Fatimah bint Muhammad (RA)
The Beloved Daughter of the Prophet:
Early Life and Childhood:
Fatimah was the fifth child of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.
When she was five years old, she heard that her father had become the Messenger of Allah.
Fatimah would remain by her father’s side when he would visit the Kabah and she attended secret gatherings of the early Muslims who had accepted Islam.
Trials and Persecution in Makkah:
When she was around ten years old, she went with her father to Masjid al-Haram. While the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was praying, a group of the Quraysh gathered around him. This group included the following Quraysh leaders: Abu Jahal, Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt, Shaybah ibn Rab’iah and Utbah ibn Rabi’ah.
Abu Jahal asked: Which of you can bring the intestines of a slaughtered animal and throw it on Muhammad?
Uqbah ibn Abi Mu’ayt volunteered and threw it on the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ while he was still prostrating in prayer.
Fatimah went up to her father and removed the waste of the animal. She was very angry by the actions of the Quraysh.
The Prophet’s Dua Against the Quraysh:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ completed his prayer and said three times: O Lord, may you punish the Quraysh.
The Prophet said: May you punish Utbah, Uqbah, Abu Jahal and Shaybah!
Outcome of the Prophet’s Dua:
All the names mentioned in the Dua of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were killed many years later at the Battle of Badr.
Another Incident of the Quraysh Attacking the Prophet:
On another occasion, Fatimah was with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ as he made tawaf around the Kabah.
A group of the Quraysh then grabbed him and tried to strangle him with his own clothes.
Fatimah screamed and shouted for help and Abu Bakr came rushing out to free the Prophet. He said to the Quraysh: Would you kill a man who says: My Lord is Allah?
The group of the Quraysh then turned to Abu Bakr and began to beat him up until blood flowed from his head.
The Trial of the Boycott:
In the seventh year of prophethood, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and his family were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in a valley.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the tribes of Banu Hashim and Banu Al-Muttalib were forced to retreat with limited supplies of food.
Fatimah, who was around twelve years old at the time, had to undergo months of hardship and suffering.
The Quraysh allowed no food and contact with the Muslims and this boycott lasted for three years.
The Death of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid:
After this, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had to face even more trials when his wife Khadijah, (mother of Fatimah) had passed away and later in the same year, his uncle Abu Talib died.
This was known as the ‘Year of Sadness’.
Impact of the Death of Her Mother:
Fatimah bint Muhammad was very upset by her mother’s death and because of this, her health deteriorated, such to the extent that it was feared she might pass away from the grief.
Responsibility to Her Father:
Fatimah now had a bigger responsibility with the passing away of her mother as she felt that she had to provide even more support to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Because of this, she devoted herself to look after her father’s needs.
Title of ‘Umm Abi-ha’:
She was labelled ‘Umm Abi-ha’ – the ‘Mother of her Father’.
Further Trials:
One time, Fatimah bint Muhammad witnessed a group of disbelievers throw dust all over the Prophet’s head. As he entered his home, Fatimah began to cry.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told her: Do not cry my daughter, for Allah shall protect your father.
Love and Honour from the Prophet:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had a special love for Fatimah and he said: Whoever pleased Fatimah has indeed pleased Allah and whoever has caused her to be angry has indeed angered Allah. Fatimah is part of me. Whatever pleases her, pleases me and whatever angers her, angers me.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: the best women in the world are four: the virgin Maryam, Asiya the wife of Pharaoh, Khadijah, the Mother of the Believers and Fatimah, daughter of Muhammad. (Ahmad)
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ saw Fatimah approaching, he would welcome her, stand up, kiss her, take her by the hand and sit her down in the place where he was sitting.
Migration to Madinah:
Fatimah bint Muhammad migrated to Madinah a few weeks after the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ did.
She arrived in Madinah with Zayd ibn Haritha, who was given the responsibility by the Prophet to go back to Makkah to bring the rest of his family.
Marriage Proposals:
In the second year of Hijrah, she received proposals of marriage from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
It is reported that the Prophet rejected proposals from Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Then, Ali ibn Abi Talib, went to the Prophet to ask for her hand in marriage.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ asked Ali: why have you come? Do you need something?
Ali could not reply as he was too shy to ask him, so the Prophet said: perhaps you have come to propose marriage to Fatimah. Ali replied: Yes.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ agreed to the proposal of Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Marriage to Ali ibn Abi Talib:
Fatimah bint Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib were then married at the beginning of the second year after Hijrah.
