Faatimah's mission

We could never fully understand the whole mission of any of the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen, and can only believe in what has been passed down to us from Allaah, and from them, about themselves and their missions.

This is because on the one hand our brain and intellectual capability is limited, and on the other hand their mission is even bigger than our imagination.

Their mission overlap human beings and covers all the creatures of Allaah, irrespective of time and place and regardless of whether or not they have a soul; and their authority extends over everything and overspreads whole planets.

And it does not stop at the highest levels of al-Walaayah al-Takweeneyyah[1], but goes further to encompass creation itself; after God empowered them and deputized them to create His creatures, just as He ordered some of his angels to give and take lives.

And about this fact, the second Bakri leader ^cOmar, said to Prophet Mohammad’s third khaleefah[2] Imaam Hosayn^(AS)[3]:

And he repeated this recognition on another occasion when he said to Imaam Hosayn:

((…And has anyone caused to grow the hair on the head after Allaah, except you[5].)).

But their mission does not end there either, as God has tied our being to their being. Thus if a hojjah[6] of Allaah is no longer amongst us, we will seizes to exist.

((If the earth became vacant of a hojjah for a blink of an eye, it would certainly swallow its inhabitants[8].)).

((…And if my descendants seize to exist, so will the earth’s inhabitants seize to exist[10].)).

And after this world, the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen remain in charge in the Hereafter, as Bakri scholars agree and narrate:

((Aboo Bakr and ^cAli ibn Abi Taalib met one day, and Aboo Bakr smiled in his face. ^cAli asked him: Why did you smile?

Aboo Bakr: I heard Rasoolollaah say: No one can cross over the Seraat[11] without a pass from ^cAli[12].)).

And because Allaah granted the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen the highest levels of al-Walaayah al-Takweeneyyah, and made them his instruments for creation, and chose them to be the sustainers of the world, etc. He instructed all of His prophets to believe in them and submit to their will, before they could become prophets.

The prophethood of no prophet became complete in Azellah, until my authority and the authority of my descendants were presented to them, and my descendants were shown to them, and they recognized their obedience and submitted to their authority[13].)).

And after the world of Azellah the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen remained ever so important to the prophets, so much that in times of danger and oppression, they prayed to Allaah and put the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen as the intermediary between them and Allaah for relief and victory.

Prophet Nooh[14], for example, asked God in their name for safety and relief, and wrote the names of Rasoolollaah, Ameer al-Mo’meneen, Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen, Imaam Hasan and Imaam Hosayn^(AmS)[15] on a board which he put on his ship for blessing.

And Faatimah was one of these Fourteen Ma^csoomeen, whose authority over God’s creations encompassed everything and everyone including the prophets and their awseyaa’, except her father and her husband.

And throughout their lives, prophet Mohammad’s kholafaa’ repeatedly recognized her authority over them in front of their followers, so that they may know her better and understand her position to God as much as they can.

((We are Allaah’s Hojaj[17] over people, and Faatimah is Allaah’s Hojjah over us[18].)).

This is Faatimah, who is a Hojjah over eleven of her father’s successors, who are, themselves, Hojaj over all the creation.

We may not know exactly what she is and who she is with our limited intellectual capability, which so far has not comprehended all there is to comprehend about the human body which is only a part of its larger being, but we know something about her mission, to an extent that relates to us.

Here are some highlights of a part of Faatimah’s mission that relates to the propagation of Islam:

HER DO^cAA’[19]

Islam as the last divine religion is the most complete religion, and it is universal and for all times.

Islam, as its predecessors, works to elevate its followers’ souls as much as they allow it to elevate, through listening to Allaah and speaking to Him. Listening to Allaah, when reciting the Holy Qor’aan; and speaking to Him, when reciting the Holy Do^caa’.

Fortunately a large number of ad^ceyah[20] have been passed down to us from the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen, for every day of the week; for every month of the year; for every aspect of life; for every kind of need; for every type of fear; for all forms of thanking Allaah for His gifts; for all sorts of estekhaarah[21], etc.

These ad^ceyah teach us Islamic law, theology, sociology, politics, economics, morals, etiquettes, etc. They include prophecies and scientific facts centuries before they happen and are discovered.

These ad^ceyah are the peaks of eloquence of the Arabic language, and the main sources of knowledge. Something that separates the true representatives of Allaah from the pretenders. Something that the ma^csoomeen have plentiful, and their foes lack totally.

In her ad^ceyah, Faatimah turns herself into the smallest of things in front of the largest of things. She looks at Allaah as if He is looking at her, and she talks to Allaah as if He is talking to her. She speaks of herself as the worst sinner on the face of earth, who has no chance of forgiveness; and yet she shows so much confidence in forgiveness, as if she is sinless.

In her ad^ceyah, she portrays Allaah as the most powerful king from Whose justice nothing escapes, and Who holds His subjects accountable for every tiny mistake; and at the same time, she portrays Him as the most affectionate mother towards her only child who always turns a blind eye to her child’s mischief.

In her ad^ceyah, she places the person between Allaah’s wrath and His Mercy in such proximity that he feels he will be engulfed in God’s wrath in one minute, and becomes certain of God’s Mercy in the next minute.

In her ad^ceyah, she makes a person see, hear and feel the comforts of Heaven; and simultaneously see, hear and feel the tortures of Hell.

Many scholars have collected the narrated ad^ceyah from the ma^csoomeen in various specialized books; and other scholars have put great efforts into write explanations and interpretations to these ad^ceyah in their multi-volume encyclopedias.

A- Secret Ad^ceyah:

The ad^ceyah that were between her and her God which she recited in secrecy, and did not allow others to learn for various reasons.

B- Private Ad^ceyah:

The ad^ceyah that she recited for specific purposes, without the intention to teach them to others; although saying them out loud in front of others so that they may use them as a source of knowledge. They include:

1-[22] ((O My Lord! and my Master! this is Mohammad, Your Prophet; and this is ^cAli, Your Prophet’s cousin; and these are Hasan and Hosayn, Your Prophet’s grandsons.

O My Lord! Descend upon us food from the sky, just as You descended it to the children of Israel. They ate from it and disbelieved it. O Allaah! Descend it upon us; in it we are surely believers[23].)).

2-[24] ((O Ever-Living! O Self-Subsisting! By Thy Mercy I ask for relief, so relieve me. O Allaah! Move me away from Hell and enter me into Heaven; and join me with my father Mohammad, may Allaah’s Blessing be upon him and his descendents[25].

O my Lord! I have indeed become tired of life, and have been annoyed by the people, so take me to my father[26].

To You my Lord, not to Hell. O Allaah! With Your Messenger. O Allaah! In Your Heaven and in Your vicinity and in Your house, the house of peace[27].)).

3- ((O Allaah! I ask You in Mohammad the Mostafa’s name, and his yearning for me; and in my husband ^cAli the Mortadaa’s name, and his grief for me; and in Hasan the Mojtabaa’s name, and his crying for me; and in Hosayn the Martyr’s name, and his sorrow for me; and in my daughters’ names, and their heartbreak for me; that You have Mercy upon the sinners of the followers of Mohammad, and forgive them, and take them to Heaven. You are indeed the Most Noble, and the Most Merciful[28].)).

C- Public Ad^ceyah:

The ad^ceyah that she taught others so that they may recite them. These ad^ceyah fall into several categories including:

- specific ad^ceyah to be recited after the mandatory and the recommended salawaat (plural of salaat).

1-[29] ((O Allaah! Protect us with Your eye which does not go to sleep; and Your support which will never be weaken; and with Your great names. And descend Your Blessing upon Mohammad and his descendents. And protect for us that which would be lost if someone other than You protects it; and conceal for us that which would be known if someone other than you conceals it; and make all of this conformable for us. You are indeed a Listener to the Do^caa’, and a Fast Responder[30].)).

2-[31] ((Praise be to Allaah, He Whose Praise cannot be culminated by those who commend. And praise be to Allaah, He Whose gifts cannot be counted by those whose expertise is to count. And praise be to Allaah, He who cannot be recompensed by the continuous worship of the devout worshipers.

And there is no God except Allaah, the First and the Last. And there is no God except Allaah, the Evident and the Hidden. And there is no God except Allaah, the Giver of Life and the Taker of Life.

And praise be to Allaah, He whose knowledge cannot be comprehend by the knowledgeable; and whose forbearance cannot be weakened by the ignorant; and whose praise cannot be culminated by those whose expertise is to praise; and whose attributes cannot be described by those whose expertise is to describe; and whose qualities cannot be adequately explained by His creatures.

And praise be to Allaah, He who has the reign and the kingdom; and the grandeur and the mightiness; and the pride and the exaltedness; and the magnificence and the gravity; and the beauty and the prestige; and the power and the strength; and the force and the grace; and the victory and the merit; and the might and the justice; and the truth and the noble character; and the eminence and the highness; and the glory and the virtue; and the wisdom and the sufficiency; and the profusion and the expansion and the contraction; and the forbearance and the knowledge; and the conclusive proof; and the encompassing benefaction; and the graceful and beautiful commendation; and the noble spiritual gifts. The king of this world and the Hereafter and the Heaven and the Hell and all of what they include. Blessed be Him, Allaah, and be He raised far above.

Praise be to Allaah, He Who knows the secrets of the invisibles; and is aware of the sins that the hearts commit; so there is no way of escape and getaway from Him.

And praise be to Allaah, He Who is the Proud in His rule; and is the Venerated in His Place; and is the Haughty in his Reign; and the Powerful in his Assault; and is the High over his Arsh; and is the Informed of His people; and attains whatever He wishes.

And praise be to Allaah, He by Whose command the massive skies were upheld; and the flat lands became firm; and the unshakable deep-rooted mountains stood erect; and the pollinating air flew; and the clouds moved in the sky; and the seas stood at their limits; and the hearts became apprehensive of His fear; and the lords were subdued by His Lordship.

Blessed You are, O Who counts the rain drops; and the leaves of the trees; and the Giver of life to the corps of the dead for the resurrection.

Glory be to You, O You Who possesses the Exaltedness and Honor; what would You do to the stranger, the destitute if he came to You appealing for aid and asking for help?

What would You do to the one who remains at Your Court; and exposes himself to Your Approval; and comes to You, until he kneels between Your Hands, complaining to You of the things that are not hidden from You?

So do not let O my Lord! the outcome of my invocation to be deprivation, and nor my share of what I wish from you to be disappointment.

O He Who has not and will not vanish; and has been and will continue to be watching every soul as to what it attains.

O He Who has made the days of this world to pass, and its months to change, and its years to go round. And You are the Everlasting. The times do not afflict You, and nor do the worlds.

O He to Whom every day is new; and by Him every means of living for the weak and the strong and the tough are prepared. You have divided the means of living for the creatures, and have equaled between the small ant and the bird.

I ask of You O Allaah! By these praises to forgive me, and pardon me, and cloth my body with health, and grant me soundness in my religion.

Thus I ask of You and I am confident of Your Response; and I call upon You and I know that You can hear my call; so listen to my call, and do not sever my hope, and do not refuse my laudatory, and do not block my call. I am in need of Your Satisfaction and of Your Forgiveness. I ask of You and I am not disheartened of Your Mercy, and call upon You while I am not being cautious of Your Discontentment.

O Lord! Fulfill my requests, and have favor on me with Your Forgiveness; and take my life as a Moslem and join me with the good. O Lord! Do not forbid me Your Kindness, O Beneficent! And do not make me depend on myself in abandonment, O Compassionate!

O Lord! Be Merciful to me when I leave my beloveds and die, and when I stay alone in my grave, and when I am a stranger in the desert on the Day of Resurrection, and when I stand in poverty between Your Hands in Your Court of justice.

O Lord! I seek refuge to You from the Fire, so give me refuge. O Lord! I seek Your Protection from the Fire, so protect me. I run to You from the Fire, so take me away.

O Lord! Being anguished, I seek Your Mercy, so have Mercy on me; O Lord! I seek Your Forgiveness for when I was ignorant, so forgive me.

Indeed do^caa’ for my need has taken me to You, so do not disappoint me, O Bountiful! He Who has the Gifts, and the Benevolence and the Overlooking.

O My Master! O Beneficent! O Merciful! Grant my request amongst those who pray humbly to You; and have Mercy on my tears amongst those who cry to You; and on the day I leave this world, make my meeting with You as my Comfort; and conceal amongst the dead O He in Whom there are great wishes, my shameful acts; and have Compassion for me when I am being moved to my grave alone. You are my hope, and You are the one Whom I ask my needs from, and the one Who knows what I am going to ask Him; so fulfill my needs, O Fulfiller of needs!

So, to You is the complaint, and You are the Helper and the Giver of hope. I run to You fleeing from the sins, so accept me; and I seek refuge from Your Justice to Your Forgiveness, so aid me; and I seek shelter to Your Forgiveness from Your Assault so keep me away from it; and I seek Your Mercy from Your Punishment, so rescue me; and I seek to get close to You by Islam, so get me close.

And from the greater fear, so keep me safe; and in the shadow of Your Arsh, so shade me; and two shares of Your Mercy, so present to me; and safely from this world, so deliver me; and from the darkness to the light, so send me; and on the Day of Resurrection, so brighten my face; and with a light questioning, so question me; and with what I have concealed, so do not expose me; and for Your Affliction, so give me patience.

And just as You diverted the evil and the adultery from Yoosof[32], so divert it from me; and what I do not have the capacity for, so do not load on my shoulder; and to the House of Peace, so guide me; and by the Qor’aan, so benefit me; and by the firm belief, so make me firm; and from the accursed Shaytaan[33], so keep me safe; and by Your Strength and Power and Might, so shield me; and by Your Forbearance and Knowledge and broad Mercy, so rescue me from Hell; and in Your Heaven of Ferdaws, so house me; and looking at Your Face, so bestow upon me; and with Your Prophet Mohammad, so join me; and from the Shayaateen[34] and their followers and from all those who possess evil, so keep me away…[35])).

3-[36] ((Glory be to Him for Whose Greatness everything became humble. Glory be to Him for Whose High Standing everything became low. Glory be to Him to Whose Control and Rule everything yielded. Glory be to Him Who is obeyed by everything.

Praise be to Allaah Who does not forget whoever remembers Him. Praise be to Allaah Who does not disappoint whoever prays to Him. Praise be to Allaah Who is Sufficient for those who rely on Him.

Praise be to Allaah Who is the Thickener of the sky; and the Builder of the earth; and Who limits the seas; and Who piles up the mountains; and Who creates the animals; and Who creates the trees; and who opens the earth’s springs; and Who arranges things; and Who moves the clouds; and Who causes the wind and the water and the fire to flow from the earth up to sky; and Who descends the heat and the cold.

