and bought the following:

1. Two mattresses made of Egyptian canvas. (One stuffed with fiber and the other with sheep wool)
2. A leather mat
3. A pillow made of skin, filled with palm tree fiber
4. A Khaibarion cloak
5. An animal skin for water
6. Some jugs and jars also for water
7. A pitcher painted with tar
8. A thin curtain made of wool
9. A shirt costing seven (7) dirhams
10. A veil costing four (4) dirhams
11. A black plush cloak
12. A bed embellished with ribbon
13. Four cushions made of skin imported from Ta'ef, stuffed with a good smelling plant.
14. A mat from Hajar
15. A hand‑mill
16. A special copper container used for dyestuff
17. A pestle for grinding coffee
18. A (water) skin

When Abu Bakr and the other companions had bought the above-mentioned articles, they carried them to Umme Salama's house. When the Prophet (S) saw them, he started kissing every article and supplicated to Allah, saying:

"O Allah, bless them for they are people who the majority of their belongings are made of natural materials."

These were all the furnishings they purchased for the daughter of the best of all prophets and messengers. But indeed, marital happiness is not achieved by wealth and overspending, nor can expensive wardrobes, gems, golden ware, luxurious furniture, splendid palaces or comfortable automobiles provide a person with marital happiness, contrary to the beliefs of most people.

How many wealthy women dressed in expensive wardrobes and embellished themselves with gems and jewelry, which cover their necks, arms, and ears consider life an unbearable misery. On the contrary, how many women are there who live in shacks, who cook, bake bread, wash clothes, sweep floors, nurse their children and struggle hard in light of their simple lives, yet consider themselves happy people and their houses to be gardens of Eden.

This fact is also true for men. Yet, unfortunately, many young unmarried women hold the wrong view that marital happiness can only be found through wealth and luxuries. They consider simplicity a sign of misery and deprivation; therefore, these miserable youths remain unmarried waiting for marital happiness to knock on their doors, accompanied by wealth and luxuries!!



CHAPTER 26 PART OF FATIMA'S DOWRY IS"INTERCEDENCE ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION'

Although Fatima's dowry was modest, because of the Messenger's wish to set an example for the Muslims and for other implicit reasons, Fatima Zahra (A) did not ignore her greatness and exalted identity to obtain a fantastic gift for her wedding. Fatima's drive for excellence and perfection motivated her to ask for the right of intercedence‑if Allah willed‑for the sinners among the Muslims.

Ahmad Ibn Yusuf Ad‑Dimashqi in his book Akhbar Al‑Doual Wa Ath‑tha Al‑Uwal reported the following:

"It was narrated that when she (Fatima) learnt about her marriage and that her dowry was a small number of dirhams, she said:

`O Messenger of Allah, lay girls take money for dowries; what is the difference between me and them (if my dowry was to be money too)? I kindly ask you to give it back and supplicate to Allah, the Exalted, to make my dowry the right to intercede for the sinners among Muslims (on the Day of Rising).' It was then that Gabriel descended with a label on which the following statement was written:

‘Allah ordained Fatima Zahra's dowry to be intercedence for the sinners among Muslims.'

When Fatima (A) was on her deathbed, she asked that the label be put on her chest under the coffin. Thus, it was done so. Fatima said:

“When I am raised on the Day of Resurrection, I will present this label with my hand to intercede for the sinners from among my Father's nation."

It is apparent that the narration mentioned above illustrates the greatness, honor, and excellence Lady Fatima enjoyed. The Messenger's supplication was answered, so Fatima will present the label on the day when it is most needed. Nasfi said:

"Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) asked the Prophet (S) that her dowry would be intercedence for his nation on the day of Resurrection. So when she passes the path, she will ask for her dowry."

It is worthy to mention that many narrations have been reported on the account of Ahlul‑Bayt (A) to the effect that intercedence is part of Fatima Zahra's dowry.



CHAPTER 27
PREPARATIONS FOR THE WEDDING

A non‑planned period of time elapsed between the engagement and the wedding ceremony, because Imam Ali (A) was too shy to ask the Prophet to assign a day for the wedding, while he wanted to protect Fatima's pride by refraining from asking Ali to do so.

A month or more passed by before Imam Ali said anything regarding the wedding. Aqeel (Ali's brother) asked him about the reason for the delay in holding the wedding ceremony and encouraged him to prepare for the wedding and to ask the Prophet to assign a date for it. Despite Ali's shyness, he accompanied Aqeel to the Prophet's house to fulfill his wishes. On their way to the Prophet's house, they met Umme Ayman who, when told the reason for their visit, asked them to leave the matter to her. She, in turn, informed Umme Salama and the Prophet's wives who gathered in Aisha's house, where the Prophet was, and said:

"May our parents be your sacrifice! We are gathered here in regard to that, had Khadija been alive would have brought happiness to her life!!!"

When hearing Khadija's name, the Prophet cried and said:

"Surely Khadija believed me when men did not, and helped in establishing Allah's religion, and granted me her belongings in its path. Allah‑Exalted is His Name‑commanded me to bring the good news to Khadija that (she has) a house in Paradise made of brocade and emeralds, where there is not roaring nor strain."

Umme Salama said:

"May our parents be your sacrifice, O Messenger of Allah!! Surely everything you have praised Khadija for is true, but she departed to her Lord! May He bring happiness to her and gather us with her in the Paradise of His satisfaction and Mercy. Messenger of Allah! Your brother from among the people of the world who is also your cousin, Ali Ibn Abu Talib, wished that you specify a day for the wedding so that he may be united with his wife Fatima."

The Prophet answered: "Why doesn't Ali ask me to do so?"

She replied: "Shyness prevents him!'

He said: "Umme Ayman, go call Ali for me."

When Umme Ayman came out, she found Ali (A) waiting for the answer. Upon her request he, entered the house and shyly sat near the Prophet who said to him:

"Do you wish to be wedded to your wife?"
Ali replied: "Alright, it is to your honor!! If you wish, the wedding can take place tonight or tomorrow night, if Allah wills."

The Prophet said: "So prepare a house for Fatima."

Ali then said: "The only house I can acquire is Harithah Ibn Al‑Numan's."

The Prophet said: "Surely we are shy for Harithah Ibn Al‑Numan, for we have taken the majority of his houses!"'

When Harithah heard about this, he proceeded towards the Prophet and said:

"Messenger of Allah, I and my property belong to Allah and His Messenger. By Allah, there is nothing more beloved to me than that which you take; it surely is more desirable to me (that you take it) than if you leave it (for me)!!"

Consequently, Harithah, motivated by his strong faith and belief in good deeds, granted Ali (A) one of his houses. Imam Ali (A) furnished one of the rooms by spreading sand on the floor and erecting a pole for hanging the water container. In addition to some gifts that were given to him by some companions, he also purchased a jug and jar and laid a piece of wood between two walls for hanging clothes, and placed a ram's skin on the floor and put a pillow made of fiber on it,

The Prophet (S) ordered Ali (A) to hold a dinner because Allah, the Exalted, is pleased with those who do so; for the social good it does‑such as bringing people together and implementing love and harmony among them.

It is noteworthy that Lady Fatima Zahra (A) excelled in giving on the path of Allah; she possessed generosity that no other woman can claim to be equal to.

Al‑Asfouri wrote in his book Nuzhat Al‑Majalis v.2, p.226, on the authority of Ibn Al‑Tawous:

"The Prophet had a new dress made for Fatima (as a gift) for her wedding; she had just one old patched dress. On her wedding night, someone knocked on the door and said:

“I ask the household of Prophethood to give me an old dress.” At first, Fatima was going to give him her old dress, but then remembered the Quranic verse:

`By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love (prefer)'

She then gave the poor man her new dress. Consequently, Gabriel descended and said:

“O Muhammad! Allah sends Him peace upon you; He commanded me to greet Fatima and (give her the gift He sent her) which is a dress from Paradise, made of silk brocade etc."

(Returning to the feast), when the food had been prepared, the meat cooked, the bread baked and the dates and butter obtained, the Prophet started spitting the dates and mixing them with the butter to replace sweetmeat for the wedding When everything was ready, he asked Ali to invite the people to the feast.

When Ali reached the Mosque, he found it crowded with people‑all were at the Mosque, from the poor immigrants who lived there to the Ansars. Nevertheless, Ali's generosity and noble‑heartedness did not allow him to invite some people and exclude others, especially since everyone wanted to be invited to the Prophet's daughter's wedding feast.
Ali's belief in Allah's power and the Prophet's blessed heart, motivated him to call out loud:

"O people, answer the call for the feast of Fatima Bint Muhammad"

Men and women from all around Medina gathered in the house. They ate, drank and even took food to their homes. The blessings of the Prophet were obvious on that day, for not only the food was enough to feed everyone, but also it did not decrease at all. The Prophet asked for food containers to be brought and filled them and sent them to his wives and left a special container for Fatima and her husband.

By sunset, the wedding night had begun; it was time for Fatima to depart to her new home.

Everything went well, for the Prophet had made all the necessary preparation for the wedding. Despite the simplicity and modesty of her wedding, Fatima's marriage ceremony was surrounded by signs of greatness, excellence and beauty. Al‑Haithami wrote in Majma' Az‑Zawaed that Jabir said:

"We were present at Fatima and Ali's (may Allah be pleased with them) wedding ceremony, and indeed we have not seen any ceremony better than that one..."

The Messenger of Allah (S) ordered his wives to embellish Fatima (A) before the wedding; they perfumed and dressed her with jewellery. They all helped to ready Fatima; some combed her hair while others embellished and dressed her in the dress brought by Gabriel from Paradise.

Allah's Messenger (S) paid special attention to Fatima Zahra (A), which he did not bestow on his other daughters for the following reasons:

A. Her special characteristics and noble traits.

B. Her husband is Ali Ibn Abu Talib, who is known for his talents and longstanding service to Islam‑besides being the Prophet's cousin.

C. The Prophet also knew that his daughter was going to be included in the verse of purification, the verse of Mubahelah (supplication), and the verse of Kinship.

D. Fatima also is the mother of the Holy Imams who will lead humanity until the Day of Resurrection.

The night of Fatima's wedding arrived. Because every girl needs her mother on her wedding night, Fatima missed Khadija and felt very much like an orphan. With his noble and special attention to Fatima, the Prophet wished to fill Khadija's space; the Prophet called Ali (A) and Fatima, who proceeded towards him‑Fatima was in her long heavenly dress overtaken with shyness. He (S) brought his gray horse and asked Fatima to ride it and ordered Salman to lead while he (S) followed them.

Yes, indeed, Fatima's wedding was attended by heavenly creatures as well as people, for she is a human huri.

Al‑Khateeb Al‑Baghdadi in Tareekh Baghdad v.5, p.7, Al‑Hamvini in DurarAl‑Simtain,
Al‑Dhahabi in Mizan Al‑Etedal, Garani in Akhbar Al‑Dowal, and Qandouzi in Yanabi'
Al‑Mawaddah have narrated that Ibn Abbas said:

"When Fatima was taken to Ali's house on her wedding night, the Prophet proceeded her, Gabriel was on her right, and Michael on her left, and seventy thousand angels followed her. These angels praised and glorified Allah until dawn!!

The Hashemit men, Abdul Muttalib's daughters, and Muhajerin and Ansar's women all accompanied Fatima's caravan that night. The Prophet's wives joyfully led the caravan; they were also the first to enter the house.

Upon arriving, the Prophet placed Fatima's hand in Ali's hand and said:

“May Allah bless his Messenger's daughter;
Ali this is Fatima, you are responsible for her (or I entrust her to you)
Ali, what an excellent wife Fatima is!!
Fatima, what an excellent husband Ali is!!
O Allah, bless them, bless their lives, and bless their children
O Allah, surely they are the most beloved to me from among your creatures, so love them too, and assign for them a guardian
I place them and their progeny under Your protection from the curse devil.”

The Prophet then asked for a jug of water; he sipped a small amount of the water and after gargling with it, placed it back in the jug. He then called for Fatima (A) and sprayed her head and shoulders with that water and did the same thing to Ali (A). Thereafter, he ordered the women to leave the house. They all left except Asma Bint Umais. When he (S) noticed that she had stayed behind, he exclaimed: ‘Didn't I ask you to leave?'

She answered: `Indeed, O Messenger of Allah! May my parents be your sacrifice; I did not intend to disobey you, but I promised Khadija to take her place on this night.'

