This article is being written on the occasion of the martyrdom of Sayyada-tun-Nisa Al-Aalameen, Janab Fatima Zahra (sa).
The aspects of the personality of Hazrat Zahra (sa) are so numerous and profound that it is impossible to encompass them in this brief article. However, to the extent possible, we will briefly point out a few facets of her life. Facets of Her Noble Character:
Let's consider the last trait: What was the scholarly status of Hazrat Zahra (sa)? She was bestowed with the knowledge of the Quran and religious teachings directly from God, the best example of which is the Sermon of Fadak (Khutbah Fadak). She delivered this sermon in the court of the ruler of the time, using several verses of the Holy Quran to refute the claim of those who chanted "Hasbuna Kitab Allah" (The Book of Allah is sufficient for us), thereby proving how alien they were to the Book of God. This sermon has seven parts. After praising God in the first part and eulogizing the Prophet (saww) in the second, she outlined the philosophy of obligatory duties in the third part as follows:
Obligatory Duty Philosophical Reason/Goal Faith (Ieeman) Distance from polytheism (Shirk) Prayer (Salat) Distance from arrogance Alms (Zakat), Purification of the soul, and expansion of sustenance Fasting (Sawm) Sincerity (Ikhlas) Pilgrimage (Hajj) Strengthening of the religion Justice (Adl) Harmony of hearts Obedience to the Ahl al-Bayt (as) Discipline in religious affairs Imamate Distance from disputes and gathering at one center Jihad, Honor of Isla,m and humiliation of disbelief Patience (Sabr) Reward and recompense Enjoining Good (Amr bil Ma'ruf) Welfare of society Goodness to Parents (Ihsan) Protection from God's wrath Maintaining Kinship (Silat ar-Rahm) Long life and blessing in progeny Retaliation (Qisas) Protection of people's lives Vow (Nazr) Forgiveness and pardon
From the above golden words of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (sa), you can gauge the extent of her mastery and command over religious knowledge, as she beautifully strung together the causes and reasons for all the most important commandments in a single thread!
Allama Iqbal, describing the status of women in his poetry, said:
She could not write the dialogues of Plato... but the spark of Plato broke from her flame.
According to Iqbal, a woman could not write the Dialogues of Plato, although she was the cause of those dialogues. However, if I had the opportunity to address Allama, I would certainly say that if he was referring to the majority of women, it might be correct. Otherwise, if he had read the sermons of Hazrat Zahra (sa) and likewise the sermons of Hazrat Zainab (sa), he would never have uttered this verse, or at least he would have made an exception for some women. Yes! Janab Fatima (sa) Sermon of Fadak was not merely presenting her case; it was intended to show the mirror of Islam to the claimants of the Caliphate.
Accounts of Martyrdom Two accounts are cited regarding her martyrdom:
The First Account: She was martyred 75 days after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (saww). Imam Sadiq (as) said:
إِنَّ فاطِمَةَ(عليها السلام) مَكَثَتْ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِﷺ خَمْسَةَ وَ سَبْعينَ يَوْماً
Indeed, Fatima (sa) remained (alive) after the Messenger of Allah (saww) for seventy-five days. Based on this account, her martyrdom occurred on the 13th of Jumada al-Awwal.1
The Second Account: Hazrat Fatima (sa) was martyred 95 days after the passing of the Messenger of Allah (saww). Based on this, her martyrdom occurred on the 3rd of Jumada al-Thani in the 11th Hijri year.2
The cause of her death is stated in Bihar al-Anwar as follows:
وَ كانَ سَبَبُ فَوْتِها أَنَّ قُنْفُذَ مَوْلى عُمَرَ لَكَزَها بِنَعْلِ السَّيْفِ بِأَمْرِهِ فَأَسْقَطَتْ مُحْسِناً وَ مَرِضْتَ مِنْ ذلِكَ مَرَضاً شَديداً
And the cause of her passing was that Qunfudh, the servant of Umar, struck her with the hilt of the sword by his master's order, resulting in the miscarriage of (Hazrat) Mohsin (as), and she fell severely ill from this.3
Finally, we conclude our article with a sentence from the will of Hazrat Fatima (sa), which contains the best lesson for our married women:
یابْنَ عَمِّ ما عَهِدْتَنی کاذِبةً وَلا خائِنَةً وَلا خالَفْتُک مُنْذُ عاشَرْتَنی
AO son of my uncle! You have never found me to be a liar or a betrayer, nor have I ever disobeyed you since the start of our marital life.4
Her counsel to her handmaidens regarding their husbands was: It is obligatory upon all of you to observe three things in your marital life:
First: Never lie to your husband; live with him in truth.
Second: Do not betray him, neither in private nor in public.
Third: Acknowledge his guardianship and obey him, and never oppose him. If this happens, that home will surely become a paradise-like home in this world, just like the home of Hazrat Zahra (sa), and those wives will be her true followers (Insha'Allah)
We pray to Allah Almighty to hasten the reappearance of Imam Zaman (may God hasten his reappearance). Ameen.
1Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 458, Chapter (The Birth of al-Zehra Fatima (sa))
2Dalaail ul-Imamah, Tabari Amuli Saghir, Muhammad bin Jarir bin Rustam, Researcher/Editor: Maussasa Basat, Basat, Qum, 1413 AH, First Edition, Page 134
3Bihar ul-Anwar, Volume 43, Page 170
4Bihar ul-Anwar, Volume 43, Page 191