Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari narrates that the Prophet (S) said: “…Whoever visits Fatimah, it is as if he has visited me…”1

Yazid Ibn ‘Abd al-Malik2 narrated from his father, from his grandfather who said: “I came to Fatimah So, she greeted me and asked, ‘Why have you come?’ I said, ‘To seek blessing.’ She said, ‘My father informed me that whoever sends salutations to him and to me for three days, Allah will make Paradise incumbent upon him.’ I asked, ‘During his lifetime and your lifetime?’ ‘Yes, and after our death [as well],’ she said.”3

It is reported that Imam Ali (‘a) narrated [the following tradition] from Fatimah (‘a): “The Prophet of Allah (S) said to me: ‘O Fatimah, whoever sends salutations to you, Allah will forgive him and make him join me in Paradise.’”4

Al-Sayyid Ibn Tawus narrates the following ziyarah of al-Sayyida al-Zahra (‘a) and says: “It has been narrated that whoever recites this ziyarah when he visits her, and seeks forgiveness from Allah, Allah will forgive him and make him enter Paradise.” The ziyarah is as follows:

السلام عليك يا سيّدة نساء العالمين، السلام عليك يا والدة الحجج على الناس أجمعين، السلام عليك أيّتها المظلومة الممنوعة حقّها. اللّهمّ صلّ على أَمَتِك وابنة نبيّك وزوجة وصيِّ نبيّك، صلاةً تزلفها فوق زلفى عبادك المكرَّمين من أهل السماوات والأرضين.

Peace be upon you, O Mistress of all Women of the World. Peace be upon you O mother of the Proofs over all of mankind. Peace be upon you O oppressed one who was deprived of her rights. O Allah, send blessings upon Your maidservant, the daughter of Your Prophet and wife of the successor of Your Prophet - blessings by which You bring her closer to Yourself than [all] Your honoured servants in the heavens and the earth.5

There is another ziyarah that has been narrated from Imam Muhammad al-Jawad (‘a), and she (‘a) has [a few] other ziyarat mentioned in various books of supplications and ziyarat.

The Cortege Of Poets Who Eulogized Al-Sayyida Al-Zahra

The greatness of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) and her merits and virtues, as well as the hardships and tribulations she faced, were enough to draw the hearts towards her. It is no surprise therefore, that many poets set out to extol her virtues – in various languages – and express their feelings, their love and affection for her. This was [what happened] when their consciences were shaken, So, their inborn talents unfurled and their feelings overflowed; thus they began extolling al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra with the best of praises and eulogizing her with the most heart-rending of elegies.

Which poet would not be moved when he learns of the pain and anguish of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a)? What human being would not express his feelings of admiration when he hears of the virtues and merits of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra? Unless his feelings are benumbed or his perception is faulty or his sensitivity has become frozen and inert. Verily the beauty of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra’s life captivates the heart of every free soul and the heart of every sound individual.

The poets had a noteworthy and praiseworthy stance towards our mistress, Fatimah al-Zahra, and especially the poets of the more recent centuries. They wrote down wonderful verses of homage with the most beautiful expressions, rendering them in the form of rhyme and poetry, in praise and commemoration, and this will be enough to earn them the Paradise that has been promised to the pious.

One finds great symmetry and beautiful expression in each couplet of every poem – it is as if each couplet is an entire poem in itself! Let us now look at some of the beautiful poetry that has been recorded in the divans of history:

(1)

The late al-Shaykh Kazim al-Uzri (may Allah shower him with mercy) puts it beautifully when he says:

نقضوا عهد أحمد في أخيه

وأذاقوا البتول ما أشجاها

They broke their allegiance to Ahmad with respect to his brother,

and made al-Batul taste great grief

يوم جاءت إلى عديٍّ وتيمٍ

ومن الوجد ما أطال بكاها

On the day that she came to one from ‘Adi and Taym6,

and how long she had wept from the grief

فدنت واشتكت إلى الله شكوىً

والرواسي تهتزّ من شكواها

She approached and complained to Allah,

and the mountains shook due to her complaint

لست أدري إذ روّعت وهي حسرى

عاند القوم بعلها وأباها

I don’t know why she was terrorized in her home,

by those who had enmity for her husband and father

تعظ القوم في أتمّ خطابٍ

حكت المصطفى به وحكاها

She admonished the people in the most eloquent way,

as al-Mustafa himself had admonished them

هذه الكتب فاسألوها تروها

بالمواريث ناطقاً فحواها

These are the books, So, ask them and you will find them

all speaking about the laws of inheritance

وبمعنى (يوصيكم الله) أمر

شامل للأنام في قرباها

And in the phrase “Allah enjoins you”7is a command

that includes all the people and their relatives

فاطمأنَّت لها القلوب وكادت

أن تزول الأحقاد ممّن طواها

Thus the hearts were satisfied and the malice

of her enemies was about to dissipate [when she said:]

أيّها القوم راقبوا الله فينا

نحن من روضة الجليل جناها

“O people, beware of Allah regarding us,

we are [custodians] of the gardens that He has prepared

واعلموا أنّنا مشاعر دين الله

فيكم فأكرموا مثواها

Know that we are the representatives of Allah’s faith

amongst you, So, give us an honourable place

ولنا من خزائن الغيبِ فيض

ترد المهتدون منه هداها

And we have an effusion from the unseen treasures,

through which the guided gain their guidance

أيّها الناس أيّ بنت نبيٍّ

عن مواريثه أبوها زواها!

O People, which daughter of a prophet

has ever been neglected by her father in his inheritance?

كيف يزوي عنّي تراثي عتيقٌ

بأحاديث من لدنه افتراها

How can an old man deprive me of my inheritance

using traditions that he has himself forged?

كيف لم يوصنا بذلك مولانا؟

وتيماً من دوننا أوصاها؟

How can our master not have told us [of] this,

and informed [the man of] of Taym instead of us?

هل رآنا لا نستحق اهتداءً

واستحقّت تيم الهدى فهداها؟

Did he feel we do not deserve any guidance

and Taym deserved the guidance, So, he guided them?

أم تراه أضلّنا في البرايا

بعد علمٍ لكي نصيب خَطاها؟

Or do you think he misguided us among the people

after knowing, So, that we may be mistaken?

أنصفوني من جائرين أضاعا

حرمة المصطفى وما رعياها

Give me justice from the two oppressors who trampled

the honour of al-Mustafa and did not preserve it

(2)

The great scholar and philosopher, al-Shaykh Muhammad Husayn al-Isfahani (may Allah have mercy on him) has the following lines of poetry in praise of al-Zahra (‘a):

جوهرة القدس من الكنز الخفي

بدت فأبدت عاليات الأحرف

وقد تجلى من سماء العظمة

في عالم الأسماء أسمى كلمة

بل هي أُمّ الكلمات المحكمة

في غيب ذاتها، فكانت مبهمة

أم أئمة العقول الغرّ، بل

(أُمّ أبيها) وهو علّة العلل

روح النبي في عظيم المنزلة

وفي الكفاء كفء مَن لا كفء له

تمثلّت رقيقة الوجود

لطيفة جلَّت عن الشهود

تطوّرت في أفضل الأطوار

نتيجة الأدوار والأكوار

تصوّرت حقيقة الكمال

بصورة بديعة الجمال

فإنّها الحوراء في النزول

وفي الصعود محور العقول

يمثّل الوجوب في الإمكان

عيانها بأحسن العيان

فإنّها قطب رحى الوجود

في قوسي النزول والصعود

وليس في محيط تلك الدائرة

مدارها الأعظم إلاَّ (الطاهرة)

مصونة عن كل رسم وسمة

مرموزة في الصحف المطهّرة

(صدّيقة) لا مثلها صدّيقة

تفرغ بالصدق عن الحقيقة

بدا بذلك الوجود الزاهر

سرّ ظهوره الحقّ في المظاهر

هي (البتول) الطهر و(العذراء)

كمريم الطهر، ولا سواء

فإنَّها سيّدة النساء

ومريم الكبرى بلا خفاء

بُشراك يا أبا (العقول العشرة)

