Thus she removed the clothes that were stained in blood and pus...

Thus she removed the clothes that were stained in blood and pus, perhaps in order to hide them from those who were close to her and who would be present when her body was washed. Some have opined that she bathed herself in lieu of the washing after death, and asked that her body not be washed after she died. It is amazing how some narrators could make up such a fable, when it is well known that washing the dead body becomes obligatory after death, not prior to it. Yes, an exception is made for the one who has been convicted of murder – that he should wash himself before being executed – but the former case has nothing to do with the latter. Jurists have ruled that it is permissible for a husband to wash the body of his wife after her death, using as evidence the fact that Amir al-Mu’minin washed the body of al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) after her death, as this had become something as clear as day. So, what use is there in mentioning such an unusual opinion which nobody can take seriously? Fatimah Al-Zahra (‘A) Leaves This World

Al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) moved to her bed that had been laid out in the centre of the house, and lied down facing the Qiblah, placing her hand under her cheek, after having prepared food for her children. It is said that she sent her two daughters, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum, to the house of one of the Hashimi women, So, that they would not witness the death of their mother. She did this out of compassion and love, and in order to protect them from the shock of witnessing such a calamity. It may be deduced from some narrations that Imam Ali, al-Hasan and al-Husayn (‘a) were outside the house at this time, and their leaving the house might have been for some important reason or due to unavoidable circumstances. In any case, they were not present in those final moments of the life of al-Sayyida Fatimah, and it was only Asma’ who was present and by her side. Some narrations state that her servant Fidhdhah was also present. When the time of her death came, as her soul left her body and the veils were removed, al-Sayyida Fatimah narrowed her eyes and gazed intently, then she said: “Greetings to Jibra’il. Greetings to the Prophet of Allah. O Allah, I am with Your Prophet. O Allah, I am in Your Abode, the Abode of Peace.” Then she said, “Do you see what I see?” She was asked, “What do you see?” She said, “A convoy from the heavens, and with them is Jibra’il and the Prophet of Allah.