An Examination of the Sixteen Distinctive Virtues of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (Peace Be Upon Her)
The tenth of Rabi al-Thani marks the anniversary of the passing of the twenty-eight-year-old Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her). It is an appropriate opportunity to examine the personality of this noble lady of the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them) and to gain a deeper understanding of the dimensions of her spiritual personality. Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) possesses sixteen celestial and earthly characteristics. Understanding her celestial characteristics enables us to recognize her in the rank in which she truly stands, rather than merely placing her among the descendants of the Imams, and to properly understand the distance between ourselves and her.
The practical value of understanding these celestial characteristics lies in making them our own models and examples. By internalizing these qualities in our practical conduct, we can reduce the distance between ourselves and her and establish a closer spiritual relationship with her. With this approach, we shall examine her sixteen distinctive characteristics:
1. The Prophecy of Her Birth
The first celestial characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is the foretelling of her birth.
Although the births of several members of the Household of the Prophet (peace be upon them) had been foretold, the birth of Lady al-Ma’suma is distinctive in that it was foretold in considerable detail.
For example, regarding the birth of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him), it is narrated that fifty years before his birth, the Noble Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari:
“O Jabir, you will live long enough to meet my descendant Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn, who is known in the Torah as ‘al-Baqir.’ When you meet him, convey my greetings to him.”
After the Prophet’s passing, Jabir would sit in the Prophet’s Mosque, hoping to meet the fifth Imam and waiting for the appointed moment when he could convey the Prophet’s greetings. He would call out:
“O Baqir al-‘Ilm! O Baqir al-‘Ilm!”
“O one who splits open and reveals knowledge! O one who uncovers knowledge!”
The people of Medina, unaware of the secret behind his words, would say that Jabir was speaking incoherently because of his old age and weakened faculties.
Jabir would reply:
“No, by God, I am not speaking incoherently. Rather, I heard the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) say: ‘You will soon meet a man from my family whose name is my name and whose appearance resembles mine. He will uncover and penetrate the depths of knowledge.’”
Jabir lived to an advanced age. According to a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), one day Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) visited him and greeted him. Since Jabir was blind, he asked who had greeted him. The Imam replied, “Muhammad ibn Ali ibn al-Husayn.” Jabir said, “My son, come closer.” The Imam approached him. Jabir kissed his hand and threw himself at his feet, kissing them and saying:
“The Messenger of God has conveyed his greetings to you…”
From then on, Jabir would continually visit the Imam and benefit from his knowledge.
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 294)
Similarly, the birth of Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him) was foretold. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
“Al-Mahdi is from my descendants. His name is my name and his kunya is my kunya. He is the person most similar to me in appearance and character.”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 36, p. 309)
Among the descendants of the Imams, however, Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is distinctive in that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) foretold her birth approximately forty-five years before she was born, even describing the place where she would be buried. During a meeting with one of his companions, he said:
“Do not be surprised! This child is the daughter of my son Musa. God will grant me a daughter from him whose name will be Fatima. She will be buried in the land of Qom, and whoever visits her in Qom, Paradise will become obligatory for him.”
(Minhaj al-Dumu’, p. 441)
2. “A Scholar Who Was Not Taught”
The second celestial characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is that she was a “scholar who was not taught” (‘alima ghayr muta’allima).
Acquired knowledge normally requires teaching, education, and study. However, one of the distinctive characteristics of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) is that, because they are manifestations of the Divine Beautiful Names and manifestations of God’s attributes of majesty and beauty, their knowledge is of the nature of immediate and divinely bestowed knowledge.
Although Lady al-Ma’suma was neither a prophet nor an Imam, there are indications that even during her short life she had progressed so far on the spiritual path that she became a manifestation of the Divine Names. Thus, acquired knowledge for her had assumed the character of immediate and divinely bestowed knowledge. She possessed the personality of a “teacher who was not taught,” having mastery of knowledge without attending a school or being instructed by a teacher.
For this reason, it has been narrated from Ayatollah al-Mustambit, one of the renowned scholars of Najaf, that he said:
A narration in the manuscript Kashf al-La’ali, preserved in the Shushtari Library in Najaf, states that one day a group of Shiites went to Imam Musa al-Kazim (peace be upon him) to obtain answers to some of their questions. The Imam was away on a journey, so they wrote down their questions and handed them to members of his household, intending to receive the answers when he returned.
As they were preparing to leave, they saw that Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) had written answers to their questions and prepared them for them. They were delighted and took the answers.
