SAYYIDA FATIMA ZAHRA (S.A.), A ROLE MODEL AS A WIFE

 

Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) lead an exemplary life as a daughter, as a wife and as a mother. We are trying to throw some light on her life as a role model as a wife. She was married to the Lion of Allah, the conqueror of Khaiber, the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (a.s.).

Her piety may be seen at the doorstep of her married life. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had purchased a new wedding dress for her. A poor woman came to her house and asked for a used cloth. Fatima Zahra gave her wedding dress to the needy and wore her old patchy dress to her wedding. When the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) asked Fatima Zahra why she did not give the old dress, she recited the Ayah 92 of Surah al-Imran, “By no means shall you attain to righteousness until you spent (benevolently) out of what you love. “When the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) came to visit the newly wedded Sayyida Zahra (s.a.) and Imam Ali (a.s.), he asked Imam Ali,” How did you find my daughter Zahra?” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “Fatima was the best companion in the service of the Creator (s.w.t.).” There was total identity of interest between them as both were brought up and educated by the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) and Sayyida Khadijatul Kubra. Both put service to God ahead of everything. Their thoughts, words, and deeds were all conditioned by the Glorious Qur’an. Sayyida Fatima’s greatest pleasure was trust upon God. Most of her time was spent in prayer. Her second greatest pleasure was to carry out her duties towards her family. She grounded grain in the stone mill which was given to her by her father as part of her dowry and baked bread for them. Grinding grain caused blisters on her hands but she never complained to her husband or to her father and did all her housework cheerfully. The household duties could become quite exacting for Fatima Zahra, but she found happiness and strength in the remembrance of God

. The Glorious Qur’an was a constant companion for her. She forgot the drudgery of work as she read passages from that Book. And when she put the children to sleep in the crib, she again read selections from the same Book as “lullabies” to them. They grew up hearing the Glorious Qur’an from their infancy. She etched the Word of God upon their young hearts. Through such “osmosis” Qur’an and the children of Fatima Zahra became inseparable for all time.

She aided her husband in his worldly and religious affairs and cooperated with him in achieving his goals. This harmony in their life was preferred by the ideological tranquility they both enjoyed, and the respect and glorification they held for each other. Imam Ali said, “By Allah, I never angered Fatima, or forced her to do something (she did not like), up to the day she died; nor did she ever anger or disobey me.”

She excelled in every arena of life. Aisha said, “I have not seen anyone more truthful than Fatima, after her father.” Her worship was unrivalled. Her feet became swollen due to standing in prayer. Imam Hasan (a.s.) said, “I saw my mother standing in her mihrab praying every Friday night till dawn and heard praying for the believers by name.” She helped and cared for the people although she herself was in need! She was the most knowledgeable and the writer of hadith even during the lifetime of her father. She was the most faithful wife. She was a supportive spouse sharing responsibilities with Imam Ali. She was a struggler for truth, helper in battlefield, fought for the Wilayah of her husband, she was an orator (sermon of Fadak). When a maid-Fizzah- was provided by her father, she used to share equally with her; she will take care of domestic duties one day and Fizza worked the next day. Her observance of the Islamic hijab was exemplary. Her father asked what best hijab for a woman is, she replied, “An unacquainted person (namahram) should not see her, and she also should not look at an unacquainted person (namahram).

                Sources: A Restatement of the History of Islam by Sayyid Ali Asghar Razwy

                                Fatima, The Gracious by Abu Muhammad Ordoni

                                Fatima al-Masumah: A Role Model for Men and Women by Sayyid Muhammad                                     Husayn Fadlallah

FATIMA AL-ZAHRA (S.A.) IN THE WORDS OF MUHAMMAD (S.A.W.A.S.)

 

The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) said:

Fatima is the leader of the women of this nation. Among the women of the world, only four have reached perfection; they are Asiya, Maryam, Khadijah, and Fatima.

Fatima is an angel who has been created in the mold of a human being.

Whenever I earned for Heaven, I would breathe in the scent of Fatima. If goodness and virtue were in the form of a person, surely that person would be Fatima. Fatima is the best of creation in terms of descent, honor, and nobility.

