Lady Fatima : the Ocean of Infallibility and Meditation
All divine religions consider Men’s humanity superior to his other characteristics , and its development and improvement as a necessity ; therefore , divine teachers – Prophets and Prophets Muhammad’s infallible households – have been sent to enrich Men’s mind and thinking as the basis of humanity ; they have applied reason and logic , and tended to accompany the outer proof ( The Holy Prophets and infallible Imam ) with the inner proof – mind .
Now , what are or should be such people’s characteristics – with such noble , great goals – to guide people to their desired way ? The Holy Quran – as the source of all Islamic law and principles – names three characteristics as necessities of such people , to enable itself to necessitate others to follow them .
1) Unlimited knowledge : “ We have numbered everything in a clear register : ( Yasin : 12 ) وَكُلَّ شَيءٍ أحصَيْناَهُ في إماَمٍ مُبين ”
2) Relying on reason and logic : “ A proof now has come to you from your Lord and we have sent down to you a manifest light : ( The women : 174 ) قَدْ جَاءَكُم بُرهَانٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ و اَنْزَلْناَ ألَيْكُم نُوراً مُبِيناً ”
3) Have something as a sign of God : “ And we chose them , out of a knowledge , above all beings ; and gave them signs where in there was a manifest trial : ( The Smoke : 32 – 33) وَ لَقَد اخْتاَرناهُمْ عَلَى
عِلمٍ عَلَى العالَمينَ . و ء'اتَيْناهُمْ مِنَ اْلاياتِ ما فيه بَلاءٌ مبين ”
“ And , our Lord , send among them a Messenger , one of them , who shall recite To them your signs , and teach them the Book and the Wisdom , and purify them you are the All – mighty and the All – wise : ( The cow : 129 ) : رَبَّنا وَ ابْعَثْ فِيهِمْ رَسُولاً مِنْهُمْ يَتْلُو عَلَيْهِمْ آياَتِكَ و يُعَلِّمُهُمُ الْكِتاَبَ والْحِكْمَةَ و يُزَكِّيهِمْ . إنَّكَ “ أنتْ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ
Regarding all the three mentioned characteristics reveals the content of this invitation – inviting to God and absolute obedience to him , and denying anything , but God – in addition to the Prophets’ and infallible Imams’ infallibility of sins and mistake which is the distinct, magnificent quality of God’s chosen obedients : Prophets and Imams ; those whose obediences have been to nobody and nothing , but God , according to divine religions and rules , those whom God keeps away sins and faults and names them deserving of superiority and magnificence : “ In houses God has allowed to be raised up , and His Name to be commemorated therein glorify Him , in the mornings and the evenings ; are men whom neither commerce nor trafficking diverts from the remembrance of God and to perform the prayer , and to pay the alms , fearing a day when hearts and eyes shall be turned about : ( The Light : 36 – 37 ) : فِي بُيُوتٍ اذِنَ اللهُ اَنْ تُرْفَعُ وُيُذْكَرَ فيهاَ اسْمُه ُيُسَبِّحُ لَهُ فِيهَا بِالْغُدُوِّ وَ الآصَالَ • رِجَالٌ لا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةً وَ لا بَيْعٌ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللهِ وَ إقامِ الصَّلاة و إيتَاءَ الزَّكَوةِ يَخَافُونَ يَوْماً تَـتَـقَلَّـبُ فِيهِ الْقُلُوبُ وَ الأبْصَارُ “
All divine Imam and successors have been following the Holy Prophets in all steps of their lives and in all phases oh history of divine religion – with their own difficulties . It is a clear matter that Prophet Muhammad – as the chief and supreme of all messengers and according to divine teachings the last of them – should appoint some one like himself as his successor , some one who is the most outstanding one among successors , and scientific , moral , social , or divine figures in order to accomplish the desired principles and goals whose preliminaries had been provided by other Prophets , and been rebuilt and reinforced by him ( Prophet Muhammad ) .
The mentioned point is the underlying reason of Imam al – Ali’s and his infallible desendents’ superiority over other successors and messengers , which could not be realized unless by the means of a careful study and contemplation of the historical trend of religions , divine teachings and goals of Gof’s messengers.
Lady Fatima , Prophet Muhammad’s daughter , had a special , distinct position in this matter as she was the linking ring between Prophet Muhammad and his infallible successors . According Imam al – Hasan al – Asqari’s saying that , “ We are God’s evidence for you and our ancestress , Lady Fatima , is God’s evidence for us : نحن حجة الله على خلقه وجدّتنا فاطمة حجت الله علينا ”
(1) , we deduce that Lady Fatima is God’s evidence of his infallible evidences ( Imams ) .
Besides , the Holy Prophet says , “ Indeed , God appointed Ali , his wife ( Fatimah ) and his scion ( infallible Imams ) as his evidence among people : ان الله جعل علياً وزوجته وابنائه حجج الله على خلقه ”
(2) . She ( Lady Fatimah ) had such an honorable position that obeying her was an obligation and necessity for all God’s creature – from jinns , humans , birds , and beasts to Prophets and esteemed angels : لقد كانت مفروضة الطاعة على جميع من خلق الله من الجن والانس والطير والوحوش والانبياء و الملائكة “ , Imam al – Baqir said .
