Barakah means: multiplication, felicity and abundance; as Taj 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 Um 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. Um Kulthum had no children.
After the events of Karbala, infliction 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 Ummaid era. But when the
Ahbassides came to power, they broke the Ummaid 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 Kauther"
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.
Sayuti in Dur Al-Manthour, regarding the meaning of Kauthar, writes:
"Buhkar lbn Jarir and Al-Hakim repotred on the authority of Abu Bishr
lbn Sa ‘id 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 sa ‘id Thn 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 (P.B.U.M.)"
Razi’s interprerarion of the above mentioned verse is more appropriate.
He held the view that what is meant by Kauthar is Fatima Zahra. In Majma’
AlBayan, 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 (P.B.U.M.) for not having sons,
it becomes clear that the meaning given here is that Allah gave the
Prophet (P.B.U.M.) 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 Ummaids 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.S), 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 (AS) who live in Indonesia
and are enemies of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.)!
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 I
entered his room, I saw a sword and a leather mat (usually used for
executios). 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; Hajjaj said:
‘This old man claims that Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain are the Prophet’s
children; he shall prove this from the Quran or l 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 can not 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 awhile when Hajjaj repeated his demand
and Sa ‘id asked for more time 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’
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
every one ten dinars. I then heard him say, All this is because of the
blessings of Hassan and Hussain (A.S). 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 (P.B.U.M.) says:
Sheik Majlisi reported on the authority of Ihtijaj and Tafsir Ali Ibn
Ibrahim in Bihar that Abu Al-Jaroud said:
‘Abu Jaafar Al-Baqir (A.S.) said to me:
‘Abu Jaroud, what do they (followers of other than Ahlul-Bayt) say about
Al-Hassan and Al-Hussain (A.S}?’
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," 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 togegher, 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 children Our children while they are really others’ children.
Imam Baqir (Abu Jafar (A.S) 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 (P.B.U.M.) direct
children (form his loins); proof that can only be denied by infidel’
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 Al-Jaroud, was itperi’nittedforAllah ‘s Messenger to
martyAl-Hassan andAl-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 (P.B.U.H.) loins."
In another debate, which took place between Haroun Al-Rashid and Imam
Musa Ibn Jaafar (A.S.), 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 (P.B.U.H.) 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 (P.B.U.H.) your
maternal grandfather!’
The Imam (A.S) 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 l 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 lmam (A.S) 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 (P.B.U.H.) through our Mother, Fatima Zahra (AS)."
These were some of the verses which Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.) used as proof of
their lineage to Allah’s Apostle through Fatima Zahra (A.S.).
There are a great number of narrations that declare the same thing;
among them are:
1. A1-Khateeb Al-Baghdadi V.1, P.316, in Tarikh Baghdad reported that
Ibn Abbas said:
"I was in the company of my father, Al-Abbas Ibn Abdul Muttalib, sitting
in the presence of Allah’s Messenger (P.B.U.H.) then Ali Ibn Abu
Talib entered and greeted us. The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) 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-Abbas 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."
Also, Kharazmi in Manaqib 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."
The following writers reported this narration:
Muhib Ad-Din-Tabari in Dhakhaer Al-Uqbi, Hamueeni in Faraed As-Semtain,
Dhahabi in Mizan AI-IEtedal, Thn 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 Jbn 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 l am from you"
The same narrator reported that Usma said:
"I went to visit the Prophet of Allah one night; he (P.B.U.H.)
came out carrying something that I didn’t recognize under his cloak When
l finished my work with him (P.B.U.H.), I said: ‘What do you have
under your cloak?’ When he opened his cloak, l saw Al-Hassan and
Al-Hussain on his lap. The Prophet then said:
"These are my children and my daughter’s sons; 0 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 (P.B.U.H.) 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 (P.B.U.H.) 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 (P.B.U.H.). The Apostle (P.B.U.H.) gave him
(Zaid) in marriage to his cousin Zainab; but when Zaid divorced her, he
(P.B.U.H.) married her in obedience to Allah’s command, and to
prove that he (P.B.U.H.) 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 maybe 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." XXXII: 39
Thus, prohibiting marriage with the previous wives of a son depends on
proving their actual lineage to the father; if such a lineage can not 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 lbrahim, Al-Oasim, Al-Taeeb
and Al-Mutahhar who were all his (P.B.U.H.) sons.
Furthermore, it has already been verified that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.)
said to Imam Hassan (A.S.): "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 l 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 (P.B.U.H.)
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.