The one with Whose Gift the good deeds are completed; and by thanking Him they are increased; and by His Order the skies started to exist; and by His Greatness the unshakable mountains stood; and the wild animals glorified Him in the deserts and the birds in the nests.

O Allaah! I ask You by Your stored name, the pleasant, the pure, the one by which the skies and the earth started to exist; and the darkness was lit for it; and the angels glorified for it; and the hearts feared it; and the necks became humble for it; and the one by which You brought the dead back to life; to forgive every sin that I committed in the darkness of the night and in the light of the day, intentionally or inadvertently, in secrecy or in public; and to give me a conviction, and a guidance, and a light, and a knowledge, and an understanding so that I may implement your book, and allow what it allows, and prohibit what it prohibits; and to perform what You have made mandatory for me, and to practice Your prophet’s tradition.

O Allaah! Join me with the virtuous of those who have passed away, and make me one of the virtuous of those who remain alive; and finish my deeds at its best; for You are the Most Forgiving and the Most Merciful.

O Allaah! If my life were to finish, and my days were to sever, and I were to meet you, so I ask You, O Kind! to put me in a place in Heaven where others will envy me.

O Allaah! I entrust my religion and my soul and all the gifts You have given me to You; and so put me in Your shade, and in Your protection, and in Your might, and in Your prevention.

Your neighbor is mighty, and Your tribute is grand, and Your names are sanctified, and there is no God but You. You are Sufficient for me in joy and in sorrow, and in hard times and in prosperity; and You are the best [one who can be] in charge[37].)).

HER POLITICS

Islam as the last universal religion, attaches great importance to politics and engages in all political affairs. This means that Islam is political as much as it is economical, educational, social, ritual, moral, legal, etc.

However, there are some people who claim Islam is non-political, and therefore call for a separation between Islam and politics.

To reject their assertion, one has to look at the history of Islam and see how Prophet Mohammad and his Rightful Kholafaa’ played major political roles as the messengers of Islam.

Prophet Mohammad was the founder of the Islamic rule in Madinah, which in a period of ten years spread to nine countries in today’s geography. After his martyrdom, his successorship was usurped by Aboo Bakr’s party and remained usurped for centuries[38].

However during this time, Ameer al-Mo’meneen the first khaleefah, was able to attain his usurped position, and headed the Islamic rule for about five years until he was assassinated.

He was succeeded by Imaam Hasan^(AS)[39], the second khaleefah, who headed the Islamic rule for several months until his position was usurped by Mo^caawiyah^(LA)[40], the fourth Bakri usurper, the first Amawi ruler and son of the Idolater leader Aboo Sofyaan. Later Mo^caawiyah poisoned Imaam Hasan to death.

Thus Rasoolollaah[41], Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Imaam Hasan personally headed the Islamic rule for a total of around sixteen years.

And the other a’emmah up to the eleventh Imaam, were consecutively suppressed and were assassinated, because they had major political functions and continuously opposed the usurpers of their times.

So politics is an integral part and a major component of Islam. Without politics, Islam will not be complete.

And Faatimah as a representative of Allaah had huge political roles, the results of which are everlasting. Her political mission was more noticeable after her father’s martyrdom when she became the focus of attention in the struggle between the Rightful Khaleefah and the usurpers.

In a period, the shortest of which is said to be thirty days and the longest of which is said to be nine months, she unveiled the Bakri party, showing its true identity.

Despite her very young age, she managed to draw a line between the true Islam taught by the rightful successors of Prophet Mohammad, and the false Islam used by the usurpers of the khelaafah to rule their growing empire and destroy the true Islam.

Her politics proved to be so intolerable and dangerous for the Bakri party that it decided to crush her immediately, directly and without much cover.

^cOmar^(LA)[42], the Second Usurper, personally headed several attacks on her home in full view of the public that had enormous love and great respect for her as the daughter of the late Prophet.

Complete endorsement for Ameer al-Mo’meneen

Importance of a pledge of allegiance

From the start, the pre-Islamic Arabs had much respect for a pledge of allegiance. A pledge of allegiance was made in public to a leader of some sort. If an Arab gave his pledge of allegiance to a fellow Arab, he would remain loyal to him.

When Rasoolollaah^(SAA)[43] migrated to Madinah and established the Islamic rule, influential leaders and other people gave him their pledge of allegiance. And his governors also received such pledges from their people, especially from those who had leading roles in their society, such as tribe leaders.

And before his death, Rasoolollaah himself sought pledge of allegiance for Ameer al-Mo’meneen[44] as his Khaleefah, from the Moslems on numerous occasions. The most dramatic being on 18 Dhol-Hejjah in the tenth year of Hejrah, seventy days before his martyrdom, known as the day of “Ghadeer Khom”, when he gathered one hundred and twenty thousand Moslems in the desert while returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage. There, after a lengthy public speech, Rasoolollaah asked them to give their pledge of allegiance to Imaam ^cAli^(AS)[45] and call him by his God-given title: “Ameer al-Mo’meneen”. It took three days for all the people to give their individual pledges[46].

When the Bakri party assassinated the Prophet and made its swift move to usurp the khelaafah, it struggled to gain the much needed pledges of allegiance. But how could it render void the pledges already given to Ameer al-Mo’meneen^(AS)[47] that were insistently sought by Rasoolollaah?

With its titanic influence, secret deals and promises of friendship and enmity, which meant wealth or death, it brought many influential Arab leaders to its corner. By securing the allegiance of a few men, the Bakri party won the loyalty and the swords of countless people[48]. The tribal ruling system of that day meant the automatic endorsement of tribe members of whomsoever their leader supported.

As more tribes came under its wings, the Bakri party multiplied its pressure on the defaulters.

The opposition was led by Ameer al-Mo’meneen who maintained his claim for the khelaafah, and proved to be the biggest barrier between the Bakri party and legitimacy. But violence and assassination continued to reduce the resistance in numbers.

Here, Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen[49] became the focus of attention. Would the Prophet’s daughter give her pledge of allegiance to Aboo Bakr^(LA)[50] or to Ameer al-Mo’meneen?

Importance of Faatimah’s endorsement

In the events that followed Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom, people kept their eyes set on Faatimah, and their ears open to any words she said, in an effort to learn who she supported as the khaleefah.

Faatimah was Rasoolollaah’s daughter and was very dear to him. He showed his love for her to the point that it made others like ^cAa’eshah^(LAa)[51] repeatedly burst in jealousy[52]. She was the most beloved woman to the Prophet and ^cAli was the most beloved man.

((Some people came to Rasoolollaah and asked him: O Rasoolollaah! Who is the most beloved person to you?

((One day ^cAli asked the Prophet: O Rasoolollaah! Which of your family is most beloved to you?

((Rasoolollaah kissed Faatimah on the head and said: Your father be your sacrifice[56].)).

((Whenever Faatimah went to Rasoolollaah, he welcomed her, kissed her hands and offered her to sit in his place[57].)).

The importance of this action can only be understood when we learn that kissing the hand was a very rare thing in the Arab culture, and showed the greatest respect for a person.

But the reason for the importance of Faatimah’s endorsement was not merely the fact that she was close to Rasoolollaah, it was rather because of her close position to Allaah, and the nature of her Godly-being. And it was because Rasoolollaah had said that her approval and disapproval is his approval and disapproval and Allaah’s approval and disapproval.

((Rasoolollaah said: O Faatimah! Indeed the Almighty Allaah becomes angry for your anger; and approves for your approval[58].)).

Faatimah’s pledge of allegiance

After the martyrdom of her father, Faatimah immediately showed support for Ameer al-Mo’meneen, as the Bakri leaders were coming out of hiding to gather in Bani Saa^cedah’s gethering place to appoint Aboo Bakr as the Khaleefah.

((Have you forgotten Rasoolollaah’s speech on the day of Ghadeer Khom: For whomsoever I am master, ^cAli is his master?! And that he said to ^cAli: You are to me what Haaroon[59] was to Moosaa[60]?![61].)).

((It is as though you have not learned what Rasoolollaah said on the day of Ghadeer Khom. By Allaah, indeed he appointed him on that day to sever your hopes for it. But you severed the routs between you and your Prophet!!

And Allaah is the Judge between us and you in this world and the Hereafter[62].)).

((When people were giving their oath of allegiance to Aboo Bakr, Faatimah the daughter of Mohammad came out of her home and stood at the door, saying: I have never seen a day like this! People attended the worst meeting and left their Prophet unburied, and usurped our right[63].)).

((I said to Faatimah: O my Lady, I want to ask you a question that stammers in my chest.

Faatimah: I hold the Almighty Allaah as my witness that I heard him say: ^cAli is the best person whom I leave with you. And he is the Imaam and the Khaleefah after me. And my two grandsons and nine of Hosayn’s lineage are A’emmah[64].

If you follow them, you will find them learned leaders; and if you disobey them, there will be great conflict among you[65] until the Day of Judgment.

Faatimah: O Abaa ^cOmar! Rasoolollaah said: The example of ^cAli is that of the Ka^cbah; people go to it and it does not go to people. Then she said:

But they gave precedence to whom Allaah had held back; and held back whom Allaah had given precedence to…

They appointed [a khaleefah] with their desire and acted according to their decisions. Woe unto them; have not they heard the Almighty Allaah say: “And your Lord creates and chooses whom He pleases; to choose is not theirs[66]”. They did hear, but as Allaah says: “For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the chests[67]”.

How far! They spread their wishes in this world, and weaved their fates. “For them is destruction, and He has made their deeds ineffective[68]”.

Faatimah’s support for ^cAli as the Khaleefah did not start after the assassination of Rasoolollaah, but during his life.

They straighten its bends, and deliver it from the continuous punishment (Hell) if it obeyed them; and they bring it the continuous bliss (Heaven) if it followed them[70].)).

Complete Rejection Of Aboo Bakr’s Party

As the Bakri party lacked truth and originality, and as it was usurping the khelaafah and trying to push back Ameer al-Mo’meneen who possessed all the truth and originality, it could not tolerate much opposition.

Confrontation even from an unknown Bedouin was serious, as it undermined the legitimacy of the False Khaleefah.

At this time, Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen^(AaS)[71] posed a grave threat to Aboo Bakr’s throne as she went all out to expose this assumed pious and sincere Moslem.

Her rejection of Aboo Bakr and his party varied from simple criticisms—which coming from Faatimah meant quite more—to calling for an uprising to strip him from his undeserved position.

Open confrontation with the Bakri party

As a ma^csoom and a carrier of God’s message, Faatimah was frank and outright in her mission. She did not show fear from her powerful enemies and did not allow her personal interests compromise her duties.

And when it came to the question of the khelaafah, she did not give the Bakri party any corners; and like Ameer al-Mo’meneen, she did not offer nor did she accept any compromises.

Open confrontation was a method by which she showed people where she stood and where they should stand.

((When Faatimah’s condition worsened[72], a group of women from Mohaajireen and Ansaar came to visit her; they asked: How are you feeling, O Daughter of Rasoolollaah?

She praised Allaah and saluted her father; then she said: By Allaah, I am disgusted with your world; and I am angry with your men, I spat them after I bit them, and loathed them after I tasted them. How shameful is a notch in a sharp sword; and playfulness after seriousness; and hitting a hard stone; and a crack in a spear; and foolish thoughts; and devious wishes!! “Certainly evil is that which their souls have sent before for them, that Allaah became displeased with them and in chastisement shall they abide[73]”.

Undoubtedly, by Allaah, I have put its noose around their necks, and loaded them its heavy burden, and sent them its shame. So, cut be their noses, and severed be their legs, and far be the group of wrongdoers.

Woe unto them, where to did they move it (khelaafah) from pillars of the messengerhood and foundations of the prophethood and guidance, and Jabra’eel’s place of descent, and the intelligent knowledgeable in the fields of the world and religion?! “Now surely, that is the clear loss[74]”.

What did they resent from the father of Hasan?! They resented, by Allaah, the sharpness of his sword, and his little concern for his death, and the strength of his movement, and the force of his strike, and his turning into a tiger in the way of Allaah, the Powerful and Exalted.

By Allaah, if they had not touched the rein that Rasoolollaah had dropped, he surely would have taken it and would have advanced them an easy advance. He would not cause the khashaashah[75] to injure, and would not tire his ride, and would not irritate the riders. And would have led them to a wide clear spring that overflows its banks, and would have let them fill all their stomachs with water. And he would have been sincere with them in private and in public. They would have been lost in much wealth, while he did not decorate himself with any of it, and would not enjoy of this living except a little water that does not fully satisfy his thirst, and a little food that only stops the sting of his hunger.

And they would have distinguished the zaahid[76] from the desirous, and the truthful from the liar. And much blessing would have come to them from the sky and the earth. “And if the people of the towns had believed and guarded (against evil) We would certainly have opened up for them blessings from the Heaven and the earth, but they rejected, so We overtook them for what they had earned[77]”.

Oh come and listen; and as you live, time will show you surprises. And if you ever become surprised, this will surprise you the most.

I wish I knew! On what reasoning did they rely?! And to what handle did they cling?! And what progeny did they overtake and suppress?!

Verily, what a bad master, and what a bad companion; and bad is what they exchanged for themselves. They replaced, by Allaah, the heads with the tails, and the crucial with the unimportant. So dirt be on the noses of those who “think they are well versed in skill of the work of hands[78]”; “Now surely they themselves are the mischief makers, but they do not perceive[79]”.

Woe unto them; “Is He then Who guides to the truth more worthy to be followed, or he who himself does not go aright unless he is guided? What then is the matter with you; how do you judge?[80]”.

Indeed, by the religion of your Lord, it has become pregnant; so wait and see what it shall bear. Then milk until the cup overflows with fresh blood, and killer poison. There, shall the wrongdoers lose; and those who come shall learn the results of what those who passed had founded.

Then see if you can clear your conscience; and let your hearts rest assured that conflict shall come, and be certain of a sharp sword, and the suppression of a tyrant aggressor, and an all-inclusive agitation, and despotism from unjust rulers…

What a pity, and how far from the solution you shall be when you have been made blind. “Shall we constrain you to accept it while you are averse from it?![81]”.

Then the women returned to their husbands, and told them what she had said. So a group of Mohaajireen and Ansaar leaders came to her to apologize.

They said: O Chief of the Women! If Aboo al-Hasan (Ameer al-Mo’meneen) had told us about this before we concluded the pledge [to Aboo Bakr] and tied the knot, we would not have deviated from him to anyone else.

Faatimah: Leave! There is no apology after your action, and no making up after your failure[82].)).

Total condemnation

At the same time when Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen supported the True Khaleefah, she denounced the False Khaleefah; and as she continued to advocate the Rightful Khelaafah, she condemned its usurpers.

