The variety of Hazrat Fatimah’s crucial roles
Fatimah (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 some 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 Fatimah’s aspects and roles needs a separate and lengthy book, but whatever can be stated here in brief consists of:
1. Fatimah (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, fulfils 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:
Fatimah (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 Qur’an 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, Fatimah (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 Hassan and Hussein (A.S). They recorded the voice of Hussein in the day of Ashura, and in Kufa and Sham (Damascus) and on the way made the people hear it. Hussein’s martyrdom is completed by their efforts, and they were the loudspeakers of Hussein’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, Fatimah (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 Fatimah’s justice that she regards the equality with her maid in the house chores.
Taken from: Fatimah (A.S) the Most Paramount Lady of Islam
By: Dr. Ali Ghaemi
Other links:
Glimpses Into The Family -Life Of Hazrat Fatimah Part 1
Glimpses Into The Family -Life Of Hazrat Fatimah (A.S) Part 2
Glimpses Into The Family -Life Of Hazrat Fatimah (A.S) Part 3
The Prophet of God and Fatimah…
