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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Fatimah al-Ma`sumah (as): a role model for men and women Chapter 4: Questions and Answers Q1 - The infallibility of the Imams (as) is perhaps because they are the Imams and leaders for the people. What is the benefit of Fatimah's infallibility: she is not a prophet or an imam? A - Fatimah (as) is the mother of the infallibles (as). She gave them all her effort and virtues, and amongst these is the infallibility which Allah had given her.

However, the question of infallibility is a human issue which arises from Divine grace. Like the role of the Imamah as the leadership, which needs infallibility as a must, Allah may give infallibility to another person, especially the woman who is prepared to be an Imam, not in the strict sense of the term, but as the example.

We believe that women have reached the level of infallibility as has been established with Virgin Mary (as) and Fatimah (as); but we may find some women who have not had a verse revealed regarding their infallibility, but who have not been distant from infallibility, such as Lady Zaynab (as) - women can come near to infallibility when they live their responsibility towards Allah and the people.

In addition, Allah, through his grace to Fatimah (as), wanted to tell people - men and women - that women can be elevated with Allah's bestowing and grace to the most exalted positions, and to infallibility.

Moreover, Allah wants to make the woman a role model for all people, men and women, so that men can be told that, just as they can have an infallible man as a role model, you can also have an infallible woman as a role model, because there is no difference between men and women as far as reaching the level of infallibility is concerned. Q2 - What, apart from Infallibility, is the difference between Fatima al-Zahra (as) and all other women?

A - The difference is that Fatimah possessed a degree of spiritual depth in her personality that made her a manifestation of the message. Most women with a mission have a commitment to the message which comes from outside of themselves.

By contrast, for Fatimah (as) it came from inside her mind and heart and soul, because she lived the whole of her life with the message and under the wing of the Messenger of Allah (sawa), and then opened herself up to the full vigor of the message in the House of Ali (as), and moved dynamically in the emotion of the message with al-Hasan and al-Husain (as). Therefore, she lived the message.