--
****
PEOPLE LOVED BY FATIMA
We all know who the blessed father of
Fatima was. He was the greatest messenger of God on Earth. Mohammad son of Abdullah. But who are other people whom the Holy Lady loved.
Fatima Al Zahra’s mother Khadijah
The holy mother of Fatima al Zahra was
Khadija, who was the daughter of
Khuwaylid ibn Asad ibn Abd-Al-Uzza, and daughter of
Fatima bint Zaida.
Khadija’s own mother was
Fatima bint Zaida (d.575) a member of of the Banu Amir ibn Luayy ibn Ghalib tribe.
Khadija: Born 555 or 565; died 622 just before Hijra.
Khadija is first wife of Prophet Mohammed and is named “Mother of the Believers” in the Holy Quran. Her father died 585. He was a merchant and a successful businessman whose vast wealth and business talents were inherited by Khadija. She successfully managed her father's business interests and preserved the family's fortune. It is said that when Quraysh's trade caravans gathered to embark upon their lengthy and arduous journey either to
Syria during the summer or to
Yemen during the winter, Khadijah's caravan equalled the caravans of all other traders of Quraish put together.
Khadija earned three titles:
Ameerat-Quraish (Princess of Quraish) and
al-Tahira (the Pure One), and
Khadija Al-Kubra (Khadija the Great). She was of impeccable character. She used to feed and clothe the poor, assist her relatives financially, and provide for the marriage of those of her kin who could not otherwise have had the means to marry. Khadija was said to have neither believed in nor worshipped idols, which was atypical for pre-Islam Arabian culture.
Her renown for business dealings caused many highly respected Arabian men to seek her hand in marriage. However, by 585, Khadijah remained unmarried.
Khadijah did not travel with her trade caravans; she relied on others to trade on her behalf, whom she compensated with commissions. In 595, Khadija needed an agent for a transaction in
Syria. Several agents whom she trusted (notably including Abu Talib) and some relatives of hers recommended her distant cousin Muhammad ibn Abdullah, who had earned the honourable titles of Al-Sadiq (the truthful) and Al-Amin (the trustworthy).
Muhammad did not have any official business experience but twice had accompanied Abu Talib on trade trips and had keenly observed how Talib traded, bartered, bought, sold, and conducted business. Since hiring traders who lacked experience was not uncommon, Khadijah hired Muhammad, who was then 25 years old. Khadijah sent Muhammad word through Khazimah ibn Hakim, one of her relatives, offering him double the commission she usually paid. She sent one of her servants, Maysarah, to assist him. Maysarah gave accounts of Muhammad's performance and she was impressed.
The profit that Muhammad returned to Khadijah was the double of what Khadijah anticipated. Muhammad fascinated Maysarah more than anything else related to the trip because of many strange events which took place during that journey. The trip's measure of success encouraged Khadijah to employ Muhammad again on a winter trip to
Yemen. At this time,
Yemen had just been annexed by the
Persian Empire, and a regent of the Sassanid King, Khosrau I, Anoshervan was ruling it. This time Khadijah offered Muhammad triple the usual commission. Muhammad's second trip was equally profitable, but little else is known.
The age of Khadijah is not well-documented. This is because Arab people were more concerned with the month than with the year. Therefore, her age has been narrated as anywhere from 25 to 40 years. Correlation of her age with that of her daughter Fatimah does not support the view that she was as much as fifteen years older than Muhammad.
With the passage of time, her admiration for Muhammad developed into a deeper affection. Khadijah was by then convinced that she had finally found a man who was worthy of her, so much so that she initiated the marriage proposal herself. Muhammad detailed all the business transactions in which he would be involved on her behalf, but Khadijah was considering leaving the financial matters to her distant cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal.
By the time Muhammad was gone, Khadijah sought the advice of a friend named Nufaysa bint Umayyah. The latter offered to approach him on her behalf and, if possible, arrange a marriage between them.
Khadijah and Muhammad agreed that he should speak to his uncles and she would speak to her uncle, Amr ibn Asad, since her father had died. It was Hamza, despite being relatively young, whom the Hashemites delegated to represent them on this marriage occasion, since he was most closely related to them through the clan of Asad; his sister Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib had just married Khadijah's brother Awwam ibn Khuwaylid.
