By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

 

“Peace upon you O’ Noblest Ever-Lady,

“Peace upon you O’ whose inheritance was denied,

“Peace upon you O’ whose ribs were broken,

“Peace upon you O’ whose husband’s rights were usurped,

“Peace upon you O’ whose children were martyred.” 

Every year the doleful third of the month of Jamadi al-Akher refreshes our grief for a tragedy that afflicted the Lady of Light a millennium four centuries and 37 years ago, when a group of ruffians set fire to the threshold at which the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger used to salute every morning. 

      They did not stop at this sacrilegious act, but continued their violation of the sanctity of the blessed house of the Ahl al-Bayt, whose pristine purity Allah Himself has vouched in the holy Qur’an (33:33). 

     They battered down the burning door upon the Immaculate Daughter of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), pinning her to the wall (resulting in miscarriage), and dragging her husband with a rope around his neck for forcible pledge of allegiance to the usurpers who deprived him of his right of political leadership of the Ummah.

      The scars of this blasphemy are still evident on the body politic of most of the Muslim World, unable to find its moorings because of its inability to sift truth from falsehood by summoning up the courage to disassociate from the killers of the Fatema az-Zahra (SA) and the imposters who masqueraded as caliphs.

The result is the sorry state of affairs today, with anti-Islamic forces dominating the world and making the majority of Muslim states bow at the threshold of imperialism and Zionism.

The only remedy for throwing off the yoke of the enemies is to return to the letter and spirit of the Book of Allah, proper reflection on the Sunnah and Seerah of the Seal of Messengers and realization and recognition of the rights of his Ahl al-Bayt. 

In other words, without understanding the sufferings and sacrifice of Hazrat Fatema (SA) in defence of the “Wilayah” or Divinely Decreed rights of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), none can claim to be a “true believer” (momin), in spite of attaching to himself/herself the label of Islam.

not physically in our midst, the phrases of her memorable sermon delivered in the presence of the coup leaders of Medina, continue to serve as guidance for us.

“(The Qur’an) leads its adherents to goodwill; and hearing it leads to salvation; with it are the bright divine authorities achieved, His (that is God’s) manifest determination acquired, His prohibited decrees avoided; His manifest evidence recognized; His satisfying proofs made apparent, His permissions granted, and His laws written.”

“A covenant He brought unto you, and an heir He left to guard you; That is The Eloquent Book of Allah; The Truthful Quran; The Brilliant Light; The Shining Beam; Its insights are indisputable; Its secrets are revealed; Its indications are manifest; and its followers are blessed by it.”

She reminded them of their own pledge of allegiance to Imam Ali (AS) two and a half months ago at the historic gathering of Ghadeer-Khom as the Prophet’s Vicegerent on Divine Commandment, warning them of their grave mistake in seizing his right of political leadership, for which the Muslims will always remain divided and confused. 

Her words failed to jolt the conscience of the neo-Muslims who before paying lip service to Islam had spent almost all their entire life in idol-worship and all other abominable crimes and sins of the Days of Ignorance. It was not surprising that they desecrated the sanctity of her blessed house and inflicted severe injuries upon her in violation of the Prophet’s words:

“Fatema is a part of me; whoever displeases her has displeased me – and whoever displeases him has displeased Allah” (also mentioned in “Sahih Bukhari”, a book revered by our Sunni brethren). 

She thus lamented beside the blessed grave of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA): 

“Father! I remain bewildered and lonely... My voice is subdued. My back is broken. My life is disturbed…Surely, after you, (God’s) Revelations, the place of (the Archangel) Gabriel’s descent and (the Angel) Michael’s station have vanished. Father! Motives have changed and gates have been shut in my face. Father! We became after you among the oppressed. Father! People shun us after you, after we were glorified by your presence…Father! How gloomy are your meeting places (without your presence)! How pained I am for you, until I soon join you! How bereaved is Abu’l-Hasan (Imam Ali), the father of your two (grand)sons Hasan and Husain; your beloved one; he whom you brought up as a youth, and made your brother as a man; the most beloved of your companions to you; Abu’l-Hasan, who was the first to migrate and help you.”

When the time of her departure for Paradise and reunion with her father, approached, in her last will, she instructed her aggrieved husband: 

“I ask you not to let anyone who did injustice to me to witness my funeral, for they certainly are enemies of mine, and the enemy of Allah’s Messenger. Also don’t give them the chance to pray over me, nor to any of their followers. Burry me at night when eyes are at rest and sight is put to sleep.”

Imam Ali (AS) carried out the wishes of his beloved wife in the dead of night on the 3rd Jamadi al-Akher (95 days after the Prophet’s passing away). He laid her to rest at an unmarked and still unknown spot in Medina, so that the shadow of those that had displeased her and committed their unpardonable act of terrorism against the Prophet’s progeny would never fall upon it, nor would any future blasphemers, such as the Wahhabis of our times, would be able to desecrate it. 

“O Prophet of Allah, peace upon you from me and from your daughter, who has come to you and who has hastened to meet you. O Prophet of Allah, my patience about (the sufferings of) your chosen (Fatema) has been exhausted, and my power of endurance has weakened, except that I have ground for consolation in having endured the great hardship and heart-rending event of your separation. I laid you down in your grave when your last breath had passed (when your head was) between my neck and chest. 

“Surely, those who, when an affliction visits them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and to Him do we indeed return.’ (Holy Qur’an 2:156) 

“Now the trust has been returned and what had been given has been taken back. As to my grief, it knows no bounds, and as to my nights, these will remain sleepless until Allah chooses for me the house in which you are now residing. 

“Certainly, your daughter will apprise you of the ganging together of (certain people of) your Ummah for oppressing her. You ask her in detail and get all the news about the position. This has happened when a long time had not elapsed and your remembrance had not disappeared.

“My salaam (salutation) be on you both, the salaam of a grief stricken but not a disgusted or hateful person; for if I go away it is not because I am weary (of you), and if  I stay it is not due to lack of  belief  in what Allah has promised the patients.” (Nahj al-Balagha Sermon 201)

It would not be out of context to refer here to an incident that has been widely quoted by even our Sunni brethren. When the morning after her burial the coup leaders tried to make a tumult by threatening to dig up the whole place in order to find the grave of Hazrat Fatema (SA), the patience of Imam Ali (AS) almost snapped, as he grabbed the first tyrant, shook him and threw him to the ground, saying:

“Son of the Sawada! I have abandoned my right to prevent people from forsaking their faith, but as regards Fatema’s grave, by Him in whose hand is my soul, if you and your followers attempt to do anything to it, I will irrigate the ground with your blood!”