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| Illustration Only: Fatimah Az Zahra RA -The Queen of Jannah |
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was the fifth child of Rasulullah SAW and Saidatuna Khadijah RA. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was born at a time when her noble father had begun to spend long periods in the solitude of mountains around Makkah, meditating and reflecting on the great mysteries of creation.
This was the time, before the Bithah, when her eldest sister Saidatuna Zainab RA was married to her cousin, al-Aas ibn ar Rabiah. Followed by marriage of her two other sisters, Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA and Saidatuna Umm Kulthum RA, to the sons of Abu Lahab, a paternal uncle of Rasulullah SAW. Both Abu Lahab and his wife Umm Jamil turned out to be flaming enemies of Rasulullah SAW from the very beginning of his dakwah mission.
The little Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA thus saw her sisters leave home one after the other to live with their husbands. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was too young to understand the meaning of marriage and the reasons why her sisters had to leave home. She loved them dearly and was sad and lonely when they left. It is said that a certain silence and painful sadness came over her then.
Of course, even after the marriage of her sisters, she was not alone in the house of her parents. Barakah (Umm Aiman), the maid-servant of Aminah, Rasulullah’s mother, who had been with Rasulullah SAW since his birth, Zaid ibn Harithah RA, and Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA, the young son of Abu Talib were all part of Rasulullah's household at this time. And of course there was her loving mother, the lady Saidatuna Khadijah RA.
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In her mother and in Barakah (Umm Aiman), Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA found a great deal of solace and comfort in Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA, who was about two years older than she is. She found a "brother" and a friend who somehow took the place of her own brother al-Qasim who had died in his infancy. Her other brother Abdullah, known as the Good and the Pure, who was born after her, also died in his infancy. However in none of the people in her father's household did Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA find the carefree joy and happiness which she enjoyed with her sisters. Fatimah Al Zahra RA was an unusually sensitive child for her age.
When Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was five, she heard that her father had become Rasul of Allah, the Messenger of God. Rasulullah SAW first task was to convey the good news of Islam to his family and close relations. They were to worship Allah Almighty alone. Her mother, who was a tower of strength and support, explained to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA what her father had to do. From this time on, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA became more closely attached to him and felt a deep and abiding love for him. Often Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA would be at his side walking through the narrow streets and alleys of Makkah, visiting the Kaabah or attending secret gatherings of the early Muslims who had accepted Islam and pledged allegiance to Rasulullah SAW
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One day, when Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was not yet ten, she accompanied her father to the Kaabah. He stood in the place known as Al-Hijr facing the Kaabah and began to pray. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA stood by the side of Rasulullah. A group of Quraish, by no means well-disposed to Rasulullah SAW, gathered around him. They included Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, Rasulullah’s uncle, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and Shaybah and Utbah, sons of Rabi'ah. Menacingly, the group went up to Rasulullah SAW and Abu Jahl, the ringleader, asked:
"Which of you can bring the entrails of a slaughtered animal and throw it on Muhammad?"
Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, one of the vilest of the lot, volunteered and hurried off. He returned with the obnoxious filth and threw it on the shoulders of Rasulullah SAW, while he was still prostrating. Abdullah ibn Masud RA, a companion of Rasulullah SAW, was present but he was powerless to do or say anything.
Imagine the feelings of Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA as she saw her father being treated in this fashion. What could she, a girl not ten years old, do? She went up to her father and removed the offensive matter and then stood firmly and angrily before the group of Quraish thugs and lashed out against them. Not a single word did they say to her. The noble Rasulullah SAW raised his head on completion of the prostration and went on to complete the Solah. Rasulullah SAW then said: "O Allah, may you punish the Quraish!" and repeated this imprecation three times. Then he continued:
"May You punish Utbah, Uqbah, Abu Jahl and Shaybah." (These whom he named were all killed many years later at the Battle of Badr)
On another occasion, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was with Rasulullah SAW as he made; tawaf around the Kaabah. A Quraish mob gathered around him. They seized him and tried to strangle him with his own clothes. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA screamed and shouted for help. Saidina Abu Bakr RA rushed to the scene and managed to Rasulullah SAW. While Saidina Abu Bakr RA was doing so, he pleaded: "Would you kill a man who says, 'My Lord is Allah?'" Far from giving up, the mob turned on Saidina Abu Bakr RA and began beating him until blood flowed from his head and face.
