The birth of al-Zahra’, Fatima (a.s.)

إِنَّ فَاطِمَةَ ع مَكَثَتْ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص خَمْسَةً وَ سَبْعِينَ يَوْماً وَ كَانَ دَخَلَهَا حُزْنٌ شَدِيدٌ عَلَى أَبِيهَا وَ كَانَ يَأْتِيهَا جَبْرَئِيلُ ع فَيُحْسِنُ عَزَاءَهَا عَلَى أَبِيهَا وَ يُطَيِّبُ نَفْسَهَا وَ يُخْبِرُهَا عَنْ أَبِيهَا وَ مَكَانِهِ وَ يُخْبِرُهَا بِمَا يَكُونُ بَعْدَهَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهَا وَ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ ع يَكْتُبُ ذَلِكَ.

“Fatima remained (alive) after (the death of) the Messenger of Allah (sw) for seventy-five days. She experienced profound sorrow for her father. Jibril (a.s.) would visit her, console her over her father's loss, comfort her heart, inform her about her father and his whereabouts, and inform her of what would happen to h

إِنَّ فَاطِمَةَ ع صِدِّيقَةٌ شَهِيدَةٌ وَ إِنَّ بَنَاتِ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ لَا يَطْمَثْنَ.

“Fatima is truthful and a martyr. The daughters of prophets do not experience menses.”

لَمَّا قُبِضَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ع دَفَنَهَا أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ سِرّاً وَ عَفَا عَلَى مَوْضِعِ قَبْرِهَا ثُمَّ قَامَ فَحَوَّلَ وَجْهَهُ إِلَى قَبْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص فَقَالَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ‌ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَنِّي وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكَ عَنِ ابْنَتِكَ وَ زَائِرَتِكَ وَ الْبَائِتَةِ فِي الثَّرَى بِبُقْعَتِكَ وَ الْمُخْتَارِ اللَّهُ لَهَا سُرْعَةَ اللَّحَاقِ بِكَ قَلَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَنْ صَفِيَّتِكَ صَبْرِي

“When Fatima (sa) passed away, Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (as) buried her secretly and camouflaged the location of her grave. Then he stood up and turned his face towards the grave of Rasulullah (sa) and said, ‘Peace be upon you, Oh Rasullulah from me and from your daughter - your visitor, and the one who rests in the earth

قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مَنْ غَسَلَ فَاطِمَةَ قَالَ ذَاكَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ كَأَنِّي اسْتَعْظَمْتُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ فَقَالَ كَأَنَّكَ ضِقْتَ بِمَا أَخْبَرْتُكَ بِهِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ قَدْ كَانَ ذَاكَ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ لَا تَضِيقَنَّ فَإِنَّهَا صِدِّيقَةٌ وَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَغْسِلُهَا إِلَّا صِدِّيقٌ أَ مَا عَلِمْتَ أَنَّ مَرْيَمَ لَمْ يَغْسِلْهَا إِلَّا عِيسَى.

“I asked Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), 'Who washed Fatima (for burial)?' He replied, 'Amir al-Mu’minin (a.s.) did.' My reaction to his words seemed to be an extraordinary one. He said, 'You seem troubled by what I said.' The narrator has said that I replied, 'Yes, may I be your ransom, it is so.' The narrator has said that the

أَمَا وَ اللَّهِ يَا ابْنَ الْخَطَّابِ لَوْ لَا أَنِّي أَكْرَهُ أَنْ يُصِيبَ الْبَلَاءُ مَنْ لَا ذَنْبَ لَهُ لَعَلِمْتَ أَنِّي سَأُقْسِمُ عَلَى اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أَجِدُهُ سَرِيعَ الْإِجَابَةِ.

