Her Father

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God's Prophet and His Holy Daughter

# Who is father of Fatima -bbc
# Muhammad - encyclopedia
# Greatness of Muhammed - olonzo
# The Tasbih (Rosary) of Hazrat Fatima - Gharib
# Fatima: the Mother of Her Father - Leghaei
# What Prophet Said About Fatima - Hadith


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WHO IS FATHER OF FATIMA


# BBC: The Prophet Muhammad

Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE.

Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 570.

He was a deeply spiritual man, and often spent time in meditation on Mount Hira.

The traditional story of the Qur'an tells how one night in 610 he was meditating in a cave on the mountain when he was visited by the angel Jibreel who ordered him to recite.

Once Jibreel mentioned the name of Allah, Muhammad began to recite words which he came to believe were the words of God.

The Qur'an

During the rest of his life Muhammad continued to receive these revelations. The words were remembered and recorded, and form the text of the Holy Qu'ran, the Muslim scripture.

Preaching

Believing that God had chosen him as his messenger Muhammad began to preach what God had revealed to him.

The simple and clear-cut message of Islam, that there is no God but Allah, and that life should be lived in complete submission to the will of Allah, was attractive to many people, and they flocked to hear it.

The Hijrah

Muhammad's popularity was seen as threatening by the people in power in Mecca, and Muhammad took his followers on a journey from Mecca to Medina in 622.

This journey is called the Hijrah (migration) and the event was seen as so important for Islam that 622 is the year in which the Islamic calendar begins.

The return to Mecca

Within ten years Muhammad had gained so many followers that he was able to return and conquer Mecca.

From this time on he was generally accepted by the faithful as the true final Prophet of God.

Muhammad continued to lead his community both spiritually and in earthly matters until his death in 632. [source: BBC]

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MUHAMMAD

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010 #

Muhammad, (b. 570, Mecca, Arabia [now in Saudi Arabia]—d. June 8, 632, Medina), Arab prophet who established the religion of Islam.

The son of a merchant of the ruling tribe, he was orphaned at age six. He married a rich widow, Khadijah, with whom he had six children, including Fatimah, a daughter. According to tradition, in 610 he was visited by the angel Gabriel, who informed Muhammad that he was the messenger of God. His revelations and teachings, recorded in the Quran, are the basis of Islam. He began to preach publicly c. 613, urging the rich to give to the poor and calling for the destruction of idols. He gained disciples but also acquired enemies, whose plan to murder Muhammad forced him to flee Mecca for Medina in 622. This flight, known as the Hijrah, marks the beginning of the Islamic era. Muhammad’s followers defeated a Meccan force in 624; they suffered reverses in 625 but repelled a Meccan siege of Medina in 627. He won control of Mecca by 629 and of all Arabia by 630. He made his last journey to Mecca in 632, establishing the rites of the hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. He died later that year and was buried at Medina. His life, teachings, and miracles have been the subjects of Muslim devotion and reflection ever since.

Muhammad was the founder of the religion of Islam, accepted by Muslims throughout the world as the last of the prophets of God.

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GREATNESS OF MUHAMMAD

# Al Olonzo

Prophet Muhammad is the greatest man loved by God Almighty. He is the greatest man on Earth because he revealed the truth to mankind, which Jews had kept hidden and which Christians had altered in their scriptures.

Prophet Muhammad was the last messenger sent by God to communicate Divine message to humanity. This is the story of Prophet's life and God's Code he delivered to the world.

Muhammed the messenger of God was born in 570 in Mecca in Arabia. He was sent by God to mankind to deliver the last Divine Will to humanity by which they would have a life of success and happiness.

Prophet was orphaned at age six. His uncle Abu Talib and his wife cared him for. Prophet married Kadeja who was a pious woman of Mecca. They had one daughter Fatima from whom Prophet’s lineage started. In the year 610, the angel Gabriel informed Muhammed to begin the mission of God. Prophet received revelations and teachings from God. He recorded these in the Quran, Verses of the Quran form the basis of Islam.

Prophet began to preach publicly urging the rich to give to the poor and calling for the end to idol worship. He gained converts but also made enemies who planned to murder him in 622. He was forced to emigrate and move to Medina. This escape marks year one of the Islamic calendar. Prophet followers defended themselves when Meccans attacked them in five major wars. Prophet defeated them and eventually took Mecca by 629.

Prophet died in 632 and was buried at Medina. His life and teachings are devoutly followed by millions of people all over the world. Today, Islam is the fastest growing religion on Earth. Thousand of people convert to message of God as left by His Prophet Muhammad.

Prophet Muhammad had believed in the same God that Prophet Ibrahim believed in. Both Prophets worshipped the true God, Creators of the heavens and the earth. God loved them and sent them to tell the people about Himself. They taught humanity not to bow before false idols and false gods.

With start of Prophet’s mission, the truth about the Creator was now out. Allah was hidden no more. Allah had taken it upon Himself to make sure any seeker of truth had access to knowledge about His Being. For that purpose Allah revealed His own Holy Book, the Quran. He also chose its official interpreter, the Prophet himself, who not only delivered the Quran to the world, he also explained its meanings and made people understood what their Lord was saying. Famous German poet Goethe said that men of intellect would always find the Quran miraculous, even when after they reject it a first: "It soon attracts, astounds, and in the end enforces our reverence... Its style, in accordance with its contents and aim is stern, grand, terrible - ever and anon truly sublime. Thus this book will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence."

