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Social Relations In Islam

Social Relations In Islam

Author:
Publisher: Foreign Department of Bethat Foundation
English

This book is corrected and edited by Al-Hassanain (p) Institue for Islamic Heritage and Thought

Social Relations In Islam

In what way does Islam shape the social relationships? How does it limit them and why?

This present book compares Islam with the western civilization and with various schools of thought.

There are a lot of differences but the most striking are the fact that Islam bases its teachings on the search of truth while the other bases their teachings on the opinion of the majority; and the fact that Islam does not believe in geographical and racial frontiers which separate human beings into small communities and nations.

The writer believes the frontier is belief, a fact which makes possible a universal community.

Author(s): Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabatabai

Publisher(s): Foreign Department of Bethat Foundation

www.alhassanain.org/english

IN THE NAME OF ALLAH

Table of Contents

Translator's Preface 4

1. Man And Society 6

2. Man And His Social Growth 7

Note 8

3. Islam's Special Attention To Society 9

4. Islam's Respect for the Individual and Society 11

5. Is The Islamic Social Law Practicable And Constant? 14

Notes 23

6. How The Islamic Society Came Into Existence, And How It Continues Its Existence 25

Notes 29

6. How The Islamic Society Came Into Existence, And How It Continues Its Existence 31

Notes 35

8. Why Should One Expect Compensation From God While One Turns Away From Others? 37

Note 38

9. The Meaning of Liberty In Islam 39

Notes 40

10. What Is The Way Of Change And Evolution In Islamic Society? 41

Notes 43

11. Can Religion Guarantee The Happiness Of The Present Life 44

12. From The Viewpoint Of Islam Who Should Act As Society's Guardian, And What Should Be His Way? 46

Notes 50

13. The Frontier of the Islamic Realm is “Belief” Not Natural Or Conventional Limits 51

Translator's Preface

The great scholar and philosopher Sayed Muhammad Hossein Tabataba'i was born in 1902 at Tabriz in a family whose members had been men of learning for many generations. He spent his youthful years at Najaf in Iraq where he studied various branches of philosophy and jurisprudence under well-known scholars of the time and returned to his native town at the age of 33. After 11years he decided to make the holy city of Qum his residence where he died in 1981 after a long period of illness at the age of eighty.

He won fame as a philosopher, particularly in Islamic branches of knowledge, not only in Iran but also in many countries of the world including America and France where some of his works have been translated into English and French. He is considered by many American and European scholars as one of the most distinguished philosophers of the modern world.

His most famous contribution is the volumes of “Tafsir al-Mizan” which is considered as the finest interpretation of the Qur'an ever written during the last fourteen centuries. He has written many books and theses on jurisprudence and philosophy as well as discourses, articles and interviews on religious topics.

He did not only serve mankind but also his other valuable contribution was starting a school of thought KTI, which combined knowledge and ethics, where he trained many pupils who became great asset to the society in their particular fields.

He was a staunch upholder of education in both theory and practice, based on a deep conviction and belief in religion.

In this book the writer emphasizes the social aspect of Islam and shows to what extent it permeates the life of each individual. He compares Islam with western civilization and with various schools of thought, and finds them inadequate, since Islam bases its teachings on the search for truth, while all the others follow the verdict of the majority. He considers the goal of Islam to be human happiness, while other schools have exploitation as their objective. He is surprised at the indifference of westerners towards Islamic principles and their influence on human society, and thinks this attitude to be due to prejudice or some ulterior motive.

According to him the superiority of Islam is in its goal, its belief in monotheism as the basis of society and law and all social acts, and in the faith in resurrection, which is the guarantee for the execution of all laws entrusted to Islamic government as well as to society. In Islam both material and spiritual things have their due importance. He does not believe in geographical or racial frontiers which separate human beings into small communities or nations. He thinks this frontier to consist of belief, a fact which makes a universal community possible.

In this book the letter (S) stands after Muhammad's name as an abbreviation for the customary phrase ‘Greetings on him and his household' as a sign of reverence towards the Prophet.

In conclusion I wish to express my thanks to Mr Khurshid Ali, editor of the Bethat Foundation for his co-operation in reading the original script and for his valuable suggestions.

A.P.

1. Man And Society

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

“O you, who believe, be patient, steadfast and united and fear God, so that you may win salvation.” Aali ‘Imran, 3: 199

******

Human beings are gregarious by nature, so that sociability is inherent in them. This is a fact acceptable without much debate.

Both history and recent archeological discoveries prove that man has always lived a social life. The evidence refers to the eras in which man has lived. Moreover the Qur'an repeatedly mentions this fact in numerous verses and in the most convincing manner.

The Qur’an says in the following verses:

“So their Lord accepted their prayer: That I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other; they, therefore, who fled and were turned out of their homes and persecuted in My way and who fought and were slain, I will most certainly cover their evil deeds, and I will most certainly make them enter gardens beneath which rivers flow; a reward from Allah, and with Allah is yet better reward.” Aali ‘Imran, 3:195

“ O you men! surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.” Al Hujarat, 49:13

“Will they distribute the mercy of your Lord? We distribute among them their livelihood in the life of this world, and We j have exalted some of them above others in degrees, that some of them may take others in subjection; and the mercy of your Lord is better than what they amass.” Az-Zukhruf, 43:32

“Have you not considered (the work of) your Lord, how He extends the shade? And if He had pleased He would certainly have made it stationary; then We have made the sun an indication of it” Al Furqan, 25:45

2. Man And His Social Growth

When human society came into existence, it did not assume a perfect form to make growth and improvement also of all spiritual matters and of everything connected with man.

Human society, like other human intellectual and spiritual matters constantly moves towards perfection in step with his material and mental attainments.

In fact the peculiarity of man, i.e. his gregarious nature should not be considered an exception to his other peculiarities, so as to allow us to claim that it assumed a perfect form the moment it was created. Rather it should be said that this quality, like all other human qualities which are related to the will power and science, has gradually attained perfection.

Reflection about the condition of humanity makes us realize that the earliest form of human society has been the family which resulted from marriage. The basic factors in bringing about family living are the fact that a male cannot by himself ensure reproduction and upbringing of children, and that marriage ensures a lasting relationship based on the natural sexual necessity and compatibility of males and females.

This in turn leads to employment, that is, a human being engages another as a medium to meet his needs, and dominates him and imposes his will upon him.

This same employment gradually takes the form of the exercise of authority, thus creating the master of the house, head of the family, chief of a clan, and leader of a nation.

Naturally, at first a person who was stronger and braver had priority, and later those who were braver and excelled in wealth and numbers of children secured this advantage and so on until headship was won by one who was better versed with the art of governing and politics1 .

Gregariousness has never been separated from man, except that at the beginning he did not pay full attention to it, and he lived and grew by following his other characteristics, such as employment, defense etc.

The Qur'an says:

And people are naught but a single nation, so they disagree; and had not a word already gone forth from your Lord, the matter would have certainly been decided between them in respect of that concerning which they disagree. (Yunus, 10:19)

First person, who made men fully aware of society, and turned independent attention to the maintenance of society, were the Prophets.

The Qur'an says:

(All) people are a single nation; so Allah raised prophets as bearers of good news and as warners, and He revealed with them the Book with truth, that it might judge between people in that in which they differed; and none but the very people who were given it differed about it after clear arguments had come to them, revolting among themselves; so Allah has guided by His will those who believe to the truth about which they differed and Allah guides whom He pleases to the right path. (Al-Baqarah 2:213)

In the earliest times, men lived simply and were free from differences. Later on differences appeared, leading to disputes. God appointed Prophets and sent them holy books in order to remove differences and bring men back to the social unity which would be safeguarded by the Prophets' laws.

The Qur'an says:

He has made plain to you of the religion what He enjoined upon Nuh and that which We have revealed to you and that which We enjoined upon Ibrahim and Musa and Isa that keep to obedience and be not divided therein; hard to the unbelievers is that which you call them to; Allah chooses for Himself whom He pleases, and guides to Himself him who turns (to Him), frequently. (Ash-Shura 42:13)

Removing differences between people and the establishment of unanimity of conviction has taken the form of an invitation to religiousness and the absence of deviation in religion. Therefore religion has been the guarantor of the appropriateness of human society.

According to the Qur'an (42:13): The invitation to unity and gregariousness was for the first time issued by Noah, who was the oldest Prophet who was given a book and divine laws. Later on Abraham, and then Moses, and after him Christ was entrusted with this task. In Noah's canon there were few injunctions, while tile most extensive of these four canons were those of Moses and Christ. This is what the Qur'an says, and what the Bible apparently states.

It is said that in Moses’ canon there have been no less than six hundred decrees.

Chapter 42: 13 has described them all and mastered them and has extended its decrees over all of them, then you will certainly observe something wonderful. Remember that Islam has poured all its injunctions in the mould of society, and has given them all a social spirit to the last possible limit. Then you can compare the result of your Islamic studies with the other religions to which the Holy Qur'an has paid attention, namely those of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Christ, to realize clearly the comparative importance of them, and the position that Islam occupies.

We conclude that the invitation to gregariousness in an independent and explicit manner had begun only by Prophets and in a religious framework. The Qur’an affirms this point, and as we shall see, it is confirmed by history.

Note

1. This was the cause of the appearance of Idolatry.

3. Islam's Special Attention To Society

Islam is undoubtedly the only religion that explicitly lays down the foundation of its invitation on society, and has by no means neglected its emphasis on social matters in any of its aspects.

If you, exalted reader, wish to win more insight into this matter, you could glance at extensive human deeds which thought cannot enumerate. You may also look at the various branches of its kinds and forms, and then realize that this divine canon

But the position of religions which have been disregarded by Islam, such as idolatry, dualism, Sabeanism and Manichaeanism is more obvious.

History offers no more explanation about former civilized and uncivilized nations than this point, that they have inherited and followed this matter from the oldest human times, namely, that their society has been created through necessity, and individuals gathered together under one society, i.e. a despotic rule and kingly dominion. Various national and international gatherings lived a sovereign flag.

Past nations followed this way with the aid of the factors of heritage and environment, without paying particular attention to society or even subjecting it to discussion and practice.

Even great nations such as the Roman and Persian Empires which held great sway over the world at the rise of religious light and its widespread, did not heed this matter. These two governments took the form of the rule of Caesars in Rome, and Kings in Iran, and had gathered their nations under their royal flags, and society too, was subordinate to governments in its growth, its pause, or its stagnation.

