In the Name of Allah, the Most High
"Peace! A watchword from the all-Merciful Lord[1]"
Regarding the selected topic of this issue, "Women in Islam," despite various analyses and numerous writings about hijab, beauty, and the moral and religious obligations that a Muslim woman must respect, the subject has not yet been fully addressed in its entirety and perfection. This is either because the discourse does not originate from the correct source and foundation, or because the role model presented is not a genuine and authentic one.
May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon the exemplar of all women, Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her), the 'Mother of Imams', to whom these days belong.
Lady Zahra's personality represents an immense and endless culture. She embodies youth with all human perfections and represents womanhood with the highest possible merits. In the Quranic discourse, Allah refers to her with titles and attributes such as "Kawthar[2]" (An Abundant Blessing), "Baḥr[3]" (An Ocean), "Muṭahhara[4]" (The Pure), "Birr[5]" (The Righteous), "Mishkāt[6]" (The Lamp), "A Branch of the Pure Tree[7]", and in Islamic traditions with titles like "Muḥaddatha[8]" (One spoken to by angels), "Mubāraka" (The Blessed), "Ṭāhira" (The Pure), "Zakiyya" (The Virtuous), "Rāḍiya" (The Pleased), "Marḍiyya" (The Pleasing to God), "Biḍ'at al-Nabiy" (The Part of the Prophet), "Umm Abiha" (Mother of her Father), "Umm al-A'imma" (The Mother of Imams), "Kufu Ali[9]" (An Equal to Ali), and the "First to Enter Paradise[10]".
This personality, who was nurtured in the Great Prophet’s school of thought and lived under the guardianship of the Master of Monotheists (peace be upon him), is herself a precious teacher and role model for free-spirited humans, and her conduct and behavior represent the best teachings for humanity. The most important lessons that can be presented to scholars and researchers from her, as the most elevated Muslim woman, regarding Islam's view of women and their duties, are as follows:
God in the Life and Thought of Lady Fatima (peace be upon her):
In her remarkable sermon delivered in the Prophet's mosque in the presence of the Muhajirin and Ansar, she states: "I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, alone without partner, a word whose sincerity is its interpretation, and whose connection is assured in hearts...[11]"
Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her), who was immersed in thoughts of God and nothing but God interfered in her thoughts and intentions, demonstrated that in Islam, the perfection of theoretical monotheism accompanies practical monotheism, states with this expression: "...a word whose sincerity is its interpretation..."
The Marriage of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her):
Marriage, from the perspective of being a turning point in every person's life or, as some say, a challenge in the path of perfection and transformation in some women's lives, is a subject of much discussion and various opinions.
When the noble Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him and household) inquired about Lady Zahra's (peace be upon her) opinion regarding Imam Ali's (peace be upon him) proposal, Fatima (peace be upon her) responded to her father, stating her criterion for marriage thus: "I am pleased with whatever Allah and His Messenger are pleased with...[12]"
Following Divine Leadership:
Another brilliant teaching in Lady Fatima's (peace be upon her) history and life conduct is her following of Amir al-Mu'minin's (peace be upon him) leadership as an Imam and role model. She states: "Indeed, the truly happy one, completely happy, genuinely happy, is the one who loves Ali (peace be upon him) during his life and after his death[13]."
When the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) described Ali's virtues and merits, Lady Fatima (peace be upon her), while acknowledging the greatness and values of Amir al-Mu'minin, would say: "By the One Who chose you, selected you, guided you, and guided the nation through you, I will always acknowledge his virtues[14]." This means: Dear father, I swear by the God Who selected you for prophethood, chose you to guide humanity, guided you, and guided the Islamic nation through you, that as long as I live, I will always acknowledge Ali's virtues.
Passion for Knowledge:
Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) served not only as a narrator of traditions but also as a steadfast fortress, providing intellectual support and logical and scientific assistance to faithful men and women, making scholarly efforts to defeat Islam's enemies and the misguided thinkers of her time. For her, people's way of thinking and their approach to religion on the one hand, and refuting innovations and defending pristine Islam on the other, were very important. She expressed the most beautiful statements regarding the status of intellectual defenders of the people, and the following narration exemplifies her scholarly dedication and encouragement of others in this matter: "Through the chain of narration from Abi Muhammad al-Askari (peace be upon him) who said: Fatima (peace be upon her) said when two women came to her disputing about a religious matter, one being stubborn and the other faithful. She opened the way of argument for the faithful woman who then prevailed over the stubborn one and became very happy. Fatima said: 'Indeed, the angels' joy at your triumph over her is greater than your joy, and Satan's grief and affection for her grief is greater than her grief[15].'"
