By Al Haaj Dr. Mohsin Alidina
Seyyida Maryam binti Imran AS and Seyyida Fatima binti Muhammad AS are both known by one of their titles, inter alia, Al-Batul.
Allama Iqbal comparing the two Seyyidati Nisaail Alameen says in Farsi:
“Maryam az yak nisbat-e-Isa aziz
Az se nisbat Hazrat e Zehra aziz”
Allama says Seyyida Maryam AS deserves high respect for she is the mother of Nabi Isa AS, but Seyyida Zahraa AS is thrice as revered. First, Seyyida Zahraa AS is the daughter of Rahmatun lil Alameen. Second, she is the distinguished wife of the man who is the subject of Suratul Hal Ataa1, the one whom The Prophet SAWW referred to, inter alia, as Murtadhaa, AsaduLLAH, Mushkil Kushaa2. Third, she has exalted rank as she is Ummul Aimmah AS 3.
Seyyida Maryam AS’ worshipped Allah SWT for her own sake. The Qur’an states: “…O Maryam! Be obedient to your Lord, prostrating and bowing with those who bow.” (3:43). Seyyida Fatima AS, however, used to pray the whole night and she put the neighbors first. Once when her son Imam Al-Hassan Al-Mujtaba AS asked her why she did not seek anything for herself but was concerned with the welfare of the neighbors, her reply was “Awwal jaar baad daar” 4.
Seyyida Maryam AS, The Qur’an says, was chosen and purified: “And when the angels said: O Maryam! Allah has chosen you and purified you and He has chosen you above the women of the worlds”5. For Seyyida Fatima AS, The Qur’an says: “… Allah only desires to keep away all impurities (rijs) from you, O People of The House and to purify you a (thorough) purifying”6. Both of them are, therefore, Infallible women who can lead virtuous women to purity and perfection.
When Seyyida Maryam AS was asked to leave the holy sanctuary and go into the wilderness to deliver her baby, she came across a dried date palm since this was off-season. She shook the palm and at divine command fresh dates fell into her lap. Fatimatu Zzahraa AS was sick and she sought pomegranates that were not in season. Imam Ali AS, delighted that once in her lifetime, Fatima AS had asked him for something, went out in search of pomegranates. He found it at one place but on the way home gave the pomegranate to a sick person who expressed the desire for it. When Imam Ali AS reaches home, he finds a whole tray of aromatic, ripe pomegranates besides Fatima AS. He asks her where the pomegranates came from and she says O Ali! A laborer came here and said you had sent this basket home to me ahead of you. This was divine grace upon Seyyida Fatima AS. That laborer was an angel sent by Allah SWT.
Seyyida Maryam AS used to talk to the angels and partake of the food from Heaven. The Qur’an says, “…Whenever Zakariyya7 entered the sanctuary to (see) her, he found food with her …”8. Seyyida Fatima AS used to receive heavenly banquets as she engrossed herself in worship of Allah SWT. Once The Prophet SAWW came to her house and saw the fragrant food. He asked her where the food had come from and Seyyida Fatima AS replied that it was from ALLAH SWT: “Verily, ALLAH gives whom He pleases without measure”9.
Both the personages went through various trials and tribulations. Seyyida Maryam AS faced false allegations by her detractors who tried to defame her10. Seyyida Fatimatu Zzahraa AS was deprived of her own property of Fadak11 bequeathed upon her by The Prophet SAWW on ALLAH SWT’s command12. Despite her irrefutable evidence from The Qur’an that prophets do leave inheritance and heirs, against the claims of the “la nurithu13, the advocates of “Hasbuna KitabaLLAH” refused the overwhelming Qur’anic testimony to cling to an unvouched, gratuitous,concocted hadith to deny The Ahlul Bayt of The Prophet SAWW their own rightful property. Not only this, but she was also physically assaulted and her unborn son killed in her womb. At least Seyyida Maryam AS was spared violent physical injuries.
