I asked Allah to give you in marriage to the best of His creatures...

I asked Allah to give you in marriage to the best

of His creatures, and the most beloved to Him; and he (Ali) has

declared his wish to marry you; what do you say?"

Fatima did not reply, nor did she show a sign of rejection or

resentment, so he (S) stood up and said: "Allah is the Greatest! Her

The Prophet considered Fatima's silence as her consent and approval

of the marriage; because a shy, virgin girl is not expected to declare

her agreement openly. Yes, disagreement and rejection of marriage

can be openly expressed by her. But shyness prevents a girl from

declaring her wish to marry a man, but it does not stop her from

The Prophet (S) went back to the waiting Ali and informed him of

Fatima's approval of the marriage. He also inquired about the extent of

his preparedness to fulfill the requirements needed for the wedding,

because legally and traditionally there has to be a dowry. Especially in

light of the fact that this marriage would be remembered and be of

great influence to the future generations. Thus, it was important to

observe every element and event, which would play a part of this

Imam Ali answered: "May my parents be your sacrifice By Allah, there

is not a thing of my affairs hidden from you; I own my sword, shield

and the camel which I use for irrigation"

Indeed, this was everything that Ali possessed in this world when he

The Messenger openheartedly listened to Ali and said: "Ali you cannot

do without your sword, for you have to struggle with it and defend

yourself against the enemies of Allah. As for your camel you need it to

irrigate palm trees and support your family, and you need it as a

means of travel. But I accept the shield as a dowry from you; thus, sell

Ali had won this shield from the booty of the battle of Badr. It was

given to him by the Messenger, who named it Al-Hademah; because it

dirham and brought the money to the Prophet (S). They both agreed

that this money would be the dowry of the most honorable girl and

most exalted female of the universe. Yes, Fatima was the Mistress of

Digitized by: www.playandlearn.org 125

the women of the world, and the daughter of the Master of Prophets