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Such scenes of vicious opposition and harassment against her father and the early Muslims were witnessed by the young Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA. She did not meekly stand aside but joined in the struggle in defense of her father and his noble mission. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was still a young girl and instead of the cheerful romping, the gaiety and liveliness which children of her age are and should normally is accustomed to, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had to witness and participates in such ordeals.
Certainly, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was not alone in this. The whole of Rasulullah’s family suffered from the violent and mindless Quraish. Her sisters, Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA and Saidatuna Umm Kulthum RA also suffered. They were living at this time in the very nest of hatred and intrigue against Rasulullah SAW. Their husbands were Utbah and Utaybah, sons of Abu Lahab and Umm Jamil. Umm Jamil was known to be a hard and harsh woman who had a sharp and evil tongue. It was mainly because of her that Saidatuna Khadijah RA was not pleased with the marriages of her daughters to Umm Jamil's sons in the first place. It must have been painful for Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA and Saidatuna Umm Kulthum RA to be living in the household of such inveterate enemies who not only joined but led the campaign against their father.
As a mark of disgrace to Rasulullah SAW and his family, Utbah and Utaybah were prevailed upon by their parents to divorce their wives. This was part of the process of ostracizing Rasulullah SAW totally. Rasulullah SAW in fact welcomed his daughters back to his home with joy, happiness and relief.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, no doubt, must have been happy to be with her sisters once again. They all wished that their eldest sister, Saidatuna Zainab RA, would also be divorced by her husband. In fact, the Quraish brought pressure on Abu-l Aas to do so but he refused. When the Quraish leaders came up to him and promised him the richest and most beautiful woman as a wife should he divorce Zainab, he replied:
"I love my wife deeply and passionately and I have a great and high esteem for her father even though I have not entered the religion of Islam."
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Both Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA and Saidatuna Umm Kulthum RA were happy to be back with their loving parents and to be rid of the unbearable mental torture to which they had been subjected in the house of Umm Jamil. Shortly afterwards, Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA married again, to the young and shy Saidina Uthman ibn Affan RA who was among the first to have accepted Islam. They both left for Abyssinia and among the first Muhajirin who sought refuge in that land and stayed there for several years. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was not to see Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA again until after their mother (Saidatuna Khadijah RA) had died.
The persecution of Rasulullah SAW, his family and his followers continued and even became worse after the migration of the first Muslims to Abyssinia. In about the seventh year of his mission, Rasulullah SAW and his family were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in a rugged little valley enclosed by hills on all sides and defile, which could only be entered from Makkah by a narrow path.
To this arid valley, Rasulullah SAW and the clans of Banu Hashim and al-Muttalib were forced to retire with limited supplies of food. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was one of the youngest members of the clans -just about twelve years old - and had to undergo months of hardship and suffering. The wailing of hungry children and women in the valley could be heard from Makkah. The Quraish allowed no food and contact with the Muslims whose hardship was only relieved somewhat during the season of pilgrimage. The boycott lasted for three years. When it was lifted, Rasulullah SAW had to face even more trials and difficulties. Khadijah, the faithful and loving, died shortly afterwards. With her death, Rasulullah SAW and his family lost one of the greatest sources of comfort and strength which had sustained them through the difficult period. The year in which the noble Khadijah, and later Abu Talib, died is known as the Year of Sadness. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, now a young lady, was greatly distressed by her mother's death. She wept bitterly and for some time was so grief-stricken that her health deteriorated. It was even feared she might die of grief.
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Although her older sister, Umm Kulthum, stayed in the same household, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA realized that she now had a greater responsibility with the passing away of her mother. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA felt that she had to give even greater support to her father. With loving tenderness, she devoted herself to looking after his needs. So concerned was she for his welfare that she came to be called "Umm Abi-ha the mother of her father". She also provided him with solace and comfort during times of trial, difficulty and crisis.
Often the trials were too much for her. Once, about this time, an insolent mob heaped dust and earth upon his gracious head. As he entered his home, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA wept profusely as she wiped the dust from her father's head.
"Do not cry, my daughter," he said, "for God shall protect your father." Rasulullah SAW had a special love for Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA Fatimah. He once said: "Whoever pleased Fatimah has indeed pleased God and whoever has caused her to be angry has indeed angered God. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA Fatimah is a part of me. Whatever pleases her pleases me and whatever angers her angers me."
