There was so much respect in the heart of the Holy Prophet...

There was so much respect in the heart of the Holy Prophet for Fatima (sa) that whenever Fatima (sa) arrived in the mosque of the Prophet, the Holy Prophet stood up to respect her. This gesture was also to show the companions respect for women generally which was lacking in the Arabian society of the day.

These acts of the Prophet were to show the companions that this house and its occupants have a special place in the way of Allah and that this status should be maintained after the death of the Prophet. Unfortunately this was not done as the Holy Prophet intended his companions to do. History tells us some very sad moments connected with this house.

After the death of the Prophet when ‘Ali (as) did not come out to give his oath of allegiance to Abubakr, the door of the house was burnt down to get him out and in the process Fatima (sa) was injured. Her 5th unborn child died because of this harsh action of some of the companions and she herself died within 3 months of the death of her Holy father. The following lines of poetry show her ordeal after the death of her holy father very clearly.

“After the death of my father My sufferings were so great that if such hardships fell upon days, the days would turn into nights.” Fatima (sa) was a symbol of womanhood in Islam. How a daughter, a wife and a mother should behave in their ordinary lives.

She was devoted to her father, looked after him when he was in distress by the hands of the non-believers of Makka, she was the exemplary wife, queen of her household yet fair to her maid servant Fizza to divide household chores between herself and the maid servant, she was a devout wife and the most loving mother to her children. There were occasions when there was no food for the family, but she would never complain.

Once ‘Ali (as) went out to do some work to get food for the family but returned empty handed. Fatima asked ‘Ali (as) what happened to the food. ‘Ali (as) said that he did earn some money and bought food, but while on his way home he met some poor hungry persons and gave away all the food to them. When the Prophet heard of this situation he brought some food for the family and told them that ‘Ali’s charitable act was of the greatest value in the eyes of Allah.

The whole family was thankful to Allah and there were no complaints against anyone. She would go to the mosque of the Prophet to participate in the prayers with all the ladies, she would go out in the battlefield to tend the wounded.