Many of us have probably placed\nourselves and even others in difficult conditions and unnecessary expenses only\nto pass through the regular routines of life. \nInterestingly enough if we think clearly, many of these hardships we put\nourselves through are rootless, and derive only from an unnecessary norm and\nculture that have found its way into society affecting our lives either\nwillingly or unwillingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the era of Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) there lived a rich man by the name of Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf, whom\nas the custom of the pre-Islamic era believed a large dowry (1) to present a\nwoman’s value and her husband’s superiority in society. Abd al-Rahman visited the Prophet and said,\n“If you give Fatimah’s hand in marriage to me, I will put as her dowry a\nhundred camels covered with expensive Egyptian cloth followed by a thousand\ngold Dinars!!(2)”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) asked,\n“Do you think I am the servant of wealth and money that you try to impress\nme with these things?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other than Abd al-Rahman, there were\nmany other men from the companions of the Holy Prophet who would ask Lady\nFatimah’s (PBUH) hand in marriage for reasons ranging from her well-known\nvirtues to her relation to the Prophet and a noble family. However, all suitors were refused for as the\nHoly Prophet had said, Lady Fatimah’s (PBUH) marriage had been decreed by Allah\n(3). And alas with the descent of the\nangel of revelation, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) had been commanded to marry\nLady Fatimah to Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUT) (4). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although it is true this marriage is a\ndivine marriage, however Lady Fatimah’s (PBUH) character and in general women\nrights in Islam for choosing their own husbands provided that Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) not proceed to this act without having his daughter’s word in\nthis matter. When Prophet Muhammad\n(PBUH&HP) discussed Ali ibn Abi Talib’s (PBUH) proposal to her, he clearly\nexplained his characteristics. Ali ibn Abi Talib (PBUH), a man whose worldly\ngoods and wealth were to the least, and who did not meet the criteria for\nmarriage that the pre-Islamic era required of him, had however a character that\nwas full of faith and religious virtues. This time, unlike the previous cases\nLady Fatimah (PBUH) agreed. Once Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP) saw Lady\nFatimah’s (PBUH) agreement in marriage, he asked Imam Ali (PBUH) if he has\nanything to place as his wife’s dowry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Imam Ali (PBUH) replied, “May my\nparents be sacrificed for you, you are well aware that my belongings are\nnothing more than a sword, a shield, and a camel.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Holy Prophet, who believed a small\ndowry to increase a woman’s value as opposed to a large one (5), replied,\n“You are correct. You will need your sword for battles with the enemies.\nAnd with your camel you must water the palm trees and travel with it on your\ntrips. Thus you can only give your shield as her dowry.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Prophet ordered to sell Imam Ali’s\n(PBUH) shield. He divided its money into three sections. He gave a part of it\nto Bilal to purchase a decent perfume, and he spent the other two to purchase\nsome household items and clothes for Lady Fatimah (PBUH). Obviously with the money from the shield the\nmaterial that could be bought were very cheap and simple! (6)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lady Fatimah’s (PBUH) simple dowry and\nits usage for purchasing necessities of the home can be the biggest lesson for\ndecreasing our expenses and remaining satisfied with what we are capable of\npurchasing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A marriage so divine, yet so\nsimple? What are its criteria? Where then can virtues be found? And amidst all these, how should we act? Let us be the judge\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(Selection taken\nfrom “The Biography of Lady Fatimah Zahra (PBUH)” by Ayatullah\nMakarim Shirazi, with certain changes)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On behalf of Roshd Website we\ncordially congratulate all Muslims around the world for the birth anniversary\nof the manifestation of contentment and devotion, the daughter of Prophet\nMuhammad (PBUH&HP), the mother of her father, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (PBUH).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Footnotes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1- Dowry, also\nknown as Sidaq refers to a wealth that a husband offers his wife as a gift to\nshow his true intention. He can also choose\nto accept the option of offering this dowry the moment his wife asks for\nit. The issue of dowry can also be seen\nin other religions and cultures. \nHowever, the way it has been defined in Islam has some differences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
2- The basic\nunit of money in the time of Prophet<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3- Kashf\nal-Ghummah, vol. 1, chapter on marriage of the master of women of the two\nworlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4- Prophet\nMuhammad (PBUH&HP) has said in this regards, an angel came to me from Allah\n(SWT) and said, “The Lord sends his greetings unto you and has said, I\nhave wedded your daughter Fatimah in the heavens to Ali ibn Abitalib; you too\ntherefore wed her to Ali!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5- Mustadrak\nal-Wasa’il, vol. 14, p.216<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6- History has\nrecorded the material that were purchased with the money consisted of the\nfollowing items: a large scarf for four Dirham, material for a dress for seven\nDirham, a bed made of wood and leaves from a date palm, four pillows made from\nsheep skin and filled with leaves from an aromatic plant, a woolen curtain, a\nsmall mat, one hand mill, a leathern sac for water, one copper flatwash, a\ncontainer for milking the cow, and a pitcher made from clay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Many of us have probably placed ourselves and even others in difficult conditions and unnecessary expenses only to pass through the regular routines of life. Interestingly enough if we think clearly, many of these hardships we put ourselves through are rootless, and derive only from an unnecessary norm and culture that have found its way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28248],"tags":[63310],"class_list":["post-4063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-occasional-letters","tag-biography-of-lady-fatimah-al-zahra"],"yoast_head":"\n