The Prophet (S) was moved by this; he cried and said to Asma: ‘By Allah, is this the reason that made you stay behind?’

She said: ‘Yes, by Allah!’

He (S) then said: ‘Asma, may Allah fulfill for you the needs of this world and the Hereafter.’



CHAPTER 28
THE YEAR OF FATIMA'S MARRIAGE

Opinions of the historians and narrators differ from one to another regarding the year of Lady Fatima Zahra's marriage.

Sayid Ibn Tawoos wrote in Al‑Iqbal on the authority of Sheikh Mufid:

"Fatima's marriage took place on the night of the 21st of Muharram, 3 A.H."

Al‑Misbah: "Zul Hijja first or sixth."

and, Al‑Amali: "Her marriage took place sixteen (16) days after the death of Ruqiyya, Uthman's wife, after he returned from Badr. This means that it took place at the beginning of Shawwal."

Ambiguous Findings

Asma Bint Umais and Umme Salama under the Spotlight

Asma was Ja’far Ibn Abu Talib's wife. It is a given fact that he had immigrated to Habashah with his wife and a group of Muslims several years before Hijra. It is also known that Ja’far returned to Medina after the Muslims conquered Khaibar in 5 A.H. These findings are unanimously agreed upon by all historians.

Nevertheless, we have seen that Asma was present when Khadija passed away in Mecca, and at Fatima's wedding ceremony according to many narrations, which state her name as Asma Bint Umais Al‑Khathamia.

The following historians state that she was present at Fatima's wedding ceremony: The author of Kashf Al‑Ghommah, Hadhrami in Rashfat Al‑Sadi, p.10, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal in Al‑Manaqib, Al‑Haithami in Majma' Az‑Zawaed, Nisaee in Khasaes pg 31 and Muhib Ad‑Din Tabari in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi. They depend on the narrations of: Abu Abbas Khawarazmi from Al‑Hussain Ibn Ali (A), Sayid Jalal Al‑Din Abu Al‑Hamid Ibn Fakhr Al‑Musawi, and Dulabi from Imam Baqir and his father (A)

How can we comprehend the contradiction between these narrations and the fact that Fatima's marriage took place after the battle of Badr, or even Uhud in 2 A.H.?

Actually, this is a historical problem that has not yet been solved despite the various attempts made by Sheikh Majlisi in Bihar v.10.

More interesting is the following statement that was mentioned in Safinat Al‑Bihar on the authority of Mujahid in which Asma was said to have been present at Aisha's marriage. In the statement it was claimed that Asma said:

"I was the one who, in the company of other women, prepared Aisha and brought her to the Messenger of Allah. By Allah, he had not but a cup of buttermilk which he drank and gave to Aisha; but she was too shy to take it, so I said to her: ‘Do not reject it; it is from the hand of the Prophet.'

She then took it and after drinking some, he (S) said: `Give some to your friends.' But the women did not desire any.

The Prophet then said: ‘Do not gather hunger and lying together.'

I said: `Messenger of Allah, is it considered lying if one of us says she does not like something?'

The Prophet replied: `Surely lying is counted (against the person) up to the point that even a small lie is recorded too.”

As we said, this narration shows that Asma was present at Aisha's marriage, which took place before that of Fatima's.

Moreover, it is unanimously narrated that Asma was present when Imam Hussain (A) was born in 4 or 5 A.H. All these events are known to have taken place before conquering Khaibar and Ja’far Ibn Abu Talib's return to Medina.

In an attempt to clarify the issue, Muhammad Ibn Yusuf (as Sheikh Majlisi also said in Bihar v. 10) wrote in Kefayat Al‑Talib, concerning Asma's presence at Fatima's wedding:

"This is an authentic finding, exactly as Ibn Batta narrated. But mentioning Asma Bint Umais's name is not accurate, for this Asma is Ja’far Ibn Abu Talib's wife... Asma who attended Fatima's wedding, is Asma Bint Yazid Ibn Sakan Al Ansari. As for Asma Bint Umais, she remained in the company of her husband in Habashah until he returned to Medina, the day Khaibar was conquered in 7 A.H. While Fatima's marriage took place several days after the battle of Badr."

Regardless of this, I say that the narrations clearly state Asma Bint Umais's name; therefore, this justification cannot be taken into account. Besides, Asma Bint Yazid was an Ansarian woman, hence could not have been present at Khadija's death. Her presence in Mecca at that time was not mentioned by any other historian.

In the light of these findings, I deem it necessary to clarify that Asma Bint Umais had actually immigrated with her husband to Habashah, but repeatedly returned to Mecca and Medina. This becomes clear especially when we realize that the distance between Jedda and Habashah is limited to that of the width of the Red sea, which in not so difficult for a journey. This historical confusion came about because her repeated trips were not adequately recorded, just as Abu Dhar's immigration to Habashah with Ja’far was not given enough attention.

This conclusion is supported by the following tradition which Al‑Majlisi wrote in Bihar v.1, quoting Mawlid Fatima:

"Ibn Babawaih said:

`The Prophet ordered Abdul Muttalib's daughters... (until he said): The Prophet, Hamza, Aqeel, Ja’far, and Ahlul‑Bayt followed the caravan."

It is clearly stated in this narration that Ja’far, Asma's husband, was present; which, as we said, supports our conclusion. In addition to this, the Prophet's immigration to Medina took place after Khadija's death, and Ja’far traveled to Habashah twice. The second journey took place before Hijra and after Khadija's death. Thus, it becomes easy to understand how Asma was present at the time of Khadija's death.

There is confusion in historical findings regarding the reason for the presence of Umme Salama's name in the events preceding Fatima's marriage; i.e., the Prophet leaving some of Fatima's dowry with her, and the women's consultation with her‑despite the fact that he married her in 4 A.H., while Fatima's marriage took place in 2 A.H. Thus, the question arises as to what role she played in these events even though she was not yet married to the Prophet?

There are two probable answers that can be given to this question.

First: Perhaps there was a mistake in recording the year she was married to the Prophet (S) But this is not based on any historical or scientific findings and therefore cannot be taken into account.

Second: Since Lady Umme Salama was the Prophet's cousin, it was expected of her to participate in different stages of the wedding and to keep part of Fatima's dowry in her possession according to the Prophet's wish.

I prefer the second opinion. Yet I leave it to Allah, for He is the Omniscient.


CHAPTER 29 FATIMA'S HOUSE

The contemporary civilized world realizes the importance of paying due attention to certain spots and structures, which are connected to identified noble people or valuable entities. Thus, laws related to this matter have been legislated, such as diplomatic immunity for specific individuals and buildings, and laws which regulate the use of public places, universities, temples, and so on, that are related to science, religion, and culture.

The importance of these actions and laws was known to Allah, the Exalted and His chosen worshippers from the beginning. Rules and regulations which govern entering mosques, especially the Sacred Mosque in Mecca, such as preventing certain groups of people like the infidels, the junub, and menstruating women from entering them, are a reflection of this fact. Other examples of such laws are: the necessity to keep these places pure; the importance of respecting the sanctity of mosques; the forbiddance of hunting in and around Mecca during certain periods of time.

Fatima's house is certainly one of these places, which is surrounded by sanctity, holiness and exaltation. It was built on respect, honor and righteousness. Those who realize know the value of her house.

Sheikh Majlisi (may Allah bless his soul) reported on the authority of Anas Ibn Malik that Buraidah said:

“Allah's Messenger read the verse: "In houses, which Allah hath permitted to be raised to honor; for the celebration in the, of His name: In them is He glorified in the mornings and in the evenings." (5: 36)

A man then exclaimed: "Whose houses are these, O Messenger of Allah?"

The Prophet (S) answered: "Prophet's houses."

Abu Bakr said: "Messenger of Allah, is this one of these houses (He meant Fatima's house)?"

The Prophet (S) replied: "Yes, it is among the best of them!!"

Ibn Abbas also said: "I was in the Prophet's mosque when someone read:

`In houses which Allah hath permitted to be raised in honor;...'

So I said: `Messenger of Allah; which houses?'

He said: `Prophet's houses;' and pointed to Fatima's house."

It has been narrated in Al‑Kafi that Abdullah Ibn Ja’far Al‑Ansari said:

"Once, the Prophet of Allah proceeded towards Fatima's house while I was with him; when we reached the door, he pushed the door (slightly) and said:

‘Assalamu Alaikum'

Fatima (A) answered: ‘Alaik as‑Salam, Messenger of Allah.'

The Prophet (S) then said: `May I come in?'

She said: ‘I do not have my veil on, O Messenger of Allah.'

He said: 'Fatima, cover your head with your cloak'

When she had done so, he said: ‘Assalamu Alaikum'

She answered: ‘Alaik‑as‑Salam, Messenger of Allah.'

He repeated the request for permission to enter the house with me, and she gave us permission.”



CHAPTER 30 FATIMA 'S MARITAL LIFE

Lady Fatima Zahra (A) moved from the home of Prophethood to the house of Imamate, successorship and guardianship. This turn in Fatima's life, allowed her to become the companion of the Father of the Imams.

As days passed, Fatima's life became more beautiful and splendid, for she lived in an atmosphere of sanctity and chaste, surrounded by modesty and humbleness. She aided her husband in his worldly and religious affairs, and cooperated with him in achieving his exalted goals. This harmony in their life was preferred by the ideological tranquility they both enjoyed, and the respect and glorification they held for each other. Fatima realized the great rank her husband enjoyed. She respected him in the best manner as a Muslim woman should respect her Imam‑for she recognized that Ali (A) was:

The dearest person to Allah's Messenger; The holder of the great guardianship;
The possessor of absolute Imamate;
The Prophet's brother, successor and heir; The possessor of excellent talents;
His long‑standing service to Islam was also apparent to everyone.
Likewise, Ali (A) respected Fatima, not only because she was his wife, but also because she was:
The most beloved to Allah's Messenger; The mistress of all women; was his wife, but also because she was:
The most beloved to Allah's Messenger; The mistress of all women;
And her sanctity was part of the Prophet's.

Indeed, Fatima enjoyed noble traits which had any woman held even one of them, she would be worthy of respect and exaltation.

In view of such characteristics, you can imagine the great marital happiness Ali and Fatima enjoyed. We can also realize that their life was not disturbed by poverty or material deprivation.

It is written in Al‑Bihar, on the authority of Manaqeb that Imam Ali (A) said:

"By Allah, I never angered Fatima, or forced her to do something (she did not like), up to the day she died; nor did she ever anger or disobey me. In fact, when I looked at her, depression and sadness would be removed from my (heart)."

Al‑Aiashi, in his Tafsir (interpretation) of the Holy Quran, reported that Imam Baqir (A) said:

"Fatima vouched to take care of the household work, make dough, bake bread, and clean the house; in return, Ali vouched to take care of the outside work (such as) gathering firewood, and bringing food."

It is not exactly known how long Ali (A) and Fatima (A) resided in Harithah's house; but it is a given fact that Allah's Messenger constructed a house for them, which had a door to the mosque just like his own house.



CHAPTER 31 HISTORICAL DISTORTIONS REGARDING ALI’S RIGHT

We have previously spoken of the unjustified slandering and distortion of Ali (A) and his noble life with Fatima (A) We have also stated that Imam Ali's marriage to Fatima caused many people to show their hidden resentment and envy to them, by following every possible means to disturb Fatima's life with her husband.

Among the many fabricated stories told against Imam Ali was that he had asked for Abu Jahl's (the chief of infidels) daughter's hand in marriage. When this news reached Fatima (A), she rushed to her father who found out the falsity of the story.

Yet, let us review how some writers used this story to put down the Commander of the Faithful, and their attempt to tarnish his reputation.

An Egyptian writer, for instance, considered this story to be undoubtedly authentic and wrote the following in her book, The Prophet's Daughters, p.167.

“Ali intended to marry a second wife besides Fatima... without bearing in mind that such action would be resented by the daughter of the Prophet of Islam."

The invalidity of this statement is obvious, for there is not a man in the world who does not realize that his wife prefers to be the only woman he marries.

