It has been established, from all the traditions that we have mentioned, that al-Sayyida al-Zahra (‘a) was the closest human being to the Messenger of Allah (S) and her connection and link to the Prophet was like the connection of a part to the whole. Thus, the love, affection, care and fondness between them reached the highest level. It is not surprising, therefore, for the Prophet (S) to teach his daughter the best acts of worship, show her how to adopt the best etiquette, and bestow upon her the loftiest and most valuable of instructions.

Al-Zahra (‘a) received this heavenly knowledge from that pure, fresh spring and imbibed the exquisite nectar of truth from the receptacle of divine revelation, hence her attentive and observant heart was filled with all types of wisdom. Her bright mind and her perceptive intellect helped her understand the meanings of these teachings and preserve them in the best way and the most perfect form.

She had heard many of her father’s teachings and had learnt a large part of the Islamic laws, supplications, ethical principles, and wisdoms from him. All this was in addition to what Allah had inspired her with of knowledge and wisdom. We have already mentioned some of the details about this when we discussed her name ‘al-Muhaddathah’.

Jabir Ibn Abdillah narrates that the Prophet (S) said: “Verily Allah has made Ali, his wife and his children the Proofs of Allah over His creation, and they are the doors of knowledge for my ummah, So, whoever follows them will be guided to the right path.”1

It is Indeed, truly unfortunate that only very little has been narrated from her, because of her situation, and we will discuss this shortly. If al-Zahra (‘a) lived longer than she did and had a greater opportunity, the world would have been filled with knowledge, understanding and wisdom. This is not just a hollow claim, it is a reality and there is no doubt in it. We see that al-Sayyida al-Zahra got only two opportunities to speak in her life: first, when she gave a sermon in the Masjid of her father the Holy Prophet (S) and second, when she spoke to the women who had gathered at her house after they came to visit her during her illness.

We will shortly see the level of her knowledge and the greatness of her understanding as well as her ability to articulate, present and explicate. But alas, she lived a short life. We have mentioned the date of her birth, and we see that she died before reaching the age of twenty! So, what would have happened if al-Zahra had lived until she was fifty or sixty, and had more opportunity to speak? She would most surely have left a great intellectual treasure for the Muslim ummah as well as knowledge of different arts and sciences!

Let us look now at some of the sacred traditions that have been narrated from her:

1. From the Tafsir attributed to Imam al-’Askari (‘a): A lady came to al-Siddiqah Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) and said, “I have a frail old mother and she is confused about something related to her prayers. She has sent me to ask you…” So, Fatimah (‘a) answered her query. Then she asked another question, and al-Zahra answered that too. Then she asked a third and a fourth etc. until she had asked ten questions. All of them were answered by al-Sayyida Fatimah. The lady was ashamed for asking too many questions and said, “I do not wish to disturb you, O daughter of the Messenger of Allah.”

Fatimah (‘a) replied, “Come and ask me as many questions as you like. Do you think that a person who has been hired for a day to climb a mountain with a heavy load, and his wage [for this] is one hundred thousand dinars, would consider it a burden?” She said, “No.” al-Zahra (‘a) said, “I have been promised a reward, for each question [I answer], of more than the number of pearls that can fill the space between the heavens and earth, So, I have a greater reason not to consider it a burden. I have [also] heard my father (S) saying: ‘Verily when the scholars among our followers are resurrected, they will be granted attires of honour in accordance with the extent of their knowledge and their effort to guide the servants of Allah; and any one of them can receive up to a million garments of light.

Then a caller will call out: “O those who cared for the orphans of Muhammad (S) and supported them when they were separated from their [spiritual] fathers, who were their Imams, these are your students and the orphans whom you nurtured and supported. So, place upon them the attires of knowledge as you imparted it to them in the world.” Thus, each one of those orphans will be granted attires to the extent of knowledge they learnt from them. Until they – i.e., the orphans – will be granted up to a hundred thousand robes of honour, and these orphans will similarly grant these attires to those whom they taught.

