The matrimony of Ali and Fatimah (PBUT) was one of the most important and crucial matrimonies in Islam; because the father of the bride was the greatest character in the Arabian Peninsula, or in fact the entire Islamic nations and the Messenger of Allah. The bride herself was the best, most learned, and most accomplished woman in Islam, and one of the four great women of all time(1). The groom also was from a respected tribe, and he was the best man among the Arabs in terms of knowledge, virtue, and courage. Moreover, he was the official successor, the minister, and the counselor of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP), and the brave chief of the Muslim army.
Such a matrimony should normally have a glorious ceremony; but based on what the history has testified, it was held with utmost simplicity. The dowry of the Lady of Islam (PBUH) was extremely simple. What is amazing is that this slight dowry was gathered using the dower of Lady Fatimah (PBUH); in other words, the bride’s father did not set aside the dower and then try to gather the dowry with difficulty(2).
The Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) could have provided a full dowry based on the norms of the society for her beloved daughter, even if it required borrowing money from others, with the idea that:” I am the Messenger of Allah, and my daughter is among the best women, so I have to value her and make her happy. Also, my son-in-law is among the noble men of Islam, so I need to collect valuable amenities for him in order to appreciate his efforts”.
On the other hand, Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH) was not one those young men who would marry in order to collect wealth and properties; those who, if the dowry was not complete, would harm their innocent wives and shake the foundations of their marriage life through baseless taunts.
Ali (PBUH) was the future Imam and leader of the nation, and his aim was to fight these false ideas. So he gathered some simple amenities: A piece of wood to hang on their cloth and water container, skin of a sheep, a pillow, a water container, and a sieve.
Islam believes that competition among families in financial matters makes life difficult on people and causes severe difficulties for the societies; therefore, they have to encourage the youth to get married by easing the affairs of marriage so that numerous spiritual and social problems would be prevented. High and useless expenses for marriage make the foundations of the new life unstable, damage the love between the spouses, and discourage the youth from getting married. For the same reason, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) who knew the harms and drawbacks of competing in providing luxurious dowry, held that unique matrimonial ceremony for which the first and second men of Islam were in charge in utmost simplicity. By doing so, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) taught a practical lesson to the Muslim leaders and the entire Muslim nation.
The behavior of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP), Imam Ali (PBUH), and Lady Fatimah (PBUH) is a model for all those households who want to avoid the cloud of personal desires and financial competitions from darkening the garden of kindness in their lives.
(The above is a selection taken from “The Model Lady of Islam, Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH)”, by Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini (with some changes))
Footnotes:
1. Various Hadiths have been narrated in both Shia and Sunni sources in this regard. For example, Ibn Abd al-Bir (A Sunni scholar) has narrated in his book Istia’b (vol. 2, p. 720) that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) said,” The best women are four: Mary, Asyiah, Khadijah, and Fatimah”
In addition to that, Ibn Shahr Ashub has narrated in his book Manaaqib (vol. 3, p. 323) from Ayishah and others that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP) said,” O Fatimah! I give glad tidings to you that the Lord has chosen you among all the women of the worlds and the women of Islam (which is the best religion), and his elevated you above them all”.