Rasulullah SAW also said: "The best women in all the world are four: the Virgin Mary, Aisyah the wife of Pharoah, Khadijah Mother of the Believers, and Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, daughter of Muhammad." Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA thus acquired a place of love and esteem in Rasulullah SAW’s heart that was only occupied by his wife Khadijah.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, may God be pleased with her, was given the title of "Az-Zahra" which means "the Resplendent One". That was because of her beaming face which seemed to radiate light. It is said that when she stood for Prayer, the mihrab would reflect the light of her countenance. She was also called "al-Batul" because of her asceticism. Instead of spending her time in the company of women, much of her time would be spent in Salat, in reading the Quran and in other acts of ibadah.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had a strong resemblance to her father, Rasulullah SAW. Aisyah, the wife of Rasulullah SAW, said of her: "I have not seen any one of God's creation resemble Rasulullah SAW more in speech, conversation and manner of sitting than Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, may God be pleased with her. When Rasulullah SAW saw her approaching, he would welcome her, stand up and kiss her, take her by the hand and sit her down in the place where he was sitting." She would do the same when Rasulullah SAW came to her. She would stand up and welcome him with joy and kiss him.
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Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA’s fine manners and gentle speech were part of her lovely and endearing personality. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was especially kind to poor and indigent folk and would often give all the food she had to those in need even if she herself remained hungry. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had no craving for the ornaments of this world or the luxury and comforts of life. She lived simply, although on occasion as we shall see circumstances seemed to be too much and too difficult for her.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA inherited from her father a persuasive eloquence that was rooted in wisdom. When she spoke, people would often be moved to tears. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had the ability and the sincerity to stir the emotions, move people to tears and fill their hearts with praise and gratitude to God for His grace and His inestimable bounties.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA migrated to Madinah a few weeks after Rasulullah SAW did. She went with Zaid ibn Harithah who was sent by Rasulullah SAW back to Makkah to bring the rest of his family. The party included Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA and Umm Kulthum, Saudah, the Prophet's wife, Zaid’s wife Barakah and her son Usamah. Travelling with the group also were Abdullah the son of Saidina Abu Bakr RA who accompanied his mother and his sisters, Saidatuna Aisyah RA and Saidatuna Asma RA.
In Madinah, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA lived with her father in the simple dwelling he had built adjoining the mosque. In the second year after the Hijrah, she received proposals of marriage through her father, two of which were turned down. Then Saidina Ali RA, the son of Abu Talib, plucked up courage and went to Rasulullah SAW to ask for her hand in marriage. In the presence of Rasulullah SAW, however, Ali became over-awed and tongue-tied. He stared at the ground and could not say anything. Rasulullah SAW then asked: "Why have you come? Do you need something?" Saidina Ali RA still could not speak and then Rasulullah SAW suggested: "Perhaps you have come to propose marriage to Fatimah."
"Yes," replied Saidina Ali RA. At this, according to one report, Rasulullah SAW said simply: "Marhaban wa ahlan - Welcome into the family," and this was taken by Saidina Ali RA and a group of Ansar who were waiting outside for him as indicating Rasulullah SAW approval. Another report indicated that Rasulullah SAW approved and went on to ask Saidina Ali RA if he had anything to give as mahr. Saidina Ali RA replied that he didn't. Rasulullah SAW reminded him that he had a shield which could be sold.
Saidina Ali RA sold the shield to Uthman for four hundred dirhams and as he was hurrying back to Rasulullah SAW to hand over the sum as mahr, Uthman stopped him and said:
"I am returning your shield to you as a present from me on your marriage to Fatimah." Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA Fatimah and Saidina Ali RA were thus married most probably at the beginning of the second year after the Hijrah. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was about nineteen years old at the time and Saidina Ali RA was about twenty one. Rasulullah SAW himself performed the marriage ceremony. At the walimah, the guests were served with dates, figs and hais ( a mixture of dates and butter fat). A leading member of the Ansar donated a ram and others made offerings of grain. All Madinah rejoiced.
