Chapter 16: Fatimah Al-Zahra (‘A) After The Death Of The Prophet (S)
Every day in the world, fathers die, and their daughters experience the grief of their loss, and cry and mourn for them. However, the level of grief and sadness varies among the different fathers and daughters based on the extent of love between each father and his daughter. There are many daughters who get nothing from their fathers but paternity. There is no love or affection between them, So, it is as if they share no relationship or bond. On the other hand, there are some fathers who shower their daughters with love, affection and respect, and they are careful not to hurt their daughters’ feelings and ensure that nothing should tarnish their honour. Such fathers find similar feelings of love and reverence reciprocated by their daughters. In these instances, the bond of love between the father and daughter is Indeed, strong and the loss of the father leaves a deep wound in the heart of his daughter.
We have seen how close the Messenger of Allah (S) was with his pure daughter Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a), and it is important to understand that the relationship of al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra with her father, and her love for him, was not merely because he fulfilled his paternal duties or because he was a Prophet, rather al-Sayyida Fatimah considered him a loving father and an affectionate parent, who was always kind and compassionate. At the same time, she knew that he was the Messenger of Allah and the Master of all the Prophets and Messengers, So, she respected her father the way any believing woman would respect her Prophet, and she revered him with the greatest reverence and veneration. Al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) was, after all, the most learned woman in Islam and the most knowledgeable about the greatness of the Prophet of Islam.
After this introduction, it becomes clear to us that the calamity of the demise of the Prophet (S) took away from his righteous daughter all ease and comfort, all calmness and tranquillity. Al-Zahra experienced the greatest hardships and the worst of calamities among all of creation. Let us see what Fidhdhah, the maidservant of al-Zahra, says about the overwhelming sorrow of al-Sayyida Fatimah at the demise of her father, the Prophet (S):
“When the Prophet (S) passed away, both the young and old grieved and wept a lot. The loss was especially difficult to bear for his close relatives, companions, and friends, and was even difficult for unrelated strangers. Everyone was seen weeping and mourning. There was nobody on earth, from the relatives, companions, and intimate friends, who was more grief-stricken and who wept more than al-Sayyida Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a). Her grief would constantly become renewed and increase, and her crying became more intense all the time. She sat for seven days weeping incessantly, and each day her weeping would be more intense than the day before.
When the eighth day came, she unburdened all that she had hidden of her sorrow and could bear it no longer. When she came out and wailed, all the people began weeping, and the womenfolk rushed to her. The lanterns were switched off So, that the faces of the women would not be seen. Al-Sayyida Fatimah would cry out to her father saying: ‘O father! O Chosen one! O Muhammad! O Aba al-Qasim! O Caretaker of the widows and orphans! Who will now take charge of the Qiblah and the Musalla? Who will now take care of your bereaved and grieving daughter?’
Then she came forward stumbling over her gown, unable to see what was in front of her because of her tears that flowed continuously, until she reached near the grave of her father, the Prophet of Allah (S). When she saw the chamber and when her eyes fell on the place where the call to prayer was recited, she fainted. The women rushed to her and sprinkled water on her face and chest, until she regained consciousness.
Then she stood up saying, ‘My strength has been taken away, my patience has come to an end, my enemy gloats over my grief, and my sorrow is killing me. O father! I have become sad and forlorn, distressed and alone. My voice has gone silent, my back has been broken, my life has become bitter, and my days have become dark. I do not find – O father – anyone to comfort me and to console me. I have nobody to aid me in my weakness, for after you, the revelation has ceased and Jibra’il does not have a place to descend to and Mika’il has nowhere to come. Everything has been overturned after you, O father, and the doors [of hope] have been shut in my face. I find no joy in life after you, and as long as I breathe, I will continue grieving for you. My yearning for you will never decrease and neither will my sorrow.’
