By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz

Today “Mother’s Day” is being celebrated in the Islamic Republic of Iran as well as in countries and communities where women and motherhood are viewed from the standpoint of virtue with respect attached to them as the basic builders of sound and healthy societies.
In sharp contrast to the decadent western culture where women are considered carnal and commercial commodities, Islam has designated a lofty position for the daughters of Eve, in view of its emphasis on morally-upright ladies from the beginning of creation, such as Sarah the wife of Prophet Abraham, Mary the mother of Prophet Jesus, and Khadijah the wife of the Prophet of Islam, with the noblest of them all being Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), whose birthday we celebrate every year on the 20th of Jamadi al-Akher.
God Almighty relates to us part of the sorry state of affairs of the pre-Islamic pagan society of Arabia that had degraded females to the worst ever position:
“When one of them is brought the news of a female [newborn], his face becomes darkened and he chokes with suppressed agony.
“He hides from the people out of distress at the news he has been brought: shall he retain it in humiliation, or bury it in the ground! Look! Evil is the judgement that they make.” (Holy Qur’an 16:58 & 59)
The father is shocked at what he views as ignominy for the family. He is perplexed. He doesn’t know what to do; what evil to commit against the newborn.
Why should the father be shocked? Isn’t the daughter a human being?
Of course she is, but for a variety of reasons, he shudders at what awaits her when she grows up. Irrespective of the burden of dowry he may have to procure for her at the time of her marriage, he is more worried about the dishonour she may bring for him and his tribe by being exploited by men of other clans.
This disrespect for women was not restricted to the Arabs. It was widespread in the so-called civilized nations of the past and continues till this day in the modern world despite the loud claims of women’s rights, which are mostly ill-defined and are in fact a distortion of feminine virtues. In other words, because of the un-Islamic nature of the society, where often the rights of females are denied, the prime cause of anguish is commercialization of women and their treatment as mere objects of carnal desires – and all these in the name of freedom and liberties.
The other reasons of distress of fathers and parents whose hearts are devoid of true Islamic belief (even if they pay lip service to Islam), is the prospect of parting with family wealth as inheritance to her that would reduce the share of the sons.
Still, in the case of those who have no proper cognizance of the Infinite Wisdom of God the Almighty Creator, let alone acquaintance with the letter and spirit of the dynamism of Islam, the main reason of sadness at the birth of a daughter (especially when there is no son), is the horrifying thought of the end of lineage – for it is males who are considered the means of continuation of progeny.
Thanks to Islam, all such notions about daughters were changed for good. For the first time in history women found themselves placed on the pedestal of dignity and honour, since the laws of God neither allow the abuse of women as objects of carnal desire, nor do they impose burden on the parents regarding dowry.
In Islam, women have the right to education, the right to own property, the right to choose the spouse, the right to be active in social spheres, and the right to inherit and in turn pass on inheritance to children. They possess many other rights, including the freedom to wear the Hijab and the liberty of being attired in modest dress while in public, so as to avoid unwarranted attention from strangers.
The Hijab or the modest attire with head covering, grants women freedom and liberty in the real sense of these terms, and with it dignity and respect in society that gives meaning to life. As the other half of mankind, it is the woman who, in addition to providing peace and solace to the husband, plays the fundamental role in building a sound and healthy society by grooming children on the basis of faith and moral values that rule out immorality and any agonizing thoughts for parents.
That was the reason Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) told one of the neo Muslim Arabs who frowned on receiving news of the birth of a daughter to him: “The earth bears her, the heavens shade her and the Almighty gives her food. For you, she is like a flower, smell her fragrance.”
On another occasion, in order to remove misconceptions from the society, the Prophet remarked: “Twelve graces descend over the person’s house where there are daughters. Heavenly blessings are showered on that house and angels visit that house for a glimpse.”
The Almighty’s Greatest Messenger was not a mere preacher but a practical demonstrator of whatever the All-Wise Creator revealed to him for the good of mankind. He set the personal example and it is for this reason the holy Qur’an calls him the “Excellent Exemplar”.
Thus, on the 20th of Jamadi al-Akher, Divine Providence decided to reward Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) with the greatest of perpetual gifts, after he and his beloved wife, Hazrat Khadijah the Omm al-Momineen (Mother of all True Believers – SA), lost their two sons, Qassim and Taher, in infancy.
The pagan Arabs, such as Aas bin Wa’el, tried to mock the Prophet as “abtar”, which means “tailless” or the one without progeny. They thought the name of the person in whose mission they had no belief, would soon disappear and die out, while their ill-begotten brats would guarantee continuation of their lineage.
How wrong were they! To the bewilderment of these retarded minds, God not only granted the Prophet a radiant daughter, conceived of the fruit of paradise he ate during his “Me’raj” (Ascension) to the heavens and back to Planet Earth in a fraction of a night, but as the following Surah bears testimony, the perpetuity of his blessed offspring, similar to the perennially inexhaustible Fountain of Kowthar.
“In the Name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate; Indeed, We have granted you Kowthar; So, pray to your Lord, and offer sacrifice; Indeed it is your enemy who is without posterity.”
The hypocrites amongst the Muslims, might deny that “Kowthar” refers to the Prophet’s Impeccable Daughter, the Noblest-ever Lady of all times (Seyyedat-an-Nisa al-alamin min al-awwalin wa’l-akherin), but as is obvious by the last part of this Surah which says “Indeed your enemy is without posterity”, “Kowthar” is undoubtedly a reference to Hazrat Fatema (SA), whose progeny has multiplied and spread all over the world, while that of his enemies has long disappeared.
Today, as we celebrate “Mother’s Day” in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in Muslim societies abroad, in honour of the Infallible Mother who gave to the world such all-time perfect sons and daughters like Imam Hasan, Imam Husain, Hazrat Zainab and Hazrat Kulthoum (peace upon them), let us refer to a hadith from the Prophet mentioned in the books of our Sunni brethren (such as 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) will be allowed 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.”
It is recorded that henceforth one of the epithets of Imam Ali (AS) became “Saqi al-Kowthar” meaning 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 (SA), whom God has extolled in the holy Qur’an.
How can mortals pen the merits of the Immaculate Daughter of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, the Impeccable Wife of the Commander of all the True Believers, the Infallible Mother of the Leaders of the Youth of Paradise, and the Exceptional Teacher of all those girls and women eager to achieve feminine virtue as they strive towards the proximity of the Loving Creator of the universe!
During childhood Fatema (SA), whose spiritual glories kept her above material matters, had so dedicatedly taken care of her widowed father that she earned the epithet of “Omm-e Abiha” or Mother of her Father. This concept and this demonstration of fatherly and daughterly love, was to revolutionize society.
Thus, the virtues of Hazrat Fatema (SA) are not solely related to Paradise in afterlife or the Day of Judgment on when she will intercede in the Divine Court for the forgiveness of multitudes of the faithful who had erred, but are ubiquitous in the transient world, since she is the pivotal figure of the blessed group whom God calls “Ahl al-Bayt”, 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.” (Holy Qur’an 33:33)
It will be tedious to go into details of this Ayah or of Ayah 61 of Surah Aal-e Imran, on the revelation of which the Prophet took his daughter as the only female, along with her husband and two sons (no one else besides) for Mubahela or the unique challenge with the Christians of Najran to mark the triumph of Islam.
No wonder, the Redeemer of mankind, who will reappear in the end times as Imam Mahdi al-Qae’m (AS) to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice, is the direct descendant of Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA).