لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Luminous Points in the Life of
FATIMA AL-ZAHRA (A.S)
Talking about any aspect or any stage in Fatima's life cannot be separated
from those whom she lived with, or from the virtues and qualities that made
Fatima and the people who constituted her closest circle of relationships, the
most prominent humans in their values, knowledge, practice and nearness to
Allah, without preceding their Prophet (P.B.U.H) in any speech or action.
Talking about the young Fatima (A.S) leads us directly to mention her blessed
and noble origin, being the daughter of Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) the master of all
creations and Khadija (A.S), who was blessed by her Lord. Moreover, Fatima is
the only child horn to Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) after the advent of Islam.
On the other band, talking about Fatima (A.S.) as a wife is associated with
talking about her husband Ali Bin Abi Talib (A.S.); the Commandor of the
Faithful, and the Imam of the pious, the first beleiver and the staunchest
supporter of Allah and His Messenger.
Furthermore, talking about Fatima (A.S.) as a mother is inseparable from
talking about the Masters of Heaven's Youth, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussein (A.S.)
and their sister, Zeinab, The mother of calamities.
Fatima, the daughter acommpanied her father both with her mother and after
her death learning from his knowledge and strengthening her faith from his
practices. And Fatima the wife is an ideal and an example to all women, whether
as a wife or as a mother and educator of her children, or even in her patience,
which made her worthy of being called the Master of all women of the worlds.
To clarify all this it.is enough to shed the light on some glorious aspects
of her life, a life which might have been short if measured by time, but which
nonetheless was quite long and full if measured by the scale of virtues and
grace.
Fatima: The Mother of her Father:
If we want to set aside Fatima'smaternal and daughterly love to her father, Muhammad (P.B.U.H.), we have to
concentrate on how people pride themselves on being companions of the Messenger
of Humanity.
In this respect, Fatima (A.S.) is by far the closest Companion of her Father.
For she accompanied him since she was a little child in that prophetic happy
house that earned Allah's content, and she used to sleep and wake up on the
voices of people worshipping or reciting the Quran. Nothing used to disturb her
whether at day-time or at night except the voices of the unbelievers, annoying,
mocking and hurting the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) while performing his prayers at the
Ka'aba. Fatima used to rush to her Father, and wipe off the dust and blood,
sharing all what Muslims used to endure from the torture and the isolation
imposed by the Qurashites of Mecca.
When Khadijah was called away by her Lord, Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) and Fatima
(A.S.) were left to console each other. Then Prophet Muhammad immigrated to
Madina to please Allah and consolidate Islam in the town of the Supporters
(Al-Ansar). Fatima (A.S.), who used to accompany her Father (P.B.U.H.) wherever
he went, travelled to Yathrib to be with her father, and continued to learn from
his infinite knowledge. 'Aisha is reported to have said:
"I have seen nobody who resembles Allah's Messenger (P. B. U. H.) in his her
talk more than Fatima, when she came to see him, he used to welcome her, kiss
her hands and ask her to sit beside him. And when he came to visit her, she used
to stand up and rush to him. She would then welcome him and kiss his hands".
'Aisha said also: "No man was loved by Allah's Mesenger more than Ali and no
woman more than Fatima".
How could this be not the case, knowing that Fatima (A.S) was the rnost
abiding by the commandments of Allah, and the most committed to obey Allah and
His Messenger whether by learning from the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) or by respecting
and appreciating him.
Taking these facts into considerarion there could be no doubt that she is
worthy of being the master of all women of the worlds, as well as the
Messenger's high appreciation of his daughter. For each time Muhammad
(P.B.IJ.H.) returned home from any of his travels, he used to start by visiting
Fatima (A.S.) and stay for a long time with her. And he used to do the same
whenever he wanted to travel, except that in this case, visiting Fatima (A.S.)
was the last thing he would do.These visits were not made only because she was
his daughter, The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) also wanted to show her prestige and
standing, as well as those of her family members. How could it be otherwise,
when she only needed was the slightest hint to rush to her Father and seek to
satisfy him.
Allah's Messenger (P.B.U.H.) visited once his daughter Fatima, but when he
found her wearing a necklace, he turned away from her. Fatima (A.S.) took off
her necklace and her earings and sent them to her Father with a message saying:
"Give this for the cause of Allah" The Prophet said: "She has done it. May her
Father be her redemption (3 times). The Family 0! Muhammad has no concern in
anything in this world: They were born for the hereafter." Other sources have it
that he added: "These are the Members of my Family (Ah! El-Beit) and I do not
like them to enjoy the delights of this world"
This is Fatima the virtuous woman adhering to her Father's wishes, trying to
compensate for the loss of her mother, and showing all what he likes to see in
her whether morally and religiously, or with respect to obeyance and asceticism.
'Aisha is reported to have said: "I have seen no one more truthful than
Fatima except her Father"
The best description of Fatima (A.S.) was the one given by Imam Ali (A.S.)
when he was asked by the Prophet: "How did you find your wife?" Ali said: "She
provides the best help in obeying Allah"
Fatima's Worship:
Imam Hassan (A.S.) said: "I saw my mother praying oneFriday eve. She kept kneeling and prostrating until dawn. I also heard her
praying and invoking Allah for the sake of many beleivers. I went and asked her:
"Mother, why do not you pray for yourself just as you pray for others? She
answered me: O my son, thy neighbor comes before thy house [members]"
.
Al Hassan Al Basri said: "Nobody in this world worshipped [Allah] more than
Fatima who used to keep on praying until her feet were swollen"
Fatima as a wife and a mother: Patience and endurance:
A faithfulbeliever might not even tolerate the mention of the sufferings and the
calamities Fatima (A.S.) and her parents endured in Mecca, with all the cursing,
chasing casting stones, throwing dirt and various kinds of plots and torture.
Then there was the seige the conspiracy... the bitterness, of imigration and the
hardships and dangers they faced during the trip itself.
But what Fatima endured in Mecca was not enough, she had to start a new kind
of Jihad in Madina, especially after she was married to whom if it were not for
him there would be no equal for her on earth: her father's (P.B.U.H.) cousin;
Ali bin Abi Talib. While newly wedded women usually enjoy the warmth and the
settlement of marriage, Fatima (A.S.), who was a model and an example to all
Muslim women, had since the very beginning of her marriage, to find her
happiness in her husband's participation in Jihad (Holy War) with her Father
(P.B.U.H.). This meant that he had to be away for a long time. But Fatima was
quite contented with her husband's absence, and doing her best to educate the
children as Allah pleases. In short, she has become the highest ideal for Muslim
women in endurance, and obeyance of Allah.
On the other hand, Fatima (A.S.) tolerated both willingly and happily the
poverty of her husband. She had to live a life of need and want. Imam Ali once
asked her: "0 Fatima, do you have anything to eat?"
"By He who asserted your
right, we had nothing for the last three days".
The Messenger of Allah
(P.B.U.H.) once asked her: "Why is your face growing pale?",
"It is hunger"
She explained.
Nothing could have made Fatima (A.S.) endure this catastrophic situation if
it was not for her faith in Allah and her belief in the necessity of jihad for
His cause. Thus she became a partner of both her Father (P.B.U.H.) and her
husband (A.S.) in their rewards promised by Allah in the hereafter.
In
addition, Fatima (A.S.) was an ideal in her following of the will of Allah's
Messenger who said: "A woman's jihad is in being a good wife".
It is best to leave Imam Ali (A.S.) describe how she goes about in looking
after her house and children:
She turned the quern until she injured her
hand, and carried the skin until she hurt her back, and she swept the house
until her clothes were filled with dust, and she lit the fire until her clothes
were black and she herself was hurt".
This is Fatima, the mother, the wife
and the daughter and the maiden. AI-Truihi has attributed this name [The maiden]
to the sources that said that "she was called a maiden because she
dedicated herself to Allah, and because she was the most religious and
virtuous women of her nation".