Look for the sun, when the sun is hidden in the night, look for the moon. When moon is hidden, search for the Venus and when that too is hidden look for the two bright stars in the Ursa Minor.  (Replying to the companions, he said) I am the sun, Ali is the moon, Fatima is Venus and Hasan and Husayn are the two stars in the Ursa Minor. (the constellation in the Northern sky, also known as the Little Bear).

 Fatima is a part of me; whoever hurts her hurts me, and whoever pleases her pleases me. Fatima is joy and happiness of my heart. Her sons are the fruit of my heart, her husband is the light of my eyes, and the Imams from the Progeny of her son are the trustees of my God and the rope that connects with His creatures. Whoever holds on to them will be saved and whoever goes against them has gone astray.

(Addressing Fatima, Ali, and Hasan and Husayn, he said) I am the enemy of anyone who is your enemy and the friend of anyone who is friend with you. If it were not for Ali there would be no (compatible) partner for Fatima.

Surely, God is angered when Fatima is angry, and is pleased when Fatima is pleased. (Fatima has reached such a status of servitude and obedience that she is angered and pleased for God’s sake, and not because of personal desires). The Ayah of Purification was revealed about five people: me, Fatima, Ali Hasan and Husayn.

The first couple to enter the Paradise will be Ali and Fatima. The most beloved of my family to me is Fatima. All the children of a mother are attributed to their fatherly relations, except the sons of Fatima.

The Mahdi is from my family, from the sons of Fatima.

Verily, Allah has kept away my daughter Fatima, and her children, and those who love them, from Hell Fire, and that is why she is named Fatima.

Fatima, you will be the first one to follow me after my demise.

 Fatima is part of me, and she is the heart and soul which is between my two sides. Fatima is the leader of the women of the universe. Fatima is not like other women of the children of Adam.

 

                Source: Fatima al-Zahra (s.a.) in the words of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.s.) By Zahra                                       Ikhwan Sarraf

SAYINGS OF IMAM ALI (A.S.), THE GATEWAY OF KNOWLEDGE-PART THREE

 

Blessed is the person who keeps the next life in mind, acts to be able to render his account, remains contended with what suffices him and remains pleased with Allah.

Even if I strike the nose of a believer with my sword, so he may hate me, he will not hate me, and even if I pile all the wealth of the world before a hypocrite (Muslim) so he may love me, he will not love me. Because the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) has said, “O Ali! A believer will never hate you and a hypocrite (Muslim) will never love you.”

The sin that displeases you is better in the view of Allah than the virtue that makes you pride.

The worth of a man is according to his courage, his truthfulness is according to his balance of temper, his valor is according to his self-respect and his chastity is according to his sense of shame.

Victory is with determination; determination is pondering over thoughts and thoughts are formed by guarding secrets.

Beware of the might of a noble person when he is hungry and of an ignoble one when his belly is full.

So long as your status is good, your defects will remain covered.

The most capable of pardoning is one who is the ablest to punish.

Generosity is that which is by one’s own initiative because giving on being asked is either because one’s own esteem or to avoid rebuke. Do not feel ashamed of giving little because refusal is even less than that.

There is no wealth like wisdom, no destitution like ignorance, no inheritance like refinement and no support like consultation.

Patience is of two kinds: patience over what pains you, and patience regarding what you covet (long to possess).

With wealth, a strange land is your homeland, while with destitution, even a homeland is a strange land.

Wealth is the substance of passions.

One who warns you is like one who gives you glad tidings (of safety)

The tongue is a beast; when it is let loose, it devours (destroys).

If you are met with a greeting (Salaam), give a better greeting in return. If a helping hand is extended to you, do a better favor in return, although the credit will remain with the one who was the first.

One who intercedes is like

the wing of one who seeks (intercession)

The people of the world are like travelers who are being carried away as they are asleep.

To miss what one needs is easier than to beg the wrong person.

You will not find an ignorant person but at one extreme: exaggerating or neglecting.

As intelligence increases, speech decreases.

Each breath taken by a man is a step towards his death.

Wisdom is the believer’s pursuit; therefore, attain wisdom even if it may be from the people of hypocrisy.

Whoever abandons saying ‘I do not know’ meets his destruction.

I love the opinion of an old man more than the determination of a young man.

The perfect jurist of Islam is whoever does not let people lose hope of the mercy of Allah, does not make him despondent of Allah’s kindness and does not make them feel safe from Allah’s punishment.

The hearts become bored as bodies become bored; so, look for beautiful wise sayings for them.  

