Hadeeth Al-Kisaa' (Story of the Cloak)

One day, my dear Father, The Holy Prophet of Allah (s), came to my house and said to me:
Peace be upon you, O Fatima.

I replied: And upon you be peace.

He said: I feel some weakness in my body.

I said: May Allah protect you from your weakness, O my Father.

He said: O Fatima, please bring me, the Vestment of Yemen and cover me with it.

So, I brought my Father, the Vestment of Yemen and covered him with it. Then I looked at him and saw that his face was shining with the glow of a full white moon, and with the moon's full glory and splendour.

After a while my son Hasan came in and said: Peace be upon you, my mother.

I replied: And upon you be peace, O, the light of my eyes and the happiness of my heart.

He then said: Mother! I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure, as that of my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah.

I replied: Yes. Indeed your Grandfather is sitting underneath that Vestment.

Hasan went near to the Vestment and said: Peace be upon you my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah. Will you permit me to enter the Vestment with you?.

He replied: And upon you be peace, my son and the master of my fountain, I grant you permission to enter under the Vestment with me.

So Hasan entered and sat under the Vestment with my Father.

After a while my son Hussain came in and said: Peace be upon you, my mother.

I replied: And upon you be peace, O, the light of my eyes and happiness of my heart.

He then said: Mother I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure as that of my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah.

I replied: Yes. Indeed your Grandfather and your brother are both sitting covered underneath that Vestment.

Hussain approached the Vestment and said: Peace be on you, O my Grandfather, The Chosen of Allah, do you allow me to enter the Vestmentwith both of you.

He replied: And upon you be peace, my son and intercessor of my followers, I so grant you permission.

So Hussain entered and sat under the Vestment with them.

After a while Abu al-Hasan, came in and said: Peace be on you, O daughter of The Prophet of Allah.

I replied: And upon you be peace, O Abu al-Hasan, the Commander of the Faithfulls.

He then said: O Fatima I smell a sweet fragrance and so pure which is like of my Brother and my Cousin, The Holy Prophet of Allah.

I replied: Yes. He is sitting covered underneath that Vestment with both of your sons.

Ali then went near to the Vestment and said: Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah; May I enter the Vestment with You?

He replied: And upon you be peace, my brother, my legatee, my successor and my standard bearer; I give you permission to enter."

So Ali entered under the Vestment with them.

Then I myself approached the group sitting underneath the Vestment and requested.

Peace be onto you, my Father, O Prophet of Allah; do you permit me also to enter.

He replied: And upon you be peace, my daughter, O part of myself, I give you permission to enter.

So I myself entered and sat under the Vestment with them all.

When all of us had gathered together covered over and sitting underneath the holy Vestment, my Father, took hold of the two ends of the Vestment and raised his right hand in Prayer towards The Heavens saying, Allah, these are The People of my Ahlul-Bayt and very specially my Own and my Protectors. They are of my own flesh and of my own blood. Whoever gives them trouble, gives me trouble too; whoever makes them unhappy, makes me unhappy too, I am at war with those who are at war with them, I am at peace with those who are at peace with them. I am the enemy of those who are at enemy with them; I am the friend of those who befriend them. Indeed they are from me, and I am from them. Therefore, send Thy blessings, mercy, forgiveness, and pleasure upon me and upon them. Remove all blemish from them and keep away all kinds of impurity from them.

Then Allah The Majestic and The Glorified, spoke to His Angels "O my Angels and resdents of my Heavens, verily, I have not created the erected Sky, the spreaded Earth, the illuminated Monn, the bright Sun, the rotating Universe, the flowing Seas, and the sailing ships, but for the love of the Five Souls sitting beneath this Vestment."

Then The Archangel Jibraeell, the Trusted One, asked Allah. O Lord, who are these sitting covered under the Vestment? Allah, The Majestic, The Glorified, answered: "They are the Household of The Prophet and the line of prophethood through Fatima, his duaghter, her husband and her two sons.

The Archangel Jibraeell then requested, O Lord, may I go down, and be the Sixth of Them?

Allah replied: Yes, I grant you permission to do so."

The Archangel Jibraeel Al-Ameen, decended down to the Earth and said: Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah. The All Highest conveys His peace on you and His salutation, and He has sworn by His Honour and Glory that He has not created, but the erected Sky, the spread Earth, the illuminated Moon, the bright Sun, the rotating Universe, the flowing Seas, and the sailing Ships but for your sake and your love. God has given me permission to enter and sit with all of you underneath the Vestment. Do you also grant me that permission, O Prophet of Allah?

The Prophet replied: And upon you be peace, O thou who art the Trusted with The Revelations of Allah; yes I grant you permission to enter.

So The Archangel Jibraeell entered and sat beneath the Vestment with us all, and said to my Father that indeed Allah has sent this revelation to you;

"Verily Allah desires to remove all blemish from you, O Ahlul-Bayt, and to purify you with a perfect purification."

Then Ali asked my father: O Prophet of Allah what significance does Allah attach to this Event of our sitting gathered together underneath this Vestment?

The Prophet replied: I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger, that no assembly, wherever this Event is narrated by our followers and devotees, shall remain without the Mercy of Allah decending on them, and encircling Angels as king Allah for the remission of their sins till the assembly has dispersed."

Ali then exclaimed, I swear by Allah the Lord of The Ka'ba, that we have all succeeded and our all followers have succeded too.

Again The Prophet said: I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger that in any of the assemblies on the Earth, in which our followers and friends have gathered, wherever this Event is narrated there shall remain none grieved, but Allah will remove his grief ; there shall be none distressed, but Allah will dispell his distress, and there shall be none who seeks a wish, but Allah will grant his wish.

Ali then said: Verily, by Allah, We have succeeded and become happy so also all our followers have succeeded and become happy in this world as well as in the next world by the Lord of The Ka'ba. O Allah, send Thy Blessings on to Mohammed and The Descendents of Mohammed.