Fatimah az-Zahra
(Peace be Upon her)
Name:Fatimah.
Title: az- Zahra'.
Agnomen: Ummu 'l-A'immah.
Father's name: Muhammad ibn `Abdillah.
Mother's name: khadijah bint khuwaylid.
Birth: Born in Mecca of Friday, 20th jumada ` th-thaaniyah in the
fifth year after the declaration of the prophet - hood (615 AD).
Death: Died at the age of 18 in Medina on 13th Jumada ' l-ula 11
AH ( 632 AD); buried in the graveyard called Jannatul-Baqi in Medina.
HADRAT FATIMAH,
was the only daughter of the Holy Prophet and Hadrat khadijah. the
circumstances of her birth are described by Hadrat khadijah as follows:
At the time of the birth of Hadrat Fatimah, I sent for my neighboring
qurayshite women to assist me. They flatly refused, saying that I had
betrayed them by supporting Muhammad. I was perturbed for a while, when
, to my great surprise, I sighted four strange tall women with halos
around them , approaching me. Finding me dismayed, one of them addressed
me thus, " O Khadijah! I am Sarah, the mother of Ishaq, and the other
three are, Mary the mother of Christ, Asiyah the daughter of Muzahim,
and Umm kulthum, the sister of Moses. We have all been commanded by God
to put our nursing knowledge at your disposal." saying this, all of them
sat around me and rendered the services of midwifery till my daughter
Fatimah was born. The motherly blessings and affection received by
Hadrat Fatimah were only for five years, after which Hadrat Khadijah
left for her heavenly home . Hereafter the Holy Prophet brought her up.
* * *
Marriage:
When Fatimah come of age,
there come forward a number of aspirants to ask for her hand in
marriage. The Holy prophet was awaiting the Divine order in this
respect, till Imam ` Ali approached him and asked for her hand in
marriage. The Holy Prophet come to Hadrat Fatimah and asked, " My
daughter ! Do you consent to be wedded to ` Ali, as I am so commanded by
Allah ? " Hadrat Fatimah thereupon bowed her head in modesty. Umm
Salamah narrates: " The face of Fatimah bloomed with joy and her silence
was so suggestive and conspicuous that the Holy Prophet stood up
reciting ` Allahu Akbar' ( Allah is most great ) .
Fatimah's silence is her
acceptance." On Friday, l st. dhi'l - hijjah 2 A H , the marriage
ceremony took place. All the Muhajirun ( Emigrants) and Ansar ( Helpers)
of Medina assembled in the mosque while Imam ` Ali was seated before the
Holy Prophet with all the ceremonious modesty of a bridegroom. they Holy
Prophet first recited an eloquent sermon and them announced: I have been
commanded by Allah to get Fatimah wedded to ` Ali, and so I do hereby
solemnize the matrimony between ` Ali and Fatimah on a dower of four
hundred mithqal of silver. Then he asked Imam ` Ali, " Do you consent to
it, O `Ali ? " Yes, I do , O Holy Prophet of Allah! " replied Imam `
Ali. Then the Holy Prophet raised his hands to pray thus O my god !
bless both of them , sanctify their progeny and grant them the keys of
The beneficence, Thy treasures of wisdom and Thy genius; and let them be
a source of blessing and peace to my ummah. Her children; Imam Hasan,
Imam husayn, zaynab and um kultun, are well - known for their piety ,
goodness and generosity. Their strength of character and action changed
the course of history and fortified Islam which otherwise would have
been lost to mankind.
* * *
Her Ethical Attributes
Hardrat Fatimah inherited
the genius and wisdom, the determination and will - power, the piety and
sanctity, the generosity and benevolence, the devotion and worship of
Allah, the self - sacrifice and hospitality, the forbearance and
patience, and the knowledge and nobility of disposition of her
illustrious father , both in words and deeds. " I often witnessed my
mother, "says Imam Husayn, " absorbed in preayer from dusk to down. "Her
generosity and compassion for the poor was such that no destitute or
beggar ever returned from her door unattended.
* * *
The Property of Fadak
The Holy Prophet during
his lifetime gave Hadrat Fatimah a gift of very extensive from land ,
known as Fadak , which was documented in her name as her absolute
property. The death of the Holy Prophet affected her very much and she
was very sad and grief - stricken and wept her heart out crying all the
time . she was confronted, after the demise of her father, with the
deprivement of the rightful claim of leadership of her husband Imam `
Ali , and the usurpation of her inheritance, the Fadak. Throughout her
life, she never spoke to those who had oppressed her and deprived her of
her rightful claims. She requested that her oppressors should be kept
away even from attending her funeral. Her ill - wishers even resorted to
physical violence. Once the door of her house was pushed on her , and
the child she was carrying was hurt and the baby - boy was still born.