It should not be omitted that a series of social discussions have remained from the predecessors, as seen in the writings of past scholars like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. But these writings were never put into practice, and in other words, they were a set of mental images and fanciful pictures which never reached the world of reality. This claim is borne out by historical evidence.

On the basis of the point already mentioned we see that the first call which reached human ears to the effect that the question of society was an independent matter which should be removed from the corners of negligence, imitation and dependence, was a call begun by the founder of Islam in the world.

The leader of Islam by means of the holy verses revealed to him, invited people as a group to move towards a happy and clean life.

The Qur'an proclaimed its invitation in two ways:

1. A call on the principle of social life and unity. Citing from the Holy Qur’an:

And do not approach the property of the orphan except in the best manner until he attains his maturity, and give full measure and weight with justice-- We do not impose on any soul a duty except to the extent of its ability; and when you speak, then be just though it be (against) a relative, and fulfill Allah's covenant; this He has enjoined you with that you may be mindful. (Al An’aam, 6: 152)

And be not like those who became divided and disagreed after clear arguments had come to them, and these it is that shall have a grievous chastisement. (Aal-‘Imraan, 3: 105)

Surely they who divided their religion into parts and became sects, you have no concern with them; their affair is only with Allah, then He will inform them of what they did. (Al An’aam, 6:159)

and several others.

2. Instructions for making an Islamic community on the basis of unity and mutual adherence to safeguard spiritual and material interests of that community and its defense. Citing from the Holy Qur’an:

The believers are but brethren, therefore make peace between your brethren and be careful of (your duty to) Allah that mercy may be had on you. (Al Hujaraat, 49:10)

And obey Allah and His Messenger and do not quarrel for then you will be weak in hearts and your power will depart, and be patient; surely Allah is with the patient. (Al Anfaal, 8:46)

O you who believe! do not violate the signs appointed by Allah nor the sacred month, nor (interfere with) the offerings, nor the sacrificial animals with garlands, nor those going to the sacred house seeking the grace and pleasure of their Lord; and when you are free from the obligations of the pilgrimage, then hunt, and let not hatred of a people-- because they hindered you from the Sacred Masjid-- incite you to exceed the limits, and help one another in goodness and piety, and do not help one another in sin and aggression; and be careful of (your duty to) Allah; surely Allah is severe in requiting (evil). (Al-Maida, 5:2)

And from among you there should be a party who invite to good and enjoin what is right and forbid the wrong, and these it is that shall be successful.(Aali ‘Imraan, 3: 104)

and several others.

4. Islam's Respect for the Individual and Society

The celestial organization first creates a number of elementary parts, each of which possesses certain qualities and then combines and mixes them in spite of all their differences, so that in addition to their individual and separate uses, new advantages are produced.

For example, a human being has various organs, limbs, and powers, each of which possesses different material and spiritual uses. They may be combined to produce a stronger and greater power like a weight which is composed of small parts, and has more power to move at a certain direction.

They may also refuse to combine, and preserve their separation and differences, like the ear and eye, hearing and sight, will power and motion, each of which has separate functions and may act separately, but the point is that as they are all united in composition, they are ruled over by a fresh unit called man, and this same domination over all the powers creates advantages which none of the parts possessed by themselves. These advantages are manifold, both material and spiritual.

One of the most important advantages is that in their unity lies a wonderful variety of uses and benefits. For when human substance, namely the embryo, completed its development and growth, it can detach a part of itself, and produce another perfect being who can perform all the mental and material functions which the original part was able to do. We, therefore, conclude that all human beings are human in spite of their variety. Man is one, and he is one kind. The actions of individuals are numerous, but they are similar in kind.

All these actions join together, producing a link and alliance. Water may be divided and poured into various vessels. In this way the number increases, but all are of one kind, and their property remains the same. If all the water gathers in one place, their power is greatly augmented.

*****

In educating human beings and guiding them towards true happiness, Islam has paid close attention to this truth, that man is a single unique being for whom laws have been enacted. Islam has never established laws for a single individual.

“And for every nation there is a doom,” (Al-’Aaraaf, 7:34)

“Every community is called to account” (Al-Jaathiya, 45:28)

And if Allah had pleased, they would not have set up others (with Him) and We have not appointed you a keeper over them, and you are not placed in charge of them.

(Al-An’aam, 6:107)

And if they had kept up the Taurat and the Injeel and that which was revealed to them from their Lord, they would certainly have eaten from above them and from beneath their feet there is a party of them keeping to the moderate course, and (as for) most of them, evil is that which they do (Al-Maaida, 5:66)

Indeed there was a sign for you in the two hosts (which) met together in encounter; one party fighting in the way of Allah and the other unbelieving, whom they saw twice as many as themselves with the sight of the eye and Allah strengthens with His aid whom He pleases; most surely there is a lesson in this for those who have sight. (Aal-‘Imraan, 3:13)

And every nation had a messenger; so when their messenger came, the matter was decided between them with justice and they shall not be dealt with unjustly. (Yunus, 10:47)

The people of Nuh and the parties after them rejected (prophets) before them, and every nation purposed against their messenger to destroy him, and they disputed by means of the falsehood that they might thereby render null the truth, therefore I destroyed them; how was then My retribution! (Ghafer, 40: 5)

This true relation that exists between an individual and society, produces a different “individual in society”. Of course to the extent that individuals assist the existence of such a society with all their powers and qualities, similar powers and qualities are produced in that society.

You see therefore that the Qur'an believes in death, in the Holy Book, in intelligence, understanding, action, devotion, and sin for “people”.

Say: Allah has spoken the truth, therefore follow the religion of Ibrahim, the upright one; and he was not one of the polytheists. (Aal-‘Imraan, 3:95)

And He it is Who has created man from the water, then He has made for him blood relationship and marriage relationship, and your Lord is powerful.(Al-Furqaan, 25:54)

O you men! surely We have created you of a male and a female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other; surely the most honorable of you with Allah is the one among you most careful (of his duty); surely Allah is Knowing, Aware.

(Al-‘Hujaraat, 49:13)

We realize thus, that as the Qur'an has paid attention to the accounts of individuals, it has given greater attention to the history of nations.

This special attention of the Qur'an took place at a time when history contained nothing but the accounts of kings and famous men, and historians had no interest in the history of nations and communities. There were however a few historians like Masoudi and lbn-e-khaldoun, after the descent of the Qur'an, who devoted themselves to some extent to this topic, until recent changes appeared in the context of history, and it was transformed from being a biography of individuals, to a description of nations.

It is claimed that the first person who adopted the descriptive method was the French historian, Auguste Comte, who died in 1858 A.D.

Briefly, as it was stated, the requisite for the true relation between the individual and society is that a number of strong social forces and qualities should be created to super-impose individual powers whenever opposition and contradiction appears in society.

Moreover, our senses and experiences confirm our statement concerning those forces and qualities which produce action and reaction, that is those forces which influence other forces and qualities which are in their turn affected.

It must be said that the wills of individuals in matters relating to social riots or rebellions, and for that matter in any other happenings, cannot oppose or resist the endeavor and will of society. A part has no alternative but to obey the whole, and to follow the way of the whole. The power of society is measured by the amount of the intelligence and ideas that it absorbs from its members.

This is also true in the case of general panic, caused by defeat, insecurity, earthquake, famine and cholera, or even in ordinary national customs and traditions and such like, whose influence is less than defeat and similar other matters. Society absorbs the power of thought and understanding from individuals, but t it compels them to obey society.

********

Islam has endeavored to raise the dignity of society to such an extent that no such parallel can be found for it in any other religions or in the laws of civilized nations. The evidence for this endeavor is that which we have already explained. For the training of individual morals and instincts, which are the roots of the creation of society, in spite of the power ethics and instincts engendered in society which dominate individual morals, has little chance of success.

For this reason Islam has based on a social foundation all the most significant of its in­ junctions and divine decrees, such as pilgrimage, prayer, Jihad (struggle in the interest of Islam), almsgiving and in brief, all religious requirements.

Islam has adopted true happiness, proximity to God and winning esteem at God's threshold as the goals of the Islamic society, and even of every other society which cannot naturally do without a common objective and goal, In society this goal is a strict internal watch (a sort of secret police) from which no human mind and nature remains hidden.

This goal is the surety for the preservation of the above decrees.

Of course, to the above internal force must be added the forces of the Islamic government which protect public mores and religious limits, as well as the general ordinances of the “call for charity”, “directing to the good” and “forbidding wrong”.

Thus it will be seen that society does not only possess an apparent protector, but also a secret internal guard, and even if some social deviations are overlooked by the leaders of society and those responsible for the execution of public ordinances, nothing remains hidden from the watchful eye of the conscience.

That is why we claimed that the way followed by Islam and its efforts in social matters are superior to all the other ways and methods, for Islam has chosen the internal watch or secret police as the most effective way, unrivalled in other laws.

The Exigency of Discussion about Fatima (peace be upon her):

The fact that Fatima (peace be upon her) is discussed is owing to some reasons, mentioned in brief:

Firstly, today is Fatima’s birthday anniversary, and naturally, in such an auspicious time that occurs once a year, we would take steps to discuss her character in order to know her and make her known as well.

Secondly, the discussion is about a woman, who has played many crucial roles in her life. Although she has got a short life, the book of her life is in a way that every page of it, is a lesson of life for us and the next generations; a lesson, having a new point to teach every time we study. Studying her life is instructive and a factor for reforming and improving the society. Because, we believe that if the women are amended in a society, the people will be amended and the society will be developed.

Thirdly, the discussion of Fatima (peace be upon her) is in fact the discussion of a mother, the source of amendment. It is she, who brings up healthy and duteous children, and delivers them to the society. It is she, who takes the responsibility of the generation leadership, etc.

Who is the sample of our mothers to bring up healthy children? Isn’t it better that Fatima (peace be upon her) be the teacher of motherhood classes?

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a mother, a fidle, steadfast, leading, mother, that despite poverty, educated her children well because of love. She was her children’s life shelter, inspired the (spirit of) love and fidelity in them, and taught them the way of life as well as self-sacrifice. If we teach Fatima’s point of views to others, we have established a way for the society prosperity.