It was Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, who delivered the marriage sermon saying,
“All praise is due to Allah Who has made us the progeny of Ibrahim and Who made us the custodians of His House and the servants of its sacred precincts, making for us a House sought for pilgrimage and a shrine of security, and He also gave us authority over the people. This nephew of mine Muhammad cannot be compared with any other man: if you compare his wealth with that of others, you will not find him a man of wealth, for wealth is a vanishing shadow and a fickle thing. Muhammad is a man whose lineage you all know, and he has sought Khadijah bint Khuwaylid for marriage, offering her such-and-such of the dower of my own wealth.”
The relationship was monogamous.
When her husband received his first revelation from the Archangel Gabriel, she was the first person (besides Muhammad) — among both male and females — to convert to Islam. According to some sources, it was Khadijah's parental cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, who informed Muhammad of his prophethood soon after his vision of the angel.
Khadijah did not hesitate to embrace Islam at all, trusting to her husband's teachings.
R. V. C. Bodley in his book The Messenger, the Life of Mohammed, 1946:
"God is my protection, Oh Abul Kasim!" said Khadija, "Rejoice and be of good cheer. He in Whose hands stands the life of Khadija, is my Witness that thou wilt be the Messenger of His people!" Then she added, "Hast thou not been loving to thy kinsfolk, kind to thy neighbours, charitable to the poor, hospitable to the stranger, faithful to thy word, and ever a defender of the truth?"
Washington Irving in his book Life of Mohammed:
After the first encounter with Gabriel, Mohammed came trembling and agitated to Khadija. She saw everything with the eye of faith. "Joyful tidings dost thou bring," exclaimed she, by Him, in whose hand is the soul of Khadija, I will henceforth regard thee as the Prophet of our nation. Rejoice," added she, "Allah will not suffer thee to fall to shame. Hast thou not been loving to thy kinsfolk, kind to thy neighbours, charitable to the poor, hospitable to the stranger, faithful to thy word, and ever a defender of the truth?"
Yahya ibn Afeef is quoted saying that he once came, during the period of Jahiliyyah (before the advent of Islam), to
Mecca to be hosted by ‘Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, one of Muhammad's uncles mentioned above. "When the sun started rising," he said, "I saw a man who came out of a place not far from us, faced the Kaba and started performing his prayers. He hardly started before being joined by a young boy who stood on his right side, then by a woman who stood behind them. When he bowed down, the young boy and the woman bowed, and when he stood up straight, they, too, did likewise. When he prostrated, they, too, prostrated." He expressed his amazement at that, saying to Abbas: "This is quite strange, O Abbas!". "Is it, really?" retorted al-Abbas. "Do you know who he is?", Abbas asked his guest who answered in the negative. "He is Muhammad ibn Abdullah, my nephew. Do you know who the young boy is?" asked he again. "No, indeed," answered the guest. "He is Ali son of Abu Talib. Do you know who the woman is?" The answer came again in the negative, to which Abbas said, "She is Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, my nephew's wife." This incident is included in the books of both Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Al-Tirmidhi, each detailing it in his own Sahih.
She bore patiently in the face of persecution to which her revered husband and his small band of believers were exposed at the hands of the polytheists and aristocrats of the Quraish, sacrificing her vast wealth to promote Islam, seeking God's rewards.
She remained at his side and supported him throughout his mission to spread Islam.
Death — 619 or 623
Edward Gibbon in his book The Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire:
During the 24-years of their marriage, Khadija's youthful husband abstained from the right of polygamy, and the pride or tenderness of the venerable matron was never insulted by the society of a rival. After her death, the Prophet placed her in the rank of four perfect women, with the sister of Moses, the mother of Jesus, and Fatima.
Kazi Ejaz and Ibne Abdul Bir in their book Al-Estiab:
Once the Prophet mentioned Khadija near Aisha,
Aisha responded:
"She was not but a such and such of an old lady, and Allah replaced her with a better one for you."
He replied:
"Indeed Allah did not grant me better than her; she accepted me when people rejected me, she believed in me when people doubted me, she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me, and Allah granted me children only through her."