Below are some excerpts from her famous public speech in the mosque, after the usurpation of the khelaafah, during which publicly and strongly condemned the usurpers:

((…And when Allaah chose for His Prophet the house of the prophets, and the adobe of His most sincere friends, the spite of hypocrisy appeared on you, and the garment of faith became worn out, and the silent aberrant spoke out, and the indolent of the inferiors emerged, and the wrongdoers’ most favored camel roared, so he wiggled his tail in your courtyards.

And Shaytaan raised his head from his hiding place calling upon you, and he found you answering to his call and looking into his deceit. Then he aroused you and found you quick to respond; and caused you to become angry, so he found you angry for his anger.

Thus you marked a camel which you did not own, and came to a drinking place other than your own.

This! and the memory is near?! And the wound is wide open?! And the injury has not healed?! And the Messenger has not been buried?!

…And the Book of Allaah is among you. Its affairs are clear, and its rules are shining, and its signs are dazzling, and its prohibitions have been made clear, and its commands are plain; and you have surely left it behind you. Is it because you do not want it? Or is it because you judge according to something else? “Evil is (this) change for the unjust[83]”, “And whoever desires a religion other than Islam, it shall not be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he shall be one of the losers[84]”[85]. )).

((O You crowd of Moslems who rush towards the uttering of falsehood, and agree to disgraceful and deviating actions, “Do you not then reflect on the Qor’aan?! Nay! On the hearts there are locks[86]”. “Nay! Rather what you have done has become like rust upon your hearts[87]”. So it has seized your hearing and your sight; and truly how vile is what you have pointed to; and how wicked is what you have taken for an exchange.

You shall, by Allaah, find bearing it a heavy burden, and its consequence a harsh punishment, when the cover is removed for you and appears to you what is behind it of wrath, and comes into your sight from your Creator what you had never expected, “And those who treated (it) as a lie were lost[88]”.)).

((…Verily I have said all that I have said with full knowledge of the betrayal that has mixed with you, and the treachery that has covered your hearts; but it is the effusion of distress, and cooling the rage, and the explosion of the chest, and the presentation of proof.

So here it is, load it on the injured back of a she-camel with thin hooves, with permanent disability, marked by the wrath of the Omnipotent, with eternal shame, which is lead to “The Fire kindled by Allaah * Which penetrates the hearts[89]”.

Surely it is in the presence of Allaah what you do, “And they who act unjustly shall know to what final place of turning they shall turn back[90]”.)).

Severe protests

As part of the larger package of rejecting Aboo Bakr and his party, Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen often criticized them publicly.

And in accordance with the seriousness their deviations and their unIslamic policies and actions, the severity of her protests increased.

The following are some instances of her protests in her famous public speech in the mosque:

((…Then you did not wait for its stampede to calm and until it obeys its reins, so you added fuel to its fire, and instigated its burning coal; and you complied with the call of the deceitful Shaytaan, extinguishing the lights of the clear religion, and suppressing the traditions of the Prophet.

You show sincerity while concealing your own agenda, and you proceed towards his family and children in a secretive manner.

And we remain patient with you of things similar to cutting with a saw, and stabbing the stomach with a spear.)).

((O Moslems! Will my inheritance be usurped?! O Son of Abi Qohaafah! (Aboo Bakr), is it in the Book of Allaah that you inherit your father but I do not inherit my father?! You have surely come up with an unprecedented lie.)).

((So here is the she-camel, take it, with its nose rope and its saddle in place; it will see you on the day of your resurrection. Then, what an excellent Judge is Allaah, and what an excellent prosecutor is Mohammad. And the appointment is the resurrection day; and on the Hour shall the wrongdoers lose; and it shall not benefit you when you regret. “For every prophecy is a term, and you will come to know [it][91]”. “Who it is to whom there shall come a punishment which will disgrace him and to whom will be due a lasting punishment[92].)).

Labeling The Bakri Party As Non-Moslem

If we believe that Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen was a produce of Heaven, as Bakri scholars narrate; and if we believe that she was one of the people about whom the aayah “Allaah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O People of the House! and to purify you a [thorough] purifying” was revealed, as Bakri scholars narrate; and if we believe that she was one of the people about whom the aayah “Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives” was revealed, as Bakri scholars narrate; and if we believe that whomsoever was in peace with her was as such as he was in peace with the Prophet, and whomsoever was at war with her was as such as he was in war with the Prophet, as Bakri scholars narrate; and if we believe that Allaah’s satisfaction and anger are tied to her satisfaction and anger, as Bakri scholars narrate... we can only come to the conclusion that the Bakri party deviated from Islam when it entered into a war with Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen and subsequently killed her.

This is not a conclusion that only the Moslems reach after fourteen centuries of the events, but it is a fact that Faatimah herself repeatedly announced and publicized.

((Is it then the judgment of (the times of) ignorance that you desire?! And who is better than Allaah to judge for a people who are sure?[93])).

((Do you intentionally abandon the Book of Allaah and cast it behind your back?!)).

((…So to what direction did you go after announcement? And why did you conceal after declaring? And turn on your heels after daring? And become polytheists after believing?

Misery be upon “A people who broke their oaths after their promise, and aimed at the expulsion of the Apostle, and they attacked you first, do you fear them? But Allaah is most deserving that you should fear Him, if you are believers[94]”.

Indeed I can surely see that you are inclined to easy living; and that you have kept away who is more worthy of the caliphate; and have secluded yourselves with comfort; and have taken refuge from wideness to narrowness. So you spitted out what you had kept, and vomited what had smoothed down your throats. “If you disbelieve, you and those on earth all together, most surely Allaah is Self-Sufficient, Praised[95]”.)).

((Do you then unite in treachery, justifying it with fabrication?! And this after his death is similar to what was directed at him during his life[96].)).

Calling for uprising

After Aboo Bakr^(LA)[97] and his party succeeded in usurping the khelaafah from Ameer al-Mo’meneen, through bringing the tribe chiefs to their court by making promises of wealth and power and also threats of death and persecution, Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen embarked on the hard and dangerous mission of reminding the sold hearts of the many promises and numerous oaths they had made in favor of the Rightful Khaleefah.

And as part of that package she accompanied her husband and her two sons on visits to the homes of the heads of Mohaajireen[98] and Ansaar[99], for a number of days and nights, asking for their support.

Faatimah ignores her injuries

From what history tells us we know that the attacks on Ameer al-Mo’meneen^(AS)[100] and Sayyedat Nesaa‘ al-^cAAlameen^(AaS)[101] were carried out in the first half of her life after the Prophet’s death, and that the numerous meetings with the heads of Mohaajireen and Ansaar took place in the second half.

Therefore during that time she was suffering from the many injuries she had sustained at the hands of the Bakri party, nevertheless she performed her duty and accomplished her task. Making the sin of those who did not answer her call even greater.

This is supported by the fact that ^cAli took her to those homes on a female donkey. As the normal transport for short trips in those days was the horse, and people rarely used a donkey for traveling in or outside the city. And it was news if a famous person chose to ride a donkey. For example Rasoolollaah was known for riding a donkey in the city as part of his humility, and used to say:

((There are five things I will not give up until death: Eating with slaves on the ground, riding a donkey without a saddle, milking a she-goat with my hand, wearing wool[102] and greeting children[103].)).

It is also supported by the fact that the female donkey is shorter than the male, and therefore it is easier to mount and dismount. And by the fact that she was riding when Ameer al-Mo’meneen was walking, a serious disrespect, unless she was unable to walk!!

Completion of proof

Just as Rasoolollaah had persevered in his mission and endured much pain in his insistence to convince the Idolaters, Jews, Christians, etc to believe in the one indivisible God, and stop associating people and things with Him, Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen also suffered a great deal in their pertinacious attempts to keep the nation on the right track on which Rasoolollaah had first placed it.

Therefore after his martyrdom, when the nation took another rout and began to go astray, Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen rose up to guide it back to the right path.

Although she had been badly injured in several attacks by the Bakri party, she ignored all the pain and joined the Khaleefah and their sons Imaam Hasan and Imaam Hosayn to meet with the leaders of Mohaajireen and Ansaar, who were able to stand up and stop the Bakri party.

The high position of Imaam ^cAli put aside, Faatimah and her two sons had the highest ranks and respect after the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad. People –including Bakris- remember to this day what Allaah and the Prophet had said about them, and know that they were with the truth and that the truth was with them.

Therefore, Imaam ^cAli, Faatimah and their two sons^(AmS)[104] took advantage of their position and set out on another mission to complete the proof for the people of that day, leaving no space for any excuse produced by the Bakris today, justifying the actions and affiliations of the Companions of the Prophet for choosing Aboo Bakr over Ameer al-Mo’meneen. And to clearly show that the so-called Companions of the Prophet deliberately left the truth to followed the falsehood, and even admitted it.

Why did she not ask for uprising publicly

The question may occur to the mind that considering their high standing, if Ameer al-Mo’meneen, Faatimah and their two sons had publicly asked for support, the Bakri party would have lost all of its following, and Ameer al-Mo’meneen would have become the khaleefah. So why did they instead go to the homes of the influential leaders?

1- Tribal rule. In those days people were members of tribes, and as tribe members they had to follow their chiefs and do whatever they ordered, whether or not they agreed to it. As tribe members they did not own anything, including their lives; the chief owned everything and everyone.

Therefore people would not have supported Ameer al-Mo’meneen if their chiefs did not support him.

We read in history books that people cried when they witnessed the attacks on Faatimah’s home, but they did not interfere. We also read that the people who attended Faatimah’s famous public speech in the mosque cried so much that she had to wait for them to calm down before she could continue, but again they did not interfere.

2- Risk of internal clashes. Although the tension and fighting amongst the Arab tribes had come to an end when they accepted Islam, and the hostility between them had extinguished, but everyone still remembered their dead, and everyone still had traces from the days of ignorance.

So if Faatimah had publicly called for uprising and had openly encouraged the people to topple the regime, tribal instincts may have been aroused and as tribes took sides, door to door fighting may have been resurrected. And if that were to happen, Islam would have been crushed by the two neighboring powers of Persia and Rome who were extremely vigilant of its amazing progress.

3- A public call for uprising would have given the Bakri party the best excuse to totally suppress the opposition and execute its leaders.

4- Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen knew perfectly well that without promises of wealth and power and threats of persecution and death, they could not outdo the Bakri party in gathering important allies; and as they denounced such methods as unIslamic, they were certain of their inability to topple the regime.

However, they wanted to register their resounding objections to the usurpers and their strong claim to the khelaafah, so that no one may be left in the comfortable position to justify his support for Aboo Bakr. And the best way for registering this in the history books was through repeated visits to the leaders of Mohaajireen and Ansaar, overwhelming them in argument and giving them a second chance to undo the damage they had caused.

Therefore instead of openly asking the public for support, she approached their leaders and influential people, who were able to turn the tide without much noise and risk.

Who did she ask?

There is a slight difference in the historic accounts narrating this crucial chapter of history. According to some narrations Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen asked the leaders of both the Mohaajireen and the Ansaar to rise up against the Bakri party; where as other narrations only mention the Ansaar leaders.

A part from the different authenticity levels of these ahaadeeth, some scholars favor the latter group, arguing that the Mohaajireen, with the exception of a very small minority, were either leaders or strong supporters of the Bakri party and seriously despised Ameer al-Mo’meneen; so there was no point in asking them to rise up against their allies and take their sworn enemy as their beloved leader instead; whereas the Ansaar did not have such a bond with the Bakri party.

However other scholars argue that the point of asking for uprising was not the uprising itself, as Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen knew well that it was not going to happen, but it was rather another attempt to complete the proof and to eliminate any grounds for any excuse; thus contacting the Mohaajireen leaders would also have been necessary.

Faatimah calls for uprising

The famous Bakri scholar Ibn Qotaybah narrates in his well-known book “al-Imaamah wa al-Seyaasah” the following:

((Ali carried Faatimah the Daughter of Rasoolollaah on a riding animal, at night, to the gathering places of the Ansaar, asking them for support.

They would say: O Daughter of Rasoolollaah! we have pledged our allegiance to this man (Aboo Bakr), and if your husband had come to us before Aboo Bakr we would not have chosen anyone over him.

And ^cAli would say: Was I to leave Rasoolollaah in his house without burying him, and go out to seek his rule from the people?!

And Faatimah would say: The father of Hasan did what he should have done; and they (the Bakris] surely did what Allaah shall take them to account and question them.)).

((Ali took Faatimah on the back of a female donkey to the houses of Mohaajireen and Ansaar for forty days, along with Hasan and Hosayn.

She would say: O Mohaajireen and Ansaar! support Allaah and the daughter of your Prophet. You had indeed pledged to Rasoolollaah, on the day you gave him your allegiance, to protect him and his family from what you protect yourselves and your families. So fulfill your pledge to Rasoolollaah.

Feeble excuses

As supporting Faatimah and ^cAli, at that crucial time, meant washing one’s hands off a comfortable life and seriously risking death, the leaders of Mohaajireen and Ansaar responded to her request with feeble excuses and unacceptable justifications for taking Aboo Bakr as their Khaleefah.

((She went to Ma^caadh ibn Jabal[106] and said: O Ma^caadh ibn Jabal! I come to you asking for your support. And you have indeed given your pledge to Rasoolollaah to support him and his family, and protect him from what you protect yourself and your family. And Aboo Bakr has usurped my Fadak and ordered my trustee out of it.

So Faatimah left his house saying: By Allaah, I will never talk to you until I see Rasoolollaah.

Then Ma^caadh’s son entered and asked his father: What brought Mohammad’s daughter to you?

Ma^caadh: She came to ask my support over Aboo Bakr. He has indeed taken Fadak from her.

Ma^caadh: She told me: By Allaah, I will never talk to you until I see Rasoolollaah.

Ma^caadh’s son: By Allaah, I will also never talk to you until I see Rasoolollaah[107].)).

Mo^caawiyah admits

As in many other areas, Bakri scholars are pushed into a corner here. On the one hand they say that Ameer al-Mo’meneen was the forth khaleefah, who outwitted the others in knowledge, morals, etc. And many of them go further to say that he was the leading Moslem after Rasoolollaah who was not peered even by Aboo Bakr and ^cOmar.

And on the other hand, they respect the Bakri party and its leaders so much that they take their criticism as the biggest sin that cannot be cleansed accept by the fire of Hell. Moreover, they favor the Bakri party leaders^(LAm)[108] to Rasoolollaah himself. So if Rasoolollaah said one thing and a party leader said the exact opposite, they would obey the latter and avoid the former as an unforgivable sin.

So how can the Bakris explain the words and actions of Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen inciting the people against the Bakri party, if both sides are on the right path?! Thus some of their historians choose not to mention anything about it, trying to avoid another question mark that they will remain unable to answer as long as they choose to follow Aboo Bakr.