Fourthly, discussing Fatima (peace be upon her) as well as introducing her character is a resolver for all, because in our era that is the era of philosophy and ideology miscellany, some have been puzzled how to approach the clear purpose of life. They don’t know what to do and where to go! The samples are presented in magazines and newspapers, that is not clear where their materials cOmme from. Due to this fact, the world, especially the wOmmen’s world, is losing its last shelter of life. In this situation, it is better to present Fatima’s way, having been confirmed by foe and friend and having had all aspects of being an all-out sample.

We believe that if our women knew Fatima (peace be upon her), and applied her manner in their lives, they would manage to inspire a new life in the body of the society and present new dimensions of life. The way of Fatima (peace be upon her) is a great and straight way, and can release us from straits of this machinery and uproaring life and direct us to the destination.

Fatima (peace be upon her) has got a grand grandeur, not well known in her own era and even in our own time. Our hobby and concerns do not allow us discover and apply the aspects of her noble character.

Fatima (peace be upon her) as a Sample:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a sample for those seeking for a real, complete, and multi-dimensional heroin. She is human in face but in manner, pious and clean, confidant and intimate with angles but even superior, because she is Ali and Mohammed’s (a.s) confident. She is a model and the best sample for an ideological life that has managed to provide the ground for presenting a complete sample of herself by means of self-construction. Therefore, why don’t we choose Fatima (peace be upon her) as sample?

The Memory and Remembrance of Fatima (peace be upon her):

The name of Fatima (peace be upon her) restores some scenes in our minds.…

Fatim’s name revives the memory of jihad and her confidence to Ali (peace be upon him) in minds as well as the story of Fadak and the stroke of the door on her side. Fatima (peace be upon her)’s memory exists in Medina, Kufeh mosque, Karbala and everywhere.

And at the time when there is a discussion of martyrdom, democracy, administering justice, and love, all of a sudden, Fatima (peace be upon her) is remembered (peace be upon her), because we see all these attributes in her character and life. When Hossein and his martyrdom are put into discussion, the continuation of Ashora mission is talked over, and speaking of Hossein’s revolution as well as Hasan’s peace with his tender-heart is set forth. One involuntarily is set thinking who is the source of such education that has brought up such individuals?

In general, the more time passes, the livelier Fatima (peace be upon her) will be. Her remembrance reminds us of jihad and makes us smell the scent of Karbala Torbat (soil). Besides, the lesson of life and grandeur must be learnt from Fatima (peace be upon her). And she must be taken as a sample due to the fact that all her attributes are instructive: her childhood beside mother, her maidenhood in father’s house, her marriage, her motherhood in relation with her sons and daughters, her housekeeping, her life beside her husband, her love, her worship, her demise, etc.

The Dimensions of Discussion about Fatima (peace be upon her):

Analyzing and evaluating Fatima’s aspects of life are beyond our power, because it needs awareness and full knowledge of Fatima’s character. She is also a symbol, the symbol of a distinguished wife, a distinguished daughter, a distinguished mother, a distinguished heroin, a distinguished companion, a distinguished fellow and confidant, the symbol of worship, the symbol of love towards Allah, the symbol of pains and efforts, the symbol of campaigner, the symbol of patience, the symbol of administering justice, the symbol of serving people, the symbol of speech, the symbol of forbearance and self-possession, the symbol of politeness and humanity, the symbol of chastity and piety, the symbol of bravery….

How can we swim in the deep sea of her life, hoping that we arrive to the beach. Yes, everyone endeavors to trace some aspects of her life according to his apprehension and perception.

The School of Fatima (peace be upon her):

Under the protection of Islamic ideology and her outlook, Fatima (peace be upon her) built the thought foundation of a Divine and human school, including principles, rules and beliefs; a hopeful and life-giving school teaching us how to live and how to die. Fatima’s school, the pearly-gates to the other world to us, inverts the last generation’s way of life, and builds up a new world on the ruins. She rouses a new way of thinking, teaching us how to look at the world and life.

Fatima’s school endeavors to make the human beings hopeful, teach them the way of chastity and covering themselves, support the oppressed, consider the most sensitive matters of man’s life, settle justice in the society and not allow every one does what he wishes.

In this world that the people are victimized for feathering their nests, and the people are ready to yield themselves in a mean form for instantaneous pleasures, in this world that people, like imprisoned birds which strike themselves against the cage and try to take pleasure, Fatima’s school can be teachable and resolving.

The Constructiveness of Her School:

Through studying the world of Fatima (peace be upon her) , we can build up our character, and as a result, attain independence, grant values, and high esteem. Fatima’s life and school are full of exaltation and direction.

Fatima’s outlook, her divine and human character, perception and knowledge, mission and responsibility are life-giving and wholly constructive and instructive on the condition that her character and picture be drawn well, and no mistakes occurs.

The power of this construction is so that it can set us free from uselessness and hollowness, make up for our evident and concealed fiasco, illustrate the way of victory and elevation, and grant us happiness, moderation, tranquility, and peace of mind.

Introducing Fatima (peace be upon her):

Introducing Fatima (peace be upon her) as it really is, seems difficult. We can just state what is related to her external aspects and then commence introducing her from this viewpoint:

1. Her Descent:

Her name is Fatima (peace be upon her), her father, Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants), the last Prophet, her mother: Khadijeh, entitled as the mother of orphans. Fatima (peace be upon her) was the fourth and the last daughter. Her titles are Zahra, Omme Abeeha that means the mother of her father, Zohreh, the mistress of the women of the worlds, and at last, a goddess in man’s form.

Her father was the messenger of Allah, a distinguished man and a unique character. Her mother Khadijeh was known as the mother of orphans, and had some other titles. But among them, she was fond of this title and all-out sample in achieving that title. Her mother is a woman that Allah has not dedicated a better one to the messenger, as Ayesheh quoted from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

While the people blasphemised Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants) and made every endeavor to make him yield by means of economic sanctions, it was Khadijeh, who believed in and helped him with her own wealth. And at last, while everybody in that era had cut relation to Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants), it was Khadijeh, who kept contact with him and was even proud of that relation.

Fatima (peace be upon her) was begotten after forty days, passed in prayer and worship due to the fact that they wanted Fatima (peace be upon her) to be clean and continued her father’s mission. She consoled her Father’s sorrow and tried to remove the pain lines of his face.

She later must be the manifestation of all senses (of emotion), policies, and vehemence of the women’s rights, and a sample for them. She must reveal some unknown facts, their new duties as well as the eternal way of life for them.

2. Her Education:

She opened her eyes to this world in the fifth year of Prophetic mission, when Islam emerged in the house of revelation. The hand of a great coach like the Messenger was over her head, and the affection of a gracious mother was giving heat to her life. Owing to this fact, she was never polluted to sin.

She was just seven that her mother passed away, and left Fatima (peace be upon her)lonely. Her father, achieving the two main parts of parentship well made up the lack of motherhood affection.

She passed half of her life in Mecca beside the Messenger and the next half in Ali’s house in Medina. She was trained in revelation environment i.e. the Prophet’s house, and passed a part of her life in the house of the husband, who continued carrying the heavy load of the prophetic mission, that is Imamate. And that was Fatima’s happiness and prosperity to elevate her character in these two houses.

3. Her marriage:

Ali (peace be upon him) grew up in Fatima’s house [the house of Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants)], and they were trained under the supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). When her marriage was posed, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) said that the situation of her marriage won’t be clear unless he receives revelation in this regard, and after that, Ali (peace be upon him) acted as a suitor, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) broke the silence and said: ”O, Ali, don’t be embarrassed, express your request.” Ali(a.s) said modestly and prudently, “I want to make your affection complete with marriage to Fatima.”

In this regard, it can be stated that if there existed no Ali (peace be upon him), there would exist no husband for Fatima (peace be upon her) , and vice versa. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) put Fatima’s hand into Ali’s, and the fruit of this marriage was some children, as Hasan, Hossein, Zeineb and Kolthum (a.s).

Fatima’s Position:

The religious learned have called four women excellent in the history of man’s life, including: Asieh, Holy Mary, Khadijeh and Fatima. Among them, Fatima (peace be upon her) has got a gracious position so that no one could know her except Mohammed and Ali (peace be upon him), and there is no possibility of knowing her except by resorting to what they have said about her. We will try to analyze her position through two views:

1. According to the Holy Quran:

She symbolizes Kauthar, and the following the Quran verse was revealed about her:

أنّا أعطيناك الكوثر

[We have bestowed upon you Kauthar].

She stands for the word نسائنا[our women] in Mobaheleh verse. On the other hand, Zahra is a woman, but includes all the gracious attributes of the grand women in the world, and the roles, of which women must take the responsibility, and try to achieve them.

She is the tenor of the verse:

قل لا اسئلكم عليه اجراً الا المودة في القربي

The one whom Tathir verse (being away from filth) was revealed about her.

She is the symbol of

وجمع الشمس و القمر

She also symbolizes

والقمر اذا تلئها

in Shams Sura.

2. According to the Traditions:

She is the Mistress of women, the inhabitant of heaven.

The heiress of the previous prophets’ glory and that of the famous women of the world.

She is infallible and pure from sin.

She is a part of the Prophet’s body and soul. She is the incarnation of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

Allah’s heaven is incarnated in her, so that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) smells the scent of heaven from her.

She is Ali’s peeress as well as his confidant.

She was one of the glad tidings of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), as he said,

فان الله اصطفاك علي نسا العالمين

Her satisfaction is the Prophet’s satisfaction, and the Prophet’s satisfaction is Allah’s satisfaction.

She is the cause of the survival and the continuation of the Prophethood and Imamate.

And at last, she has got more honor than holy Mary, because she has endowed with eleven Christlike (children).

Fatima’s Honor:

Fatima (peace be upon her) has endowed with honor and grand dignity; the honor no one could achieve it as Fatima (peace be upon her) did. Expressing all her aspects of her character is not feasible; therefore, some points are stated:

1. She is Allah’s beloved:

She is the pure servant of Allah, and is always in worship and contact with Him in order to give her servanthood superiority over her other positions, so that no luxury, effort, or attachments could prevent her from fulfilling her conscious duty. As that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) appreciated her and praised her position was due to the fact that she was pious and in contact with Allah, and not because she was the Prophet’s daughter.

Fatima’s generosity, thought, and efforts are all for Allah’s pleasure. Fatima (peace be upon her) is so dissolved in the Divine grandeur and majesty that she devotes all her things in His way: her position, her rank, her silver bracelet, her wedding dress, the screen of her house, etc. In this case, shouldn’t she be the dear of Allah?