On their way back, they encountered Imam Musa al-Kazim (peace be upon him) and related what had happened. The Imam asked to see the written answers. After reading them, he found Lady al-Ma’suma’s answers to be correct and said three times:
“May her father be sacrificed for her!”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 60, p. 228)
This event reportedly took place when Lady al-Ma’suma was still a child, approximately ten years old. The account brings to mind Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her), about whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) repeatedly said:
“May her father be sacrificed for her!”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 60, p. 228)
3. The Manifestation of Womanhood with an Islamic Identity
The third celestial characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her), which can serve as a model for women, is the manifestation of womanhood with an Islamic identity.
There have historically been different interpretations of womanhood, ranging from extremes to broader and narrower understandings.
One restrictive and rigid view holds that a woman was created merely to reproduce and has no social rights, and that she should never leave the confines of her home.
At the opposite extreme is an outlook influenced by certain Western interpretations, according to which a woman possesses complete freedom and may appear in society even to the point of immodesty.
Lady al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her), through her Islamic personality, presents a third understanding of women’s identity: a worthy woman is one whose participation in society does not compromise her modesty and chastity, while modesty and chastity do not prevent her from participating in society and fulfilling a social role.
These two dimensions can be reconciled when a woman participates in society in such a manner that her personality, rather than her physical and feminine features, becomes the focus of attention; and likewise, she should relate to men on the basis of their personalities rather than their physical features.
Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her), in response to the question of what characterizes a chaste woman, is reported to have said:
“The best of women are those who neither see men nor are seen by men.”
(Makarim al-Akhlaq, p. 230)
It was with this Islamic conception of womanhood that Lady al-Ma’suma, at the age of twenty-eight and while unmarried, set out with a caravan of men on a journey of approximately one thousand kilometers from Medina toward Tus in order to join her Imam. Her journey conveyed the message that a woman can be socially active while remaining chaste and properly veiled, and that modesty and chastity need not prevent a woman from having a social presence.
4. Loyalty to the Authority of the Imam
The fourth celestial characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her), which can serve as a model for all those who seek to follow her way in every age, is her loyalty to the authority of her Imam and her devotion to the Imam of her time.
This occurred under extremely difficult circumstances, when Imam Ali al-Rida (peace be upon him) was under attack from several directions.
On one side, the Waqifites denied his Imamate on the grounds that he had reached the age of forty-two without having a child, arguing that the line of Imamate had to continue through the Imam’s offspring.
On another side, some relatives of the Imam, influenced by the claims of the Waqifites, denied that Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (peace be upon him) was his son, arguing that he had a wheat-colored complexion unlike previous Imams. The dispute was eventually settled after an expert in physiognomy was brought in and testified regarding his lineage.
On a third front, another brother of Imam al-Rida, known as Zayd al-Nar (“Zayd the Fire”), accused him of compromise with the Abbasid caliph and launched a violent uprising, placing himself in competition with the Imam.
Meanwhile, al-Ma’mun accused Imam al-Rida of rebellion and summoned him to Marw.
In these circumstances, Lady al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) stood among the foremost examples of devotion to the authority of Imam al-Rida. She was so deeply attached to him that she could not bear their separation. She therefore undertook the arduous journey from Medina toward Marw in order to reach the Imam of her time and be in his presence.
5. Prioritizing the Affairs of Life
The fifth celestial characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is the proper prioritization of life’s affairs.
Marriage is an Islamic tradition that is strongly emphasized. The Qur’an commands:
“Marry off those among you who are single and the righteous among your male and female servants. If they are poor, God will enrich them out of His bounty. God is All-Encompassing, All-Knowing.”
(Qur’an 24:32)
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) also said:
“Marriage is my Sunnah; whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me.”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 93, p. 220)
Despite this strong emphasis, Lady al-Ma’suma, who was aware of this Islamic teaching, remained unmarried until the age of twenty-eight. Marriage did not become a priority in her life.
Researchers have proposed several explanations for this.
A. The Testament of Musa ibn Ja’far
The first possibility is that Imam Musa al-Kazim (peace be upon him) had instructed that his daughters should not marry.
Al-Ya’qubi writes:
“Musa ibn Ja’far had eighteen sons and twenty-three daughters…”
He then states that Musa ibn Ja’far had instructed his daughters not to marry and that none of them did so except Umm Salama, who married Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Ja’far ibn Muhammad in Egypt.