The writer adds:

"It would have been better if Ali had been satisfied with one wife," and filled up the pages of her book trying to show Abu Jahl's bad deeds and his long‑standing enmity to Islam. She then made a comparison between the Prophet's daughter and Abu Jahl's daughter with the intention of showing the disadvantages of the fabricated would‑be marriage.
Strangely enough, the writer also made clear her resentment and disapproval of fanatic Christian Orientalists who distorted the history of Islam, especially the famous Christian missionary‑La Manze. Yet, unfortunately, she herself was heedless of the need to verify such a story, and instead considered it's revelation undisputed. So she used her imagination and fictitious style of writing for this story, just as fable writers would do.

Sayid Hassan Al‑Ameen in v.3 of his book, The Shiite Islamic Encyclopedia, refuted such a story and wrote:

"It has been written in Dhakhaer Al‑Uqbi that Ali wanted to marry Abu Jahl's daughter, and that the Prophet was angered by this act and ascended the minbar to speak with resentment and rejection about this matter."

The book also elaborates on the story in such a manner, which not only discredits Ali and Fatima, but also the Prophet himself.

This story makes Muhammad appear as someone who refuses to practice what he preaches, or does not accept to apply the Islamic law to himself and those related to him while requesting others to abide by them. Because he deems it lawful for others to marry more than one wife, but refuses this law when it comes to his daughter... This indeed is a disastrous fabrication against the Prophet that the enemies of Islam were able to insert in the pages of our history books, depending on unscruent narrators who report such stories without reflecting upon them.

The story also defames Ali (A) by showing him as someone who angered both Fatima (A) and her father and defames Fatima for refusing to practice Allah's commands, which He revealed to her father.

I shall not verify the discredibility of the authority on which the narration was based, for it‑within itself‑proves its own discredibility. Yet, it is inevitable to ask: Why have the narrators, who fabricated this story, insisted on saying that he (A) wanted to marry Abu Jahl's daughter, and not any other woman?! How come they did not claim that Ali (A) attempted to marry another woman? Surely, Abu Jahl's daughter did not enjoy beauty and perfection, which no other Arab girl enjoyed!

The fact is that they wanted their defamation of Ali (A) to be graver and more effective; for in their story, Ali (A) specifically chose the daughter of the chief of the enemies of Islam.

This plot exposed itself and those who perpetuated it, when they praised themselves while discrediting Muhammad, his daughter, and his cousin. They claimed in the same story that he mentioned his other son‑in‑law, who is a young man from Bani Abd Shams, and praised him as "a noble son‑in‑law"; they claim that the Prophet said:

"He, the young man from Bani Abd Shams was truthful in his speech and executed his promises to me."

They want us to believe that the Prophet praised his Umayyad son‑in‑law (the Umayyads belong to the tribe of Bani Abd Shams), which in turn means that he was trying to discredit his first son‑in‑law [Ali (A)] who, according to the story, lied to the Prophet and violated his promises to him by being an unfaithful husband to his daughter!!

Another aim for fabricating this story was to divert the attention from the actual people who angered Fatima, and put Ali (A) under the spotlight as the one who did so. It was for this reason that they mentioned the following tradition at the beginning of the story:

“The Prophet (S) said:

"Fatima is part of me, discomforts me that which discomforts her, and harms me that which harms her."

They interpret it as:

The meaning of this tradition is that Allah prohibited Ali from marrying another woman besides Fatima, which would harm Allah's Messenger!!


CHAPTER 32 IMAM HASSAN IS BORN

When Fatima (A) was twelve, she became pregnant with Imam Hassan. Thus, the light of Imamate was carried on from Ali unto Fatima (A). The day the child was to be born was approaching; the Prophet (S) had to go out of town, but before leaving, he (S) made several instructions about the would be born child‑including the order not to wrap the new baby in a yellow clothe.

On Ramadhan 15, 3 A.H., Fatima gave birth to her first son. On that great day, Asma Bint Umais was present with Fatima. The women who attended the event, unintentionally wrapped Al‑Hassan in a yellow clothe; they were not aware of the Prophet's request.
When the Prophet returned, he said:

"Bring me my son; what have you named him?"

After Al‑Hassan was born Fatima asked Ali (A) to name the baby, but Ali said: "I would not name him before Allah's Prophet”.

When the Prophet saw that Al‑Hassan was wrapped in a yellow cloth, he said: "Didn't I tell you not to wrap him in a yellow cloth?"

He then threw the yellow cloth away and wrapped the baby in a white one. When the Prophet inquired about the name of the child, Ali (A) answered:

"I would not name him before you."

The Prophet (S) replied: "I too, would not name him before my Lord, Glory be to Him."

At that moment Allah revealed to Gabriel:

'A son was born to Muhammad, therefore descend and give him My blessings and congratulate him and say: “Surely Ali is to you as Haroun was to Musa, so give him (the newborn baby) the name of Haroun's son:"’

When Gabriel had revealed the message to the Prophet, he asked: "What was Haroun's son's name?"

Gabriel said: "Shubbar."

The Prophet (S) then said: "My tongue is Arabic."

Gabrial said: "Name him Al‑Hassan."

Hence, the Prophet gave him the name Al‑Hassan, and made Adhan in his right ear, and Eqamah in his left ear. On the seventh (7) day, he (S) sacrificed two rams from which he gave the midwife a thigh and a dinar; he then shaved the baby's head and gave as charity the weight of his hair in silver. Finally, the Prophet (S) wiped the baby's head with "Khalou" which is a special perfume made of saffron and other substances.

At that time in history, it was customary to cover newborn babies' heads with blood; with this in mind, the Prophet (S) told Asma:

“Asma, using blood is an act performed by the ignorant."

He would embrace Al‑Hassan and put his tongue in the baby's mouth, who would suckle it.


CHAPTER 33 THE BIRTH OF IMAM HUSSAIN

Six months after Al‑Hassan was born, Fatima (A) became pregnant with her second child.

Lady Fatima started noticing the signs that childbearing was near, but the Prophet (S) had already foretold of Imam Hussain's birth.

Imam Sadiq (A) said:

“Once, Umme Ayman's neighbors came to the Prophet and said:

"Messenger of Allah, Um Ayman did not sleep last night because of crying; she surely cried until morning. "

The Prophet summoned her and said:

"Umme Ayman, your neighbors say that you spent the night crying, may Allah not cause your eyes to cry!! What made you cry?"

She answered: "Messenger of Allah, I had a fearful dream which caused me to cry all night long."

The Prophet said: "Tell me your dream, for surely Allah and His Messenger are most knowledgeable.

She said: "Last night I saw a dream as if one of your limbs was thrown in my house!!"

The Messenger of Allah said: "Your eyes have slept, but you visioned a good thing. Umme Ayman, Fatima will give birth to Al‑Hussain, and you will bring him to me. So one of my limbs will be in your house."

When Al‑Hussain was born, Umme Ayman brought him to the Prophet (S) who said:

"Both the carrier and he who is being carried are welcome. Umme Ayman, this is the interpretation of your dream."

Um Al‑Fadhl, Al‑Abbas's wife, had a similar dream.

Safia Bint Abdul Muttalib, Asma Bint Umais, and Umme Salama were present when Imam Hussain was born. When the Prophet asked Safia (his aunt) to bring him the newborn child, she said: "We have not cleaned him yet."

When the Prophet (S) heard this, he said: "You clean him?! Surely Allah the Exalted has cleaned and purified him."

After Al‑Hussain was born, Gabriel again descended to the Prophet and revealed to him to give the new baby the name Al‑Hussain. Al‑Hussain is the Arabic version of the old Hebrew name Shabbir, which was Haroun's second son's name. When Gabriel descended to the Prophet, scores of angels accompanied him to congratulate and console the Prophet for Hussain's birth and expected martyrdom.

Imam Hussain (A) was not nursed by any woman, including his mother (A); instead he suckled the Prophet's tongue until he grew old enough to eat. Because of this, his characteristics were exactly as those of the Prophet (S).

Seven days after the birth the, Messenger of Allah shaved Hussain's head and gave the weight of his hair as charity for him.

CHAPTER 34
THE BIRTH OF LADY ZAINAB

Lady Zainab was (accurately) the third child born to Lady Fatima Zahra (A). In other words, she was born directly after Imam Hussain (A); despite the false claim of some historians who hold the opinion that Zainab was born after the miscarriage, which Lady Fatima had and resulted in the martyrdom of Mohsin. These historians are motivated by their desire to divert the attention from the merciless attack on Lady Fatima's house which not only resulted in Mohsin's martyrdom, but also in the eventual death of Lady Fatima herself.

Among these writers is the Egyptian Bint Ash‑Shati who wrote in her book Batlat Karbala:

"Zahra, the Prophet's daughter was about to give birth to a new baby after bringing happiness unto Messenger's life by giving birth to his beloved sons: Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain, and a third child, who was not destined to live and whose name was to be Mohsen Ibn Ali..." [55]

Regardless of these unfounded claims, it has been established that Lady Zainab (A) was born in 5 A.H., and that she was the third child of the honorable Alawi household.

It is said that her grandfather, the Prophet named her Zainab that is derived from two words: "Zain" and "Ab" that together means "The embellishment of her father." Yet, Muhammad Jawad Mughniah quoted the Egyptian newspaper, Al‑Jomhuria dated October 31, 1972, in his book Al‑Hussain Batala Karbala as saying:

“Zainab was born in Shaban 5 A.H. When her mother brought her to Imam Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "Name her" he replied: "I would not name her before Allah's Messenger." At this time the Prophet was on a trip and when he returned, he again refused to name her before her Lord. So Gabriel descended to inform the Prophet about Allah's blessings and said: "The name of this baby is Zainab; Allah chose this name for her."

Zainab's history itself speaks of her honorable life and noble traits, as well as the miseries she encountered during her childhood, such as the death of her great grandfather, the martyrdom of her mother (A), and the various inflictions which she lived through during the quarter of a century that her father, Imam Ali (A), was confined to his house as a result of his rights having been usurped by others.

Moreover, when Zainab emigrated from Medina to Kufa, her Father's capital then, several misfortunes were destined for her; starting with the martyrdom of Imam Ali (A). This was followed by fierce battles between her brother, Al‑Hassan, and Mu’awiya, which resulted in the poisoning of the Imam (A). After several years, Zainab faced the greatest disaster of history when Imam Hussain along with the prominent Hashimite men were massacred at Karbala by the Umayyads. After massacring the men, Zainab and the women were taken to Syria, but she did not panic nor did she give into the enemy. From Syria she was sent to Medina and then exiled to Egypt to live the rest of her life.

Zainab's tomb is well‑known in Egypt today and is visited by believers from all over the world. (There is disagreement about the location of Zainab's tomb; it is believed by most to be located in Syria.) (compiler's note)

[55] Bihar: v.10.


CHAPTER 35 LADY UMME KULTHUM

Lady Fatima's household welcomed their second daughter and fourth child with happiness and glorification, as with the other children.

Lady Umme Kulthum, like her sister, shared the honorable relationship to the Prophet, Imam Ali, and Fatima Zahra in addition to the excellent upbringing.

She was also a victim of historical oppression and sorrowful inflictions and pains, which strong men can barely put up with.

Perhaps I will be able to elaborate on the life of Lady Umme Kulthum when I speak about Zainab in new book, if Allah wills.



CHAPTER 36 FATIMA IN THE VERSE OF RELATIONSHIP

The verse of relationship, from the Quran, says:

"Say: `No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin. 'And if anyone earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect there of for Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, Most Ready to appreciate (service)." (42: 23)

This verse is a clear command from Allah to His noble Prophet. It is as follows:
(Say) O Muhammad, to your nation: (no reward do I ask of you for this) the message of Islam (except the love of those near of kin) to me. (i.e.) Ahlul‑Bayt (A).

It is unanimously agreed upon that the kin mentioned in this verse are Ahlul‑Bayt (A). There are many traditions narrated by both Shiite and Sunni Scholars, which not only specify the kin mentioned in this verse, but also state their names. Among the narrations mentioned in this regard by Sunni scholars, are the following:

When this verse was revealed, someone said: "Messenger of Allah, who are the kin whose love is obligatory for us?"

The Prophet (S) replied: "Ali, Fatima, and her two children."

This narration has been reported by the following Sunni scholars

1. Ibn Hijr in his Sawaiq Al‑Muhriqah.
2. Thulubi.
3. Suyuti in Al‑Dur Al‑Manthour.
4. Abu Na’em in Hilyat Al‑Awlia.
5. Hamwini Shafe'i in Al‑Fara'ed.