Besides nurturing students and establishing scientific and religious classes at home, she maintained scholarly connections with her children, and one type of her struggle was scholarly combat and verbal jihad against enemies.
Dealing with Challenges:
One of the teachings of this exemplar of humanity for all women is her method of dealing with problems and using spiritual factors to solve them. Economic difficulties, political problems, social and cultural challenges, etc., surrounded Lady Fatima's (peace be upon her) life both during her father's time and in her husband's home. One day, she spoke to her father about life's difficulties and hardships of livelihood, saying: "O Messenger of Allah! Indeed, my cousin and I have nothing of comfort except a sheep's skin on which we sleep at night and feed our camel during the day[16]."
From this example, she experienced numerous economic hardships during different periods but overcame them through asceticism and piety, never losing sight of her goal.
Hijab from Fatima's (peace be upon her) perspective:
The principle of outward covering and possessing the perfecting attribute of chastity for a believing woman is considered one of the religious and human duties that Muslim women must adhere to - both for maintaining piety and seeking God's pleasure and expressing servitude to God on one hand, and for preserving society's moral security on the other hand.
One of the explicit messages from the life and conduct of Lady Fatima Zahra (peace be upon her) is her extraordinary emphasis on hijab and covering, as evidenced by the following narration: 'Ali (peace be upon him) said: A blind man sought permission to enter Fatima's presence, and she screened herself from him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) asked her: 'Why did you screen yourself from him when he cannot see you?' She replied: 'If he cannot see me, I can see him, and he can smell the fragrance.' The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) then said: 'I bear witness that you are part of me[17].'
Fatima (peace be upon her) and her husband:
One of the family problems is the lack of mutual understanding between spouses. Although a successful couple must jointly resolve life's problems and reach their lofty goals through understanding, obedience to the husband in achieving success has both scientific and experiential basis. Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) expresses the secret of her luminous and spiritual life at the beginning of her will to her husband and all women of the world as follows: "O cousin, you have never known me to be dishonest, disloyal, or in opposition to you since you have lived with me[18]."
Fatima (peace be upon her) and her children:
One of the educational challenges among families is the lack of proper communication with children and the younger generation. Various factors contribute to creating this gap, including the increasing age of marriage and the newer generation's greater focus on virtual spaces. When parents are older and there is a significant age gap with their children, they may struggle to meet their emotional needs.
Lady Fatima, the Pure and Truthful (peace be upon her), and her household represent one of the greatest universities for human development. By considering and observing all aspects of upbringing, she raised and presented to human society the most elevated and successful human personalities.
Today, being like Lady Fatima, striving to become like her, and expanding the culture and way of Lady Fatima (peace be upon her) in the lives of our young and old, men and women, is necessary.
Hoping for that day!
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you!
[1] . Quran 36: 58.
[2] . Quran 108: 1.
[3] . Quran 55: 19.
[4] . Quran 33: 33.
[5] . Quran 76: 5.
[6] . Quran 24: 35.
[7] . Ibid.
[8] . Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Fatima (peace be upon her) has nine names...” - Kawthar Velayat, Tafsir of Surat Kawthar, Fatima Mirzaei, Chapter 1389, p. 25.
[9] . Ibid.
[10] . The Messenger of God (PBUH) said: “The first to enter Paradise is Fatima.” - Nahj al-Hayāt, Muhammad Dashti, Mu’assasat Tahqiqat Amir al-Mu’minin, 1372, Hadith 130.
[11]. Sermons of Hazrat Zahra (‘a.s), Kitab al-Ihtijāj, Ṭabarsi.
[12] . Nahj al-Hayāt, Muhammad Dashti, Hadith 130.
[13] . Ibid, Hadith 24.
[14] . Ibid, hadith 25.
[15] . The book “Fatimeh Zahra (a.s) Shādimāni del Payāmbar”, by Aḥmad Raḥmani Hamdani, translator: Seyyed Hassan Iftikhārzadeh, Badr Publishing, p. 400.
[16] . Nahj al-Hayāt, Muhammad Dashti, hadith 184.
[17] . Ibid, p. 87, hadith 50.
[18] . Ibid, hadith 158. |