Then Allah, the Most High, will say: “Return [the robes] to the scholars who took care of the orphans until you have given them all their attires, and give them even more, So, that they may gain their full reward and can pass on the robes of honour to those who preceded them and they too should pass them on to those [of their teachers] who preceded them.”’

Then Fatimah (‘a) continued, “O maidservant of Allah, one thread of that robe of honour is a million times greater than all upon which the sun shines!”2

2. In Da’awat al-Rawandi, Suwayd Ibn Ghafalah reports: Ali (‘a) was struck by some hardship, So, Fatimah (‘a) came to the Messenger of Allah (S) and knocked on his door. He said, “I sense the presence of my beloved at the door. O Umm Ayman, go and see!” So, she opened the door and Fatimah entered. The Prophet (S) said to her, “You have never come to us at such an hour before.” She said, “O Prophet of Allah, what food do the Angels have with their Lord?” He replied, “Glorification.” She said, “And what is our food?” The Messenger of Allah (S) said, “By the One in whose Hand is my soul, the fire of the stove has not been lit in the houses of the family of Muhammad for a month. I will [instead] teach you five phrases that Jibra’il (‘a) has taught me.” She said, “O Prophet of Allah, what are the five phrases?” He (S) said [they are]:

يا ربّ الأوّلين والآخرين، ويا خير الأوّلين والآخرين، ويا ذا القوّة المتين، ويا راحم المساكين، ويا أرحم الراحمين.

O Lord of the first and the last, O Best of the first and last, O Possessor of enduring might, O He who shows compassion to the needy, O Most Merciful.

Fatimah (‘a) returned home, and when Ali (‘a) saw her, he said, “May my parents be your ransom. What news do you bring O Fatimah?” She replied, “I went for this world and brought back the Hereafter!” Ali said, “You bring good, you bring good.”

3. In al-Kafi it has been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) that Fatimah came and complained to the Prophet (S) about some matters, So, the Prophet (S) gave her a piece from the trunk of a palm tree and said, “Learn what is inscribed on it.” The inscription read: ‘Whoever believes in Allah and the Final Day should not disturb his neighbour. Whoever believes in Allah and the Final Day should honour his guest. Whoever believes in Allah and the Final Day should either speak that which is good or remain silent.’3

4. Fatimah (‘a) has said: “Whoever sends up his sincere worship to Allah, Allah sends down to him that which is in his best interest.”4

5. Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) said: “I heard my father, the Messenger of Allah (S), when he was on his death bed and all the companions had gathered around him, say: ‘O people! I am soon to leave this world and I wish to tell you something in order to discharge my duty towards you. Know that I leave behind with you two [weighty] things: the Book of my Lord, the Almighty, and my progeny, the Ahl al-Bayt.’ Then he took Ali by the hand and said, ‘Here! Ali is with the Qur’an and the Qur’an is with Ali, they will not separate until they meet me at the pond [of Kawthar] So, I ask you to follow them both after I die.’”

Al-Qanduzi al-Hanafi said that this tradition has been narrated by thirty companions, and most of its chains are authentic and good.5

6. She (‘a) said: The Holy Prophet (S) has said: “Whoever wears a carnelian (‘aqiq) ring will continue seeing goodness for as long as he wears it.”6

7. Fatimah Bint Rasul Allah said: “What good is there in fasting for the one who fasts if he does not restrain his tongue, his ears, his eyes and his limbs [from that which is forbidden]?”7

8. Zayd Ibn Ali al-Shahid narrated from his father Ali Ibn al-Husayn who narrated from his father (‘a), who narrated from Fatimah, daughter of the Prophet (S), who said: “I heard the Holy Prophet (S) say: ‘Verily on Fridays there is a specific time when no believer asks Allah, the Almighty, for anything but that He bestows it to him.’” She said: “I asked, ‘O Prophet of Allah, what time is that?’ He replied, ‘When half of the sun’s sphere has set in the west [before dusk].’”

