Only Allah knows how heavily these misgivings and...

Only Allah knows how heavily these misgivings and apprehensions were weighing down on her broken heart. In any case, grief was of little benefit at this point and it was necessary to accept the bitter future and surrender to the will of Allah, and to use the remaining few moments that were flying by like clouds in the sky. Al-Zahra began walking slowly, leaning on the wall, towards the place where water was kept. She began washing her children’s clothes with her frail hands. Then she called her children and began washing their heads with water and [dry] clay – for they did not have anything to wash with other than clay. Let us pause for a moment and weep over this great lady whose death had drawn close, yet she was washing the heads and bodies of her little children, as if she was bidding them farewell. All the while, she wept silently and tears flowed from the corners of her eyes onto her pale face, over her withering skin. Imam Ali (‘a) came into the house only to find his beloved wife out of bed, performing household chores. The Imam’s heart was overwhelmed with compassion when he saw her performing the normal chores that she did when she was well. It was not surprising then, that he would ask her why she was doing all that work when she was not well. She replied to him directly, “Because this is the last day of my life. I have washed my children’s heads and their clothes because they will soon become orphaned without a mother!” The Imam asked her how she came to learn of this and she informed him about her dream, and in this way, she announced her impending demise to her husband as a matter of certainty. The Will And Testament Of Fatimah Al-Zahra

Thus, al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra got the opportunity, during her last moments in this world, to reveal to her husband that which was concealed in her heart all this time and to state her final wishes that were to be carried out no matter what the cost and without any compromise, because of the importance of the objective. It is as if we see her having returned to her bed after completing her household chores, when she said, “O cousin, Indeed, I have been given notice of my death and will soon meet my father, So, I want to state my final wishes to you and let you know what is in my heart.” Ali (‘a) said to her, “Tell me what you wish, O daughter of the Prophet of Allah,” and he sat by her side after asking everyone else to leave.