Another narration similar to the one stated above, is reported by Tabari and Ibn Hijr; according to this narration the Messenger of Allah (S) is reported to have said:

"Surely Allah made it incumbent on you to love my kin, and I will ask you about them in the hereafter."

Moreover, the following narrations mentioned on the account of Ahlul‑Bayt are a few of the many saying of the Imams (A) in which they recite this verse as proof of the fact that loving them is a religious duty:

A. It is written in Sawaiq Al‑Muhriqah by Ibn Hijr that Imam Ali (A) said:

"It is stated in the (Quranic chapter) Ha Mim that no one upholds our love save the faithful ones."

He then read:

"Say: `No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin, and if any one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof; for Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, most ready to appreciate (service). " (42: 23)

B. It has also been reported in the same book that Imam Hassan (A) gave a speech in which he said:

“Surely we are among the Ahlul‑Bayt whose love and support were made incumbent (upon the faithful) by Allah, the Exalted. He­-- Glory be to Him, said:

"Say: `No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin, and if arty one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof. For Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, most ready to appreciate (service).'” (42: 23)

C. Imam Ali Ibn Al‑Hussain (Zain Al‑Abedeen (A)) replied to the Syrian who said to him while he was a prisoner of the Umayyads in Damascus:

"Praise be to Allah Who killed you..etc. "

Then he (A) said: "Haven't you read the verse:

‘Say: `No reward do I ask of you for this except the love of those near of kin, and if any‑one earns any good, We shall give him an increase of good in respect thereof; For Allah is Oft‑Forgiving, most ready to appreciate (service). "' (42: 23)

D. Jabir Ibn Abdullah said:

"A beduin came to the Prophet (S) and said: 'Muhammad, present Islam to me.'

‘The Prophet replied: `Bear witness that there is no God but Allah, to whom an associate does not exist; and that Muhammad is the slave and Messenger of Allah. '

The beduin said: `Do you require any reward from me (for bringing me to Islam)?'

He (S) answered: `No, save loving the nearest of kin.'

The beduin then asked: `Mine or yours?'

The Prophet (S) said: `My kin.'

The beduin said: `Let me pay allegiance to you, and may the curse of Allah be on those who do not love you and your kin.'

Thus he (S) said: ‘Amen.’"

This narration has been reported by Al‑Kinji in Kefayat At‑Talib p.31.

Sheikh Amini (may Allah bless his soul) listed forty‑five (45) sources in v.3 of Al‑Ghadeer which state that the verse was revealed regarding Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A). They are: Imam Ahmad, Ibn Al‑Mundir, Ibn Abu Hatim, Tabari, Ibn Mardawaih, Tha'labi, Abu Abdullah Al‑Mula, Abu Sheikh Nisaee, Wahidi, Abu Nu'aym, Bagawi, Bazaz, Ibn Maghazili, Hasakani, Muhib Al‑Deen, Zamakhshari, Ibn Asaker, Abu Al‑Faraj, Hamueeni, Nishabouri, Ibn Talhe, Razi, Abu Al‑Saoud, Abu Hayan, Ibn Abu Al‑Hadeed, Baidhawi, Nasfi, Haithami, Ibn Sabagh, Ganji, Manawi, Qastalani, Zarandi, Khazin, Zargani, Ibn Hijr, Samhoudi, Suyuti, Safuri, Saban, Shab Lanje, Handhrami, and Nabhawi.


CHAPTER 37 FATIMA (A) IN THE VERSE OF MUBAHALA

Allah, the Exalted said:

"If anyone disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee, say: `Come! Let us gather together; our sons arid your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us invoke the curse of God on those who lie!’” (3: 61)

This event is famous and is known to all Muslims. Islamic scholars are united on the fact that it was revealed in regard to the Christian delegation who came from Najran to dispute the issue of Isa Ibn Maryam (A) with the Prophet (S). In v.6 of Bihar, Imam Ali (A) mentioned the event in the following manner:

A delegation of Najrani Christians led by three prominent men, Al‑Aqib, Muhsen, and the Archbishop; these meet along with two prominent jews came to the Prophet (S). They intended to argue with him; the archbishop started:

"Abu Al‑Qasim, who was Musa's father?"

The Prophet answered: "Imran."

The archbishop then said: "Who was Yusufs father?"

The Prophet answered: "Yaqoub."

The archbishop continued: "May I be your sacrifice; who is your father?"

The Prophet answered: “Abdullah Ibn Abd Al‑Muttalib."

Then the archbishop asked: "Who is Isa's (Jesus) father?"

The Prophet (S) waited a moment while Gabriel revealed the following to him: “(Say) he was the Spirit of Allah and His Word.”

The archbishop then asked: "Can he be a spirit without having a body?"

Again a revelation was sent to the Prophet (S) the revelation is as follows:

"The similitude of Isa before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: `Be.' And he was."

When the archbishop heard this, he jumped in objection to the Prophet saying that Isa (A) was created from dust, and said:

"Muhammad, We don't find this to be in the Torah, the Bible, or in the Zabour. You are the first one to say this."

This was the moment that the verse of Mubahala was revealed.

After the delegation had heard the verse, they said:

“Assign for us a solemn meeting (in which every side supplicates to Allah to curse the other side if they are followers of falsehood)."

The Prophet's answer to this was: "Tomorrow morning, if Allah wills."

The next morning, the Prophet finished his morning prayers and ordered Ali to follow him and Fatima, in turn, holding Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain to follow Ali.

The Prophet (S) then told them: "When I supplicate you should say: Amen."

When the delegation saw the holy family and that the Prophet (S) had spread a mat for himself and family, they said to each other:

"By Allah, he is a true Prophet; and if he curses us, surely Allah will answer his prayer and destroy us. The only thing that can save us, is to ask him to relieve us from this meeting."

Razi, in his interpretation of the Holy Quran states:
‘The Archbishop said: "O Christians, I surely see faces of men, who if they were to ask Allah to move a mountain, He would surely do it. Do not hold this meeting, or you shall be destroyed and no Christian will remain on Earth until the Day of Resurrection."

The delegation proceeded toward the Messenger and said: “Abu Al‑Qasim, relieve us (from this) solemn meeting.”

The Prophet said: "Indeed I will; but the One who sent me with righteousness is my witness that had I cursed you, Allah would not have left a Christian on the face of the earth."

This has been a summary of the story. What matters to us here, is Allah's saying in the verse:

"Our women and your women."

All Muslims have agreed that the Prophet took Ali with him to represent "ourselves,"

Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain to represent "Our Sons," and Fatima Zahra to represent "Our Women," It is also a given fact that he did not accompany any other woman including his wives, his aunts, or any other Muslim women.

This proves that there was not a woman as excellent, great, holy, and chaste as Fatima (A) was. The Prophet called Fatima alone to join him, because she was the only woman capable of fulfilling the qualifications of the verse

CHAPTER 38 FATIMA IN SURAH AL‑INSĀN (76)

Allah the Exalted has said:

"Verily the Good shall drink of a Cup (of wine) mixed with Kafur. A fountain where the Devotees of God do drink, making it flow in unstinted abundance. They perform (their) vows, and they fear a Day whose evil lies far and wide. And they feed, for the love of God, the indigent, the orphan and the captive. Saying, `We feed you for the sake of God alone; no reward do we desire from you, nor thanks.' `We only fear a Day of distressful Wrath from the side of our Lord.' But God will deliver them from the evil of that day, and will shed over them a light of Beauty and a (blissful) Joy. And because they were patient and constant, He will reward them with a Garden and (garment of) silk. Reclining in the (Garden) on raised thrones, they will see there neither the sun's (excessive heat) nor (the moon's) excessive cold. And the shades of the (Garden) will come low over them, and the bunches (of fruit), there, will hang low in humility. And amongst them will be passed round vessels of silver and goblets of crystal; Crystal clear, made of silver. They will determine the measure thereof (According to their wishes). And they will be given to drink there of a Cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabil. A fountain there, called Salsabil.
And around about them will (serve) youths of perpetual (freshness): if thou seest them, thou wouldst think them scattered Pearls. And when thou lookest, It is there thou wilt see a Bliss and a Realm Magnificent. Upon them will be green garments of fine silk and heavy brocade, and they will be adorned with Bracelets of silver; and their Lord will give to them to drink of a Wine pure and Holy. Verily this is a Reward for you, and your Endeavor is accepted and recognized." (76: 5-22)

These verses were revealed after Ali, Fatima, Hassan, and Hussain (A) gave charity to needy people; this story is stated in the book Al‑Kashaf by Zamakhshari; it goes as follows:

"Ibn Abbas said:

`Once Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A) were ill, the Messenger of Allah and a group went to visit them. The visitors suggested to Imam Ali (A) to make a vow to Allah: if He were to relieve them, he would perform some good action. Therefore, Imam Ali together with Fatima and their servant Fidhdha vowed to Allah that they would fast for three days if He would relieve Hassan and Hussain.’

‘When Allah had relieved them, Imam Ali (A) borrowed three (3) aswu (a cubic measure) of barley from a Jew known as Shimon. Fatima ground one (1) sa’a (singular of aswu) of the barley and baked five loaves of bread for her family's meal at sunset. As sunset approached, a needy man knocked on the door and said: Assalamu Alaikum, Family of Muhammad. I am a needy man from among the Muslims, feed me, may Allah feed you from the food of Paradise.' The holy family preferred the needy man over themselves and spent the night with nothing in their stomachs save water.’

‘They fasted the second day, and again at sunset, when they were waiting for their food, an orphan asked them for help and they again preferred him over themselves. The third evening a captive (prisoner of war) asked them for help and they repeated their preference for the needy above themselves.’

‘The following morning, Imam Ali (A) took Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain to the Messenger of Allah (S) who said the following when he saw them shaking like little chicks from hunger:

“The Prophet said: It displeases us to see you in this condition.'

Then he went with them, for he wanted to see Fatima. When they arrived, Fatima (A) was in the Mehrab (prayer place), and her condition was such that it further displeased the Prophet (S). At this time, Gabriel descended and said:

`Take this chapter Muhammad, ‑ Allah surely congratulates you for having this family. "

It is worthy to state that the Good ones mentioned here are Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain; who deserve Paradise because of their act of feeding the needy, the orphan, and the captive.

Another point to keep in mind here is that despite the detailed description of Paradise given in the verses, Allah, the Exalted, does not mention the huris. This understood to be in honor and exaltation of Fatima (A) the wife of Imam Ali, and the mother of Hassan and Hussain



CHAPTER 39 FATIMA'S MODESTY AND SPENDING IN THE PATH OF ALLAH

Fatima was known to be very modest and humble. Because as man's desire of the Hereafter increases, his worldly lusts decrease; and when someone realizes the greatness and seriousness of the Day of Judgement, the worldly life becomes of little value to him. Besides, as man's reasoning and ability advances, his desire for lusts greatly decreases.
Have you not seen that children play, have fun, become sad and fight over worthless objects; but as they grow up and their senses mature, they refrain from such actions because they consider them to be degrading to their personalities and contradicting to the rules of observing dignified conduct.

This is the case of righteous worshippers of Allah who look down to the ephemeral things of this world, and their hearts cannot be attached to its vanities. They do not like this world for its worldly belongings, rather they enjoy living to gain good deeds and further worship Allah, the Exalted. They collect money to spend it in the way of Allah, feed the hungry, clothe and support the need and deprived. These were also the fundamentals of modesty on which Lady Fatima Zahra (A) depended. She deeply understood this worldly life, and realized the extent of the Hereafter. It is not amazing to learn that Fatima (A) was satisfied with the minimum requirements of life; she chose for herself the noble trait of preferring others over herself and aiding them, as we." as resenting sumptuous extravagant living. It is a small wonder, indeed, for Fatima was the daughter of the most modest whose religious and social life required him to live in modesty; and Fatima was the first person expected to follow the steps of her father, the modest Messenger.

Fatima's marital life was also surrounded by modesty and satisfaction. Her husband Ali (A) was a devout follower of the Prophet of Islam, and there was not a man known who was more modest than Ali (A). Imam Ali (A) was the man who used to speak to the silver and gold in the treasury by saying:

"O you yellow and white, deceive someone else save me!!"

It has been reported that once a beduin approached Imam Ali (A) for help. The Imam then ordered his agent to give the beduin a grant of one thousand dinars, the later exclaimed:

"Gold or silver dinars?"