On her marriage, Rasulullah SAW is said to have presented Fatimah and Saidina Ali RA with a wooden bed intertwined with palm leaves, a velvet coverlet, a leather cushion filled with palm fibre, a sheepskin, a pot, a water skin and a quern for grinding grain.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA left the home of her beloved father for the first time to begin life with her husband. Rasulullah SAW was clearly anxious on her account and sent Saidatuna Barakah RA with her should she be in need of any help. And no doubt Barakah was a source of comfort and solace to her. Rasulullah SAW prayed for them:
"O Lord blesses them both, bless their house and bless their offspring." In Ali's humble dwelling, there was only a sheepskin for a bed. In the morning after the wedding night, Rasulullah SAW went to Saidina Ali RA’s house and knocked on the door.
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Saidatuna Barakah RA came out and Rasulullah SAW said to her: "O Umm Aiman (Saidatuna Barakah), call my brother for me."
"Your brother? That's the one who married your daughter?" asked Barakah somewhat incredulously as if to say: Why should Rasulullah SAW call Saidina Ali RA his "brother"? (He referred to Saidina Ali RA as his brother because just as pairs of Muslims were joined in brotherhood after the Hijrah, so Rasulullah SAW and Saidina Ali RA were linked as "brothers".)
Rasulullah SAW repeated what he had said in a louder voice. Saidina Ali RA came and Rasulullah SAW made a du'a, invoking the blessings of God on him. Then he asked for Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA came almost cringing with a mixture of awe and shyness and the Prophet said to her:
"I have married you to the dearest of my family to me." In this way, he sought to reassure her. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was not starting life with a complete stranger but with one who had grown up in the same household, who was among the first to become a Muslim at a tender age, who was known for his courage, bravery and virtue, and whom the Prophet described as his "brother in this world and the hereafter".
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA 's life with Saidina Ali RA was as simple and frugal as it was in her father's household. In fact, so far as material comforts were concerned, it was a life of hardship and deprivation. Throughout their life together, Saidina Ali RA remained poor because he did not set great store by material wealth. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was the only one of her sisters who was not married to a wealthy man.
In fact, it could be said that Fatimah's life with Saidina Ali RA was even more rigorous than life in her father's home. At least before marriage, there were always a number of ready helping hands in Rasulullah SAW household. But now she had to cope virtually on her own. To relieve their extreme poverty, Ali worked as a drawer and carrier of water and she as a grinder of corn. One day she said to Ali: "I have ground until my hands are blistered."
"I have drawn water until I have pains in my chest," said Saidina Ali RA and went on to suggest to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA: "God has given your father some captives of war, so go and ask him to give you a servant."
Reluctantly, she went to Rasulullah SAW who said: "What has brought you here, my little daughter?" "I came to give you greetings of peace," Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA said, for in awe of him she could not bring herself to ask what Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had intended.
"What did you do?" asked Saidina Ali RA when Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA returned alone.
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"I was ashamed to ask him," Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA said. So the two of them went together Rasulullah SAW felt they were less in need than others.
"I will not give to you," he said, "and let the Ahl as-Suffah (poor Muslims who stayed in the mosque) be tormented with hunger. I have not enough for their keep..."
Saidina Ali RA and Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA returned home feeling somewhat dejected but that night, after they had gone to bed, they heard the voice of Rasulullah SAW asking permission to enter. Welcoming him, they both rose to their feet, but he told them:
"Stay where you are," and sat down beside them. "Shall I not tell you of something better than that which you asked of me?" he asked and when they said yes he said: "Words which Jibril taught me, that you should say "Subhaan Allah- Glory be to God" ten times after every Prayer, and ten times "AI hamdu lillah - Praise be to God," and ten times "Allahu Akbar - God is Great." And that when you go to bed you should say them thirty-three times each."
Saidina Ali RA used to say in later years: "I have never once failed to say them since Rasulullah SAW taught them to us."
There are many reports of the hard and difficult times which Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA had to face. Often there was no food in her house. Once Rasulullah SAW was hungry. Rasulullah SAW went to one after another of his wives' apartments but there was no food. He then went to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA’s house and she had no food either. When he eventually got some food, he sent two loaves and a piece of meat to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA. At another time, he went to the house of Abu Ayub al-Ansari and from the food he was given, he saved some for her. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA also knew that the Prophet was without food for long periods and she in turn would take food to him when she could. Once she took a piece of barley bread and he, said to her: "This is the first food your father has eaten for three days."
Through these acts of kindness she showed how much she loved her father; and he loved her, really loved her in return.
