The Lord of the worlds created this universe in the love of certain personalities, from the rays of whose light He granted brightness to the sun. Then the sun began the journey of its rising and setting, so days passed and became months; by the passing of months, years were formed, and then centuries came into being. With this journey of the sun, time kept passing, and along with the passing of time, the sun of the sky was also honored with the visitation of our beloved Prophet Hazrat Mustafa (peace be upon him) and Imam Ali Murtaza (peace be upon him).
And while witnessing these personalities, in this way, four years of the mission of Prophethood passed, and then in the fifth year, on the 20th of Jamadi al-Thani, the sun of the heavens was further honored with the visitation of a princess in the lap of Hazrat Mustafa (peace be upon him). That day was Friday, meaning the most virtuous of all days. On this day came that lady who, after the Messenger (peace be upon him) and Ali (peace be upon him), is the most virtuous of all.
Whereas that lady (peace be upon her) is neither at the rank of Prophethood nor at the station of Imamate, but she is such a proof of God that the eleventh crown-bearer of Imamate, Imam Hasan al-Askari (peace be upon him), is seen saying:
نَحْنُ حُجَجُ اللّٰهِ عَلَى الْخَلَائِقِ وَأُمُّنَا فَاطِمَةٌ حُجَّةٌ اللّٰهِ عَلَيْنَا
“We are the proofs of Allah over the creation, and our noble mother Fatimah (peace be upon her) is the proof of Allah over us.”1
This princess (peace be upon her) is such a strong link of infallibility between Prophethood and Imamate that the Seal of the Messengers (peace be upon him) remembered the princess (peace be upon her) with different titles sometimes he called her Mardhiyyah, sometimes Muhaddithah; sometimes he remembered her as “a part of me” — Bad‘atun minni. And when he wished to make the Muslims aware that the Lady of the two worlds (peace be upon her) is compassionate towards the mission of Prophethood, he called the Lady (peace be upon her) by saying Umm Abiha — the mother of her father.
She is the queen of infallibility, in whose respect Prophethood would stand. Yes, dear readers, in the book Al-Qatrah, Allama Syed Ahmad Mustanbat (may Allah have mercy on him) records a narration that when Maula Ali (peace be upon him) was coming out of the chamber of Hazrat Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), the narrator described the condition of the Master of the universe (peace be upon him) in such a way that he says:
َجَعَ الْقَهْقَرَى
“He returned walking backwards.”
That is, Hazrat Ali (peace be upon him) turned back walking backwards (from the chamber of the Lady).
And in this same narration, the Lady (peace be upon her) herself has described for her lovers how the light of the Lady (peace be upon her) came upon this earth.
Salman al-Muhammadi (the Persian) says that Ammar ibn Yasir told me:
“One day I saw the Master of the universe, Ali (peace be upon him), going into the chamber of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her). And as soon as the glance of the Lady (peace be upon her) fell upon the Master of the universe (peace be upon him), the daughter of the Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
اُدْنُ لِأُحَدِّثَكَ بِمَا كَانَ وَ بِمَا هُوَ كَائِنٌ وَ بِمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ حِينَ تَقُومُ السَّاعَةُ
‘Come near, so that I may inform you about what has happened (in past time) and about what is happening, and about what will not happen until the Day of Resurrection when the Hour will be established.’
Then Ammar ibn Yasir says:
‘I saw that Maula Ali (peace be upon him) came out from the chamber of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her) walking backwards. And when he presented himself in the service of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him), the Seal of the Messengers (peace be upon him) called Maula Ali (peace be upon him) near. So the most virtuous Prophet of Allah and the most virtuous friend of Allah, Ali (peace be upon him), sat close. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
تُحَدِّثُنِي أَمْ أُحَدِّثُكَ
‘Will you speak to me, or shall I speak to you?’
In reply, the Master of all (peace be upon him), while honoring the Messenger (peace be upon him), said:
اَلْحَدِيثُ مِنْكَ أَحْسَنُ يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ
‘O Messenger of Allah! Speaking from you is more beautiful.’
Hearing this, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
كَأَنِّي بِكَ وَ قَدْ دَخَلْتَ عَلَى فَاطِمَةَ وَ قَالَتْ لَكَ كَيْتَ وَ كَيْتَ فَرَجَعْتَ
‘It is as if I am seeing you that you had entered upon Fatimah and she said to you such and such, and then you returned.’
Then the one who is the owner of the pulpit of Salooni (peace be upon him) asked the Messenger of Arabia (peace be upon him):
نُورُ فَاطِمَةَ مِنْ نُورِنَا؟
‘Is the light of Fatimah from our light?’
In reply, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
أَ وَ لاَ تَعْلَمُ
‘Do you not know?’
Ammar says:
‘Hearing this, Imam Ali Murtaza (peace be upon him) performed prostration. And then the Imam of the two worlds again entered the chamber of the Lady (peace be upon her). Then the Lady of Paradise (peace be upon her) said:
كَأَنَّكَ رَجَعْتَ إِلَى أَبِي صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ فَأَخْبَرْتَهُ بِمَا قُلْتُهُ لَكَ
‘It is as if I am seeing that you returned to my father (Muhammad, peace be upon him and his family) and informed him of what I had said to you.’
Maula Ali (peace be upon him) said:
O Fatimah (peace be upon her)! You have spoken completely right; it was exactly so.’