Imam Ali (A) replied: "They are both just stones to me, so give the beduin that which is more beneficial to him."

Here we relate several narrations, which speak of Fatima's modesty and generosity:

1. The author of the book Bisharat A‑Moustafa was quoted by Al‑Bihar v.10 to have written:

Imam Sadiq (A) quoted Jabir Ibn Abdullah Al‑Ansari as saying:

"One day when we had finished the Asr prayer with the Messenger of Allah an old Arab immigrant man, who was wearing worn‑out clothes and was barely able to walk because of his old age and weakness came by. The Prophet asked the old man about his affair; the old man answered:

`Prophet of Allah I am starving, so feed me, I am naked, so clothe me, and poor, so help me The Prophet then said: `Surely I find nothing to give you. Yet, he who guides to goodness is equal to him who performs it. So go to the house of she who loves Allah and His Messenger, and Allah and His Messenger love her. The one who prefers Allah over herself I mean Fatima.'

Fatima's house was near the Prophet's house. He asked Bilal to lead the man to her house. When the old man reached the house, he cried out:

`Peace be upon you, O household of prophethood, the (dwellers of the place where) angels frequently visit, where Gabriel‑the holy spirit‑descends to bring what the Lord of the Worlds reveals.'

Fatima said: `Peace be upon you; who are you?'

The old Beduin answered: `I am an old Arab man; I have immigrated to your father, The Master of mankind, from a distant place. Daughter of Muhammad, I am hungry and in need of clothing, so console me‑may Allah bless you.'

When this occurred, the Prophet, Ali, and Fatima had not eaten for three days. Yet, Fatima gave him a tanned ram skin, which was used as Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain's bed.

Then Fatima told the poor man: `Take this, may Allah substitute it for you by a better gift by selling it.'

The old man replied: Daughter of Muhammad, I complain to you of hunger and you give me a ram's skin? How can I eat with this?'

When Fatima heard what the old man had to say, she gave him the necklace, which was given to her by Fatima Bint Hamza Ibn Abd Al‑Muttalib.

The old man took the necklace and went to the Mosque to meet the Prophet who was sitting in the presence of his companions. He went to the Prophet and said: `Messenger of Allah, Fatima Bint Muhammad gave me this necklace and said: `Sell it, for Allah will grant you a solution to your problem.'

When the Prophet heard what the man had to say, he cried and said: `Indeed, Allah will grant you a solution, for Fatima Bint Muhammad, the Mistress of all women gave you this necklace.'

Meanwhile, Ammār Ibn Yasir (may Allah bless his soul) said: `Messenger of Allah, do I have your permission to buy this necklace?'

The Prophet answered: `Buy it Ammār, surely if all of mankind and Jinn participate in buying it Allah will not torture them in Hellfire.'

Ammār said: `How much do you want for it?'

The old Beduin said: A meal of bread and meat, a Yemeni shirt to cover my private parts and to perform my prayers in front of my Lord, and a dinar so I can return to my family.'
Ammār, who had just sold his share of booty from the battle of Khaibar, told the man: I will give you twenty (20) dinars, two hundred (200) dirhams, a Yemeni shirt, my horse to take you home, and your need of wheat bread and meat.'

The old then said: `What a generous man you are!!'

When Ammār had fulfilled his promise to the old man, the later came back to the Prophet (S) who said: Are you satisfied and clothed?'

The old man said: Yes, and I have become rich; may my father and mother be your sacrifice.'

The Prophet (S) then said: `So reward Fatima for her kindness.'

The old man supplicated: `O Allah, surely You are our God whenever we ask You;
`We have no other God to worship besides you;

‘You are the one who grants us beneficence in all conditions;’

`O Allah, grant Fatima that which no eye has ever seen, and ear has ever heard ....'

During that time, Ammār had perfumed the necklace with mush wrapped it in a Yemeni shirt, and gave it to one of his slaves by the name of Sahm, who he had bought with the money that he had received for selling his share of the Khaibarian booty. He told Sahm:
`Take this necklace and give it to the Messenger of Allah (S) and tell him that I give you to him also.'

When Sahm had delivered the message, the Prophet (S) said: `Take the necklace to Fatima and I give you to her also.' When the slave had told Fatima the message, she (A) took the necklace and told the slave that he was free.

Upon hearing Fatima, Sahm laughed, so Fatima asked him about the reason that made him laugh. He answered: `I smiled when I thought of the abundance of goodness put in this necklace; it fed a hungry man, clothed a naked man, satisfied a poor man, freed a slave and came back to its original owner."

2. Al‑Majlisi, quoting Fural Ibn Ibrahim's interpretation of The Holy Quran in his book Al‑Bihar, said:

'Abu Saeed Al‑Khudari said: One morning Ali Ibn Abu Talib woke up very hungry and said:

'Fatima, do you have anything to feed us?'

She answered: `No, by Him who honored father with Prophethood, and honored you with successorship, we have nothing edible this morning, and we haven't had any food for two days save that which I have preferred to give you and our two children, Hassan and Hussain.'

Ali (A) said: 'Fatima! Why didn't you tell me, so I could bring some food for you?'

Fatima answered: ‘Abu Al‑Hassan, I surely become ashamed before my God to ask you to do something you cannot do.'

At this, Ali Ibn Abu Talib left Fatima, with full trust that Allah would help him. He borrowed a dinar, and while he was holding the dinar and trying to buy some food for his family, he came upon Miqdad Ibn Al Aswad.

The sun had burnt Al‑Miqdad's face and feet on that exceptionally hot day. When Ali (A) saw him, he exclaimed surprisingly:

`Miqdad, what brings you out of your home at this hour?'

Miqdad answered: ‘Abu Al‑Hassan, ask me not about what I have left behind in the house.'

Ali (A) said: `My brother, I cannot leave you without knowing your problem.'

Miqdad then said: ‘Abu Al‑Hassan, for Allah's sake and your sake leave me alone, and do not ask about my condition!!'

Imam Ali said: `My brother, you should not hide your condition from me.'

Miqdad replied: ‘Abu Al‑Hassan, now that you insist, by Him who honored Muhammad with Prophethood and honored you with successorship, nothing forced me out of my house save poverty. I left my children starving; when I heard their cries, there remained no place for me on earth‑I have come out of my house in depression; this is my story.'

Imam Ali (A) cried when he heard the story; he cried until his beard was wet from tears and said:

`By Allah, that which forced you out of your house and also forced me out of my house; I borrowed a dinar, but I prefer you to have it.’

When Imam Ali (A) had given the dinar to Miqdad, he went to the Mosque and performed his Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon) and Maghrib (evening) prayers. When the Messenger of Allah had completed his prayers, he signaled Ali, who was in the first line, to follow him. Ali (A) obediently followed him out of the Mosque and after the Prophet greeted him said:

‘Abu Al‑Hassan, do you have some food for dinner so that I can accompany you?'

Imam Ali was too shy to answer the Messenger; but the Prophet of Allah (S) had detailed knowledge about the dinar and what had happened to it; for Allah, the Exalted, had revealed to His Prophet to have dinner at Ali's house that night. When Ali did not answer, the Prophet said:

‘Abu Al‑Hassan, why don't you say no, so I may leave you; or yes, so I may accompany you?'

Imam Ali (A) said: ‘Accompany me!!'

The Prophet then took Ali's hand and proceeded toward Fatima's house. When they arrived, Fatima was just finishing her prayers and there was a pan oil fire behind her. When she heard the Prophet coming, who was the dearest person to her, she greeted him and he wiped his hand on her head and said:

`How is your evening, my daughter?'

She answered: `Fine!'

He then said: `Give us some dinner, may Allah bless you, and surely He has.'

Fatima (A) placed the pan in front of the Prophet (S) and Ali Ibn Abu Talib...

At that moment, the Messenger of Allah put his hand on Ali's shoulder and said:

‘Ali, this is a substitute for your dinar. This is a reward from Allah for the dinar; surely Allah grants whoever He wills without limit.'

The Prophet (S) cried and said:

“Praise be to Allah, Who insisted on rewarding you in this world, too, and made you Ali‑like Zakariya and Fatima like Maryam Bint Imran, for whenever Zakariya entered the Mehrab, he found Maryam with her subsistence."

3. It is quoted in v.10 of Bihar that Imam Hussain (A) quoted Imam Hassan (A) as saying:

"Once, on a Friday night, I watched my mother, Fatima, pray all night long. She kept making Ruku' and prostrating until dawn. I heard her supplicate for the believers by name; but she did not supplicate for herself, so I asked:

`Mother, why don't you supplicate for yourself as you supplicate for others?'

She answered: `Son! Prefer your neighbour over yourself. "'

4. Al‑Hassan A‑Basri said:

"There was not a woman in this Ummah more submitting (to Allah) than Fatima. She used to pray until her feet became swollen."

5. Al‑Bihar:

‘The Messenger of Allah (S) said:

“As for my daughter Fatima, she is the mistress of all women; from the beginning of history until the end. She is part of me; she is the light of my eye and the fruit of my heart.’

‘Fatima is my spirit, which I hold in me; she is a human huri. Whenever she keeps up prayer in her Mehrāb before her Lord, her light illuminates to the angels in Heaven just as a star shines to mankind on Earth. So Allah, Exalted is His name, says to the angels:
'My angels, look at my servant, Fatima, who is the mistress of all my female servants, keeping up prayers before Me. Her limbs shake from fear of Me and she worships Me whole heartedly. Bear witness that I have safeguarded her Shiites (followers) from Hellfire...”’

6. Idat Ad‑Da'i:

"Fatima (A) used to breath quickly while praying, for fear of Allah. Speaking about Fatima's worship is endless; especially her supplication to Allah, the Exalted, for she realized the deep meaning of worship and supplication to Allah, and came to enjoy keeping up prayer before the Al‑Mighty. Yet, this is no strange matter, because it is in regard to her father that the Quran says We have not sent down the Quran to thee to be (an occasion) for thy distress.' Because the Prophet would pray for long hours, Allah, the Exalted, revealed this verse to him as relief and comfort."


CHAPTER 40 FATIMA'S GLORIFICATION OF ALLAH

It is reported in Bihar that Ali (A) said to a man from Bani Sae’ed:

"Should I speak to you about Fatima and Myself?

She was my spouse who was the most beloved to the Prophet. Once, she carried water using a waterskin until it scarred her chest, she ground (grain) using a hand mill until blisters appeared on her hands, she swept the floor until her clothes became dusty and lit the fire under the cooking pot until her clothes became mud colored from the smoke.
Fatima was inflicted by great pain as a result of this, so I said to her:

`Why don't you ask your father for a servant to relieve you from these jobs?'

When Fatima (A) went to the Prophet she found that he had company; and was too shy to talk to him, so she left the house. But the Prophet (S) knew that she had come for something."

Imam Ali (A) continued:

"The next morning, the Prophet came to the house while we were still under our quilt and said:

‘Assalamu Alaikum!'

Yet because we were ashamed (of being under the quilt), we preferred to remain silent.
The Prophet once again said:

‘Assalamu Alaikum!'

Once again we remained silent. Then for the third time the Prophet said ‘Assalamu Alaikum’. Now we feared that he would depart, for it was the prophet’s habit to say Assalamu alaikum three times and then wait for permission to enter or leave.
So I said:

`Wa Alaik As‑Salam, Messenger of Allah! Come in.'

He (S) sat near our heads and said: 'Fatima, what was your need when you came to Muhammad yesterday?'

Imam Ali added: "I was afraid that she (Fatima) would not tell him, so I pulled my head from under the cover and said:

"I will inform you, Messenger of Allah!

Surely she carried water using a water skin until her chest was scarred, she ground (grain) using a hand mill until blisters appeared on her hands, she swept the floor until her clothes became dusty and lit the fire under the cooling pot until her clothes were mud colored from the smoke. So 1 said to he:

`Why don't ask your father for a servant to relieve you form these jobs?’”

The Prophet (S) upon hearing this, said:

`Shall I teach you something that is better for you than a servant and a world with everything in it? After every prayer say: Allahu Akbar thirty four (34) times, Alhamdulillah thirty three (33) times and Subhan Allah thirty three (33) times then conclude that with la illaha ila Allah. Surely this is better for you than that which you wanted and the world and its belongings.’

Thus, Fatima adhered to this glorification after every prayer; and it came to be known as `Tasbih Fatima.'