 

Source: Peak of Eloquence translated by Yasin T. al-Jibouri

FADAK - PART THREE

 

Let us accept, for the sake of argument, that it was a genuine hadith. Now, who should have been informed of it by the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), his would be heirs (daughter, wives, uncle, cousins etc.) or a stranger who could never think of inheriting anything from the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)? Common sense says that it was family members who should have been told by him (s.a.w.a.s.) that, “Look, when I die, all that I leave shall become charity, you will not inherit anything because I am a Prophet and Prophets are not inherited from. So, be careful to give all my belongings to Sadaqa:’How was it that he did not tell any of his would-be heirs and told it to Abu Bakr, who had no claim in his inheritance? Why did he keep his daughter, wives, and uncle in dark, thus starting a bitter quarrel between Khalifa and his family members?

Even when Fatimah’s claim was rejected with the help of this ready-made hadith, the wives of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) ‘sent Usman to Abu Bakr asking their shares in the inheritance of the Prophet in Khaybar. It clearly shows that the wives of the Prophet did not believe in that hadith, nor was it believed by Usman (who later became third Khalifa); otherwise; he would not have taken that message to Abu Bakr.

One may wonder why Abu Bakr did not accept the valid and irrefutable arguments of Fatimah?

The first and basic cause has been mentioned by the renowned Sunni scholar Ibn Abil Hadid in his book Sharah Nahjul Balaghah: - “I asked Ali bin Fariqi, a teacher in Madrassa Gharbia at Baghdad, “Was not Fatimah most truthful? He said, ‘Certainly! I said, “Then why did not Abu Bakr returned Fadak when he knew that she was most truthful?” The teacher smiled and said: Had he given Fadak today just because of her claim, she would have returned the next day and claimed Khilafat for her husband and removed him from his position; and then he would not excuse, because he had already accepted that she was most truthful in her claim.”

Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s.) told his disciple Mufaddal bin Umar, “When Abu Bakr became Khalifa, ‘Umar advised him to deprive Ali and his family from khumus, booty and Fadak, because when his partisans will know it, they will leave him and will turn towards you, for material gains: ‘It was for this reason that Abu Bakr deprived them from all their rights.”

The highhandedness used in this case totally negated the two legacies which the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) had left behind for the guidance of his Ummah: He had repeatedly said in his sermons: I am leaving among you two weighty things, the Book of Allah and my family- members who are my Progeny; as long as you hold fast to them you will not go astray; and they will not separate from each other until they reach me at the reservoir (Kawthar).

But Abu Bakr and Umar destroyed the credibility of both: They degraded the Progeny of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.s.) in the public eyes. People saw that despite all the verses of the Qur’an and the Traditions extolling the virtues of Ali, Fatimah, Hasan, and Husayn, they had less weight in the eyes of the Khalifa than many ordinary companions like Jabir ibn Abdullah and Khuzaima bin Thabit. They destroyed the sanctity and supremacy of the Qur’an, making it subservient to the rulers’ expediencies; a system was established that the caliphs’ words could change/abrogate clear rules of the Qur’an!  

Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim have narrated: “Verily Abu Bakr refused to give anything to Fatimah, so she was angry with him and she forsook him and did not talk with him till her death.”

                Source: Fadak by Allama Sayyid Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi

FADAK - PART TWO

 

