Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid
She was born in the year 68 BH to Khuwaylid b. Asad and Faatimah bint. Za'idah. She was raised on praiseworthy characteristics and was well-known and praised for her intelligence, chastity, and prudence until people began to call her "Taahirah" or "the pure one." She was a successful businesswoman, who achieved her wealth through hiring men to take it on merchant trips to sell. She was first married to Abu Halah b. Zurarah of the Banu Tameem and was the mother of two sons, one of whom died at the Battle of al-Jamal, fighting on the side of 'Ali. 

It reached her that the Messenger of Allah(saw) was known for his truthfulness and generosity. One day Abu Talib said to his nephew: "I am a man without wealth, and times have become tough on us, and these disagreeable years harass us, and we have neither material possessions nor merchandise, and this [woman] Khadeejah(ra) sends men from among your people to do business with her wealth and they gain profit. So if she comes to you, convey to her your honesty. 

So Khadeejah(ra) sent for him and proposed that he go with her wealth to ash-Sham as a merchant. In return, she would give him more than she used to give to the other traders. She would also send with him a young servant of her's called Maysarah. So the Messenger of Allah(saw) accepted that and went with her wealth and her servant Maysarah until he reached the foot of ash-Shaam. And he sold the commodities which he was left with and bought what he desired [to buy on Khadeejah(ra)'s behalf. Then he, along with Maysarah, embarked to Mecca with a caravan. So his trading gained twice as much profit as what was usually gained. And the Messenger(saw)'s wages were double what was usually given. 

And when the servant Maysarah told her about what he saw of the character of Muhammad(saw), she sent for him(saw). Then she said to him: "O cousin, indeed, I like in you our blood relationship and the undoubted nobility of your descent, your trustworthiness and sincerity, as well as the integrity of your character and the truthfulness of your speech." Then she suggested marriage to him. So the Messenger of Allah(saw) mentioned that to his uncles. So Hamzah(ra) went with him until they called upon Khuwaylid, who said: "He is the stallion whose nose cannot be touched (i.e. He is strong)." So the Messenger of Allah(saw) married her and gave her 20 camels as a dowry. She was 40 years old when she married the Messenger of Allah(saw), and he was 25 years old. She was the first lady that the Messenger of Allah(saw) married, and he never married anyone else as long as he was married to her until she died. She gave him 6 children: Al-Qaasim, 'Abdullah, Zaynab(ra), Ruqayyah(ra), Um Kulthoom(ra), and Fatimah(ra). 

And when the Prophet(saw) received prophethood, she was the first to believe in Allah and His Messenger
Muhammad(saw); she was the first to believe in what His Lord sent him and strengthened him in his affairs. So the Prophet(saw) used not to hear anything from the polytheists that he hated to hear and of disbelief in him except that Allah comforted him through Khadeejah(ra), who stood by him and the da'wah and she used to lessen his grief over what he used see from his people. 

Narrated 'Aisha(ra), the mother of the faithful believers: The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's Apostle was in the form of good dreams which came true like bright day light, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where he used to worship (Allah alone) continuously for many days before his desire to see his family. He used to take with him the journey food for the stay and then come back to (his wife) Khadeejah(ra) to take his food like-wise again till suddenly the Truth descended upon him while he was in the cave of Hira. The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, "I do not know how to read." 

The Prophet added, "The angel caught me (forcefully) and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more." He then released me and again asked me to read and I replied, "I do not know how to read." Thereupon he caught me again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I replied, "I do not know how to read." Thereupon he caught me for the third time and pressed me, and then released me and said, {Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists), has created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.} Then Allah's Messenger(saw) returned with the Inspiration and with his heart beating severely. Then he went to Khadeejah(ra) bint Khuwaylid and said, "Cover me! Cover me!" They covered him till his fear was over, and after that he told her everything that had happened and said, "I fear that something may happen to me." Khadeejah(ra) replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your Kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." 

Khadeejah(ra) then accompanied him to her cousin Waraqah b. Nawfal b. Asad b. 'Abdul-'Uzza, who, during the Pre-Islamic Period became a Christian and used to write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished him to write. He was an old man and had lost his eyesight. Khadeejah(ra) said to Waraqah, "Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!" Waraqah asked, "O my nephew! What have you seen?" Allah's Apostle described whatever he had seen. Waraqah said, "This is the same one who keeps the secrets (angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Allah's Apostle asked, "Will they drive me out?" Waraqah replied in the affirmative and said, "Anyone (man) who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till the day when you will be turned out then I would support you strongly." But after a few days Waraqa died, and the Divine Revelation was also paused for a while. 

The Messenger of Allah(saw) and Khadeejah(ra) continued to pray in secret as long as Allah willed. 'Afeef Al-Kanadee reported: "I came to Makkah during the Days of Ignorance, and I wanted to sell on behalf of my family some clothes and perfume. I went to Al-'Abbaas b. 'Abdul-Muttalib." He said: "While I was at his house, I looked at the Ka'bah. The sun came out, when a young man came until he was close to the Ka'bah. Then he raised his head toward the sky and faced the Ka'bah while standing. Then a youth came and stood on his right. It did not take long before a woman came and stood behind them. Then the young man bowed. Then the youth and the woman bowed. Then the young man raised his head, and the youth and the woman raised their heads. Then the young man prostrated himself, and the youth and the woman prostrated themselves." 