Once Rasulullah SAW returned from a journey outside Madinah. Rasulullah SAW went to the mosque first of all and prayed two rakaats as was his custom. Then, as Rasulullah SAW often did, he went to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA’s house before going to his wives. Fatimah welcomed him and kissed his face, his mouth and his eyes and cried. "Why do you cry?" the Prophet asked. "I see you, O Rasul Allah," she said, "Your color is pale and sallow and your clothes have become worn and shabby." "O Fatimah," the Prophet replied tenderly, "don't cry for Allah has sent your father with a mission which He would cause to affect every house on the face of the earth whether it be in towns, villages or tents (in the desert) bringing either glory or humiliation until this mission is fulfilled just as night (inevitably) comes." With such comments Fatimah was often taken from the harsh realities of daily life to get a glimpse of the vast and far-reaching vistas opened up by the mission entrusted to her noble father.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA eventually returned to live in a house close to that of Rasulullah SAW. The place was donated by an Ansari who knew that Rasulullah SAW would rejoice in having his daughter as his neighbor. Together they shared in the joys and the triumphs, the sorrows and the hardships of the crowded and momentous Madinah days and years.
In the middle of the second year after the Hijrah, her sister Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA fell ill with fever and measles. This was shortly before the great campaign of Badr. Uthman, her husband, stayed by her bedside and missed the campaign. Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA died just before her father returned. On his return to Madinah, one of the first acts of Rasulullah SAW was to visit her grave.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA went with him. This was the first bereavement they had suffered within their closest family since the death of Khadijah. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was greatly distressed by the loss of her sister. The tears poured from her eyes as she sat beside her father at the edge of the grave, and he comforted her and sought to dry her tears with the corner of his cloak.
Rasulullah SAW had previously spoken against lamentations for the dead, but this had led to a misunderstanding, and when they returned from the cemetery the voice of Saidina Umar RA was heard rose in anger against the women who were weeping for the martyrs of Badr and for Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA.
"Umar, let them weep," he said and then added: "What comes from the heart and from the eye that is from Allah SWT and His mercy, but what comes from the hand and from the tongue that is from Satan." By the hand he meant the beating of breasts and the smiting of cheeks, and by the tongue he meant the loud clamor in which women often joined as a mark of public sympathy.
Uthman later married the other daughter of Rasulullah SAW, Saidina Umm Kulthum RA, and on this account came to be known as Dhu-n Nurayn - Possessor of the Two Lights.
The bereavement which the family suffered by the death of Saidatuna Ruqayyah RA was followed by happiness when to the great joy of all the believers Fatimah gave birth to a boy in Ramadan of the third year after the Hijrah. Rasulullah SAW spoke the words of the Adhan into the ear of the new-born babe and called him al-Hasan which means the Beautiful One.
One year later, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA gave birth to another son who was called al-Husain, which means "little Hasan" or the little beautiful one. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA Fatimah would often bring her two sons to see their grandfather who was exceedingly fond of them. Later he would take them to the Mosque and they would climb onto his back when he prostrated. He did the same with his little granddaughter Umama, the daughter of Zainab.
In the eighth year after the Hijrah, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA gave birth to a third child, a girl whom she named after her eldest sister Saidatuna Zainab RA who had died shortly before her birth. This Saidatuna Zainab RA was to grow up and become famous as the "Heroine of Karbala". Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA’s fourth child was born in the year after the Hijrah. The child was also a girl and Siti Fatimah AZ Zahra RA named her Umm Kulthum after her sister who had died the year before after an illness.
It was only through Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA that the progeny of Rasulullah SAW was perpetuated. All the Prophet's male children had died in their infancy and the two children of Zainab named Saidina Ali RA and Umama died young. Saidatuna Ruqayyah's child Abdullah also died when he was not yet two years old. This is an added reason for the reverence which is accorded to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA.
Although Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was so often busy with pregnancies and giving birth and rearing children, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA took as much part as she could in the affairs of the growing Muslim community of Madinah. Before her marriage, she acted as a sort of hostess to the poor and destitute Ahl as-Suffah. As soon as the Battle of Uhud was over, she went with other women to the battlefield and wept over the dead martyrs and took time to dress her father's wounds. At the Battle of the Ditch, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA played a major supportive role together with other women in preparing food during the long and difficult siege. In her camp, she led the Muslim women in prayer and on that place there stands a mosque named Masjid Fatimah, one of seven mosques where the Muslims stood guard and performed their devotions.
Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA also accompanied Rasulullah SAW when he made Umrah in the sixth year after the Hijrah after the Treaty of Hudaibiyah. In the following year, she and her sister Saidatuna Umm Kulthum RA were among the mighty throng of Muslims who took part with Rasulullah SAW in the liberation of Makkah. It is said that on this occasion, both Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA and Saidina Umm Kulthum RA visited the home of their mother Saidatuna Khadijah RA and recalled memories of their childhood and memories of jihad, of long struggles in the early years of Rasulullah SAW’s mission.
In Ramadan of the tenth year just before he went on his Farewell Pilgrimage, Rasulullah SAW confided to Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, as a secret not yet to be told to others:
"Jibril recited the Quran to me and I to him once every year, but this year he has recited it with me twice. I cannot but think that my time has come."
On his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, Rasulullah SAW did become seriously ill. His final days were spent in the apartment of his wife Aisyah. When Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA came to visit him, Aisyah would leave father and daughter together.
One day Rasulullah SAW summoned Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA. When she came, he kissed her and whispered some words in her ear. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA wept. Then again he whispered in her ear and she smiled. Saidatuna Aisyah RA saw and asked:
"You cry and you laugh at the same time, Fatimah? What did Rasulullah say to you?" Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA replied:
"Rasulullah SAW first told me that he would meet his Lord after a short while and so I cried. Then Rasulullah SAW said to me: 'Don't cry for you will be the first of my household to join me.' So I laughed."
Not long afterwards the noble Rasulullah SAW passed away. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA was grief-stricken and she would often be seen weeping profusely. One of the companions noted that he did not see Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA, may God be pleased with her, laugh after the death of her father.
One morning, early in the month of Ramadan, just less than five month after her noble father had passed away; Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA woke up looking unusually happy and full of mirth. In the afternoon of that day, it is said that she called Salma bint Umayr who was looking after her. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA asked for some water and had a bath. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA then put on new clothes and perfumed herself. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA then asked Salma to put her bed in the courtyard of the house. With her face looking to the heavens above, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA asked for her husband Saidina Ali RA.
Saidina Ali RA was taken aback when he saw her lying in the middle of the courtyard and asked her what was wrong. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA smiled and said: "I have an appointment today Rasulullah SAW”
Ali cried and Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA tried to console him. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA told him to look after their sons al-Hasan and al-Husain and advised that she should be buried without ceremony. Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA She gazed upwards again, then closed her eyes and surrendered her soul to the Mighty Creator.
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She, Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA the Resplendent One, was just twenty nine years old.
Selected Hadiths Attributed To Siti Fatimah Az Zahra RA.
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 11, The Chapters on Marriage
Hadith no: 1999
Narrated: Ali bin Husain
That Miswar bin Makhramah told him that: Ali bin Abu Talib proposed to the daughter of Abu Jahl, when he was married to Fatimah the daughter of Rasulullah SAW. When Fatimah heard of that she went to the Prophet (saw), and said: "Your people are saying that you do not feel angry for your daughters. This Ali is going to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl." Miswar said: "Rasulullah SAW stood up, and I heard him when he bore witness (i.e., said the Shahddah), then he said: 'I married my daughter (Zainab) to Abul-As bin Rabi', and he spoke to me and was speaking the truth. Fatimah bint Muhammad is a part of me, and I hate to see her faced with troubles. By Allah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and the daughter of the enemy of Allah will never be joined together in marriage to one man."He said: So, Ali abandoned the marriage proposal.
Relevance: 13.0824
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 11, The Chapters on Marriage
Hadith no: 1911
Narrated: Aishah and Umm Salamah
"The Messenger of Allah (saw) commanded us to prepare Fatimah (for her wedding) taken her in to 'Ali. We went to the house and sprinkled it with soft earth from the land of Batha'. Then we stuffed two pillows with (date - palm) fiber which we picked with our own hands. Then we offered dates and raisins to eat, and sweet water to drink. We went and got some wood and set it up at the side of room, to hang the clothes and water skins on. And we never saw any wedding better than the wedding of Fatimah."