‘Abu Haroun, surely we command our children to adhere to `Tasbih Fatima' the same way we command them to perform prayers. So perform the tasbih, for whoever adheres to it shall never be miserable.’"

In reference to Fatima's beads, it was reported in Makarim Al‑Akhlaq that it was made of woven wool threads which had knots by the number of Takbir (Allah Akbar), until when Hamza Ibn Abdal Muttalib (A) was martyred, she made them from the mud of his grave.
Since the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (A), people have been using the mud surrounding his tomb for making beads for the great blessings, which lie in it.

Imam Sadiq (A) said: "Beads should be made with blue thread and thirty four (34) beads, which was the way Fatima's beads were made after Hamza's martyrdom."

There are various narrations, which were reported about "Tasbih Fatima's" importance and order. Yet, the most famous order on which our jurisprudents agree is to start with Allahu Akbar, then Subhan Allah, and end with Al‑Hamdulillah.

When we review the aforementioned narrations, it becomes clear that Lady Fatima Zahra (A) performed her housework by herself, despite her honor and nobility, and that Ali (A) helped her to do the housework.

It has been reported in Bihar that Imam Ali (A) said:

"Once, the Messenger of Allah came to us while Fatima was sitting near the pot and I was cleaning some lentils; when the Prophet saw us he said:

‘Abu Al‑Hassan!'

I said: ‘At your service! O Messenger of Allah!'

He then said: `Listen to me, for I say not save that which is the word of Lord: There is not a man who helps his wife in her housework, save that with very hair on his body a whole year of worship‑during which he fasted the days and kept up the nights in prayer is counted for him....’

CHAPTER 41 THE PROPHET'S LOVE FOR FATIMA

It is difficult to define the extent of the Prophet's love for Fatima (A) for she occupied a special place in his heart like no other person did. The Prophet's love for Fatima was mixed with respect and exaltation; and in addition to being motivated by the father/daughter relationship, this love was granted to her for the special talents and noble traits Fatima enjoyed. Perhaps we can go to the extent of saying that the Prophet was commanded to love and respect Fatima (A), a matter that led him to speak openly about her greatness and talents and her nearness to Allah‑and His Messenger‑on every possible occasion.

This reality is supported by the fact that the Prophet (S) did not pay this much attention to any of his other daughters. Thus, it can again be concluded that his love and respect for Fatima was motivated by some reason other than fatherhood. In addition to Fatima's noble traits and special talents, the Prophet (S) knew what was going to happen to her after his death and the great miseries and sorrows, which she would be inflicted with by some so‑called Muslims, after his departure to the Heavens. So the Prophet intended to make clear to his Ummah the greatness and excellence of Fatima so as to clarify the falsity of those who would oppose Fatima in the future.

The following are various reports that illustrate the love and respect the Prophet (S) held for Lady Fatima (A)

1. Bihar v. 10‑Imam Sadiq (A) reported that Fatima (A) said:

"When the following verse was revealed:

‘Deem not Summons of the Apostle among yourselves like the summons of one of you to another,' (24: 63)

‘I feared to call the Messenger of Allah, `Father'; so I began calling him Messeenger of Allah. He ignored me two or three times and finally said:

'Fatima, this verse was not revealed about you or your family, nor does it include your progeny; for you are from me and I am from you. Rather, this verse was revealed regarding the vain and crude Quraishans who are arrogant and spendthrifts. Call me Father; it surely is better for the heart and more satisfying to the Lord.’”

2. Aisha Bint Talha quoted Aisha as saying:

"I have not seen anyone more similar to the Messenger in speech and dialogue than Fatima. Whenever she entered the house, he would greet her, kiss her hands and ask her to sit near him. Likewise, when he entered the house, she would greet him, kiss his hands and etc….."

3. Bazl Al‑Harawi said to Al‑Hussain Ibn Roah:

"How many daughters did the Messenger of Allah have?"

Ibn Roah said: "Four"

Bazl then asked: "Who was the best of them?"

He said: "Fatima"

Bazl said: "Why was she the best while she was the youngest and least company to the Prophet of Allah (S)?"

Ibn Roah then said: "(She was the best) because she possessed two special characteristics:

1. She inherited the Messenger of Allah.
2. The Prophet's progeny are her children. Besides, Allah gifted her with these traits because He knew her sincere adherence and pure intention (to worship Him)."

4. Khawarizmi wrote in his book Maqtal Al‑Hussain that Huthiefa said:

"The Messenger of Allah used to kiss Fatima all over her face before he went to sleep ...."

5. Ibn Umar said:

"Once the Prophet (S) kissed Fatima's head and said: `May your father be your sacrifice; stay as you are ....”

6. According to Dhakhear Al‑Uqbi, Aisha said:

"Once the Messenger of Allah kissed Fatima's throat so I said, Messenger of Allah! You have done something which you have not done before!”

The Prophet answered: “Aisha, whenever I long for Paradise, I kiss Fatima's throat. "

7. Qandouzi reported that Aisha said:

"Whenever the Prophet returned from a trip, he would kiss Fatima's throat and say:

“From her, I do smell the fragrance of Paradise."

Furthermore, the following narrations have been reported by both Shiite and Sunni scholars:

1. The Messenger of Allah said:

"The best of women of Paradise are: Khadija Bint Khowailid, Fatima Bint Muhammad, Asia Bint Muzahim (Pharaoh's wife) and Maryam Bint Imran."

2. He also said:

"The best of the women of the world are four: Maryam Bint Imran, Asia Bint Muzahim, Khadija Bint Khowailid, and Fatima Bint Muhammad."

(These two narrations have been reported in Musnad Ahmad v.2, p.293)

3. The Prophet (S) also said:

“Among the women of world, the following are among (the best): Maryam Bint Imran, Khadija Bint Khowailid, Fatima Bint Muhammad, and Asia‑Pharaoh's wife.”
(Al‑Esti'ab and Al‑Isabah)

These three narrations name the four best women but do not specify the best of them. However, there are many authentic narrations, which clearly state that Fatima was the best of all women, including these honorable ladies. In fact, this is an undisputable fact, which both Shiite and Sunni scholars unanimously agree. Among the sayings of Sunni scholars who reported narrations to this effect are:

1. Masrouq reports that Aisha told him:

"We, the Prophet's wives, were gathered around him when Fatima walked towards us; by Allah her walk is exactly the same as that of the Messenger of Allah when he saw her, he greeted her by saying: `Welcome my daughter.' He then asked her to sit to his right or left. He then whispered something to her that caused her to cry; when he saw her sadness, he whispered something else to her which caused her to laugh. (When I saw this) I said to her: `The Messenger of Allah bestowed you with a special secret, yet you cry?'

When the Prophet left I exclaimed: "What did he whisper to you?"

Fatima answered: `I would not announce the secret of the Messenger of Allah!'

After the Prophet's death, I said to her: `I insist on you‑by my right over you‑to tell me (what he told you)!'

She said: ‘Yes, I will tell you now. The first time he whispered to me, he told me that Gabriel used to review the Quran with him once a year, but this year he reviewed it twice. So, he said, I think the time of my departure is near. Therefore, fear Allah and be patient, for I will be a good (person) to proceed you.' Fatima added: `so I cried, as you saw. When he noticed my sadness, he once again said to me: 'Fatima, is it not satisfying to you to be theMistress of believing women (or the Mistress of the women of my Ummah)?"

1. Baghawi in his book Masabeh As‑Sunna writes that the Prophet said to Fatima:

"Is it not satisfying to you to be the Mistress of the women of the world?"

2. Hakim Nishabouri reported in his book Mustadrakthat he said to Fatima:

"Is it not satisfying to you to be the Mistress of the women of the world, this Ummah and believing women?"

Although there is a large number of narrations, which state that Fatima (A) was the Mistress of all women. Ahmad Ibn Hanbal mentions at the end of the first narration that he also informed Fatima (A) that she was the first one to follow him after his death.

3. Bukhari reported in v.5, p.21 and 29 of his Sahih that Allah's Messenger said:

"Fatima is part of me, he who harms her harms me."

This narration has been reported with a variety of words which all have the same meaning; it has been reported by more than fifty narrators. For instance, Abu Al‑Faraj wrote in his Al‑Aghani v.8, p.307:

“When Abdullah Ibn Al‑Hassan was still young, he visited Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz who sat him in an honorable place, paid much attention to him and fulfilled his wishes. Ibn Abdul Aziz then pinched the boy's stomach and said: "Remember this when it is time for intercedence."

When Abdullah Ibn Al‑Hassan left, Umar's family blamed him for doing so with a young boy. But Umar said:

'A trustworthy man informed me that the Messenger of Allah said: “Surely Fatima is part of me, pleases me that which pleases her. "

Umar then added: 'and I know that had Fatima been alive, what I did with her descendant (Abdullah), would have pleased her.’

His Family then said: "But why did you pinch his stomach and say what you said to him?"

Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz then said: "There is not a man from Bani Hashim who does not have the right of intercedence; and I hope to be included among those through this boy."

Samhoudi comments on this narration by saying:
"This proves that anyone who hates or harms a descendant of Fatima, makes himself subject to harming the Prophet On the contrary, if someone pleases them, he also pleases the Prophet."

Moreover, Sahaili added: "This narration leads us to the conclusion that he who curses her (Fatima), becomes an infidel; and he who praises her, praises her father."

4. Bihar v.10: Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad (A) and Jabir Ibn Abdullah Al Ansari said:

"Once the Prophet saw Fatima wearing a cloak of camel skin while grinding (grain) with her hands; and holding her child. Tears came from the Prophet's eyes and he said:

‘Daughter! bear with the hardships of this world and later you will enjoy the blessings of the Hereafter.'

Fatima replied: `Messenger of Allah, praise be to Allah for His benefactions and thanks be to Him for his gifts.' (It was then that) Allah revealed:

`And soon will the Guardian‑Lord give thee (that wherewith) thou shalt be well pleased. "

In conclusion, it can be derived from the above narrations that Fatima Zahra (A) was the nearest of all to Allah's Messenger The love, affection and harmony that they shared was unique. Thus, we realize that it was not strange that he taught Fatima the best deeds and guided her to the noblest traits and best conduct.


CHAPTER 42 FATIMA'S KNOWLEDGE


Fatima (A) acquired her divine knowledge from the clear spring of Prophethood and received the excellence of truth from the house of revelation. So her attentive heart was embellished with wisdom and her brilliant reason together with her brightness realized to the fullest extent the real meaning of every fact.

Yet, despite the fact that Fatima heard an abundant volume of narrations from her father what has been reported on her authority is limited to certain issues. The reason for this will be explained later.

Among the narrations reported on Fatima's account are:

1. Bihar, Chapter‑‑Knowledge.

Imam Askari (A) said: "A woman came to Fatima Zahra (A) and said: `I have a weak mother who has become confused about a matter related to her prayer; she sent me to inquire from you about it.'

Fatima Zahra (A) answered her; the woman repeatedly came with questions for Fatima, and she (A) kindly answered her every time. One day the lady again approached Fatima (A) with another question from her mother and said to Fatima:

`I shall not inconvenience you (any more), daughter of Allah's Messenger.'

Fatima replied: ‘Ask me regarding anything, which comes to your mind. Because if a man had been hired to transport a heavy load to the top of a mountain for a reward of one thousand dinars, do you think it would bother him?'

The woman said: `No'

Fatima continued: `My reward for (answering) every inquiry is more than that which fills (the space) between the ground and the Throne with pearls; thus, I should be more apt to answer your questions. Surely I heard my father say:

`When the scholars of our Shiite (followers) are gathered (on the Day of Resurrection), they will be bestowed with garments of honor equal in quantity to their knowledge and struggle to guide Allah's worshippers, up to the point that anyone of them will be gifted with one million garments of light.' Then the caller of our Exalted and Glorified Lord will say:

`O you guardians of the orphans of Muhammad. (You) who inspire them when they are separated from their fathers, who are their Imams; these are your pupils and the orphans whom you guarded and inspired, therefore bestow them with garments of knowledge in life. Thus, they will bestow each orphan with that which corresponds to the amount of knowledge he received from them (the scholars); up to the point that some orphans are bestowed with one million garments. Like‑so, the orphans bestow those who learnt from them.' Then Allah, the Exalted said:

`Repeat upon these scholars, the guardians of the orphans, the bestowment and double and complete it for them and for those who follow them”

Fatima (A) then added:

`Worshipper of Allah, surely a thread of those garments is better than that on which the sun rises. "'

2. Bihar v.10:

Yazid Ibn Abdulmalik (Nawfali) quoted his father, who quoted his grandfather as saying:

"Once, I entered the house of Fatima (A) who was the first to greet me; she then said:

`What brings you here?'