(Tarikh al-Ya’qubi, trans. Ayati, vol. 2, p. 421)
This report by al-Ya’qubi cannot be regarded as sound for two reasons.
First, such a testament would contradict the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Messenger of God, and the practice of the Imams of the Household of Purity. It is therefore difficult to attribute such an instruction to an Infallible Imam.
Second, the actual text of Imam Musa ibn Ja’far’s testament differs from what al-Ya’qubi claims. The testament states:
“I call them to witness that this is my testament … I have entrusted it to my son Ali … If any one of them wishes to marry his sister, he has no right to do so except with his permission and command … No one is to marry off my daughters—neither their brothers nor their mothers, nor any authority—except according to his opinion and consultation. If they do so, they have opposed God and His Messenger … If he wishes to marry them, he shall marry them; and if he wishes to leave them unmarried, he shall do so…”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 48, p. 276)
In this testament, Musa ibn Ja’far explicitly declares to his children that Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (peace be upon him) is the authority after him and that his sisters must obey him in all matters, including marriage. If Imam al-Rida considered a particular person suitable, they could marry that person, because he was more knowledgeable about the circumstances of marriage and the interests of the family.
Thus, the testament does not prohibit the daughters of Musa ibn Ja’far from marrying. Rather, it stipulates that their marriages should be supervised by Imam al-Rida.
(Hayat al-Imam Musa ibn Ja’far, vol. 2, p. 97)
B. The Absence of a Suitable Match
The second theory is that the daughters of Musa ibn Ja’far, particularly Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma, possessed such a high degree of virtue that no one of comparable standing could be found to marry them. Compatibility (kafa’a) is one of the considerations in marriage.
This theory, however, is also difficult to establish.
First, this was not the practice of the Imams of the Household. They did not keep their daughters unmarried simply because a person of equal social or spiritual standing could not be found. Rather, they regarded a believing man and a believing woman as suitable for one another.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) is reported to have said:
“When someone whose religion and trustworthiness you approve of proposes to your daughter, marry her to him. If you do not, great corruption and disorder will spread throughout the earth.”
(Muntakhab Mizan al-Hikma, p. 234)
Second, during the lifetime of Imam Musa al-Kazim there were worthy young men among the descendants of Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba, Imam al-Husayn, and among the Shiites who could have been suitable husbands.
C. Harun al-Rashid’s Repression and Insecurity
The third possibility is that the repression under Harun al-Rashid was so severe that people did not even dare to visit the house of Musa ibn Ja’far to ask religious questions, let alone establish regular relations with his family as sons-in-law.
Such a family connection could have provided Harun with grounds to harass and persecute them.
Although Harun sometimes presented himself as a religious man, he was also a ruthless ruler. One historian writes that Harun wept more than anyone else when listening to sermons, but when angry he was more tyrannical than anyone else.
(al-Aghani, vol. 5, p. 241)
Shiites lived under intense pressure during Harun’s caliphate. Figures such as Ali ibn Yaqtin practiced dissimulation, and even their smallest movements were monitored.
A famous example concerns a garment that Harun gave to Ali ibn Yaqtin. It was a special garment associated with the caliphs, and Ali ibn Yaqtin presented it to Musa ibn Ja’far. The Imam initially refused it and told him:
“Keep this garment and do not lose it, because you will need it in an event that will happen to you.”
Later, one of Ali ibn Yaqtin’s servants informed Harun that Ali had given the special garment to Musa ibn Ja’far. Harun immediately summoned him and questioned him about it. Ali replied that he had kept it in a bundle.
Harun ordered that it be brought immediately. When he saw the garment, he said:
“From now on, I will never believe the report of an informer against you.”
(al-Irshad, Shaykh al-Mufid, p. 293)
Such incidents demonstrate the extent to which the activities and contacts of Musa ibn Ja’far were monitored. His imprisonment also reduced the likelihood that anyone would propose marriage to his daughters.
After the Imam’s martyrdom, fear among the people increased, and Imam al-Rida was placed under surveillance. During al-Ma’mun’s reign, Imam al-Rida was summoned to Khurasan. One year later, Lady al-Ma’suma and several of her brothers traveled toward Khurasan. However, before reaching her brother, Lady al-Ma’suma passed away on the journey, and consequently she never married.