When Sayyida Fatima (s.a.) saw that Abu Bakr was bent upon taking away Fadak from her, she said that, if not by gift, then Fadak was hers by inheritance. Abu Bakr came with an ingenious reply. He said, “I have heard that the Messenger of Allah saying, “We the group of prophets, are not inherited from; whatever we leave is ‘Sadaqa’ (Charity)” This supposed saying of the Prophet is against many Ayahs of the Glorious Quran and all the accepted principles of Islam, as Sayyidah Fatimah herself pointed in her address in which she says inter alia: “And now you hold out falsely that I have no inheritance from my father. Do you want the custom of (the days of) ignorance? And who is better than Allah, in giving the Law, for the people who do believe? Do you know? Surely, it is clear for you like the midday sun that I am his daughter. Would I be prevailed over my inheritance? O son of Abu Qahafa! Is it in the book of Allah, that you should inherit from your father, and I will not inherit from my father? Is it intentionally that you have discarded the book of Allah and thrown it behind your back? Ayah 16 of Surah al-Namal, “Sulayman (Solomon) inherited from Daud (David). Ayahs3 to 6 of Surah Maryam, “When he (Zechariah) called out to his Lord with a secret cry. He said, ‘My Lord! Indeed, my bones have become feeble, and my head had turned white with age, yet never have I, my Lord, been disappointed in supplicating You! Indeed, I fear my kinsmen, after me, and my wife is barren. So, grant me from Yourself an heir who may inherit from me and inherit from the House of Yaqoob (Jacob), and make him, my Lord, pleasing (to You).” Ayah 75 of Surah al-Tawbah, “…but the blood relatives are more entitled to inherit from one another in the Book of Allah.” Ayah 11 of Surah al-Nisa, “Allah enjoins you concerning your children: for the male shall be the like of the share of two females,” and Ayah 180 of Surah al-Baqarah, “Prescribed for you, when death approaches any of you and leaves behind any property, is that he makes a bequest for his parents and relatives, in an honorable manner, -an obligation on the God wary.” And you hold out falsely that there is no right for me nor any inheritance for me from my father. Well, has Allah sent any Ayah specially for you, and from which my father was excluded? Or do you say that people of two different religions do not inherit from each other? (In Islam, an unbeliever is not entitled to inherit from a Muslim) Are not my father and I people of one religion? Or are you more knowledgeable of the particularity and generality of the Qur’an than my father and my cousin (Ali)?

These arguments were and are irrefutable, but the khalifah did not pay heed to them. The supposed hadith was against so many Ayahs of the Glorious Qur’an. There is a universally accepted hadith of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) that ‘verily, there have appeared many who tell lies attributing to me; so, when a narration attributed to me comes to you, refer it to the Book of Allah; and what is in conformity with the Book of Allah, accept it and what is against it throw it on the wall. Therefore, that hadith must be thrown to the wall.

Abu Bakr was the claimant, and he produced a hadith, which up to that time no companion of the Prophet had ever heard. As he was so fond of formalities and procedures, why did not he produced two male witnesses to vouch his narration.?   

Source: Fadak by Allama Sayyid Saeed Akhtar Rizvi

FADAK

 

Fadak was North of Madinah, about 2 to 3 days journey. Its annual income was between 24,000 to 70,000 dinars (gold coins). The Jews of Khaybar broke treaty with Muslims. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) went and besieged it. An agreement was reached guarantying the life, religion, and honor in exchange for sharing the profits based on 50:50 while the Jews would continue to work. One fifth of the fortress and land was given to the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) as Khumus and four-fifth to the Muslims according to Ayah 41 of Surah al-Anfal, “Know that whatever thing you may come by, a fifth of it is for Allah and the Apostle, for the relatives and the orphans, for the needy….”

 After the fall of Khaybar, a messenger came from Madinah inviting the Jews to Islam. They refused to accept Islam but offered to give half of land to the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), share the profit and option if evicted to pay the price of the land. The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) accepted the offer. Thus, Fadak became his personal property and he managed it. Ayah 26 of Surah al-Is’ra’ was revealed saying, “Give the relatives (their) right, and the needy and the traveler…” On inquiry from Gabriel, he said, “Give the Fadak to Fatimah as this will be a source of income for her and her children.” Hence, he (s.a.w.a.s.) gave it to her (s.a.). She used it as her personal property. After the sad demise of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) Abu Bakr forcibly took possession of Fadak. Sayyida Fatima (s.a.) protested. Abu Bakr asked for witness. Sayyida Fatima (s.a.) was in possession of the property and according to Islamic principles, possession itself is a sufficient proof of ownership. If Abu Bakr claimed the property for himself or for Muslim nation, then it was he, as claimant, who should have produced witnesses to support his claim. But he put the onus of proof on Sayyida Fatima (s.a.), disregarding the Islamic Law! Moreover, as he was a claimant, he should not have judged the case himself, but he did not care for the judicial niceties so long as his purpose was served.