French doctor Maurice Bucaille said: "The above observation makes the hypothesis advanced by those who see Muhammad as the author of the Quran untenable. How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author, in terms of literary merits, in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he then pronounce truths of a scientific nature that no other human being could possibly have developed at that time, and all this without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject? A totally objective examination of it in the light of modern knowledge, leads us to recognize the agreement between the two, as has been already noted on repeated occasions. It makes us deem it quite unthinkable for a man of Muhammad's time to have been the author of such statements on account of the state of knowledge in his day. Such considerations are part of what gives the Quranic Revelation its unique place, and forces the impartial scientist to admit his inability to provide an explanation which calls solely upon materialistic reasoning."

G. Margoliouth said: "The Koran admittedly occupies an important position among the great religious books of the world. Though the youngest of the epoch-making works belonging to this class of literature, it yields to hardly any in the wonderful effect which it has produced on large masses of men. It has created an all but new phase of human thought and a fresh type of character. It first transformed a number of heterogeneous desert tribes of the Arabian peninsula into a nation of heroes, and then proceeded to create the vast politico-religious organizations of the Muhammadan world which are one of the great forces with which Europe and the East have to reckon today."

Dr. Steingass said: "A work, then, which calls forth so powerful and seemingly incompatible emotions even in the distant reader - distant as to time, and still more so as a mental development - a work which not only conquers the repugnance which he may begin its perusal, but changes this adverse feeling into astonishment and admiration, such a work must be a wonderful production of the human mind indeed and a problem of the highest interest to every thoughtful observer of the destinies of mankind… Here, therefore, its merits as a literary production should perhaps not be measured by some preconceived maxims of subjective and aesthetic taste, but by the effects which it produced in Muhammad's contemporaries and fellow countrymen. If it spoke so powerfully and convincingly to the hearts of his hearers as to weld hitherto centrifugal and antagonistic elements into one compact and well-organized body, animated by ideas far beyond those which had until now ruled the Arabian mind, then its eloquence was perfect, simply because it created a civilized nation out of savage tribes, and shot a fresh woof into the old warp of history."

Arthur J. Arberry said: "In making the present attempt to improve on the performance of my predecessors, and to produce something which might be accepted as echoing however faintly the sublime rhetoric of the Arabic Koran, I have been at pains to study the intricate and richly varied rhythms which - apart from the message itself - constitute the Koran's undeniable claim to rank amongst the greatest literary masterpieces of mankind... This very characteristic feature - 'that inimitable symphony,' as the believing Pickthall described his Holy Book, 'the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy' - has been almost totally ignored by previous translators; it is therefore not surprising that what they have wrought sounds dull and flat indeed in comparison with the splendidly decorated original."

Muhammad was prophesied in the Bible. Book of Deuteronomy and Gospel of Saint John both speak of a great Prophet to rise among Arabs, the children of Ishmael son of Abrahams. Refer to words of Moses in chapter 18 verse 18 and words of Jesus Christ in chapters 14 to 16.

Prophet Mohammad gave the clearest teaching about God: Your Creator is one. He is not a Trinity as some Christians believed. He is not many gods as Hindus believe. He does not come up and down. He sends his messengers to deliver his will to mankind.

Mohammad, Messenger of God was asked about God:

A Bedouin once came to Prophet and said, “Teach me of the most unusual of knowledge!” He asked him, “What have you done with the peak of knowledge so that you now ask about its most unusual things?!” The man asked him, “What is this peak of knowledge?!” He said, “It is knowing God as He deserves to be known.” The Bedouin then said, “And how can He be known as He ought to be?” He replied, “It is that you know Him as having no model, no peer, no antithesis, and that He is One and only: He is the One Who is Apparent yet Hidden, the First and the Last, having no peer nor a similitude; this is the true knowledge about Him.”

Here are some verses from different parts of the Holy Quran:

"And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright.

We verily created man and We know what his soul whispereth to him, and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.

Allah! There is no God save Him, the Alive, the Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtaketh Him. Unto Him belongeth whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that intercedeth with Him save by His leave? He knoweth that which is in front of them and that which is behind them, while they encompass nothing of His knowledge save what He will. His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous. There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is henceforth distinct from error. And he who rejecteth false deities and believeth in Allah hath grasped a firm handhold which will never break. Allah is Hearer, Knower. Allah is the Protecting Guardian of those who believe. He bringeth them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness. Such are rightful owners of the Fire. They will abide therein.

Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the Absolute! He begets not, nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a shining star. (This lamp is) kindled from a blessed tree, an olive neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself) though no fire touched it. Light upon light. Allah guideth unto His light whom He will. And Allah speaketh to mankind in allegories, for Allah is Knower of all things. (This lamp is found) in houses which Allah hath allowed to be exalted and that His name shall be remembered therein. Therein do offer praise to Him at morn and evening. Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned; that Allah may reward them with the best of what they did, and increase reward for them of His bounty. Allah giveth blessings without stint to whom He will.
As for those who disbelieve, their deeds are as a mirage in a desert. The thirsty one supposeth it to be water till he cometh unto it and findeth it naught, and findeth, in the place thereof, Allah Who payeth him his due; and Allah is swift at reckoning. Or as darkness on a vast, abysmal sea. There covereth him a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layer upon layer of darkness. When he holdeth out his hand he scarce can see it. And he for whom Allah hath not appointed light, for him there is no light. Hast thou not seen that Allah, He it is Whom all who are in the heavens and the earth praise, and the birds in their flight? Of each He knoweth verily the worship and the praise; and Allah is Aware of what they do. And unto Allah belongeth the Sovereignty of the heavens and the earth, and unto Allah is the journeying. Hast thou not seen how Allah wafteth the clouds, then gathereth them, then maketh them layers, and thou seest the rain come forth from between them; He sendeth down from the heaven mountains wherein is hail, and smiteth therewith whom He will, and averteth it from whom He will. The flashing of His lightning all but snatcheth away the sight. Allah causeth the revolution of the day and the night. Lo! herein is indeed a lesson for those who see. Allah hath created every animal of water. Of them is (a kind) that goeth upon its belly and (a kind) that goeth upon two legs and (a kind) that goeth upon four. Allah createth what He will. Lo! Allah is Able to do all things. Verily We have sent down revelations and explained them. Allah guideth whom He will unto a straight path.


In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. The Beneficent, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment, Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path, the path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.

Say: O disbelievers! I worship not that which ye worship; nor worship ye that which I worship; and I shall not worship that which ye worship; nor will ye worship that which I worship. Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion.

Hast thou not known that Allah knoweth all that is in the heaven and the earth? Lo! it is in a record. Lo! that is easy for Allah. And they worship instead of Allah that for which He hath sent down no warrant, and that whereof they have no knowledge. For evil-doers there is no helper. And when Our revelations are recited unto them, thou knowest the denial in the faces of those who disbelieve; they all but attack those who recite Our revelations unto them. Say: Shall I proclaim unto you worse than that? The Fire! Allah hath promised it for those who disbelieve. A hapless journey's end!
O mankind! A similitude is coined, so pay ye heed to it: Lo! those on whom ye call beside Allah will never create a fly though they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly took something from them, they could not rescue it from it. So weak are (both) the seeker and the sought! They measure not Allah His rightful measure. Lo! Allah is Strong, Almighty. Allah chooseth from the angels messengers, and (also) from mankind. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Seer. He knoweth all that is before them and all that is behind them, and unto Allah all things are returned. O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper. And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper!"

[Holy Quran 2.186; 50.16; 2.255-257; 112.1-4; 24.35-46; 1.1-7; 109.1-6; 22.70-78]

[Excerpts from: "Muhammad and His Teachings, life and works of Prophet of God", Olonzo]

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The Tasbih (Rosary) of Hazrat Fatima

By: Mansooreh Gharib #


Explanation of Hazrat Fatima’s Tasbih:

It is quoted from Imam Ali, saying: “Fatima, the apple of the Prophet’s eyes was in my house. She ground with the mill so much that her hands formed calluses, and drew water from the well with the bucket so much that the rope marked her chest, and swept the house so much that her clothes became dusty. So, she was in difficulty and trouble. One day I heard a slave had been brought to the Prophet. I said to Fatima: “When you go to visit your father ask him for a servant to help you in doing your daily work.” The next day she went to her father, She saw a group of people talking to him. So, she came back without saying anything for the sake of decency.”

Imam Ali said: “The Prophet knew that Fatima had come to his house for a need, so he came to our house and asked her: “Dear Fatima, what did you want?” She remained silent. He asked again and she didn’t say anything. I said: “O Messenger of Allah, I’ll tell you. Fatima has ground with the mill so much that her hands formed calluses, and drew water from the well so much that the rope marked her chest and she swept the house so much that her clothes became dusty and got the smell of smoke. We heard that some slaves were brought to you. So, I told her to come to you and ask for a servant to help her.”

The Prophet said: “I’ll teach you something that is much better than a servant you asked for. When you get up (when you go to bed, according to some books) recite these praises unto the Lord:

Say “Allah-u-Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest) 34 times.
Say “Alhamd-u-Lillah” (Praise is for Allah) 33 times.
Say “Subhan-Allah” (Glory to Allah) 33 times.

Teaching the Tasbih to the Children:

The Prophet taught her daughter, Fatima, the best lesson, which was the Tasbih. From that time, millions of people have been saying that Tasbih after their prayers. They have been asking the Lord for help via the Tasbih.

In the book “Qorb-al-Asnad”, it is quoted from Imam Jafar as-Sadiq: “We instruct our children to say the Tasbih just as we instruct them to pray. You, too (addressing Abu Haroon) do it, because whoever doesn’t recite the Tasbih, falls into misery.”

The Tasbih with a Long Presence of Heart:

Sheikh Ali bin Jazaeri, said the Tasbih for one hour because with each word of the praises he said, his tears flowed down his cheeks.

The Tasbih, the Sign of a Faithful Person:

It is written in “Makarem-ul-Akhlaq” that the Tasbih of Fatima is one of the five signs of a faithful person.
The Tasbih and Imam Sajjad:

It is said that when Imam Sajjad was taken to Yazeed, he decided to kill Imam. So, he started speaking to Imam and intended to make him say something that would give him a pretext to cause his death. But the Imam said nothing more than Yazeed had said. In his hand, there was a Tasbih and while speaking he turned it.

Yazeed said: “I speak to you and you answer me while your fingers turn the Tasbih. How do you permit yourself to do that?”