He (Zayd) continued: “Fatimah (‘a) used to tell her servant to climb on the roof and inform her when she saw that half of the sun’s sphere had set in the west, So, that she could supplicate [to Allah at that moment].”8

9. Hasan Ibn Hasan has narrated from his mother Fatimah Bint al-Husayn who narrated that Fatimah al-Kubra Bint Rasul Allah (S) said: “The Prophet of Allah said: ‘One who sleeps with the foul smell of pinguid meat on his hand should blame none but himself.’”9

10. It has been narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Hasan, from his father, from Fatimah al-Kubra (‘a), who said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) said, ‘Whenever two cruel soldiers meet in battle, Allah abandons them and does not care which one of them is victorious, and whenever two unjust soldiers fight, disaster strikes the one who is more oppressive of the two.’”10

11. Fatimah Bint al-Husayn narrates that Fatimah al-Kubra (‘a) said: “The Prophet of Allah (S) said: ‘All the children of Adam affiliate themselves with their ‘asabah, except the children of Fatimah, for Indeed, I am their ‘asabah.’”11

Note: ‘Asabah is the plural of ‘asib, just as talabah is the plural of talib, and a person’s ‘asabah are his children and his paternal relatives, because they are the people who surround him.

The Tradition Of The Tablet (Hadith Al-Lawh)

In al-Kafi, Abu Basir narrates that Imam al-Sadiq (‘a) said: “My father said to Jabir Ibn Abdillah al-Ansari, ‘I need to ask you something; when do you have time So, that I can meet you privately?’ Jabir replied, ‘Whenever you like.’ So, one day they met, and he said, ‘O Jabir, tell me about the tablet that you saw in my mother Fatimah Bint Rasul Allah’s hand and what my mother told you about what was inscribed therein.’ Jabir said, ‘Allah is my witness that I went to your mother Fatimah (‘a) during the lifetime of the Prophet of Allah (S) and congratulated her on the birth of al-Husayn. I saw a green tablet in her hand - I think it was made of emerald - and it had some inscriptions on it that were as bright as the sun.

I said to her, “May my parents be your ransom O daughter of the Prophet of Allah, what is this tablet?” She replied, “This is the tablet that Allah gifted to His Prophet (S). It contains the names of my father, my husband, my two sons and all the successors from my progeny. My father gave it to me in order to offer me glad tidings through it.”’ Jabir said, ‘Then your mother Fatimah (‘a) gave it to me. I read it and copied it down.’ My father (Imam al-Baqir) asked, ‘Do you have it with you O Jabir, and can you show it to me?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ So, my father accompanied him to his house and Jabir brought out a sheet of leather.

My father said, ‘O Jabir, look at what you have written, and I will recite it for you.’ So, Jabir looked at his writing and my father recited it [without looking at it], and not even one letter was different from what he said. Whereupon Jabir said, ‘I bear witness, by Allah, that I saw the following written on the tablet:

سم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

هذا كتاب من الله العزيز الحكيم لمحمد نبيه ونوره وسفيره وحجابه ودليله نزل به الروح مين من عند رب العالمين

This is a message from Allah, the Powerful, the Wise, to Muhammad His Prophet, His light, His emissary, His veil and His guide, which the Trusted Spirit has descended with from the Lord of the Universe:

عظم يا محمد أسمائي واشكر نعمائي ولا تجحد آلائي إني أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا قاصم جبارين ومديل المظلومين وديان الدين

Glorify – O Muhammad – My names and be grateful for My blessings and do not deny My bounties. Verily I am Allah, there is no god but Me, Destroyer of the tyrants, Aider of the oppressed and Master of the Day of Judgment.

إني أنا الله لا إله إلا أنا فمن رجا غير فضلي أو خاف غير عدلي عذبته عذابا أعذبه أحدا من العالمين فإياي فاعبد وعلي فتوكل إني لم أبعث نبيا فأكملت أيامه وانقضت مدته إلا جعلت له سيا وإني فضلتك على الأنبياء وفضلت وصيك على الأوصياء وأكرمتك بشبليك وسبطيك حسن وحسين

Verily I am Allah, there is no god but Me, So, whoever hopes for other than My kindness or fears anything other than My justice, I will Indeed, punish him with a punishment the like of which I have never used to punished anyone else in all My creation. So, worship only Me and put your trust only in Me. I have never sent a Prophet whose days come to an end and whose time finishes but that I assign a successor for him, and I have preferred you over all the prophets and your successor over all the successors. And I have honoured you with your two grandsons, Hasan and Husayn.

