The Most Heavenly Marriage

The matter of Fatimah’s marriage is in God’s hands. This means that the condition for marrying Fatimah is that God loves the person and that person loves God; therefore, one should not resort to intrigue or parade one’s tribal and financial standing.

The marriage of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, deserves attention and reflection from various perspectives. On one hand, this marriage has a political dimension; on the other, it is a lesson for those who wish to navigate the turbulent sea of seditions, troubles, and hardships of the world on the right path of life and reach the shore of safety and tranquility.

Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah, peace be upon her, was an important figure with a most distinctive status. Besides being the daughter of the Messenger of God, she was also the only child of Lady Khadijah. In her childhood in Mecca, when the Prophet of Mercy endured the harshest abuse and persecution from Quraysh, Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah supported the Prophet of God and comforted him. Lady Fatimah’s efforts, love, and self-sacrifice toward the Messenger of God were such that the Prophet called her Umm Abiha, the mother of her father. Indeed, she was compassionate and kind to the Prophet like a mother, and as a mother sacrifices herself for her child, she sacrificed herself for the preservation and survival of her father’s religion.

Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah held an exalted and special rank beyond being the daughter of the Noble Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. Fatimah was the one about whom the Prophet said: “God becomes angry at her anger, and God is pleased at her joy and happiness.” The Prophet introduced Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, as the leader of the women of the world, and she was an instance of the Verse of Purification.

After the migration to Medina, the Prophet of Mercy attained political authority. It was in Medina that he was repeatedly compelled to wage military war against Quraysh—wars such as Badr, Uhud, and the Trench, all of which were imposed upon him. Contrary to those who deliberately or mistakenly try to portray the Prophet of Mercy as a messenger of war and killing, the Prophet of Islam in these campaigns was in fact defending the rights of the Muhajirun and Ansar, which Quraysh had violated. The many wars that the Noble Prophet was forced to enter, in which he had to rise in defense to preserve Islam, indicated that he possessed political power and influence in Medina.

Apparently, the Prophet should not have faced problems in Medina like those in Mecca. Medina should have been a place of relief from the various abuses and persecutions of the polytheists. Yet the power-hungry and greedy people present in the various currents of hypocrisy in Medina made its conditions harsher than Mecca’s. The Meccan opponents openly declared their enmity toward the Prophet, while the Prophet’s more significant enemies—who accompanied him out of desire for political power and position—secretly strove for power in Medina under the guise of being his friends, supporters, and companions, through conspiracy, deception of the masses, and intrigue.

The hypocrites, some of whom had begun their hypocrisy and planning to seize power in Mecca, were a far greater and more serious danger than the unbelievers and polytheists. God Almighty repeatedly introduces them in many verses of the Noble Qur’an. The hypocrites and their allied unbelievers knew well that as long as the Prophet lived, they could not attain political power. Therefore, as the Qur’an states, they awaited the Prophet’s passing: “We await for him the calamity of time” (Qur’an 52:30).

Therefore, all efforts were directed toward gaining standing in the Muslim community, so that after the Prophet one could use a superior political position to seek power. What political position could be better than having a kinship relation with the Prophet—a relation that could be treated as an honor and used for one’s own benefit in political conflicts?

Attention to the clashes and struggles at Saqifah makes this reality clearer. Saqifah had become a site of conflict and contention over rule and the usurpation of the caliphate; each side tried in some way to show itself close to the Prophet. One group argued that they had been the first to emigrate with the Prophet and that they were from the Prophet’s tribe, while another said: we gave the Prophet refuge and supported him in the wars.

The hypocrites’ demand for a share in government revolved around their connection with and degree of closeness to the Prophet of Islam. This point gains further importance because the Wise God gave the Prophet of Islam no male child, apart from Ibrahim, who died in early childhood. Thus, whoever could become the Prophet’s son-in-law—and the husband of someone like Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her—would enjoy a high political position. For this reason, attempts to seek the hand of Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah began among some figures who, after the Prophet, made great efforts to gain power and committed much bloodshed.

Some of these people, concerning whom verses had also been revealed in condemnation, allowed themselves to come and seek the hand of the Prophet’s daughter, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. Some, when faced with a closed door, displayed their worldly wealth and possessions and promised expensive camels loaded with precious goods as Lady Fatimah’s dowry. This angered the Prophet of Mercy, who threw pebbles toward them, and the pebbles turned into gold—a sign that God Almighty and His Messenger have no need of your possessions. Many of these suitors played a serious role in transfers of power after the Prophet, and some were able to take power through cunning and deception.

This point becomes even more significant when Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah, peace be upon her, is martyred at the hands of some of her suitors, at a time when she insisted that the leader of the community must be the one indicated by the Qur’an and introduced by the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. The great lady of Islam’s resistance against the violation of the Qur’an’s and the Prophet’s command led to her martyrdom. Those who today had sought her hand because of status, rank, and their claimed love for the Prophet became her killers tomorrow, because she insisted upon love for the Prophet and demanded the implementation of his commands.

The Messenger of God was the father of Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her. Permission for Lady al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah’s marriage should have been in her father’s hands, yet the Prophet of Mercy told every suitor that the matter of Fatimah’s marriage was in God’s hands. This means that she is God’s servant, and not everyone is worthy of this marriage. It means that God determines who may have a close kinship relation with the Prophet through this precious jewel of existence. It also means that the condition for marrying Fatimah is that God loves the person and that person loves God; otherwise, one is not worthy of being Fatimah al-Zahra’s husband. God determines Fatimah’s husband; so do not conspire or resort to intrigue and display your tribal and financial position.

After the Prophet told Fatimah’s suitors that the matter of her marriage was with God, he addressed the Commander of the Faithful: “O Ali, God has chosen you to be Fatimah’s husband.” This means that Ali, peace be upon him, is the only one equal to Fatimah. The Commander of the Faithful is the one whom God selected for this marriage.

Indeed, this heavenly marriage took place by God’s command so that all would know who was closest to the Prophet; so that everyone would know that wealth, power, and affluence do not bring friendship with God. It was Ali ibn Abi Talib whom God loved and who loved God; therefore, God chose His servant, Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her, as his wife.