Therefore, the reason for the unmarried status of Lady al-Ma’suma and her sisters should not necessarily be sought in a paternal prohibition or the absence of suitable husbands. Rather, it can be understood in the context of the severe political repression under Harun and al-Ma’mun, which made regular contact with the family of Musa ibn Ja’far extremely dangerous.
Furthermore, the imprisonment and eventual martyrdom of Musa ibn Ja’far, together with Imam al-Rida’s forced departure to Khurasan and his separation from his sisters, contributed to the circumstances in which Lady al-Ma’suma remained unmarried.
6. Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma as a Manifestation of the Imams
The sixth characteristic of Lady Fatima al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is that she became a manifestation of the spiritual radiance associated with all the Infallible Imams.
Having experienced the presence of three Infallibles—Imam Musa ibn Ja’far, Imam al-Rida, and Imam al-Jawad (peace be upon them)—she attained such spiritual distinction that among the descendants of the Imams she became a comprehensive manifestation of the spiritual heritage of the Household.
The descendants of the Imams can be divided into four categories.
The first category: those who, despite being children of an Infallible Imam, failed for various reasons to benefit from that luminous spiritual environment and deviated from the path of divine authority.
Examples include Abdullah al-Aftah, the eldest son of Imam al-Sadiq, who claimed the Imamate, and Ja’far al-Kadhdhab, the son of Imam al-Hadi, who also claimed the Imamate and, according to some reports, was involved in moral corruption.
The second category: the majority of the descendants of the Imams. Although they did not attain the extraordinary prominence of certain others, they remained loyal to the path of Imamate and were respected and revered. Approximately six thousand such descendants are said to be buried throughout Iran.
The third category: those who achieved exceptional prominence and became centers of attention and pilgrimage, possessing domes and shrines; however, their shrines became associated primarily with the cities or regions in which they were buried.
Sayyid Muhammad, the son of Imam al-Hadi, in the town of Balad near Samarra, and Abd al-Azim al-Hasani in Ray are examples of this category.
The fourth category: those descendants of the Imams whose spiritual prominence was such that they became manifestations of the entire Household. Their shrines came to be regarded as sanctuaries of the entire Household, and visiting their shrines became associated with visiting the sanctuaries of the Ahl al-Bayt.
For this reason, Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) is reported to have said concerning Lady al-Ma’suma:
“Indeed, God has a sanctuary, and it is Mecca. The Messenger of God has a sanctuary, and it is Medina. The Commander of the Faithful has a sanctuary, and it is Kufa. Qom is the small Kufa. Indeed, Paradise has eight gates, three of which open toward Qom. A woman from my descendants named Fatima, the daughter of Musa, will be buried there, and through her intercession all my Shiites will enter Paradise.”
(Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 57, p. 228, hadith 59)
7. Insight and Spiritual Discernment
The seventh characteristic of Lady al-Ma’suma is insight, spiritual discernment, and awareness of circumstances.
A person who lacks such discernment may fail to accompany the Imam of his or her time.
Insight in determining one’s religious responsibility in changing circumstances has three levels.
The first level is the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood when the dust of turmoil rises and truth and falsehood stand against one another. People of insight recognize the truth and do not remain confused or hesitant.
The second level is the ability, after recognizing truth and falsehood, to correctly identify the time to support and accompany the truth. This prevents a person from falling into the error of the Tawwabun, who knew that Imam al-Husayn was on the side of truth and Yazid on the side of falsehood, yet miscalculated when it came to supporting Imam al-Husayn and sought to compensate only after it was too late.
The third level is the willingness to bear the cost of supporting truth, even at the expense of one’s life, wealth, children, and reputation.
Examples include Bilal and Abu Dharr in relation to the Prophet, and Qanbar, Maytham, Abdullah ibn Khabbab, Rashid al-Hijri, and Hujr ibn Adi in relation to Imam Ali. They sacrificed what they possessed in the path of divine authority.
What transformed Lady al-Ma’suma into a second Fatima was her insight in all three dimensions.
When the Waqifites created doubts and denied the Imamate of Imam al-Rida, she recognized the truth and never doubted his Imamate.
She did not remain behind when it came to supporting her Imam. Rather, she led a caravan toward Tus in order to join him. She was even willing to risk her life.
A woman undertook a dangerous journey accompanied by a group of men and, according to some reports, the caravan was ambushed by enemies near Saveh, resulting in the martyrdom of a number of her companions.
8. The Pinnacle of Spiritual Knowledge and Devotion
The eighth characteristic of Lady al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is profound spiritual knowledge and loving worship, through which she became distinguished among those devoted to God.