Then she recited:
إنّ حزني عليك حزنٌ جديد
وفؤادي والله صبّ عنيدُ
Indeed, my sorrow for you is a new sorrow,
and my heart is, by Allah, relentlessly pouring forth
كل يوم يزيد فيه شجوني
واكتئابي عليك ليس يبيدُ
Every day in it increases my melancholy,
and my despair from your loss knows no end
جلّ خطبي، فبان عنّي عزائي
فبكائي في كل وقتٍ جديدُ
My hardship is great and my solace has forsaken me,
and my tears are fresh at all times
إنّ قلباً عليك يألف صبراً
أو عزاءً فإنّه لجليدُ
Indeed, a heart that becomes accustomed to patiently bear your loss,
or to accept consolation is surely hard as stone.1
Then she cried out: ‘O father, after you the lights of this world have dimmed and its flowers have withered away, as they were irradiated by your graceful presence. O father, I will remain sad until I finally meet you! O father, I have not slept since you were separated from me! O father, who will now take care of the widows and orphans? And who is there [now] for the ummah until the Day of Resurrection? O father, after you we have been oppressed! O father, the people have now turned away from us, whereas in your presence we used to be respected by the people! So, which eye would not shed copious tears for your loss? And which heart does not feel intense grief? And which eyelid closes to sleep after you? You are the spring of religion and the light of the Prophets. How is it that the mountains do not move and the seas, after you, are not sucked under the ground? And how is it that the earth does not shake? O father, I have been struck by grave misfortunes and the tribulations that have befallen me are many. I have – O father – faced severe hardship and terrible injustice [after you].
O father, the angels are mourning for you, and the celestial bodies have stopped moving. Your pulpit is empty after you and your prayer niche is missing your whispered prayers. Your grave is pleased to have you within in, and Paradise yearns for you and your supplications and prayers. O father, how dark has the place you used to sit become! O how sad I am until I am quickly reunited with you.
Abu al-Hasan, your trusted brother, the father of your sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn, your successor, your intimate friend and the one whom you raised when he was a child and took as a brother when he had grown, is grieving for you. He was your closest friend and companion. He was the first among the Muhajirun and Ansar.
Grief has engulfed us! Weeping is killing us! Sorrow has overwhelmed us!’” Then she cried and wailed in a manner that would break the hearts, and recited:
قلَّ صبري وبان عنّي عزائي
بعد فقدي لخاتم الأنبياءِ
My patience has waned and my solace has forsaken me,
after I lost the seal of the Prophets
عين يا عين اسكبي الدمع سحّاً
ويك لا تبخلي بفيض الدماءِ
Eye, O Eye, shed tears that flow like a river,
and be sure not to be niggardly with your tears!
يا رسول الإله يا خيرة الله
وكهف الأيتام والضعفاءِ
O Prophet of the Lord, O he who was chosen by Allah,
O refuge of the orphans and the weak
قد بكتك الجبال والوحش جمعاً
والطير والأرض بعد بكي السماءِ
Indeed, the mountains and wild animals all weep for you,
as do the birds and the earth after the skies
وبكاك الحجون والركن والمشـ
ـعر - يا سيّدي - مع البطحاءِ
The Hajun, the Rukn and the Mash’ar all weep for you O master,
as does the sacred valley of Batha’ (Makkah)
وبكاك المحراب والدرس
للقرآن في الصبح معلناً والمساءِ
The prayer niche weeps for you as does the Qur’an
that was recited loudly [by you] in the mornings and evenings
وبكاك الإسلام إذ صار في النا
س غريباً من سائر الغرباءِ
And Islam weeps as well for it has become among the people
a stranger like the rest of the strangers
لو ترى المنبر الذي كنت تعلو
ه علاه الظلام بعد الضياءِ
If you see the pulpit that you used to ascend,
it is now ascended by darkness after it was occupied by light
يا إلهي عجّل وفاتي سريعاً
(فلقد عِفْتُ الحياة يا مولائي)
O Lord hasten my departure from this world,
for Indeed, life has become bitter for me my Master!2
Then Fatimah al-Zahra (‘a) took some dust from the grave of her father, the Prophet of Allah (S), and started smelling it as she recited:
ماذا على مَن شمّ تربة أحمدٍ
إن لا يشمّ مدى الزمان غواليا
For the one who smells the fragrance of the earth of Ahmad’s grave,
what does he care if he does not smell any other perfume throughout his life
قل للمغيّب تحت أطباق الثرى
إن كنت تسمع صرختي وندائيا
Say to the one who has disappeared under the layers of earth,
If you hear my cries and calls…:
صُبَّت عليَّ مصائب لو أنّها
صُبَّت على الأيام صرن لياليا
Such hardships have befallen me that
if they were to befall on days they would turn to nights!