However Mo^caawiyah, the second Amawi ruler, who fought with Ameer al-Mo’meneen and brought about his assassination, writes to him in one of his insulting letters:

((And I still remember you carrying your wife on a donkey at night, and your hands in your sons’ hands Hasan and Hosayn, when Aboo Bakr was given allegiance; so you did not forget any of the people of the Badr and those who accepted Islam early on and called them to yourself, and went to them along with your wife and your sons[109].)).

Continuous Mourning

Another highlight in Faatimah’s mission was her continuous mourning after the martyrdom of her father. A very unique kind of mourning: heartrending; shocking; intensifying; gaining momentum; public; provocative; and most importantly full of meaning.

Mourning on Rasoolollaah

Waraqah ibn ^cAbdollaah narrates that he asked Feddah, one of Faatimah’s students, about what she had seen from Faatimah after her father’s martyrdom, who said:

((When Rasoolollaah died, every child and adult mourned him, and there was a lot of crying; and this catastrophe was so heavy for his relatives, and his companions, and the faithful, and the friends, and the strangers; and you did not see anyone not crying.

But there was no one more saddened and grieving and lamenting than my mistress Faatimah. And her sadness regenerated and increased, and her crying intensified as time passed.

She sat in her home for seven days, crying and lamenting. Everyday that came her crying was more than the day before. When the eighth night came, she showed what she had kept of sadness, so she went out and lamented, as if she was speaking from Rasoolollaah’s mouth.

So the women and children gathered around her and there was a big roar of crying, and people came from everywhere. Then the lights were put out so that the features of the women could not be seen. The women thought that Rasoolollaah had risen from his grave. The people were surprised and they were confused and tired…

She then went stumbling in her clothes, unable to see anything from her tears until she came close to her father’s grave. When she looked at his room and her eye caught the Ma’dhanah[110], her steps became shorter, and her lamenting and crying continued until she lost consciousness. The women splashed water on her face, chest and forehead until she regained, then she stood saying:

“My strength has been taken, my endurance has betrayed me; and my enemy has rejoiced at my misfortune; and sadness is killing me. O Father! I am left distracted and alone, confused and lonely; my voice has faded; and my back has broken; and my life has become embittered; and my world has become turbid…

O Father! The ways changed after you, and the doors closed to me. So I abhor the world after you, and I will continue to cry over you as long as I shall breath; and my longing for you will not run out, and my sadness over you will not decrease…[111])).

Why so much mourning?

There are numerous narrations about Faatimah’s mourning on her father, so many that some historians have devoted entire sections of their books to the subject. Her mourning was so much full of content that one cannot limit it to a particular theme. As well as the emotional grief that a daughter shows for her father’s death, and a follower shows for his/her leader’s death, Faatimah’s mourning contained theology, law, poetry, politics…

A very emotional person may mourn the loss of the closest person to them for sometime, they may feel deeply depressed and they may intensely cry; but if they know, for a fact, that their loved one has left a world full of hardship and difficulty and entered into a world full of pleasure and comfort, they would not remain so unhappy.

And since Faatimah knew, better than anyone, the closeness of her father to Allaah, and had seen the kind of hardship he was suffering either from his overt or covert enemies or by his own choosing as the Islamic ruler[112], perhaps she should not have grieved the way she did.

But when a person studies this chapter of her life, he comes to the conclusion that her constant mourning was not merely because of her father’s death, but rather to show that something significant was seriously wrong. Was it because she wanted to put a bold question mark on his death?! and a tall exclamation mark on the movement that seized power after his death?!

It is evident from her lamentations and brief statements that all was not well at all, and that a well planned, devastating conspiracy had been unfolding.

“What” and “Who”?

In her lamentations she gave short damaging statements about those who seized power after Rasoolollaah’s death, as well as brief descriptions of their betrayal.

Moslem and Bakri scholars narrate many of her statements and poems in her father’s mourning, some of which are:

((O Father! after you we became weak; O Father! the people are keeping away from us[113].)).

((And Islam cried for you as it became a stranger between people, like other strangers.

If you see the menbar[114] on which you used to rise, darkness has risen on it after light.

O My Lord! make my death very near, as life has indeed become embittered[115].)).

((Say! to the one hidden under levels of the earth: If you can hear my scream and my call,

calamities have poured on me that if were to pour on the days, they will have become nights.

Indeed I had protection in the shade of Mohammad; I was not afraid of injustice, and he was my protector.

But today I am humble for the lowly, and cautious of injustice; and I ward off my oppressor with my robe.

So if a turtledove weeps in her night from sadness on a branch, I weep in my day.

I shall make sadness my friend after you, and I shall make the tear for you my scarf[116].)).

((Indeed, there were news and many difficulties after you; if you had witnessed them, there would not be much talk.

We surely missed you, as the earth misses her downpour; and your people became disordered, so witness them and do not be absent…

Some people showed us the animosities they had hidden in their chests when you left and the earth shielded you.

Some people frowned on us and disparaged us when you became absent, and all the earth is usurped[117].)).

The Bakri party bans Faatimah from mourning

It comes as a big shock to those who do not know the reality of the Bakri party to read that after Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom, the party banned his daughter Faatimah to mourn him and prohibited her to cry.

This forbiddance comes, exactly, in line with the Bakri motives behind the assassination of Prophet Mohammad, and usurping his khelaafah, and suppressing his family. If the Bakri party had not denied Faatimah her right to cry, she would have grievously harmed its agenda. And as the party was struggling to gain legitimacy and support, it could not tolerate the slightest disturbance and disregard the smallest danger.

Therefore it decided to stop her, and sent a number of people to her husband Ameer al-Mo’meneen.

((City leaders gathered and went to Ameer al-Mo’meneen ^cAli, and said: O Father of Hasan! Faatimah cries night and day, so none of us enjoys sleep at night, and none of us can work during the day; so we are here to tell you to ask her: either to cry during the night or the day…

Thus Ameer al-Mo’meneen went to Faatimah while she was crying profusely, and when she saw him she calmed down for some moments.

So he told her: O Daughter of Rasoolollaah! The city leaders have asked me to ask you “either to cry during the night or the day”.

Faatimah: O Father of Hasan! How short is my stay among them!! And how early is my absence from them!! So by Allaah, I will not be silent either during the night or the day until I join my father Rasoolollaah.

What seems to be interesting is that the Bakri party did not contact Ameer al-Mo’meneen directly in this matter, in an attempt to keep well away from the controversy of denying the daughter of the late prophet, her most basic right to mourn his death, but rather chose a group of its supporters to accomplish the task.

Were all of these people neighbors of Faatimah who heard her crying?! Were they so close to her home that her crying affected their sleep?! If they were her neighbors, did they all work from home, as they complained that her crying also affected their business?!

But Faatimah’s persistence and perseverance and the Bakri party’s suppressive policy, betrayed its stance in this matter.

Reasons behind the ban

Why should the Bakri party ban Faatimah from crying?! She was a young woman who had lost her beloved father, and as any other affectionate daughter she was expected to mourn her father’s death; especially when all the people of Madinah cried for him.

And even if her mourning was out of the ordinary and more than what was usual, why should a ruler, who at that time ruled nine countries in today’s world map, go as far as prohibiting it and insist upon enforcing its prohibition at all costs?!

A- Her personality and high position as the Daughter of Rasoolollaah[118] and the wife of Ameer al-Mo’meneen and the mother of Imaam Hasan and Imaam Hosayn; and as Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen, Chief of the Women of the World, a title given to her by Allaah. She was a produce of Heaven. Allaah had revealed over two hundred and fifty aayaat in the Holy Qor’aan about her[119]. Rasoolollaah^(SAA)[120] had given countless ahaadeeth about her…

B- Faatimah, like her father, was distinguished for practicing the highest levels of patience and forbearance; so if she insisted on something, people knew that it was for an important reason.

C- Her crying was such that it raised questions and stirred the conscience and aroused sentiments and gathered supporters.

D- Faatimah was seen as the second person in the strongest opposition against the Bakri party. She had strongly defended Ameer al-Mo’meneen in his claim for the khelaafah, and had equally attacked the Bakri party for usurping it. So whatever she did, supported one camp as it rejected the other. Whatever she gained, Imaam ^cAli gained, and whatever she lost, Imaam ^cAli lost. Whatever she lost Aboo Bakr gained, and whatever she gained Aboo Bakr lost.

E- The time of her crying was also very important, as it was after her father’s assassination, and the usurpation of the khelaafah, and the attack on her home, and the assault on her, and the miscarriage of her son, and the seizure of her positions…

F- The place of her crying—her home—was also very important, as it was in the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, which had become the center of the Bakri rule.

^cOmar’s view about mourning the dead

Here is ^cOmar^(LA)[121], the “Second Khaleefah” to the Bakris; whom they title as “al-Faarooq”, he who always distinguishes between the truth and the falsehood[122]; whom they claim to be the most just Moslem after the Prophet[123].

And here is his perverted view about mourning the dead, and his torturous methods of suppressing it, as Bakri scholars narrate:

((When Zaynab the daughter of Rasoolollaah died, Rasoolollaah said: Bury her near our charitable deceased ^cOthmaan ibn Mad^coon.

The women cried, and ^cOmar started to lash them with his whip. Rasoolollaah took his hand and said: Slowly, O ^cOmar! Let them cry[124].)).

((The women cried when Roqayyah (daughter of Rasoolollaah) died, so ^cOmar began to stop them[125].

^cOmar lashed them with his whip, and Rasoolollaah took his hand saying: Leave them, O ^cOmar![126].)).

((A member of Rasoolollaah’s family died, so the women gathered crying over him; and ^cOmar stood up prohibiting them and dispersing them.

Rasoolollaah said: Leave them, O ^cOmar! The eye is surely tearful, and the heart is stricken by grief, and the time is near[127].)).

((When Aboo Bakr died, ^cAa’eshah held a mourning ceremony for him. And when the news reached ^cOmar, he came and prohibited them from mourning Aboo Bakr. But they refused to stop.

So he ordered Hoshaam ibn al-Waleed: Bring the daughter of Aboo Qohaafah (Aboo Bakr’s sister) before me. Then he began to lash her with his whip until the women dispersed[128].)).

((^cOmar heard the sound of crying from a house, so he entered while holding the whip in his hand, and began lashing them severely until he reached the Naa’ehah[129].

He lashed her until her covering fell. Then he said to his servant: Lash the Naa’ehah. Woe unto you! Lash her. She is a Naa’ehah; she does not deserve any respect[130].)).

((When Khaalid ibn al-Waleed died, a group of women gathered in his aunt’s home mourning his death.

Then ^cOmar came and started to lash them with his whip until the covering of one of the women fell. Some of his men said: O Commander of the Faithful! Her covering!

((…And ^cOmar lashed with his whip all the Bani Makhzoom women who had attended the ceremony, mourning the death of Khaalid ibn Waleed.

^cOmar raided the home of Omm Maymoonah, Khaalid’s aunt, and personally lashed the Naa’ehah, and dispersed the women[132].)).

The above are just a few examples of ^cOmar’s favored method to suppress what he thought was wrong. Recorded and preached by his supporters and followers.

Now, one has to ask whether lashing a grief stricken woman is the most appropriate way to stop her from crying over her loved one?!

And whether insisting upon what Rasoolollaah has repeatedly forbidden by his words and his actions is Islamic?!

And whether ^cOmar was more impressed by Islamic or Jewish teachings, such as the belief that crying over the dead is forbidden?!

And whether a person with a sound mind would lash members of his prophet’s family, in his presence, on several occasions, and insist upon it?!…

Faatimah’s persistence

After the Bakri party banned Faatimah from crying in her home in the Prophet’s Mosque, she and a number of women regularly went to the Baqee^c cemetery in every morning, and cried under a tree.

Although the place where they had chosen in the cemetery was far from Aboo Bakr’s court, but he and his associates remained unhappy about it and wary of its consequences.

People who were not aware of this ban, started to ask why the daughter of their late Prophet goes to the cemetery every day, to cry under a tree?!

Faatimah’s perseverance

Thus the Bakri party decided to continue its suppression of Faatimah, and take away her shade from the burning sun of Arabia by cutting down the tree; hoping that she will be forced to stop going to the cemetery.

But Faatimah was the Daughter of Rasoolollaah and the wife of Ameer al-Mo’meneen, and her patience and perseverance in spreading God’s message and in standing up to His enemies were similar to those of her father and husband. Therefore she continued with her daily routine, and ignored the scorching heat.

Every morning she would go to the same place, and sit where there once was a shade, and cry and cry besides the fallen tree.

The House of Grief

Later Ameer al-Mo’meneen built a room for her in that place, so that she could continue her mourning away from the sun.

On the one hand, the room concealed her from the people who could no longer see her sitting without a shade in that hot weather, but on the other, it raised new questions as to why should she leave her home and come to room in the cemetery to cry?!

Things became worse for the Bakri party, as people named that room the House of Grief.

The Bakri party demolishes the House of Grief

But since Allaah does not let His light be extinguished, Moslems soon built a mosque where once stood the symbol of resistance.

And even the Bakris wrote about it in their books, and recommended their followers to visit the “Mosque of Faatimah” in the Baqee^c cemetery, also known as the House of Grief. Thus it became a shrine, not only for her followers, but also for the followers of her enemies.

Her Political Legacy

During her short life, as mentioned above, Faatimah was an intolerable obstacle in the way of the usurpation of the khelaafah, and a serious opposing force facing the Bakri party. However, after her death, she proved to be more of a barrier and posed greater opposition!!

Bakri rulers have always had their scholars sweep Faatimah’s opposition under the rug, and convinced them not to mention it in their lectures and their compilations. And the little of it that managed to leak into their works has been professionally stained in order to defuse them.

Some Bakri scholars have developed methods with which they attempt to control the damage, and decrease the effects of what has been mentioned in their books about the opposition of Faatimah to the Bakri party, and the suppression of the former by the latter. These methods include:

Impugning Bakri narrators who have narrated such narrations, and slandering them as fabricators; labeling Bakri scholars as reporters of lies and rumors; disowning Bakri scholars and denouncing them as non-Bakris; marking a whole source book, often of several volumes, as unauthentic and denying that it was written by its Bakri author; etc.

However, disowning and marking as unauthentic are not always possible when the targeted reports are mentioned in Bakri master references; that is where falsifying and fabricating comes to use. They create false narrations to counter the unwanted genuine reports; and invent lies to combat the truth.

But there still remain a number of facts in their respected references that no amount of denial can delete and no quantity of fiction can weaken. These backbreaker historic accounts include reports about Faatimah’s opposition to the Bakri party, particularly those referring to the events after her death.