The year of her death is known as the Year of Sorrow, because of the devastation that it caused him and it was also the same year in which his uncle and guardian Abu Talib died. She was either 64 or 68 years old (having been born in AD 555). Her grave can be found in Jannatul Mualla cemetery, in
Mecca, Saudi Arabia.Many scholars place the events of the Year of Sorrow in 619, 3 years prior to hijra. Others place this in 632 CE, 10 years after Hijra.
Muslim views
Ibn Kathir
Ibn Kathir, the famous Islamic scholar and commentator on the Qur'an writes in his book Wives of the Prophet Muhammad:
Khadijah had been the first to publicly accept Muhammad as the Messenger of Allah, and she had never stopped doing all she could to help him. Love and mercy had grown between them, increasing in quality and depth as the years passed by, and not even death could take this love away. The Prophet Muhammadnever stopped loving Khadijah, and although he married several more wives in later years and loved them all, it is clear that Khadijah always had a special place in his heart. Indeed whenever Aisha, his third wife, heard the Prophet speak of Khadijah, or saw him sending food to Khadijah's old friends and relatives, she could not help feeling jealous of her, because of the love that the Prophet still had for her.
Once Aisha asked him if Khadijah had been the only woman worthy of his love. The Prophet replied: "She believed in me when no one else did; she accepted Islam when people rejected me; and she helped and comforted me when there was no one else to lend me a helping hand." It had been related by Abu Hurairah that on one occasion, when Khadijah was still alive, Jibril came to the Prophet and said, "O Messenger of Allah, Khadijah is just coming with a bowl of soup (or food or drink) for you. When she comes to you, give her greetings of peace from her Lord and from me, and give her the good news of a palace of jewels in the Garden, where there will be neither any noise nor any tiredness." After the Prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, and his first wife, Khadijah, had both died in the same year, the Prophet Muhammad and his small community of believers endured a time of great hardship and persecution at the hands of the Quraish. Indeed the Prophet, who was now fifty years old, name this year 'the Year of Sorrow.'
HASHIM
Fatima, the holy mother of Imam Ali, was daughter of
Asad who was son of
Hashim, a descendent of
Ishmael, the first son of Abraham.
Asad was son of Hashim, the great-grandfather of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. Hashim is credited with initiating trade caravans of the Quraish after obtaining an edict from the Byzantine emperor, exempting Quraish from duties or taxes when operating in the countries under his domain. He obtained the same concession from the emperor of
Ethiopia. Thus, the Quraish engaged in trade in
Yemen,
Syria and
Ankara, which allowed them to flourish economically. Hashim married Salma bint Amr, a woman of
Medina. He died while returning from a business tour to
Syria in
Gaza,
Palestine in 497. His grave is preserved, and
Gaza is also called Ghazzah Hashim or Hashim's
Gaza. Hashim according to Shias was a Hanif, a followers of Abraham’s traditions. Hashim’s wife Salma bint Amr the great-grandmother of Ali and Muhammad. Her exact place and date of birth are unknown as are her place and date of death.
PRINCESS ZAHNA
Fatima al Zahra’s mother in law, Fatima bint Asad
Fatima's mother in law was also called
Fatima. She was daughter of Asad.
Imam Ali's mother Fatima was born from Asad and
Zahna.
Princess Zahna is an ancestor of King David.
Asad, the son of Hashim, had married Zahna, the daughter of
Hofnai (530-580). Hofnai is also known as Kaphnai. Hofnai was the 32nd Exilarch in Iraq. Hofnai's father was Ahunai, the 31st Exilarch. Hofnai had daughter Zahna and son Haninai. Haninai succeed his father Hofnai and became the 33rd Exilarch (580-585). Exilarchs were leaders of exiled descendents of Abraham who were scattered around the world.
Therefore, Imam Ali is grandson of
Princess Zahna. From his mother's side, Ali is descendent of King David the Prophet of God. From his father side, Ali is descendent of Ishmael, son of Prophet Abraham.
Note: Other women with the name Fatima.
Fatima was also name of the mother of Abu Talib. She was daughter of Amr. She is known as
Fatima Bint Amr. She gave birth to Abdullah and Abu Talib.
Khadija's mother was also called
Fatima Bint Zaida.
Fatima was also the real name of
Umm al Baneen. She is known as
Fatima bint Hizam al-Qilabiyya. Imam Ali had married her, and from her his son
Hazrat Abbas was born who was martyred at
karbala in 680.
