By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
      "And when the angels said, ‘O Mary, Allah has chosen you and purified you, and He has chosen you above the world’s women. O Mary, be obedient to your Lord, and prostrate and bow down with those who bow [in worship].” (Holy Qur’an 3:42-43)
       The mother of Prophet Jesus (AS) needs no introduction. God Almighty Himself has vouchsafed her chastity, her purity of character, and her superiority over the rest of the women of the world – of her times.
       Mary remained a virgin since no man was worthy of her hand, and thus could not fulfil the role of a wife that is vital for complete perfection of a lady in order to serve as the most excellent model for the daughters of Eve for all time.
       This is the reason Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), while expounding to his companions the above revealed words Lord Most High on the exalted position of the Virgin Mary over the women of the world, said:
       "My daughter Fatema is Seyyedat-an-Nisa al-alameen, min al-awwalin wa’l-akherin (the Noblest Lady of all time, from the beginning till the end).”
        This was not the expression of a doting father, since the holy Qur’an says in the opening ayahs of Surah Najm that Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) neither errs nor speaks by himself, and whatever he says is revelation revealed.
        Moreover, history has not presented a better example of the most Perfect Lady than Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA), whom God has hailed in the holy Qur’an as "Kowthar” (Fountain of Perpetual Abundance), and said in ayah 33 of Surah al-Ahzab regarding her, her father, her, husband Imam Ali (AS) and her sons Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS):
       "Indeed Allah desires to repel all uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt and keep you thoroughly purified.”
        As a daughter, as a wife, as a wife, and as a teacher for the women of her times, the Pride of Mary was, and remains, the Paragon-Par-Excellence.
        After her, her two daughters, Hazrat Zainab (SA) and Hazrat Omm Kulthoum (SA) rose to great heights as the most noble ladies of their times, and the legacy continued amongst the Immaculate Daughters of Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) – both of them named Fatema (SA) – with the elder of the two being the wife of her cousin Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), and mother of the Prophet’s 5th Infallible Heir, Imam Muhammad Baqer (AS). Indeed, her grandson Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS) has called her as the Noblest Lady of her age – thus confirming God’s words of the superiority over the rest of mankind, of His chosen ones, whether male or female, especially the progeny of His Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) through daughter Fatema (SA) and her husband Imam Ali (AS), the son of Abu Taleb (real name Imran):
       "Indeed Allah chose Adam and Noah, and the progeny of Abraham and the progeny of Imran above all the nations; Some of them are descendants of the others, and Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” (Holy Qur’an 3:33-34)
       Interestingly, the Prophet’s 6th Infallible Heir, whose epithet "as-Sadeq” means the Most Truthful One, also gave tidings of another Noblest Lady:
       "A lady from my progeny, by the name of Fatema will be buried in Qom; whoever visits her [shrine], will certainly be admitted to Paradise.”
        The recorder of this narration says the 6th Imam gave these tidings before the birth of his son, Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the father of Fatema al-Ma’suma (SA), whose birthday we are celebrating today on the 1st of Zi’l-Qa’dah, as the Day of Virtuous Daughters”.
        Since she was born in born in 173 AH, these tidings of her grandfather were made at least 45 years before her birth. This means her birth was awaited by the true followers of the Ahl al-Bayt.
        She grew up to be the most virtuous lady of her times, acquiring knowledge and wisdom from her father and her elder brother, Imam Reza (AS), and spending her days and nights in the worship of God, similar to the piety of the Mother of Jesus (AS). Like the Virgin Mary (SA) she also did not marry, since no man of her times was worthy of her noble hand.   
        Time and space do not permit me to go into detail of her dynamic answers at the mere age of 6 years to the legal questions of a group of persons from distant Iran, who happened to knock on the 7th Imam’s door in Medina during his absence.
        I suffice with two of her narrations here. The first is about the historic event of Ghadeer-Khom in 10 AH, when the Prophet on Divine Command proclaimed his dear cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali (AS) as vicegerent, while the second is on the Me’raj or the Prophet’s Ascension to the highest point in the heavens and back to Planet Earth in a fraction of a night.
        Fatema al-Ma’suma (SA) narrates on the authority of her aunt of the same name from Fatema the daughter of Imam Baqer (AS), from Fatema daughter of Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), from Fatema and Sakinah, the daughters of Imam Husain (AS), from Omm Kulthoum the daughter of Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), who, when the companions of the Prophet usurped the political leadership of the Islam realm from her divinely-decreed husband, said in clear argumentation:
       "Have you forgotten the words of the Prophet of God on the Day of Ghadeer- Khom, when he said: "For whomsoever I am Master, this Ali is his Master”, and also his words, to Imam Ali (AS): "Your relationship to me is like the relationship of Aaron to Moses.”
        With this same chain of authority of the narrators, Fatema al-Ma’suma (SA) quotes her illustrious ancestress Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), as saying:
        "I heard from my father, the Prophet (SAWA), who said: ‘During my Me’raj, when I was escorted through Heaven, I saw a palace of white pearls, whose door was decorated with pearls and rubies, and on that door hung a curtain. I raised my head towards it and saw written on the door: "There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Ali is the Guardian of the Ummah.” I then looked at the curtain and on which was written: "Ah, ah! Who is like the Shi’a of Ali?” I entered the palace, in it I saw a castle of red agate, which had a silver door, decorated with green topaz and on that door was hanging a curtain. I raised my head and saw written on that door: "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, Ali is the Successor of Mustafa.”
        Our sincere salutations to Our Immaculate Lady of Qom, whose arrival in this city, her 17-day sojourn here, and her sudden death at the young age of 28, transformed this piece of land on the edge of the desert in the Iranian Plateau, into a stairway to paradise.


Congratulations on the Blessed Birthday of Hazrat Fatema al-Ma’suma (SA)