Anyhow, Sayyida Fatima (s.a.) brought Imam Ali (a.s.) and Umm Ayman (widow of Zaid bin Haritha). Abu Bakr said that there should be either two males or one male and two female witnesses. In family matters-gift of a father to his daughter is a family matter-only one witness is enough; but Abu Bakr conveniently forgot it. Also, Islam accepts one witness coupled with the oath of the claimant, as a sufficient proof. Sayyidah Fatimah was obliged to bring other witnesses; Hasan (a.s.) and Husayn (a.s.) and Asma daughter of Umais (Wife of Abu Bakr himself). Now there were more witnesses than the minimum required. Abu Bakr started discrediting all the witnesses.

Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Husayn (a.s.) were her husband and sons were liable to be moved by self-interest. They were the only ones who were selected by the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) to prove his truth against the Christians of Najran and they were Purified by Allah from all sins and mistakes. Asma bint Umais was previously married to Ja’far, brother of Imam Ali (a.s.) and would support the claim of Banu Hashim. Umm Ayman was a non-Arab and could not speak Arabic fluently. (Umm Ayman was a slave girl of Abdullah, father of the Prophet. The Prophet inherited her and later married her to Zaid bin Haritha and according to the Prophet she was one of the people of virtue). Does it mean that only Arabic speaking can be accepted as witness? This ruthlessness of the Khalifa prevented others from coming forward. Jabir ibn Abdullah Ansari, a companion of the Prophet, claimed that the Prophet had promised him so much from the revenue of Bahrain. Abu Bakr accepted the claim without asking for any witness. (Sahih Bukhari)

 

Source: Fadak by Allama Sayyid Sa’eed Akhtar Rizvi  

THE MODES OF DIVINE COMMUNICATIONS

 

The modes of Divine Communications used in the Glorious Qur’an is known as Vahi or Revelation. The word “Vahi” has been used 78 times. The Glorious Qur’an was revealed on the heart of the last and Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). The late Ayatullah Tabatabaei has said: Heart denotes self of man, which has the power of perception, perhaps the reason why the Glorious Qur’an mentions in Surah al-Shu’ra’ Ayah 193-194, “…(Qur’an) brought down by the Trustworthy Spirit upon your heart…” The word “Vahi” was also in other cases also like when Adam’s son Qabeel killed his brother Habeel, then Allah (s.w.t.) sent a black crow who demonstrated how to cover the dead body of Habeel; Surah al-Ma’idah Ayah 31, “Then Allah sent a crow, exploring in the ground, to show him how to bury the corpse of his brother”.  Allah (s.w.t.) revealed to the mother of Prophet Musa when his life was in danger as a newborn baby and directed her to place him in a box and put it in the river Niles. Surah al-Qasas Ayah 7 refers. Also, Allah (s.w.t.) revealed to the bees in Surah al-Nahl Ayah 68, “And Allah inspired the bee (saying): Make your homes in the mountains, and on the trees and the trellises that they erect.”

Another mode of communication was Allah produced speech from other sources like a tree when Prophet Musa saw fire flame in the jungle and he approached it then he heard a voice from inside the tree as stated Surah al-Qasas Ayah 30, “Then when he came to it (he) was called (by a voice) from the right side of the valley, in the blessed spot, from the tree, saying:’ O Moses! Verily I am Allah, the Lord of the worlds.”

Revelation on the heart of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) was also two types one was the Glorious Qur’an and other was the Divine Communications other than the Glorious Qur’an e.g., Surah al-Najm Ayah 3-4, “Nor does he speak of concupiscent desire. His word is only Revelation revealed to him.” The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.)’s words arise from his heart connected to the higher world. Similarly, it is narrated that Hazrat Hamza asked the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.), “Why did you blocked all the gates opening to the mosque but left in-tact Ali’s house?” The Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) repeated the above Ayahs from Surah al-Najm, “His word is only Revelation revealed to him.” Thus, he intended to say that he did so based on Divine command. (Tafsir Durr al-Manshure by Suyuti). When the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) was assigned as the “Imam” and “Successor” of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) at the Ghadir-e-Khumm, he (s.a.w.a.s.) was criticized, but he recited the blessed Ayah, “His word is only Revelation revealed to him.”

Yet another mode of the Divine Communications is the “Hadees-e-Qudsi”. In case of Qur’an, both the concept and the words are revealed from Allah to the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) but in case of “Hadees-e-Qudsi”, only concept is revealed to him but the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) expressed it in his own words.

 

Sources: Tafsir-e-Namoona by Ayatullah Nasir Makarem Shirazi

                 The Qur’an – English Translation by Maulana Ali Quli Qara’i