He said: "So I said: 'O 'Abbaas! Indeed, I see a great man." Then Al-'Abbaas(ra) said: "A great matter. Do you know who this young man is?" I said: "No, I don't know." He said: "This is Muhammad b. 'Abdullah b. 'Abdul-Muttalib, my nephew. Do you know who this [woman] is?" I said: "I don't know." He said: "This is Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, the wife of this nephew of mine. This nephew of mine who you see has reported to us that his Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth and that He has ordered him to this religion that he is following. I swear by Allah that I do not know of anyone else on earth who is following this religion other than those three." 'Afeef said: "I wanted to be the fourth one of them." 

And the Messenger of Allah(saw) used to honor her and cherish her. And he used not to disagree with her before he received revelation. Then he used to remember her a lot after her death, and he didn't get tired of praising her, until 'Aisha(ra), the Mother of the Believers, got jealous, and said to the Prophet(saw): "Verily, Allah has given you better than that old woman." The Prophet(saw) became angry and said: "No, by Allah, I swear that Allah has never given me better than her. She was the wife who believed in me when everyone else disbelieved in me. She affirmed my truthfulness when everyone else accused me of lying. She supported me with her money when everyone else deprived me. And Allah provided me with children through her when no other woman has given me children." In fact, the Prophet(saw) became so angry at what I said until his forehead trembled. So I said to myself: "O Allah, if the Messenger of Allah(saw)'s anger abates, I will never again say anything like I said." 

And 'Aisha(ra) also said: "I was never jealous of any of the other wives of the Prophet(saw) like I was jealous of Khadeejah(ra). And I have not seen her, but the Prophet(saw) used to remember her a lot. Sometimes, he would sacrifice a sheep, then cut its limbs and send them to Khadeejah(ra)'s friends. So sometimes, I said to him: "It is as if there were no other woman in the world other than Khadeejah(ra)." So he would say: "How can I forget her? She also gave me children most loving." 'Aisha(ra) also said: "The Messenger of Allah(saw) almost used not to leave the house before he would mention Khadeejah(ra) and praise her. 

Khadeejah(ra), the Mother of the Believers, died helping the Messenger of Allah(saw) in conveying the call to Islam. She died three years before the migration to Madinah at the age of sixty five. The Prophet(saw) then buried her with his own hands. Her death was a great misfortune for the Prophet(saw). 

Aisha bint Abu Bakr
The life of Aisha(ra) is proof that a woman can be far more learned than men and that she can be the teacher of scholars and experts. Her life is also proof that a woman can exert influence over men and women and provide them with inspiration and leadership . Her life is also proof that the same woman can be totally feminine and be a source of pleasure, joy and comfort to her husband.

She did not graduate from any university there were no universities as such in her day. But still her utterances are studied in faculties of literature, her legal pronouncements are studied in colleges of law and her life and works are studied and researched by students and teachers of Muslim history as they have been for over a thousand years.

The bulk of her vast treasure of knowledge was obtained while she was still quite young. In her early childhood she was brought up by her father who was greatly liked and respected for he was a man of wide knowledge, gentle manners and an agreeable presence. Moreover he was the closest friend of the noble
Prophet(saw) who was a frequent visitor to their home since the very early days of his mission.

Aisha(ra) became the Prophet(saw)'s wife in Mecca when she was most likely in the tenth year of her life but her wedding did not take place until the second year after the Hijrah when she was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Before and after her wedding she maintained a natural jollity and innocence and did not seem at all overawed by the thought of being wedded to him who was the Messenger of Allah(saw) whom all his companions, including her own mother and father, treated with such love and reverence as they gave to no one else.

Aisha(ra)'s early life in Madinah also had its more serious and anxious times. Once her father and two companions who were staying with him fell ill with a dangerous fever which was common in Madinah at certain seasons. One morning Aisha(ra) went to visit him and was dismayed to find the three men lying
completely weak and exhausted. She asked her father how he was and he answered her in verse but she did not understand what he was saying. The two others also answered her with lines of poetry which seemed to her to be nothing but unintelligible babbling. She was deeply troubled and went home to the Prophet(saw)
saying:

"They are raving, out of their minds, through the heat of the fever." The Prophet(saw) asked what they had said and was somewhat reassured when she repeated almost word for word the lines they had uttered and which made sense although she did not fully understand them then. This was a demonstration of the great
retentive power of her memory which as the years went by were to preserve so many of the priceless sayings of the Prophet(saw).

Of the Prophet(saw)'s wives in Madinah, it was clear that it was Aisha(ra) that he loved most. From time to time, one or the other of his companions would ask:

"O Messenger of God, whom do you love most in the world?" He did not always give the same answer to this question for he felt great love for many for his daughters and their children, for Abu Bakr, for Ali, for Zayd and his son Usamah. But of his wives the only one he named in this connection was Aisha(ra). She too
loved him greatly in return and often would seek reassurance from him that he loved her. Once she asked him: "How is your love for me?"

