The most painful and difficult separation
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed the farewell Hajj and firmly established the pillars of Islaam. Allah perfected the religion of Islaam and completed the divine revelation with the following words:
{... This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islaam as your religion..} (Qur’an, [5]: 3)
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then fell ill. When Fatimah visited him during his illness he smiled towards her cheerfully. He then took her hand, drew her close and told her something in confidence that made her cry. After this he again told her another secret that made her smile!
‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said, “I have never seen a day in which joy was so close to sorrow as I have seen today. I wanted to know the reason so asked Fatimah to tell me what made her cry and then smile. But she said:
‘I cannot reveal the secret of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).’
After the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) death, ‘Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) once again to tell her that secret. She replied,
‘Now I can tell you. He said:
"Angel Jibreel used to revise the Qur’an with me once every year, but this year he reviewed over it with me twice. I interpret this that the end of my life in this world is near.” That was why i began crying.
He then told me, “You will be the first of the members of my household to join me; and I am an excellent predecessor for you.” That was the reason why i began smiling.’
The Prophet’s pain increased and Fatimah’s sorrow increased over the imminent departure of the best father in the world and the most honourable Prophet (peace be upon him).
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then departed for the Highest Companionship. Fatimah could only repeat the following sorrowful and painful words:
“My father! My father!
He answered the call of his Lord,
Paradise is his abode,
How close he is to his Lord!”
She was extremely grief-stricken, shedding painful tears.
’Ali was also greatly distressed, seeing his noble Prophet, his beloved cousin and father-in-law dying. He wept bitterly and eulogized him with the following words:
“O Allah’s Messenger! May my father and mother be your ransom! Your death has put end to what did not end with the death of other Prophets. With your death, there will be no more divine revelations. You are so special that you are enough a consolation for the loss of any other person or thing. You are so general (towards people) that all people are equal in your estimation. Had it not been that you have enjoined patience and prohibited anguish, we would have cried our eyes out and the disease and grief would have been prolonged. But we could not resist it (i.e. grief).”
Az-Zahrah’ – Fatimah – also cried profusely. And all the Muslims cried for the death of their Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But they remembered the saying of Allah:
{Muhammad is no more than a Messenger, and indeed [many] Messengers have passed away before him. If he dies or is killed, will you then turn back on your heels [as disbelievers]? And he who turns back on his heels, not the least harm will he do to Allah; and Allah will give reward to those who are grateful.} (Qur’an, [3]: 144)
And His saying:
{And We granted not to any human being immortality before you [0 Muhammad]. Then if you die, would they live forever?} (Qur’an, [21]:34)
Her Death
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had given his daughter, Fatimah glad tiding that she would be the first among surviving members of his household to join him. She found solace in this glad tiding.
Days passed by while Fatimah took care of her home, managed the affairs of her husband and continued fulfilling her obligations towards her children.
About six months after the Prophet’s death, she was taken ill and joined her father. Her pure soul departed to its Lord where it met the souls of her father, mother and sisters in the ‘Illiyeen, in the company of the souls of the Prophets, the sincere servants of Allah, martyrs and the righteous. And indeed, excellent are they as companions.
Her husband, ‘Ali and her uncle ‘Abbas performed funeral prayers on her. She was buried at Baqee’ on Tuesday night, 3rd of Ramadan 11 A.H at the young of twenty-nine.
The Two Axes
When studying the life of Fatimah az-Zahraa' (may Allah be pleased with her), we can sum up her life by saying it revolved around two major axes:
1. Islam and Eemaan (faith)
2. Daughterhood, motherhood and sisterhood
One: Fatimah opened her eyes to eemaan at a very young age. She began understanding the world at the same time that her father was being commissioned as a Prophet. For, she was only five years old when the first revelation was revealed to her father from Allah, the Most High.
She opened her eyes to a new world amidst the Quraysh of Makkah and the Arabs. Her soul embraced Islaam and Eemaan (faith) while the verses of the Qur’an were being revealed unto the heart of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). She memorised, understood and absorbed.
She lived through and witnessed difficult times, such as rejection and denial of the message that her father was carrying, the detention, persecution, banishment and expulsion of the Muslims. She also saw her father’s steadfastness, seeking of Allah’s help and his contempt towards the evil plans of the enemy.