Secret burial ceremonies

After the assassination of Rasoolollaah, leaders of the Bakri party did not attend his burial ceremonies, and worse still, they used force to delay his burial to give them enough time for usurping his khelaafah.

And when they killed his daughter Faatimah, they felt a strong need to fully participate in her burial ceremonies, to stop criticisms, and also make people forget what had caused her death.

However, Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen^(AaS)[133] knew that the usurpers would want to use this opportunity in their favor, to show the world how much they cared about the Prophet and his family. Therefore she decided to keep them from participating in her burial ceremonies, and preferred to be buried, secretly, in the middle of the night, and have her grave concealed.

A sign that to her last breath she opposed the Bakri party and despised its leaders, so much that she preferred to be buried secretly in order to keep her enemies away, when she could have had the best burial ceremony where Moslems and non-Moslems thronged to pay their respects.

And a reminder for the next generations of Moslems, that she, with her high religious, social and political standing, sacrificed everything, even a known grave, to support her Imaam[134] and to guarantee the continuation of her religion; so that the Moslems may not refrain from doing what they can in order to protect and spread their faith.

And a reminder for the Bakris, that no matter how highly and saintly they think of Aboo Bakr and ^cOmar, but Faatimah, the only daughter of Rasoolollaah, opposed them and hated them so much that she stipulated in her will to be buried secretly at night, and have her grave concealed, in order to stop them from participating and attending.

Endless opposition to the Bakri party

The importance of Faatimah’s preference to have a secret burial and concealed gravesite, and the reason behind her choice, is better understood when we compare her secret burial and concealed graveside to that of her husband Ameer al-Mo’meneen thirty nine years later.

Imaam ^cAli^(AS)[135] was assassinated in the Koofah Mosque, in Koofah-Iraq, capital of the Islamic rule at that time, while leading the morning salaat[136] on 19 Ramadaan, 40 AH[137].

His main enemy, the Bakri party, led by the Second Amawi ruler Mo^caawiyah, was gaining ground by bringing influential leaders to his court through promises and threats. And the enmity of the Amawis towards Imaam ^cAli and the descendants of Rasoolollaah had no limits.

Their hatred was such that they would have exhumed his body from the grave to burn it, just as they had placed the body of Mohammad ibn Abi Bakr, his loyal supporter and student, inside a donkey skin and set it on fire. This kind of cruelty and viciousness was no surprise from Mo^caawiyah; after all, it was his parents Aboo Sofyaan and Hend who before shamming Islam, mutilated the body of Hamzah, Prophet Mohammad’s uncle and his long-time protector, and it was his mother Hend^(LAa)[138] who cut out Hamzah’s liver to eat it, and made a necklace of Hamzah’s body parts…

Therefore Ameer al-Mo’meneen^(AS)[139] stated in his will to his son Imaam Hasan^(AS)[140] what his wife had asked him thirty nine years earlier, to have secret burial ceremonies, and a concealed gravesite.

Thus after his martyrdom, he was washed, shrouded in his kafan, and the few people who were allowed to attend performed the Prayer of the Deceased; then he was secretly curried to an unknown location outside the city where he was buried.

As expected, Mo^caawiyah continued the hatred after the Imaam’s death, and gave strict orders to every priest to publicly curse Ameer al-Mo’meneen in their public prayers and speeches, as he had done during the Imaam’s life.

This Amawi show of hatred continued for the duration of their one thousand month rule, until they were overthrown by the ^cAbbaasiyyeen[141], who became the new leaders of the Bakri party.

The ^cAbbaasi animosity towards the descendants of Rasoolollaah was quite different. Although they assassinated Rasoolollaah’s Rightful Kholafaa’ one after the other, and viciously killed their families, but they did it in a more subtle way; and at times they even showed great affection, publicly, towards the descendants of Prophet Mohammad.

Therefore, decades after the martyrdom of Ameer al-Mo’meneen, finally the imaam of the time revealed the location of his concealed grave, and allowed Moslems to embark on its pilgrimage.

Hiding his gravesite was because of the threat of exhuming his body and burning it; and revealing its location was because that danger no longer existed. So today countless Moslems flock to visit his shrine, twenty-four hours a day, and seven days a week.

The location of her husband’s gravesite was handed down to later generations and was revealed when the reason for its secrecy no longer existed; and the location of her gravesite has been handed down through generations, but why has not it been revealed?!

Is it because of the threat of exhuming her body by her enemies?! Or is it because of another reason?!

It is true that after her martyrdom, her murderers who were angry for not being allowed to participate in her burial ceremonies announced their intention to exhume her body to perform the Prayer of the Deceased, but after those first few days the danger lifted.

She wanted her gravesite to be kept hidden because she did not want the line that she had drawn between the real Islam, represented by Ameer al-Mo’meneen, and the fake Islam, represented by Aboo Bakr^(LA)[142], to fade away; and she wanted it to remain as divisive, inclusive and exclusive as possible at all times.

She was killed because she drew the line, and she kept her gravesite hidden to preserve the line and keep it distinctive.

HER TEACHINGS

When Rasoolollaah migrated to Madinah in the thirteenth year of his mission, and established the Islamic rule, he embarked on the objective to educate the people.

Education in Madinah comprised religious teachings, and literacy lessons, and they were both provided to all males and females. In fact all Moslems regardless of sex, origin, race, prior faith, background, social standing, etc. were instructed by the Prophet to seek both kinds of knowledge. Thus a number of classes in a variety of levels were opened in Madinah as a first step in this undertaking.

After a few years when Moslems formed the majority of the literate people in the Arabian peninsula, education became more focused on religion.

Once again, Faatimah was the leading woman teacher not only for women, but also for men.

Her teachings were of two sorts: She would repeat and narrate what her father had either told her privately, or what he had said publicly. Or she would teach from her own.

And as in those days Islam was very young and people generally knew little about its message, both sorts of Faatimah’s teachings included various Islamic themes. She taught health and cleanliness as she taught theology and philosophy; she taught Islamic law and jurisprudence as she taught comparative religion and Islamic beliefs; she taught morals and social etiquettes as she taught politics and economics; etc.

As an Islamic teacher she was well known; she taught Arabs alongside non-Arabs; slaves alongside masters; rich alongside poor.

And although Rasoolollaah and Ameer al-Mo’meneen were both present and easily accessible, people also came to her with their questions.

1- Narrating from Rasoolollaah

Faatimah often narrated from her father in various Islamic fields. Below are a few examples:

((Should not blame but himself [when he becomes ill], he who sleeps while having fat [from the meat he had eaten] on his hand[143].)).

((Beware of closefistedness, for surely it is a handicap not found in a noble. Beware of closefistedness, for surely it is a tree in Hell, with branches in this world; so anyone who clings to one of its branches, it shall take him to Hell.

And practice generosity, for surely it is a tree in Heaven, with branches in this world; so anyone who clings to one of its branches, it shall guide him to Heaven[144].)).

((Whoever frees a faithful slave, there would be for him for every part of the slave’s body a ransom from the fire[145].)).

There is also a very interesting hadeeth[146] called the Hadeeth of the Blanket, one of her most famous narrations. It is about an event that happened in Madinah, concerning the first five ma^csoomeen[147]: Rasoolollaah, Ameer al-Mo’meneen, Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen, Imaam Hasan and Imaam Hosayn. Following that event, Faatimah, her father, husband and two sons became known as the “People of the Blanket”.

That event shows the importance of the “People of the Blanket” in the creation of the world, and their closeness to Allaah.

This hadeeth is unique, in the sense that it has a do^caa’[148] like effect; it has psychological and physical healing power, and it functions in the fulfillment of needs etc.

What also makes this hadeeth stand out even more is the fact that despite its important contents, it is laid out in a theatrical shape.

Despite its strong and heavy content, many Bakri scholars also narrate it in their references alongside Moslems.

((One day my father Rasoolollaah came to my home and said: Peace be upon you, O Faatimah!

Then he said: O Faatimah! bring me the Yemeni blanket and cover me with it. So I brought him the Yemeni blanket and covered him. And I began to look at him, his face was shining as a full moon at night.

Then he said: O mother! I smell a pleasant scent here; is it the scent of my grandfather Rasoolollaah?

So I said: Yes, your grandfather is under the blanket. So Hasan went towards the blanket and said: Peace be upon you, O grandfather! O Rasoolollaah! Do you permit me to come with you under the blanket?

So he said: And upon you be peace, O my son! and O owner of my pool! I permit you. So he went under the blanket with him.

So I said: And upon you be peace, O my son! and O delight of my eye and fruit of my heart!

Then he said: O mother! I smell a pleasant scent here; is it the sent of my grandfather Rasoolollaah?

So I said: Yes, your grandfather and brother are under the blanket. So Hosayn went near the blanket and said: Peace be upon you, O grandfather! Peace be upon you, O whom Allaah has chosen! Do you permit me to be with you two under the blanket?

So he said: And upon you be peace, O my son! and O interceder of my nation! I permit you. So he went under the blanket with them.

Then came Aboo al-Hasan ^cAli ibn Abi Taalib and said: Peace be upon you, O Daughter of Rasoolollaah!

So I said: And upon you be peace, O Abaa al-Hasan! and O Ameer al-Mo’meneen!

Then he said: O Faatimah! I smell a pleasant scent here; is it the scent of my brother and my cousin Rasoolollaah?

So I said: Yes, that is he with your sons under the blanket. So ^cAli went towards the blanket and said: Peace be upon you, O Rasoolollaah! Do you permit me to be with you under the blanket?

Rasoolollaah said: And upon you be peace, O my brother! and O my Wasi![149] and O my Khaleefah! and O holder of my flag! I permit you. So ^cAli went under the blanket.

Then I went near the blanket and said: Peace be upon you, O father! O Rasoolollaah! Do you permit me to be with you under the blanket?

He said: And upon you be peace, O my daughter! and O part of my body! I permit you. So I went under the blanket.

When we were all under the blanket, my father Rasoolollaah held the edges of the blanket and pointed with his right hand to the sky and said: O Allaah! These are indeed my Ahl al-Bayt, and my confidants, and my defenders; their meat is my meat and their blood is my blood; hurts me what hurts them and saddens me what saddens them; I am at war with whomsoever is at war with them and I am at peace with whomsoever is at peace with them; and I am an enemy for whomsoever is their enemy and I love whomsoever loves them; they are from me and I am from them. So descend Your Blessing and Your Benevolence and Your Mercy and Your Forgiveness and Your Pleasure upon me and upon them; and keep away the uncleanness from them, and purify them a (thorough) purifying.

So Allaah the Great and the Almighty said: O My angels! And O residents of my skies! Verily, I have not created any erected sky and nor any flattened land and nor any illuminating moon and nor any shining sun and nor any circling planet and nor any flowing sea and nor any sailing ship but for the love of these five who are under the blanket.

The trustworthy angel Jabra’eel said: O Lord! and who are under the blanket?

So the Great and Almighty said: They are Ahl Bayt al-Nobowwah[150] and the source of messengerhood. They are Faatimah and her father and her husband and her sons.

Then Jabra’eel said: O Lord! Do you permit me to descend to the earth to be the sixth of them?

Thus the trustworthy angel Jabra’eel descended and said: Peace be upon you, O Rasoolollaah! The Most High, the All-Highest sends you greetings and says to you: By My Greatness and by My Exaltedness; verily, I have not created any erected sky and nor any flattened land and nor any illuminating moon and nor any shining sun and nor any circling planet and nor any flowing sea and nor any sailing ship but for your sake and love. And He has permitted me to enter (under the blanket) with you; so do you permit me, O Rasoolollaah?

So Rasoolollaah said: And upon you be peace, O trusted bearer of the revelation of Allaah! I permit you.

Thus Jabra’eel came under the blanket with us. Then my father said: Verily, Allaah has revealed to you: “Allaah only desires to keep away the uncleanness from you, O People of the House! And to purify you a (thorough) purifying”[151].

Then ^cAli said to my father: O Rasoolollaah! tell me what significance our gathering under the blanket has before Allaah.

So the Prophet said: By Him Who appointed me a prophet, and chose me a messenger for the salvation; whenever this event is mentioned anywhere on earth in an assembly in which there are a group of our followers and friends, Allaah shall descend upon them His Benevolence, and angels shall surround them asking Allaah for the redemption of their sins until the assembly disperses.

Then ^cAli said: Thus by Allaah we have won and our followers have won by the Lord of the Ka^cbah.

Rasoolollaah said: O ^cAli! By Him Who appointed me a prophet, and chose me a messenger for the salvation, whenever this event is mentioned anywhere on earth in an assembly in which there are a group of our followers and friends, there shall remain no person with anxieties except that Allaah shall relieve him, and there shall remain no grieving person except that Allaah shall remove his grief, and there shall remain none in need except that Allaah shall fulfill his need.

Then ^cAli said: Thus, by Allaah we are winners and blessed, and our followers are winners and blessed, in this world and in the Hereafter, by the Lord of the Ka^cbah[152].)).

2- Teaching from her own

Faatimah, like her father, was a learned person who had not seen a teacher, and an educated person who had not seen an educator. Thus, at a young age, she was able to teach people the things she had not learned from others.

To this day, scholars of both Moslem and Bakri faiths have written countless books interpreting and explaining her sayings and speeches. And Moslem jurisprudents have treated her teachings as a source for Islamic law, as that of her father, and as such they have extracted and derived Islamic laws from them.

Min feqh al-Zahraa’ is an encyclopedia of several volumes, four of which has been published to date. In this work, the Martyr Aayatollaah al-^cOzmaa Sayyed Mohammad Sheeraazi compiles a large number of Islamic laws which he has extracted from the sayings of Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen^(AaS)[153].

((The best of you is the softer of you in social contacts, and the most noble to his wife[154].)).

((…Allaah made faith your purification from polytheism; and salaat, your purity from haughtiness; and Zakaat[155], the chastening for the self and the growth in the livelihood; and sawm[156], the strengthening of the sincerity; and hajj[157], the erection of the religion; and justice, the harmony for the hearts; and our obedience, the order for the nation; and our leadership, the safety from separation; and jehaad[158], the glory for Islam; and patience, the support for deserving the reward; and directing to good deeds, the benefit for the people; and being dutiful to the parents, the protection from wrath; and having close bonds with the family, the lengthening of the life and the growth in numbers; and Qesaas[159], the prevention from bloodshed; and fulfilling a vow, the exposure to forgiveness…[160])).

((The pleasure of serving Allaah distracted me from asking Him. I have no need other than looking at His gracious face[161].)).

((What can a Saa’em[162] do with his sawm, if he does not guard his tongue and ear and eye and his external body parts [from sin]?![163])).