2. She is the Prophet’s dear:

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knows her as a part of his body and soul, as he says,

بضعة منه و روحة اللذي بين جنبيه

In the age of Ignorance and the hard times of his Prophethood, she was as a mother to her father in Mecca. She cleansed the thorns and dust that the people had thrown over the head of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) with her little hands and soothed him. Sometimes, she would cry for his loneliness and caressed for his beaten body.

She was her father’s consular at the time of Hijra, she was so dear for him in Medina that Ayesheh stated, “There was no one dearer than Fatima (peace be upon her) to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants); he attended her house every day and asked about her mood repeatedly. When he was setting for trips, Fatima (peace be upon her) was the last one, visited at the time of departure by him, and at the time of arrival, Fatima (peace be upon her) was the first one, visited”.

Owing to her dignity and action, purity and sincerity, she reached to a rank that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) stated, “ ابوهافداها ”[May his father be sacrificed to her].

Once, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) saw Ali and Fatima (peace be upon them), grinding wheat. He asked, “who gives her place to me to turn the mill?” Ali said to Fatima (a.s), “rise, ‘cause you are tired?” and then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) sat on her place and continued her job.

Even on his point of death, she was closest to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) whispered in her ear, “Dear Fatima, sit beside me, and recite Quran”. Yes, the whispers and Quran recitation of Fatima (peace be upon her) could sooth the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

3. She is Ali’s wife:

As stated before, if there was no Fatima (peace be upon her), there would be no one deserving to be her husband. Her marriage was determined by the Word of Revelation. She was a wife, kind and fidle, and the perfect symbol ofلتسكنو ايها; confidant with her husband…

She never shattered her family estate under the pretext of ornament and did not make the life bitter for her husband for the false worldly allure.

They had a house, apparently made of clay; a house, void of ornaments, but full of purity, sincerity, faith, piety, and chastity. Their dishes consisted of wooden and earthen bowls, but their soul bowls were full of grandeur and overfilled with cordiality and affection. Their bed clothes were shorter than their height, but they were full of faith, sympathy, unanimity, purity, and understanding.

The Mystery of Fatima’s Grandeur and Eternity:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is grand and eternal on the account that she has been united with Allah. She has absorbed her self in His.

She is greater than the great, because she is acquainted with Allah, who is the greatest, and she is eternal forever until Doomsday, because she is acquinted with the Eternal.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a woman, whose grandeur cannot be inserted in expression and words, because we cannot analyze the infinite with our finite conception. When she is called “Sedigheh” [truthful], it is different from the Sedigheh, applied to others; all her members of body and thought are truthful. It is impossible to describe her grandeur through writing, speaking, and hearing, because all her attributes are in full and infinity. Her faith, her morals, devotion, soul elevation, grandeur, knowledge all are in utmost perfection.

Satisfaction and obedience of Allah:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is Allah’s real follower, and her exalted purpose and ambition are to satisfy Him and seeks for a way to achieve to this end without any shadow of doubt.

This is Fatima’s viewpoint that Allah has superiority over all things and everyone. Thus, she has accepted His bondage of servitude. She is seeking for Allah and His satisfaction in her speech, action, and all her life. This is pride that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knows her satisfaction His satisfaction and her way as the way of God, the Almighty.

Fatima (peace be upon her) as a measure:

Scales is an instrument for measuring and the facts are assessed by it. In materialism, for measuring goods, volume, weight, and a period of time, the special measuring instruments are utilized. In spirituality, measuring is possible through samples and symbols. For instance, the level of somebody’s understanding is measured through comparison with an intelligent person; the level of somebody’s piety is measured through comparison with a pious person; the level of sOmmebody’s intelligence and talent is measured through comparison with a talented and bright person; and the level of sOmmebody’s generosity and humanity is measured through comparison with a generous person.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a complete measure for evaluating the ladies’ deeds, and according to the infallible, “she is measure”. Fatima’s spirit power, unique courage, elevated thoughts, and excellent dispositions are all and all measures and samples. Her chastity, piety, faith, nobility, honor, housekeeping, rearing the children, abstinence from sublunary luxury, material and spiritual aspects and even her death are all measures for us.

In the history of the wOmmen world, we do not know a woman like her to be the measure and sample. All Fatima’s attributes make her more adorned than others and give a distinguished face to her.

Fatima (a.s), the Cause of Continuation of the Prophetic Mission:

It is her clean and pure womb that can be the source of grace and the origin of light and the originator of eleven clean offspring, who are the Prophet’s successors and continuance of the Prophetic mission from generation to generation.

It was not haphazard that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knew Fatima’s wrath his wrath and her torment or satisfaction his torment or satisfaction. He said, “those, who make Fatima (peace be upon her) happy, have made me happy, and those who tease her, have in fact teased me.”

Yes, she was the continuance of the Prophetic mission, and made any kind of endeavor to promote the Islamic teachings along with Ali (peace be upon him). As a trustful trustee, she went to the companions’ houses at night and delivered them an ultimatum. She explained them that Ali is with right, and right is with Ali (peace be upon him), and if they do not adapt it, they must answer back to Allah. She wanted the people to know that what a big crime they would commit if they negate Ali’s (a.s) right, and what undesired future they would expect.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is the continuance of the Prophetic mission. She is Ali’s witness and assistance. She confirms his speeches, and tried to prove his claims, and in this way, she is not afraid of the door stroke, causing damages on her body, and as a result miscarriage. Even the enemy’s whips cannot stop her from defending Ali; the martyrdom and death in Allah’s way cannot prevent her from continuing the Prophetic mission.

She is the continuance of the Prophetic mission, because she has managed to rear a generation that were the preservers of the religion the Karbala mission, that was the continuance of the Prophetic mission.

She is the continuance of the Prophetic mission, because Imamate, the continuation of Prophethood, belongs to her generation, and Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), who will defend Fatima’s purpose will rise to revive Islam.

How did this way of Prophetic mission continue and what happened to her offspring, who were the followers of the Prophet and Ali (peace be upon him)? Prison, torture, homelessness, banishment, stroke of sword, poison, separation from dynasty and children were some of the hardships they suffered in the way to achieve their holy end.

Fatima (a.s), the Sample of Deconstruction:

The role of Fatima (peace be upon her) in women’s revival was fabulous. She is the sample of deconstruction of the misleading customs, which were prevalent among the people in the society and had captured their hearts.

She was the practical sample of laws, through which the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) managed to apply the Islamic principles and programs.

Like the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), Fatima (peace be upon her) tried to instruct the parents how to revere and love their daughters. While the people buried their daughters alive, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) kissed Fatima (peace be upon her) and said,” daughter is Allah’s gift.” When she was a child, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) sat her on his knees, and through this action wanted the people to take lesson.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) should show the high position of women and how they should be viewed in Islamic ideology through her method. Kissing Fatima’s hand is the symbol of campaign and rebellion against the society viewpoint. It is a revolution against burying girls alive, teaches us indirectly that wOmmen as the gift of Allah must be revered and not heated.

The girls and wOmmen at her era were not believed, and even they were forced to work hard in the farms. They were not considered as kin; they were deprived from inheritance, retaliation was completely fulfilled for them, etc. A woman having some daughters and no son was considered as barren .

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) through having Fatima (peace be upon her) proved that having no son does not mean barrenness as the shortsighted think. On the contrary, she can be the source of abundant felicity for her own family and relatives.

She was the sample of deconstructing the wrong marriage customs. In that age, the rich just married to the rich, but she deconstructed this custom and married to Ali (peace be upon him), her cousin who was poor and by selling his chain mail had managed to provide the marriage costs.

In fact, if there existed no Fatima (peace be upon her), how these false customs were deconstructed, and how the real practical samples in the Prophetic mission were achieved?

If there existed no Fatima, how the complexes, disgrace, irregularity, making the women’s souls weak, were removed?

The variety of Fatima’s roles:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a woman, but has several crucial roles and in each role a real sample. She is a woman, the sample of leadership and grandeur , the one, through fulfilling her roles, has managed to give a practical face to sOmme aspects of the Prophetic mission.

In achieving her role as a sample, she has got a heavy load over her shoulders; the motherhood responsibility, caring the people, helping the poor, administering justice in the society, looking after children, family management, etc. Expressing all Fatima’s aspects and roles needs a separate and lengthy book, but whatever can be stated here in brief consists of:

1. Fatima (peace be upon her) as a Muslim:

Before being the Prophet’s daughter, Ali’s wife or the mother of eleven Imams, she is a Muslim, a worthy Muslim, and before being a woman with different roles, she is Allah’s servant. She does not forget Him even for a moment, and never neglect the heavy load of responsibility.

She is a Muslim, who achieves worship and from the other side, fulfills family duties as well as social duties. And how active, energetic, and successful she has been in dividing her time and facilities for achieving her mission. Her nightly vigils , her worship, her essential social responsibilities, her important political conflicts and campaigns to stand against injustice in the society, her sense of confidence with Ali (peace be upon him), and her teachings for women all and all were in Allah’s way and for His satisfaction.

2. As a Daughter:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a daughter, pure and clean, duteous and obedient Although she is her father’s dear, she reveres the Divine position of her father. She calls him” Rasool Allah” that means the Messenger of Allah, and when she is asked by father about the reason, she answers, “The holy Quran addresses you as so.”

She is a daughter full of affection so that she was called “Omme Abiha” that means the mother of her father, because she was very kind towards her father like a mother to her son.

While the enemy threw dust to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), she cleansed them by his figure, caressed him as if this is her mission to soothe to her father, have sympathy towards him, and delicate her affection as a reaction against the people’s wrath and oppression.

3. As a Wife:

Unlike her sisters, she married a poor but illuminated man in order to deconstruct the inner group marriage (the marriage of the people in the same level), and more important is that in order to provide the family, she worked along with her husband.

Despite all pains, Fatima (peace be upon her) is satisfied with herself, because she does some significant roles in and out of the house through which she proves the importance of the women in the society.

She is Ali’s company in life struggles, his confidant and his consultant in life affairs. She helps Ali (peace be upon him) to administer his right.

She is an ideal wife. Her love towards Ali (peace be upon him) is real; she loves him for Allah’s sake and pleasure, and in this way, she never said any discouraging word to Ali (peace be upon him) throughout her life.