بالبضعة الطاهرة المطهّرة

مهجة قلب عالَم الإمكان

وبهجة الفردوس في الجنان

غُرّتها الغرّاء مصباح الهدى

يُعرف حسن المنتهى بالمبتدا

وفي محيّاها بعين الأولياء

عينان من ماء الحياة والحياء

بُشراك يا خلاصة الإيجاد

بصفوة الأنجاد والأمجاد

أُمّ الكتاب وابنة التنزيل

ربّة بيت العلم بالتأويل

بحر الندى ومجمع البحرين

قلب الهدى ومهجة الكونين

واحدة النبي أوّل العدد

ثانية الوصي نسخة الأحد

ومركز الخمسة من أهل العبا

ومحور السبع علوّاً وإبا

لك الهنا يا سيّد البرية

بأعظم المواهب السّنيّة

أتاك طاووس رياض الأنس

بنفحة من نفحات القدس

من جُنّة الأسماء والصفاء

جلّت عن المديح والثناء

فارتاحت الأرواح من شميمها

واهتزت النفوس من نسيمها

بها انتشى في الكون كل صاح

وطابت الأشباح بالأرواح

تحيى بها الأرض ومَن عليها

ومرجع الأمر غداً إليها

لهفي لها لقد أضيع قدرها

حتى توارى بالحجاب بدرها

تجرّعت من غصص الزمان

ما جاوز الحدّ من البيان

وحبّها من الصفات العالية

عليه دارت القرون الخالية

تبتّلت عن دنس الطبيعة

فيا لها من رتبة رفيعة

مرفوعة الهمّة والعزيمة

عن نشأة الزخارف الذميمة

في أفق المجد هي الزهراء

للشمس من زهرتها الضياء

بل هي نور عالَم الأنوار

ومطلع الشموس والأقمار

رضيعة الوحي من الجليل

حليفة لمحكم التنزيل

مفطومة عن زلل الأهواء

معصومة عن وصمة الخطاء

معربة بالستر والحياء

عن غيب ذات بارئ الأشياء

(راضية) بكل ما قضى القضا

بما يضيق عنه واسع الفضا

(زكيّة) عن وصمة القيود

فهي غنيّة عن الحدود

يا قِبلة الأرواح والعقول

وكعبة الشهود والوصولِ

مَن بقدومها تشرّفت (منى)

ومَن بها تدرك غاية المنى

وبابها الرفيع باب الرحمة

ومستجار كلّ ذي ملمّة

وما الحطيم عند باب فاطمة

بنورها تطفأ نار الحاطمة

وبيتها المعمور كعبة السما

أضحى ثراه للثريّا مَلثما

وخدرها السامي رواق العظمة

وهو مطاف الكعبة المعظّمة

حجابها مثل حجاب الباري

بارقة تذهب بالأبصار

تمثل الواجب في حجابها

فكيف بالإشراق من قبابها

يا درّة العصمة والولاية

من صدف الحكمة والعناية

فالكوكب الدرّيّ في السماء

من ضوء تلك الدرّة البيضاء

والنيّر الأعظم منها كالسّها

كيف ولا حدّ لها ومنتهى

أشرقت العوالم العلوية

بنور تلك الدرّة البهيّة

يا دوحة حازت سنام الفلك

بل جاوز السدرة فرعها الزكي

يا دوحة أغصانها تدلّت

بموضع فيه العقول ضلّت

دنت إلى مقام (أو أدنى) فلا

تبتغ من ذلك أعلى مثلا

يا شجرة الطور وأين الشجرة

من دوحة المجد الأثيل المثمرة؟

وإنّما السدرة والزيتونة

عنوان تلك الدوحة الميمونة

أثمارها الغرّ مجالي الذات

مظاهر الأسماء والصفات

مبادئ الحياة في البداية

ومنتهى الغايات للنهاية

أثمارها عزائم القرآن

في صفحات مصحف الإمكان

أثمارها منابت للمعرفة

من جنّة الذات غدت مقتطفة

لك الهنا يا (سيّد الوجود)

