Ibn Abbas narrates that the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) informed us about his daughter Fatima Zahra (s.a.) in a lengthy tradition:
“My daughter Fatima, is the chief of the women of the worlds, from the first till the last ones. She is a part of me, the light of my eyes and the coolness of my heart. She is my soul which is in my body. Rather, she is a human Hourie. When she stands in her prayer niche, in front of her Lord, Mighty be His Majesty, her light shines for the angels in the sky just as the stars shine for the people on the earth. Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, addresses His angels, ‘O My Angels! Look at My maid Fatima, the chief of all My maids. When she stands in front of Me, she trembles in My fear and she has turned towards My worship with the bottom of her heart. I make you all as witnesses that I will most surely grant amnesty to her followers (Shias) from the Hell-fire.’”
Then Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) informed about the atrocities upon his daughter thus:
“Whenever I look at her, then I am reminded of all that will befall her. As if I can see wretchedness entering her house, she will be disrespected, her rights will be usurped, she will be deprived of her inheritance, her ribs will be broken and she will suffer a miscarriage. She will call out ‘O Muhammad (s.a.w.a.)!’ But none will reply to her. She will raise a cry for help but no one will come to her aid. She will then always remain grief-stricken, troubled, lamenting. Sometimes she will be reminded of the discontinuation of Divine Revelation from her house. At other times she will miss me. At night, she will feel lonely because now she will not be able to listen to my voice which she could when I used to get up at night for prayers and recite the Holy Quran in it. And now she will find herself in a state that she is not respected anymore whereas earlier she was respected at the time of her father. At that time, Allah, Exalted be His Remembrance, will console her along with the angels just like He consoled Maryam Bint Imraan (s.a.). The angels will say, ‘O Fatima (s.a.)!’
“Indeed, Allah has selected you, kept you pure and chosen you over the women of the worlds.”
[Surah Aal Imraan (3): verse 42]
‘O Fatima (s.a.)!’
“Pray to your Lord, prostrate and bow along with the bowing ones.”
[Surah Aal Imraan (3): 43]
When she will fall ill, Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, will send Maryam Bint Imraan (s.a.) to her to attend to her and console her. At that time, she (my daughter Fatima (s.a.)) will plead,
‘O my Lord! I am tired of life and I am fed up of the people of this world. You join me with my father (i.e. grant me death)!’ So Allah, Mighty and Majestic be He, shall unite her with me and she will be the first one among my Ahlul Bait (a.s.) to unite with me. She will come to me in a state that she will be sorrowful, troubled, aggrieved, her rights will be usurped and she will be killed. Then I will say,
‘O Allah! Curse the one who oppresses her! Punish the one who usurps her rights. Humiliate the one who tries to insult her and keep the one who hit her ribs until her son was still-born, forever in the Hell-fire.’ The angels will say, ‘Aameen!’
Reference: Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 43, pp. 172-173, H. 13 narrating from Al-Amaali of Shaikh Saduq (a.r.)
Note:
▪︎ One cannot imagine the condition of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) when he was narrating to Ibn Abbas about the atrocities upon that daughter whom he himself had named ‘Umm Abeeha’ (mother of her father) and who was a part of him.
▪︎ That pain can only be felt by the Imam of the time who is waiting in occultation (Ghaibah).
▪︎ All we can do is pray that
‘O Lord of Fatima (s.a.)! By the right of Fatima (s.a.)! Pacify the heart of Fatima (s.a.), through the reappearance of (Imam) al-Hujjah (a.t.f.s.)!’
Aameen! O Lord of the worlds!