In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent the Merciful Allah’s blessings be on you, O Saaheb al-Amr, help us and forsake us not
In the long history of Islam, there are moments that could leave even the hardest of hearts grief stricken. One such moment—laden with profound grief—is when Ameerul Momineen, Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s.), buried Hazrat Fatemah Zahra (s.a.), the beloved and only daughter of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.a.), in the stillness of the night.
Her burial was kept secret, her grave concealed, and her tears heard by none but Allah—the Witness who is also the Judge.
After burying the Chief of the Women of the Worlds (s.a.), Imam Ali (a.s.) smoothed the soil and erased all traces of her grave. He then stood between the resting place of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the fresh grave of his daughter and offered a deeply moving farewell—one that has been preserved in Usul al-Kafi, narrated by Imam Husain (a.s.).
Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) says:
َ السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکَ یَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَنِّی وَ السَّلَامُ عَلَیْکَ عَنِ ابْنَتِکَ وَ زَائِرَتِکَ وَ الْبَائِتَةِ فِی الثَّرَی بِبُقْعَتِکَ وَ الْمُخْتَارِ اللَّهُ لَهَا سُرْعَةَ اللَّحَاقِ بِکَ
Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, from me — and peace be upon you from your daughter, your visitor, the one who now sleeps beneath the dust of your blessed land. Allah chose for her to hasten to you.
قَلَّ یَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ عَنْ صَفِیَّتِکَ صَبْرِی وَ عَفَا عَنْ سَیِّدَةِ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِینَ تَجَلُّدِی
O Messenger of Allah, my patience over your chosen daughter has grown weak, and my strength in bearing the loss of the Chief of the Women of the Worlds has diminished.
إِلَّا أَنَّ لِي فِي التَّأَسِّي بِسُنَّتِكَ فِي فُرْقَتِكَ مَوْضِعَ تَعَزٍّ
Yet I find some comfort by following your example in your own separation (O Messenger of Allah).
فَلَقَدْ وَسَّدْتُكَ فِي مَلْحُودَةِ قَبْرِكَ
For I placed you myself in the niche of your grave…
وَفَاضَتْ نَفْسُكَ بَيْنَ نَحْرِي وَصَدْرِي
And your soul departed while resting between my neck and my chest.
بَلَى، وَفِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ لِي أَنْعَمُ الْقَبُولِ
Indeed, and in the Book of Allah I have the best assurance.
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
Surely, we belong to Allah, and to Him we shall return.
قَدِ اسْتُرْجِعَتِ الْوَدِيعَةُ وَأُخِذَتِ الرَّهِينَةُ
The trust has been reclaimed, and the pledge has been taken back.
وَأُخْلِسَتِ الزَّهْرَاءُ
And al-Zahra has been taken away (from me).
فَمَا أَقْبَحَ الْخَضْرَاءَ وَالْغَبْرَاءَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ
How unpleasant the heavens and the earth now appear, O Messenger of Allah.
أَمَّا حُزْنِي فَسَرْمَدٌ
As for my grief— it is everlasting.
وَأَمَّا لَيْلِي فَمُسَهَّدٌ
And my nights— they are sleepless.
وَهَمٌّ لَا يَبْرَحُ مِنْ قَلْبِي
And a sorrow remains in my heart, never leaving…
أَوْ يَخْتَارَ اللَّهُ لِي دَارَكَ الَّتِي أَنْتَ فِيهَا مُقِيمٌ
…unless Allah chooses for me the abode in which you now reside.
كَمَدٌ مُقَيِّحٌ وَهَمٌّ مُهَيِّجٌ
A grief that wounds, and a sorrow that stirs within.
سَرْعَانَ مَا فَرَّقَ بَيْنَنَا
How quickly separation has come between us.
وَإِلَى اللَّهِ أَشْكُو
And to Allah alone I present my complaint.
وَسَتُنْبِئُكَ ابْنَتُكَ بِتَظَافُرِ أُمَّتِكَ عَلَى هَضْمِهَا
Your daughter will inform you of how your community united against her, denying her rights.
فَأَحْفِهَا السُّؤَالَ وَاسْتَخْبِرْهَا الْحَالَ
So, question her thoroughly and ask her about her condition.
فَكَمْ مِنْ غَلِيلٍ مُعْتَلِجٍ بِصَدْرِهَا لَمْ تَجِدْ إِلَى بَثِّهِ سَبِيلًا
For how many pains churned within her chest, for which she found no way to express them.
وَسَتَقُولُ، وَيَحْكُمُ اللَّهُ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ
She will speak, and Allah will judge— and He is the best of judges.
سَلَامَ مُوَدِّعٍ لَا قَالٍ وَلَا سَئِمٍ
This is the farewell of one who neither grows weary nor resentful.
فَإِنْ أَنْصَرِفْ فَلَا عَنْ مَلَالَةٍ
If I turn away or leave (from your grave), it is not because I am tired, or weary.
وَإِنْ أُقِمْ فَلَا عَنْ سُوءِ ظَنٍّ بِمَا وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الصَّابِرِينَ
And if I remain, it is not from doubting what Allah has promised the patient.
وَاهَ وَاهًا، وَالصَّبْرُ أَيْمَنُ وَأَجْمَلُ
Ah… patience is more blessed and more beautiful.
وَلَوْلَا غَلَبَةُ الْمُسْتَوْلِينَ لَجَعَلْتُ الْمُقَامَ وَاللَّبْثَ لِزَامًا مَعْكُوفًا
Had it not been for the overpowering (forces), I would have remained by her grave, staying constantly.
وَلَأَعْوَلْتُ إِعْوَالَ الثَّكْلَى عَلَى جَلِيلِ الرَّزِيَّةِ
And I would have wept over this great calamity as a bereaved mother wails.
فَبِعَيْنِ اللَّهِ تُدْفَنُ ابْنَتُكَ سِرًّا
Before the eyes of Allah, your daughter is buried in secret…
وَتُهْضَمُ حَقَّهَا وَتُمْنَعُ إِرْثَهَا
Her rights are denied, and her inheritance withheld.
وَلَمْ يَتَبَاعَدِ الْعَهْدُ وَلَمْ يَخْلَقْ مِنْكَ الذِّكْرُ
And it has not been long since your departure, nor has your memory faded.
وَإِلَى اللَّهِ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْمُشْتَكَى
To Allah, O Messenger of Allah, I raise my complaint.
وَفِيكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحْسَنُ الْعَزَاءِ
And in you, O Messenger of Allah, I find the best consolation.
صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ وَعَلَيْهَا السَّلَامُ وَالرِّضْوَانُ
May Allah’s blessings, peace, and satisfaction be upon you both.
These were the words of Ali (a.s.), the Lion of Allah, who never trembled on the battlefield. The one who single-handedly uprooted the gate of Khyber.
It was, indeed, a night when the House of Revelation fell silent.
Questions to ponder
More than fourteen centuries have passed, yet the grave of Hazrat Fatemah Zahra (s.a.) remains unknown — a quiet reminder of the circumstances surrounding her final days.
If the daughter of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) had been given her due respect, would her resting place be hidden? Would her burial have taken place in secrecy? Would Ameerul Momineen (a.s.) have laid her to rest in the night, privately and away from public view?
The silence of that grave is the loudest cry in Islamic history.
Ref: Al-Kafi, Vol 1, 458