Fatima Bint Muhammad is an important female-figure in Islam. Fatima was the last-born child of Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Khadijah. The exact date of Fatima’s birth is disputed with several sources giving dates that are up to ten years apart. According to Islamic scholarly sources, Fatima was born in the period between 605 and 615 AD (Mernissi 32).
The date of Fatima’s birth coincides with the period in which Prophet Muhammad was focusing on meditations and reflections in the mountains of Makkah. Fatima had three sisters and two brothers. All of Fatimah’s sisters were married before she reached adulthood.
Consequently, Fatima spent a great deal of her childhood with her father, and she is considered as the youngest Muslim convert during her time (Rudgar 4). Fatima would often accompany her father to prayer missions, and she is highly regarded for her moral purity by Muslims around the world. Fatima was later married to Ali, her father’s second cousin and close companion.
Fatima was at the center of the controversy that caused the split between the Shia and the Sunni Muslim factions. Her position in Islam was reaffirmed by the Prophet who considered Fatima as one of the most significant women in Islam alongside the Pharaoh’s wife Asiya, Mary the mother of Jesus, and the Prophet’s wife, Khadijah. This research paper explores biographical information about Fatima Bint Muhammad and its relation to her role in Islam.
There is a notable disagreement concerning Fatima’s date of birth. Some Islam scholars believe that Fatima was born five years after her father had had his big revelation. Another group of scholars places Fatima’s date of birth at two or three years before the big revelation.
A third faction of Islamic scholars believes that Fatima was born five years before her father was commissioned to be a prophet (Rizvi 1). If Fatima were born five years before the revelations, this would mean that she was over eighteen years of age when she got married (this is unlikely in the ancient Arabian culture).
On the other hand, if Fatima were born five years after her father’s revelations, this would place her mother’s age at above fifty years (Rahmati 44). Some of Fatima’s siblings were adopted, and scholars have often disagreed on the actual number of Muhammad’s biological children. Some sources have claimed that some of Fatima’s siblings were the children of Hala, Khadijah’s sister (Kahn 102).
Muhammad is said to have adopted Hala’s children after the death of their mother. Fatima receives several honorary titles from Muslims as a show of their respect to her. For instance, Fatima is also known as ‘Fatima al-Zahra’ or the ‘shinning one.’
The relationship between Fatima and her father was characterized by a great love that was uncommon between father and daughter. For example, Muhammad is quoted as saying that “Fatima is part of me, he who upsets her upsets me” (Warraq 102).
One hadith expresses the reverence with which the Prophet considered his daughter. In the hadith, the prophet says that several adherents will be lacking people to intercede for them in heaven, but he will be lucky to have his daughter’s favor in such a scenario. Stories are told about how the prophet would often greet his daughter with a kiss between the eyes.
When it was time for Fatima to get married, several of Muhammad’s companions stepped up and requested for Fatima’s hand in marriage. However, both the Prophet and Fatima turned down all these initial proposals. Some of the Prophet’s companions who wished to marry Fatima included her later-day adversaries Abu Bakr and Umar.
Eventually, Muhammad’s cousin and close companion Ali requested for Fatima’s hand in marriage. Earlier on, Muhammad had called “for divine intervention when giving away his daughter in marriage” (Hadith 320). Following Ali’s proposal, both the Prophet and his daughter agreed that Ali was the right man. Fatima is said to have been around ten to nineteen years of age when she got married to Ali.
To pay for the wedding, Ali sold his shield but later got it back as a wedding present. The marriage between Ali and Fatima was significant in several ways. First, Fatima was ‘the dearest of the Prophet’s family’ (Ricci 269). Also, the marriage between the two was said to be divine and was quite important to Prophet Muhammad and Islam in general. The Prophet himself officiated his daughter’s wedding, and two of his wives took care of the catering.
One of the most remarkable aspects of Fatima’s life was her life of poverty. Most of Fatima’s other family members had wealthy lifestyles, but Fatima and her husband led a modest life. For instance, Fatima usually took care of her family’s domestic chores while her husband worked as an irrigator in local farms. Even when her fortunes changed, Fatima continued to lead a modest life and often treated her servants kindly.
The humbleness of Fatima’s life is cemented by the ‘Tasbih of Fatima’ a prayer that the Prophet gave to his daughter when she asked him for a servant girl (Mernissi 29). Also, most of Fatima’s sisters were already married to wealthy individuals. Fatima’s marital life is often a subject of Islamic scholarship studies. Fatima lived a life of modesty and chastity irrespective of her humble means.
Moreover, Fatima often juggled between being the daughter of a prophet and the wife of an Imam. Even though Fatima was married, she continued to be close to her father and recognize the importance of her husband’s activities. According to one reading, Fatima was “not only a wife but also the most beloved of Allah’s Prophet…mistress of all women” (Rahmati 150). After both Fatima’s husband and father fought in the battle of Uhud, Fatima nursed them back to health.
Fatima’s father died a few years into her marriage, and she was left with a deep emotional scar. This was even though Prophet Muhammad had warned his daughter about forthcoming events. However, after the death of her father, Fatima found herself at the center of a succession battle. After the death of Muhammad, there was a need to elect a Caliph from amongst his close companions.
The struggles and disagreements surrounding the election of a caliph who would stand in Muhammad’s place was the main cause of the Sunni and Shia split (Khuwaylid 1). The Sunnis claim that Abu Bakr was the people’s choice for Caliph as opposed to Fatima’s husband. However, Fatima was opposed to Abu Bakr’s caliphate and favored Ali for this position.
When Abu Bakr assumed the position of caliph, he marched to Ali’s house and demanded his support. Several sources give different accounts of what transpired during this incident. Some accounts claim that the incident turned violent and Fatima suffered a miscarriage and broken ribs in the process. Other sources dispute the fact that anyone was injured during the incident.
Nevertheless, Ali’s supporters continued to show him their support irrespective of Abu Bakr’s assertions. The tussle between Fatima and Abu Bakr continued when the latter denied the Prophet’s daughter her share of the inheritance. Consequently, Fatima’s contempt for Abu Bakr continued until her demise.
However, the Sunni accounts claim that Fatima reconciled with Abu Bakr before her death. When it was time for her death, Fatima instructed her husband to prevent Abu Bakr’s faction from conducting her final rites. Consequently, when Fatima died, she was buried at night and in an unmarked grave (Al-Jada and Hassan 49). Fatima is a prominent figure in Islam, and her role in the Shia and Sunni split is undeniable.
Works Cited
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