((And praise be to Him by Whose Greatness and Light those who are in the skies and the earth seek the means to reach Him. And we are His means among His creatures; and we are His dignitaries and the place of His sanctity; and we are His representatives in His absence[166]; and we are the inheritors of His prophets[167].)).

((Whomsoever sends his sincere worship to Allaah, Allaah shall send Him much benefit[168].)).

((By Allaah! If they had left it with its people, and followed the ^cEtrah[170] of His Prophet, no two people would have differed among themselves in religion; and it would have been handed down until our Qaa’em[171] the ninth descendent of Hosayn rises. But they brought forward whom Allaah had moved back, and moved back whom Allaah had brought forward.

When they buried the Messenger and put him in the grave, they chose with their desire, and acted upon their decisions. Woe onto them. Had not they heard Allaah say: “And your Lord creates whatsoever He wills, and chooses; to choose is not theirs”[172]. Yes they did hear, but as Allaah says: ”For surely it is not the eyes that are blind, but blind are the hearts which are in the chests”[173].

How far; they broadened their hopes in this world, and forgot the moment of their deaths. Woe onto them…[174])).

Actions Before Words

As the effect of an action can be much more than that of a word in the field of persuasion and encouragement, Faatimah’s actions preceded her words.

Before she taught the importance of patience and forbearance in the Islamic faith, she became the embodiment of patience and forbearance. Before she spoke about the importance of do^caa’ and salaat in nearing the creature to the Creator, she filled much of her time with the various ad^ceyah and the numerous salawaat. Before she explained the essential role of zohd and altruism in the correct formation of the self, she practiced the highest levels of zohd and excessive altruism.

The following are three examples of Faatimah’s teachings with her actions before her words:

((A hungry person stood in the Prophet’s Mosque and said: O you crowd of Moslems! I have indeed become strained with enduring hunger; so host me.

Shortly after, he went home and asked Faatimah: Do we have any food? I have brought a hungry guest.

So Faatimah said: We only have food for the little girl, but we will offer it to our guest[175].

Then ^cAli held the light, pretending to fix it, but put it out instead, and said to Faatimah: Stall in lighting it until the guest finishes eating, then bring it.

And Ameer al-Mo’meneen was moving his mouth [making noises as if he was chewing food], making the guest believe he was eating with him, until the guest finished eating and was satisfied. Faatimah then brought the light and put it there.

The food was as much as before, as if no one had eaten. So Ameer al-Mo’meneen said to his guest: Why did you not eat the food?

So he said: I ate the food, O father of Hasan! and became satisfied; but the Almighty Allaah blessed it.

Then Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen and their children ate, and gave some of it to their neighbors[176].

The next morning he prayed with the Prophet, and when the Prophet finished his salaat he looked at Ameer al-Mo’meneen and cried heavily and said: O Ameer al-Mo’meneen! The Lord was amazed with your actions last night, and he recited: “And they give preference over themselves even though they may be in need. And whosoever is saved from his own covetousness, these it is that are the successful ones”[177]/[178].)).

((Faatimah was sitting with a hand mill in front of her, grinding barely, and there was blood on the handle [from the blisters on her hand caused by grinding]; while Hosayn was, in a corner, writhing with hunger.

So I said: O Daughter of Rasoolollaah! see to your palms, and this is Feddah[179], [she will grind the barely for you].

But she said: Rasoolollaah told me to share the housework with her; and yesterday was her day of work[180].)).

((I saw my mother Faatimah standing in her mehraab[181] the night of Friday, performing rokoo^c[182] and sojood[183] until the fajr[184]; and I heard her praying for the faithful men and women, mentioning their names, and praying for them extensively. But she would not pray for her self and ask for anything.

So I said: O mother! Why do you not pray for yourself as you pray for others?!

The Book of Faatimah

Besides the seen world, parts of which we understand, there is an unseen world, which we do not know anything about; and which is infinite compared to the former.

Comprehending the seen world is conditioned to studying the relevant sciences, etc. and the results of such comprehension are limited by the limitations of the seen world; but gaining insight into the unseen world is by training the self, and its results are limitless by the infinity of the unseen world.

((Were it not for the Shayaateen[186] who swarm around the hearts of the children of Aadam, they could indeed look at the treasures of the skies and the earth[187]/[188].)).

And in the Holy Qor’aan, Allaah mentions the story of one of Prophet Solaymaan’s[189] aids who had acquired some knowledge-of-the-unseen and was able to carry out an extraordinary, supernatural task. Allaah refers to him saying:

{One who had some knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye[190]/[191].}.

However, training the self, in this sense, is for people who want to elevate themselves and be closer to God but are not ma^csoom; as the ma^csoomeen are already close to Allaah and have knowledge-of-the-unseen.

And Faatimah, as the third highest ma^csoom, had knowledge-of-the-unseen. And one of her names was Mohaddathah the woman to whom angels speak.

After the martyrdom of Rasoolollaah, according to a large number of ahaadeeth, Allaah revealed to Faatimah what came to be known as the “Book of Faatimah”.

In terms of size, the Book of Faatimah is described to be three times the size of the Holy Qor’aan; and in terms of content, it is described to include knowledge about what has happened in the world from the beginning of the creation, and what will happen until the last day before the Hereafter; it includes the names of all the prophets and their awseyaa’, and all those who believed and disbelieved in them; it includes the names of all those who ruled and those who will rule; it includes Jewish, Christian and Islamic laws as they were revealed; it includes a complete description of all the creatures; etc.

And like the Qor’aan, the content of the Book of Faatimah is not much in terms of volume, but it includes everything about everything; and like the Qor’aan only the people to whom it was reveled can understand and use it[192].

After her martyrdom, her husband Ameer al-Mo’meneen held the book, and he passed it to his son Imaam Hasan before his martyrdom, and it was handed down by one imaam to the other until the awaited savior Imaam Mahdi^(AS)[193].

These ma^csoomeen[194] used the Book of Faatimah as a means of knowing the unseen world, and they often referred to it.

Her Students

Faatimah^(AaS)[195] had many students who narrated a large number of ahaadeeth from her. And as she believed in and preached and practiced equality, her narrators included Arab and non-Arab, rich and poor, influential and ordinary, master and slave, white and black, man and woman, etc. And as she allowed her knowledge to flow to all willing seekers, both enemy and friend profited to the extent of their capability.

Thus we see the names of ^cAa’eshah, the enemy, alongside Omm Salamah, the friend; Asmaa’ bint ^cOmays, the woman, alongside Ibn Mas’ood, the man; Belaal al-Habashi, the black, alongside Aboo Sa’eed al-Khodri, the white; Salmaa, the ordinary, alongside Ibn ^cAbbaas, the influential; Zaynab bint Abi[196] Raafi^c, the poor, alongside Aboo Ayyoob al-Ansaari, the rich; Salmaan, the non-Arab, alongside Jaabir ibn ^cAbdollaah al-Ansaari, the Arab.

1- Asmaa’ bint ^cOmays

Asmaa’ was one of the first people who accepted Islam. She and her husband Ja^cfar ibn Abi Taalib, who was put in charge of a group of around eighty Moslems, migrated to Ethiopia from Makkah after the Idolaters tightened their grip on Moslems and subjected them to all sorts of torture, and in some cases death under torture[197]. After a number of years in exile, they returned to Madinah just after the Battle of Khaybar.

After about a year, in the eighth year of Hejrah[198], Asmaa’s husband Ja^cfar was put in charge of an army, three thousand strong, to Mo’tah in today’s Jordan, after an ally of the Roman Empire killed Rasoolollaah’s courier Haarith ibn Omayr. But Ja^cfar was not to return, after the Romans sent a reinforcement of more than one hundred thousand soldiers; and he met his fate among a number of his loyal men.

After Ja^cfar’s martyrdom, Asmaa’ married Aboo Bakr; and gave birth to Aboo Bakr’s son Mohammad. A few years later, when Aboo Bakr was assassinated by ^cOmar, Asmaa’ married Ameer al-Mo’meneen. Mohammad ibn Abi Bakr was three years old at that time.

During the time when Asmaa’ was with Rasoolollaah, after she accepted Islam in Makkah until her migration to Ethiopia, and after her return to Madinah until the martyrdom of Rasoolollaah, she learned a lot from him, allowing her to narrate a large number of ahaadeeth.

After his martyrdom, Asmaa’ followed and supported Imaam ^cAli^(AS)[199], even though she was married to Aboo Bakr, the person who had forcefully usurped the khelaafah from him.

She continued studying under Faatimah, showing support for the oppressed camp over the oppressors. And when her husband usurped Fadak[200] from Faatimah, she testified that Rasoolollaah had given it to her. And when her testimony was shamelessly rejected by Aboo Bakr and ^cOmar as biased, Faatimah stepped forward and made them admit that Asmaa’ was not a liar.

((…Then she (Faatimah) said to Aboo Bakr and ^cOmar: Have you two not heard my father say: Asmaa’ bint ^cOmays and Omm Ayman are among the residents of Heaven?!

She was so close to Faatimah that Faatimah asked her to participate in her secret burial ceremonies.

And after her death, Asmaa’ showed great courage and loyalty standing up to ^cAa’eshah^(LAa)[203], who was one of the main players in the usurpation of the khelaafah.

As Aboo Bakr’s wife, she once sent word to Ameer al-Mo’meneen that her husband had ordered his assassination, and that he should take care and be ready for it.

2- Feddah

Feddah is reported to have been the daughter of an Indian king. The Prophet brought her to Faatimah to be her student and housemaid.

After Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom she stood up to the Bakri party, firmly supported Ameer al-Mo’meneen and shared some of Faatimah’s pain and grief.

Feddah studied under both ^cAli and Faatimah, and narrated from both of them. From what has been reported in history books we learn that she was very special. Her capability to receive knowledge was amazing, and that is why her teachers took her to where few of their students had been taken, and showed her what few people had been shown, and enabled her to do what few people had been enabled to do.

((Rasoolollaah brought his daughter Faatimah a housemaid called Feddah al-Nawbeyyah, to help her with the housework; and he taught her a do^caa’ to recite.

One day, Faatimah asked her: Do you want to make the dough or do you want to bake?

Feddah: I will make the dough and gather wood. So she went out, gathered the wood and wrapped it, but could not carry it. Then she recited the do^caa’ the Prophet had taught her, which was: “O One! Like Whom there is no one. You cause everyone to die, and exterminate everyone. And You are one on Your throne. Slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep”. Suddenly a Bedouin appeared and carried the bundle to Faatimah’s home[204]/[205].)).

((When Feddah came to Faatimah’s home, she could not see anything but the sword, and the armor, and the hand mill.

She was the daughter of the Indian king and had a supply of elixir, so she took a piece of copper, softened it, shaped it as a piece of silver, put the elixir on it and turned it into gold.

When Ameer al-Mo’meneen returned, Feddah put the gold before him. Seeing it, he said: Bravo, O Feddah! But if you had melted the body, the color would have become better and the price more expensive.

Imaam ^cAli: Yes, and this child knows it too, pointing to Imaam Hosayn [who was a child of around three years old]. Then Hosayn came and told Feddah exactly what Ameer al-Mo’meneen had said.

Then Ameer al-Mo’meneen said: We know greater than this; he pointed with his hand, suddenly large pieces of gold and treasures of the earth appeared flowing. He said: Put your gold with its sisters; so she did and it flowed away[206].)).

((Faatimah had taught Feddah some strange sciences… One day, using what she had learned, Feddah made some gold, sold it and bought everything Faatimah and ^cAli needed in their home. When Faatimah saw all those things, she asked Feddah how she had bought them. And Feddah told her what she had done.

So Faatimah said: Give this all to the poor, and do not repeat it again. We have not acquired this science and other sciences[207] to ascend through the levels of this world, but to practice contentment and zohd so that our ranks increase in the Hereafter[208].)).

Through training, Feddah had become able to speak only with Qor’aanic aayaat. As Aboo al-Qaasim al-Qoshayri narrates:

((I was left behind the caravan in the desert where I found a woman. I asked her: Who are you?

She said: “And say salaam (peace), for they shall soon come to know[209]”. So I greeted her. And asked: What are you doing here?

She said: “And whom Allaah guides, there is none that can lead him astray[210]”.

She said: “And certainly We created the Heavens and the earth and what is between them in six days[213]”.

She said: “Allaah does not impose upon any soul a duty but to the extent of its ability[215]”.

She said: “If there had been in them any gods except Allaah, they would both have certainly been in a state of disorder[216]”.

She said: “O DAAwOOd! Surely We have made you a ruler in the land[218]”; “And Mohammad is no more than an apostle[219]”; “O YahyAA! Take hold of the Book”; “O MOOsAA! Surely I am AllAAh your Lord[220]”.

She said: “Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world[221]”.

When they reached her, she said: “O my father! Employ him, surely the best of those that you can employ is the strong man, the faithful one[222]”. So they rewarded me. Then she said: “And Allaah multiplies for whom He pleases[223]”. And they increased my reward.

So I asked them who she was, and they said: This is our mother Feddah, who used to be Faatimah’s housemaid. She has not spoken for twenty years, except with Qor’aan[224].)).

After Faatimah’s martyrdom, Feddah remained a strong supporter of Ameer al-Mo’meneen against the Bakri party, courageously exposing its leaders. In one instance, after a debate with ^cOmar, she made the Second Usurper admit the truth and say:

3- Jaabir ibn ^cAbdollaah al-Ansaari

Jaabir was one of Rasoolollaah’s Sahaabah[228] who, according to some historic reports, was among the Moslem soldiers at the Battle of Badr[229].

After Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom, Jaabir continued to support Ameer al-Mo’meneen courageously. His opposition to the Bakri party was well known. In the streets and public gatherings of Madinah, he often recited Rasoolollaah’s famous hadeeth[230]:

((Ali is the best person; and whomsoever denies it, he is surely an infidel[231].)).

He was also among the Moslem army at the Battle of Seffeen against Mo^caawiyah, the Second Amawi ruler and leader of the Bakri party.

He was the first person to visit the gravesite of Imaam Hosayn^(AS)[232] after his tragic martyrdom in 61 AH, at the hands of the Bakri party leader, the Third Amawi ruler Yazeed.

Jaabir had gone through many levels of learning, and because of his surrender to the truth, his teachers revealed more and more of the unseen world to him. One of his most famous narrations from Faatimah is the following:

((Imaam Saadiq narrates: My father [Imaam Baaqir] said to Jaabir ibn ^cAbdollaah al-Ansaari: I need to ask you something in private, what time is suitable for you?

Jaabir answered him: Any time you like. So my father asked him: O Jaabir! Tell me about the tablet you saw in the hands of my mother Faatimah, Daughter of Rasoolollaah, and what she told you, and what was written on that tablet.

