Al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) moved to her husband’s house, and this was a move from the House of Prophethood to the House of Vicegerency and Imamah. This brought about development in her felicitous life, for after she had lived under the light of prophethood she now became linked to the Imamah [as well]. Life in her marital home increased in its brilliance and beauty, as she lived in an environment encompassed by purity and virtue, surrounded by great piety and simple living. She would assist her husband in matters of faith and the Hereafter. She was in harmony with his religious inclinations and helped him in his endeavours.

How sweet is married life when there is complete harmony between the spouses in their attitudes, outlooks, and worldviews, based on the foundation of mutual respect and veneration. This is not surprising, because al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra held her husband in high esteem and understood his lofty position in the eyes of Allah, and hence respected him as a pious Muslim lady would respect her Imam. Rather, her respect for him was even greater. For al-Sayyida Fatimah was cognizant of the right of Ali (‘a) and his true status, thus she obeyed him as was his right, because he was the dearest of all people to the Prophet of Allah and was the guardian of the Divine Covenant and the successor of the Final Messenger. He was the brother of the Prophet and his heir, and he possessed great qualities and a distinguished past.

In the same way, Ali (‘a) used to show al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) the respect she deserved, not only because she was his wife, but because she was the most beloved of all creation to the Prophet of Allah, the Mistress of all Women of the World, and because her light was from the light of the Prophet. She was one of those through whom Allah opened the Book of Creation and Existence, and because she was the embodiment of greatness, possessing a host of excellent virtues, any one of which would bring the woman who possessed it honour and veneration. So, what about Fatimah al-Zahra in whom all these merits, excellent traits and virtues converged – something no other woman in the world can possess. From her honourable and lofty lineage to her spirituality and holiness, how she was conceived and her status with Allah, her worship, knowledge, faith, piety, devotion and purity, along with hundreds of other unique personal traits and characteristics that we will not discuss in detail in the interest of brevity.

After what we have related and what we have not related, it is possible to fathom the circumstances in which this happy couple lived, and the blissful (in every sense of the word) life they enjoyed. One that was not disturbed by poverty, unsettled by penury, or shaken by hardships. A life wafted by the breeze of love and harmony and adorned with warmth and affection.

Ali (‘a) said: “By Allah, I never became angry or expressed my displeasure with her for anything until Allah took her soul; and she never got angry with me or disobeyed me in any matter. Whenever I saw her, all my troubles and grief would vanish.”1 It has also been narrated from Imam al-Baqir (‘a) that Fatimah (‘a) took the responsibility of cleaning the house and preparing the dough and bread for Ali (‘a), while Ali took the responsibility of all that needed to be done outside the house, like bringing the firewood and the groceries. One day he asked her: “Do you have anything [to eat]?” She replied: “By the One who has granted you a lofty position, for the past three days we have had nothing that we could serve you with.” He asked: “Why did you not inform me about this?” She said: “The Prophet of Allah (S) forbade me from asking you for anything, saying: ‘Do not ask my cousin for anything. If he brings something then So, be it, otherwise do not ask him.’”2

It is not known exactly how long the Imam and al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) lived in the house of Harithah Ibn Nu’man. We know, however, that the Prophet (S) built her a house that was attached to the masjid, with a door that opened [right] into the masjid, like all the other houses he had made for his wives. So, Fatimah moved into that new house adjoining the house of Allah, and next to the house of the Prophet of Allah (S).

Historical Fallacies About Ali (‘A)

We have reiterated the fact that some authors have wronged al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) by spreading various lies and falsehoods about her. We have already mentioned that the marriage of Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) to al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) caused a wave of hatred to emerge in the hearts of the envious, who then began to look for any means of upsetting their blissful marriage and bringing about turmoil and agitation, as is usually done by the wicked individuals who lack any form of self-respect and dignity because of their own failures in life.

One of the disturbances that they caused was spreading the rumour that Ali had proposed to the daughter of Abu Jahl. The news reached al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra that her husband had proposed to the daughter of the chief of polytheists and the leader of disbelievers, Abu Jahl. She was affected by this and went to her father the Prophet of Allah (S), but the truth was soon revealed, and the reality came to light that this was a fabricated story. This is the summary of one lie that was disseminated about Amir al-Mu’minin. However, let us look at how some authors and writers took this false accusation as an excuse to slander and defame Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a), So, they began beating their imaginary drums and playing their made-up instruments.