(3) In short , the extend and number of narratives concerning Lady Fatimah’s magnificence , virtues , and holy position are so wide that only listing them demands thous ands of pages and a lot of books .
Studying God’s infallible chosens’ positions in the Quran , which are the firmest and most unquestionable collection of religious teaching , has a wide – spread extend . Al though such a study is very teaching and advantageous , unfortunately it has not been put into that much consideration which it deserved , and those who reseach in Quranic sciences and technics have a lot to do studying Lady Fatimah’s position in the Holy Quran is not an exception as little attention – even less than others – has been paid to ; Lady Fatimah who is the most honorable and the noblest womenin the humans’ history . Of course a lot of factors have been effective the isolating trend of behavior toward Lady Fatimah’s life and position in the religion , and their teaching ; elements like masculinist society , and sectarian obstinacy and overambitious sensuality of those who have found existence and even remembrance of Lady Fatimah’s name against their social , political in correct domination , and an obstacle for its establishment .
More surprising are the shameful , insolent , unhumane treats against Lady Fatimah – concerning whom some verses had been revealed and they are some other verses which clearly instruct the people to follow Prophet Muhammad’s infallible household that Lady Fatimah is the most honorable of all , and invite to their friendship – and numerous oppressions which finally led to her martyrdom after a short time after the Holy Prophet’s death . Such oppressive , injustice behaviors were not limited to herself and to the time she was alive , but all of those who have been interested in Fatimah’s principles or even commemorated her name , have deserved severe punishments , were deprived of social services and boycotted . (4) The mentioned conditions and the governments based upon them are the black , shameful pages of Islamic history from which the Islamic Ummah is still suffering . Allamah Majlesi in Behar – Ol – Anwar (5) retold that Imam al – Sadiq in a long , detailed narrative stated that God has named twelve women in the Holy Quran and donated a special characteristic to each one ; “ And infallibility was donated to Fatimah ” , Imam al – Sadiq stated at the end of the narrative . “ Fatimah is a part of me ( my spirit ) , whoever annoys God ” , Prophet Muhammad said concerning Lady Fatimah ( retold in Behar – Ol – Anwar and other Hadith books by specialist in Hadith , and common people ) . There exist other narratives with almost the same content as follow :
- Whoever makes her ( Fatimah ) happy , ( indeed ) has made me happy : مَنْ سَـرَّهـا فَـقَـدْ سَـرََّّّّنـي
- Fatimah is my spirit which is located in my chest
وَ فاطِمَة رُوحِيَ الّـتي بَـيـن جَـنَـبي
- Whatever intimidates Fatimah , intimidates me too ,
and whatever depresses ( makes spiritual tension ) for her , dose the same to me . يُـريـبـُنـي ما ارابها و يُـقـبَـضُـني ما يَـقـبَـضُـها
-I will be happy by what makes her happy , and I will be satisfied by what satisfies her .
يَـبـسُـطُـنَـي ما يَـبـسُـطُـها و يُـرضـيـني ما ارضـيـها
Regarding the mentioned narratives , one deduces that Lady Fatimah was an infallible figures since pleasing her equals God’s and his Messenger’s please and annoying her equals their annoyance. Now , if she had not been infallible , she would have committed a fault and made a mistake ; consequently , she would have deserved punishment and penalty . considering the previously mentioned short discussion and regarding the stated narrative , Lady Fatimah must have been infallible till it would become unlikely to annoy her ; otherwise , the mentioned narratives are meaningless . A lot of Shiite and sunni narrators retold that Prophet Muhammad said , “ Indeed , God get angry by Fatimah’s anger , and he is pleased by her satisfaction (7) ” .
At last , we narrate a Hadith from two sources – concerning Lady Fatimah’s excellencies , and indicating her superiority to all Prophets , excepther father : Prophet Muhammad .
The first saying is retold by Allamah Majlesi from Elal al – Saraeh (8) that Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari said , “ [ Once ] I asked Abi Abdellah – Imam al – Hossain – ‘ why is Lady Fatimah named Zahra ? ’ . He replied that since God created Lady Fatimah from the light of his magnificence , she stated shinnig ; therefore , heavens and the earth became lightful and angels’ eyes became dazzled . They all fell and bowed down to God saying , ‘ O, our Lord , what is such a light ? ’ . Then , ‘ This light is taken from my own light , located in the Heavens , created from my own light , located in the Heavens , created from my magnificence , put in one of my Prophet’s loin ( Prophet Muhammad’s loin ) , and gave it superiority over all my Prophets ( except Muhammad ) . From this light will come out [ I will creat ] leaders – Imams – who resist [ against tyranny , oppression , etc ] due to My command and for the sake of me , and guide people to my rightousness ; I will appoint these leaders – Imams – as my successors in the earth after the end of revelation of the Quran . [ That is they are those who guide and warn people on the behalf of me ] .
Sayyed Gholam Reza Hossain
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