I said: “I have come in search of blessing.”

Fatima then said: “My father (who was present) said: ‘He who greets him or me for three consecutive days, will be granted Paradise by Allah.'

I said: `While you are living?'

She answered: ‘yes, and after we are dead.’”

3. Kashf al Ghumma:

Imam Ali (A) quoted Fatima as saying:

"The Messenger of Allah (S) said: 'Fatima, he who praises you, will be forgiven by Allah; Who will make him my companion where ever in Paradise I may be."

4. Da'awat Ar Rawandi:

Swaid Ibn Ghafla said:

"Once, Ali (A) was inflicted with hardship; so Fatima (A) knocked on the Messenger of Allah's door, who said:

`I hear the movement of my beloved one near the door, Umme Ayman get up and see!'

Umme Ayman opened the door and Fatima entered the house.

The Prophet then said: ‘You have come to us at a time that you have not previously come!'

Fatima said: `Messenger of Allah, what is the angels food near our Lord?'

The Messenger of Allah said: `By Him Who holds my soul in His hand, fire has not been lit (in our house) for a whole month; yet, I will teach you five statements which Gabriel taught me.'

She (A) said: `Messenger of Allah, what are these five statements?'

The Prophet (S) said: `O Lord of the First and Last;
O You Possessor of Might, and Strength;
O You Who is Merciful with the poor;
O You most Beneficent, most Merciful. "'

(Note: It appears as if the fifth statement has been mistakenly erased.)

Thereafter Fatima returned and Ali (A) saw her and exclaimed:

"May my father and mother be your sacrifice, Fatima; what have you to tell me?"

She said: "I went seeking worldly things, but have returned (with the goodness of) the hereafter.”

Ali (A) then said: "Expect goodness, expect goodness!"

5. Bihar v.10: It is reported in Al‑Kafi that Imam Sadiq (A) said:

‘Once, Fatima approached Allah's Messenger with a problem. The Prophet listened to her problem and gave her a wrapped piece of material and said: `Learn that which is written in it.' (When she opened it) she found written in it:

“He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, shall not harm his neighbor.
He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, shall honor his guest.
He who believes in Allah and the Last Day shall say that which is useful or keep silent.’"


CHAPTER 43 ISLAMIC DRESS, A SOCIAL NECESSITY

Among the Islamic teachings to which Lady Fatima Zahra gave special attention, was protecting women's honor and beauty through observing the Islamic way of dress. Fatima realized that crimes, social disasters, and humiliations were majorly due to unveiling, debasement, dissoluteness and mixture of the sexes. These social crimes are now called freedom and civilization by various publications that are scattered throughout Muslim and non‑Muslim countries.

It shouldn't be forgotten that less than one‑tenth of such crimes and debasements, used to occur to Muslim women when they observed the Islamic covering and exalted themselves from exhibiting their bodies to men. That day when they used to bestow themselves in the garments of honor and modesty, when they truly believed in that which is forbidden and permitted. But as time passed, they exhibited their privacy to thousands of men from all walks of life and with many different faiths; Muslim women lost their honor and dignity... and reached the point of disgrace where they stand today!!

The following are two reports, which explicitly present the Messenger's admiration of Fatima's stands regarding women:

A. Abu Nu'aym reports in Hilyat Al‑Uwlia v.2. p.40, that Anas Ibn Malik said:

"The Messenger of Allah (S) asked: `What is best for women?' We did not know how to answer the Prophet, so Ali (A) asked Fatima about the Prophet's question.

Fatima answered: `It is best for them not to see men and not to let men see them.'

Ali returned to Allah's Messenger and conveyed Fatima's answer to him. When the Prophet had heard the answer, he said:

`Surely she has spoken the truth, for she is part of me.'

B. Ibn Al‑Maghazili mentions in his book Manaqib that Ali Ibn Al‑Hussain Ibn Ali (A) said:

"Once a blind man asked for permission to enter Fatima's house, but she kept a veil between them. The Messenger of Allah noticed her actions and asked:

`Why did you keep a veil between you when he can not see you?'

Fatima (A) answered: `Messenger of Allah, it is true that he cannot see me, but I can see him and he can smell my fragrance.'

At this, the Prophet (S) said: ‘I bear witness that you are part of me.’

In addition to these narrations, many prayers and supplica­tions have been reported on Lady Fatima's account; among them is the famous supplication for the relief of fever and headaches. This supplication is mentioned below as an example of Fatima's prayers.

Fatima (A) taught the following supplication to Salman Al‑Farsi (may Allah be pleased with him) and said to him:

"If it pleases you not to be inflicted with fever as long as you live in this world, then read these words, which my father, Muhammad, taught me and I say every morning and evening:

‘In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
In the Name of Allah the light; In the Name of Allah the light of light
In the Name of Allah, light upon light
In the Name of Allah, the planner of affairs
In the Name of Allah, Who created light from light
And
Revealed light upon the Turr
By a decree inscribed
In a scroll unfolded
According to a decree fore‑ordained
Unto a Learned Prophet
Praise be to Allah, Who is known with Might
Whose Glory is established
Who is praised during times of prosperity and infliction
And may Allah's grace be upon our Master, Muhammad
And his purified progeny’

Salman later said:

"By Allah, I have taught this supplication to more than a thousand souls in Mecca and Medina who were inflicted with fever, and they were all relieved by the will of Allah."

Ibn Tawoos (may Allah bless his soul) wrote in his book Muhaj Ad‑Da'awat, that Allah's Messenger (S) taught Fatima the following supplication:

‘O Allah, Our Lord and the Lord of Everything
(He) Who revealed Tawrāt, Injeel and Furqan (Quran)
(He) Who causes the seed‑grain and the date‑stone to split and sprout
I seek refuge in You from every beast that you shall seize by its forelock
Surely You are the First, where nothing has succeeded (You)
And the last, where nothing shall come after (You)
You are the Evident, there is nothing more Manifest than You
And the Eminent, there is nothing more Eminent than You
Send your grace upon Muhammad and his Ahlul‑Bayt
May Peace be upon them
And settle my debts for me
Make me free from poverty
And decree easy for me all my affairs
O You! Most Merciful of all’

In conclusion, we can easily state that had Fatima Zahra (A) been given the chance to manifest her knowledge and had she lived for fifty or sixty years, we would have been able to inherit a treasury of knowledge and information pertaining to various subjects and sciences. Unfortunately, Fatima (A) was neither given the chance to teach us, nor did she live more than twenty years‑as you will come to know.



CHAPTER 44 ALLAH'S MESSENGER REVEALS FATIMA'S FUTURE TO HER

It was natural for the Prophet (S) who knew and foretold the future events, to reveal to his family, especially his beloved daughter Fatima (A), the events which they would face in the future. He (S) undoubtedly informed Fatima (A) that she was going to suffer from the harsh treatment of some so called Muslims after his death and that she would be the first to follow him to the blessings of Paradise after his departure.

There are many traditions reported to this effect; the following are just a few samples:

1. Bihar v.10: Sheikh Mufeed is quoted as writing in his book Al-Amali that Abdullah Ibn Abbas said:

"When Allah's Messenger was on his deathbed, he cried until tears overtook his beard.
So was asked:

`What makes you cry, Messenger of Allah?'

The Prophet answered: `I am crying for my progeny, for the crimes that will be committed against them by the evildoers of my nation after my death. It is as if I (can see) my daughter, Fatima, being oppressed and crying: "O Father!" But no one will come to help her among my Ummah.'

Fatima (A) began weeping when she heard this, so the Prophet said to her:

‘Do not cry my daughter'

She said: ‘I am not crying because of that which will be done to me after you; rather, I am crying because I will be separated from you, Messenger of Allah’

He then said: `Rejoice, O daughter of Muhammad, at the close succession to me, for you will be the first one to follow me from among my Ahlul‑Bayt.’

2. Bihar v.10, quoting the previous source wrote:

“The Prophet said: `When I saw her (Fatima), I remembered what would happen to her after my death. It is as if I (could see) humiliation entering her house, her sanctity violated, her right seized, her inheritance usurped, her side broken, and her unborn child being caused to be aborted, all while she is crying:

"Mohammad!”

‘But she will not be answered, she asks for help but she will not be helped. Surely she will remain afflicted, sad and crying after me, remembering the cease of revelation from her father's house at one time, and remembering being separated from me another time. She will become estranged at night, when she used to spend listening to me reciting the Quran. She then will see herself humiliated after she was honored during the days of her father...’”

3. Bihar v.6:

According to The Interpretation of The Quran written by Furat Ibn Ibrahim, Jabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari reported that Allah's Messenger (S) said to Fatima (A) during the illness, which caused him to pass away:

"May my father and mother be your sacrifice! Call your husband for me."

Fatima then told Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain:

"Go tell your father to come, and that your grandfather summons him."

Thus, Al‑Hussain went and called him to come. When Ali Ibn Abu Talib (A) entered the house, he found Fatima sitting near Allah's Messenger (S) and saying:

‘How distressed I am for your agony, Father!!’

The Prophet said:

‘There is no agony for your father after this day, Fatima. Yet, do as your father did when (his son) Ibrahim passed away:

Then I said:

`Eyes spill tears, and the heart may be affected, but we shall not say that which angers the Lord. Yet, surely we are saddened by (your death) Ibrahim!!’”

4. Bihar v.6:

‘Once, the Prophet (S) summoned Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain (A) and ordered everyone present in the house to leave. He then ordered Umme Salama to stand at the door so no one could come near it.

The Prophet (S) then said to Ali:

"Come near me."

Ali came near as the Prophet asked; he then held Fatima's hand and put it on his chest for a long time, and held Ali's hand in his other hand. When the Prophet tried to speak, he was overtaken by tears and was unable to do so. Therefore, Ali, Fatima, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain cried when they saw him (S) crying.

Fatima then said:

"Messenger of Allah! You have broken my heart and brought sorrow to me with your crying. You are the Master of all Prophets and the trusted Prophet of your Lord; you are the beloved Prophet of Allah! Who do I have for my children after you? Who do I have to protect me from the humiliation, which will inflict me after you? Who does Ali, your brother and the helper of your religion, have after you? Who is to (attend to) Allah's revelation and affair?"

Fatima then broke down crying and embraced him together with Ali, Hassan and Hussain (A). The Prophet raised his head, and while holding Fatima's hand, he placed it in Ali's hand and said:

‘Abu Al‑Hassan, she is Allah's and His Messenger's, Muhammad, trust to you. Therefore, keep Allah's and His Messenger's trust by protecting her. Surely I know you will.’

‘Ali, this (Fatima) by Allah, is the Mistress of all women of Paradise; this, by Allah, is (like) Maryam Al‑Kubra.’

‘By Allah, before I reached this state, I asked Allah (certain things) for you and I, and He surely has given me what I asked.’

‘Ali, Execute that which Fatima commands you to do, for I have commanded her to (perform certain affairs) which Gabriel ordered me to do. Be informed, Ali that I am satisfied with him who my daughter is satisfied with, so is my Lord and the angels.

‘Ali, Cursed is he who oppresses her;
Cursed is he who usurps her right;
Cursed is he who violates her sanctity..."

The Prophet then embraced Fatima (A), kissed her hand and said:

"May your father be your sacrifice, Fatima."

At that moment, the Messenger of Allah was putting his head on Ali's chest; but his love for Fatima kept driving him to embrace and kiss her repeatedly. He cried until his tears made his beard and shirt wet.

Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain (A) began crying and kissing his feet; when Imam Ali (A) tried to separate them, the Prophet said:

"Let them smell me and let me smell them;
Let them be near me, surely they will be afflicted with sorrows and difficult problems after me. May Allah curse him who abuses them.’

O Allah!! I commend them to your protection and to the protection of the righteous believers."

Meanwhile, Fatima (A) was speaking to her father with a crying voice and saying:

"May my soul be your sacrifice!
May my face prevent harm from your face!
Father, can you not speak a word to me?!
Surely I see the knights of death attacking you fiercely!!"

