17. Fatima Bint Muhammad radiyallaahu ‘anhu

Fatimah was the fifth child of the Prophet Muhammad salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Khadijah.

She was about five years old when The Prophet received 

revelation so scholars say “she grew up in Islam.” 

One of her nicknames was Ummu Abeeha (Her Father’s 

Mother), due to the fact that she was always in his company 

and ready to defend him, just like a mother would do for her 

child. Once she saw her father while he was in sujood, and 

`Uqbah ibn Abi Mu`ayt came and placed the guts of a dead 

animal on the Prophet’s back while he was praying. Fatima 

ran to her father and removed the filth from his back while 

she was crying. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam saw her crying and said, “Don’t cry my daughter, for indeed Allah will make your father victorious”.

She adopted so many characteristics from her father, that 

Aisha says, “I have not seen anyone who resembled the 

Holy Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam more in manners, habits, character and in the method of sitting and standing than Fatimah.” (Tirmidhi)

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had so much love for her that if he would be seated and Fatima would enter he would get up and kiss her between her eyes, all the time.

When Ali and Fatima got married the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam  was involved in their life. Once the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam  went to visit them and found Fatima at home alone, he asked where Ali was, she told him that they were upset with each other and 

that Ali has left the house.

The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam  went to look for Ali and found him sleeping in the masjid covered in dust. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam  woke him while wiping away the dust saying, “get up the father of dust”. He did not even ask them what they fought about and instead told Ali, “O Ali come back to your home with me”.

Even though Fatima and Ali were poor they still had a happy 

marriage. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would go to visit them and he would hear their laughter from outside. They had four children, Hasan, Hussayn, Muhsin (who died very shortly after birth) and Umm-Kulthoom.

Fatima was only 28 years old when her father died. She went

 through a very hard time. She entered upon the Prophet 

salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam when he fell ill, but he was unable to get up to kiss her, as he usually does. So she sat to the right of the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam while she was crying. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam  said “bring your ear closer to me O Fatima”, so he whispered something in her ear, so she cried. The Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam again said “bring your ear closer to me O Fatima” and he whispered something else in her ear, and so she laughed. 

Aisha later asked her after the death of the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam , please tell me what he whispered to you, she said, “firstly he said “O Fatima I am going to die tonight,” and so I cried, and when he saw me crying he said, “will you not be satisfied that you will be the first from amongst my family to follow me and that you will be the leader of the women of Paradise”, and so I laughed”.

Fatimah died six months after the Prophet salallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and she instructed Ali, “When you bury me to cover me properly, I don’t want anyone to see anything of me, and bury me during the night for I am embarrassed from the multitude of people attending.”.

Ali was very upset by her death and cried a lot. He said, 

“I have never been more exhausted from anything more 

than I was as a result of the death of the Prophet and 

Fatimah within six months of each other”.

Fatimah was the highest example of chastity, honor, 

modesty, and piousness for all Muslim women.

May Allah make us able to follow her footsteps!