For man, the Prophet, Hazrat Mohammad (S.A.W.W), was a perfect example to be followed in all matters of this life.
Allah calls him in the Qur’an “Uswatun Hasana” or a perfect example. For the Muslim women Hazrat Fatima (S.A) was the perfect example; for says the Prophet (S.A.W.W), ’The best of your men is Ali Ibn Abu Talib and the best of your women is Fatima Bint Muhammad."
This idea is also found in the famous Sunni book “Mustadrak” (the writer was Malik Naishapuri) which reports the Prophet (S.A.W.W) addressing Hazrat Fatima (S.A) as “The leader of the Women of the World, this Ummah and the believing women.”
Though she lived a very short life of only eighteen years (some say she lived for twenty-eight years), yet she left behind her, excellent examples for Muslim women to follow and thereby lead a pure life.
Of all the children of the Prophet born from Hazrat Khadija, she was the only child to survive. At the time of her mother’s death, she was only five years. But she was a great help to her father She comforted him when the whole world was against him. She helped him clean himself for the dirt the enemies of Islam had thrown on him.
When these enemies hurt him and blood was flowing from his wounds, she would dress these wounds. The care and comfort that this little girl of not even nine gave to her father made him call her “Umm Abiha” orthe “Mother of your Father.”
Normally, once a girl is married, she thinks very little of her parents. But this was not so with Hazrat Fatima (S.A). Whereas she was the best mother to her children UK! The best wife to her husband, she remained a very devoted daughter to her father.
The Prophet also married other women and had another child, Hazrat Ibrahim from Maria Kibtia. He was a good husband to them and a good father to Ibrahim But his love for his daughter Fatima remained as before. Examples are given below to show how the daughter and the father continued to love each other although times changed.
When the battle of Ohad took place, Hazrat i attma (S.A) was already a married woman. But when she heard that her father was wounded, she hurried to the battle field She noticed that the Prophet’s forehead had been badly cut. His tooth broken and his face covered with blood.
She cleaned his face and dressed the wounds with ash obtained by burning a piece of rope. As for the Prophet (S.-YW.W), he visited her every day. Whenever he went out of Medina, he would visit her the last and upon coming back he would visit her first Tabari, the famous Sunni historian, reports Abu-Thalabah as saying, “Everytime the Prophet of Allah came back from a journey, or a war, he would go to the Mosque. There he would pray two-Rakah prayers. Then he would go to Fatima (S.A) and then he would visit his wives.”
He loved her to call him “Father”. When the verses of Qur’an saying “Do not call the Prophet (S.A.W.W) like you call each other”, was revealed, she started calling him “”Messenger of Allah“. The Prophet then said, “Fatima, this verse is not for you and your family, for you are from me and I am from you Call me Father; it surely is better for my heart and more pleasant to Allah.”
Source:
A Brief Biography of Hazrat Fatima (A.S.), [Pg. 20-21].
By: M.M. Dungersi Ph.D.
