| Roshd Islamic Shia Website : Ocassion Letters | 2008/06/07 |
| Martyrdom of Lady Fatimah (PBUH) : Fatimah (PBUH) and Future of History | |
|
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Fatimah (PBUH) and the Future of History
As Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH&HP) body was being buried, so were his words about Imam Ali's (PBUH) role and leadership in governing the Islamic Society. With eloquent speeches the Prophet introduced Imam Ali (PBUH) as the "Imam of the pious (Mu’minin)", not as the "Imam of Muslims". The Prophet implied that those who accepted Islam under political pressures will not come to accept the leadership of Imam Ali (PBUH). But for those who accepted the leadership and Prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), it is expected that they accept the leadership of Imam Ali (PBUH).
Lady Fatimah would see that both the Prophet and his words have passed away. She saw that his message was being stepped on by a stampede of new thoughts and ideas. She felt that she needed to do something against this flood; otherwise everything would be forgotten, forever!
It was here that with firm faith she entered Masjid al-Nabi and said to those who had submitted to the new power and had rejected the Prophet’s orders, “We will stand firm and patient against you like a person whose body has been torn to pieces by spears and knives…”(1).
People were amazed at Lady Fatimah's courage and ability to defend the Holy Prophet's message. The following are a list of some of her actions in this regard:
- Resisting against the alterations
- Inviting the Muhajirin and Ansar personally
- Presence in the mosque of the Prophet
- Presence in the shrine of the Martyrs
- Expressing her complaint in her speeches and meetings
In the last days of her life when Umm Salamah asked her about her overall situation, she explicitly announced, “I am grieving the loss of the Messenger of Allah, and I am saddened by the usurping of his successor’s right” (2). In another occasion she declared the same expressions in further detail to the women of Medina who had came to visit her in her sickbed. She told them, “By Allah I began my day while I am disgustful of your actions in this world and angry of your husbands … Woe onto you. Why did they reject this divine position (the succession of the Messenger of Allah), as defined by the Prophet? (And why did they) usurp the right of the one who was more beneficial and aware of their worldly and hereafter affairs? What was their rancor towards Ali …? By Allah if they had helped him take the reins of government, he would control it well … If they had done so, indeed the doors of blessings of the heavens and the earth would have opened upon them.” (3)
And now, these words like the flames of candles are on the verge of going out, and she would say, “Come and hear! From here on life will show you new and shocking matters….indeed the deeds of these people are shocking! These people placed descendants before the forerunners, and they left the foremost (in faith) for the ones who were behind. By God! Your ill actions will lead you to events in which you will see their negative results in the future…” (4)
Lady Fatimah (PBUH) would use every opportunity to warn and inform people, but they would ignore her calls. But what about the future? Who would inform them? How would she speak to them? What can be done for them? And how could the message be delivered to the future generations when “after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP), his message was stepped on by seekers of power, who wanted Islam only for their own worldly benefits, and who took advantage of people’s ignorance”? And how can our objections reach history? How did Lady Fatimah (PBUH) convey her objections to the later generations? Because, in her time, she did not even have the freedom to cry for the loss of her father and his message.
The following is Lady Fatimah’s will, in which she has slightly included her objections:
“In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Fatimah, daughter of the messenger of Allah writes her will. She writes her will in a state of acknowledging the oneness of Allah and the Prophethood of his servant, Muhammad. She bears witness that Heaven is true; Hell is true; the Day of Judgment will arrive without hesitation, and Allah will bring the dead back to life.
Ali! It is me, Fatimah: the daughter of Muhammad who gave me away to be your wife and your partner in this world and in the next. You are worthier than all others to do my rituals. Perform my burial ceremony at night, wash me and put on my burial garment; recite the burial prayer, and bury me at night. Do not inform others. May Allah protect you, and I send peace upon my children till the Day of Judgment” (5).
Lady Fatimah (PBUH) had asked to be buried at night. Her request for hiding her shrine was in fact a message she wanted to send to history: a message for the entire Muslim Ummah that would lead to hearing her sad life story, and what her constant objections were. And this in fact could be a turning point in the history of Islamic civilization.
It was because of this that Lady Fatimah (PBUH) found life from death, victory from defeat, and an epic and everlasting peace from misery. She created a revolution in the hearts of all generations. Her heart still beats to the fate of the Muslim Ummah. And her eyes await the flag of freedom that will appear with his son the Promised Mahdi.
Today, like all other periods people face misery and oppression. We must look unto the secret of the hidden grave, and think about Lady Fatimah’s tears and burning sighs, and retell her message as best we can to the rest of the world…
(Selection taken from the book, “The Lost City; What did Fatimah (PBUH) say? What Happened to Medina?” by Muhammad Hassan Zawraq)
Roshd Website offers its condolences to all Muslims on the third of Jamadi al-Thani the anniversary of the martyrdom of the mother of the Imams (PBUT) the exemplary lady of the world, the precious Kawthar of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP): Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (Peace be upon her).
Footnotes:
1. Sunni references: Balaghat al-Nisa’, p. 14 – Jawahir al-Matalib fi Manaqib al-Imam Ali, vol. 1, p. 160
Shiite references: Dala’il al-Imamah, p. 116 – Manaqib Aal Abi Talib, vol. 2, p. 50 – Ihtijaj, vol. 1, p. 138 – Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, p. 112
2. Shiite references: Manaqib Aal Abi Talib, vol. 2, p. 49 – Jami’ al-Akhbar, p. 91
3. Sunni references: Balaghat al-Nisa’, p. 19 – Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah by Ibn Ab al-Hadid, vol. 16, p. 234
Shiite references: Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 354 – Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 492 – Ihtijaj, vol. 1, p. 108
4. Sunni references: Balaghat al-Nisa’, vol.1, p. 9 – Nathr al-Durr, vol.1, p. 264
Shiite references: Dala’il al-Imamah, p. 41 – Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 492 – Ihtijaj Tabarsi, vol. 1, p. 108 – Amaali Shaikh Tusi, p. 374
5. Shiite references: Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 214 – Bayt al-Ahzan, p. 18
Some parts of the will of Lady Fatimah (PBUH), is narrated in Sunni references with. For example some of the references which note burying Lady Fatimah (PBUH) at night are as follows:
Sahih Bukhari, vol. 5, Baab Ghazwah Khaybar, p. 139 (Published by Sultan Abd al-Hamid) – Sahih Muslim, Baab “ Ghawl al-Nabi La Nuwarrith”, Hadith 1759 – Tabaqat Ibn Sa’ad, vol. 8, p. 29 and 30 – Al-Tanbih wa al-Ishraf, vol. 1, p. 106 – Siar A’alam al-Nubala’, vol. 2, p. 127 amd 128 – Usd al-Ghabah, vol. 3, p. 398 – Sunan Baihaqi, vol. 4, p. 29 and 31 – Isti’ab, vol. 2, p. 114, Khulasat Wafa’ al-Wafa’, vol. 1, p. 259
|
|
