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|
J (Janab-e-Syeda)
| Honour name(LAQAB) | Mother name | No.of children | Date of Birth | Place of Birth |
| Zehra | Hazrat Khadtija-ul-Kubra(A.S) |
|
20 th Jamad-ul-sani | Mecca Moazama |
| Date of wafat/shahadat | Duration of Life | Place of Burial | Name of Massom | |
| 3rd Jamd-ul-sani | 18 years ,9 months ,15 days | Jannat-ul-Baqee(Madina Munawara) | Fatima |
Glory to
Fatima (SA), the Blessed Spring of Kausar.
"We have given you Kausar... Surely your enemy is the one who shall be without posterity." (Holy Qu'ran 109:1,3)
God the Almighty revealed the above verses when Amr ibn Aas and Hakam ibn Aas --two of the most mean polytheists of Mecca-- mocked at Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) following the death of his infant son Taher. They called him 'abtar' which means one whose issue has ceased, since earlier also, two of the Prophet's sons named Qasem and Tayyeb had died in infancy. For the ignorant minds, it seemed the end of the line for Muhammad (SAWA) and his noble wife Khadijah (SA).
The Almighty Creator, however, had His own plans. He had entrusted Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) with the universal message of Islam, and contrary to the wishes of retarded minds, He had a novel way of ensuring the eternity of His Messenger's lineage. Not through a son, but through a daughter, in a manner that would revolutionise human conceptions and remove for good the stigma that was attached to the birth of a girl.
Thus, the auspicious day was the , five years after the proclamation of the divine mission, when the Prophet and Khadija (SA) were blessed with that spring of perpetual abundance Kausar). The radiant (az-Zahra) daughter was named Fatima (SA), a name that was destined to glow all the more brighter throughout Islamic history. In an age when ignorant minds prided on male issue and regarded the birth of a daughter as a shame, the Prophet rejoiced at her birth.
Those were the days when women were denied rights and inheritance, not just by the Arabs but in all contemporary societies. So strong was male chauvinism that only male issue was counted as descendants and the children of a daughter were not regarded as one's progeny.
But Islam put an end to all those sordid practices and gave women their natural place in society. To serve as a practical paradigm for women of all ages, the Almighty singled out Fatima (SA), and decreed that the sons of His beloved Prophet would all die in infancy.
Therefore, like her father, Fatima (SA) had a mission to perform. She was virtue personified. If Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was the best exemplar for the human race, as the Qur'an calls him, she was to be the ideal of womanhood. It was Fatima (SA) with her role as a caring daughter, a faithful wife, a loving mother, and a concerned teacher for the growing community of Muslim women, that was to serve as the most perfect example for believing women.
It is said that the Prophet used to stand to his feet when Fatima (SA) would enter his presence. It was not the mere doting of a father for his only surviving child, as some may misbelieve. In fact, the Messenger was giving a practical display of the commands of the Creator, to show to the world Fatima's (SA) lofty status.
Fatima (SA) for her part, had earned this respect through her selfless struggle and sacrifices for Islam. At every stage of her life she had given a lesson in the rights and duties of women in society. She was hardly nine when her mother the noble Khadijah (SA) died. Fatima (SA) took upon herself the burden of caring for her father in those days of persecution in Mecca. Her care and concern of her father earned the little Fatima (SA) the epithet of Umm Abiha (mother of her father).
After migration to Medina she continued her glorious role. Her marriage was made in heaven. She refused to give her hand to any of the wealthy suitors of Arabia, and in a very simple ceremony married her father's beloved cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), who did not possess any worldly wealth. The daughter of the 'Seal of Prophethood' had a modest dowry which included only the bare necessities of life.
The couple made a perfect pair, and used to share all household work between themselves. Out of the blessed union were born sons Hasan (AS) and Husain (AS), and daughters Zainab (SA) and Umm Kulthum (SA) -- each one a stalwart in his or her own way, to whom Islam will forever remain indebted.
Fatima (SA), alone among women, accompanied her father, her husband and her two sons to the parley with the Christians of Najaran (3:60). And it was Fatima (SA) who was the central character of the famous Tradition of the Cloak (Hadith al-Kisa) on the occasion of the revelation of the Verse of Purity:
"Allah desires to remove uncleanness from you Ahl-ul Bait and keep you pure as pure can be," (Holy Qu'ran 33:33)
As mentioned by authoritative sources, the Almighty introduced to the celestial angels the five persons assembled under the cloak on Planet Earth as "Hum Fatima wa Abuha wa Baluha wa Banuha" (They are Fatima (SA), her Father, her husband and her two sons).
The event throws light on the honour and dignity attached to the person of a women in Islam, especially that of the virtuous Fatima (SA). Even the 'Mercy of the Creation' -- Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was being introduced as Fatima's (SA) father. The same was true of Imam Ali (AS) and sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), who despite their own luminous personalities were being introduced as Fatima's (SA) husband and sons.
Another instance of Fatima's (SA) revered status is the revelation of the verse: "Make not the addressing of the Messenger among you to your addressing of one another..." (Holy Qur'an 24:63), which obliged the companions of the Prophet to address him as O' Messenger of Allah, instead of calling him by his name or agnomen (kunya).
When Fatima (AS) addressed her father with the words "O' Messenger of Allah", the Prophet was rather disturbed, and told his beloved daughter: "O' Fatima this verse was not revealed for you, neither for your family nor for your descendants. You are of me and I am of you. This was revealed in relation to the oppressors and the ill-mannered of the Quraish. (When you address me) Say 'dear father', for this word is more life-giving for the heart and more pleasing for Allah".
It is interesting to note that the Prophet's habit of calling his grandchildren Hasan and Husain as "my sons" has been immortalised in the Holy Qu'ran by Allah the Almighty Himself (3:60, Verse of Mubahila).
In fact, it was through Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) that the Prophet's progeny has multiplied and spread around the world. The Seyyeds' and the Sherifs' as they are known today are held in high esteem by Muslims as a mark of respect for Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) and his daughter Fatima (SA).
Over the past fourteen centuries, dynasties have appeared in different places, from Morocco to the Philippines claiming descent from Fatima (SA). The famous University of al-Azhar in Cairo which was founded one thousand years ago by the Fatimids --who also claimed descent from Hazrath Fatima (SA)-- is named after one of her epithets, az-Zahra.
In our own days, the father of the Islamic revolution, Imam Khomeini, who incidentally was born on the auspicious birth anniversary of Hazrath Fatima (SA), was a direct descendant of that blessed lady, and so is Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the present leader.
The birth anniversary of this great lady has rightly been named as Women's Day in the Islamic Republic of Iran, for her nurturing role of innate human values.
As for the enemies who mocked the Prophet at the death of his infant son, true to the wordings of the Holy Qu'ran, no one knows when and where in the shifting sands of Arabia did their progeny disappear.
Glory to Fatima (SA), the Blessed Spring of Kausar.
(The above text is taken from www.islamicresearch.com By : SAIED ALI SHAHBAZ)
copy right :smrazarizvi 2001 & forever
Refferences: SHI'A by Allamah Sayyid Muhammad
Husayn Tabatabai,
Shahid Juma Concept of Massiah in Islam