4. As a Mother:

What kind of mother was she! A sample and unique. What kind of children did she bring up! What kind of flowers did she produce in her garden! All sincere and the real obedient to Allah. The children who devoted themselves for the people and had the responsibility of serving the religious laws and its revival.

She educated the children, who were the defenders of Islam; the guards of the sublime ideological values, and are stable in this way. One by his own peace [Imam Hassan (a.s)] and the other by his bloody revolution [Imam Hussein (a.s)] watered the Islam tree and made it grow.

Her daughters were well-reared and purposeful, zeineb and Kolthum (a.s) continued the mission of Imam Hasan and Hossein (a.s). They recorded the voice of Hossein in the day of Ashora, and in Kufa and Sham (Damascus) and on the way made the people hear it. Hossein’s martyrdom is completed by their efforts, and they were the loudspeakers of Hossein’s movement.

5. As a House Manageress:

Although she was the apple of the Prophet’s eyes, and there was no one nobler than her, she worked in the house and turned the mill so that her hands had injured.

She had made the house a place of peace so that when there were a lot of pressure on Ali (peace be upon him) due to sorrow, pains, difficulties, and disorders, he resorted to the house, hoping that through speaking to Fatima (peace be upon her), he could be tranquilized.

She kept the house clean, peaceful, and calm, and although nothing is found for eating, it was overflowing with sincerity and love; her purity and tenderness was the food of the household and made them satisfied.

At the night of her marriage, she went to Ali’s house along with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), the latter said to her, “My daughter, whatever is related to the inner side of the house belongs to you and whatever is related to out of the house belongs to Ali. Ali has the responsibility of providing the house economic aspects, and you have the responsibility of providing the peace and quietness of the house.”

6. As a Lady of the House:

In the house, there existed a lot of chores; on the other hand, she was young, and had a number of children while each of them needed care. Therefore, she must have a fellow-work but not a slave maid. she shared the chores with her and lent a hand to her. Also, she was not as an aristocrat to sit and order, but she always gave a hand to her; washed clothes, cleaned the house, milled the wheat, etc.

Unlike the aristocrats, Fatima (peace be upon her) did not make the maid do everything and be the cause of the husband’s sensuality and make up like doll.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) once said to her, “My daughter, a maid is a human and must be treated as a man”. Her treatment towards a maid signifies Fatima’s justice that she regardes the equality with her maid in the house chores.

Fatima’s Outlook:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is the student of Islamic school. She was brought up in revelation house and under the supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), and even when she married Ali (peace be upon him), she had a close contact with her father. Her view towards the world and its aspects is the view of Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). It is as if she has derived all her views from the Prophet’s.

In the Islamic school, she was Ali’s classmate. They have got the same views. She was developed under the protection of the Islamic Ideology, taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

It seems difficult to express and study all aspects of Fatima’s outlook, but whatever based on her practice, her speech, her view, can be stated includes:

1. Her View on the World:

Fatima’s view on the world is that it is a farm for cultivation. Its facts and appearance are interconnected, and it has been created by a Creator. We must love the world, but not absorb in it; it is a means and not an end. Therefore, approaching the end, one must use the means but not attach himself to it. According to Fatima (peace be upon her), the world deserves love, but not attachment.

The world is the scene of action. It is the field of struggle and effort. The world is a means to make us reach to the otherworldly felicity.

2. Her View on Wealth:

Fatima (peace be upon her) wants property and wealth but not for acquiring value and credit. She wants it for providing her life and protecting her honor.

Those who think of money as an end and seek for it all days and nights, in fact, they have got a complex, and are misleading between means and end. Whatever is achieved in life is not limited to eating, drinking, and wearing. Therefore, we’d better do our utmost to gain wealth but dedicate the rest to our end after satisfying our needs. Fatima (peace be upon her) never limited herself to wealth and did not think of it as the end, because according to her view, the abundant wealth in man’s hand can bring Allah’s pleasure and His affection if he knows how to use it.

The best wealth is her inner richness and generosity, the hand that pays sincerely will receive Allah’s pleasure, instead , and Fatima (peace be upon her) had got such an espirit.

3. Her View on Happiness:

Her view on happiness and felicity is different from others. She doesn’t see happiness in a doll’s life, luxury, beauty, materialism, decoration, make-up, etc. because these factors cannot solve man’s problems and prepare the ground for inner peace and tranquility. They are considered as worldly things and can be lost through the passage of time and as a result, involves man in a heart-rending regret.

Any love and adherence to them are wrong, because they will swallow us in themselves and make us forget our real end and our selves.

The feeling of happiness under the protection of wealth, position, and property is a plot and a deceit, a plot for the decline of our character, and a deceit for keeping us negligent of our development and perfection process. Therefore, we must have another view of happiness. Fatima (peace be upon her) sees happiness in the eternal moments in which man finds himself in the way of Allah; the time that he fulfills Allah’s orders, and obeys the Divine verdicts.

Happiness is in freedom from all bonds and limitations, having captured our minds, and not in pleasure and fruition. Fatima (peace be upon her) never spends her lifetime for happiness with the same misconception of ordinary people, and she is more rational to dissipate her life for reaching to pleasure and fruition.

Fortunately, Ali (peace be upon him), as her husband, is also not a person to provide pleasure with negative concept for her, because he deserves a great value and credit for his life and wife.

4. Her View on Mankind:

She is a responsible and duteous being. She is responsible to develop her character and elevate her soul, and tries to achieve her aims and responsibility, and exalt right perfection of mankind, come to people rescue, make progress, and make the people progress.

According to Fatima (peace be upon her), man is more exalted than he passes his life in the way of his passion as a means for a shameful life. Therefore, she tried to elevate her soul.

She was exposed to different exams during her life, in good and bad conditions, misery and happiness , pains and pleasure. She must endeavor to show herself as she really is and endeavor as she must be.

5. Her View on Death:

She has got another view of death. She thinks of it as a means of transfer from this world to the next as well as a door to happiness and prosperity.

She knows that everything in this world is temporary, even its light, its darkness, its pleasure, and its groan. The time when death arrives and Doomsday occurs, everything will be clear; the people are called to account, and man is put in “Dar Ul-Gharar”; the place of stability.

She is not frightened of death. And at the time of the Prophet’s death when he sees Fatima’s great love towards himself, he feels he must console her only; therefore, he puts his head into her ears and says, “You are the first person that will join me after my departure”. And then, Fatima (peace be upon her) not only does not get sad, but also happy. Yes, the news of death is joyful for her, because she knows that there is prosperity, comfort, and glory to those who have achieved good deeds in this world. She knows that even death for criminals is a bless due to the fact that it prevents them from more crimes and keeps them away from the abyss of adversity.

Fatima’s Learning:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a bright student in the school of Islam. She takes lesson from her father as the best teacher: the lesson of humanity, morality, devotion, generosity, purity, benevolence, restraining her anger, serving people, etc. And her father, who found her ready tried to construct her character. He would try to teach her as much as possible, each of them separately is the lesson of life for her and the women community.

He taught her some practical lessons, concentrating her thought towards new facts. The day when Fatima (peace be upon her) asked for a servant to help her in the house chores, how the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) directed her thought towards another direction, and how he taught her the praise (Tasbihat) after the prayer. She would take lessons from the father and her husband. Even she had some writings from what she had learnt, as she said once to Fizzah she compared those writings with the value of Hassanain. It means that as a mother, a wife, as well as an infallible, she was her father’s student and deserved value for her father’s teachings.

Fatima’s Faith and Worship:

According to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), belief to Allah was so penetrated in her nature and heart that she neglected all things at the time worshipping Allah. And under the protection of Allah’s recognition, she believed in Him and was proud of having relationship with Him.

The love towards Allah has so penetrated in her soul that she did not have any repose. In all times and situations, her deeds showed clearly her servitude to Allah through her treatment, praise to Allah, and way of life. Her ultimate attraction is towards the Divinity.

She worships Allah but not as to go to a corner, fleeing from the society and the people, and it does not mean that she stops her duties and social mission, but she resists against her ego, and, as a result, finds a new character.

Fatima’s motto is

اغير الله اتخذوا اوليا فاطرالسموات والارض

Can I choose another Lord except Allah, who is the creator of the skies and the earth? No, it seems impossible.

But Allah is her guardian, and that is He, who guardians the pious and competent people. When an opportunity raised, she started to praise and worship Allah. And that is a cause not only for her development and perfection, but also for helping the people to be kept in safety and purity.

Imam Hassan (a.s) remembers his childhood and says,” I saw my mother worshiping and praying every night and always praying for people.” I asked her, “Mother, why you do not first pray for us as your children?” she answered, “My son, first neighbors, then house”. الجار ثم الدار

All her deeds were in the direction of the Divine will, and all her deeds were considered as worship: her work, life, housekeeping, taking care of children, helping the poor, etc. are all in Allah’s way and for Allah’s pleasure.

Fatima’s Purposefulness:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a noble woman with purpose, and due to this fact she did not take any color and did not come to agreement with injustice. Although she was young, and like other youth in youth crisis, had got some ambitions, she never stopped her purpose and did not commit any offence.

She tolerated the hardships to obtain her purpose even under the severe torture of the enemy. In general, her marriage to Ali (peace be upon him) signified her purpose, because she knew that Ali (peace be upon him) was not a kind of man who tried to make her happy as the society expected. She married the one, who was always in the battlefield to achieve his mission.

Under the protection of her purpose, she was not willing to be captured by hypocrisy and deceits, lose her sobriety and vigilance; and because of her purpose, she was far from the adversity and did not heed the world allurement. She was unique in her purpose, and we do not know anybody like her in different periods of history.

The Exigency of Discussion about Fatima (peace be upon her):

The fact that Fatima (peace be upon her) is discussed is owing to some reasons, mentioned in brief:

Firstly, today is Fatima’s birthday anniversary, and naturally, in such an auspicious time that occurs once a year, we would take steps to discuss her character in order to know her and make her known as well.

Secondly, the discussion is about a woman, who has played many crucial roles in her life. Although she has got a short life, the book of her life is in a way that every page of it, is a lesson of life for us and the next generations; a lesson, having a new point to teach every time we study. Studying her life is instructive and a factor for reforming and improving the society. Because, we believe that if the women are amended in a society, the people will be amended and the society will be developed.

