By Fatima Kermali
About the year 615 AD/ the fifth year after Bi’that (the declaration of Prophethood ) on the 20th of Jumada II, Lady Fatemah (as) was born. She was given the title ‘Sayyidatul Nisa al Alameen’ “The leader of all the women in the universe” by her father and is recognized as such by the Muslims. Lady Fatemah was the beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) such that he would say: “Fatima is a peace of my heart”.
The ties between father and daughter cannot be any stronger or more similar. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) according to Islamic narrations is considered to be the first of creation. That is, his “noor” or light was created before any creation. Respectively, his daughter was a creation from the product of Heaven; hence, the Prophet called her a “Human Huri”, “A beautiful maiden from Heaven” And he said, ‘Whenever I longed for Paradise, and its greatness I would smell the fragrance of Paradise in her.’So, who precisely is this leader of all women, of all time and place? Who is this Maiden of Paradise? Lady Fatemah was first a daughter who fulfilled her role and beyond that, such that her father gave her the title of “Ummi abi ha”, ‘The mother of her father’.
As a wife, she was irreplaceable. When her husband, Imam Ali (as) heard the news of her death he fell unconscious. Upon gaining consciousness, he said: “Who will console me now, daughter of Muhammad? You used to console me, so who will take your place now?” He described her in the following manner: “A flower nibbed in the bud, it was from Heaven and it went to Heaven, but has left it’s fragrance in my mind.”
As a mother, she raised such children, that her sons became ‘the leaders of the youth of Paradise’ and all of them became the saviors of Islam, in one form or another.
Thus, her life can be divided into three parts: her life with her Father, then her life with her father, husband and children, and thirdly, her life with her husband and children.
With this division, one might think that her life, is solely tied to others. But rather, within these roles Fatemah Al Zahra revolutionized what it is to be a woman. In the famous narration of the ‘Event of the Cloak’ The arch angel Gibrael asked, “Who are under the cloak?” The Almighty God answered by identifying the individuals through their relation to Lady Fatemah and not the other way around هُمْ فاطِمَةُ وَأَبُوها وَبَعْلُها وَبَنُوها. “They are: Fatemah, her father, her husband and her two sons”
Her greatness was such that she marveled others in aspects that they could never imagine, past or present. For instance, in that era and culture, like in many other societies, posterity is usually expected through the son. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) demonstrates that his lineage ran through a daughter, aka. Fatemahtu az-Zahra, which has to this day spread far and wide. As a matter of fact, history dictates that at the time of the Prophet, a person who had no male offspring was referred to as “abtar”, translated as “tailess”. This was to mean, one who has no posterity to follow after him. Thus, the Quraysh gave the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) his nickname after the death of his son, Abdullah. To console the Messenger of God, chapter 108, Surah Kawthar, was revealed to him . This chapter conveyed the glad tidings of being given the greatest amount of grace (al-Kawthar – an abundance of goodness) from the Lord and that the Prophet’s opponents would be ‘abtar’ or have no posterity. One of the interpretation of Kawther is that it refers to the countless abundance of descendants who will come from his daughter, Fatemahtu az-Zahra.
Regarding her individual self, she was concerned for her own well-being and God’s command when it came to her hijab.
It was her wish, as noted to Asma, that after the ghusl and kafan, she would like to be placed in a coffin, because she did not want the shape of her body to be seen in any form, even after she died and after it was wrapped in the kafan.
Secondly, when had she learnt that her land was taken from her, she went to the Prophet’s Mosque declaring her rights. The mosque filled with the Muhajirin and Ansar, Lady Zahra did not go in front of the men, she stood behind a curtain as she addressed the caliphate.
This is the level of importance she had for the Hijab.
When it comes to the contributions of society, Sayyidah Fatemah (s.a) exemplifies the power of a women to fight for the establishment of truth and justice. She did so in specifically three major situations:
- Protecting her father during his period of propagation
- Fighting for her own right of inheriting and/or owning property
- Defending Imamat against a usurped regime
Lady Fatemah (s.a) lived for only 18 years in this world, at the most 25 years according to some narrations. Yet, in this short life she left an everlasting impression. No individual or group can ever dismiss her, then, now, or ever. Known as the Lady of Light, she illuminated the world through her being. She supported her father, cared for her family, gave to those who sought from her and to those who didn’t. She spoke and stood against injustice and demonstrated that women have the ability to not only nourish a family, but fortify a society from wrong doings. Fatemah was born, lived and died as her er name describes: Tahirah, pure.