The above events greatly impacted her personality, making her into an example for all women, of a believing and patient woman who only seeks Allah's reward. This is because she received Islaam and Eemaan from the purest source, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). From which she abundantly drew from his spring of faith and resolve.
Two: Fatimah was the fourth daughter of her mother, Khadeejah. She enjoyed a deep love of her parents without pampering or discrimination.
It is reported that, of all her sister she physically resembled her father the most, as Zaynab was the one who bore the greatest resemblance to their mother, Khadeejah.
Fatimah’s love for her father was intense. Of all her sisters, she accompanied him the most. And she always kept her father’s company until Allah called him to Himself. With regards to her love for her mother, this manifested during days of tribulation when the Muslims were boycotted at the valley of Aboo Taalib and her mother fell ill. Fatimah was an excellent helper for Umm Kulthoom in taking care of their ailing mother. It was since that period that she started feeling a sense of responsibility, even though she was only five years old. Then her mother Khadeejah died of an illness due to the evil boycott. Khadeejah’s death left its impact particularly on the Prophet’s household and generally on the entire Muslim community.
Fatimah felt the vacuum and she felt the pain of a deep injury in her heart with the death of her mother. But the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) filled that void with what Allah permitted of love and affection as he indeed played the role of a father and mother at the same time.
These trials moulded and prepared her to be able to deal with what was coming her way in the future: the hardships she was to face in her future husband's home. This made her an exemplary wife who acknowledged her husband’s full rights. She realised that her husband fully deserved to be loved, obeyed and served and she had the stamina to fulfil this great obligation. Rarely did she annoy her husband, ‘Ali. She bore the difficulties of life with him and took excellent care of her children, Hasan, Husayn, Zaynab and Umm Kulthoom.
As for Hasan, he inherited from her deliberation, wisdom, deep faith, truthfulness of Islaam, shunning of the adornments of this world and satisfaction with the great reward that is with Allah.
All these qualities manifested in him the day he deemed himself far above the frivolities of this world, the day he protected the blood of the Muslims from being shed on account of positions of authority, however high they might be. The prophecy of his grandfather, the Prophet (peace be upon him) materialised, whe he had said the following about him,
“Indeed, Allah will use this son of mine to make peace between two warring Muslim groups.”
Hasan’s cession of the position of caliph to Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyaan was a manifestation of Eemaan, Islaam and gallantry.
Then came the role of Husayn, the chief of the youth of Paradise. He was also an apex in demonstration of Islamic teachings and faith by refusing to be humiliated by the covetousness of Yazeed ibn Mu’aawiyah. He had not set out from Hijaaz to Koofah (which is in Iraq) in pursuit of leadership. Rather, it was done so to correct the path that the Muslims had then taken, which had made them deviate from the path of the Hereafter towards the path of this world.
He set out hoping to attain martyrdom in the way of Allah and seeking His pleasure with all his efforts. He had recorded in the pages of human history the most sincere example for those who want to accomplish the truth and defeat falsehood.
As for Zaynab, she was the fortress of the Prophet’s household after the martyrdom of Husayn among a group of some of his children, nephews, relatives and followers. She was the one who stood bravely against Yazeed without any fear.
Zaynab won the admiration and respect of scholars and jurists. They would visit her home in Egypt and draw from her abundant knowledge and benefit from her truthful faith.
As for Umm Kulthoom, in addition to the noble oasis from which she originated, she also attained glory through her marriage to the commander of the believers, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, the just leader and one of the best rulers within history. ‘Umar asked her father, ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) for her hand in marriage. This was because ‘Umar dearly wanted to have the tie of marriage with a member of the Prophet’s household. ‘Ali acceded to ‘Umar’s request and gave Umm Kulthoom in marriage to him. She bore him children and was an excellent and righteous wife.
May Allah be pleased with Fatimah az-Zahra, the Prophet’s favourite daughter, the wife of ‘Ali, who the leader of the pious.
May Allah be pleased with the mother of Hasan and Husayn — father of the martyrs, and Zaynab the heroine of Karbala! May He be pleased with and please them all!
In the course of the past few pages, we together spent some time with an aromatic flower that originated from the household of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
And all Praise, at the beginning and at the end, is for Allah (the Mighty, the Glorious) alone.