Thirdly, the discussion of Fatima (peace be upon her) is in fact the discussion of a mother, the source of amendment. It is she, who brings up healthy and duteous children, and delivers them to the society. It is she, who takes the responsibility of the generation leadership, etc.

Who is the sample of our mothers to bring up healthy children? Isn’t it better that Fatima (peace be upon her) be the teacher of motherhood classes?

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a mother, a fidle, steadfast, leading, mother, that despite poverty, educated her children well because of love. She was her children’s life shelter, inspired the (spirit of) love and fidelity in them, and taught them the way of life as well as self-sacrifice. If we teach Fatima’s point of views to others, we have established a way for the society prosperity.

Fourthly, discussing Fatima (peace be upon her) as well as introducing her character is a resolver for all, because in our era that is the era of philosophy and ideology miscellany, some have been puzzled how to approach the clear purpose of life. They don’t know what to do and where to go! The samples are presented in magazines and newspapers, that is not clear where their materials cOmme from. Due to this fact, the world, especially the wOmmen’s world, is losing its last shelter of life. In this situation, it is better to present Fatima’s way, having been confirmed by foe and friend and having had all aspects of being an all-out sample.

We believe that if our women knew Fatima (peace be upon her), and applied her manner in their lives, they would manage to inspire a new life in the body of the society and present new dimensions of life. The way of Fatima (peace be upon her) is a great and straight way, and can release us from straits of this machinery and uproaring life and direct us to the destination.

Fatima (peace be upon her) has got a grand grandeur, not well known in her own era and even in our own time. Our hobby and concerns do not allow us discover and apply the aspects of her noble character.

Fatima (peace be upon her) as a Sample:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a sample for those seeking for a real, complete, and multi-dimensional heroin. She is human in face but in manner, pious and clean, confidant and intimate with angles but even superior, because she is Ali and Mohammed’s (a.s) confident. She is a model and the best sample for an ideological life that has managed to provide the ground for presenting a complete sample of herself by means of self-construction. Therefore, why don’t we choose Fatima (peace be upon her) as sample?

The Memory and Remembrance of Fatima (peace be upon her):

The name of Fatima (peace be upon her) restores some scenes in our minds.…

Fatim’s name revives the memory of jihad and her confidence to Ali (peace be upon him) in minds as well as the story of Fadak and the stroke of the door on her side. Fatima (peace be upon her)’s memory exists in Medina, Kufeh mosque, Karbala and everywhere.

And at the time when there is a discussion of martyrdom, democracy, administering justice, and love, all of a sudden, Fatima (peace be upon her) is remembered (peace be upon her), because we see all these attributes in her character and life. When Hossein and his martyrdom are put into discussion, the continuation of Ashora mission is talked over, and speaking of Hossein’s revolution as well as Hasan’s peace with his tender-heart is set forth. One involuntarily is set thinking who is the source of such education that has brought up such individuals?

In general, the more time passes, the livelier Fatima (peace be upon her) will be. Her remembrance reminds us of jihad and makes us smell the scent of Karbala Torbat (soil). Besides, the lesson of life and grandeur must be learnt from Fatima (peace be upon her). And she must be taken as a sample due to the fact that all her attributes are instructive: her childhood beside mother, her maidenhood in father’s house, her marriage, her motherhood in relation with her sons and daughters, her housekeeping, her life beside her husband, her love, her worship, her demise, etc.

The Dimensions of Discussion about Fatima (peace be upon her):

Analyzing and evaluating Fatima’s aspects of life are beyond our power, because it needs awareness and full knowledge of Fatima’s character. She is also a symbol, the symbol of a distinguished wife, a distinguished daughter, a distinguished mother, a distinguished heroin, a distinguished companion, a distinguished fellow and confidant, the symbol of worship, the symbol of love towards Allah, the symbol of pains and efforts, the symbol of campaigner, the symbol of patience, the symbol of administering justice, the symbol of serving people, the symbol of speech, the symbol of forbearance and self-possession, the symbol of politeness and humanity, the symbol of chastity and piety, the symbol of bravery….

How can we swim in the deep sea of her life, hoping that we arrive to the beach. Yes, everyone endeavors to trace some aspects of her life according to his apprehension and perception.

The School of Fatima (peace be upon her):

Under the protection of Islamic ideology and her outlook, Fatima (peace be upon her) built the thought foundation of a Divine and human school, including principles, rules and beliefs; a hopeful and life-giving school teaching us how to live and how to die. Fatima’s school, the pearly-gates to the other world to us, inverts the last generation’s way of life, and builds up a new world on the ruins. She rouses a new way of thinking, teaching us how to look at the world and life.

Fatima’s school endeavors to make the human beings hopeful, teach them the way of chastity and covering themselves, support the oppressed, consider the most sensitive matters of man’s life, settle justice in the society and not allow every one does what he wishes.

In this world that the people are victimized for feathering their nests, and the people are ready to yield themselves in a mean form for instantaneous pleasures, in this world that people, like imprisoned birds which strike themselves against the cage and try to take pleasure, Fatima’s school can be teachable and resolving.

The Constructiveness of Her School:

Through studying the world of Fatima (peace be upon her) , we can build up our character, and as a result, attain independence, grant values, and high esteem. Fatima’s life and school are full of exaltation and direction.

Fatima’s outlook, her divine and human character, perception and knowledge, mission and responsibility are life-giving and wholly constructive and instructive on the condition that her character and picture be drawn well, and no mistakes occurs.

The power of this construction is so that it can set us free from uselessness and hollowness, make up for our evident and concealed fiasco, illustrate the way of victory and elevation, and grant us happiness, moderation, tranquility, and peace of mind.

Introducing Fatima (peace be upon her):

Introducing Fatima (peace be upon her) as it really is, seems difficult. We can just state what is related to her external aspects and then commence introducing her from this viewpoint:

1. Her Descent:

Her name is Fatima (peace be upon her), her father, Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants), the last Prophet, her mother: Khadijeh, entitled as the mother of orphans. Fatima (peace be upon her) was the fourth and the last daughter. Her titles are Zahra, Omme Abeeha that means the mother of her father, Zohreh, the mistress of the women of the worlds, and at last, a goddess in man’s form.

Her father was the messenger of Allah, a distinguished man and a unique character. Her mother Khadijeh was known as the mother of orphans, and had some other titles. But among them, she was fond of this title and all-out sample in achieving that title. Her mother is a woman that Allah has not dedicated a better one to the messenger, as Ayesheh quoted from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

While the people blasphemised Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants) and made every endeavor to make him yield by means of economic sanctions, it was Khadijeh, who believed in and helped him with her own wealth. And at last, while everybody in that era had cut relation to Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants), it was Khadijeh, who kept contact with him and was even proud of that relation.

Fatima (peace be upon her) was begotten after forty days, passed in prayer and worship due to the fact that they wanted Fatima (peace be upon her) to be clean and continued her father’s mission. She consoled her Father’s sorrow and tried to remove the pain lines of his face.

She later must be the manifestation of all senses (of emotion), policies, and vehemence of the women’s rights, and a sample for them. She must reveal some unknown facts, their new duties as well as the eternal way of life for them.

2. Her Education:

She opened her eyes to this world in the fifth year of Prophetic mission, when Islam emerged in the house of revelation. The hand of a great coach like the Messenger was over her head, and the affection of a gracious mother was giving heat to her life. Owing to this fact, she was never polluted to sin.

She was just seven that her mother passed away, and left Fatima (peace be upon her)lonely. Her father, achieving the two main parts of parentship well made up the lack of motherhood affection.

She passed half of her life in Mecca beside the Messenger and the next half in Ali’s house in Medina. She was trained in revelation environment i.e. the Prophet’s house, and passed a part of her life in the house of the husband, who continued carrying the heavy load of the prophetic mission, that is Imamate. And that was Fatima’s happiness and prosperity to elevate her character in these two houses.

3. Her marriage:

Ali (peace be upon him) grew up in Fatima’s house [the house of Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants)], and they were trained under the supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). When her marriage was posed, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) said that the situation of her marriage won’t be clear unless he receives revelation in this regard, and after that, Ali (peace be upon him) acted as a suitor, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) broke the silence and said: ”O, Ali, don’t be embarrassed, express your request.” Ali(a.s) said modestly and prudently, “I want to make your affection complete with marriage to Fatima.”

In this regard, it can be stated that if there existed no Ali (peace be upon him), there would exist no husband for Fatima (peace be upon her) , and vice versa. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) put Fatima’s hand into Ali’s, and the fruit of this marriage was some children, as Hasan, Hossein, Zeineb and Kolthum (a.s).

Fatima’s Position:

The religious learned have called four women excellent in the history of man’s life, including: Asieh, Holy Mary, Khadijeh and Fatima. Among them, Fatima (peace be upon her) has got a gracious position so that no one could know her except Mohammed and Ali (peace be upon him), and there is no possibility of knowing her except by resorting to what they have said about her. We will try to analyze her position through two views:

1. According to the Holy Quran:

She symbolizes Kauthar, and the following the Quran verse was revealed about her:

أنّا أعطيناك الكوثر

[We have bestowed upon you Kauthar].

She stands for the word نسائنا[our women] in Mobaheleh verse. On the other hand, Zahra is a woman, but includes all the gracious attributes of the grand women in the world, and the roles, of which women must take the responsibility, and try to achieve them.

She is the tenor of the verse:

قل لا اسئلكم عليه اجراً الا المودة في القربي

The one whom Tathir verse (being away from filth) was revealed about her.

She is the symbol of

وجمع الشمس و القمر

She also symbolizes

والقمر اذا تلئها

in Shams Sura.

2. According to the Traditions:

She is the Mistress of women, the inhabitant of heaven.

The heiress of the previous prophets’ glory and that of the famous women of the world.

She is infallible and pure from sin.

She is a part of the Prophet’s body and soul. She is the incarnation of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

Allah’s heaven is incarnated in her, so that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) smells the scent of heaven from her.

She is Ali’s peeress as well as his confidant.

She was one of the glad tidings of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), as he said,

فان الله اصطفاك علي نسا العالمين

Her satisfaction is the Prophet’s satisfaction, and the Prophet’s satisfaction is Allah’s satisfaction.

She is the cause of the survival and the continuation of the Prophethood and Imamate.

And at last, she has got more honor than holy Mary, because she has endowed with eleven Christlike (children).