"Like the rope's knot," he replied meaning that it was strong and secure. And time after time thereafter, she would ask him: "How is the knot?" and he would reply: "Ala haaliha in the same condition."

Of her jealousy, Aisha(ra) would say in later years:

"I was not, jealous of any other wife of the Prophet(saw) as I was jealous of Khadeejah(ra), because of his constant mentioning of her and because Allah had commanded him to give her good tidings of a mansion in Paradise of precious stones. And whenever he sacrificed a sheep he would send a fair portion of it to those
who had been her intimate friends. Many a time I said to him: "It is as if there had never been any other woman in the world except Khadeejah(ra)."

Once, when Aisha(ra) complained and asked why he spoke so highly of "an old Quraysh woman", the Prophet(saw) was hurt and said: "She was the wife who believed in me when others rejected me. When people gave me the lie, she affirmed my truthfulness. When I stood forsaken, she spent her wealth to lighten the burden of my sorrow.."

Despite her feelings of jealousy which nonetheless were not of a destructive kind, Aisha(ra) was really a generous soul and a patient one. She bore with the rest of the Prophet(saw)'s household poverty and hunger which often lasted for long periods. For days on end no fire would be lit in the sparsely furnished house of
the Prophet(saw) for cooking or baking bread and they would live merely on dates and water. Poverty did not cause her distress or humiliation; self-sufficiency when it did come did not corrupt her style of life.

Once the Prophet(saw) stayed away from his wives for a month because they had distressed him by asking of him that which he did not have. This was after the Khaybar expedition when an increase of riches whetted the appetite for presents. Returning from his self-imposed retreat, he went first to Aisha(ra)'s apartment. She was delighted to see him but he said he had received Revelation which required him to put two options before her. He then recited the verses:

"O Prophet! Say to your wives: If you desire the life of this world and its adornments, then come and I will bestow its goods upon you, and I will release you with a fair release. But if you desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter, then verily Allah has laid in store for you an immense reward for such as you who do good."

Aisha(ra)'s reply was:

"Indeed I desire Allah and His Messenger and the abode of the Hereafter," and her response was followed by all the others.

She stuck to her choice both during the lifetime of the Prophet(saw) and afterwards. Later when the Muslims were favored with enormous riches, she was given a gift of one hundred thousand dirhams. She was fasting when she received the money and she distributed the entire amount to the poor and the needy even though she had no provisions in her house. Shortly after, a maidservant said to her: "Could you buy meat for a dirham with which to break your fast?"

"If I had remembered, I would have done so," she said. The Prophet(saw)'s affection for Aisha(ra) remained to the last. During his final illness, it was to Aishah(ra)'s apartment that he went at the suggestion of his wives. For much of the time he lay there on a couch with his head resting on her breast or on her lap. She it
was who took a toothstick from her brother, chewed upon it to soften it and gave it to the Prophet(saw). Despite his weakness, he rubbed his teeth with it vigorously. Not long afterwards, he lost consciousness and Aisha(ra) thought it was the onset of death, but after an hour he opened his eyes.

Aisha(ra) it is who has preserved for us these dying moments of the most honored of Allah's creation, His beloved Messenger may He shower His choicest blessings on him.

When he opened his eyes again, Aisha(ra) remembered Iris having said to her: "No Prophet is taken by death until he has been shown his place in Paradise and then offered the choice, to live or die."

"He will not now choose us," she said to herself. Then she heard him murmur: "With the supreme communion in Paradise, with those upon whom Allah has showered His favor, the Prophets, the martyrs and the righteous..." Again she heard him murmur: "O Lord, with the supreme communion," and these were the last words she heard him speak. Gradually his head grew heavier upon her breast, until others in the room began to lament, and Aisha(ra) laid his head on a pillow and joined them in lamentation.

In the floor of Aisha(ra)'s room near the couch where he was lying, a grave was dug in which was buried the Seal of the Prophets amid much bewilderment and great sorrow.

Aisha(ra) lived on almost fifty years after the passing away of the Prophet(saw). She had been his wife for a decade. Much of this time was spent in learning and acquiring knowledge of the two most important sources of Allah's guidance, the Qurân and the Sunnah of His Prophet(saw). Aisha(ra) was one of three wives (the other two being Hafsah and Umm Salamah) who memorized the Revelation. Like Hafsah, she had her own script of the Qurân written after the Prophet(saw) had died.

So far as the Ahadith or sayings of the Prophet is concerned, Aisha(ra) is one of four persons (the others being Abu Hurayrah, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Anas ibn Malik) who transmitted more than two thousand sayings. Many of these pertain to some of the most intimate aspects of personal behavior which only someone in Aisha(ra)'s position could have learnt. What is most important is that her knowledge of hadith was passed on in written form by at least three persons including her nephew Urwah who became one of
the greatest scholars among the generation after them Companions.

Many of the learned companions of the Prophet(saw) and their followers benefited from Aisha(ra)'s knowledge. Abu Musa al-Ashari once said: "If we companions of the Messenger of Allah had any
difficulty on a matter, we asked Aisha(ra) about it."

