By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     
 “We are the Hojjaj-Allah (Proofs/Authority of God) over mankind, while our ancestress Fatema is Hojjat-Allah (Proof/Authority of God) over us.”
Every occasion has a cause and every celebration of that occasion has to have a sound basis.
We are celebrating “Mother’s Day” and “Women’s Week” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, as well as in countries and societies where feminine qualities and motherhood are virtues with respect attached to the womankind as the basic builders of sound and healthy societies.
Islam has designated a lofty position for the daughters of Eve to mould their life upon, in contrast to the decadent western and other irreligious cultures where women are merely carnal and commercial commodities, while the International Women’s Day (March 8) is a farcical event without any mention of feminine virtues, their purity of purpose and their characteristics.
Islam, with its emphasis on morally upright ladies (Sarah the wife of Prophet Abraham, Asiya the God-fearing wife of the tyrant Pharaoh, Mary the mother of Prophet Jesus, and Khadija al-Kubra the loyal wife of the Last and Greatest Messenger) has presented the most perfect paragon-par-excellence to the women of the world.
She is none other than Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), the “Seyyedat an-nisa al-alameen, min al-awwaleen wa’l-akhereen” (Noblest Lady of the universe, from the beginning to the end) – the exemplary daughter, the ideal wife, the model mother, and the perfect teacher for the society.
How can mortals pen the merits of the Immaculate Daughter of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), the Impeccable Wife of the Commander of Believers Imam Ali (AS), the Infallible Mother of the Leaders of the Youth of Paradise – Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS) – and the Exceptional Teacher of all those girls and women eager to achieve feminine virtues?
The merits of the Lady who, along with her father, husband and sons, was created as a shaft of ethereal light by God, Who after due trial before granting her physical form in lineal descent from Adam and Eve, found her to be the pinnacle of faith, patience, virtue, gratitude, and wisdom, cannot even be enumerated by the celestial angels. 
No wonder, according to her illustrious descendant, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS), God Almighty has said: “I have blessed her with more bounty than all of the Prophets, and have extracted from her Light Imams who will rise by My order and will guide the people towards Me, and I will make them caliphs (vicegerents) upon My (Planet) Earth…”
The “Tuffahat al-Firdows” (Apple of Paradise), Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA), was conceived of the Heavenly Fruit that God granted Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) to eat during his “Me’raj” (Ascension) to the highest points in the heavens and back again to Planet Earth in a fraction of a single night. (It is thus clear that the “Me’raj” was a physical journey transcending time and space, and certainly not a dream or spiritual ecstasy experienced by the Prophet, as the weak of faith conjecture.)
In view of these facts, the “Mercy unto the creation” whom God Willed should not have any surviving son and granted him the Radiant Zahra as “Kowthar” (Perennial Spring of Abundant Munificence), through whom his progeny continues, showed to Muslims the worth of the Dignified Daughter to serve as the lasting practical example for all virtuous women.
Therefore, the virtues of Hazrat Fatema (SA) are not exclusive to Paradise in afterlife or the Day of Judgement on which she will intercede in the Divine Court for the forgiveness of multitudes of the faithful who had erred.
These are ubiquitous in the transient world as well, since she is the pivotal figure of the blessed group whom God calls “Ahl al-Bayt” in the holy Qur’an, and whose blessings cover all aspects of our life and faith.
“Indeed, Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt, and preserve you thoroughly purified.” – (33:33)
Time and space do not permit me to go into details of this Ayah or Ayah 61 of Surah Aal-e Imran. On revelation of the last named, the Prophet took his daughter along with her husband and two sons (no one else besides) for the Mubahela or unique challenge of malediction that marked the resounding triumph of Islam over the Christians of Najran.
Today, as we celebrate “Mother’s Day” let us refer to a hadith from the Prophet mentioned in the books of our Sunni brethren (Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Musnad Ibn Hanbal, etc.) regarding “Kowthar” and its connection to the person without whom the Prophet’s only daughter would have remained a unmarried like the Virgin Mary: 
“Kowthar is a stream of super excellence exclusively belonging to me. Only the righteous believers (among my followers) are to drink from it. Ali (AS) will distribute water from it to them. On the day of Judgement, I will see some of my companions driven like cattle away from Kowthar. It will be announced that they are those who after my departure from the world deviated from the true religion and introduced innovations to corrupt the faith”.
From that from that day onwards, one of the epithets of Imam Ali (AS) became Saqi al-Kowthar. It means the one who quenches the thirst of believers at the heavenly stream of Kowthar – and the one who is the husband of “Kowthar that is Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), in whose honour God has revealed several ayahs of the holy Qur’an.
To sum up, the Redeemer of humanity, who will reappear in the end times as Imam Mahdi al-Qae’m to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice, will be the direct descendant of Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA).
“Peace upon you O Daughter of him who is the Best of all creation;
“Peace upon you O wife of the Wali of Allah and the Best of creation after the Messenger of Allah;
“Peace upon you O Mother of Hasan and Husain, the Leaders of the Youth of Paradise.”