Among such writers is one Egyptian lady, Bint al-Shati’, who wrote without thinking about what she was writing. She considered this fabricated story to be an established fact, without any room for doubt. She writes:

Ali aspired to marry another wife after Fatimah... without considering that this act would cause the displeasure of the daughter of the Prophet of Islam3.

I do not know what to say in response to such reckless and foolish words! Is there a man in this world who does not know that his wife would dislike a co- wife? Or that she would be displeased if her husband married another wife? Even the most simple-minded of people understand this, but the author says: “... [he did this] without considering that it would displease the daughter of the Prophet of Islam!” Then she continues: “O how much better it would have been if Ali remained patient with one wife.” She then proceeds to fill the pages of her book with censure for Abu Jahl and his stance against Islam, following that up with a comparison between the daughter of Abu Jahl and the daughter of the Prophet, as a means of mocking the presumed proposal of marriage.

Interestingly, the author’s resentment has its roots in the teachings of some extremist Christian orientalist scholars who played around with Islamic history, especially the inimical Jesuit priest Henri Lammens (1863-1937). It is unfortunate that the author forgot to act with deliberation and careful consideration regarding these fabrications and hastily accepted them as the ‘gospel truth’. She relied on her mental weavings and imaginations, which is normally the practice of fiction writers.

Here we see the reply of the respected scholar al-Sayyid Hasan al-Amin to these fabrications. In the third volume of his book, under the heading ‘Fabrications against the Prophet, Ali and Fatimah’ he writes:

It has been narrated in the book Dhakha’ir al-’Uqba that Ali wanted to marry the daughter of Abu Jahl [as a second wife] after Fatimah, and that the Prophet got angry when he heard this and rebuked him for it from the pulpit, condemning him and denouncing him. The author of this work has mentioned all the details of this in his book; and this is a direct affront to the character of Muhammad, even before being an attack on Ali and Fatimah.4

As for it being an attack on the character of the Prophet, this is because it gives the impression of someone who refuses to apply the divine injunctions to himself and those who are close to him while commanding others to abide by them. He permitted the people to marry more than one wife but did not wish his daughter’s husband to do so. This is one of the most atrocious things that can be attributed to the Prophet; yet the enemies of Muhammad were able to do this, and to beguile the shortsighted people into believing it and then relate it in their books, without considering its implications.

As for it being an attack on Ali, this is because it apparently shows that he made Fatimah angry and in doing so, he evoked the anger of the Prophet himself. With regards to Fatimah, it is an affront to her because [it would mean] she refused to be subject to the laws of Allah, which were brought by her father. We shall not bother ourselves with examining the chain of narrators, as this narration is clearly corrupt in and of itself.

Instead, we will ask: Why did the narrators specifically select the daughter of Abu Jahl for this honour? Why did they not claim that he wanted to take any other second wife, apart from the daughter of Abu Jahl? Is this because the daughter of Abu Jahl was more beautiful and perfect than any other young Arabian girl of her age? They chose her because they wanted it to be the gravest possible affront to the personality of Ali (‘a), for he did not select anyone but the daughter of the worst enemy of the Prophet and of Islam, in order to anger the Prophet and his daughter Fatimah.

The fabrication thus reveals itself as such and exposes its forgers. If they had a little more intelligence, they would have reduced their exaggerations and would not have praised themselves while insulting Muhammad, his daughter, and his cousin. For they included in this fable of theirs, a quotation from the Prophet wherein he mentions one of his sons-in-law from the lineage of ‘Abd al-Shams and then praises him for being a good son-in-law - one who was loyal and kept his word. This means that the Prophet praised his Umayyad son-in- law from the lineage of ‘Abd al-Shams by calling him truthful and loyal. The conclusion [that they wish to draw], therefore, is that the other son-in-law of the Prophet (Ali Ibn Abi Talib) lied to him and betrayed him, and the Prophet thus censured him for being an undutiful son-in-law!

In this way, as we have mentioned, the lie has been exposed the falsehood has become manifest, without having to put ourselves into much difficulty [to produce further evidence for this]. There was another purpose for this false narration, in addition to demeaning the Prophet, and disparaging Ali and Fatimah, and that was to turn away the attention of people from the truth about those who had really angered Fatimah and show Ali Ibn Abi Talib to be the target of her anger. Thus, those who reported this narration did So, in different contexts, such that each context fulfilled a particular purpose. One such context is the Prophet’s saying: “Fatimah is part of me, whoever disturbs her has disturbed me and whoever hurts her has hurt me,”5 which they interpret to mean that Allah forbade Ali from marrying a second wife after Fatimah, thereby hurting the Prophet.