فجعلت ستا معدن علمي بعد انقضاء مدة أبيه وجعلت حسينا خازن وحبي وأكرمته بالشهادة وختمت له بالسعادة فهو أفضل استشهد وأرفع الشهداء درجة جعلت كلمتي التامة معه وحجتي البالغة عنده بعترته أثيب وأعاقب أولهم علي سيد ابدين وزين أوليائي الماضين

I have made Hasan the keeper of My knowledge after his father’s time comes to an end. I have made Husayn the custodian of My revelation and have honoured him with martyrdom, giving him a felicitous end – for he is the greatest among those who lay down their lives and the highest of the martyrs in rank. I have placed My perfect word and My conclusive argument with him. Through his progeny, will I reward and punish. The first among them is Ali, the Master of the Worshippers (Sayyid al-’Abidin) and the Adornment of the Bygone Friends of Allah (Zayn Awliya’ al-Madhin).

وابنه شبه جده المحمود محمد الباقر علمي والمعدن الحكمتي

Then his son, who resembles his grandfather, the Praised one (al-Mahmud), Muhammad, the splitter of My knowledge (al-Baqir ‘Ilmi) and the repository of My wisdom (al-Ma’din li Hikmati).

سيهلك المرتابون في عفر الراد عليه كالراد على حق القول مني لأكر من مثوى جعفر ولأسرته في أشياعه وأنصاره وأوليائه

Those who doubt will be destroyed in [the case of his son] Ja’far. The one who refuses him is like the one who refuses Me. This is a true promise from Me: I will certainly grant Ja’far an honourable abode [in the Hereafter] and I will ask him about his followers, helpers and friends.

أتيحت بعده سى فتنة عمياء حند سلأن خيط فرضي لا ينقطع وحجتي لا تخفى وأن أوليائي يسقون بالكأس

After him I have selected Musa, [to illuminate the path for My servants] in the face of the blindingly dark trial, because the chain of My command does not get severed and My manifest proof is not hidden, and Indeed, My close friends will be given drink from the full cup.

الأوفى من جحد حدا منهم فقد جحد نعمتي ومن غير آية من كتابي فقد افترى علي ويل للمفترين الجاحدين

Whoever denies any one of them has denied My blessing, and whoever changes a verse from the Book has ascribed lies to Me; and woe be to the liars and deniers!

عند انقضاء مدة سى عبدي وحبيبي وخيرتي في علي ولبي وناصري ومن أضع عليه أعباء النبوة وأمتحنه بالاضطلاع بها يقتله قريت مستكبر يدفن في المدينة التي بناها العبد الصالح إلى جنب شر خلقي

When the time of Musa ends, My servitude and love will be seen in My chosen servant Ali. He is My friend and helper, and the one upon whose shoulders I will place the charge of the Prophets, with which I will test him. He will be assassinated by an arrogant fiend and buried in the city that was built by al-Abd al-Salih (i.e. the city of Tus), next to the worst of my creatures.

حق القول مني لأسرته بمحمد ابنه خليفته من بعده ووارث علمه فهو معدن علمي وموضع سري وحجتي على خلقي لا يؤمن عبد به إلا جعلت الجنة واه وشفعته في سبعين من أهل بيته كلهم قد استوجبوا النار

This is a true promise from Me: I shall give him the joy of a son, Muhammad, who will be his successor after him and the heir of his knowledge. He is the repository of My knowledge, the holder of My secret and My proof over the people. No servant shall believe in him but that I make Paradise his recompense and give him permission to intercede for seventy members of his family, all of whom would be deserving of the fire of Hell.

