From Fatimah’s Smile, Paradise Is Showered with Light

Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, is the equal counterpart of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him; had God not created Ali, peace be upon him, no one would have been a match for that noble lady.(1) The Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them, have bestowed various names and epithets upon her. These names and titles indicate the different dimensions of her being. Each name or title attributed to her alludes to one or more dimensions and character traits of that pure lady.

Among the names and titles attributed to her is “Muhaddathah,” which alludes to Gabriel’s speaking with her after the martyrdom of the Noble Prophet, and “Alimah,” which indicates the divinely bestowed knowledge of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her.(2) In one description, Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, is introduced as the leader of the women of all worlds and the mistress of women on the Day of Resurrection; and in a narration, as the leader of the women of Paradise.(3)

Although Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, holds an exalted rank in the realm of creation, and knowledge of her is a means of elevation and spiritual progress for those who know her, accepting the guardianship of Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, brings purity and cleansing to the souls of her lovers and Shi‘a.(4) Yet it must not be forgotten that Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, lived in this world with a human outward form and encountered the difficulties that every person faces in life. We must bear in mind this very important point: the infallibility of Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, does not mean that the Pure Truthful Lady was compelled not to commit sin. Her life should therefore be studied in light of this point, rather than under the misconception that if the Pure Truthful Lady’s conduct and way of life in social affairs were correct, this was merely due to her infallibility and has no relevance to the women and men of today’s society. For women in our society today do not possess infallibility like Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her; consequently, it might be imagined that today’s women and men cannot learn from the manner of life of Lady al-Zahra and the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon them, and are excused for the differences between their present lives and the conduct of Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, because that great lady is infallible whereas we are not.

The Shi‘a believe that the infallibles, peace be upon them, were not compelled to refrain from sin or in their actions; they had the power to commit sin, yet did not perpetrate objectionable deeds. Therefore, Lady al-Zahra, peace be upon her, must be a lesson for all Shi‘a in every sphere, especially for women.

The life of the Pure Truthful Lady has many aspects and dimensions. Among them, the political dimension of her life, as well as her life within the family and her engagement with numerous difficulties, are of great importance.

Lady al-Zahra obeyed the command of the Commander of the Faithful because Imam Ali, peace be upon him, was her husband—not merely because Imam Ali held the Imamate. Although Fatimah al-Zahra was a worthy match for Ali al-Murtada and possessed an exceedingly lofty station with her Lord, she sought Imam Ali’s permission to leave the house and go toward her father’s home: «َ قَالَتْ تَأْذَنُ لِی فِی الْمَصِیرِ إِلَى مَنْزِلِ أَبِی رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ص‏»؛(5) She addressed Ali, peace be upon him: “Do you permit me to go to the home of my father, the Messenger of Allah?”

This point should receive great attention from our society, both women and men. Lady al-Zahra, whom the Prophet called “al-Siddiqah,” considered it forbidden for herself to leave the house without the consent and permission of her husband, even if the purpose of leaving was to visit the Messenger of Allah. If one considers the location of the homes of Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her, and the Prophet, the importance of this matter becomes even clearer. The door of her house opened into the mosque, and the Messenger of Allah’s house was also adjacent to the mosque; perhaps there were fewer than ten steps between the two homes. Yet the Pure Truthful Lady sought Imam Ali’s permission to leave her home and go to her father’s house.

Although the apparent meaning of this narration indicates that all women who adhere to the conduct of Fatimah, peace be upon her, must accept the man’s authority over the woman, an important duty also rests upon men. A man whose wife cannot leave the house without his permission must pay attention to what he grants permission for. If a girl leaves the house with her father’s knowledge, or a woman with her husband’s knowledge and permission, and her going out entails sin or an act contrary to the Sharia, then the person who grants her permission for this act is primarily responsible; indeed, his punishment may be greater than that of the daughter or wife who has committed the forbidden act.

The covering of Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her, when leaving the home deserves the utmost attention. After obtaining her husband’s permission to leave the house, her attire was as follows: “فَتَجَلَّلَتْ بِجَلَالِهَا [بِجِلْبَابِهَا] وَ تَبَرْقَعَتْ بِبُرْقُعِهَا” (6). She placed her jilbab (chador) over her head and put a burqaʿ (a face veil that covers the face except for the two eyes) over her face; then she set out toward the house of the Messenger of Allah.

The conduct and way of life of Lady Fatimah establish the proof for all men and women, clarify women’s duty regarding covering, and clarify men’s duty to enjoin their own families to what is right. For what is right is the act of Fatimah al-Zahra. If a man does not instruct his household to follow the Fatimid way, he has abandoned enjoining what is right. Men who have departed from the way of Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her, who tolerate every kind of conduct and every inappropriate form of dress from their wives or daughters and do not enjoin what is right, have not only violated the way of Fatimah al-Zahra, but are also cursed in the narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt because of their lack of protective jealousy (ghayrah).