The Birth Of Imam Al-Hasan (‘A)

Al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) became pregnant with her son, al-Hasan (‘a), when she was twelve years old. The light of the Imam and Imamah transferred from the loins of Ali to Fatimah, and it naturally illuminated her face, making it shine with brilliance, as was befitting of her name, al-Zahra. When the time of delivery approached, the Prophet had to travel So, he came to bid farewell to his daughter Fatimah. He left her some instructions concerning the awaited child who would [soon] be born. One of these instructions was that she should not wrap him in a yellow cloth.

Fatimah delivered her first child in mid-Ramadhan (according to one report) three years after the Hijrah. It was a great day. Asma’ Bint ‘Umays was one of the women present at his birth and she wrapped him up in a yellow cloth, not out of deliberate defiance to the instructions of the Prophet, but rather out of negligence and forgetfulness, or because she was unaware of his instructions. When the Prophet (S) came, he said: “Show me my son; what have you named him?” Fatimah had asked Ali (‘a) to name him, and he had said: “I cannot name him before the Prophet of Allah comes.”

When the Prophet came and took the child, he said: “Did I not forbid you from wrapping him in a yellow cloth?” He removed the yellow cloth and threw it aside, then he took a white cloth and wrapped the baby in it. He (S) then turned to Ali (‘a) and asked: “Have you named him?” Ali replied: “I could not name him before you.” The Prophet (S) said: “And I cannot name him before my Lord [names him].” So, Allah, the Almighty, revealed to Jibra’il that a child has been born to Muhammad, So, descend and convey salutations and congratulations to him and say: “Verily Ali is to you as Harun was to Musa, So, name the child as Harun named his son.”

Thus, Jibra’il descended and conveyed the congratulations saying, “Verily Allah, the Most High, commands you to name him with the name of Harun’s son.” The Prophet (S) asked: “What was that name?” Jibra’il replied: “Shabbar.”6 The Prophet said: “My language is Arabic.”7 Jibra’il said: “Name him al-Hasan.” So, the Prophet named him al-Hasan and then proceeded to recite the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left ear.

On the seventh day, the Prophet sacrificed two rams and gave the midwife meat and money. He then shaved the child’s head and gave charity that was equivalent to the hair’s weight in silver. Then he daubed the child’s head with khaluq (which is a fragrant paste made from saffron and other ingredients) and said: “O Asma’, [smearing] blood is the practice of Jahiliyyah.”8 The Prophet kissed al-Hasan and placed his tongue in the child’s mouth. The baby sucked the Prophet’s noble tongue. It is said that all this happened on the seventh day after his birth9.

The Birth Of Imam Al-Husayn (‘A)

Al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) became pregnant with her second child, and after six months of pregnancy, she began feeling the pains of labour. And the Prophet of Allah (S) had already given them the glad tidings of the birth of al-Husayn.

Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) reports that the neighbours of Umm Ayman [once] came to the Prophet (S) and said: “O Prophet of Allah, Umm Ayman did not sleep last night. She wept the whole night and is still weeping this morning.” The Prophet sent for Umm Ayman, So, she came to him. He said to her: “O Umm Ayman, your neighbours came to me and informed me that you cried the whole night. May Allah never let your eyes weep! What has made you cry?” She replied: “O Prophet of Allah, I saw a dream that was terrifying and heart-rending, So, I cried continuously the whole night.”

The Prophet (S) asked her to narrate what she had seen, ‘for Indeed, Allah and His Prophet know better’. She said: “It is too difficult to speak about.” He said to her: “The vision is not as you have seen it. Tell me about it.” So, she said: “I saw on this night what seemed to be one of your limbs hanging in my house!” The Prophet (S) said to her: “Rest your eyes for you have seen good. O Umm Ayman, Fatimah will bear a son called al-Husayn and you will nurture him and care for him, So, one who is part of me will be in your house.”

When Fatimah gave birth to al-Husayn (‘a), Umm Ayman brought him to the Prophet (S), So, he said: “Welcome to the carrier and the carried one. O Umm Ayman, this is the interpretation of your dream [which has come to pass].”

