One day when the Prophet ( saw ) came out and joined his companions his face was beaming with joy. Abd al Rahman ibn Awf inquired as to the cause 2of his ( saw ) joy and the Prophet ( saw ) said :

I have received good tidings from my Lord about my brother and the son of my uncle, that Allah has given my daughter Fatima, Peace be Upon Her and her progeny, in marriage to Ali.

Sawaiq Al Muhriqah page 103

The Prophet ( saw ) said :

O Fatima ! Are you not pleased with this, that Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, cast a glance on the dwellers of the earth and selected from them two men, one of them your father and the other your husband ?

Ibn Abu Hatam has recorded a report from Anas, who says that Umar and Abu Bakr came to the Prophet ( saw ) and each of them requested to give him the hand of Fatima ( as ). But the Prophet ( saw ) kept silent and gave no answer. Then both of them went to Ali ( as ) and told him that they had asked for the hand of Fatima ( as ), but the Prophet ( saw ) gave no answer. They requested Ali ( as ) to ask for the hand of Fatima ( as ).

Many eminent traditionists have copied this report from Ibn Hatam. Ibn Hajar Asqalani ( Hadith Scientist ) has recorded in the opening part of Chapter 11 of Sawaiq al Muhriqah.
Kanz al Ummal Volume 6 page 153
Musnad of Imam Ahmed Volume 5 page 31

The Prophet ( saw ) gave Abu Bakr some money and asked him to accompany Salman and Bilal to buy some house hold necessities for Fatimas house. The Prophet said to Abu Bakr :

Buy some appropriate household necessities for my daughter with this money.

He ( saw ) gave me sixty three ( 63 ) dirhams, so we went to the market and bought the following

	a leather mat
	a Khaibairion cloak
	jugs and jars for water
	a thin curtain made of wool
	a veil costing 4 ( foour ) dirhams
	a bed embellished with ribbon
	a mat from Hajar
	a special copper container used for dye stuff
	a water skin

Contributed by Br. Ali Abbas, abbas@seas.gwu.edu.