It seems like just yesterday that the father privately called her to his deathbed and whispered into her ear. Words that prepared her for the ingratitude and turmoil that lay ahead. Words that hinted at her soon joining her father, and managed to bring a fleeting smile to her tear-streaked, sorrowful face.
Now, nearly three months have passed since the passing of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Fatimah (peace be upon her), who bore the painful loss of her father and, on the other hand, faced the overwhelming waves and cruel storms of the tribulations arising from Saqifah, has long been like a ship moored at the shore, companion to her bed, and her life’s light slowly fades, illuminating the house for the last time.
One day, she told Asma, her servant: “Prepare water for me so I can perform my ghusl!” Asma brought the water. The Lady performed her ablution and then said: “Give me my new clothes!” She put them on, then instructed that her bed be spread in the middle of the room. She lay on her right side facing the qiblah, placing her right hand under her face. Then she said: “Leave me now and go out. I wish to commune with my Lord. After a while, call me. If I answer, all is well, but if I do not respond, know that I have gone to my Lord.”
Asma says: “I went out of the room, and I could hear her in prayer. Time passed until I called her, but there was no response. I called again: ‘O daughter of Muhammad Mustafa! O daughter of the best one to have walked upon the earth! O daughter of the one who was brought close to his Lord, no more than the distance of two bowshots!’ But there was no answer. I entered, and when I uncovered her face, I saw that she had passed away.”
Then, I threw myself upon her and, kissing her, said: “O Fatimah, when you go to your father, convey my greetings to him!”
Afterward, Asma went out of the house. Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them) met her and asked: “Where is our mother?” She could not speak. They entered the room and saw their mother lying down. Husayn (peace be upon him) shook her and realized she had passed away. Then Hasan (peace be upon him) said: “O brother! May God reward you for your patience in this trial of our mother’s death!”
Hasan (peace be upon him) threw himself upon his mother, kissing her and saying: “O mother, speak to me before my soul departs!” Husayn (peace be upon him) stepped forward, kissing her feet, and said: “O mother! I am your son Husayn! Speak to me before my heart is torn apart and I die!”
Mourning, Asma told them: “O children of the Messenger of God! Go to your father, Ali (peace be upon him), and inform him of your mother’s passing!” They left the house, crying out: “O Muhammad! O Ahmad! Today, when our mother has passed away, your passing is renewed.” They went to the mosque and informed Imam Ali (peace be upon him).
Those present saw that when the news reached Imam Ali (peace be upon him), he fainted from the grief and sorrow. When he regained consciousness, he went to the body of the Lady. He said: “O daughter of Muhammad! After you, to whom will we turn for solace? You always comforted me! After you, who will bring me peace and solace?”
After burying his wife, he spoke a few words to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), which reflect the intense injustice and oppression that had befallen the Lady: “O Messenger of God! The trust You gave to me has been returned, and the trust has been taken back… Soon, Your daughter will inform You how Your nation gathered to oppress her. Ask her, and inquire about us, for the time has not yet passed, and Your name is not yet forgotten…”[1]
Indeed, the only daughter of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him), the exemplary lady of Islam and the Mistress of the Women of the Worlds, a short while after her father’s passing, at the age of only 18, and with many physical and emotional wounds inflicted upon her by the founders of Saqifah, bid farewell to the house of Ali (peace be upon him) and joined her noble father.
Peace be upon the great lady of long sorrows in the brief period.[2]
(From the book “Fatimah al-Zahra, the Joy of the Heart of the Chosen One,” by Ahmad Rahmani Hamadani; with additions)
Footnotes:
[1](Shia: Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 459; Mirat al-‘Uqul, Vol. 5, p. 326; Sunni: Tafsir al-Shawari, Vol. 19, p. 11831, with slight differences).
[2] Zad al-Ma’ad, p. 400 (with slight differences).