FATIMATU ZZAHRAA AS IS HUJJATULLAH

FATIMA AS IS HUJJATULLAH Dr Muhsin Alidina Hujjah is translated as proof or argument in Islamic literature. Thus, our Twelfth Imam AS is considered the Proof of ALLAH SWT on Earth at present. Another interpretation of hujjah is authority . Thus, Imam Al-Hujjah AFS is the manifestation of the authority of ALLAH SWT on Earth. In The Qur’an, 6:149, the expression “HUJJATUL BALIGHAH” is used to mean “conclusive argument” or “final argument, which reaches home.” 2 and in MAFATIIHUL JINAAN there is a Salawaat ‘alaa Hujaji Ttahiriin dictated by Imam Hassan Al-Askari AS. It is in the light of this concept of “hujjah” that we will look at the status of Hadhrat Fatimatu-Zzahraa AS. Mankind is in need of hujjah so that on the Day of Judgment a person can be questioned according to the hujjah s/he followed. Thus, The Qur’an says: رُّسُلًا مُّبَشِّرِينَ وَمُنذِرِينَ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى اللَّهِ حُجَّةٌ بَعْدَ الرُّسُلِ ۚ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَزِيزًا حَكِيمًا (4:165)” (We sent) apostles as the givers of good tidings and as warners, so that people should not have a plea against ALLAH after (the coming of) the apostles; and ALLAH is Mighty, Wise”. Hadhrat Fatimatu Zzahraa AS has been described by Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir AS as a higher hujjah than ambiyaa and Aimmah except for The Prophet SAWW and Imam Amirul Muminiin AS. In other words, she commands obedience from Ambiyaa and the Aimmah except for The Prophet SAWW and Imam Amirul Muminiin AS. Imam Hassan Al-Askari AS has stated: “We are proofs over the people, but she is hujjah over us.” The question we ask is what has qualified her for such a high status of being hujjah over Ambiyaa and Aimmah AS as testified by two Aimmah Maasumiin AS. The first quality she has is that of sabr. The Qur’an exalts this quality and makes it a criterion for Imamah or hujjah: “We made among them Aimmah to guide by Our Command when they were patient, and they were certain of Our communication.” (32:24). The word Sabr here refers to control over nafs (the self, desires)and the subjugation of nafs to aql which in turn is subjugated to the Will of ALLAH SWT. Examples from the life of Hadhrat Zahra AS will show how she subjugated her nafs to aql and the aql to the Will of The Almighty SWT. 1.When she was getting married to Imam Ali AS, she asked her father The Prophet SAWW what her duties were. The Prophet SAWW instructed her that the husband was the Lord outside the house and the wife was the queen inside the house. This division of labor pleased her and she embraced it with joy. 2.The respect and affection she gave to Imam Ali AS was testified by the Imam AS himself who said: “By ALLAH, Fatima never angered me nor did she ever go against my command”. In his turn, Imam Ali AS never angered her, nor did he lord over her. Thus, when she passed away, the Imam AS used to miss her and would lament that her fragrance has remained while she was gone. 3.Imam Ali AS and Sayyidah Fatima AS used to jointly care for the children and shared in their upbringing. When Sayyidah AS was busy with household chores, Imam AS would tend to the children. This mutual cooperation and collaboration made their domestic life blissful and blessed. 4.She hardly ever made any demands and as they lived a strained life that was also the lot of the ummah at that time, she would give away her share of the food to the Imam AS, self-sacrifice which is another quality that entitled her to the status of hujjah. One day when Imam Ali AS asked for food, she told him that there was nothing left in the house and when he asked her why she had not told him, her reply was: “My father admonished me never to ask you for anything lest it be beyond your capacity and you might feel embarrassed since you give away what you earn and to be satisfied with whatever you provide.” 5.Imam Amirul Muminiin AS faced many hardships after the passing away of The Prophet SAWW and Sayyidah AS suffered too. Yet, she never complained and stood steadfast by her husband with Sabr, the quality that raised her status to that of hujjah. 6.Once when a person she did not like asked Imam Ali AS if he could see her, the Imam AS consulted her and she told the Imam AS that it was his house and she would abide by his decision. Besides sabr, she possessed yaqin (certitude), another quality deserving such lofty status. She expressed her certitude in ALLAH SWT and surrendered totally to His Will in her Du’a to The Almighty SWT. She sought aught but rizqan halalan, wasi’an tayyiban from Him. She beseeched Him to make her independent and self-sufficient except from Him. In other words, she placed total reliance on His provisions. She sought to increasingly thank Him and be indigent for Him and benefit from none but Him. She beseeched Him to raise her to seek perfection. She asked ALLAH SWT to make her among those who reached such realization of ALLAH SWT as if they saw Him while He is invisible. And she sought only his pleasure to the last breath of her life. She saw, thought, strove and attained perfection for the sake of none but ALLAH SWT. So, she is the hujjah over herself, the Ambiyaa and Aimmah AS and of course over us. We, in turn, always need to strive to revere, follow obey and remember her. REFERENCES 1.The material in this essay is based on the lecture of Dr. Murtadha Alidina on Sayyidah Fatima AS 2. Arabic-English Dictionary 3. John Penrice: A Dictionary and Glossary of The Kor-An. Rahim Brothers Publishers, Karachi, December 1987 4. Shaikh Abdul Kareem Parekh: The Easy Dictionary of The Qur’an. Al-Minar Books, 2nd edition, 1997