-
MOTHER OF ALI
Fatima Bint Asad was mother of Ali. She married Abu Talib, father of Ali. She had three other sons, Talib, Aqeel and
Jafar, who was a famous General of Prophet Mohammed. When God’s holy Messenger, Muhammad peace be upon him and his family, began to preach divine truth, Fatima Bint Asad immediately accepted his Islam. Prophet Muhammad considered her his mother. When he proclaimed his Divine mission, she stood by him.
Fatima was one of the first to swear allegiance to him and his religon, its concept of the Oneness of Allah, Messengers of God and day of resurrection. She helped Islam when it faced the economic and social boycott of the pagans of the
Mecca for three years. She was also a member of the privileged group who migrated to
Medina.
When Holy Prophet’s parents and grandparents died,
Fatima bint Asad looked after him, loving him as if he were her own. He remembered in his later life that she would go hungry to feed him. He respected her so highly that whenever she visited him he would stand up and receive her with great love, addressing her as mother.
She died in 626. When Holy Prophet heard this, he immediately went to her house sat beside her body and prayed for her soul.
"My dear mother, may God keep you under His Protection. Many times you went hungry in order to feed me well. You fed me and clothed me on delicacies that you denied yourself. God will surely be happy with these actions of yours. And your intentions were surely meant to win the goodwill and pleasure of God and success in the Hereafter."
He gave his shirt to be used as part of her shroud. When the grave was prepared Muhammad himself examined it laid in her to bless it and then placed her into the grave. Thus, she was one of the few people whose graves were examined by the Holy Prophet. Fatima was buried
Medina cemetery called
Garden of Bakee.
-
THE NOBLES OF MECCA
Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief – (550-619) [rev]
Father:
Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim, Clan Chief – (496-578)
Mother:
Fatima bint Amr al-Makhzumiyya - (born 525)
Wife:
Fatima bint Asad ibn Hashim al-Qurayshiyya
Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief was born circa 550. He was the son of Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim, Clan Chief and
Fatima bint Asad al-Makhzumiyya. Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief witnessed the death of Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim, Clan Chief in 578; He died at age 82. On his deathbed he appointed his son Abu Talib as the guardian of Muhammad. Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief was made the guardian of his nephew, Muhammad, on the death of his father in 580. He was a witness to Muhammad ibn Abdullah. The Prophet taken into the care of his uncle, Abu Talib, on the death of his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, in 580. Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief married
Fatima bint Assad ibn Hashim al-Qurayshiyya, daughter of Assad ibn Hashim al-Qurayshi, before 581. Abu Talib ibn Abdul Muttalib, Clan Chief died in 619. He protected Muhammad while he was alive, and died a pagan, At his death, Muhammad prayed for him.
Family: Wife:
Fatima bint Assad ibn Hashim al-Qurayshiyya (born 556)
Child: Son: Ali al-Murtadha ibn Abu Talib, 1st Holy Imam of Islam (27 Sep 600 - 26 Jan 661)
Hashim. (born 464). His mother was Atika bint Murrah. His first name was Amr. He married
Salma, (born 468) the daughter of Amr from Bani Adi bin An-Najjar. She was from yathrib. Hashim died in Ghazza in
Palestine in 497 A.D.
Abdul Muttalib. (born 496 died 574). His name was
Sheba. He married
FATIMA BINT AMR. Her full name was
Fatimah al Koraishiya, daughter of Amr bin Aidh bin Imran bin Makhzum bin Yaqdha bin Murra.
Abdullah. (554-570) The father of Prophet Muhammad. His mother was Fatimah, daughter of Amr bin Aidh bin Imran bin Makhzum bin Yaqdha bin Murra. He married
Amina, daughter of Wahab bin Abd Munaf bin Zahra bin Kilab, as a wife for his son, Abdullah. Her father was the chief of Bani Zahra to whom great honour was attributed.
Fatimah bint Amr (died 576) was Muhammad's grandmother. She was married to Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim. Her full name was: Fatimah daughter of Amr ibn Aidh ibn Imran ibn Makhzum. Her mother's name was
Sahre, Sahre's mother was Tahmur. Tahmur was the daughter of Ubeyd, the son of Qusai.