The Imam said: “My father informed me that the Prophet didn’t move from his place after the morning prayers and didn’t say anything. Sometimes he took the Tasbih and said: “O Lord! I entered morning while I was praising You equal to the number of the beads of the Tasbih that is in my hand.” Then he turned the Tasbih and spoke without praising.

The Imam continued: “This will be counted for me and will protect me till bedtime.” When he went to bed he also gave a special praise to Allah. “I follow my great grandfather and do the same thing.”

Then Yazeed looked at the people around him and said: “He defeated me by his answer,” and ordered them to let him go.

The Favors of the Angels:

When one of you goes to bed an honorable angel and a mulish Satan come to you quickly. The angel says: “End your day in a good way and start your night doing the right.” At the same moment the Satan says: “End your day committing sins and start your night with wrongdoings.” If the person obeys the angel and ends his day and begins his night in Allah’s name and says the Tasbih, that angel drives the Satan away and protects the person till he/she gets up.

When the person gets up, the Satan comes to him again and repeats what it said the night before. If the person recites the Tasbih, the Satan flees and Allah gives the reward a heavenly reward equal to the reward of the one who has prayed the whole night.

Fatima’s Tasbih (Rosary):

It is written in “Makarem-ul-Akhlaq” that Fatima had a Tasbih made of woolen thread, which had 100 knots, and she used it to recite the Tasbih. When Hazrat Hamzah (Prophet’s uncle) was martyred, she used his soil for making Tasbih.

After the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the people used his soil to make Tasbih.

Imam Sadiq said: “The first Tasbih was our mother’s (i.e. Fatima’s) which was made of blue thread and after that, she made beads of Tasbih from the soil of Hamzah’s grave.

The Soil of Imam Hussain’s Grave:

Imam Sadiq said: “Prostration on the soil of Hussain illuminates the seven layers of the earth, and if somebody keeps a Tasbih made of Imam Hussain’s soil, they are considered the prayers of Allah, even if they don’t say anything.

The Value of Tasbih:

Imam Baqir said: “Allah has not been praised in any way better than saying the Tasbih. If there had been something better, the Prophet would have taught Fatima.”

The Effects of the Tasbih:

Imam Sadiq said: “Two brothers went to the Prophet and said: “We want to go to Syria for trading. What shall we do to be protected from dangers?”

He (Prophet) said: “When you go to bed, say the Tasbih, and after that say Ayat-ul-Kursi (A verse of the Holy Qur’an, surah Baqara). Then, you will be protected from all the dangers.”

On the way thieves followed them, and when they entered the caravanserai, the thieves sent their slave to see what they were doing.

When the slave reached them, the two brothers went to bed and did whatever the Prophet had told them. Suddenly, the slave saw walls surrounding the brothers. He came back to the thieves and told them the story, but they didn’t believe him and went in the caravanserai themselves. They also didn’t see anything but walls.

The next morning the thieves went to the brothers and said: “We wanted to steal your goods but last night we didn’t see anything but walls.”

The brothers told them the whole story and the thieves said: “We will not follow you anymore because with what you say nobody can rob you of your goods.

Imam Sadiq said: “Whoever says the Tasbih after saying his prayer, before moving from his place the heaven is their reward.

Tasbih in the Qur’an:

Imam Sadiq said about the Verse: “Praise Allah a lot.”

The one who says the Tasbih has obeyed Qur’anic verses and has praised Allah a lot!


[imamreza.net]

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Fatima: the Mother of Her Father

By: Mansour Leghaei #

Imam Sadiq from his father: “Verily, Fatima was surnamed ‘Omme Abiha’.”

[Beharul-Anwaar, vol.43 p.19 from Maqatelu-Talebin]

‘Omme Abiha’ or ‘the mother of her father’ is one of the best known titles of the Lady Fatima (peace be upon her). This title sounds quite peculiar for many people specially those who are less familiar with the Arabic language. This lecture is a humble interpretation of the abovementioned Hadith. I shall by the Will of Allah suggest 10 reasons because of which she enjoyed this unique title.

Fatima was the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, the wife of Imam Ali, the mother of the only two Masters of the Youth of Paradise- Imam Hasan and Imam Husain- and the mother of the 11 infallible Imams (peace be upon them all). She is the elite of the elite women of the past, present and future. She was an infallible martyr and a human huri. She was the crystallization of piety, chastity and real devotee of the Almighty Allah. Her virtues are so numerous that the Messenger of Allah said about her: “If beauty were a person it would be Fatima, Nay! She is greater. Indeed Fatima is my daughter and the best of the people of the earth in her origin, dignity and honour.” [Fara’edoh-Samtayn vol.2 p.68]

Fatima had a short life in this world and as her husband Imam Ali has described, “She joined her father very soon.” Yet, her life was so rich with abundant blessings so much so that she became al-Kauthar and the fountain of the Prophetic blessings.

CHILDHOOD

Fatima was born during the Prophetic mission and when the Prophet of Islam had reached his perfection. She was the only child of the house of Prophet Mohammad and Sayyeda Khadija. Her conception was heavenly blessed with the paradisiacal fruit gifted to her father at the time of his ascension. She was brought up in a house wherein revelation and the words of God were constant. She witnessed the descending and ascending of the angels. Her physical growth accomplished with her mental and spiritual growth and hence she became an infallible lady who enjoyed the sublime virtues of her father, the holy Prophet of Islam.