Seyyida Maryam AS’ enemies sought to prevent her from worshipping at the Holy Temple and were disdainful of her. And the falta rulers, who usurped The Prophet SAWW’s mantle after his passing away, forbade Seyyida Fatima AS to grieve over her father in her own house! Is it a wonder that Seyyida Fatima AS about whom The Prophet said that whoever hurts Fatima hurts him and whoever hurts him hurts ALLAH SWT and hurting ALLAH SWT is a sure way to Hell14, Seyyida Fatima AS refused to speak to her oppressors and willed that they should not be present at her burial? She totally distanced herself from them, and so ALLAH SWT and His Prophet SAWW, of course, have distanced themselves from them for ever.
Seyyida Maryam AS’ enemies relentlessly pursued Prophet Isa AS, tortured him and endeavored to crucify him15. Thus did they grieve the heart of his mother, Seyyida Maryam AS. Seyyida Fatima AS’ enemies, nay The Prophet SAWW’s and ALLAH SWT’s enemies,actually struck her husband Ali AS fatally with a poisoned sword while he was in the midst of act of worship of ALLAH SWT in Masjid Kufa, poisoned her elder son, Imam Hassan Al-Mujtaba AS and refused his rightful burial next to The Prophet SAWW. Led by his step-grandmother, of all the people, they shamelessly shot arrows at his bier. The Tragedy of Karbala is well-known to everyone. What must have Seyyida Fatimatu Zzahraa AS felt when she witnessed her son Imam Husain AS and his whole household butchered on the desert plains and womenfolk and other male survivors shackled and imprisoned. Seyyida Fatimatu Zzahra AS bore all this anguish and will, of course, seek due justice on the Day of Judgment, whereas her enemies and oppressors shall bite their hands and rue their reneging against The Prophet SAWW 16.
The Qur’an mentions that Seyyida Maryam AS was visited by and conversed with angels17. Seyyida Fatima AS was also visited by and spoke with the Archangel Jibraeel. Other angels would visit her in various guises to portray her status. After the death of The Prophet SAWW, the grief of this great loss and that of the cruelties wreaked upon her by the rulers of the time made Seyyida Fatima AS very sad. Allah SWT would to console her send Jibraeel to talk to her about what would happen in future till The Day of Judgment. The divine information she (Muhadditha) received through Jibraeel became Mushaf Fatima18 recorded by Imam Ali AS. This was passed on from Imam to Imam and presently it is with Ibnu Zzahraa AS, Imam Al-Hujjah AFS. Seyyida Maryam AS was visited by the angels occasionally, but Seyyida Fatima AS had angels doing household chores for her, such as moving the cradle of the young Imams AS as Fatima AS lay asleep. The “Ridhwanul Jannah” came to her on the eve of Eid to say he was the tailor of Hassan and Husain AS. The Malakul Mawt could not enter her house without her permission when he came to take The Prophet SAWW away from this world. This is the angel who did not give prophets of yore any respite when he came to seize their souls. And for three consecutive nights, angels appeared in the guise of the indigent, orphan and prisoner at Fatima AS’ house and received sustenance19.
The Qur’an states that Allah SWT made “the son of Maryam and his mother a sign…”20 i.e. Seyyida Maryam was the recipient of divine knowledge through revelations. Seyyida Fatima AS received revelation, conversed with angels and is one of the chosen and purified People of The House of The Prophet SAWW. We have not seen any collection of sayings from Seyyida Maryam AS, but Seyyida Fatima AS’ ahadith abound. For example, she spoke on what KitabuLLAH The Qur’an is, why ALLAH SWT made faith a requisite, the raison d’etre for salaat, siyaam, hajj, zakaah ,adl, obedience to The Household of The Prophet SAWW, Jihad, Sabr, Amr bil Maroof and Nahya anil Munkar, kindness and goodness to parents, silatul raham, qisas, fulfillment of a vow, honesty in weights and measures, forbiddance of intoxicants, severity of accusing someone of adultery, avoidance of theft, and forbiddance of polytheism etc21. Her knowledge of The Qur’an stunned the Caliph who had taken away her rightful property of Fadak. He wanted to give it back to her, but minutes later the Caliph in waiting forcibly tore off the incumbent Caliph’s letter, as the imbecile Caliph sat there, taking no action against his “king-maker” cohort.