The grandmothers of the Prophet were the noblest in their ancestry and origin of all Arab women. Ibn Asaker narrated the Prophet saying proudly on Hunain's Campaign: “I'm the son of al-Fawatem (plural of
Fatima )”. Al-Tabarani cited Seyaba bin Asem narrating the Prophet: “I'm the son of al-Awatek (plural of Atika) of Bani Salim”. Al-Manawi said: “The book of Al-Sihah had mentioned that nine of the Prophet's grandmothers (from his father and mother) were named Atika”.
Qutada narrated the Prophet saying in one of his campaigns: I'm the Prophet; it's not a lie, I'm the son of Al-Awatek”. In “Al-Faid” (The Flux), Al-Minawi said that Awatek is the plural of Atika.Ibn Al-Harbi and Muslim bin Qutaiba that the Prophet had referred to three women named Atika in his saying: “I'm the son of al-Awatek of Bani Salim”. These are: Atika / daughter of / Hilal (mother of Abdimanaf), Atika / daughter of / Murra bin Hilah (mother of Hashem bin Abdimanaf), and Akika / daughter of / Al-Awqas bin Murra bin Hilal (mother of Wahab, the father of Amina), mother of the Prophet. The first among Al-Watek was the aunt of the middle one, and the middle was the aunt of the latest. Abu Abdullah Al-Talebi Al-Adawi said: “Fourteen women were named Atika, three from Quraish, three from Bani Salama, two from Bani Adwan, one from Bani Huthaila, one from Qahtan, one from Bani Quda', one from Thaqif, and one from Asa'd Bain Khuzaima”.
Ibn Sa'ed said that the meaning of Atika is the purified. However, in the dictionary, Atika means generous. Another meaning of Atika is the tanned women with yellow saffron and scent. As we previously mentioned, the Prophet would never be proud of them if they were unbelievers. “Who referred himself to unbeliever fathers seeking power and honor will accompany them in the hellfire”.
In “Dala'el Al-Nubowa” (The Evidences of Prophecy), Abu Na'em narrated Ibn Abbas citing the Prophet: My parent had never met on adultery; and Allah continued to transfer me, purified and refined, within the noblest backbones and the purist wombs; wherever branched into two branches I was within the best one”. Ibn Sa'ed and Ibn Asaker narrated Mohammad bin Al-sa'eb bin Al-Kalbi narrated his father: “I had traced five hundreds of the Prophet's grandmother, and I did not find any of them on adultery or on any of the matters of the pre-Islam ignorance”.
--
Fatima Bint Asad
Bibi Fatima Bint Asad. She made great sacrifices for God and and His Religion of Islam. She spent her life in service of Prophet of God. She was Imam Ali's mother. She looked after our Holy Prophet. She was like a mother to him. Prophet buried her himself. Propher laid in her grave to bless it. Propher gave his own shirt for her buriel shroud.
Her Nobility
Fatima Bint Asad was a woman of high nobility. Her bloodline came down from Abraham from both her father and her mother. It is a sacred linage. Fatima Bint Asad is a child of Ishmael and Isaac. She was a descendent of Abraham from her the side of her father Asad son of Hashim. She was also a descendent of King David from the side of her mother, Princess Zahna the daughter of Hofnai.
Fatima Bint Asad was born into a household that was the center of spirituality. Her grandfather Hazrath Hashim b. Abd Manaf was the leader of Quraysh and keeper of Kaaba. He was a capable and generous man. He married a girl from his own family who gave birth to his son, Asad, who was father of Fatima Bint Asad. The Hashimi family in the tribe of Quraysh is well-known (famous) for its moral virtues and high (supreme) humanistic characteristics among the Arab tribes. Magnanimity, generosity, courage and so many other virtues are characteristics of Bani-hashim. Abdul Muttalib , who was a very discriminating man had assessed her nature, her intelligence and her capabilities from the very beginning and proposed her for his son, Abu Talib.