AFTER THE DEMISE OF HER MOTHER

Lady Khadija died 10 years after the Prophet of Islam declared his mission and left her five year old daughter an orphan. The richest lady of Quraiysh at the time of her death could not even afford a simple shroud for her burial and hence she requested her daughter to ask her father to shroud her with his own cloak after her death. Fatima was since the only memory of Khadija for the Prophet of Islam. After the painful death of her mother the young Fatima dedicated herself to her father, the Messenger of God. During the hardship of Makka she was not only a supportive daughter but a comrade. After her marriage with Imam Ali in Medina, initially her house was quite a distance from the mosque which would make the traveling to the Prophet quite difficult. Thus, the Prophet made an arrangement that the young couple live in the house of Haritha bin No’man whose house was near the house of the Prophet. [ibn Sa’ad, al Tabaqaat vol 8 p14]

THE FEMALE COMRADE OF THE PROPHET

Fatima was not the type of girl who sat at home weaving or sewing with no social responsibility. Her exalted spirit had made her from the very early stages of her life, endeavor for the spread of Islam with her father.

• Once, the Prophet of Islam was inviting people to Islam inside the Masjidul Haraam. Abu Jahl made some of his puppets pour rubbish onto the Prophet. Fatima; the female comrade of the Prophet immediately ran towards her father and with her small hands cleaned the head and the shoulders of the Prophet of Islam.
Many a time the infidels of Quraiysh stoned the Messenger of God and the young Fatima was sometimes shielding her father with her own body.
• Her care and compassion towards the Messenger of God was so motherly and passionate. Every time the Messenger of God came home Fatima was dusting the hair and face of the Prophet . it was due to all this compassionate conduct of Fatima that the Messenger of God had such tremendous love for her.
• The role of Fatima in her support and the spread of Islam was so vital that according to Imam Ali she was considered the second pillar of the Islam. After the martyrdom of Fatima Zahra Imam Ali stated, “The messenger of God was the first column of Islam and Fatima was the second and the Islamic Ommah today has lost its second column too.

FATIMA DURING THE ISLAMIC BATTLES

Fatima was a woman and as such jihad was not obligatory on her. Nonetheless, she was an active participant and a supporter of the Muslim warriors along with her father and husband. During the battles, Fatima had the responsibility of nursing the wounded soldiers and repairing their artillery. When the rumor about the martyrdom of the Messenger of God was spread in Medina during the battle of Ohud, Fatima mobilized some of the ladies of Medina to the battlefield. When she saw her father’s teeth broken and bleeding she was in tears and hugged the Messenger of God. The shia and Sunni historians have narrated that during the severe time of the battle of Ohud whereat blood was flowing from the head and the face of the Prophet, the companions had tried to stop the bleeding of the wounds, to no avail. It was Fatima who then immediately burnt a straw mat and poured its ashes onto the wounds and stopped the blood from flowing. [Safinatul Behar vol.1 p140, Sahihul Bukhari vol.4 p.72]

ADDRESSING HER FATHER

After the battle of Ohud, an ayah was revealed to the Messenger of God to discipline his companions. It was customary for Arabs to call each other with their names without any title and as such they would only call the Prophet of Islam with his first name, Mohammad, the Messenger of God as also too humble to request them to address him otherwise. It was under these circumstances that the Almighty God revealed, “Make not the calling of the Messenger among you as you are calling one of another.” 24:63

Upon the revelation of the Ayah, Muslims were commanded to address the Prophet with the title of Messenger of God.

Lady Fatima narrated, “After the revelation of the Ayah, I wondered whether I could still address my father as ‘father’ and thus I called him ‘O Messenger of God’. Upon hearing that my father immediately replied, “My dear Fatima. That rule was not for you, you call me O father for indeed this is more reviving for my heart and more pleasing your Lord.”[Ibn al-Maghazeli, al Manaqeb p367]

Thus Fatima was the only exception of the above Ayah of which she gained part of her everlasting title ‘The Mother of Her Father’.

FATIMA; THE MOTHER OF HER FATHER

In the year 5 AH, after the Battle of al-Ahzab a new rule with regards to the wives of the Prophet was revealed. “The Prophet is closer to the believers than their own selves and his wives are their mothers.” [33:6] This revelation taught Muslims to respect the wives of the Prophet like their own mothers and that they were forbidden to ever marry them. Thus, none of the wives of the Prophet were ever able to remarry after the demise of the Messenger of God. To this end, every wife of the Prophet was referred to as ‘the mother of the believers’ which means as the believers could not ever marry their mother they could not possibly ever marry any of the wives of the Prophet. After the revelation of the above law, the Messenger of God said to his beloved daughter, “O Fatima. If my wives are the (spiritual) mother of the believers then you are my (spiritual) mother.”

ETIMOLOGY OF THE TERM ‘AL-OMM’

The term mother is referred to in Arabic as ‘Omm’ whether a direct biological mother or indirect and hence, Eve is also referred to as our ‘mother’. Linguistically, the term ‘mother’ is quite similar in all different languages. Omm in Arabic, mum or mother in English, mahdar in Farsi, ma in Urdu and mama in Italian.