Her house was set on fire. Having been molested and strichen with grief,
which crossed all limits of forbearance and endurance , she expressed
her sorrows in and elegy composed by herself to mourn her father the
Holy Prophet. A couplet of the elegy, with particular reference to her
woeful plight, she expressed thus: O my father ! after your death I was
subjected to such tortures and tyranny that if they had been inflicted
on the `Day' , it would have turned into ` Night'.
* * *
Death
Hadrat Fatimah did not
survive more than seventy-five day after the demise of her father. she
breathed her last on the 13th jumada'l - ula 11 AH. Before her demise
she bequeathed the following as her will to Imam 'Ali: 1. O ` Ali, you
will personally perform my funeral rites. 2. Those who have displeased
my should not be allowed to attend my funeral. 3 .My corpse should be
carried to the graveyard at right. Thus Imam ` compliance with her will
, performed all the funeral rites and accompanied exclusively by her
relatives and sons carried her at night to Jannatu l-Baqi, where she was
laid to rest and her wishes fulfilled.
The Holy Prophet said:
"whoever injures (bodily
or sentimentally ) Fatimah, injures me ; and whoever injures me injures
Allah; and whoever injures Allah practices unbelief. O Fatimah ! If your
wrath is incurred, it incurs the wrath of Allah; and if you are happy,
it makes Allah happy too."
M.H. shakir writers:
Fatimah, the only daughter
of the Holy prophet of Islam, was born I Mecca on 20 Th. Jumada ' th -
thaniyah 18 BH. The good and noble lady Khadijah and the apostle of
Allah bestowed all their natural love, care and devotion on their
lovable and only child Fatimah, who in her turn was extremely fond of
her parents. The princess of the House of the Prophet, was very
intelligent, accomplished and cheerful. Her sermons, poems and sayings
serve, as an index to her strength of character and nobility of mind.
Her virtues gained her the title " Our Lady of light. she was tall,
slender and endowed with great beauty, which caused her to be called "
az - Zahra' " ( the Lady of Light). she was called az - Zahra' because
her light used to shine among those in Heaven. After arriving in Medina,
she was married to ` Ali , in the first year hijrah, and she gave birth
to three sons and two daughters. Her children, Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab and
umm kul-thum. are well - known for their piety , goodness and generosity
Their strength of chracter and actions changed the course of history.
The Holy Prophet said, " Fatimah is a peace of my heart". He would go
out to receive his doughtier whenever she come from her husband's house.
Every morning on his way
to the Mosque, he would pass by Fatimah's house and say: " as-salamu `
alaykum ya ahlul-Bayti`n-nubuwwah wa ma` dani ` r - risala " ( peace be
on you O the Household of prophet hood and the source of Messengership)
Fatimah is famous and acknowledged as the " sayyidatu 'n-nisa'i ' l-alamin
" ( Leader of all the women of the world for all times ) because the
Prophethood of Muhammad would not have been everlasting without her. The
Prophet is the perfect example for men, but could not be so for women.
For all the verses revealed in the Holy Qur'an for women, Fatimah is the
perfect model, who translated every year into action. In her lifetime,
she was a complete woman, being Daughter, wife and Mother at the some
time.
Muhammad during his
lifetime, gave Fatimah a gift of very extensive farm lands, famous as
Fadak, which were documented in her name, as her absolute personal
property. An heiress to the remainder of her mother`s wealth, a princess
who was the only daughter of the holy prophet who was also a ruler, a
lady whose husband was the conqueror of Arab tribes and second only to
her father in and position, Fatimah could have led a luxurious life. But
in spite of her wealth and possessions, she worked, dressed, ate and
lived very simply . she was very generous; and none who come to her
door, when away empty handed. Many times she gave away her all and
herself went without food. As a daughter, she loved her parents so much
, that she won their love and regard to such and extent that the Holy
prophet used to rise, whenever she come near him As a wife, she was very
devoted.
She never asked ` Ali for
anything in her whole life. As a mother , she cared for and brought up
wonderful children; they have lift their marks on the face of the world
, which time will not be able to eraze. The death of the Apostle,
affected her very much and she was very sad and grief- striken and wept
her heart out crying all the time. unfortunately, after the death of the
prophet, the government confiscated her famous land of Fadak and gave it
to the state. Fatimah was pushed behind her him door ( when they
attacked the house of ` Ali and took him to force him accept the
caliphate of Abu Baker), so that the child , she was carrying was hurt
and the baby boy Muhsin was still born.
Her house was set on fire
by the Government. The tragedy of her father's death and the unkindness
of her fathers`s followers, were too much for the good , gently and
sensitive lady and she breathed her last on 13 Th. Jumada ` l - ula 11
AH, exactly seventy - five days after the death of her father, the Holy
prophet of Islam. Fatimah died in the prime of her life at the age of
eighteen, and was buried in jannatu 'l-Baqi ` Medina. |