After sitting down he said...

After sitting

down he said: `O Messenger of Allah, you surely know of my devotion

and long standing service to Islam...'

The Prophet then said: `What is it that you want?' Abu Bakr then said:

`I want you to give me Fatima in marriage.'

When the Prophet heard this, he did not say anything, so Abu Bakr

returned to Umar and said: `I have ruined myself and others!!'

Abu Bakr replied: `I asked for Fatima's hand from the Prophet, but he

Umar said: `You stay here, and I will go ask the Prophet for the same

thing that you asked him for.' Umar went to the Prophet and after

sitting down started saying: `O Messenger of Allah, you surely know of

my devotion and long standing service to Islam...'

The Prophet (S) then said: `What is it that you want?'

Umar replied: `I want you to give me Fatima in marriage.'

But the Prophet (S) ignored him too. Digitized by: www.playandlearn.org 121

Umar returned to Abu Bakr and said: `He is waiting for Allah's

Al-Haithami also reported in his book Majma Az- Zawa'ed that Abu

Bakr and Umar sent their daughters to the Prophet (S) in order to ask

him to give Fatima in marriage to them; but when the daughters

mentioned why they had come, the Prophet said: "No! Not until Allah's

command in her regard is revealed"

Perhaps the Messenger avoided telling Abu Bakr and Umar openly

that he is keeping Fatima for the qualified man, because he did not

want to declare to them that they were unqualified to marry her, and

that his daughter was above their level. The Prophet also wanted

to one historical finding) since he immigrated to Medina. One day,

While Imam Ali was in one of the gardens of Medina, Saad came to

him and said: "What prevents you from asking to marry Fatima from

It has also been mentioned in Kanz al-Umal that Umar came to Ali

(may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "What prevents you from

(marrying) Fatima?" Imam Ali replied: "I fear that he (the Prophet) will

not give her to me in marriage!"

Umar said: "If he does not give her to you in marriage, then who will

she marry? Besides, you are the nearest of Allah's creatures to him

Actually, Ali had never mentioned his desire to marry Fatima for two

reasons; first his shyness to do so in front of the Prophet, and

secondly because of his very difficult economic condition. Imam Ali

owned nothing of the empherial belongings of this world-not even a

house or a peace of land!!