Fatima’s Honor:

Fatima (peace be upon her) has endowed with honor and grand dignity; the honor no one could achieve it as Fatima (peace be upon her) did. Expressing all her aspects of her character is not feasible; therefore, some points are stated:

1. She is Allah’s beloved:

She is the pure servant of Allah, and is always in worship and contact with Him in order to give her servanthood superiority over her other positions, so that no luxury, effort, or attachments could prevent her from fulfilling her conscious duty. As that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) appreciated her and praised her position was due to the fact that she was pious and in contact with Allah, and not because she was the Prophet’s daughter.

Fatima’s generosity, thought, and efforts are all for Allah’s pleasure. Fatima (peace be upon her) is so dissolved in the Divine grandeur and majesty that she devotes all her things in His way: her position, her rank, her silver bracelet, her wedding dress, the screen of her house, etc. In this case, shouldn’t she be the dear of Allah?

2. She is the Prophet’s dear:

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knows her as a part of his body and soul, as he says,

بضعة منه و روحة اللذي بين جنبيه

In the age of Ignorance and the hard times of his Prophethood, she was as a mother to her father in Mecca. She cleansed the thorns and dust that the people had thrown over the head of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) with her little hands and soothed him. Sometimes, she would cry for his loneliness and caressed for his beaten body.

She was her father’s consular at the time of Hijra, she was so dear for him in Medina that Ayesheh stated, “There was no one dearer than Fatima (peace be upon her) to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants); he attended her house every day and asked about her mood repeatedly. When he was setting for trips, Fatima (peace be upon her) was the last one, visited at the time of departure by him, and at the time of arrival, Fatima (peace be upon her) was the first one, visited”.

Owing to her dignity and action, purity and sincerity, she reached to a rank that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) stated, “ ابوهافداها ”[May his father be sacrificed to her].

Once, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) saw Ali and Fatima (peace be upon them), grinding wheat. He asked, “who gives her place to me to turn the mill?” Ali said to Fatima (a.s), “rise, ‘cause you are tired?” and then the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) sat on her place and continued her job.

Even on his point of death, she was closest to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) whispered in her ear, “Dear Fatima, sit beside me, and recite Quran”. Yes, the whispers and Quran recitation of Fatima (peace be upon her) could sooth the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

3. She is Ali’s wife:

As stated before, if there was no Fatima (peace be upon her), there would be no one deserving to be her husband. Her marriage was determined by the Word of Revelation. She was a wife, kind and fidle, and the perfect symbol ofلتسكنو ايها; confidant with her husband…

She never shattered her family estate under the pretext of ornament and did not make the life bitter for her husband for the false worldly allure.

They had a house, apparently made of clay; a house, void of ornaments, but full of purity, sincerity, faith, piety, and chastity. Their dishes consisted of wooden and earthen bowls, but their soul bowls were full of grandeur and overfilled with cordiality and affection. Their bed clothes were shorter than their height, but they were full of faith, sympathy, unanimity, purity, and understanding.

The Mystery of Fatima’s Grandeur and Eternity:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is grand and eternal on the account that she has been united with Allah. She has absorbed her self in His.

She is greater than the great, because she is acquainted with Allah, who is the greatest, and she is eternal forever until Doomsday, because she is acquinted with the Eternal.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a woman, whose grandeur cannot be inserted in expression and words, because we cannot analyze the infinite with our finite conception. When she is called “Sedigheh” [truthful], it is different from the Sedigheh, applied to others; all her members of body and thought are truthful. It is impossible to describe her grandeur through writing, speaking, and hearing, because all her attributes are in full and infinity. Her faith, her morals, devotion, soul elevation, grandeur, knowledge all are in utmost perfection.

Satisfaction and obedience of Allah:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is Allah’s real follower, and her exalted purpose and ambition are to satisfy Him and seeks for a way to achieve to this end without any shadow of doubt.

This is Fatima’s viewpoint that Allah has superiority over all things and everyone. Thus, she has accepted His bondage of servitude. She is seeking for Allah and His satisfaction in her speech, action, and all her life. This is pride that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knows her satisfaction His satisfaction and her way as the way of God, the Almighty.

Fatima (peace be upon her) as a measure:

Scales is an instrument for measuring and the facts are assessed by it. In materialism, for measuring goods, volume, weight, and a period of time, the special measuring instruments are utilized. In spirituality, measuring is possible through samples and symbols. For instance, the level of somebody’s understanding is measured through comparison with an intelligent person; the level of somebody’s piety is measured through comparison with a pious person; the level of sOmmebody’s intelligence and talent is measured through comparison with a talented and bright person; and the level of sOmmebody’s generosity and humanity is measured through comparison with a generous person.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a complete measure for evaluating the ladies’ deeds, and according to the infallible, “she is measure”. Fatima’s spirit power, unique courage, elevated thoughts, and excellent dispositions are all and all measures and samples. Her chastity, piety, faith, nobility, honor, housekeeping, rearing the children, abstinence from sublunary luxury, material and spiritual aspects and even her death are all measures for us.

In the history of the wOmmen world, we do not know a woman like her to be the measure and sample. All Fatima’s attributes make her more adorned than others and give a distinguished face to her.

Fatima (a.s), the Cause of Continuation of the Prophetic Mission:

It is her clean and pure womb that can be the source of grace and the origin of light and the originator of eleven clean offspring, who are the Prophet’s successors and continuance of the Prophetic mission from generation to generation.

It was not haphazard that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) knew Fatima’s wrath his wrath and her torment or satisfaction his torment or satisfaction. He said, “those, who make Fatima (peace be upon her) happy, have made me happy, and those who tease her, have in fact teased me.”

Yes, she was the continuance of the Prophetic mission, and made any kind of endeavor to promote the Islamic teachings along with Ali (peace be upon him). As a trustful trustee, she went to the companions’ houses at night and delivered them an ultimatum. She explained them that Ali is with right, and right is with Ali (peace be upon him), and if they do not adapt it, they must answer back to Allah. She wanted the people to know that what a big crime they would commit if they negate Ali’s (a.s) right, and what undesired future they would expect.

Fatima (peace be upon her) is the continuance of the Prophetic mission. She is Ali’s witness and assistance. She confirms his speeches, and tried to prove his claims, and in this way, she is not afraid of the door stroke, causing damages on her body, and as a result miscarriage. Even the enemy’s whips cannot stop her from defending Ali; the martyrdom and death in Allah’s way cannot prevent her from continuing the Prophetic mission.

She is the continuance of the Prophetic mission, because she has managed to rear a generation that were the preservers of the religion the Karbala mission, that was the continuance of the Prophetic mission.

She is the continuance of the Prophetic mission, because Imamate, the continuation of Prophethood, belongs to her generation, and Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), who will defend Fatima’s purpose will rise to revive Islam.

How did this way of Prophetic mission continue and what happened to her offspring, who were the followers of the Prophet and Ali (peace be upon him)? Prison, torture, homelessness, banishment, stroke of sword, poison, separation from dynasty and children were some of the hardships they suffered in the way to achieve their holy end.

Fatima (a.s), the Sample of Deconstruction:

The role of Fatima (peace be upon her) in women’s revival was fabulous. She is the sample of deconstruction of the misleading customs, which were prevalent among the people in the society and had captured their hearts.

She was the practical sample of laws, through which the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) managed to apply the Islamic principles and programs.

Like the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), Fatima (peace be upon her) tried to instruct the parents how to revere and love their daughters. While the people buried their daughters alive, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) kissed Fatima (peace be upon her) and said,” daughter is Allah’s gift.” When she was a child, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) sat her on his knees, and through this action wanted the people to take lesson.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) should show the high position of women and how they should be viewed in Islamic ideology through her method. Kissing Fatima’s hand is the symbol of campaign and rebellion against the society viewpoint. It is a revolution against burying girls alive, teaches us indirectly that wOmmen as the gift of Allah must be revered and not heated.

The girls and wOmmen at her era were not believed, and even they were forced to work hard in the farms. They were not considered as kin; they were deprived from inheritance, retaliation was completely fulfilled for them, etc. A woman having some daughters and no son was considered as barren .

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) through having Fatima (peace be upon her) proved that having no son does not mean barrenness as the shortsighted think. On the contrary, she can be the source of abundant felicity for her own family and relatives.

She was the sample of deconstructing the wrong marriage customs. In that age, the rich just married to the rich, but she deconstructed this custom and married to Ali (peace be upon him), her cousin who was poor and by selling his chain mail had managed to provide the marriage costs.

In fact, if there existed no Fatima (peace be upon her), how these false customs were deconstructed, and how the real practical samples in the Prophetic mission were achieved?

If there existed no Fatima, how the complexes, disgrace, irregularity, making the women’s souls weak, were removed?

The variety of Fatima’s roles:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a woman, but has several crucial roles and in each role a real sample. She is a woman, the sample of leadership and grandeur , the one, through fulfilling her roles, has managed to give a practical face to sOmme aspects of the Prophetic mission.

In achieving her role as a sample, she has got a heavy load over her shoulders; the motherhood responsibility, caring the people, helping the poor, administering justice in the society, looking after children, family management, etc. Expressing all Fatima’s aspects and roles needs a separate and lengthy book, but whatever can be stated here in brief consists of:

1. Fatima (peace be upon her) as a Muslim:

Before being the Prophet’s daughter, Ali’s wife or the mother of eleven Imams, she is a Muslim, a worthy Muslim, and before being a woman with different roles, she is Allah’s servant. She does not forget Him even for a moment, and never neglect the heavy load of responsibility.

She is a Muslim, who achieves worship and from the other side, fulfills family duties as well as social duties. And how active, energetic, and successful she has been in dividing her time and facilities for achieving her mission. Her nightly vigils , her worship, her essential social responsibilities, her important political conflicts and campaigns to stand against injustice in the society, her sense of confidence with Ali (peace be upon him), and her teachings for women all and all were in Allah’s way and for His satisfaction.

2. As a Daughter:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a daughter, pure and clean, duteous and obedient Although she is her father’s dear, she reveres the Divine position of her father. She calls him” Rasool Allah” that means the Messenger of Allah, and when she is asked by father about the reason, she answers, “The holy Quran addresses you as so.”

She is a daughter full of affection so that she was called “Omme Abiha” that means the mother of her father, because she was very kind towards her father like a mother to her son.

While the enemy threw dust to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), she cleansed them by his figure, caressed him as if this is her mission to soothe to her father, have sympathy towards him, and delicate her affection as a reaction against the people’s wrath and oppression.