في نشئات الغيب والشهود

بمن تعالى شأنها عن مثل

كيف ولا تكرار في التجلّي

لا يتثنى هيكل التوحيد

فكيف بالنظير والنديد

وملتقى القوسين نقطة، فلا

ترى لها ثانية أو بدلا

وحيدة في مجدها القديم

فريدة في أحسن التقويم

وما أصابها من المصاب

مفتاح بابه (حديث الباب)

إنّ حديث الباب ذو شجون

ممّا به جنت يد الخؤون

أيهجم العدى على بيت الهدى

ومهبط الوحي ومنتدى الندى؟

أيضرم النار بباب دارها

وآية النور علا منارها

وبابها باب نبي الرحمة

وباب أبواب نجاة الأُمّة

بل بابها باب العلي الأعلى

فثمّ وجه الله قد تجلىَّ

ما اكتسبوا بالنار غير العار

ومن ورائه عذاب النار

ما أجهل القوم فإنّ النار لا

تطفئ نور الله جلّ وعلا

وإنّ كسر الضلع ليس ينجبر

إلاَّ بصمصام عزيز مقتدر

إذ رضّ تلك الأضلع الزكيّة

رزيّة لا مثلها رزيّة

ومن نبوع الدم من ثدييها

يُعرف عُظم ما جرى عليها

وجاوز الحدّ بلطم الخدّ

شلّت يد الطغيان والتعدّيّ

فاحمرّت العين، وعين المعرفة

تذرف بالدمع على تلك الصفة

ولا تزيل حمرة العين سوى

بيض السيوف يوم ينشر اللوى

وللسياط رنّة، صداها

في مسمع الدهر، فما أشجاها

والأثر الباقي كمثل الدملج

في عضد الزهراء أقوى الحجج

ومن سواد متنها اسودّ الفضا

يا ساعد الله العلي المرتضى

ووكز نعل السيف في جنبيها

أتى بكل ما أتى عليها

ولست أدري خبر المسمار

سل صدرَها خزانة الأسرار

وفي جنين المجد ما يُدمي الحشا

وهل لهم إخفاء أمر قد فشا

والبابُ والجدار والدماءُ

شهود صدق ما به خفاء

لقد جنى الجاني على جنينها

فاندكّت الجبال من حنينها

أهكذا يُصنع بابنة النبي

حرصاً على الملك فيا للعجب

أتُمنع المكروبة المقروحة

عن البكا خوفاً من الفضيحة

تالله ينبغي لها تبكي دما

ما دامت الأرض ودارت السما

لفقد عِزّها: أبيها السامي

ولاهتضامها وذُلّ الحامي

أتستباح نحلة الصدّيقة

وإرثها من أشرف الخليقة؟

كيف يُردّ قولها بالزور

إذ هو ردّ آية التطهير

أيؤْخذ الدين من الأعرابي

وينبذ المنصوص بالكتاب

فاستلبوا ما ملكت يداها

وارتكبوا الجريمة مُنتهاها

يا ويلهم قد سألوها البيّنة

على خلاف السنّة المبيّنة

وردّهم شهادة الشهود

أكبر شاهد على المقصود

ولم يكن سدّ الثغور غرَضا

بل سدّ بابها وباب المرتضى

صدّوا عن الحق وسدّوا بابه

كأنّهم قد أمنوا عقابه

أبضعة الطهر، العظيم قدرها

تدفن ليلاً ويعفّى قبرها

ما دُفنت ليلاً بستر وخفا

إلاَّ لوجدها على أهل الجفا

ما سمع السامع فيما سمعا

مجهولة بالقدر وبالقبر معا

يا ويلهم من غضب الجبّار

بظلمهم ريحانة المختار

A sacred gem from the hidden treasure manifested,

and thus the concealed natures were manifested

And from the great heavens shone forth

upon the realm of names, the loftiest of words

Rather, it was the mother of all words whose essence

lies in the hidden realm, and thus was unknowable

Mother of the Imams of wisdom and honour, rather

“mother of her father,” the goal of creation

The soul of the Prophet, of greatest status,

and compatible with he who had no other match

She epitomized gentleness in her existence [and]

graciousness, far beyond what could be perceived

She grew up in the best of situations,

the result of all the epochs and generations

She embodied true perfection,

in a form that was marvellous and beautiful

For she was a houri in descent,

and in ascent, the core of all intellects

Necessity is represented by the possibility

of envisaging her, in the most beautiful of forms

For she is the axis of the millstone of existence,

in [both] the arcs of descent and ascent

And there is nothing within that circle [of existence]

with the greatest centre but “al-Tahirah”