Fatimah was around nineteen years old and Ali was around twenty one at the time.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ performed the marriage ceremony himself.
The Hardship Suffered by Fatimah and Ali:
Fatimah and Ali lived a life of hardship as Ali ibn Abi Talib was quite poor.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught Ali and Fatimah: you should say Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah) ten times after every prayer, Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) ten times and Allahu Akbar (Allah is the Greatest) ten times. And when you go to bed, you should say them thirty-three times each.
Ali ibn Abi Talib said later on: I never once failed to say them since the Messenger of Allah taught us this.
The Death of Fatimah’s Sister Ruqayyah:
In the second year after Hijrah, Fatimah’s sister Ruqayyah fell ill with a fever and this was shortly before the Battle of Badr.
Ruqayyah died just before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ returned from Makkah and Fatimah was very upset by the loss of her sister.
Family Life and Children:
Al-Hasan – Born: 3rd Year AH:
Fatimah bint Muhammad gave birth to a baby boy in Ramadan in the third year of Hijrah.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ spoke the words of Adhan into his ear and called him Al-Hasan (which means the Beautiful One).
Al-Husayn – Born: 4th Year AH:
One year later, she gave birth to another son, Al-Husayn (which means little Hasan or the little beautiful one).
The Prophet with Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn:
Fatimah bint Muhammad would often bring her two sons to visit their grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and he would take them to the mosque, where they would climb on his back when he prostrated.
Zaynab – Born: 8th Year AH:
In the eighth year after Hijrah, Fatimah gave birth to a third child, a girl who she named after her older sister Zaynab.
The Prophet’s daughter Zaynab had passed away shortly before the birth.
Umm Kulthum – Born: 10th Year AH:
Two years later, Fatimah bint Muhammad had a fourth child.
This was another girl and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ chose her name to be Umm Kulthum, and she was named after Fatimah’s sister who passed away the year before.
Role in the Community:
Fatimah bint Muhammad played a major role in the Battle of the Khandaq, as she prepared the food along with other women.
Fatimah accompanied the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ when he made Umrah in the sixth year after the Hijrah, after the treaty of Hudaybiyah.
Fatimah and her sister Umm Kulthum were among the Muslims who took part with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in the conquest of Makkah the following year.
Final Days with the Prophet:
In Ramadan, in the tenth year of Hijrah, just before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ went on his Farewell Pilgrimage, he told Fatimah: Jibril recited the Quran to me and I to him every year, but this year he has recited it with me twice. I cannot but think that my time has come.
On his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ became seriously ill and he spent his final days in the house of Aisha bint Abi Bakr.
Fatimah – The First Lady of this Ummah:
One day, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called for Fatimah, and he whispered in her ear, which caused her to cry. The Prophet then whispered again and this time, she smiled.
Aisha bint Abi Bakr witnessed this and asked: You cry and you laugh at the same time Fatimah? What did the Messenger of Allah say to you?
Fatimah replied: He first told me that he would meet his Lord after a short while so I cried. Then he said to me: Don’t cry, for you will be the first of my household to join me, so I laughed.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told her: Aren’t you pleased that you are the First Lady of this Ummah?
Impact of the Prophet’s Death:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passed away, Fatimah bint Muhammad was very upset and she would often be seen crying.
One of the companions said that he did not see Fatimah laugh after the death of her father.
The Death of Fatimah bint Muhammad:
Five months after her father passed away, Fatimah asked for her husband Ali ibn Abi Talib.
Ali asked her what was wrong and she smiled and said: I have an appointment with the Messenger of Allah.
Ali ibn Abi Talib started to cry and Fatimah consoled him. She then instructed Ali ibn Abi Talib to look after their sons Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn and advised that she should be buried without a ceremony.
After saying this, Fatimah bint Muhammad turned to face the Qiblah, closed her eyes and passed away at the age of twenty-nine.
Hadith on Fatimah bint Muhammad:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Fatimah is a part of me, and he who makes her angry, makes me angry. (Bukhari)
Aisha narrated: I have not seen anyone more closely resemble the disposition, mannerism, and characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, than his daughter Fatimah. If she entered his home, the Prophet would stand for her, take her by the hand, kiss her, and seat her in his place. If the Prophet entered her home, she would stand for him, take him by the hand, kiss him, and seat him in her place. (Abu Dawud)