Allah's Messenger then said:

"Daughter, I am leaving you;
thus, peace be upon you from me”


CHAPTER 45 THE PROPHET'S DEATH

It was eleven years after Hijra. Allah's Messenger was about to conclude establishing the main pillars on which the Islamic law, which was ordained to be everlasting for being the final faith, was to depend.

His noble soul was compelled to return with satisfaction and comfort to the One Who Created it; after it had attained the goal of bringing about the greatest change in the history of mankind. Yes, indeed it was inevitable for the Prophet's soul to depart towards Him who it‑truly knew, for so many years called mankind to worship, and courageously struggled in the path of elevating His Word. And as it is said:

"Death was written to fit man just as a necklace was made to fit a girl's neck"

The Prophet along with the rest of the Muslims, had made his final morning prayer. It was the last time they (the people) were to see the Divine light come upon them. By the time the sun had reached the middle of the sky, the Prophet's sun had made its eternal set.

By noon he was lying dead between his family; they could do nothing save shed tears of sorrow for the biggest affliction of history.

What a day it was. Greatness, perfection, honor and exaltation had been lost. Muslims were so saddened that whenever they were afflicted with great sorrow thereafter they said:

"Surely this is a day like when the Messenger of Allah died."

The house was crowded with crying people; but Fatima's weeping was the greatest. She had lost her great father and with him went her happiness and joy; with his death came sadness and pain.

When the Muslims heard of the Prophet's death, they rushed towards the Mosque. The people were overwhelmed and did not realize what had actually happened... They became like scattered sheep on a rainy night without their shepherd. What were they to do? Ali was busy attending to washing the Prophet's body and could not speak to them in details.

It was undoubtedly true! He had died! Yet, Umar Ibn Al‑Khattab refused to allow people to believe what had happened. He began shouting in their faces and threatening them by saying:

'Allah's Messenger did not die, nor will he die until his religion reigns over all other religions. He shall return to amputate the hands and legs of the men who believed in his death. I will not hear a man say: `The Messenger of Allah died save that I will cut off his head."

Umar's call was decisive and rebellious... he, the speaker, used the most effective method of speech to persuade his listeners to believe him...

Umar had sparked hope in their hearts that the Prophet was still alive...

He put fear in the hearts of the Muslims by telling them that the Prophet would come to amputate the hands and legs of those who believed in his death.

Furthermore, Umar threatened them by saying:

"I will cut off the neck of anyone who says: Allah's Messenger died."

Fear and hope were the tools that Umar used to control the nerves of the Muslims. Because of the people’s great love for the Prophet the call to refuse accepting his death, easily found its way into their minds. Hence, no one objected to Umar and the belief that the Messenger had not died; this overtook all other news.

The Muslims lived several hours in total suspense and confusion. They were prevented from believing in the Prophet's death until Abu Bakr returned from a nearby village.

As soon as Abu Bakr returned, he proceeded towards the prophet's house and uncovered his face to make sure that he was actually dead. He then went to the Mosque and found Umar still stating that the Prophet had not died. Abu Bakr ordered Umar to sit down; Umar refused until he ordered him three times; yet, Umar still refused. Thus, Abu Bakr stood in another corner of the Mosque and addressed the people:

"He who worships Muhammad should be informed that Muhammad has died. He who worships Allah should know that Allah is ever‑living and does not die."

Abu Bakr then recited the following verse:

"Muhammad is no more than a Prophet: many were the Apostles that passed away before him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back your heels?"

When the Muslims heard this, they submitted to the fact... Even Umar believed that he had actually died, and as Umar himself said:

"I only believed that he died after I had made sure that the verse was from the Holy Quran."

Abu Bakr and Umar's story was sad!! Right?! Yet even the simplest minds cannot be convinced that these events can be plainly interpreted...

LOOK!

Umar shouts, swears, threatens those who say that the Messenger of Allah has actually died... But when Abu Bakr recites a verse from the Quran‑which Umar himself did not recognize!!‑the later suddenly collapses; and believes that Muhammad really died!!

How did Umar know that the Prophet will not die until his religion reigns over all other religions?!

Did he inform Umar that he will return to cut off the arms and legs of those who said he was dead?

Didn't Umar really know that the verse recited by Abu Bakr was a Quranic verse, so that he could claim to believe in the Prophet's death?!

But surely "Still waters run deep"!!

Actually, by behaving in such a way, Umar was able to suspend the Muslims and hold them back for several hours until Abu Bakr returned. It was then that they (Abu Bakr and Umar immediately started the execution of their premeditated plan to seize power.

Can't you see that Umar was over‑reacting to the Prophet's death; but simultaneously with Abu Bakr's speech, he turned around forgetting all about his supposedly broken heart to announce his allegiance to Abu Bakr as the new leader of the Muslims!!

At any rate, Abu Bakr's and Umar's success in seizing power from Ali (A) after the Prophet's death, can only be the first of previous planning to do so long before the death of Allah's Messenger. Thus, this show, which was put on, by Umar and Abu Bakr can only be part of this planning. The authenticity of this statement can be verified when hands are set free to search the pages of history books.


CHAPTER 46 AFTER THE PROPHET'S DEATH

After the Prophet's death, events continued to occur. When studying the era following the Prophet's death, history speaks of the wonders, which occurred.

Indeed, history tells us about "Apostasy" which included the majority of Muslims who objected to Abu Bakr's seize of power from its righteous candidate, Ali Ibn Abu Talib (A).

It also tells us how Fatima's rights were usurped‑ especially in Fadak‑and how Ali was dragged to the Mosque to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr!!

History tells us how Fatima's house was set on fire by him who yesterday pretended not to believe in her father's death.

Yes, history tells us how the Prophet (S) died and with him died his repeated warnings to those who would oppress his family members and that they will be met with the wrath of Allah. It also tells us of Lady Fatima's sadness and misery which she suffered after the death of her dear father.

Fidhdha, Fatima's helper, spoke of Fatima's sadness; she said:

"It was on the eighth day after the Prophet's death that Fatima revealed the extent of her sadness and inability to bear life without her father. She (A) came to the Mosque and while crying said:

`Oh! Father
Oh! My sincere friend
Oh! Abu Al‑Qasim
Oh! The helper of the widowed and the orphans
Who do we have for Kaaba and the Mosque?
Who does your saddened and grieved daughter have?"

Fidhdha added:

"Fatima (A) then proceeded towards the tomb of the Prophet; it was difficult for her to walk because her tears covered her eyes. When she saw the Mizaneh, she passed out; so the women rushed to rescue her; after putting water of her face, she regained consciousness; Fatima then said:

`My strength has been eradicated
My endurance has betrayed me
My enemies have rejoiced at my misfortune
And my grief will kill me

Father! I remain bewildered and lonely
Confused and lonesome
My voice is subdued
My back is broken
My life is disturbed
I find no one, Father, after you to attend to my loneliness
Neither to stop my tears
Nor to support me in times of weakness
Surely precise revelations, the place of Gabriel's descendence and Michael's location have vanished after you
Father,
Motives (of others) have changed
And gates have been shut in my face
Thus, I detest this world after you
And my tears shall be shed for you as long as breath continues to exist in me
My longing for you shall not cease
My sadness for (being separated from) you shall not vanish

Fatima then cried out loudly:

Father!!
With you went the light of the world
Its flowers wither away after blossoming in your presence
Father!!
I will forever be sorrowful for you until we are reunited
Father!!
Sleeping has left me since we have been separated
Father!!
Who is there for the widows and the orphans
Who will we have for the Ummah until
The Day of Rising?!
Father!
We became‑after you‑among the oppressed
Father!!
People shun us after you
After we were glorified by your presence among men
Thus, what tear shall not spill on your departure?
What sadness (after you) shall not continue to exist?
Which eyelid shall be smeared with slumber?
You are the spring of faith and the light of Prophets
So how can mountains not sway?
And seas not dry out?

How can the Earth not tremble?
Father! I have been afflicted with the greatest sorrow, and my disaster is not minor!
Father!!
I have been inflicted with the greatest misfortune and the biggest calamity
Angels cry for you, and stars cease to move because of you
Your minbar (after you) is gloomy, Your minbar is empty
Of your secret conversation (with your Lord)
Your grave is joyful for holding you
And Paradise is delighted with your presence
Supplication and prayers
Father!!
How gloomy are your meeting places (without your presence)!!
How pained I am for you, until I soon join you!!
How bereaved is Abu Al‑Hussan, The entrusted one!!
The Father of your two sons, Al‑Hassan and Al‑Hussain; your beloved one
He whom you brought up as a youth, and made your brother as a man (Abu Al‑Hassan)
The most beloved of your companions to you
Abu Al‑Hassan, who was the first to immigrate and help you
Sadness has overtaken us; Crying will kill us
And distress will always accompany us.'

Lady Fatima (A) then returned to her house and lived in misery and sadness until she joined her beloved father not long after he passed away."


CHAPTER 47 FOLLOWING ALI TO THE MOSQUE


After the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr seized Caliphate. He and his followers claimed that since he was unanimously elected by the Muslims, he was the righteous leader of the Ummah.

Yet, with little reflection upon the matter of Caliphate, one realizes that it is an extension and continuation of the Prophethood without revelation. Thereupon, since Prophethood can only be assigned to someone through Divine specification, likewise Caliphate cannot be assigned to any‑one by mankind; rather, it is a Divine code bestowed upon men by Divine specification.

Moreover, this consensus that Abu Bakr and his followers claim to have achieved is not valid; because the Ansar, Bani Hashim, Ammār, Salman, Miqdad, Abu Dhar and many other companions opposed the election of Abu Bakr to the Divine post, which was previously granted to Ali (A). Nevertheless, Abu Bakr was able to seize power and eradicate Ali's (A) and his followers attempts to regain his righteous post.

Why was Abu Bakr Elected?

Several factors can be cited to have motivated some Muslims to choose Abu Bakr as their leader:

1. Resentment to see both Prophethood and Imamate posts occupied by Bani Hashim. This factor was revealed by Umar in a long conversation with Ibn Abbas: According to Umar:

(If Prophethood and Imamate posts were both occupied by Bani Hashim) then they would constantly brag about them!!

2. Ali's young age
3. The Arabs, especially the Quraishans envy of Ali (A)
4. Ali (A) would lead and judge people according to righteousness and the right path, had he been chosen as the leader, as Umar stated.
It is inevitable after Abu Bakr seized power that Ali (A) should pay allegiance to him, for it is the natural path of every coup to force the opposition to announce its support to the ‑new regime. But what can they do with Ali who refused to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr?

Can they threaten him? But he is the famous hero who was able to extinguish the Arab heroes, kill their brave men, and compete with their "wolves"!!

Can they deceive him (A) into doing so?! But Ali is that cautious man who is aware in such matters!!

Nevertheless, allegiance must be taken from Ali at any rate.

But behold! What would Lady Fatima's stand be had Ali (A) been forced to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr? In other Words, what can be done if Lady Fatima (A) chooses to defend her husband?!

Should they ignore all these obstacles?! Or what should they do?!

This created an unsolvable problem for the coup leaders who spent long hours reflecting on the issue. Meanwhile, Imam Ali (A) confined himself to his house to collect the Holy Quran, after realizing the fruitlessness of his efforts to regain his rights. He was virtually secluded from the outside world. This situation was disadvantageous to the coup leaders, for in Ali's refusal to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr lies a deep meaning and an excuse for others to object to Abu Bakr's seizure of power.

Yet, opinions met of the necessity to bring Ali (A) by force to the Mosque, whatever the price may be. Especially in light of the fact, which they later came to realize, that he was more concerned about the Islamic interests than his own. Therefore, a commissioned force led by Umar's slave boy, Qunfud , was sent to Ali's house. When this force reached the house, Qunfud requested permission to enter so they may speak to him regarding the issue; but Ali (A) refused them permission to enter; after which they returned to the Mosque and said to Abu Bakr and Umar:

"We were refused permission to enter."

Umar said: "Go back and if you are denied permission again, then enter (the house) with force."

So the group once again asked for permission, but Fatima (A) said: "You are prohibited from entering my house without permission."

Upon hearing this, the members of the force went back‑save Qunfud. They informed Umar that they were not allowed to enter the house. This angered Umar who said:

"What do women have in this?!"

Events continued to occur, and two pictures are drawn in front to us:

First:

Umar orders his slave boy to start Fatima's house on fire! A man objects by saying:

"But Fatima is in it."