Protected from every depiction and portrayal,

mentioned in code within every divine book

“Al-Siddiqah” with none So, truthful as her,

she takes refuge with truth against reality

From that illustrious existence was shown

the secret of how God manifested in the creation

She is “al-Batul,” the pure one, and “al-’Adhra’”

like Maryam the pure, yet none can match her

For she is the Mistress of all Women,

and “the senior Maryam,” as is well known

Glad tidings to you, O father of the “ten intellects,”

of the one who is part of you, pure and purified

The centre of the heart of the realm of possibility,

and the delight of the gardens of Paradise

Honoured by the glory of the light of guidance,

the great end is known by the good beginning

In her countenance in the eyes of the elite

were the two springs of life and modesty

Glad tidings to you, O quintessence of creation,

for the best of distinctions and honours

Mother of the book and daughter of revelation,

raised in the house of wisdom and interpretation

The sea of generosity and the confluence of two seas,

heart of guidance and soul of the two realms

The only daughter of the Prophet, first in number,

second to the successor, a likeness of the first

The centre of the five people of the cloak,

the epicentre of the [other] seven lofty ones

Congratulations to you, O master of the creation,

for the greatest and loftiest of [divine] gifts

The peacock of the Garden of Intimacy came to you

with a boon from the divine boons

From the heaven of names and purity,

far above all extolment and praise

The souls were comforted by her fragrance,

and the spirits were moved by her gentle grace

Through her every clearheaded one was enthralled,

and the forms were animated by souls

By her the earth and all those on it were given life, and

the matter tomorrow refers back to her

O how regretful that her greatness was not recognized,

until her moon was behind veil concealed

Forced to drink time’s hemlock of torment

that is beyond what can be described

Love for her is one of the lofty traits

around which revolved the passage of centuries

Purified from the filth of [lowly] nature,

O what an elevated station she has

Of high will and determination,

far above the source of blameworthy vanities

On the horizon of glory, she is a bright star,

the sun too, is illuminated by her light

Rather, she illuminates the realm of lights,

brightening the suns and the moons

Nursed on revelation from the Almighty,

partner to the most complete divine book

Weaned away from the lapses of vain desire,

protected from the disgrace of error

She symbolized by her veiling and modesty

the imperceptible essence of the Creator of all things

Satisfied with all that has been decreed,

even that by which the vast open space is straitened

Untainted by the disgrace of constraints,

for she is unconstrained by boundaries

O focal point for the souls and the intellects,

and Ka’bah for the witnessing and the arrival

She by whose footsteps [the land of] Mina was honoured,

and through whom goals are attained

Her door is the sublime door of mercy

which grants refuge to all facing misfortune

What is the kindling next to the door of Fatimah?

By her light even the fires of Hell are extinguished!

Her home is the Ka’bah of the heavens,

its earth is the place kissed by the Pleiades

Her private quarters are a vestibule of greatness,

a place circumambulated by the venerated Ka’bah

Her veil, similar to the ‘veil’ of the Creator, is

lightening that blinds all those who would look

The obligatory is exemplified in her veil,

so what can be said of the radiance of her aura?

O pearl of infallibility and guardianship,

from the oyster of wisdom and [divine] bounty

Thus does the twinkling star in the sky

shine from the light of that bright pearl

The great illumination from her is like a bright star,

and why not, when she has no limits or end

The higher realms are made glowing

by the luminescence of that brilliant pearl

O great tree that occupies the lofty celestial realms,

whose boughs have surpassed the pure lote tree

O great tree whose branches dangle at a place

where even the intellects are unavailing

She approached the position of “or closer”8So,

don’t seek a loftier example than that

O trees of Tur, where is your tree

compared to the great tree of magnificence, ripe and fructuous

The lote and olive are merely symbols

of that great and auspicious tree

Its fruits are beautiful emanations of the [divine] essence,

manifestations of [divine] names and attributes

The primary elements of life in its beginning,

and the finality of all ends in its end

Its fruits are the intended meanings of the Qur’an,

in pages of the manuscript of possibility

Its fruits are the sources of deep knowledge

that have been plucked from the garden of the Essence

Congratulations to you, O Master of Existence,

in the realms of the unseen and the witnessed

For the one whose prestige is beyond comparison,

how would it, when there is no repeating emanation!