The term al-Omm in Arabic is defined by the renowned Arabic linguist al-Raghib “Everything and everyone who is the source of the existence of something or its rearing or reforming.” Therefore, anything that is the origin of the source of something or has a fundamental role in its existence is called al-Omm in Arabic. For instance, in Surah 43 Ayah 4 the Holy Quran is introduced to be in the Mother of the Book, “And verily, it (this Quran) is in the Mother of the Book with Us, indeed exalted, full of wisdom.” The term ‘the mother of the book in the above ayah is meant for al-Lauh al-Mahfuz which is the source of all the divine knowledge and its producer.

The first Surah of the Quran is also called ‘Ommul Kitab’ the mother of the book for its seven Ayaat contain the summary of the entire teachings of the holy Quran and hence is the root and the origin of the rest of the Quran.
Ommah in Arabic is a community which has a common religious and spiritual goal.

In short, Omm is either a biological mother which is not gained but physically or a spiritual mother which is a title given due to some spiritual privileges and characteristics and carries similar parental rights. It is to this meaning that the Messenger of God introduced himself along with Imam Ali as the two fathers of the Muslim Ommah (community).

FATIMA; THE AXIS

In the following I shall share with you ten reasons because of which Lady Fatima enjoyed the divine medal of ‘The Mother of Her Father’ by the Messenger of God.

We will learn that she is the symmetrical axis between Prophet-hood and Imamat.

1. The Axis of Creation
2.
Numerous prophetic traditions state that the Messenger of God is the final cause of the creation. The Almighty God in a holy hadith says, “Had it not been because of you I would have not created the creation.” This is a well established principle in Islamic philosophy and mysticism for the reason that the Messenger of God is the most perfect creation of God and the creation is aimed at the peak of its perfection. It is due to this fact that Fatima is the axis of creation for without her the generation of the most perfect human i.e. the Messenger of God would cease to continue. Similarly, spiritually the existence of Fatima was the cause of the continuation of Islam until the day of Judgment as I shall explain.

2. The Axis of Imamat

Fatima was the symmetrical axis joining Prophet-hood to Imamat. It was through Fatima that the blessed light of Prophet-hood was transmitted to eleven infallible Imams. I’m in awe! She is the mother of 11 infallible Imams! If the holy Mary begot one Jesus, and hence she became a truthful female, the holy Fatima begot 11 pure Imams, behind the last of whom Prophet Jesus shall pray.

3. The Axis of Ahlul-Bait

The story of the Hadith of the Cloak is narrated by numerous Shia and Sunni narrators. Jabbir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari narrated that the Messenger of God went to the house of Fatima while he was not feeling well. Fatima received him and covered him with his Yemenese cloak for warmth and comfort. Then the Prophet of Islam brings Hasan, Husain and then Imam Ali and Fatima under his cloak with him. It was then that the angel Gibreel brought Ayah 33 of Surah 33, “Verily, Allah willed but to purify you Ahlul-bait…..” Lady Fatima is the symmetrical axis in this story so much so that when the arch angel Gibreel aims at introducing those who are under the cloak to the heavenly creatures, he states, “They are Fatima and her father and her husband and her children.”

4. The Axis of Infallibility

Since Fatima is the axis of Ahlul-bait she is also the axis of infallibility as indicated in Ayah 33 of Surah 33. She was the mother and the spiritual coach of all the Imams of Ahlul-bait. The infallibility, bravery and guidance of all the Imams of Ahlul-bait were inherited from their mother, holy Lady Fatima. When Khadija was pregnant with Fatima she used to speak with her. One day when the Prophet of Islam heard his wife talking to her baby he said to her, “Gibreel has given me the glad tiding that she is going to be a baby girl and her generation will be blessed and pure and indeed the Almighty God will continue my generation from her offspring and will make them the Imams and the vicegerents of God on earth after revelation has ceased to continue.” [Rodhatul Wa’ezin vol.1 p.143]

5. The Axis of Al Mubahilah

In the last year of the life of Prophet Muhammad a deputation of 60 high ranked Christians of Najran headed by Abdul Masih their chief monk-priest came and discussed with the Holy Prophet about the personality of Prophet ‘Isa (Jesus). When they refused to accept the logical reasoning of the Prophet of Islam, the Messenger of Allah by revelation invited them to a cursing challenge called ‘al-Mubahila’. “Then whoever disputes with you concerning him (Jesus) after all this knowledge that has come to you, say: Come, let us call our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then we pray and invoke the Curse of Allah upon those who lie.” [3:61]

The only people the Prophet of Islam chose to take to this vital challenge were: Imam Ali, Fatima al-Zahra, (Imam) Hasan and (Imam) Husain peace be upon them. In this challenge Fatima was the example of the child of the Prophet in ‘our sons’, the woman in ‘our women’. She was also the example of the soul of the Prophet in ‘ourselves’ for the Messenger of God had said about her: “She is part of me as she is my soul in my heart.”
Of the significance of this selection the renown Sunni scholar al-Qandoozi narrated from the holy Prophet: “Had the Almighty Allah knew more honourable people on earth than Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husain he would have commanded me to challenge the Christians with them. But He ordered me to enter the Mubahila with them (Ahlul-Bait) for they are the best creatures.” [Yanabi’ul-Mawaddah, p.131]

6. The Axis of Imams of Ahlul-Bait

The Almighty God gave the glad tidings to Fatima that 11 infallible Imams will emerge from her offspring. Thus, she was called ‘the Mother of the Imams’ and ‘the Mother of the Blossoms of Islam’ and ‘the Mother of the Light of the Imams’. It is therefore narrated from the Messenger of Allah: “I am the tree and Fatima is its fruit-bearing and Ali is its pollen and Hasan and Husain are its fruits.” [Ihqaqul-Haq, vol.9 p.157]

Similarly, when Lady Fatima delivered her eloquent sermon in the Masjidul-Nabi, Imam Ali addressed her with the title of: “O the remaining of the Prophet-hood.” [Beharul-Anwar, vol.43 p.148]

Most importantly, the holy Fatima was the bearer and the depository of the divine secrete, i.e. Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance).