وأختم بالسعادة لابنه علي ولي وناصري والشاهد في لقي وأميني على وحبي أخرج منه الداعي إلى سبيلي والخازن لعلمي الحسن

I will make felicitous his son Ali, My friend and helper, My witness over the people and the custodian of My revelation. From him will I bring out the caller to My path and the keeper of My knowledge, al-Hasan.

وأكمل ذلك بابنه محمد رحمة سالمين عليه كمال موسى وبهاء عيسى وصبر أيوب فيذل أوليائي في زمانه وتتهادى رءوسهم كما تتهادى رءوس ترك والديلم فيقتلون ويحرقون ويكونون خائفين مرعوبين وجلين تصبغ الأرض بدمائهم ويفشو الويل والرنة في

And I will complete that with his son “mim, ha, mim, dal”,12the mercy for mankind. He shall have the perfection of Musa, the splendour of ‘Isa and the patience of Ayyub. During his time [of occultation], my friends will be humiliated, and their heads will be exchanged as gifts, just as the heads of al-Turk and al-Daylam13were exchanged as gifts [among their enemies], and they will be killed and burnt. They will be frightened, scared, and terrified. Their blood will flow on the earth and their women will wail and scream.

سائهم أولئك أوليائي حقا بهم أدفع كل فتنة عمياء حندس وبهم أكشف الزلازل وأدفع الآصار والأغلال أولئك ليهم صلوات من ربهم ورحمة وأولئك هم المهتدون.

These are My true friends (awliya’). Through them will I remove every strife of blinding darkness. Through them I will stop the quakes and remove the shackles and fetters. They are the recipients of the blessings of their Lord and His mercy, and it is they who are the rightly guided.

Abd al-Rahman Ibn Salim says: Abu Basir said: “If you don’t hear any other tradition in your life but this one, it is sufficient for you. So, protect it from all but those who are worthy of it.”14

After learning about the knowledge of al-Zahra and how close she was to the Prophet (S), let us see what al-’Aqqad has said and then you can either laugh or cry:

In his book Fatimah wa al-Fatimiyyun, al-’Aqqad has mentioned a weak tradition, deeming it as good and reliable himself, as though he finds it pleasing. Part of it contains the following preposterous statement:

The sense of religiosity in the heiress of Muhammad and Khadijah was such that she was extreme in her beliefs about religious ordinances. So, much So, that she thought that if she ate cooked food, it would become obligatory to perform ablution (wudhu’). This is evident from the tradition of Hasan Ibn al-Hasan, from Fatimah who said: “The Messenger of Allah (S) came to visit me and ate some meat. At that moment, Bilal recited the call to prayer (adhan) So, he stood up to pray.

I held his robe and said: ‘O father, do you not perform the ablution?’ He asked: ‘For what reason should I perform ablution my daughter?’ I said: ‘Because of that [food] which has touched fire.’ So, he said: ‘Is not the best of your food that which has touched fire?’”

This shows that when she was ignorant about something, she would espouse the stricter view rather than the more tolerant one, and she preferred putting herself in hardship rather than being more lenient with herself.15

I do not know how such a lie was fabricated. A lie that was contrived by the hand of vain desire and spoken on the tongues of liars and falsifiers! I do not even seek a reference for this fable from al-’Aqqad, for the so-called tradition has evident signs of falsity, deception and fabrication, and one does not even need to look at its original source [to determine this].

I only wish to ask: From whom did al-Zahra take her religious knowledge? And from whom did she learn the laws of Islam? Wasn’t her father, the Holy Prophet (S), the primary source of her education? And wasn’t her husband the Gate to the City of the Prophet’s knowledge? And before both of these was the Glorious Qur’an, part of which was revealed in her house!

So, where did this misconception [of hers] come from? From the Qur’an? From her father? From her husband? And how is it that the Mistress of all Women of the World was ignorant about this ruling despite it being something that is occurs frequently and affects people in their daily lives?