And the temple of unity has no second,

So, what about a counterpart or peer?

The intersection of two arcs is a single point,

so no second [point] can be seen nor any alternate

Alone in her primeval glory,

unparalleled in the best of forms

Yet what tribulation befell her,

the key to which is the ‘narration about the door’

Verily the narration of the door causes heartache,

because of what the treacherous one perpetrated

Do the enemies attack the house of guidance?

The place of revelation and convergence of virtues?

Do they ignite fire at the door of her house,

while the verse of light was upon her light-stand?

Her door was the door of the Prophet of mercy,

and one of the doors of salvation for the nation

Rather, her door was the door of the Most High,

where the Face of Allah had manifested its glory

They gained naught from fire except disgrace,

which is to be followed by chastisement in Hell

How ignorant were the people, for Indeed,

fire cannot extinguish the light of Allah, the Almighty

And verily broken ribs cannot be restored,

except by the will of the Mighty Lord

For when those pure ribs were deeply bruised,

it was a calamity the likes of which there is no calamity

And from the blood that oozed from her chest,

the extent of cruelty that befell her was known

He crossed the limit by striking her cheek,

paralyzed be the hand of tyranny and transgression

Thus did the eye turn red, and the spring of wisdom

flow forth with tears over that mark

The redness of the eye will not be removed

but by the white swords on the day banners are raised

And the whips have a sound that reverberates

in the ear of time, and how heart-rending the sound!

The mark remains like a bracelet

on the arm of al-Zahra, as the strongest of proofs

And from its blackness, the surroundings go dark,

O may Allah, the Most High, help al-Murtadha

Her sides were struck with the helve of the sword,

bringing all the pain that was wrought upon her

And I know not about the narration of the spike,

ask her chest, the treasure house of secrets

The heart bleeds for her noble [miscarried] child,

and can they hide a matter that has circulated?

The door, the wall and the blood,

are all witnesses of what they have hidden

The tormenter harmed her unborn child,

and the mountains, for her baby, crumbled

Is this how the Prophet’s daughter is treated

due to lust for power? How strange it is!

Is a distressed and aggrieved lady prohibited

from crying, out of fear of possible scandal?

By Allah, it befits her to cry tears of blood,

as long as the earth exists and the heavens turn

For the loss of her most precious noble father,

and for the injustice and bitter humiliation she faced

Can the gift given to al-Siddiqah be distributed,

along with her inheritance from the greatest creation?

How can her words be answered with force,

for that amounts to rejecting the Verse of Purification!

Can religion be taken from a Bedouin Arab,

while that which has been recorded in writing is discarded?

They usurped what she possessed,

and perpetrated the most heinous of crimes

Woe be to them, they asked her for evidence,

which was against the common and evident practice

Their rejection of the testimony of her witnesses

was the greatest testament to their true intention

Protecting the borders was not their intention,

rather, it was to block her door and that of al-Murtadha

They blocked the truth and they blocked his door,

as though they were protected from the consequence

Is the pure one of such great status to be

buried at night and her grave concealed thus?

