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In the previous chapters the services of the three khalifas, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum, their presence in the nikah and testifying therein, was mentioned in detail. Now remains the aspect of the reception of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha and the preparation of her home. The books of both the Shia and the Ahlus Sunnah state that the organising of her home was undertaken by Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma had plastered, cleaned, and seen to the other household requirements of the house that Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had bestowed Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha with.
In order to encompass all angles relating to this issue, i.e. the marriage of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, I shall cite texts from the books of both sects.
The first narration is cited in Manaqib al Khawarizmi, the second in Amali of al Sheikh Abu Jafar al Tusi and the third in Ibn Majah.
Umm Ayman radiya Llahu ‘anha narrates that she called ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to come to Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, upon which he came. He mentions the narrative as follows:
فدخلت عليه وهو في حجرة عائشة رضي الله عنها فقمن أزواجه ودخلن البيت وأقبلت وجلست بين يديه مطرقا إلي الأرض حياء منه…
When I entered upon Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he was at the home of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. When I arrived all the Ummahat al Mu’minin, the noble consorts of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, left and went to the other room. I set with my head lowered before him, out of modesty. Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked: “Would you like that your wife, Fatimah, be sent to your home?” I said: “May my parents be sacrificed upon you, indeed it would be ideal.” Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Tonight, if Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala wills, we shall send her to your home.” As I was leaving the residence of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam elated and happy he said to the Ummahat al Mu’minin: “Prepare Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, dress her with the best of clothing, apply fragrance to her and prepare her bedding at her new home.” Hence they did so accordingly.[1]
Further details in this regard are found in Amali of Sheikh Abu Jafar al Tusi. The narration goes as follows:
فالتفت رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم إلي النساء فقال من ههنا؟ فقالت أم سلمة رضي أنا أم سلمة وهذه زينب و هذه فلانة و فلانة. فقال رسول الله صلي الله عليه و سلم هيئوا لابنتي وابن عمي في حجرة لي بيتا. فقالت أم سلمة في أي حجرة يا رسول الله قال في حجرتك وأمر نساءه أن يزين ويصلحن من شأنها
Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when addressing his pure wives inquired: “Who is present here?” Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha replied: “I am present and so is Zainab and so is so-and-so and so-and-so (referring to Aisha and Hafsah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Thereupon Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Arrange an abode in one of my homes for my daughter Fatimah and my cousin ‘Ali.” Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha asked: “In which of your homes, O Nabi of Allah?” “In your home,” said Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and instructed them to embellish it as well.[2]
After analysing these two Shia narrations one should study the narration of Ibn Majah, a source of the Ahlus Sunnah, in order to envision the scenario in its entirety:
عن الشعبي عن مسروق عن عائشة وأم سلمة رضي الله عنهما قالتا أمرنا رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم أن نجهز فاطمة حتي ندخلها علي علي فعمدنا إلي البيت ففرشناه ترابا لينا من أعراض البطحاء ثم حشونا مرفقتين ليفا فنفشناه بأيدينا ثم أطعمنا تمرا وزبيبا وسقنا ماءا عذبا وعمدنا إلي عود فعرضناه في البيت ليلقي عليه الثوب و يعلق عليه السقاء فما رأينا عرسا أحسن من عرس فاطمة
Sha’bi relates from Masruq who relates from Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma that Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had instructed them to make preparations to send Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. They mention:
We plastered her matrimonial home with pliable soil which was sought from the valley of Batha’ and then cleaned it. Thereafter we made two pillows by filling them with the bark of date palms. Subsequent to that we prepared a snack of dates and raisins and provided sweet water. And lastly we plunged a long stick into the ground so as to facilitate the hanging of clothing and a leather bag. We did not witness a wedding better than that of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha.[3]
Finally it would be apt to cite that narration of Amali from which we can determine the date of this noble union:
روي أن امير المؤمنين عليه السلام دخل بفاطمة عليها السلام بعد وفاة اختها رقية زوجة عثمان بستة عشر يوما وذلك بعد رجوعه من بدر وذلك لايام خلت من شوال
Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha was sent off to her matrimonial home sixteen days after the demise of her sister, Ruqayyah radiya Llahu ‘anha, this was after the Battle of Badr after a few days of Shawwal had passed. (The Battle of Badr took place in the second year after hijrah).[4]
Another aspect worthy of notice here is that this narration of Amali has proven that Ruqayyah radiya Llahu ‘anha was the biological sister of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha. She was the wife of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and she passed away during the Battle of Badr.
By analysing these narrations with fairness one can conclude that there existed sound relationships between Aisha and Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha. Love and empathy existed between the two of them. There was no enmity or jealousy between them. All the narrations depicting them to be hostile towards one another are baseless and are based on lies.
NEXT⇒ Relations Between Fatimah and Aisha
[1] Manaqib Al Khawarizmi pg. 245: chapter regarding the marriage.
[2] Amali vol. 1 pg. 40
[3] Ibn Majah: chapter on nikah
[4] Amali vol. 1 pg. 42
BACK⇒ Return to Table of contents
In the previous chapters the services of the three khalifas, Abu Bakr, ‘Umar and ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhum, their presence in the nikah and testifying therein, was mentioned in detail. Now remains the aspect of the reception of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha and the preparation of her home. The books of both the Shia and the Ahlus Sunnah state that the organising of her home was undertaken by Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma had plastered, cleaned, and seen to the other household requirements of the house that Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had bestowed Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha with.
In order to encompass all angles relating to this issue, i.e. the marriage of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, I shall cite texts from the books of both sects.
The first narration is cited in Manaqib al Khawarizmi, the second in Amali of al Sheikh Abu Jafar al Tusi and the third in Ibn Majah.
Umm Ayman radiya Llahu ‘anha narrates that she called ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to come to Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, upon which he came. He mentions the narrative as follows:
فدخلت عليه وهو في حجرة عائشة رضي الله عنها فقمن أزواجه ودخلن البيت وأقبلت وجلست بين يديه مطرقا إلي الأرض حياء منه…
When I entered upon Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, he was at the home of Aisha radiya Llahu ‘anha. When I arrived all the Ummahat al Mu’minin, the noble consorts of Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, left and went to the other room. I set with my head lowered before him, out of modesty. Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked: “Would you like that your wife, Fatimah, be sent to your home?” I said: “May my parents be sacrificed upon you, indeed it would be ideal.” Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Tonight, if Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala wills, we shall send her to your home.” As I was leaving the residence of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam elated and happy he said to the Ummahat al Mu’minin: “Prepare Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha, dress her with the best of clothing, apply fragrance to her and prepare her bedding at her new home.” Hence they did so accordingly.[1]
Further details in this regard are found in Amali of Sheikh Abu Jafar al Tusi. The narration goes as follows:
فالتفت رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم إلي النساء فقال من ههنا؟ فقالت أم سلمة رضي أنا أم سلمة وهذه زينب و هذه فلانة و فلانة. فقال رسول الله صلي الله عليه و سلم هيئوا لابنتي وابن عمي في حجرة لي بيتا. فقالت أم سلمة في أي حجرة يا رسول الله قال في حجرتك وأمر نساءه أن يزين ويصلحن من شأنها
Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when addressing his pure wives inquired: “Who is present here?” Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha replied: “I am present and so is Zainab and so is so-and-so and so-and-so (referring to Aisha and Hafsah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma. Thereupon Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Arrange an abode in one of my homes for my daughter Fatimah and my cousin ‘Ali.” Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anha asked: “In which of your homes, O Nabi of Allah?” “In your home,” said Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and instructed them to embellish it as well.[2]
After analysing these two Shia narrations one should study the narration of Ibn Majah, a source of the Ahlus Sunnah, in order to envision the scenario in its entirety:
عن الشعبي عن مسروق عن عائشة وأم سلمة رضي الله عنهما قالتا أمرنا رسول الله صلي الله عليه وسلم أن نجهز فاطمة حتي ندخلها علي علي فعمدنا إلي البيت ففرشناه ترابا لينا من أعراض البطحاء ثم حشونا مرفقتين ليفا فنفشناه بأيدينا ثم أطعمنا تمرا وزبيبا وسقنا ماءا عذبا وعمدنا إلي عود فعرضناه في البيت ليلقي عليه الثوب و يعلق عليه السقاء فما رأينا عرسا أحسن من عرس فاطمة
Sha’bi relates from Masruq who relates from Aisha and Umm Salamah radiya Llahu ‘anhuma that Nabi salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had instructed them to make preparations to send Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. They mention:
We plastered her matrimonial home with pliable soil which was sought from the valley of Batha’ and then cleaned it. Thereafter we made two pillows by filling them with the bark of date palms. Subsequent to that we prepared a snack of dates and raisins and provided sweet water. And lastly we plunged a long stick into the ground so as to facilitate the hanging of clothing and a leather bag. We did not witness a wedding better than that of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha.[3]
Finally it would be apt to cite that narration of Amali from which we can determine the date of this noble union:
روي أن امير المؤمنين عليه السلام دخل بفاطمة عليها السلام بعد وفاة اختها رقية زوجة عثمان بستة عشر يوما وذلك بعد رجوعه من بدر وذلك لايام خلت من شوال
Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha was sent off to her matrimonial home sixteen days after the demise of her sister, Ruqayyah radiya Llahu ‘anha, this was after the Battle of Badr after a few days of Shawwal had passed. (The Battle of Badr took place in the second year after hijrah).[4]
Another aspect worthy of notice here is that this narration of Amali has proven that Ruqayyah radiya Llahu ‘anha was the biological sister of Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha. She was the wife of ‘Uthman radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and she passed away during the Battle of Badr.
By analysing these narrations with fairness one can conclude that there existed sound relationships between Aisha and Fatimah radiya Llahu ‘anha. Love and empathy existed between the two of them. There was no enmity or jealousy between them. All the narrations depicting them to be hostile towards one another are baseless and are based on lies.
NEXT⇒ Relations Between Fatimah and Aisha
[1] Manaqib Al Khawarizmi pg. 245: chapter regarding the marriage.
[2] Amali vol. 1 pg. 40
[3] Ibn Majah: chapter on nikah
[4] Amali vol. 1 pg. 42