Was it the case that al-Sayyida Fatimah used to take her religious instructions from liars and fabricators such that she learnt this ruling from them? Was it for this reason that she held the robe of her father in order to prevent him from praying without ablution? I do not know, but maybe al-’Aqqad and those who fabricated this fable know!

Fatimah Al-Zahra (‘A) And The Hijab

One of the teachings of Islam, which was observed by al-Sayyida al-Zahra (‘a) in the best manner possible, is the protection of a woman’s dignity and the preservation of her identity through the wearing of a veil and a covering. Al-Zahra (‘a) knew - and this has been confirmed by [contemporary] sociological studies also - that millions of crimes, offences and scandals result from being dressed inappropriately, putting on make-up, lewdness and mixing with the opposite gender, all of which are referred to in our times as ‘freedom’ and ‘progress’!

If you do not believe this, then just peruse the newspapers and magazines that are published daily and weekly in Muslim and non-Muslim countries, So, that you may come to know the number of victims who are sacrificed in the name of ‘civilization’, ‘progress’ and ‘freedom’!

From the cases of rape to the crimes of abortion and infanticide, the instances of infidelity in marriage, the destruction of the family and splitting the household apart, and many other forms of corruption all result from the evil of indecency and its negative consequences.

Let us recall that not even a small fraction of these offences was committed against the Muslim woman when she believed in veiling and in chastity and modesty! That was when she believed in the lawful (halal) and the forbidden (haram)! That was when she did not allow any unrelated man to look upon her!

How different it is when she puts her body, her head, and her face on display for hundreds or thousands of strange men, of different faiths and persuasions, to see! When principles and values are lost, the Muslim woman falls to where she has fallen and that which is bound to happen to her, happens.

Take a look at the following two traditions which show the amazement of the Prophet (S) at the words of his pure and chaste daughter, Fatimah al-Zahra, about women, and his approval and appreciation of her views:

1. Abu Na’im narrates from Anas Ibn Malik, who said: “The Holy Prophet (S) asked, ‘What is the best thing for women?’ We did not know what to say, So, Ali went to Fatimah and informed her about this. She said, ‘Why do you not reply: “the best thing for them is that they should not look at [strange] men and should not be seen by them.”’ So, Ali went to the Prophet and informed him of this. The Prophet said, ‘… it is true that she (Fatimah) is part of me.’”16

This has been narrated in another way as follows:

Ali (‘a) narrates that he asked Fatimah, “What is the best thing for women?” She replied, “That they should not look at men and should not be seen by them.” So, when Ali related this to the Prophet (S), he said, “Fatimah is part of me.”

2. Ibn al-Mughazili says in his Manaqib that Imam Ali Ibn al-Husayn Ibn Ali (‘a) narrated that Fatimah Bint Rasul Allah (S) was once asked for permission [to enter] by a blind man, So, she veiled herself from him. The Prophet (S) asked her, “Why have you veiled yourself from him when he cannot see you?” She replied, “O Prophet of Allah, if he cannot see me, then I can see him, and he can also smell my fragrance.” The Prophet (S) said, “I bear witness that you are part of me!”

• 1. Shawahid al-Tanzil, vol. 1, p. 76.
• 2. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 2, p. 3.
• 3. al-Kafi, vol. 2, p. 667.
• 4. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 71, p. 184.
• 5. Yanabi’ al-Mawaddah, vol. 2, p. 96.
• 6. Amali al-Tusi, p. 311.
• 7. Mustadrak al-Wasa’il, vol. 7, p. 366.
• 8. Dala’il al-Imamah, p. 71, and with a slight difference in Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 400.
• 9. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 554.
• 10. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 1, p. 553.
• 11. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 228.
• 12. ‘Muhammad’ written in disjointed letters. (Tr.).
• 13. These were two tribes among the polytheists of the past whose enemies treated them ruthlessly. (Tr.).
• 14. al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 527.
• 15. ‘Abbas Mahmud al-’Aqqad (d. 1384 A.H.), Fatimah al-Zahra wa al-Fatimiyyun, p. 58.
• 16. Hilyat al-Awliya’, vol. 2, p. 40.