3. As a Wife:

Unlike her sisters, she married a poor but illuminated man in order to deconstruct the inner group marriage (the marriage of the people in the same level), and more important is that in order to provide the family, she worked along with her husband.

Despite all pains, Fatima (peace be upon her) is satisfied with herself, because she does some significant roles in and out of the house through which she proves the importance of the women in the society.

She is Ali’s company in life struggles, his confidant and his consultant in life affairs. She helps Ali (peace be upon him) to administer his right.

She is an ideal wife. Her love towards Ali (peace be upon him) is real; she loves him for Allah’s sake and pleasure, and in this way, she never said any discouraging word to Ali (peace be upon him) throughout her life.

4. As a Mother:

What kind of mother was she! A sample and unique. What kind of children did she bring up! What kind of flowers did she produce in her garden! All sincere and the real obedient to Allah. The children who devoted themselves for the people and had the responsibility of serving the religious laws and its revival.

She educated the children, who were the defenders of Islam; the guards of the sublime ideological values, and are stable in this way. One by his own peace [Imam Hassan (a.s)] and the other by his bloody revolution [Imam Hussein (a.s)] watered the Islam tree and made it grow.

Her daughters were well-reared and purposeful, zeineb and Kolthum (a.s) continued the mission of Imam Hasan and Hossein (a.s). They recorded the voice of Hossein in the day of Ashora, and in Kufa and Sham (Damascus) and on the way made the people hear it. Hossein’s martyrdom is completed by their efforts, and they were the loudspeakers of Hossein’s movement.

5. As a House Manageress:

Although she was the apple of the Prophet’s eyes, and there was no one nobler than her, she worked in the house and turned the mill so that her hands had injured.

She had made the house a place of peace so that when there were a lot of pressure on Ali (peace be upon him) due to sorrow, pains, difficulties, and disorders, he resorted to the house, hoping that through speaking to Fatima (peace be upon her), he could be tranquilized.

She kept the house clean, peaceful, and calm, and although nothing is found for eating, it was overflowing with sincerity and love; her purity and tenderness was the food of the household and made them satisfied.

At the night of her marriage, she went to Ali’s house along with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), the latter said to her, “My daughter, whatever is related to the inner side of the house belongs to you and whatever is related to out of the house belongs to Ali. Ali has the responsibility of providing the house economic aspects, and you have the responsibility of providing the peace and quietness of the house.”

6. As a Lady of the House:

In the house, there existed a lot of chores; on the other hand, she was young, and had a number of children while each of them needed care. Therefore, she must have a fellow-work but not a slave maid. she shared the chores with her and lent a hand to her. Also, she was not as an aristocrat to sit and order, but she always gave a hand to her; washed clothes, cleaned the house, milled the wheat, etc.

Unlike the aristocrats, Fatima (peace be upon her) did not make the maid do everything and be the cause of the husband’s sensuality and make up like doll.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) once said to her, “My daughter, a maid is a human and must be treated as a man”. Her treatment towards a maid signifies Fatima’s justice that she regardes the equality with her maid in the house chores.

Fatima’s Outlook:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is the student of Islamic school. She was brought up in revelation house and under the supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), and even when she married Ali (peace be upon him), she had a close contact with her father. Her view towards the world and its aspects is the view of Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants). It is as if she has derived all her views from the Prophet’s.

In the Islamic school, she was Ali’s classmate. They have got the same views. She was developed under the protection of the Islamic Ideology, taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants).

It seems difficult to express and study all aspects of Fatima’s outlook, but whatever based on her practice, her speech, her view, can be stated includes:

1. Her View on the World:

Fatima’s view on the world is that it is a farm for cultivation. Its facts and appearance are interconnected, and it has been created by a Creator. We must love the world, but not absorb in it; it is a means and not an end. Therefore, approaching the end, one must use the means but not attach himself to it. According to Fatima (peace be upon her), the world deserves love, but not attachment.

The world is the scene of action. It is the field of struggle and effort. The world is a means to make us reach to the otherworldly felicity.

2. Her View on Wealth:

Fatima (peace be upon her) wants property and wealth but not for acquiring value and credit. She wants it for providing her life and protecting her honor.

Those who think of money as an end and seek for it all days and nights, in fact, they have got a complex, and are misleading between means and end. Whatever is achieved in life is not limited to eating, drinking, and wearing. Therefore, we’d better do our utmost to gain wealth but dedicate the rest to our end after satisfying our needs. Fatima (peace be upon her) never limited herself to wealth and did not think of it as the end, because according to her view, the abundant wealth in man’s hand can bring Allah’s pleasure and His affection if he knows how to use it.

The best wealth is her inner richness and generosity, the hand that pays sincerely will receive Allah’s pleasure, instead , and Fatima (peace be upon her) had got such an espirit.

3. Her View on Happiness:

Her view on happiness and felicity is different from others. She doesn’t see happiness in a doll’s life, luxury, beauty, materialism, decoration, make-up, etc. because these factors cannot solve man’s problems and prepare the ground for inner peace and tranquility. They are considered as worldly things and can be lost through the passage of time and as a result, involves man in a heart-rending regret.

Any love and adherence to them are wrong, because they will swallow us in themselves and make us forget our real end and our selves.

The feeling of happiness under the protection of wealth, position, and property is a plot and a deceit, a plot for the decline of our character, and a deceit for keeping us negligent of our development and perfection process. Therefore, we must have another view of happiness. Fatima (peace be upon her) sees happiness in the eternal moments in which man finds himself in the way of Allah; the time that he fulfills Allah’s orders, and obeys the Divine verdicts.

Happiness is in freedom from all bonds and limitations, having captured our minds, and not in pleasure and fruition. Fatima (peace be upon her) never spends her lifetime for happiness with the same misconception of ordinary people, and she is more rational to dissipate her life for reaching to pleasure and fruition.

Fortunately, Ali (peace be upon him), as her husband, is also not a person to provide pleasure with negative concept for her, because he deserves a great value and credit for his life and wife.

4. Her View on Mankind:

She is a responsible and duteous being. She is responsible to develop her character and elevate her soul, and tries to achieve her aims and responsibility, and exalt right perfection of mankind, come to people rescue, make progress, and make the people progress.

According to Fatima (peace be upon her), man is more exalted than he passes his life in the way of his passion as a means for a shameful life. Therefore, she tried to elevate her soul.

She was exposed to different exams during her life, in good and bad conditions, misery and happiness , pains and pleasure. She must endeavor to show herself as she really is and endeavor as she must be.

5. Her View on Death:

She has got another view of death. She thinks of it as a means of transfer from this world to the next as well as a door to happiness and prosperity.

She knows that everything in this world is temporary, even its light, its darkness, its pleasure, and its groan. The time when death arrives and Doomsday occurs, everything will be clear; the people are called to account, and man is put in “Dar Ul-Gharar”; the place of stability.

She is not frightened of death. And at the time of the Prophet’s death when he sees Fatima’s great love towards himself, he feels he must console her only; therefore, he puts his head into her ears and says, “You are the first person that will join me after my departure”. And then, Fatima (peace be upon her) not only does not get sad, but also happy. Yes, the news of death is joyful for her, because she knows that there is prosperity, comfort, and glory to those who have achieved good deeds in this world. She knows that even death for criminals is a bless due to the fact that it prevents them from more crimes and keeps them away from the abyss of adversity.

Fatima’s Learning:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a bright student in the school of Islam. She takes lesson from her father as the best teacher: the lesson of humanity, morality, devotion, generosity, purity, benevolence, restraining her anger, serving people, etc. And her father, who found her ready tried to construct her character. He would try to teach her as much as possible, each of them separately is the lesson of life for her and the women community.

He taught her some practical lessons, concentrating her thought towards new facts. The day when Fatima (peace be upon her) asked for a servant to help her in the house chores, how the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) directed her thought towards another direction, and how he taught her the praise (Tasbihat) after the prayer. She would take lessons from the father and her husband. Even she had some writings from what she had learnt, as she said once to Fizzah she compared those writings with the value of Hassanain. It means that as a mother, a wife, as well as an infallible, she was her father’s student and deserved value for her father’s teachings.

Fatima’s Faith and Worship:

According to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), belief to Allah was so penetrated in her nature and heart that she neglected all things at the time worshipping Allah. And under the protection of Allah’s recognition, she believed in Him and was proud of having relationship with Him.

The love towards Allah has so penetrated in her soul that she did not have any repose. In all times and situations, her deeds showed clearly her servitude to Allah through her treatment, praise to Allah, and way of life. Her ultimate attraction is towards the Divinity.

She worships Allah but not as to go to a corner, fleeing from the society and the people, and it does not mean that she stops her duties and social mission, but she resists against her ego, and, as a result, finds a new character.

Fatima’s motto is

اغير الله اتخذوا اوليا فاطرالسموات والارض

Can I choose another Lord except Allah, who is the creator of the skies and the earth? No, it seems impossible.

But Allah is her guardian, and that is He, who guardians the pious and competent people. When an opportunity raised, she started to praise and worship Allah. And that is a cause not only for her development and perfection, but also for helping the people to be kept in safety and purity.

Imam Hassan (a.s) remembers his childhood and says,” I saw my mother worshiping and praying every night and always praying for people.” I asked her, “Mother, why you do not first pray for us as your children?” she answered, “My son, first neighbors, then house”. الجار ثم الدار

All her deeds were in the direction of the Divine will, and all her deeds were considered as worship: her work, life, housekeeping, taking care of children, helping the poor, etc. are all in Allah’s way and for Allah’s pleasure.

Fatima’s Purposefulness:

Fatima (peace be upon her) is a noble woman with purpose, and due to this fact she did not take any color and did not come to agreement with injustice. Although she was young, and like other youth in youth crisis, had got some ambitions, she never stopped her purpose and did not commit any offence.

She tolerated the hardships to obtain her purpose even under the severe torture of the enemy. In general, her marriage to Ali (peace be upon him) signified her purpose, because she knew that Ali (peace be upon him) was not a kind of man who tried to make her happy as the society expected. She married the one, who was always in the battlefield to achieve his mission.

Under the protection of her purpose, she was not willing to be captured by hypocrisy and deceits, lose her sobriety and vigilance; and because of her purpose, she was far from the adversity and did not heed the world allurement. She was unique in her purpose, and we do not know anybody like her in different periods of history.


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