Umm al-Fadhl, the wife of al-’Abbas (uncle of the Prophet), also saw a dream that was similar to the dream of Umm Ayman. Many women were present at the time of his birth, including Safiyyah Bint ‘Abd al-Muttalib (aunt of the Prophet), Asma’ Bint ‘Umays and Umm Salamah. When al-Husayn was born, the Prophet (S) said: “O aunt, bring my son to me.” Safiyyah replied: “O Prophet of Allah, we haven’t cleaned him yet.” He said: “O aunt, you are going to clean him? Verily Allah, the Most High, has cleansed and purified him.”

Jibra’il came to the Prophet (S) and instructed him to name him al-Husayn. This was the name of Prophet Harun’s other son, which was Shabbir in Hebrew10. A large group of angels descended upon the Prophet to congratulate him on the birth of al-Husayn and to offer condolences for his [future] martyrdom.

The Prophet (S) took al-Husayn and placed his noble tongue in his mouth, whereupon al-Husayn began sucking it. The Messenger of Allah would come to visit him every day and would give al-Husayn his noble tongue to suck on, until his flesh developed, and his bones became firm through the blessed saliva of the Messenger of Allah (S). Al-Husayn did not suckle at his mother’s breast, or at the breast of any other woman for that matter! Al-Sayyid Bahr al-’Ulum says:

لله مرتضع لن يرتضع أبداً

من ثدي أُنثى ومن طه مراضعه

By Allah the baby never did suckle

at the breast of any female, but was nourished by Taha

يعطيه إبهامه آناً فآونةً

لسانه فاستوت منه طبائعه

Who gave him his finger at times and

at other times his noble tongue, from which his nature developed

Seven days after his birth, the Prophet (S) instructed that his head be shaved, his hair’s weight in silver be given as charity, and an animal be sacrificed11. More details regarding this can be found in our book: Imam al-Husayn – from the Cradle to the Grave.

The Birth Of Al-Sayyida Zaynab Al-Kubra (‘A)

It is correct to say that al-Sayyida Zaynab (‘a) was born after al-Husayn (‘a). In other words, al-Sayyida Zaynab is the third child of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra according to most historians, except a few odd historians who opine that she was the fourth, because they think that she was conceived after al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra had suffered a miscarriage. In this way, they aim to cover up the heinous crime that was perpetrated against her at the door of her house, after the Prophet had passed away, which led to her miscarriage. Among those who have espoused this anomalous position is the Egyptian author Bint Shati’, in her book Heroes of Karbala (Batalat Karbala), wherein she writes:

Indeed, al-Zahra, daughter of the Prophet, was about to give birth to a newborn in the household of prophethood, after the Prophet had experienced the joy of his two beloved grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn, but the third child, who was al-Muhsin Ibn Ali, did not survive.

It is not important for us to argue against this fallacy now, for we shall have ample opportunity to do so, later when we discuss al-Muhsin Ibn Ali and show that he was the last child of Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) who died before birth, in his mother’s womb, as a result of the trauma and her being squeezed between the wall and the door of her house. All that we would like to mention here is a short history of the life of al-Sayyida Zaynab al-Kubra, in keeping with the style of this book. More details can be found in our other work: Zaynab al-Kubra - from the Cradle to the Grave, for Indeed, her illustrious life deserves to be studied and analysed in detail. What we will mention here is a brief summary of her birth and early life.

Al-Sayyida Zaynab al-Kubra was born five years after the Hijrah, and she was the third child born into the noble household of the Prophet and Imam Ali (‘a). She is a person who needs no introduction, and what can one say about a lady whose father is al-Murtadha, Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a), and whose mother is the Mistress of all Women of the World, al-Siddiqah al-Kubra Fatimah al-Zahra, the heart of the Prophet (S); and whose brothers, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, are the Masters of the Youth of Paradise. She is the product of virtue and the result of greatness, surrounded by an aura of honour from all sides. So, do not ask about the breast that suckled her, or the lap that nurtured her, or the education that she received, or the affection that surrounded her, or the house in which she opened her eyes [to this world]. And there is no need to ask about what she inherited [from the traits of her parents], or the result of her upbringing, or the effects of her pure family environment on her personality, in addition to the qualities she developed [on her own] and her talents and potential that were manifested and realized.