Her nephew Urwah asserts that she was proficient not only in fiqh but also in medicine (tibb) and poetry. Many of the senior companions of the Prophet(saw) came to her to ask for advice concerning questions of inheritance which required a highly skilled mathematical mind. Scholars regard her as one of the earliest fuqaha of Islam along with persons like Umar ibn al-Khattab, Ali and Abdullah ibn Abbas. The Prophet(saw) referring to her extensive knowledge of Islam is reported to have said: "Learn a portion of your religion (din) from this red colored lady." "Humayra" meaning "Red-coloured" was an epithet given to Aisha(ra) by the Prophet(saw).

Aisha(ra) not only possessed great knowledge but took an active part in education and social reform. As a teacher she had a clear and persuasive manner of speech and her power of oratory has been described in superlative terms by al-Ahnaf who said: "I have heard speeches of Abu Bakr and Umar, Uthman and Ali and the Khulafa up to this day, but I have not heard speech more persuasive and more beautiful from the mouth of any person than from the mouth of Aisha(ra)."

Men and women came from far and wide to benefit from her knowledge. The number of women is said to have been greater than that of men. Besides answering enquiries, she took boys and girls, some of them orphans, into her custody and trained them under her care and guidance. This was in addition to her relatives who received instruction from her. Her house thus became a school and an academy.

Some of her students were outstanding. We have already mentioned her nephew Urwah as a distinguished reporter of hadith. Among her women pupils is the name of Umrah bint Abdur Rahman. She is regarded by scholars as one of the trustworthy narrators of hadith and is said to have acted as Aisha(ra)'s secretary receiving and replying to letters addressed to her. The example of Aisha(ra) in promoting education and in particular the education of Muslim women in the laws and teachings of Islam is one which needs to be followed.

After Khadeejah al-Kubra (the Great) and Fatimah az-Zahra (the Resplendent), Aisha as-Siddiqah (the one who affirms the Truth) is regarded as the best woman in Islam. Because of the strength of her personality, she was a leader in every field in knowledge, in society, in politics and in war. She often regretted her
involvement in war but lived long enough to regain position as the most respected woman of her time. She died in the year 58 AH in the month of Ramadan and as she instructed, was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi in the City of Light, beside other companions of the Prophet(saw).

Fatimah bint Muhammad(saw)
Fatimah(ra) was the fifth child of Muhammad(saw) and Khadeejah(ra). She was born at a time when her noble father had begun to spend long periods in the solitude of mountains around Mecca, meditating
and reflecting on the great mysteries of creation.

This was the time, before the Bithah, when her eldest sister Zaynab was married to her cousin, al-Aas ibn ar Rabiah. Then followed the marriage of her two other sisters, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum, to the sons of Abu Lahab, a paternal uncle of the Prophet(saw). Both Abu Lahab and his wife Umm Jamil turned out to be
flaming enemies of the Prophet(saw) from the very beginning of his
public mission.

The little Fatimah(ra) thus saw her sisters leave home one after the other to live with their husbands. She was too young to understand the meaning of marriage and the reasons why her sisters had to leave home. She loved them dearly and was sad and lonely when they left. It is said that a certain silence and painful sadness came over her then.

Of course, even after the marriage of her sisters, she was not alone in the house of her parents. Barakah, the maid-servant of Aminah, the Prophet(saw)'s mother, who had been with the Prophet(saw) since his birth, Zayd ibn Harithah, and Ali(ra), the young son of Abu Talib were all part of Muhammad(saw)'s household at this time. And of course there was her loving mother, the lady Khadeejah(ra).

In her mother and in Barakah, Fatimah(ra) found a great deal of solace and comfort. in Ali(ra), who was about two years older than she, she found a "brother" and a friend who somehow took the place of her own brother al-Qasim who had died in his infancy. Her other brother Abdullah, known as the Good and the Pure, who
was born after her, also died in his infancy. However in none of the people in her father's household did Fatimah(ra) find the carefree joy and happiness which she enjoyed with her sisters. She was an unusually sensitive child for her age.

When she was five, she heard that her father had become Rasul Allah, the Messenger of Allah. His first task was to convey the good news of Islam to his family and close relations. They were to worship Allah Almighty alone. Her mother, who was a tower of strength and support, explained to Fatimah(ra) what her father had
to do. From this time on, she became more closely attached to him and felt a deep and abiding love for him. Often she would be at Iris side walking through the narrow streets and alleys of Mecca , visiting the Kabah or attending secret gatherings off, the early Muslims who had accepted Islam and pledged allegiance to the Prophet(saw).

One day, when she was not yet ten, she accompanied her father to the Masjid al-Haram. He stood in the place known as al-Hijr facing the Kabah and began to pray. Fatimah(ra) stood at his side. A group of Quraysh, by no means well-disposed to the Prophet(saw), gathered about him. They included Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, the Prophet(saw)'s uncle, Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and Shaybah and Utbah, sons of Rabi'ah. Menacingly, the group went up to the Prophet(saw) and Abu Jahl, the ringleader, asked:

"Which of you can bring the entrails of a slaughtered animal and throw it on Muhammad(saw)?"