Relevance: 12.3959
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 8, Chapters Regarding Funerals
Hadith no: 1630
Narrated: Anas bin Malik
"Fatimah said to me: ‘O Anas, how did you manage to scatter dust on the Messenger of Allah (saw)?’" And Thabit narrated to us from Anas that Fatimah said: "When the Messenger of Allah (saw) passed away: ‘O my father! To Jibra’il we announce his death; O my father, how much closer he is now to his Lord; O my father, the Paradise of Firdaws is his abode; O my father, he has answered the call of his Lord." Sahih
Relevance: 11.0951
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 23, The Chapters on Legal Punishments
Hadith no: 2547
Narrated: Aishah
That Quraish became concerned about the case of the Makhzumi woman who had stolen, and they said: "Who will speak to the Messenger of Allah (saw) concerning her?" They said: "Who would dare to do that other than Usamah bin Zaid, the beloved of the Messenger of Allah (saw)?" So Usamah spoke to him, and the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "Are you interceding concerning one of the legal punishments of Allah (SWT)?" Then he stood up and addressed (the people) and said: "O people! Those who came before you were only destroyed because when one of their nobles stole, they let him off, but when one of the weak people among them stole, they would carry out the punishment on him. By Allah, if Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad were to steal, I would cut off her hand." (Sahih) (One of the narrators) Muhammad bin Rumh said: "I heard Laith bin Sad say: 'Allah (SWT) protected her (Fatimah) from stealing, and every Muslim should say this.'"
Relevance: 10.9681
Found In: Sunan An-Nasai Chapter No: 4, The Book of Ghusl and Tayammum
Hadith no: 438
Narrated: Ali
“I felt too shy to ask Rasulullah SAW about Madhi because of Fatimah, so I told Al-Miqdad to ask him, and he said: ‘Wudu (is required) for that.’” (Sahih)
Relevance: 9.8745
Found In: Sahih Muslim Chapter No: 3, The Book of Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid)
Hadith no: 663
Narrated: Um Hani bint Abi Talib
I went to Rasulullah SAW on the day of the conquest (of Makkah) and found him take a bath. While his daughter Fatimah was holding a curtain around him.
Relevance: 9.7737
Found In: Sunan An-Nasai Chapter No: 1, The Book of Purification
Hadith no: 157
Narrated: Ali
“I felt too shy to ask Rasulullah SAW about prostatic fluid because of Fatimah (R.A), so I told Al-Miqdad bin Al-Aswad to ask about it, and Rasulullah SAW said: 'Perform Wudu for that.'” (Sahih)
Relevance: 9.578
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 2, The Chapters of Purification and its Sunnah
Hadith no: 465
Narrated: Umm Hani bint Abi Talib
That when it was the year of the Conquest (of Makkah), Rasulullah SAW got up to perform a bath and Fatimah screened him. Then he took his garment and wrapped himself in it (such that it became like the towel used to dry oneself). (Sahih)
Relevance: 9.4833
Found In: Sahih Muslim Chapter No: 3, The Book of Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid)
Hadith no: 665
Narrated:
This hadith is narrated by Said b. Abu Hind with the same chain of transmitters and said: His (Rasulullah SAW’s) daughter Fatimah provided him privacy with the help of his cloth, and when he had taken a bath he took it up and wrapped it around him and then stood and offered eight Rakaahs of the forenoon prayer.
Relevance: 9.1218
Found In: Sahih Muslim Chapter No: 3, The Book of Menstruation (Kitab Al-Haid)
Hadith no: 594
Narrated: Ali
I felt shy of asking about prostatic fluid from Rasulullah SAW because of Fatimah. I, therefore, asked al−Miqdad (to ask on my behalf) and he asked. He (Rasulullah SAW) said: Ablution is obligatory in such a case.