The share a worshipper derives from worship corresponds to the level of his or her knowledge, spiritual journey, understanding, and perception of worship.
Worshippers can therefore be divided into three categories.
The first category: people who have no deep understanding of the elevated and mystical meanings contained in acts and words of worship, such as prayer. Nevertheless, when they worship, they recognize that they are standing before a sacred and exalted Being.
They are like a student reading a paper before a distinguished person: even if the student does not understand all the concepts in the paper, he understands that he is standing before someone important.
The second category: people who not only understand that they are standing before a superior Being, but also perceive the philosophy behind each phrase and action of worship. They become immersed in the spiritual beauty of those words and actions, and their share consists in the spiritual pleasure they experience.
The third category: those who, in addition to the previous two stages, become so absorbed in contemplating God’s beauty and majesty during worship that their entire existence becomes an act of worship.
A Qudsi hadith states:
“My servant continues to draw near to Me through voluntary acts until I love him. When I love him, I become his hearing by which he hears, his sight by which he sees, his tongue by which he speaks, and his hand by which he strikes. If he calls upon Me, I answer him…”
(al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 352)
Lady al-Ma’suma’s seventeen-day period of retreat and worship in the neighborhood of Satiyah in Qom—now known as the “Worship Place of the Lady”—is regarded as having elevated her spiritually and sanctified her rank.
It is said that she attained such spiritual distinction and became the source of miracles that anyone intending to enter her shrine must approach her with spiritual purity; at the very least, one must perform ablution before entering.
Perhaps the secret behind the tradition that three of the eight gates of Paradise open toward Qom is precisely that, through the blessing of her presence, many people find a path toward Paradise.
9. A Blessed Presence on a Global Scale
The ninth characteristic of Lady al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is her blessed presence on a global scale.
Although she did not have a long earthly life, her life has had an extended and enduring influence on a global scale.
Because of her sincerity and spiritual distinction, from the time she was buried in Qom, her shrine became a center of attention for Shiite scholars and intellectuals. A religious seminary devoted to the study and research of Islamic sciences was established beside her shrine and burial place.
As this religious and academic center developed, it expanded both in the number of students studying religious sciences and in its research, publication, and dissemination of religious teachings throughout the world.
According to the author, during the past forty years, through the blessing of her presence, one of the descendants of the Messenger of God, Ayatollah Imam Ruhollah Khomeini—described here as an exceptional mystic, philosopher, jurist, and political leader—led the Islamic Revolution in Iran. In this interpretation, the revolution brought the long struggle of the Imams of the Household to fruition and established an Islamic political system in Iran.
According to this view, Qom subsequently became a center of international attention, and the Islamic Revolution and Shiite tradition became important points of reference in how Islam and Shiism were understood around the world.
10. A Lady Possessing Spiritual Miracles
The tenth characteristic of Lady al-Ma’suma (peace be upon her) is her status as a person to whom people turn for intercession and spiritual miracles (karamat).
A comprehensive explanation requires several points.
First
Although miracles associated with prophets and spiritual wonders (karamat) share the characteristic of being extraordinary, they differ in several respects.
Every person who possesses a prophetic miracle possesses divine grace, but not every person who possesses karamat is a prophet.
First, a prophetic miracle is associated with a claim to prophethood or Imamate. The possessor of the miracle performs an extraordinary act so that people may accept his claim. The Prophet brought the Qur’an so that people would recognize his prophethood. Imam Zayn al-Abidin, according to the cited account, called upon the Ka’bah to testify to his Imamate so that Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah would recognize his claim.
Second, a miracle is accompanied by a challenge (tahaddi). The Prophet challenged humanity:
“Then bring a surah like it.”
(Qur’an 2:23)
Likewise, Imam Zayn al-Abidin is reported to have told his uncle:
“If you are the Imam, ask the Ka’bah to testify to your Imamate.”
Third, a miracle is associated with guidance and religious proof. Prophets and Imams therefore actively guide people, whereas karamat generally occurs in a context in which people already recognize the spiritual status of the person and turn to him or her in difficult circumstances seeking divine assistance.
Second
The ultimate source of a miracle is God. When God appoints a servant to deliver a divine message, He grants that servant extraordinary authority so that people may recognize the truth of his mission.
In the case of karamat, however, a servant may attain such closeness to God through spiritual discipline and devotion that he becomes