Uqbah ibn Abi Muayt, one of the vilest of the lot, volunteered and hurried off. He returned with the obnoxious filth and threw it on the shoulders of the Prophet(saw), may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while he was still prostrating. Abdullah ibn Masud, a companion of the Prophet(saw), was present but he was powerless to do or say anything.

Imagine the feelings of Fatimah(ra) as she saw her father being treated in this fashion. What could she, a girl not ten years old, do? She went up to her father and removed the offensive matter and then stood firmly and angrily before the group of Quraysh thugs and lashed out against them. Not a single word did they say to her. The noble Prophet(saw) raised his head on completion of the prostration and went on to complete the Salat.
He then said: "O Lord, may you punish the Quraysh!" and repeated this imprecation three times. Then he continued:

"May You punish Utbah, Uqbah, Abu Jahl and Shaybah." (These whom he named were all killed many years later at the Battle of Badr)

On another occasion, Fatimah(ra) was with the Prophet(saw) as he made; tawaf around the Kabah. A Quraysh mob gathered around him. They seized him and tried to strangle him with his own clothes.
Fatimah(ra) screamed and shouted for help. Abu Bakr(ra) rushed to the scene and managed to free the Prophet(saw). While he was doing so, he pleaded:

"Would you kill a man who says, 'My Lord is Allah?'" Far from giving up, the mob turned on Abu Bakr(ra) and began beating him until blood flowed from his head and face.

Such scenes of vicious opposition and harassment against her father and the early Muslims were witnessed by the young Fatimah(ra). She did not meekly stand aside but joined in the struggle in defense of her father and his noble mission. She was still a young girl and instead of the cheerful romping, the gaiety and liveliness which children of her age are and should normally be accustomed to, Fatimah(ra) had to witness and participate in such ordeals.

Of course, she was not alone in this. The whole of the Prophet(saw)'s family suffered from the violent and mindless Quraysh. Her sisters, Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum also suffered. They were living at this time in the very nest of hatred and intrigue against the Prophet(saw). Their husbands were Utbah and Utaybah, sons
of Abu Lahab and Umm Jamil. It must have been painful for Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum to be living in the household of such inveterate enemies who not only joined but led the campaign against theit father.

As a mark of disgrace to Muhammad(saw) and his family, Utbah and Utaybah were prevailed upon by their parents to divorce their wives. This was part of the process of ostracizing the Prophet(saw) totally. The Prophet(saw) in fact welcomed his daughters back to his home with joy, happiness and relief.

Fatimah(ra), no doubt, must have been happy to be with her sisters once again. They all thought that their eldest sister, Zaynab, would also be divorced by her husband. In fact, the Quraysh brought pressure on Abu-l Aas to do so but he refused. When the Quraysh leaders came up to him and promised him the richest and
most beautiful woman as a wife should he divorce Zaynab, he replied:

"I love my wife deeply and passionately and I have a great and high esteem for her father even though I have not entered the religion of Islam."

Both Ruqayyah and Umm Kulthum were happy to be back with their loving parents and to be rid of the unbearable mental torture to which they had been subjected in the house of Umm Jamil. Shortly afterwards, Ruqayyah married again, to the young and shy Uthma n ibn Allan who was among the first to have accepted Islam. They both left for Abyssinia among the first muhajirin who sought refuge in that land and stayed there for several years. Fatimah(ra) was not to see Ruqayyah again until after their mother had died.< P> The persecution of the Prophet(saw), his family and his followers continued and even became worse after the migration of the first Muslims to Abyssinia. In about the seventh year of his mission, the Prophet(saw) and his family were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in a rugged little valley enclosed by hills on all sides and defile, which could only be entered from Mecca by a narrow path.

To this arid valley, Muhammad(saw) and the clans of Banu Hashim and al-Muttalib were forced to retire with limited supplies of food. Fatimah(ra) was one of the youngest members of the clans -just about twelve years old - and had to undergo months of hardship and suffering. The wailing of hungry children and women in the
valley could be heard from Mecca. The Quraysh allowed no food and contact with the Muslims whose hardship was only relieved somewhat during the season of pilgrimage. The boycott lasted for three years. When it was lifted, the Prophet(saw) had to face even more trials and difficulties. Khadeejah(ra), the faithful and loving, died shortly afterwards. With her death, the Prophet(saw) and his family lost one of the greatest sources of comfort and strength which had sustained them through the difficult period. The year in which the noble Khadeejah(ra), and later Abu Talib, died is known as the Year of Sadness. Fatimah(ra), now a young lady, was greatly distressed by her mother's death. She wept bitterly and for some time was so grief-stricken that her health deteriorated. It was even feared she might die of grief.

Although her older sister, Umm Kulthum, stayed in the same household, Fatimah(ra) realized that she now had a greater responsibility with the passing away of her mother. She felt that she had to give even greater support to her father. With loving tenderness, she devoted herself to looking after his needs. So concerned was she for his welfare that she came to be called "Umm Abi-ha the mother of her father". She also provided
him with solace and comfort during times of trial, difficulty and crisis.

