Head of the Women of Mankind

 

What is evident is that discerning, providing an ideological restriction, or issuing verdicts does not grant the verdict, the ideology or the restriction strength or firmness in the hearts as much as done when it is personified and formed into a living and moving reality. This is so because the rational or instinctive evidence, for example, may not convince someone or takes hold of him. But the personification of an ideology makes one pleased and overwhelmed thereby, feeling contended and satisfied with it, following in the principle of the Qur’anic verse saying, “He said: What! And do you not believe?! He said: Yes, but so that my heart may be at ease” (Qur’an, 2:260).

Mental, rational and practical satisfaction is based on clear and sufficient evidence free from any shortcoming or defect. But the soul’s tranquility may need a personification of the idea in the outside world so that the psychological tranquility may be in sync with the firm mental, rational and intellectual conviction so that they may both be the rich fountainhead of feelings and emotions.

Al-Zahra’ (A.S.) was the very first woman in whom the role model and the most exemplary conduct for all women of the world were personified. This happened after humanity marched a great deal. During such march, many women achieved perfection till Fatima (A.S.) became the pinnacle of such perfection. Just as perfect man was first personified in Adam (A.S.) so that it would be a living reality, a man living his well-balanced humanity wherein nothing happens arbitrarily, a humanity that he lived in all its characteristics and attributes, sincerity, purity and energy in reason, intellect, conduct, wisdom, and management, so much so that he became the role model of all human beings. He was Adam the prophet and the man, not Adam the dust. Rather, the dust that became a perfect human being in the true sense of the word.

The march for humanity’s perfection went on; therefore, many prophets (A.S.) were perfect human beings, and many women achieved perfection, too, such as Asiya daughter of Muzahim, Maryam (Mary) and Khadija (A.S.). Then perfection reached the highest of pinnacles in the person of the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) the man, and in al-Zahra’ (A.S.) the woman. Whims and desires, ambitions and instincts, as well as challenges, etc. could not prohibit man from personifying his humanity, live a life of conviction, the life of complete perfection and peace, not the one of environmental or social pressures

Humans’ role models were those models that stood before them and were able to convince man that he has to defy, to face, and to tread his path forcefully, and that he could also win victory so long as his highest examples are the Prophet (A.S.) and the walis, starting from Adam and ending with the Messenger of Allah (A.S.) and his purified progeny. He does not only receive from them an ideology, he sees the movement and the stand in the Messenger, the wasi and the wali. He, therefore, was not satisfied with just bidding or forbidding, as in the verse saying, “... whatever the Messenger give you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back” (Qur’an, 59:7). Rather, He went beyond it to say, “Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exemplar for him who hopes in Allah and the latter day and remembers Allah much” (Qur’an, 33:21). He (God) shows him the movement, the stand and the purity personified before him in the person of the Prophet and the wasi and in women who faced the greatest trials and tribulations such as Pharaoh’s wife and al-Zahra’, Fatima (A.S.) who had to face people’s deviation from the right course. She faced hardship and oppression. And so is the case of Maryam daughter of `Imran who had to face pressures around her in matters that were most sensitive to woman’s gender in general.