قد كنت ذات حمى بظلّ محمّدٍ
لا أخش من ضيم وكان حمىً ليا
I used to be protected under the shadow of Muhammad,
never fearing injustice, as he was my supporter
فاليوم أخضع للذليل وأتّقي
ضيمي، وأدفع ظالمي بردائيا
But today I fear the depraved and I am afraid of
the one who wrongs me, fending off my oppressor with my robe
فإذا بكت قمريّة في ليلها
شجناً على غصنٍ بكيت صباحيا
So just as the turtledove cries during the night
perched on its branch, I cry during the day
فلأجعلنّ الحزن بعدك مؤنسي
ولأجعلنّ الدمع فيك وِشاحيا
After you, I will surely make grief my inseparable companion
and will make my tears for you my ornament
Zayni Dihlan has narrated the following elegy in al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah that she (‘a) recited to eulogize her father after he (S) was buried:
اغبرَّ آفاق السماء وكوّرت
شمس النهار وأظلم العصرانِ
The horizon of the skies have been covered in dust and
the sun is wound up, turning daytime into darkness
والأرض من بعد النبيّ كئيبة
أسفاً عليه كثيرة الرجفانِ
The land is desolate after the demise of the Prophet
due to sorrow at his loss, often quavering
فليبكه شرق البلاد وغربها
وليبكه مضرٌ وكل يماني
So let the east weep over him and the west,
and let the [tribe of] Mudhar weep and all of Yaman
وليبكه الطود المعظّم جوّه
والبيت ذو الأستار والأركانِ
Let the mountain with lofty peaks weep over him,
and the house with curtains and corners (i.e. the Ka’bah)
يا خاتم الرسل المبارك ضوؤه
صلّى عليك منزّل القرآنِ
O Seal of the Prophets whose light is blessed,
may the Revealer of the Qur’an send His blessings upon you
Then she returned home and started crying and weeping. After this, her head was always covered, her body became frail, her back was bent out of grief, her eyes were always full of tears, her heart was sad and she would faint every now and then.3 She would say to her two sons: “Where is your grandfather who used to honour you and carry you on his shoulders from time to time? Where is your grandfather who loved you the most and did not even let you walk on the ground? I do not see him opening this door ever again, nor do I see him carrying you both on his shoulders as he always used to do!”
When the Holy Prophet (S) passed away, Bilal refused to recite the adhan saying, “I will not recite the call to prayer for anyone after the Prophet of Allah (S).” One day Fatimah said: “I have a strong desire to hear the voice of my father’s muadhdhin reciting the adhan.” When Bilal heard this, he began reciting the adhan. When he said: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,” she recalled her father and the days when he was alive. She could not control herself and broke down crying. When he called out: “Ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasul Allah,” Fatimah (‘a) swooned and fell on her face, having lost consciousness. The people said to Bilal: “Stop O Bilal! Indeed, the daughter of the Prophet of Allah (S) has left this world!” They thought that she had died. So, Bilal stopped his adhan and did not complete it. When Fatimah regained consciousness and requested him to complete the adhan, he asked to be excused saying: “O Mistress of all Women, I fear for you and what happens to you when you hear my voice as I recite the adhan.” So, she excused him.4
Amir al-Mu’minin (‘a) said: “I washed the body of the Prophet (S) in his shirt. Fatimah would ask me to show the shirt to her. Then she would smell its fragrance and faint. When I saw this, I hid it.”5 And it is narrated from Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (‘a) that: “Fatimah lived for seventy-five days after the Prophet of Allah (S). During this time, she was never seen smiling or laughing. She would come to the graves of the martyrs every Monday and Thursday and say: ‘This is where the Holy Prophet stood, and this is where the polytheists were positioned.’”6
Mahmud Ibn Labid said: “When the Prophet of Allah (S) died, Fatimah (‘a) would go to the graves of the martyrs and sit next to Hamzah’s grave and weep. One day, I went to the grave of Hamzah and saw her there, weeping. I gave her time until she calmed down. Then I came to her and offering greetings, I said: ‘O Mistress of all women, Indeed, my heart has been deeply hurt by your weeping.’ She replied: ‘O Aba ‘Amr, it is my right to cry for I have suffered the loss of the best of fathers, the Prophet of Allah. O how I miss the Messenger of Allah!’
Then she began reciting the following verses:
إذا مات يوماً ميّتٌ قلَّ ذكره
وذكر أبي مذ مات - والله - أكثر
If one day a person dies, his memory gradually diminishes,
yet the memory of my father, by Allah, has increased ever since he died!7
What we learn from history and the abovementioned narrations is that al-Sayyida Fatimah (‘a) used to cry over her father at her home, and when they prevented her from weeping in her home, she went to Uhud. But when she became ill and could not go to Uhud, she would go to Baqi’ and to the house of sorrows (bayt al-ahzan), as we shall see in the coming pages.