Jaabir said: I take Allaah as my witness, I went to your mother Faatimah during the life of Rasoolollaah to congratulate her on the birth of Hosayn, and saw in her hand a green tablet which I thought was of emerald; and I saw on it a writing in white similar to sunlight. So I told her: My parents be your sacrifice O Daughter of Rasoolollaah! What is this tablet?

She said: Allaah, the Great and Almighty, gave this to His Messenger. In it, there is my father’s name, and my husband’s name, and my two sons’ names, and the names of the awseyaa’[233] in my lineage. So my father gave it to me.

Jaabir said: Yes. So they both walked to Jaabir’s home, where he gave my father a scroll. But my father said: O Jaabir! Look in your scroll while I read it to you [from myself].

So Jaabir looked in his scroll and my father read; and he did not make any mistakes.

Jaabir said: I take Allaah as my witness, I surely saw on the tablet exactly as you said.

In the name of Allaah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. This is a written message from Allaah, the Great, the Wise, to Mohammad, His Light, and His Ambassador, and His Mediator, and His Guide. It is conveyed by Rooh al-Ameen[234], from the Lord of the nations.

Glorify O Mohammad! My names; and be thankful for My material gifts, and do not deny My immaterial gifts[235].

Indeed I am Allaah, there is no God but Me. Breaker of the despots; and Destroyer of the haughty; and Humiliater of the tyrants; and Rewarder and Punisher of the Day of Reward and Punishment.

Indeed I am Allaah, there is no God but Me. So whomsoever wishes other than My Favor, or fears from other than My Punishment, I shall subject him to a punishment to which I do not subject any person. So it is Me you should worship, and on Me you should depend.

I have surely not sent a prophet whose days completed and whose time finished except that I chose a wasi for him. And I have surely favored you over the prophets, and favored your Wasi over the awseyaa’. And I have given you your two sons Hasan and Hosayn[236] as a present (to become imaam) after him.

Thus I made Hasan the source of my knowledge after his father’s time expired.

And made Hosayn the keeper of my revelation, and gifted him with martyrdom, and finished it for him with glory. So he is the best of those who were martyred, and the highest martyr to Me. I put My Word and Conclusive Proof with him. By his lineage I reward and punish.

The first of them (Hosayn’s lineage) is ^cAli, master of the worshipers, and the jewel of my servants.

And his son looks very much like his grandfather Mahmood[237]. Mohammad, the splitter of My knowledge, and the source of My wisdom.

The doubtful will soon go astray in Ja^cfar. Whomsoever refuses Ja^cfar, refuses me. I will most definitely make precious Ja^cfar’s stature, and I will most definitely make him happy in his followers and supporters and friends.

And after him, I chose Moosaa, in a difficult test, and blind severe darkness. Because the line of My instruction shall not be cut, and My proof shall not be hidden, and My friends shall not ever go astray. Beware! Whomsoever denies any one of them, he has surely denied My bliss; and whoever changes an aayah from My Book, he has surely fabricated against Me.

And woe unto the fabricating deniers when the time of My servant and friend and My chosen one Moosaa finishes. Beware! Whomsoever accuses the Eighth of lying is indeed accusing all of my friends of lying. ^cAli is My friend and My supporter, and is he on whom I shall put the burdens of the prophethood, and test him with carrying it. He will be killed by a deceitful haughty; he will be buried in the city that was built by the righteous servant Thol-Qarnayn[238] alongside my worst creature[239].

It is a foregone promise; I shall make him extremely happy with Mohammad, his son and his khaleefah after him. For he is the inheritor of My knowledge, and the source of My wisdom, and the keeper of My secret, and My proof over My creatures; I make Heaven his home, and make him the intercessor for seventy thousand of his lineage, all of whom should indeed go to Hell.

And I shall finish him with glory with his son ^cAli, My defender and supporter, and the witness among My creatures, and My trustee over My revelation.

I shall create from him the one who calls to My way, and the holder of my knowledge Hasan.

Then I shall complete it with his son, mercy for the creatures of this world. He shall have the perfection of Moosaa[240], and the magnificence of ^cEesaa[241], and the patience of Ayyoob[242]. My defenders will be humiliated in his era; and their heads will be exchanged as gifts just as the heads of the Turks and the Daylam[243] are exchanged as gifts. They will be killed and burnt; and they will be frightened, terrorized, apprehensive; the earth will be painted with their blood, and grief and resonance will spread in their families. They are truly My friends; by them I push away every blind dark test; and by them I lift the earthquake; and remove from them their burdens and the shekels, “Those are they on whom are Blessings and Mercy from their Lord, and these are the followers of the right course”[244]/[245].)).

At an old age, Jaabir died in Madinah. He was the last to die of those who had witnessed the oath of allegiance to Rasoolollaah at Aqabah, before the Prophet migrated to Madinah. His lineage has survived to this day, and is well known.

4- Omm Ayman

Barakah bint Tha^clabah, known as Omm Ayman, was of an Ethiopian origin. She was the housemaid of Aaminah, the mother of Rasoolollaah. After Aaminah’s death, she stayed with him.

She married ^cObayd ibn Zayd who was killed in the Battle of Khaybar by the Jews in the 7^th year after the Hejrah. Later she married Zayd ibn Haarithah who was also killed in the Battle of Mo’tah by the Persians in the 8^th year after the Hejrah.

It has been reported that she also participated in some of the battles. In the Battle of Ohod, in 2 AH[246], she gave water to the soldiers and looked after the injured. She was also present in the Battles of Khaybar and Honayn, in 7 and 8 AH.

Omm Ayman is one of the many women narrators. She has narrated a considerable number of ahaadeeth from Rasoolollaah.

As her knowledge increased and her taqwaa[247] strengthened, the Prophet promised her paradise. He repeated his testimony, in public, several times[248]; Prophet Mohammad has given few individuals such an assurance.

After the assassination of Rasoolollaah, Omm Ayman continued to support Ameer al-Mo’meneen against the Bakri party. When Aboo Bakr^(LA)[249] usurped Fadak from Faatimah^(AaS)[250], Omm Ayman was one of the witnesses who stepped forward and testified that Fadak was her property. And although Aboo Bakr and ^cOmar both admitted that she and Aboo Bakr’s wife, Asmaa’ bint ^cOmays, were promised Heaven by Rasoolollaah, they refused their testimony and shamelessly said:

Omm Ayman was very close to Faatimah, and before she died from her injuries she called Omm Ayman to come and see her and witness her will. She was also present among the few who were allowed to attend her secret burial ceremonies.

After her martyrdom, Omm Ayman decided to make her opposition to the Usurpers of the Khelaafah, who were determined to destroy Islam from within, more obvious. Therefore in a public move, she announced her decision to depart from Madinah to be far from the usurpers.

Her departure from Madinah accompanied a karaamah[252], which shows her importance and close position to Allaah. It has been narrated:

((When Faatimah died, Omm Ayman swore not to stay in Madinah, as she could not bear to look at the places where Faatimah had used to be; so she left for Makkah.

On the way she became badly thirsty, so she extended her arms towards the sky and said: O Lord! I am Faatimah’s housemaid, do you kill me by thirst?!

Suddenly a bucket came down to her from the sky, and she drank from it. After that she did not need food or water for seven years.

So she would go out [to the desert] in a very hot day, and she would not become thirsty[253].)).

5- Omm Salamah

Hend bint Abi Omayyah, known as Omm Salamah, was married to ^cAbdollaah ibn ^cAbdol-asad. They were among those who accepted Islam in Makkah, and therefore suffered greatly from the Idolaters.

The Makhzoom Arab tribe, to which they both belonged, separated between Omm Salamah and her husband and took away their son Salamah to force them to renounce their new religion and reaffirm their belief in their old faith. For a period of around a year she was imprisoned by her tribe and denied the right to see her son or husband. But finally one of her cousins intervened and mediated with the chiefs, securing the return of her son to her and her release. When freed, Omm Salamah took her child and headed towards Madinah, where her husband ^cAbdollaah was living at the time.

^cAbdollaah participated in the Battle of Ohod, in 3 AH, and was wounded in his upper arm. He died several months later of his wound. And in 4 AH Rasoolollaah married Omm Salamah.

She was not just a wife, but also a student who ceased every chance to acquire more knowledge. Seeing her thirst for learning, the Prophet taught her to her upmost capacity, including many things of the world-of-the-unseen. The following narration is just an instance:

((One day Rasoolollaah was in Omm Salamah’s home, and he told her: Do not let anyone come to see me at this time.

Later Hosayn came, he was a child, and Omm Salamah could not stop him from going to the Prophet. So she followed Hosayn and saw him on his chest, while the Rasoolollaah was crying and examining something in his hand.

Then the Prophet said: O Omm Salamah! This is Jabra’eel telling me that Hosayn will be killed and this is the soil on which he will be killed; so keep it with you, and when it turns into blood, then surely my beloved has been killed[254].

Rasoolollaah: I have done so; and Allaah the Great, the Almighty revealed to me that he shall have a level that no one of His creatures will have; and that he shall have followers who will intercede and their intercession shall be accepted; and that Mahdi (the Savior) is of his lineage.

So blessed is him who is a friend of Hosayn. And his followers are, by Allaah, the winners in the Hereafter[255].)).

After Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom, Omm Salamah continued to support Ameer al-Mo’meneen and stood up against the Bakri party and its leaders.

When ^cAa’eshah led the Bakri party and marched an army against Imaam ^cAli^(AS)[256], Omm Salamah took courageous stances against her, showing her and her supporters that ^cAa’eshah was embarking on a mission contrary to Islam.

Omm Salamah has narrated many ahaadeeth from Rasoolollaah, Ameer al-Mo’meneen and Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen.

6- Salmaa

Salmaa was a female slave who belonged to Safiyyah, Rasoolollaah’s aunt. Safiyyah gave Salmaa to Rasoolollaah, and he freed her. She later married Aboo Raafi^c, who was himself a freed slave who used to belong to ^cAbbaas, Rasoolollaah’s uncle.

It is reported that Salmaa nursed Khadeejah after she had given birth to Faatimah; she was Maariyah’s midwife when she gave birth to Rasoolollaah’s son Ebraaheem; and she also did midwifery for Faatimah when she gave birth.

Salmaa and her husband were both present in the Moslem army at the Battle of Khaybar.

After the Bakri party usurped the Khelaafah, Salmaa and her family stayed with Ameer al-Mo’meneen. She was very close to Faatimah, and after the attacks on her home by the Bakri party, she helped in nursing her.

And as you will read later in this book, she helped Faatimah get ready for her death, and stayed with her as she died. After her martyrdom, she helped Imaam ^cAli prepare her for burial.

During Ameer al-Mo’meneen’s rule, Aboo Raafi^c was in charge of the treasury, and his two sons, ^cObaydollaah and ^cAli worked as Imaam’s secretaries.

7- Salmaan

According to the ahaadeeth, Salmaan was one of the three best Sahaabah[257]. He was an Iranian who migrated to Arabia after he heard about the Prophet and his mission. On arrival, some Arabs captured him and sold him as a slave. It is reported that as a slave he served ten different masters; and as soon as Rasoolollaah heard about him and his thirst for Islam, he bought him from his Jewish master and freed him[258].

The following narration shows the importance of Salmaan and his closeness to Allaah, and also the kind of prejudice he was subjected to by those who shammed Islam:

((Asbagh ibn Nabaatah narrates from Ameer al-Mo’meneen who said: One day I went to Rasoolollaah, and Salmaan was sitting in front of him. Then a Bedouin[259] came, pushed Salmaan aside, and sat in his place.

Seeing that, Rasoolollaah became angry, blood filled the vein between his eyes, and his eyes turned red, and he said: O Bedouin! Do you push aside a man whom Allaah likes in the sky and His Messenger likes on the earth?! O Bedouin! Do you push aside a man whom Jabra’eel instructs me from My Lord, every time he descends, to convey His greetings to him?! O Bedouin! Indeed Salmaan is of me; whomsoever is harsh on him, he has surely been harsh on me; and whomsoever annoys him, he has surely annoyed me; and whomsoever isolates him, he has surely made me isolated; and whomsoever shows favor to him, he has surely shown favor to me. O Bedouin! Do not ever be crude with Salmaan, for surely Allaah has instructed me to teach him the sciences of Manaayaa and Balaayaa[260], Ansaab[261] and Fasl al-khetaab[262].

Then the Bedouin said: O Rasoolollaah! I did not think that Salmaan would be as you said. Was not he a Magi before converting to Islam?!

So the Prophet said: O Bedouin! I am telling you from my Lord, and you argue with me?! Indeed Salmaan was not a Magi, but he pretended polytheism, keeping his faith secret.

O Bedouin! Have not you heard Allaah, the Great and the Almighty say: “But no! by your Lord! They do not believe until they make you a judge of that which has become a matter of disagreement among them, and then do not find any straitness in their hearts as to what you have decided and submit with entire submission[263]”?! Have not you heard Allaah, the Great and the Almighty say: “And whatever the Apostle gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back[264]”?! O Bedouin! Accept what I tell you and be of the grateful ones; and do not refuse, so you will be of those who are punished[265].)).

Salmaan’s amazing drive for learning and his total submission put him at the top of his teachers’ lists. They taught him more than the others, and showed him greater things. As ^cAa’eshah narrates:

((Every night Salmaan had a meeting with Rasoolollaah, when he would talk to him alone for most of the night[266].)).

After Rasoolollaah’s martyrdom, Salmaan continued to support Ameer al-Mo’meneen against the usurpers, ignoring his disadvantage of being a non-Arab in the Bakri system. He repeatedly objected to the party in public, and suffered greatly.

In one instance, when the Bakris dragged Ameer al-Mo’meneen to the mosque to force him give his pledge of allegiance to Aboo Bakr, Salmaan was the second person who courageously stood up in protest. He also risked execution, and was severely beaten when he followed his True Khaleefah[267] in refusing to pledge his allegiance to the False Khaleefah.

Both during the Prophet’s life and after his martyrdom, Salmaan learned a great deal from Sayyedat Nesaa’ al-^cAAlameen[268]. Faatimah took him to where she had not taken her other students.

((Salmaan narrates: Ten days after Rasoolollaah’s death, I went out of my home and on the way I saw ^cAli ibn Abi Taalib, Rasoolollaah’s Cousin. He said to me: O Salmaan! You abandoned us after Rasoolollaah!

So I said: O my beloved Aboo al-Hasan, your kind is not abandoned. But my grief over Rasoolollaah grew longer, and that is what kept me from visiting.

He said: Go to Faatimah’s home. She likes to give you a gift she was sent from Heaven.

So I said: Faatimah was presented with something from Heaven after Rasoolollaah’s death?!