Often the trials were too much for her. Once, about this time, an insolent mob heaped dust and earth upon his gracious head. As he entered his home, Fatimah(ra) wept profusely as she wiped the dust from her father's head.

"Do not cry, my daughter," he said, "for Allah shall protect your father."

The Prophet(saw) had a special love for Fatimah(ra). He once said: "Whoever pleased Fatimah(ra) has indeed pleased Allah and whoever has caused her to be angry has indeed angered Allah. Fatimah(ra) is a part of me. Whatever pleases her pleases me and whatever angers her angers me."

He also said: "The best women in all the world are four: the Virgin Mary, Aasiyaa the wife of Pharoah, Khadeejah(ra) Mother of the Believers, and Fatimah(ra), daughter of Muhammad(saw)." Fatimah(ra) thus acquired a place of love and esteem in the Prophet(saw)'s heart that was only occupied by his wife Khadeejah(ra).

Fatimah(ra), may Allah be pleased with her, was given the title of "az-Zahraa" which means "the Resplendent One". That was because of her beaming face which seemed to radiate light. It is said
that when she stood for Prayer, the mihrab would reflect the light of her countenance. She was also called "al-Batul" because of her asceticism. Instead of spending her time in the company of women, much of her time would be spent in Salat, in reading the Qurân and in other acts of ibadah(worshipping).

Fatimah(ra) had a strong resemblance to her father, the Messenger of Allah. Aisha(ra). the wife of the Prophet(saw), said of her: "I have not seen any one of Allah's creation resemble the Messenger of Allah(saw) more in speech, conversation and manner of sitting than Fatimah(ra), may Allah be pleased with her. When the Prophet(saw) saw her
approaching, he would welcome her, stand up and kiss her, take her by the hand and sit her down in the place where he was
sitting." She would do the same when the Prophet(saw) came to her. She would stand up and welcome him with joy and kiss him.

Fatimah(ra)'s fine manners and gentle speech were part of her lovely and endearing personality. She was especially kind to poor and indigent folk and would often give all the food she had to those in need even if she herself remained hungry. She had no craving for the ornaments of this world nor the luxury and comforts of life. She lived simply, although on occasion as we shall see circumstances seemed to be too much and too difficult for her.

She inherited from her father a persuasive eloquence that was rooted in wisdom. When she spoke, people would often be moved to tears. She had the ability and the sincerity to stir the emotions, move people to tears and fill their hearts with praise and gratitude to Allah for His grace and His inestimable bounties.

Fatimah(ra) migrated to Madinah a few weeks after the Prophet(saw) did. She went with Zayd ibn Harithah who was sent by the Prophet(saw) back to Mecca to bring the rest of his family. The party included Fatimah(ra) and Umm Kulthum, Sawdah, the Prophet(saw)'s wife, Zayd's wife Barakah and her son Usamah. Travelling with the group also were Abdullah the son of Abu Bakr(ra) who accompanied his mother and his sisters, Aisha(ra) and Asma.

In Madinah, Fatimah(ra) lived with her father in the simple dwelling he had built adjoining the mosque. In the second year after the Hijrah, she received proposals of marriage through her father, two of which were turned down. Then Ali(ra), the son of Abu Talib, plucked up courage and went to the Prophet(saw) to ask for her hand in marriage. In the presence of the Prophet(saw), however, Ali(ra) became over-awed and tongue-tied. He stared at the ground and could not say anything. The Prophet(saw) then asked: "Why have you come? Do
you need something?" Ali(ra) still could not speak and then the Prophet(saw) suggested: "Perhaps you have come to propose marriage to Fatimah(ra)."

"Yes," replied Ali(ra). At this, according to one report, the Prophet(saw) said simply: "Marhaban wa ahlan - Welcome into the family," and this was taken by Ali(ra) and a group of Ansar who were waiting outside for him as indicating the Prophet(saw)'s approval. Another report indicated that the Prophet(saw) approved and went on
to ask Ali(ra) if he had anything to give as mahr. Ali(ra) replied that he didn't. The Prophet(saw) reminded him that he had a shield which could be sold.

Ali(ra) sold the shield to Uthman for four hundred dirhams and as he was hurrying back to the Prophet(saw) to hand over the sum as mahr, Uthman stopped him and said:

"I am returning your shield to you as a present from me on your marriage to Fatimah(ra)." Fatimah(ra) and Ali(ra) were thus married most probably at the beginning of the second year after the Hijrah. She was about nineteen years old at the time and Ali(ra) was about twenty one. The Prophet(saw) himself performed the marriage ceremony. At the walimah. the guests were served with dates, figs and hais ( a mixture of dates and butter fat). A leading member of the Ansar donated a ram and others made offerings of grain. All Madinah rejoiced.

On her marriage. the Prophet(saw) is said to have presented Fatimah(ra) and Ali(ra) with a wooden bed intertwined with palm leaves, a velvet coverlet. a leather cushion filled with palm fibre, a sheepskin,
a pot, a waterskin and a quern for grinding grain.