Her Characteristics
Fatima bint Asad was a most remarkable lady who followed the religion of Prophet Ibrahim. She believed in Allah and acted according to all the previous Prophets instructions. She believed and acted upon all the Books of Allah which has been revealed till then (before Islam ). This shows that she and her husband were Muslims from the beginning and so they need not swear allegiance to Islam. Doubting the Iman Of Abu Talib is liking degrading this pure and pious lady, as she was in his Nikhah till his death, that was ten years from the time of her accepting Islam. She was at such a level of Piety that any Dua she said was fulfilled immediately. Even though her life was spent within the four walls of her house
Fatima bint Asad was an exemplary women. She took extreme care of her husband and loved her children and above all the Prophet. She cooperated with Abu Talib wholeheartedly and she was a mother pure and simple where the safety and well being of Muhammad was concerned. No wonder he loved and respected her so highly. Fatima Bint Asad has the privilege to bring up five of the Holy Masoomeen. They were Mohammad, Imam Ali, Fatima Zahra and for a short time Imam Hasan and Imam Hussein too. Where as no other lady has this privilege. She was also a member of the privileged group who migrated to Madinah.
Her Family
She had four sons, Talib, Aqeel, Jafar and Ali and two daughters, Umme Hani and Jumana, and above all Mohammad her adopted son.
Her home was the real cradle of Islam. Both Muhammad, the future Prophet of Islam, and Ali, the future paladin of Islam, was born in her house, and they grew up in it. Both of them were the "products" of her education. Her husband Abu Talib, figures as the greatest benefactor of Islam. She shared the distinction with him of rearing and educating Mohammad.
Some verses of Moulana Hasan Zafar Sahib in praise of The house of Fatima Bint Asad and Abu Talib
"Naboowath ho, Imamamath ho, Wilayath ho, Shahadath ho
Sabih ne Parwarish sehne Abu Talib me payi hai"
Prophet Mohammad Muhammad was deprived of his mother early in life but he soon found a second mother in
Fatima bint Asad. He, therefore, did not miss the love and affection that a mother alone can give. She did not spare any pains and looked after the Prophet in his infancy, boyhood and youth. She made sure that the Prophet has the best of everything. She dressed and fed him well. If her husband protected Muhammad from his enemies outside, she provided him love, comfort and security at home. It was in her home that Muhammad found emotional security and the emotional closeness of a family. Fatima Bint Asad use to put her sons on the bed of the Holy Prophet so that in time of danger, Prophet would be safe and if any harm came it would be to her son. She sacrificed her sons for the sake of Islam. When Mohammad left
Mecca and Ali slept in his place she did not utter a word, Although Ali was in a grave danger.
Aqeel Ibn Abi Talib He was born in 590. His Kuniyath was Abu Yazd. He accepted Islam at the time of Hudaibiya and reached Madina in 8th Hijri. He fought in the Battle of Mutah. He became blind in his old age. He died at the age of 96. His son Muslim Ibn Aqeel was The first Martyr of Kerbala. He was Safeer (deputy) of Hussain to Kufa. Muslim Ibn Aqeel's two sons Mohammad and Ibrahim also met martyrdom in Kufa.
Jafar Tayyar was a famous General. He led the forces of Islam in the battle of Mutah and was martyred in the same battle. His both arms were severed and he held the standard of Islam with his teeth. He was the Winged Martyr of Islam. Fatima Bint Asad was exceptionally fond of her son Jafar, she loved him more than the others because he resembled Muhammad very much, and was extremely intelligent. But for the sake of Islam she bore the separation from him and his wife, Asma bint Omais, (when they migrated to
Abyssinia on the Prophet's orders with the first group of Muslim migrants ). He seemed to have inherited the family's mastery over language and was also an eloquent speaker who could win people over to his viewpoint. It was with this same skill that he had won over the king of
Abyssinia when the Quraish appealed to him to surrender the Muslims to them. He had eight sons. His son Abdullah married Zainab and Mohammad married Umme Kulsoom. Abdullah Ibn Jafar's sons, Aun and Mohammad were martyred on the lands of Kebala.
Ali Ibn Abi Talib Fatima Bint Asad 's younger son was Ali Ibn Abi Talib. No introduction is needed for this great Imam. But I like to mention some facts of his birth as it also concerns the great Lady Fatima Bint Asad. She stayed in the Kabah for three days and had the privilege of eating the fruits of heaven. At the time of the birth of the Prophet Jesus (Isa) his illustrious mother was forced to leave the Holy House. A voice said to her:
“O Mary, leave this Sacred Sanctuary for it is a place of Worship and not of childbirth.”