7. The Axis of Faith

The Lady Fatima is the axis of faith. It is narrated from the Imams of Ahlul-bait that on the Day of Judgment “she will be the scale of measuring the deeds of our lovers and our enemies.” [ al-Kharazmi, Maqtalul-Husain, p.107] Thus, she is the scale of measuring the lovers and the enemies of Ahlul-Bait.

8. The Axis of the Sayyyeds

The holy Fatima was ‘al-Kouthar’ meaning abundant blessings. The generation of the last Messenger of Allah has spread world-wide through his daughter Fatima. She is the mother of Millions of offspring of the Prophet from the linage of Imam Ali, Imam Hasan, Imam Husain, Imam Redha, and Imam Kadhem (peace be upon them). They are related to the Prophet of Islam through Fatima.

9. The Axis of Intercession

The holy Fatima is the axis of intercession on the Day of Judgment to rescue the sinners from the Hell-fire. Indeed she is called Fatima for Allah has safeguarded her and her followers from the Hell-fire. Numerous Prophetic saying indicated that she is called Fatima for Allah has prevented her and her lovers and followers from the Hell-fire. [See Beharul-Anwar, vol.43 pp.4 -18]

Jabir; the distinguished companion of the Messenger of Allah who lived long enough to visit Imam Baqir asked the Imam to inform him of the status of his grandmother; the lady Fatima. Part of the Hadith reads:
“On the Day of Judgment people will be ordered: Bend your heads down and lower your gaze for indeed this is Fatima proceeding to Paradise. She then will ask the Almighty: O my Lord! I would like my status be known in this Day. Thus, the Almighty Allah addresses her: O daughter of My beloved! Look back and find whoever there is a love in their heart for you or for any of your offspring to take their hands and enter them into Paradise. It is on that Day the she will be as selective as a chicken selects the good seeds over the spoiled ones. Then the Almighty Allah will address those who loved the holy Fatima: Look back and find whoever loved your for the love of Fatima, whoever fed you for the love of Fatima, whoever clothed you for the love of Fatima, whoever offered you a drink for the love of Fatima… then take their hands and enter them into Paradise. Imam Baqir then added: On that Day none will be left save the one who has been doubtful
(about the status of Fatima), or the one who has been Kafir or hypocrite.” [Beharul-Anwar, vol.8 p.51]

10. The Axis of Granting Wishes

Although all the fourteen infallible are the gates through whom the Almighty God grants our invocations, the Lady Fatima has a pivotal role in the granting of our wishes. Even the Imams of Ahlul-bait when they invoked to the Almighty, they asked Allah in the virtuous name of their mother Fatima. Thus, the name of Fatima is again the central core in the recommended supplication for our needs.

“Allahuma inni asaloka be haqe fatimata wa abiha wa ba’leha wa baniha wa sirril musta’ da’e fi ha an to salle’a ala muhammadin wa ale muhammad. Wa an tafalla be ma anta ahlo wa an taqthia hawa’iji”

“O Allah verily I ask You by the right of Fatima and her father and her husband and her sons and the hidden secret entrusted in her (Imam Mahdi a.j) that You may Mohammad and his family and that You may do for me what You are anticipated to do and that You grant my requests.”

MUTUAL AFFECTION

The affection between Fatima and her father was mutual. That means, as much as the holy Prophet of Islam loved his daughter Fatima, she also loved her father the Prophet. Thus, the demise of the Prophet of God did not have but an enormous effect on Fatima. During her short time after the demise of her father, she cried so much that according to the words of imam Sadiq she became one of the five most weeping people in history of mankind. Prophet Adam after his fall wept so much that stains marks appeared on his cheeks. Prophet Yaqoub wept so much in the absence of his son Yusuf that he lost his eye sight. Prophet Yusuf in return also cried so much in missing his father that his fellow prisoners requested that he should cry either at night or day. Imam Sajjad wept for the last thirty five years of his life for the tragedy of Karbala and finally the holy Fatima wept her life away in the absence of her father the holy Messenger of God. She wept so much that Imam Ali had to build an isolated hut for her worshipping and weeping called ‘the House of Grieves’. The weeping of Fatima however, was not only for the physical departure of the Messenger of God from this world, she wept also for the catastrophic deviation that occurred after the Prophet passed. Her weeping was in fact a cry opposition to awaken the Islamic Ummah of the evil consequences of their wrongdoing. Fatima was fully aware that the deviation that occurred in Saqifeh would lead to the massacre of Karbala.

“As salamu alayk O you oppressed lady whose right has been usurped and her rib was broken, the one who was beaten, the lady who was truthful and martyred.”