So I ran to Faatimah’s home, and found her sitting wearing an ^cAbaa’ah[269]. It was so small that if she covered her head with it, her legs would show; and if she covered her legs with it, her head would show [if she were standing]. When she saw me entering, she covered her head with something. Then said: O Salmaan! You abandoned me after my father’s death!

She said: So sit and pay attention to what I tell you. Yesterday I was sitting here, and the door was locked [from the inside]. I was thinking about the termination of the revelation, and the departure of the angels from our home. Suddenly the door opened without someone unlocking it, and three ladies entered. No one has seen the likes of their beauty and elegance, and the blooming of their faces, and the purity of their scents. When I saw them, I stood up and asked: Are you from Makkah or Madinah?

They said: O daughter of Mohammad! We are neither from Makkah nor Madinah; we are not from the earth; we are from Heaven. The Lord of Glory has sent us. We have been yearning to see you.

So I asked the one I thought was the oldest of the three: What is your name? She said: My name is Maqdoodah. I asked: And why were you named Maqdoodah? She said: I was created for Meqdaad ibn al-Aswad al-Kendi, companion of Rasoolollaah.

And I asked the second woman: What is your name? She said: Dharrah. I asked: And why were you named Dharrah? She said: I was created for Aboo Dharr al-Ghefaari, companion of Rasoolollaah.

And I asked the third: What is your name? She said: Salmaa. I asked: And why were you named Salmaa? She said: I was created for Salmaan al-Faarsi, companion of your father Rasoolollaah.

Then Faatimah said: The women gave me a gift from Heaven, and I have kept some of it for you. So she brought a tray of dates, whiter than snow, and with a scent better than musk, and gave me five, saying: Break your fast tonight with these, and bring me their stones tomorrow.

So I took the dates and left, and on my way every one asked me: O Salmaan! Do you have musk with you? And I said: Yes.

At night, I broke my fast with the dates, but did not find any stones in them. The next day I went to Rasoolollaah’s daughter and said: I broke my fast with your gift, but did not find any stones in them.

She said: O Salmaan! They would not have any stones. They are from a palm that Allaah has planted in Heaven because of a do^caa’ that my father Mohammad had taught me, which I recite every morning and night.

So she said: If you wish fever does not afflict you as long as you live in this world, keep reciting this do^caa’: “In the name of Allaah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. In the name of Allaah, the Light. In the name of Allaah, the Light of the Light. In the name of Allaah, the Light over Light. In the name of Allaah, He Who manages everything. In the name of Allaah He Who created the Light from the Light. Praise be to Allaah He Who created the light from the Light; and descended the light unto the mountain, in a written message, on a spread skin, in a limited quantity, to a delighted prophet. Praise be to Allaah He Who is mentioned in glory, and famous in pride, and thanked in happiness and sadness. And Allaah’s peace be upon our master Mohammad and his ma^csoom descendants”.

So I learned the do^caa’ and, by Allaah, I taught it to over one thousand people from Makkah and Madinah who were afflicted with different kinds of the fever disease, and every one of them recovered from his illness by Allaah’s permission[270].)).

Finally at a very old age, he died in the Iranian capital of that day, Madaa’en, now in Iraq, in 36 AH. His shrine, in an area named after him, Salmaan Paak, attracts many pilgrims every day. And his lineage has survived to this day.

[1] Authority over the laws of nature. A power and ability granted by Allaah to a person. al-Walaayah al-Takweeneyyah has different levels of strength in accordance with its bearer’s position to Allaah, and the degree of his obedience to Him. Some levels are limited to the earth and earthly things, whereas other levels exceed our planet.

Having authority over nature has not been limited to the followers of Prophet Mohammad. The followers of previous prophets were also able to acquire this enormous power. For example at the time of Prophet Daawood (also David) his followers were shown the way to achieve this goal, when Allaah told Daawood:

((Deliver to your people: that there is no servant among them, whom I command my obedience and he obeys me, except that it becomes necessary for Me to obey him.)). (Kalimatollaah / The Martyr Aayatollaah Hasan Sheeraazi = page 141)

Allaah also says:

((O My servant! obey Me, you will become like Me. I say to things: Be, and they are; and you will say to things: Be, and they are.)).

And in the Holy Qor’aan, when Allaah reveals the story of Prophet Solaymaan (also Solomon) to Prophet Mohammad, He says:

{He (Solaymaan) said: O Chiefs! Which of you can bring to me her throne before they come to me in submission? * One audacious among the Jinn said: I will bring it to you before you rise up from you place; and most surely I am strong [and] trusty for it * One who had some knowledge of the Book said: I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye. Then when he saw it settled beside him, he said: This is of the grace of my Lord that He may try me whether I am grateful or ungrateful; and whoever is grateful, he is grateful only for his own soul, and whoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Honored.}. (soorah 27, aayaat 38-40)

What that person did in the presence of Solaymaan was surely by the power of al-Walaayah al-Takweeneyyah.

[2] A God-appointed successor of Rasoolollaah. Also caliph. Bakris wrongfully use this title for the leaders of the Bakri party who usurped the Rightful Khelaafah from the a’emmah. Plural Kholafaa’.

[3] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[4] Taareekh Baghdaad / al-Baghdaadi = Vol. 7, page 141.

[5] Kanz al-^cOmmaal / al-Hendi = vol. 7, page 105. al-Sawaa^ciq al-Mohreqah / Ibn Hajar = page 107.

[6] Hojjah (plural: hojaj) means a representative of Allaah on earth, who is the link between Him and His creatures. Only the prophets and their awseyaa’ are hojaj.

[7] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[8] Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 23, page 29.

[9] A Bakri is a follower of Aboo Bakr. Opposite Moslem, Shee^cah, follower of Rasoolollaah. Some people unknowingly call the followers of Aboo Bakr “sonnis”. Sonni means a follower of the tradition of Rasoolollaah; and since the followers of Aboo Bakr follow him and not Rasoolollaah, it is wrong to call them sonnis.

[10] Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 30.

[11] Seraat is the bridge from the place of resurrection to Heaven, passing over Hell. It is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword; and as such, only those worthy of Heaven are able to cross it, and those worthy of Hell will lose their balance and fall into their deserving abode.

[12] Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 115.

[13] Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 26, page 281.

[14] Also Noah.

[15] ^cAlayhemos Salaam, peace be upon them.

[16] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[17] Plural of hojjah: a representative of Allaah on earth. Prophets and their awseyaa’ are hojaj.

[18] Mostadrakaat ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Abtahi = vol. 11, page 7.

[19] Praying to Allaah, asking Him for something for oneself and/or for others… Do^caa’ can be positive or negative, and has many forms and many uses and effects. Some ad^ceyah (plural of do^caa’) should only be recited in specific times and/or places, whereas other ad^ceyah are not bound to any time or place restrictions. There is a huge number of set formal ad^ceyah narrated from the Fourteen Ma^csoomeen, the recitation of which is highly recommended, but it is also possible for any Moslem to compose his own do^caa’, in any language format, provided that he has a considerable knowledge of Islam.

[20] Plural of do^caa’.

[21] Asking Allaah, after reciting a do^caa’, etc. whether something should or should not be done. Estekhaarah is taken only when the person has remained undecided after thinking, and consulting the relevant persons. There are numerous methods for estekhaarah.

[22] It has been narrated (in Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 43, page 74 as well as other references) that one day Rasoolollaah went to Faatimah’s home to see if there was any food to eat, but learned that like him, his daughter, son-in-law and their two sons Hasan and Hosayn had not eaten for three days.

Later Faatimah performed a salaat and recited this do^caa’. She had not completed her do^caa’ when suddenly they saw Heavenly food before them.

[23] ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 323.

[24] It has been narrated that after the series of attacks on Faatimah by the usurpers of the khelaafah, and shortly before her death, she recited a large number of long and short ad^ceyah, some of which are mentioned here.

[25] Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 81, page 233.

[26] al-Saheefah al-Faatimeyyah / al-Abtahi = page 70.

[27] al-Saheefah al-Faatimeyyah / al-Abtahi = page 71.

[28] Bahjat Qalb al-Mostafa / al-Rahmaani = page 301. al-Saheefah al-Faatimeyyah / al-Abtahi = page 77.

[29] This is a special do^caa’ to be recited on Wednesday.

[30] al-Do^caa’ wa al-Zeyaarah / The Martyr, Aayatollaah al-^cOzmaa Sayyed Mohammad Sheeraazi = page 40.

[31] The following are parts of a special do^caa’ to be recited after the maghreb prayer.

[32] Also Joseph.

[33] Also Satan.

[34] Shayaateen plural of Shaytaan (also Satan).

[35] ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 315.

[36] The following are parts of a special do^caa’ to be recited after the ^cEshaa’ prayer.

[37] ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 318.

[38] For more detailed information, see: Rasoolollaah, the Messenger of Allaah / by the author.

[39] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[40] La^cnatollaah ^cAlayh, may Allaah distance him from His Blessings and Mercy.

[41] Messenger of Allaah; a title exclusively given to Prophet Mohammad by Allaah.

[42] La^cnatollaah ^cAlayh, may Allaah distance him from His Blessings and Mercy.

[43] Sallallaah ^cAlayh wa Aalih, Allaah’s Blessings be upon him and his descendants.

[44] Commander of the Faithful; a title given exclusively to Imaam ^cAli by Allaah.

[45] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[46] For more detailed information see: Rasoolollaah, the Messenger of Allaah / by the author = page 171.

[47] ^cAlayhes Salaam, peace be upon him.

[48] For more detailed information, see: Rasoolollaah, the Messenger of Allaah / by the author = page 222.

[49] Chief of the Women of the World; a title given exclusively to Faatimah, the Daughter of Rasoolollaah, by Allaah.

[50] La^cnatollaah ^cAlayh, may Allaah distance him from His Blessings and Mercy.

[51] La^cnatollaah ^cAlayha, may Allaah distance her from His Blessings and Mercy.

[52] For more details see the following Bakri references:

al-Fawaa’ed al-Majmoo^cah / al-Shawkaani = page 389. Meezaan al-E^ctedaal / al-Dhahabi = vol. 1, pages 81 and 541. Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 60.

[53] Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 59. Mosnad / Ahmad = vol. 5, page 240.

[54] Mokhtasar Taareekh Demashq / Ibn ^cAsaakir / vol. 4, page 219. Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 60.

[55] al-Estee^caab / Ibn ^cAbdelbarr = vol. 4, page 1894. Jaami^c al-Osool / Ibn al-Atheer = vol. 9, page 125. al-Manaaqib = hadeeth No. 3873. Mokhtasar Taareekh Demashq / Ibn ^cAsaakir = vol. 17, page 336. Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 59. Osd al-Ghaabah / Ibn al-Atheer = vol. 7, page 223.

[56] Faatimah al-Zahraa’ Min al-Mahd Ela al-Lahd / al-Qazweeni = page 269.

[57] Faatimah al-Zahraa’ Min al-Mahd Ela al-Lahd / al-Qazweeni = page 268.

[58] Meezaan al-E^ctedaal / al-Dhahabi = vol. 2, page 492. Mo^cjam / Ibn al-Mothanna. Mokhtasar Dhakhaa’er al-^cOqbaa / al-Tabari = page 62. Osd al-Ghaabah / Ibn al-Atheer = vol. 7, page 224. Sharaf al-Nobowwah / Aboo Sa^cd.

[59] Also: Aaron.

[60] Also: Moses.

[61] Asnaa al-Mataalib fi Manaaqib ^cAli ibn Abi Taalib / Ibn al-Jazari. al-Badr al-Taali^c / al-Shawkaani = vol. 2, page 297. al-Daw’ al-Laami^c / al-Sakhaawi = vol. 9, page 256.

[62] Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 28, page 205. ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 877.

[63] Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 28, page 233. ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 883.

[64] Plural of imaam.

[65] Among those who disobey the a’emmah; as every group tries to seize power.

[66] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 28, aayah 68.

[67] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 22, aayah 46.

[68] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 47, aayah 8.

[69] ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 875. Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 36, page 352. Ghaayat al-Maraam / al-Sayyed al-Bahraani.

[70] ^cAwaalim al-^cOloom / al-Bahraani = vol. 11, page 867.

[71] ^cAlayhas Salaam, peace be upon her.

[72] This was caused by the numerous injuries she had sustained from the Second Usurper ^cOmar and other Bakri ruffians, when they raided her home. She later died from her injuries. You will read more on the subject later in this book.

[73] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 5, aayah 80.

[74] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 39, aayah 15.

[75] A piece of wood that is put in a camel’s mouth and attached to the reins, or a piece of rope that is pierced through a camel’s nose.

[76] A person who practices zohd: non-attachment to material things.

[77] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 7, aayah 96.

[78] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 18, aayah 104.

[79] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 2, aayah 12.

[80] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 10, aayah 35.

[81] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 11, aayah 28.

[82] Bakri references: A^claam al-Nesaa’ / Kahhaalah = vol. 3, page 1219. Balaaghaat al-Nesaa’ / Ibn Tayfoor = page 19. Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah / Ibn Abi al-Hadeed = vol. 16, page 233.

Moslem references: Behaar al-Anwaar / al-Majlesi = vol. 43, page 158. Ehqaaq al-Haqq / al-Tostari = vol. 10, page 306. al-Ehtejaaj / al-Tabarsi = vol. 1, page 384. Kashf al-Ghommah / al-Erbelli = vol. 1, page 492. Nafahaat al-Laahoot fi La^cn al-Jebt wa al-Taaghoot / al-Karaki = page 124.

[83] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 18, aayah 50.

[84] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 3, aayah 85.

[85] A considerable number of Bakri references have recorded parts of Faatimah’s speech through different chains of narrators, they include: A^claam al-Nesaa’ / Kahhaalah = vol. 4, page 116. Balaaghaat al-Nesaa’ / Ibn Tayfoor = page 12. al-Faa’eq / al-Zamakhshari = vol. 3, page 331; vol. 4, page 116. Lesaan al-^cArab / Ibn Manzoor = vol. 12, page 331. Manaal al-Taalib / Ibn al-Atheer = page 501. al-Nehaayah / Ibn al-Atheer = vol. 4, page 273. Sharh Nahj al-Balaaghah / Ibn Abi al-Hadeed = vol. 6, page 46; vol. 16, page 210.

[86] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 47, aayah 24.

[87] Adaptation from the Holy Qor’aan = soorah 83, aayah 14.

[88] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 40, aayah 78.

[89] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 104, Aayaat 6-7.

[90] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 26, aayah 227.

[91] Holy Qor’aan = soorah 6, aayah 67.

SAYYEDAT NESAA’ AL-cAALAMEEN’S MISSION

SAYYEDAT NESAA’ AL-^cAALAMEEN’S MISSION