But when the time of Ali's birth approached, a voice was heard saying:
“O
Fatima, Enter the Holy House (of God).”
On Friday, the 13th of the month of Rajab, year 599, Fatima bint Asad felt that she was about to give birth to her child. She came to the Sacred Kabah and began to go around it while praying, "O Allah! I believe in you and in the messengers and the scriptures you have sent. I believe in what has been said by my grandfather, Abraham who built this Ancient House. So, for the sake of the builder of this House, and for the sake of the child in my womb, who talks to me and who is my helper and friend, I implore you to make my labour easy. The child I am carrying is a sign of your greatness and glory."
Fatima bint Asad leaned against the wall of the Kabah to rest. Miraculously, the wall opened.
Fatima bint Asad entered and the wall closed behind her. Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle witnessed this miracle. He and his companions rushed to the gate of the Sacred House, which was locked, and tried in vain to open it. Understanding that the Divine was at work there, he and his companions ceased to interfere. The news of this incident soon spread throughout
Mecca.
Imam Ali was born within the Kabah with his eyes closed and his body in humble prostration before the Almighty Allah.
Fatima stayed in the Kabah for three days and as the fourth day approached, she stepped out, carrying her baby in her arms. She found the Holy Prophet waiting to receive the newly born child in his anxious arms. So the first face that little Ali saw in this world was the smiling face of the Apostle of God, Muhammad. Imam Ali's birth inside the honored Kabah is unique in the history of the world. Neither a prophet nor a saint was ever blessed with such an honor.
It is an undisputed historical fact recognized by all historians that the Holy Kabah is the birthplace of Ali. Glad tidings were brought to Abu Talib and his household. Upon their arrival at the Sacred House they saw Muhammad there with the child in his arms. He carried the baby Ali to the house of Abu Talib, where he, himself was brought up.
Fatima Bint Asad told that while she was inside the Kabah, she kept hearing a voice say, Name this child Ali. The name Ali is an optimistic and cheerful name. It signifies nobility, eminence, and elevation. No one before Ali had ever had that name, and no one before him or after him ever had the honor of being born inside the sacred walls of the Holy Kabah.
Her Funeral
Now we will refer to the funeral of Fatima Bint Asad during the Prophet's time. When Fatima Bint Asad (wife of Abu Talib and mother of Ali) died, the Holy Prophet was very much grieved.
Anas bin Malik says that when the Prophet got news of the death of Fatimah bint Asad, he immediately went to her house, sat beside her and prayed for her.
He gave his shirt to be used as part of her shroud, saying he prayed to Allah to forgive her and give her the dress of
Paradise.
When the grave was prepared the Prophet himself examined it and with his own hands placed her into the grave.
Thus She was one of the few blessed people in whose graves the Prophet himself examined.
Verily, the Messenger of Allah gave shroud to Fatima Bint Asad in his own robe, when the women finished washing her, he carried her bier on his shoulder, and he remained under her bier till he bought it to her grave.
The Holy Prophet "remained under her bier" means that he did not carried it on his shoulder. In
East Africa, a peculiar custom has been adopted: the son of the dead person remains "under the bier" literally; instead of carrying the bier or helping others carrying it, he places himself between those who are actually carrying the bier, and inconveniences them.
Then the Holy Prophet put her bier near the grave, and entered the grave and lay in it. Then he stood up and took the body in his hands and laid it into the grave. Then he put his face near hers whispering to her for a long time, telling her "your son, your son". Then he came out, filled the grave and shaped it properly. Then he inclined towards the grave, and people heard him saying:
'There is no god but Allah. O Allah, I am giving her to thee in trust' .
Then he returned home.
The Muslims said: 'O Messenger of Allah, today we have seen you doing such things as you had never done before!'