Fatimah(ra) left the home of her beloved father for the first time to begin life with her husband. The Prophet(saw) was clearly anxious on her account and sent Barakah with her should she be in need of any help. And no doubt Barakah was a source of comfort and solace to her. The Prophet(saw) prayed for them:

"O Lord, bless them both, bless their house and bless their offspring." In Ali(ra)'s humble dwelling, there was only a sheepskin for a bed. In the morning after the wedding night, the Prophet(saw) went to Ali(ra)'s house and knocked on the door.

Barakah came out and the Prophet(saw) said to her: "O Umm Ayman, call my brother for me."

"Your brother? That's the one who married your daughter?" asked Barakah somewhat incredulously as if to say: Why should the Prophet(saw) call Ali(ra) his "brother"? (He referred to Ali(ra) as his brother because just as pairs of Muslims were joined in brotherhood after the Hijrah, so the Prophet(saw) and Ali(ra) were linked as "brothers".)

The Prophet(saw) repeated what he had said in a louder voice. Ali(ra) came and the Prophet(saw) made a du'a, invoking the blessings of Allah on him. Then he asked for Fatimah(ra). She came almost cringing with
a mixture of awe and shyness and the Prophet(saw) said to her:

"I have married you to the dearest of my family to me." In this way, he sought to reassure her. She was not starting life with a complete stranger but with one who had grown up in the same household, who was among the first to become a Muslim at a tender age, who was known for his courage, bravery and virtue, and whom the Prophet(saw) described as his "brother in this world and the hereafter".

Fatimah(ra)'s life with Ali(ra) was as simple and frugal as it was in her father's household. In fact, so far as material comforts were concerned, it was a life of hardship and deprivation. Throughout their life together, Ali(ra) remained poor because he did not set great store by material wealth. Fatimah(ra) was the only one of her sisters who was not married to a wealthy man.

In fact, it could be said that Fatimah(ra)'s life with Ali(ra) was even more rigorous than life in her father's home. At least before marriage, there were always a number of ready helping hands in the Prophet(saw)'s household. But now she had to cope virtually on her own. To relieve theft extreme poverty, Ali(ra) worked as a drawer and carrier of water and she as a grinder of corn. One day she said to Ali(ra): "I have ground until my hands are blistered."

"I have drawn water until I have pains in my chest," said Ali(ra) and went on to suggest to Fatimah(ra): "Allah has given your father some captives of war, so go and ask him to give you a servant."

Reluctantly, she went to the Prophet(saw) who said: "What has brought you here, my little daughter?" "I came to give you greetings of peace," she said, for in awe of him she could not bring herself to ask what she had intended.

"What did you do?" asked Ali(ra) when she returned alone.

"I was ashamed to ask him," she said. So the two of them went together but the Prophet(saw) felt they were less in need than others.

"I will not give to you," he said, "and let the Ahl as-Suffah (poor Muslims who stayed in the mosque) be tormented with hunger. I have not enough for their keep..."

Ali(ra) and Fatimah(ra) returned home feeling somewhat dejected but that night, after they had gone to bed, they heard the voice of the Prophet(saw) asking permission to enter. Welcoming him, they both rose to their feet, but he told them:

"Stay where you are," and sat down beside them. "Shall I not tell you of something better than that which you asked of me?" he asked and when they said yes he said: "Words which Jibril taught me, that you should say "Subhaan Allah- Glory be to Allah" ten times after every Prayer, and ten times "AI hamdu lillah - Praise be to Allah," and ten times "Allahu Akbar - Allah is Great." And that when you go to bed you should say them thirty-three times each."

Ali(ra) used to say in later years: "I have never once failed to say them since the Messenger of Allah(saw) taught them to us."

There are many reports of the hard and difficult times which Fatimah(ra) had to face. Often there was no food in her house. Once the Prophet(saw) was hungry. He went to one after another of his wives' apartments but there was no food. He then went to Fatimah(ra)'s ho use and she had no food either. When he eventually
got some food, he sent two loaves and a piece of meat to Fatimah(ra). At another time, he went to the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and from the food he was given, he saved some for her. Fatimah(ra) also knew tha t the Prophet(saw) was without food for long periods and she in turn would take food to him when she could.
Once she took a piece of barley bread and he, said to her: "Thisis the first food your father has eaten for three days." 

Through these acts of kindness she showed how much she loved her father; and he loved her, really loved her in return.

Once he returned from a journey outside Madinah. He went to the mosque first of all and prayed two rakats as was his custom. Then, as he often did, he went to Fatimah(ra)'s house before going to his wives. Fatimah(ra) welcomed him and kissed his face, his mouth and his eyes and cried.

"Why do you cry?" the Prophet(saw) asked.

"I see you, O Rasul Allah," she said, "Your color is pale and sallow and your clothes have become worn and shabby." ,P."O Fatimah(ra)," the Prophet(saw) replied tenderly, "don't cry for Allah(swt) has sent your father with a mission which He would cause to affect every house on the face of the earth whether it be in towns,
villages or tents (in the desert) bringing either glory or humiliation until this mission is fulfilled just as night
(inevitably) comes."

With such comments Fatimah(ra) was often taken from the harsh realities of daily life to get a glimpse of the vast and far-reaching vistas opened up by the mission entrusted to her noble father.

