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Chapter 14Epilogue
Fatima lived like this and died
like this. After her death, she began a new life in history. Fatima appears as
a halo in the visages of all of the oppressed who later become the multitudes
of Islam. All of the usurped, extorted, oppressed, sufferers, all of those
whose rights have been destroyed and sacrificed by pressure and have been
deceived, had the name of Fatima as their slogan.
The memory of Fatima grew with
the love, emotions and wonderful faith of the men and women, who throughout
the history of Islam, fought for freedom and justice. Throughout the
.centu,ries they were nourished under the merciless and bloody lashes of the
Caliphates. Their cries and anger grew and overflowed from their wounded
hearts.
This is why in the history of all
Moslem nations and among the deprived masses of the Islamic community, Fatima
is the source of the inspiration for freedom, the desire of that which is a
right, the seekers of justice, the resisters of oppression, cruelty, crime and
discrimination.
It is most difficult to speak
about the personality of Fatima. Fatima is the woman that Islam wants a woman
to be. The concept of her visage is painted by the Prophet himself. He melted
her and made her pure in the fire of difficulties, poverty, resistance, deep
understanding and the wonder of humanity.
She is a symbol in all the various dimensions of being a woman.
The symbol of a daughter when facing her father.
The symbol of a wife when facing her husband.
The symbol of a mother when facing her children.
The symbol of a responsible,
fighting woman when facing her time and the fate of her society.
She herself is an Imam, a guide,
that is, an outstanding example of someone to follow, an ideal type of woman
and one who bears witness to any woman who wishes to 'become herself' through
her own choice.
She answers the question of how
to be a woman with her wonderful childhood, her constant struggling and resisting
on two fronts, inside and out, in the home of her father, in the home of her
husband, in her society, in her thoughts and behaviour and in her life.
I do not know what to say. I have
said a great deal. Still much remains unsaid.
In the expression of all of the
amazing aspects of the great spirit of Fatima, that which causes the most
wonder in me, is this that Fatima is the traveling companion, steps in the same
steps, flies together with the great spirit of Ali, through the ascension of
humanity towards completeness and the stages of the descent of the spirit and
the psyche.
She was not just a wife to Ali.
Ali looked upon her as a friend, a friend who was familiar with his pains and
his great wishes. She was his endless refuge, the one who listened to his
secrets. She was the only companion of his loneliness. This is why Ali looked
at her with another look and also at her children.
After Fatima, Ali took other
wives and he had children from them. But from the beginning, he separates the
children who were from Fatima from his other children. The latter are called
'Banff Ali',[that is, sons of Ali] and the former, 'Banff Fatima' [the children
of Fatima].
Isn't it strange! When face to face with their father, and
he, Ali, the children are related to Fatima. And we saw that the Prophet also
saw her with different eyes. From among all of his daughters he would only
discipline Fatima. He only relies upon her. From an early age, she accepted the
great invitation.
I do not know what to say about
her. How to say it? I wanted to imitate the French writer who was speaking one
day in a conference about the Virgin Mary. He said, 'For 1700 years all of the
speakers have spoken of Mary. For 1700 years, ail philosophers and thinkers of
various nations of the East and West have spoken of the values of Mary. For
1700 years, the poets of the world have expressed all of their creative efforts
and power in their praise of Mary. For 1700 years, all of the painters and
artists have created wonderful works of art showing the visage and states of
Mary. But the totality of all that has been said, thought and the efforts of
all the artist throughout all of these many centuries were not able to
sufficiently describe the greatness of Mary as these words, 'Mary was the
mother of Jesus Christ'.'
And I wanted to begin in this
manner with Fatima. I got stuck. I wished to say, 'Fatima is the daughter of
the great Khadijeh.' I sensed it is not Fatima. I wished to say, 'Fatima is the
daughter of Mohammad (s).' I sensed it is not Fatima. I wished to say,
'Fatima is the wife of Ali (a).' I sensed it is not Fatima. I wished to
say, 'Fatima is the mother of Hasan and Hosein.' I sensed it is not Fatima. I
wished to say, 'Fatima is the mother of Zainab.' I still sensed it is not
Fatima.
No, these are all true and none
of them are Fatima. FATIMA IS
FATIMA.
