Luminous Points in the Life of Fatima Al Zahra AS

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 born 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`s maternal 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 one Friday 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]”
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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 faithful believer 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”.