When she concluded her supplications, I asked her, “My dear mother!
When she concluded her supplications, I asked
her, “My dear mother! How is it that you did not ask anything for
yourself?” She replied, “Dear son! Neighbors first, then ourselves.”
Once the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) asked Zahra (a.s), “O my dear daughter! What, in your opinion is the greatest virtue
for a woman?” Zahra (a.s) replied, “No stranger man should see her and
she must not see any stranger man.”
On another occasion, Fatima (a.s) along with her husband Ali (a.s) had
been at the Prophet’s house when a visually impaired man arrived,
saluted and sat down there. Zahra (a.s) went into another room and did
not return until that person had gone away. The Prophet (s.a.w.s.), by
way of testing, asked her, “Why did you leave? That man could not see
you.” Fatima (a.s) replied, “Dear father! He could not see me but my eye
could fall on him. Moreover he would have perceived my odor.”
Zahra (a.s) had distributed the household work between herself and her
slave maid, Fizza. They did domestic jobs on alternate days. One day,
Salman Farsi arrived in Ali’s house for some Islamic propagation work. He could see that Fatima (a.s) was grinding barley and blood was oozing
from her swollen hands. Her younger son, Husain (a.s) was sitting hungry
in a corner with tears in his eyes. Salman exclaimed, “O daughter of Allah’s Messenger! Why are you working
so hard with injured hands?” Zahra (a.s) replied, “Functions have been
divided between Fizza and myself. Today is my turn.” Salman said, “O
honorable princess of the Prophet’s house! I am at your service. Please
order me and let me know whether I should grind barley or mind your baby
prince?” Fatima said, “Okay, thank you. Just grind the barley and I am
The Prophet’s dear daughter, Fatima (a.s) passed only a short period of
nine years with Ali. According to a well-known narration, she lived only
for three months and five days after the passing away of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.s.). The youthful flower withered away in her full bloom
at the age of only eighteen. Thereafter she became a victim of
oppression and was martyred by stonehearted people. Those were the
oppressors who had hijacked Islam for their own material benefits coolly
and had become the vicegerents of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Indeed
they had reverted to their earlier ignorant nature. The dearest daughter of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) passed away from
this world in the very youth of her life leaving behind two sons and two
daughters.
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