The Prophet encouraged him to speak and Ali mustered the courage and asked the Prophet for his daughter’s The Prophet accepted the request however he said to Ali, “You should wait so that I may ask my daughter if she too will Historians note that when the Prophet informed Fatima al-Zahra about the marriage proposal, she remained quiet, to which the Prophet said, “God is Great! Her silence confirms her consent for this marriage!” This acceptance was the next step in moving forward in The date of solemnizing the marriage was approaching and Ali realized that with his meagre possessions, it was going to be difficult to prepare the requisites to start married life. After all, he owned very little and the only things of value he had were a sword and shield. As the sword was needed to Fatima al-Zahra: The Spring of Inspiration defend Islam, he was advised by the Prophet to sell the shield to meet the expenses of marriage. He gladly sold it and brought the proceeds of sale to the Prophet in order for the requirements of the house to be bought. After the purchases were made, from what remained, an amount was kept aside for the financial gift which Fatima al- Zahra received. This gift, which would go on to be known as mahr al-sunnah and was five hundred dirhams was a small amount for such a great woman. However, keeping in mind that the mahr is far from the “price” of the bride, this sentimental gift was merely a humble offering to a woman On the night of the marriage, the actions which the Prophet displayed towards his daughter and her new husband give us a unique glimpse into his care and concern and is perhaps not seen even today in contemporary societies. Holding the hand of his daughter, he placed it in the hand of Ali and informed her of the virtues of her husband. He then made a mention of the personality of his daughter to his son- Link Between Prophethood and Imamate in-law and reminded his daughter that had Ali had not been born, there would be no one on earth to be her life partner. The Prophet then divided the domestic affairs and duties of life between the two - he entrusted the household affairs to Fatima and made Ali responsible for all of the outside duties. However still, Ali was known to help his wife with the house work and being there to support her when the need It is through this Divinely-approved marriage that a link was created between prophethood (nubuwwah) and mastership This is a link which would solidify the spiritual and temporal guidance during and after the death of the Prophet until the coming of Imam al-Mahdi. - and beyond. When it comes to exemplifying the best character traits of a daughter, wife, mother and teacher, Fatima al-Zahra is the archetype for all Muslim women to follow. TTTThhhheeee IIIIddddeeeeaaaallll WWWWoooommmmaaaannnn The life of Fatima al-Zahra gives us