“During the time of their doing (setting the door on fire) what they did Fatima held ‘Umar by his collar and pulled (down) saying, “By Allah, O son of al-Khattab, had I not disliked to inflicting calamity up on the innocent people, you would have learned how quickly my swearing up on Allah would have brought the swift

لَمَّا وُلِدَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ع أَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَى مَلَكٍ فَأَنْطَقَ بِهِ لِسَانَ مُحَمَّدٍ ص فَسَمَّاهَا فَاطِمَةَ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنِّي فَطَمْتُكِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَ فَطَمْتُكِ مِنَ الطَّمْثِ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع وَ اللَّهِ لَقَدْ فَطَمَهَا اللَّهُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَ عَنِ الطَّمْثِ فِي الْمِيثَاقِ.

“When Fatima (a.s.) was born Allah sent an angel to make the tongue of Muhammad (sw) call her ‘Fatima’. Then he said, “I set you free (from ignorance) with knowledge and set you free from menses.” Abu Ja‘far (a.s.) then said, “By Allah, He had set her free with knowledge (from ignorance) and from menses at the time uni

قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص لِفَاطِمَةَ ع يَا فَاطِمَةُ قُومِي فَأَخْرِجِي تِلْكَ الصَّحْفَةَ[1] فَقَامَتْ فَأَخْرَجَتْ صَحْفَةً فِيهَا ثَرِيدٌ وَ عُرَاقٌ يَفُورُ فَأَكَلَ النَّبِيُّ ص وَ عَلِيٌّ وَ فَاطِمَةُ وَ الْحَسَنُ وَ الْحُسَيْنُ ثَلَاثَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْماً ثُمَّ إِنَّ أُمَّ أَيْمَنَ رَأَتِ الْحُسَيْنَ مَعَهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ فَقَالَتْ لَهُ مِنْ أَيْنَ لَكَ هَذَا قَالَ إِنَّا لَنَأْكُلُهُ مُنْذُ أَيَّامٍ فَأَتَتْ أُمُّ أَيْمَنَ فَ

“Once the Holy Prophet (s.a) said to Fatima, “Rise and bring that tray.” She went and took out the tray with fresh bread and steaming meat on it. The Holy Prophet (s.a), Ali, Fatima, al-Hassan and al-Husayn (a.s.) continued to have their meals from it for thirteen days. Then ’Umm Ayman saw al-Husayn with certain things

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْحَسَنِ ع يَقُولُ‌ بَيْنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص جَالِسٌ إِذْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ لَهُ أَرْبَعَةٌ وَ عِشْرُونَ وَجْهاً فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص حَبِيبِي جَبْرَئِيلُ لَمْ أَرَكَ فِي مِثْلِ هَذِهِ الصُّورَةِ قَالَ الْمَلَكُ لَسْتُ بِجَبْرَئِيلَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ بَعَثَنِي اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ أَنْ أُزَوِّجَ النُّورَ مِنَ النُّورِ قَالَ مَنْ مِمَّنْ قَالَ- فَاطِمَةَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ فَلَمَّا وَلَّى

“I heard abu al-Hassan (a.s.) say, ‘Once when the Messenger of Allah was sitting an angel who had twenty four faces came to him. The Messenger of Allah said to him, “My friend Jibril, I had not seen you in this form before.” The angel said, “ Iam not Jibril, O Muhammad. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious, has

سَأَلْتُ الرِّضَا ع عَنْ قَبْرِ فَاطِمَةَ ع فَقَالَ دُفِنَتْ فِي بَيْتِهَا فَلَمَّا زَادَتْ بَنُو أُمَيَّةَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ صَارَتْ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ.

“I asked al-Rida (a.s.) about the grave of Fatima (a.s.). He said, “She was buried in her own house. When the Umayyads enlarged the Mosque it became part of the Mosque.”

سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ‌ لَوْ لَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع لِفَاطِمَةَ مَا كَانَ لَهَا كُفْوٌ عَلَى ظَهْرِ الْأَرْضِ مِنْ آدَمَ وَ مَنْ دُونَهُ.

“I heard abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) say, ‘Had Allah not created Amir al-Mu’minin Ali (a.s.) for Fatima, there would been no match on earth for her from Adam to the end.”