The Prophet said:
"Today I lost the righteousness of Abu Talib: Verily, she was so (kind to me) that whenever she had any good thing, she gave it to me, instead of using it for herself or for her own children. And I said once that on the Day of Judgment people would be assembled naked. She said: "Oh, the shame!" Therefore, I assured her that Allah would resurrect her with clothes. And I described the squeeze of the grave, and she said: "Oh, the weakness!" So, I guaranteed to her Allah would save her from it. It was for this reason that I gave her shroud from my own robe, and I lay down in her grave. And I knelt near her to teach her (the answers of) what she was being asked. And verily, she was asked about her Lord; and she said, "Allah is my Lord"; and about her Prophet, and she answered, "Muhammad". Then she was asked about her Wali and Imam, and she perplexed and hesitated a little; so I told her "Your son, your son". And she replied, "My child is my Imam". Then the two angels went away and said, "We have no authority upon you, sleep as a bride sleeps (with no worry at all)." Then she died again (i.e., her soul was taken out of her body again.)"
Mohammad's Sayings concerning Fatima Bint Asad
"May God bless your noble soul. You were to me like my own mother. You fed me while you yourself went hungry. Your aim in doing so was to please God with your deeds." He often said, "I was an orphan and she made me her son. She was the kindest person to me after Abu Talib."
"O God! Life and death are in Thy hands. Thou alone will never die. Bless my mother,
Fatima bint Asad, and give her a mansion in Heaven. Thou art the Most Merciful."
"My dear mother, may Allah keep you under His Protection. Many times you went hungry in order to feed me well. You fed me and clothed me on delicacies that you denied yourself. Allah will surely be happy with these actions of yours. And your intentions were surely meant to win the goodwill and pleasure of Allah and success in the Hereafter."
"She kept her children hungry but made sure I got enough to eat. She did not comb her boys hair but put oil on my head and combed my hair".
Her sacrifices
Whenever Islam was faced with heavy onslaught it was the sons of Abu Talib and Fatima Bint Asad who stood as a shield and stoically bore the brunt of all sorts of catastrophes and calamities including the deaths and exiles but did not budged from safeguarding Islam. Who would be unaware of the sacrifices of Ali and Jafar in the initial stages of Islam? They were always ahead in every field in every arena, ever ready to sacrifice themselves in the cause of Islam. They were true sons of Abu Talib and Fatima Bint Asad and real images of their selfless services. Even in
Karbala at many places the examples of their sacrifices and dedications can be seen. In the epoch-making event of
Karbala whoever from Bani-Hashim had the privilege of attaining the much coveted martyrdom was a flower from the
garden of Abu Talib and Fatima Bint Asad. Today wherever the name of Islam has survived it is the fruits of their sacrifices.
The
Garden of Islam owes its freshness to these flowers.
These are the eighteen Bani Hashim who were Martyred on the
land of Kerbala along with Imam Hussein
Qasim bin Al-Hassan
Abdullah ibn Al-Hassan
Abdullah Al-Akber bin Al-Hassan
Ali Asghar bin Hussain
Ali Akber bin Hussain
Abdullah bin Ali
Usman bin Ali
Jafar bin Ali
Abbas bin Ali
Aoun bin Abdullah bin Jafar
Mohammad bin Abdullah bin Jafar
Abduallah Bin Muslim
Muhammad Ibn Muslim
Jafar Bin Aqeel
Abdul Rehman Bin Aqeel
Abduallah Ibn Aqeel
Moosa ibn Aqeel
Mohammad Abi Saeed bin Aqeel
--
PRINCESS ZAHNA AND THE HOLY MESSIAH:
“Hofnai or Kaphnai, born 530, was the 32nd Exilarch who ruled from 560-580 in Iraq. He was from the lineage of King David. He gave his daughter Princess Zahna in marriage to Asad, the son of Hashim of Mecca. Asad had a daughter called Fatima. She married Abu Talib and gave birth to Ali. Ali was appointed as the First Holy Imam or Leader. Ali was born inside Kabah, the Holy House built by Abraham for the worship of One True God. Therefore, Imam Ali was the descendent of King David through his grandmother Princess Zahna.
Islam teaches that the Awaited Messiah is the 12th and final Holy Imam. Hence, the expected Messiah is from the line of King David. Through Lady Fatima the holy bloodlines of both sons of Abraham unite in the coming Ruler of the World. The ancient books speak of the coming of a powerful man to bring peace and justice on Earth. The Holy Messiah will have the Divine Right to rule the world.”
Eid ul Fitr
1 Shawwal 1433 Hijri
21.8.2012
****