Seyyida Siddiqatu Ttahiraa AS boldly confronted the usurpers to espouse the rightful cause of the immediate successorship to The Prophet SAWW of Imam Ali AS. For that she suffered violence and ostracism. Seyyida Maryam AS may have faced the agony of false allegation, but once Nabi Isa AS had spoken from the cradle, she was left physically unharmed.Seyyida Fatima AS’ trials and tribulations were relentless and began on the day The Prophet SAWW passed away and went on to the day she breathed her last. Indeed, even after hear death, efforts were made to disinter her, but the Lion of God would have none of it and the cowardly enemies, like three donkeys against one lion ran away from the battle, as was their wont, to live another day.
Seyyida Fatima AS stands above Seyyida Maryam AS. When she was still in her mother’s womb, she consoled her when the Quraish boycotted her and refused to come to her house to help her with delivery. Allah SWT demonstrated Seyyida Fatima AS’ status by sending Seyyida Hawwa, Seyyida Asiya, and Seyyida Maryam to act as Seyyida Fatima AS’ midwives and nurse and help Seyyida Khadija AS give birth to her.
Seyyida Fatima AS, as Allama Iqbal says, is the daughter of Rahmatun lil Alameen SAWW. He bestowed upon her the unique title of Umm Abiha, besides Seyyidati Nisaail Alameen and Seyyidati Nisaail Jannah. Perhaps we should revise the second line of Allama Iqbal’s couplet and say: “Az bisyar nisbat Hazrat e Zahra Aziz.”
NOTES
1.Hal Ataa… is the opening verse of The Qur’anic chapter 76, entitled Al-Insaan or Al-Dahr.
2.The titles of Imam Ali AS: The Chosen one, The Lion of God and Solver of Problems.
3.The Mother of Imams.
4.Neighbors first and then the family.
5.The Qur’an, 3:42.
6.The Qur’an, 33:33. Rijs is all types of physical and spiritual impurities.
7.Prophet Zakariyyah AS was Seyyida Maryam’s maternal uncle and guardian.
8.The Qur’an, 3:37.
9. Idem.
10. They alleged that she had conceived a child outside wedlock and had therefore shamed her community.
11.Fadak was personal property Of Seyyida Fatima AS bequeathed to her by The Prophet SAWW by Command of Allah SWT after the victory of Khaiber.
12.The Qur’an, 7:26.
13. When confiscating Seyyida Fatima AS’ personal property of Fadak, Abu Bakr argued that he had heard The Prophet SAWW’s la nurithu hadith i.e. “We prophets do not leave behind a legacy; whatever we leave as inheritance is charity (i.e. the umma’s property)”. Seyyida Fatima AS exposed the falsity of thishadith by quoting from The Qur’an verses that directly contradicted this concoction of the Caliph.
14.Both Shi’a and Sunni books have quoted this hadith of The Prophet SAWW.
15.They ended up crucifying one that resembled him while he was lifted to the heavens by Allah SWT. The Qur’an, 4:157.
16.The Qur’an, 25:27.
17.The Qur’an, 19:16-17.
18.Is Mushaf Fatima Another Shi’a Qur’an? AZ-ZAHRA. Jamadiul Thani 1426/ Aug 2005.
19.The Qur’an, 76: 7.
20.The Qur’an, 23:50.
21.Forty Ahadith of Seyyida Fatima AS.Fascinating Discourses of Fourteen Infallibles. Translated by Javed Iqbal Qazilbash. Ansariyan, Qum. Autumn 1373.