(Statement of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) about her نور / divine light)
Then Lady Zahra (peace be upon her) said to the Master of the universe, Ali (peace be upon him):
يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ أَنَّ اللّٰهَ تَعَالَى خَلَقَ نُورِي وَ كَانَ يُسَبِّحُ اللّٰهَ جَلَّ جَلَالُهُ
‘O Abul Hasan! Indeed Allah, the Exalted, created my light, and it was engaged in glorifying Allah, Majestic is His Majesty.’
ثُمَّ أَوْدَعَهُ شَجَرَةً مِنْ شَجَرِ الْجَنَّةِ فَأَضَاءَتْ
‘Then He placed it in a tree from among the trees of Paradise, so it became illuminated.’
فَلَمَّا دَخَلَ أَبِي الْجَنَّةَ أَوْحَى اللّٰهُ تَعَالَى إِلَيْهِ إِلْهَاماً أَنِ اقْتَطِفِ الثَّمَرَةَ مِنْ تِلْكَ الشَّجَرَةِ وَ أَدِرْهَا فِي لَهَوَاتِكَ فَفَعَلَ
‘So when my father entered Paradise, Allah the Exalted inspired him that: pluck the fruit from that tree and turn it in your mouth (eat it), so he did so.’
فَأَوْدَعَنِي اللّٰهُ سُبْحَانَهُ صُلْبَ أَبِي صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ ثُمَّ أَوْدَعَنِي خَدِيجَةَ بِنْتَ خُوَيْلِدٍ فَوَضَعَتْنِي
‘Then Allah, Glorified is He, placed me in the loins of my father (peace be upon him and his family), then He placed me in Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and she gave birth to me.’
َ أَنَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ النُّورِ أَعْلَمُ مَا كَانَ وَ مَا يَكُونُ وَ مَا لَمْ يَكُنْ يَا أَبَا الْحَسَنِ
‘And I am from that light — I know what has happened, what will happen, and what will not happen, O Abul Hasan.’2
At the end of this writing, I wish to present that gift of the Lady of the two worlds, Hazrat Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her), to you dear readers, which the princess gave to Salman al-Muhammadi. Allama Majlisi writes in his book Bihar al-Anwar that the maidens of Paradise came with some dates into the service of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her). And from those fragrant dates, the Lady (peace be upon her) gave some dates to Salman. And then in the city of Madinah, whoever Salman met, he would ask the same question: “Do you have pure musk?” And when he ate those dates, there was no pit in them. Then when Salman mentioned this matter to the princess (peace be upon her), the Lady (peace be upon her) smiled and said:
يَا سَلْمَانُ مِنْ أَيْنَ يَكُونُ لَهُ نَوًى
‘O Salman! From where would they have pits?’
إِنَّمَا هُوَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ خَلَقَهُ لِي تَحْتَ عَرْشِهِ بِدَعَوَاتٍ كَانَ عَلَّمَنِيهَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ
‘‘Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, created them for me beneath His Throne in exchange for the supplications which the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had taught me.’
So when Salman al-Muhammadi desired to learn this supplication, the princess (peace be upon her) said:
إِنْ أَحْبَبْتَ أَنْ تَلْقَى اللَّهَ وَ هُوَ عَنْكَ غَيْرُ غَضْبَانَ فَوَاظِبْ عَلَى هَذَا الدُّعَاءِ
‘If you wish to meet Allah in such a state that He is not angry with you, then remain steadfast upon this supplication.’
And that supplication is:
بِسْمِ اللهِ النُّورِ
In the name of Allah, the Light.
ببِسْمِ اللّهِ الَّذِي يَقُولُ لِلشَّيْءِ كُنْ فَيَكُونُِ
In the name of Allah who says to a thing “Be,” so it becomes.
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُ خَائِنَةَ الأَعْيُنِ وَ مَا تُخْفِي الصُّدُورُِ
In the name of Allah who knows the treachery of the eyes and what the chests conceal.
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الَّذِي خَلَقَ النُّورَ مِنَ النُّورُِِ
In the name of Allah who created light from light.
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الَّذِي هُوَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ مَذْكُورٌُِ
In the name of Allah who is remembered through goodness.
بِسْمِ اللّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ النُّورَ عَلَى الطُّورٌُِِ
In the name of Allah who sent down light upon Mount Tur.
بِقَدَرٍ مَقْدُورٍ فِي كِتَابٍ مَسْطُورٍ عَلَى نَبِيٍّ مَحْبُورٌٍُِ3
By a measured decree, in a written book, upon a delighted Prophet.
At the end, I present congratulations to all believing men and believing women, especially in the court of Imamate of the Imam of our time, Hazrat Mahdi, the Master of the Age, on the luminous arrival of his noble grandmother, the Greatest Truthful Lady, Hazrat Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).
وَصَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِهِ اَلطَّيِّبِينَ اَلطَّاهِرِينَ
And may Allah send blessings upon Muhammad and his pure and immaculate family.
1Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Page 458, Chapter (The Birth of al-Zehra Fatima (sa))
2Al-Qatrah, by Allama Syed Ahmad Mustanbat, Volume 1.
3Asrār al-Fāṭimiyyah, by Shaykh Muhammad Fāḍil, Page 17.