It is Indeed, hurtful to see how history has oppressed al-Sayyida Zaynab in the same way it oppressed her father and mother, and her entire family, for it did not pay her the attention she duly deserves and did not speak about her as a person of great character and stature ought to be spoken about. She was, after all al-Sayyida Zaynab al-Kubra, the ‘Aqilah (woman of letters) among the Hashimis and the granddaughter of the Messenger of Allah (S). Her grandfather, the Prophet, had named her Zaynab, which is a compound word from [the two nouns] ‘Zayn’ and ‘al-Ab’ (meaning ‘adornment of her father’). Shaykh Muhammad Jawad al-Mughniyah in his book, al-Husayn wa Batalat Karbala, mentions an article that was published in the Egyptian newspaper al-Jumhuriyyah (on 31/10/1972) which quoted excerpts from the book that was penned by the Egyptian, Yusuf Mahmud. Here is some of what he wrote:

She was born in the month of Sha’ban, five years after the Hijrah. After her birth, Fatimah brought her to Ali and said: “Name this newborn child.” He (May Allah be pleased with him) said to her: “I cannot name her before the Prophet of Allah (S).” The Prophet was on a journey at that time, So, when he returned, they asked him to name her, but he said: “I cannot precede my Lord [in naming her].” At that moment, Jibra’il descended, conveying the salutations of the Almighty to the Prophet, and said: “The name of this newborn child is Zaynab, as this is the name Allah has chosen for her.”

This is what the author of the article has written, without mentioning any reference of this narration. I have quoted it word for word.

Al-Sayyida Zaynab had an illustrious life and a history that is replete with merits and virtues, and full of calamities and hardships that she had to endure at various times in her life. From the time when she was yet a child to when she became a young girl, with the passing away of her grandfather the Holy Prophet (S) and her mother al-Siddiqah al-Tahirah Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a), as well as all the events that she had to witness in the twenty-five years when her father, Ali al-Murtadha (‘a), was forced to remain out of public life. Then she had to move from Madinah to Kufah, which was her father’s capital at that time.

It was the will of Allah that al-Sayyida Zaynab should witness the brutal attack on her noble father, Imam Ali (‘a), which shook the highest heavens. This was followed by her witnessing the battles that were fought between her brother, al-Hasan (‘a), and Mu’awiyah, son of the Liver-eater, and what resulted therefrom, until the time when her brother Imam al-Hasan (‘a) died after being poisoned. A few years later, al-Sayyida Zaynab had to face an even greater calamity, a calamity of historic proportions i.e., the bloody tragedy of Karbala, which took place in a remote area and involved a lengthy journey. Al-Sayyida Zaynab endured all these hardships without breaking down or losing her wits, she remained composed and collected throughout.

When she returned to Madinah, the Umayyad ruler ordered that she be exiled, So, she chose Egypt, and this is the place where Allah had decreed that she should leave this life – a life full of tragedy and hardship – in the land of the Nile. This became her resting place and a sanctuary and refuge for the millions of souls [that visited her] over the centuries up to our present time, and until the day which is known only to Allah.

This was a short summary and a brief glimpse into the life of our mistress Zaynab al-Kubra (blessings and salutations upon her and her grandfather, her mother, her father and her two brothers). We shall discuss more about this in the book: Zaynab al-Kubra – from the Cradle to the Grave, God-willing.

The Birth Of Al-Sayyida Umm Kulthum

The household of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra and Imam Ali (peace be upon them) welcomed the birth of their second daughter and fourth child with the

same joy and happiness that was witnessed during the birth of all their previous children. Umm Kulthum shared with her sister Zaynab the honoured lineage, excellent upbringing, and all the events that transpired during her life, even though she differed from her in some aspects. She is also among those who have been oppressed by history and had to endure such pain and hardship that would be unbearable even for the strongest of men.

We may briefly talk about her life when we discuss her sister Zaynab al-Kubra (in the book: Zaynab al-Kubra – from the Cradle to the Grave) and highlight some of the important aspects of her life that deserve analysis, God-willing.

• 1. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 134; ‘Awalim al-’Ulum, vol. 11, p. 424.
• 2. Bihar al-Anwar vol. 43 p. 31.
• 3. ‘A’ishah ‘Abd al-Rahman (d. 1419 A.H.), Banat al-Nabi, p. 167.
• 4. Hasan bin Muhsin al-Amin, Da’irat al-Ma’arif al-Islamiyyah al-Shi’iyyah, vol. 3, p. 10.
• 5. Musnad Ahmad, vol. 4, p. 328; Khasa’is Amir al-Mu’minin, p. 146.
• 6. Or Shubbar (Tr.).
• 7. Because Shabbar is a Hebrew word, not an Arabic one.
• 8. It was a pagan Arab custom to daub the baby’s head with blood.
• 9. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 239.
• 10. Or Shubayr [Tr.].
• 11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 198; al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 465.