16 [^1]...

The excellence of Asiyah, Maryam and Khadijah was in relation to their own periods. The greatness of the Leader of all women, Fatimah, is beyond time and space. The poet of East, Allama Iqbal, also pays her homage as the world’s most perfect woman. The gist of his poem runs as follows: Maryam’s relation with prophet Isa alone brought her the crown of excellence while the daughter of the Master of the Universe, Muhammad, had three honours to her credit.

First, she was the light of the Prophet’s1 eye who was the leader of all the prophets and the whole universe. Secondly, she was the wife of the Lion of Allah2, who was the Master of all the Believers. Her husband was such a content person as his whole home consisted of no more than a sword and a shield. And thirdly, she was the mother of the one3 who was the leader of the caravan of love and passion. [^1]: i.e. his daughter, Fatimah [^2]: i.e. Ali, the fourth Commander of the Faithful [^3]: i.e.

Imam Husain 18 [^1]: Hakim, al-Mustadrak (3:170#4740) [^2]: Ibn Hibban, as-Sahih (2:470,471#696) [^3]: Haythami, Mawarid-uz-zaman (p.631#2540) 19 Shawkani said in Darr-us-sahabah fi manaqib al-qarabah was-sahabah (p.279) Hakim narrated it in al-Mustadrak.