Relevance: 9.035
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 1, The Book of the Sunnah
Hadith no: 145
Narrated: Zaid bin Arqam
“Rasulullah SAW said to 'Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husain: 'I am peace for those with whom you make peace, and I am war for those with whom you make war.'” (Da'if)
Relevance: 8.5934
Found In: Sunan An-Nasai Chapter No: 1, The Book of Purification
Hadith no: 226
Narrated: Umm Hani
That she went to Rasulullah SAW on the day of the Conquest (of Makkah) and found him performing Ghusl while Fatimah was concealing him with a garment. She gave him Salams and he said: “Who is this?” She said: “Umm Hani’.” When he had finished his Ghusl he stood up and prayed eight Rakaahs wrapped in a garment. (Sahih)
Relevance: 8.37
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 8, Chapters Regarding Funerals
Hadith no: 1629
Narrated: Anas bin Malik
"When Rasulullah SAW suffered the agonies of death that he suffered, Fatimah said: ‘O my father, what a severe agony!’ Rasulullah SAW said: ‘Your father will suffer no more agony after this day. There has come to your father that which no one can avoid, the death that everyone will encounter until the Day of Resurrection.’" Hasan
Relevance: 6.6217
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 23, The Chapters on Legal Punishments
Hadith no: 2548
Narrated: Aisyah, bin Masud bin Aswad
That her father said: "When the woman stole the Qatifah from the house of Rasulullah SAW, we regarded that as a serious matter. She was a woman from Quraish. So we came to Rasulullah SAW and spoke to him, and said: 'We will ransom her for forty Uqiyyah.' Rasulullah SAW said: 'Purification is better for her." When we heard Rasulullah SAW speak so kindly, we went to Usamah and said: 'Speak to Rasulullah SAW' When Rasulullah SAW saw that, he stood up to speak and said: 'How much do you intercede with me concerning one of the legal punishments of Allah (SWT) that has befallen one of the female slaves of Allah (SWT)! By the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, if Fatimah the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (saw) was to do what she has done, Muhammad would cut off her hand." Daif
Relevance: 6.5764
Found In: Sunan An-Nasai Chapter No: 1, The Book of Purification
Hadith no: 308
Narrated: Amr bin Maimun
“Abdullah told us: ‘Rasulullah SAW was praying at the House (the Kaabah) and a group of the nobles of Quraish were sitting there. They had just slaughtered a camel and one of them said: “Which of you will take these stomach contents with the blood and wait until he prostrates, then put them on his back?” Abdullah said: ‘The one who was most doomed got up and took the stomach contents, then went and waited until he prostrated himself, and put it on his back. Fatimah, the daughter of Rasulullah SAW, who was a young girl, was told about that, and she came running and too it offs his back. When he had finished praying he said: “O Allah! Punish the Quraish,” three times, “O Allah, punish Abu Jahl bin Hisham, Shaibah bin Rabi’ah, ‘Utbah bin Rabiah, ‘Uqbah bin Abi Muait” until he had listen seven men from the Quraish.’ Abdullah said: ‘By the One Who revealed the Book to him, I saw them dead on the day of Badr (their corpses) in a single dry well.’” (Sahih)
Relevance: 6.0337
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 6, The Chapters on the Mosques and the Congregations
Hadith no: 771
Narrated: Fatimah
It was narrated that Fatimah the daughter of Rasulullah SAW) said: “Whenever Rasulullah SAW entered the masjid (mosque) he would say: ‘Bismillah, was-salamu ala Rasulullah, Allahummagh-firli dhunubi waftah li abwaba rahmatika. (In the Name of Allah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy).’ When he left he would say: ‘Bismillah, was-salamu ala Rasulullah, Allahummagh-firli dhunubu waftah li abwaba fadlika. (In the Name of Allah, peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive my sins and open to me the gates of Your bounty).’” (Daif)
Relevance: 5.871
Found In: Sunan Ibn Majah Chapter No: 8, Chapters Regarding Funerals
Hadith no: 1621
Narrated: Aisyah
"The wives of Rasulullah SAW gathered together and not one of them lagged behind. Fatimah came, and her gait was like that of Rasulullah SAW. He said, ‘Welcome to my daughter.’ Then he made her sit to his left, and he whispered something to her, and she smiled. I said to her: ‘What made you weep?’ She said: ‘I will not disclose the secret of Rasulullah SAW’ I said: ‘I never saw joy so close to grief as I saw today.’ When she wept I said: ‘Did Rasulullah SAW) tell you some special words that were not for us, then you wept?’ And I asked her about what he had said. She said: ‘I will not disclose the secret of Rasulullah SAW’ After he died I asked her what he had said, and she said: ‘He told me that Jibril used to review the Quran with him once each year, but he had reviewed it with him twice that year, (and he said:) "I do not think but that my time is near. You will be the first of my family to join me, and what a good predecessor I am for you." So I wept. Then he whispered to me and said: "Will you not be pleased to be the leader of the women of this Ummah?" So I smiled.’" Hasan
Relevance: 5.5054
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