The conduct of Lady Fatimah accords with God’s pleasure, and her actions make known to us God’s approval of women’s covering. Therefore, after becoming aware of Lady Fatimah’s way of life and thereby knowing God’s pleasure or displeasure, no one can claim that the manner of observing hijab is a personal matter, that each person may choose a form of covering according to personal taste, or that one need not have any particular covering as hijab at all. Undoubtedly, everyone is obliged to bring their ways of life, as far as possible, closer to the life of that noble Lady.

Ali, peace be upon him, came home and asked Fatimah: “Do you have anything to eat?” Fatimah, peace be upon her, swore that for more than two days there had been nothing in the house for nourishment, and that if anything had been available, she had given it to al-Hasan and al-Husayn. The Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, said: “Why did you not tell me so that I could obtain something for you?” The Pure and Truthful Lady, peace be upon her, said: “یا أبا الحسن إنی لأستحیی من إلهی أن أکلف نفسک ما لا تقدر علیه” (7): “O Abu al-Hasan, I am ashamed before my Lord to burden you with something beyond your means.”

Although Lady Fatimah, peace be upon her, had been hungry for two days, she said that she was ashamed before her God to ask him for something. Even though food is among the primary necessities of every human being’s life, Lady Fatimah stood by the hardships of her husband’s life to this extent as well.

Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’s, peace be upon her, forbearance in the face of hardship did not merely mean that she did not leave her husband’s home during such difficulties; rather, she did not make even the slightest request of him, to the point that she did not even allude to the problem. The endurance and patience of al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah in these hardships were such that Imam Ali, peace be upon him, was unaware of the matter. It is hoped that our women will learn from the conduct of Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her; then living standards will be regulated according to the husband’s means, and at least in nonessential matters, consideration will be given to the spouse’s ability.

If our society were to proceed according to the conduct of Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, tranquility would prevail in the family. Under the shade of this tranquility, the family could become a place for the upbringing and spiritual growth of children. Lady al-Zahra did not open her lips in complaint over poverty.

This was despite the fact that her economic living conditions were below those of the people of Medina. Near Eid, the children of Medina had clothes for the festival, but al-Hasan and al-Husayn complained to their mother because they had no Eid clothes.(8) In light of this report, it cannot be said that all the people of Medina were living in such poverty.

It becomes clear that the standard of living of Fatimah al-Zahra, peace be upon her, in terms of worldly desires, was lower than that of others—so much so that she was reproached by the women of Medina for marrying a poor man. Salman al-Farsi relates: “One day, I was standing in the presence of the Messenger of Islam, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family, pouring water over his blessed hands, when Fatimah entered weeping. The Prophet of God, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family, placed his blessed hand upon Fatimah’s head and said: ‘What has made you weep? May God never make your eyes weep, O houri!’ She said: ‘I came upon a group of Qurayshi women. When they saw me, they taunted me concerning my cousin.’ He said: ‘What did you hear them say?’ She said: ‘They say: It is distressing that Muhammad, may God’s blessings be upon him and his family, should give his daughter in marriage to a man from Quraysh who is poor.’”

Ali and Fatimah are two lights who illuminate the earth for the guidance of everyone who seeks Paradise, the meeting with the Messenger of God, and guidance. With the presence of these two heavenly jewels, the path of guidance will not remain dark until the Day of Resurrection, although the Muslim community, after the martyrdom of the Prophet, did not recognize the stature and worth of this jewel—the pearl of the created universe. Because she supported and defended the right that God conveyed to His Messenger at Ghadir, they set her house on fire and caused the miscarriage of her six-month-old child; as a result of those injuries, Lady Zahra was martyred.

Lady Zahra is the likeness of God’s light in the heavens and the earth; that is, the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth are guided by the light of her being. In Paradise as well—where God has not created the sun and the moon—“they will not see therein any sun” (10). Paradise, too, will be illuminated by Fatimah’s light.

Endnotes:

1. Rawdat al-Muttaqin fi Sharh Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih — Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (the First) — vol. 5 — pp. 343–345
2. Rawdat al-Muttaqin fi Sharh Man la Yahduruhu al-Faqih — Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi (the First) — vol. 5 — pp. 345–347
3. Manaqib Al Abi Talib — Ibn Shahr Ashub — vol. 3 — pp. 104–106
4. Mafatih al-Jinan — Muhaddith Qummi, permission to enter the honored shrines
5. Bihar al-Anwar 43 147, chapter 6 — Kayfiyyat Mu'asharatiha ma'a Ali (a)....
6. Bihar al-Anwar 43 147, chapter 6 — Kayfiyyat Mu'asharatiha ma'a Ali (a)....
7. Bihar al-Anwar — Allamah al-Majlisi — vol. 43 — pp. 59–61
8. Bihar al-Anwar — Allamah al-Majlisi — vol. 43 — p. 75
9. The Life of Lady Zahra, peace be upon her (translation of Bihar al-Anwar) 560; translation: ..... p. 560
10. al-Dahr: 13
11. Bihar al-Anwar — Allamah al-Majlisi — vol. 43 — p.