She was not buried by night in secret and stealth

except for of her anger against the oppressors

Never has one heard of anything such as this,

her status was unknown, and her grave as well

Woe be to them from the wrath of the Almighty

for their oppression of the chosen sweet-scented flower

(3)

One of the contemporary poets has written:

إن قيل حوّاء قلت: فاطم فخرها

أو قيل مريم قلت: فاطم أفضلُ

أفهل لحوّا والد كمحمد؟

أم هل لمريم مثل فاطم أشبُلُ

كلٌّ لها حين الولادة حالة

منها عقول ذوي البصائر تذهلُ

هذي لنخلتها التجت فتساقطت

رطباً جنيّاً فهي منه تأكلُ

وضعت بعيسى وهي غير مروعة

أنّى وحارسها السرّي الأبسلُ

وإلى الجدار وصفحة الباب التجت

بنت النبي فأسقطت ما تحملُ

سقطت وأسقطت الجنين وحولها

من كل ذي حسبٍ لئيمٍ جحفلُ

هذا يعنّفها وذاك يدعّها

ويردّها هذا وهذا يركلُ

وأمامها أسد الأسود، يقوده

بالحبل قنفذ هل كهذا معضلُ

ولسوف تأْتي في القيامة فاطم

تشكو إلى ربّ السماء وتعولُ

ولترفعنَّ جنينها وحنينها

بشكاية منها السما تتزلزلُ

ربّاه! ميراثي وبعلي حقَّه

غصبوا، وأبنائي جميعاً قُتّلوا

فرخاي: ذا بالسُمّ أمسى قلبه

قطعاً، وهذا بالدماء مغسّلُ

If Hawwa’ is mentioned, I would say: Fatimah is her pride,

if Maryam, I would say: Fatimah is superior

Did Hawwa’ have a father like Muhammad?

And did Maryam have sons like Fatimah’s?

Each one had a special state during delivery,

which astound the minds that possess insight

One shook the palm tree So, fell before her

fresh dates from which she partook

She gave birth to ‘Isa while she was not afraid;

why fear when she had a powerful unseen protector?

The daughter of the Prophet resorted to the place

between the wall and the door, thus she miscarried

She fell and her baby was lost while around her

were all the legions of cruel and depraved oppressors

One shouted at her while the other became aggressive;

one pushed her back and the other kicked!

In front of her was the lion of lions being led

by a rope pulled by Qunfudh, is there any worse calamity?

On the Day of Resurrection, Fatimah will come

complaining to the Lord of the Heavens and wailing

She will raise up her beloved unborn child,

and by her complaint the heavens will tremble

O Lord! My inheritance and the right of my husband

did they usurp, and all my sons were killed

My two sons: one whose heart turned to pieces

by poison, the other who was bathed his own blood

(4)

Part of a poem written by one of the nobles of Makkah reads:

وأتت فاطم تطالب بالإرث

من المصطفى فما ورّثاها

ليت شعري لِمَ خولفت سنن

القرآن فيها؟ والله قد أعلاها

نُسخت آية المواريث منها

أم هُما بعد فرضها بدّلاها؟

أم ترى آية المودّة لم تا

تِ بوُدّ الزهراء في قرباها

ثم قالا: أبوكِ جاء بهذا

حجّة من عنادهم نصباها

قال: للأنبياء حكم بأن لا

يُورثوا في القديم وانتهراها

أفَبِنتُ النبي لم تدر إن كا

ن نبي الهدى بذلك فاها؟

بضعة من محمّدٍ خالفت ما

قال؟ حاشا مولاتنا حاشاها

سمعته يقول ذاك وجاءت

تطلب الإرث ضلّةً وسفاها؟

هي كانت لله أتقى وكانت

أفضل الخلق عفَّةً ونزاها

أو تقول: النبي قد خالف القر

آن؟ ويح الأخبار ممّن رواها

سل بإبطال قولهم سورة النمـ

ـل، وسَل مريم التي قبل طه

فهُما ينبئان عن إرث يحيى

وسليمان مَن أراد انتباها

فدعت واشتكت إلى الله من ذاك

وفاضت بدمعها مقلتاها

ثم قالت: فنِحْلة لي من والدي

المصطفى فلم ينحلاها

فأقامت بها شهوداً فقالوا:

