Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (a.s) is the only daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and wife of Imam Ali (a.s), the Prophet’s cousin.
She was born in Makkah around 614 A.D to Khadijah and acquired a special status amongst Muslims as the ‘Leader of the Women of all the Worlds.’
She was the mother of Imam Hasan (a.s) and Imam Husayn (a.s), Lady Zainab and Umm Kulthim.
Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (a.s) is the only daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and the wife of Imam Ali (a.s), the Prophet’s cousin.
She was born in Makkah around 614 A.D to Khadijah and acquired a special status amongst Muslims as the ‘leader of the women of all the worlds.’
Growing up, Lady Fatimah (a.s) was closely nurtured by both Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Khadijah and witnessed the hardship her father went through due to his fulfilling the mission of spreading the divine message which was revealed to him.
She often saw her father being ridiculed and even as a young girl, she would console her father, attend to his wounds and offer him support. She is considered by Muslims to be the most honoured of the four leading women, the others being Maryam (Mary, the mother of Jesus), Asiya (the wife of the Pharaoh) and her own mother, Khadijah.
Lady Fatimah (a.s) married Imam Ali (a.s), Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) cousin, in 623 AD. As a couple, they exhibited noble qualities and fed the poor, gave away the money they had to help others in distress and occupied themselves with the reformation of the community around them.
After her father’s death, Lady Fatimah's (a.s) status was not acknowledged and she was subjected to injustices, including the seizure of the land of Fadak, which Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) had left to her.
She argued against the sidelining of Imam Ali (a.s) as successor to the Prophet (s.a.w).
She died shortly after her father in 632 A.D.
Lady Fatimah (a.s) al-Zahra is the only daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and wife of Imam Ali (a.s), the Prophet’s cousin.
She was born in Makkah around 614 A.D to Khadijah and holds a special status amongst Muslims because of the great affection Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) showed Lady Fatimah (a.s) throughout her life.
Lady Fatimah (a.s) cared for her father to the extent that she was known as ‘Umm al-Abiha’ (Mother of her father) as well as her many virtuous acts which demonstrated her charitable nature. She gave birth to two noble sons, Hasan and Husayn, who are regarded by Muslims as the ‘leaders of the youth of paradise,’ in addition to two daughters Zainab and Umm Kulthum.
Early Life
Growing up, Lady Fatimah (a.s) was closely nurtured by both Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Khadijah and witnessed the hardship her father endured due to his fulfilling the mission of spreading the Divine message which was revealed to him. She often saw her father being ridiculed and abused and even as a young girl, she would console her father, attend to his wounds and offer him support. She displayed the same attitude to her husband Imam Ali (a.s) during his times of difficulty.
However, Lady Fatimah (a.s) was more than a carer and wife. As she learnt the knowledge of the Qur’an through Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), she was able to teach Islam to women and would often offer intellectual and spiritual guidance to them. This is why Allah gave her the title, ‘Sayyidatul Nisa al-Alamin’, meaning ‘Leader of the Women of all the Worlds.’
She is considered by Muslims to be the most honoured of the four leading ladies, the others being Maryam (Mary, the mother of Jesus), Asiya (the wife of the Pharaoh) and her own mother, Khadijah.
Marriage to Imam Ali (a.s)
Lady Fatimah (a.s) received many marriage proposals from well known Companions of the Prophet, but Allah had decreed that she be married to Imam Ali (a.s) and so his proposal was accepted. They married in 623 A.D.
Her marriage to Imam Ali (a.s) is often described as spiritual because both Imam Ali (a.s) and Lady Fatimah (a.s) exhibited immaculate righteous qualities. They often fed the poor, gave away the money they had to help others in distress and occupied themselves with the reformation of the community around them. What is interesting is that Imam Ali (a.s) himself was not a rich man and there were many financial trials which the couple had to face in order to live a relatively secure life. It appears from history that money was not their concern and on several occasions, Lady Fatimah (a.s) would give both money and possessions to beggars at her door and endure the hardship of not having enough food for herself and her family.
Prophet Muhammad’s Death
Her sacrificial nature was even more evident in 632 A.D when her father Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w), died after several days of illness. Her relationship to her father was extremely close and she found it difficult to recover from this loss.
In addition to this, she almost single handedly supported her husband, Imam Ali (a.s), during the civil strife which the Muslim community experienced after Prophet Muhammad's (s.a.w) death and the seizure of the Caliphate from Imam Ali (a.s).
She was also subjected to personal injustice. The most notably by Abu Bakr and Umar (the 1st and 2nd Muslim Caliphs) who seized from her the gift (a vast piece of land in north Arabia by the name of Fadak) which Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) gave her. They also attacked her house and left her with severe injuries and as a result her health deteroriated and she died shortly after her father in 632 A.D.