The enemies of Islam and Ahlul-bait could not stand her opposition. According to al-Mas’oodi; the renowned historian, she witnessed that the party of Abu Bakr forced Imam Ali to pay allegiance to Abu Bakr whilst Imam Ali was refusing. [Ithbatul-Wasiya p262]

Eventually, the enemies threatened to set the house of Fatima on fire should Ali continue to refuse allegiance. Omar ibn Kattab along with his men approached the house of Ahlul-bait. He threatened that should Ali still refuse he would burn the house down and the household. Omar was reminded that Fatima was also in that house, his only reply was, “Even so…”

I would like to end my speech by narrating the tragic event of the martyrdom of the holy Lady Fatima; the part of the heart of the Prophet and the beloved mother of her father with her own heartbreaking description of the scene, “they placed firewood at the gate of my house and then they brought fire and torched it to burn us all. I was standing behind the front door. I pleaded with them by the name of Allah and my father the Messenger of Allah to leave us alone or help us. But Omar grabbed the whip of Qunfuz; the slave of Abu Bakr, and whipped my arm so hard that it bruised and marked like a bracelet. He then kicked the door against me while I was pregnant and I fell to the floor all the while the fire was blazing in front of me and its heat was burning my face. He then slapped me so hard on my face that my earring tore my ear then I felt the pain of labor and lost my innocent baby.

[Baitul ahzan p97 al-Ehtejaj vol1 from p203, Sharh ibn Abil Haddid vol2 p21, The History of Tabari vol2 p234, Al Imamah & Al Siyasah vol1 p12, Morujo Thahab vol2 p302, Al Kafi vol8 p343]

[imamreza.net]

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WHAT PROPHET SAID ABOUT FATIMA

# 40 Hadith of Holy Prophet about his daughter Fatima al Zahra


1) The Prophet said, “On the Day of Judgment, a caller will call out: “Lower your gaze until Fatima has passed.”

2) The Prophet said, “When I long for the fragrance of Paradise I smell the neck of Fatima.”

3) The Prophet said, “Of all the women in the Universe, four would suffice: Mary, Aseya, Khadija, and Fatima.”

4) The Prophet said, “Oh, Ali, Gabriel has informed me that God has married you to Fatima.”

5) The Prophet said, “I am not pleased unless Fatima is pleased.”

6) The Prophet said, “Oh, Ali, God has commanded me to marry you to Fatima.”

7) The Prophet said, “Verily, God married Ali to Fatima.”

8) The Prophet said, “All the children of a mother are attributed to their fatherly relation except the sons of Fatima.”

9) The Prophet said, “All the children of a woman are attributed to their father, but not the sons of Fatima.”

10) The Prophet said, “The most beloved of my family to me is Fatima.”

11) The Prophet said, “The four greatest women in the Universe are Mary, Aseya, Khadija, and Fatima.”

12) The Prophet said, “The head of the women of Paradise is Fatima.”

13) The Prophet said, “If I were separated from the fruits of Paradise I would kiss Fatima.”

14) The Prophet said, “Many men have reached completion, but no women have reached completion except four: Mary, Aseya, Khadija, and Fatima.”

15) The Prophet said, “The first people to enter Paradise will be Ali and Fatima.”

16) The Prophet said, “The verse of purification was revealed concerning five people: myself, Ali, Hassan, Hussein, and Fatima.”

17) The Prophet said, “The best women in Paradise will be Mary, Asiya, Khadija, and Fatima.”

18) The Prophet said, “The first one to enter Paradise will be Fatima.”

19) The Prophet said, “The Messiah (Mehdi) is from my family, from the sons of Fatima.”

20) The Prophet said, “Verily, God has weaned (fatama) my daughter Fatima and her children and those who love them from the Hellfire, and that is why she is named Fatima.”

21) The Prophet said, “Fatima, you will be the first amongst my lineage to follow after me.”

22) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me. Whatever upsets her upsets me, and whatever harms her harms me.”

23) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me, and whoever pleases her, pleases me.”

24) The Prophet said, “Fatima is the head of the women of Paradise.”

25) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me, so whoever makes her angry makes me angry.”

26) The Prophet said, “Fatima is a maiden of Paradise created in human form.”

27) The Prophet said, “Fatima is a Princess (Hur) of Paradise in human form, she does not receive any kind of menses.”

28) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me, whatever harms her harms me, and whatever is against her is against me.”

29) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me - whatever makes her angry makes me angry, and whatever pleases her pleases me.”

30) The Prophet said, “Fatima is more beloved to me than you, oh Ali, and you are dearer to me than her.”

31) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me and she is my heart and the soul which is between my two sides.”

32) The Prophet said, “Fatima is the head of the women of my nation.”

33) The Prophet said, “Fatima is a branch of me, what pleases her pleases me, and what saddens her, saddens me.”

34) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me - whatever causes her pain causes me pain, and whatever makes her happy makes me happy.”

35) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me, whoever harms her has harmed me.”

36) The Prophet said, “Fatima is the joy of my heart, and her sons are the fruit of my soul.”

37) The Prophet said, “Fatima is not like the women of the children of Adam.”

38) The Prophet said, “Fatima is part of me - what saddens her saddens me, and what pleases her pleases me.”

39) The Prophet said, “Oh Fatima, verily God is angry when you are angry.”

40) The Prophet said, “Fatima, God will not torture you or any of your children.”

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