بعلها شاهد لها وابناها

لم يجيزوا شهادة أبنيْ رسول

الله هادي الأنام إذ ناصباها

لم يكن صادقاً عليّ ولا فاطمة

عندهم ولا ولداها

جرّعاها من بعد والدها الـ

ـغيظ مراراً فبئس ما جرّعاها

ليت شعري ما كان ضرّهما الحفـ

ـظ لعهد النبي لو حفظاها

كان إكرام خاتم الرسل الها

دي البشير النذير لو أكرماها

ولكان الجميل أن يقطعاها

فدكاً، لا الجميل أن يقطعاها

أترى المسلمين كانوا يلومو

نهما في العطاء لو أعطياها

كانت تحت الخضراء بنت نبيٍ

صادقٍ ناطقٍ أمينٍ سواها

بنت مَن؟ أُمّ مَن؟ حليلة مَن؟

ويل لمـَن سنّ ظلمها وأذاها

شيّعت نفسَها في أجرها أم عناداً

لأبيها النبي لم يتبعاها؟

أم لأنّ البتول أوصت بأن لا

يشهدا دفنها فما شهداها

لا نبي الهدى أُطيع، ولا فا

طمة أُكرمت ولا حسناها

And Fatimah came seeking her inheritance

from al-Mustafa, but they did not give it to her

I wonder why the Qur’anic practice was opposed

regarding her, while Allah has elevated her

Was the verse of inheritance abrogated for her,

or did the two alter it after its establishment?

Or did the verse of al-Mawaddah not descend

for the love of al-Zahra, as part of the ‘near ones’?

They then said: Your father instructed thus,

as [their] proof, out of their intransigence towards her

One said: “Prophets have a rule that they do not

leave inheritance, from olden days,” chiding her

Would the Prophet’s daughter not know if the

Prophet of guidance had said such a thing?

Did the beloved of the Prophet go against what

he had said? Far be it for our mistress to do so!

Could she have heard him say this yet come

asking for her inheritance, like a misguided fool?

She was the most God-wary and was

the best of creatures in chastity and purity

Or do you say the Prophet went against the Qur’an?

Preposterous are the reports and their narrators!

Ask, to invalidate their claims, the chapter of the Ant,

and refer to [Surah] Maryam that precedes Taha

As they both inform us of Yahya’s inheritance,

and of Sulayman, for those who will pay heed

So she called out and complained to Allah about

that, and her eyes welled up with her tears

Then she said: “It was a gift to me from my father

al-Mustafa,” but they did not give it to her

Thus witnesses testified on her behalf, but said

they: “Her witnesses are [only] her husband and children”

They did not accept the testimony of the sons

of the Prophet, the guide of mankind, out of enmity

Ali was not considered truthful by them,

nor was Fatimah, nor were her two sons!

They made her swallow, after her father’s death,

rage, again and again, how evil was their deed!

I wonder what harm would it do to them to preserve

their covenant with the Prophet, had they done so?

They would have honoured the final Messenger, the guide,

the giver of good news and the warner, by honouring her

It would have been better had they reserved Fadak for her,

and was improper for them to cut her off from it

Do you think the Muslims would have blamed them

for giving generously if they gave it to her?

Was there, on earth, any daughter of the Prophet,

the truthful, eloquent & trustworthy, other than her?

Whose daughter, whose mother, whose wife [was she]?

Woe be to those who oppressed and hurt her

Her soul was accompanied by the angels of the Merciful Lord,

with compassion for her, but the two were absent

Was it because of their indifference or apathy for her

or for her father that they did not come?

Or was it because al-Batul had instructed that the two of them

should not witness her funeral, that they were left out?

Neither was the Prophet of guidance obeyed, nor was

Fatimah honoured, nor her sons al-Hasanayn…

• 1. Bisharat al-Mustafa, p. 85.
• 2. This is most likely al-Nawfali, who was a companion of Imam al-Baqir (‘a). Al-Mamqani has mentioned him in his Rijal. It does not refer to Yazid Ibn ‘Abd al-Malik al-Marwani, because both the latter’s father and grandfather were exiled from Madinah al-Munawwarah to al-Ta’if due to their enmity with the Prophet (S) and they did not return to Madinah until the reign of ‘Uthman.
• 3. Muhammad Ibn al-Hasan al-Tusi (d. 460 A.H.), Tahdhib al-Ahkam, vol. 6, p. 9.
• 4. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 472.
• 5. Iqbal al-A’mal, p. 152.
• 6. The tribes of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (Tr.).
• 7. From 4:11.
• 8. Referring to 53:9.