Fatimah(ra) eventually returned to live in a house close to that of the Prophet(saw). The place was donated by an Ansari who knew that the Prophet(saw) would rejoice in having his daughter as his neighbor. Together they shared in the joys and the triumphs, the sorrows and the hardships of the crowded and momentous Madinah days and years.

In the middle of the second year after the Hijrah, her sister Ruqayyah fell ill with fever and measles. This was shortly before the great campaign of Badr. Uthman, her husband, stayed by her bedside and missed the campaign. Ruqayyah died just before her father returned. On his return to Madinah, one of the first acts of the Prophet(saw) was to visit her grave.

Fatimah(ra) went with him. This was the first bereavement they had suffered within their closest family since the death of Khadeejah(ra). Fatimah(ra) was greatly distressed by the loss of her sister. The tears poured from her eyes as she sat beside her father at the edge of the grave, and he comforted her and sought
to dry her tears with the corner of his cloak.

The Prophet(saw) had previously spoken against lamentations for the dead, but this had lead to a misunderstanding, and when they returned from the cemetery the voice of Umar(ra) was heard raised in
anger against the women who were weeping for the martyrs of Badr and for Ruqayyah.

"Umar, let them weep," he said and then added: "What comes from the heart and from the eye, that is from Allah and His mercy, but what comes from the hand and from the tongue, that is from Satan." By the hand he meant the beating of breasts and the smiting of cheeks, and by the tongue he meant the loud clamor in
which women often joined as a mark of public sympathy.

Uthman later married the other daughter of the Prophet(saw), Umm Kulthum, and on this account came to be known as Dhu-n Nurayn - Possessor of the Two Lights.

The bereavement which the family suffered by the death of Ruqayyah was followed by happiness when to the great joy of all the believers Fatimah(ra) gave birth to a boy in Ramadan of the third year after the Hijrah. The Prophet(saw) spoke the words of the Adhan into the ear of the new-born babe and called him al-Hasan
which means the Beautiful One.

One year later, she gave birth to another son who was called al-Husayn, which means "little Hasan" or the little beautiful one. Fatimah(ra) would often bring her two sons to see their grandfather who was exceedingly fond of them. Later he would take them to t he Mosque and they would climb onto his back when he prostrated. He did the same with his little granddaughter Umamah, the daughter of Zaynab.

In the eighth year after the Hijrah, Fatimah(ra) gave birth to a third child, a girl whom she named after her eldest sister Zaynab who had died shortly before her birth. This Zaynab was to grow up and become famous as the "Heroine of Karbala". Fatimah(ra)'s  fourth child was born in the year after the Hijrah. The child was also a girl and Fatimah(ra) named her Umm Kulthum after her sister who had died the year before after an illness.

It was only through Fatimah(ra) that the progeny of the Prophet(saw) was perpetuated. All the Prophet(saw)'s male children had died in their infancy and the two children of Zaynab named Ali and Umamah died young. Ruqayyah's child Abdullah also died when he was not yet two years old. This is an added reason for the reverence which is accorded to Fatimah(ra).

Although Fatimah(ra) was so often busy with pregnancies and giving birth and rearing children, she took as much part as she could in the affairs of the growing Muslim community of Madinah. Before her marriage, she acted as a sort of hostess to the poor and destitute Ahl as-Suffah. As soon as the Battle of Uhud was over, she went with other women to the battlefield and wept overthe dead martyrs and took time to dress her father's wounds. At the Battle of the Ditch, she played a major supportive role together with other women in preparing food during the long and difficult siege. In her camp, she led the Muslim women in prayer and on that place there stands a mosque named Masjid Fatimah, one of seven mosques where the Muslims stood guard and performed their devotions.

Fatimah(ra) also accompanied the Prophet(saw) when he made Umrah in the sixth year after the Hijrah after the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. In the following year, she and her sister Umm Kulthum, were among the mighty throng of Muslims who took part with the Prophet(saw) in the liberation of Mecca. It is said that on this occasion, both Fatimah(ra) and Umm Kulthum visited the home of their mother Khadeejah(ra) and recalled memories of their childhood and memories of jihad, of long struggles in the early years of the Prophet(saw)'s
mission .

In Ramadan of the tenth year just before he went on his Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet(saw) confided to Fatimah(ra), as a secret not yet to be told to others:

"Jibril recited the Qurân to me and I to him once every year, but this year he has recited it with me twice. I cannot but think that my time has come."

On his return from the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet(saw) did become seriously ill. His final days were spent in the apartment of his wife Aisha(ra). When Fatimah(ra) came to visit him, Aisha(ra) would leave father and daughter together.

One day he summoned Fatimah(ra). When she came, he kissed her and whispered some words in her ear. She wept. Then again he whispered in her ear and she smiled. Aisha(ra) saw and asked:

"You cry and you laugh at the same time, Fatimah(ra)? What did the Messenger of Allah say to you?" Fatimah(ra) replied:

"He first told me that he would meet his Lord after a short while and so I cried. Then he said to me: 'Don't cry for you will be the first of my household to join me.' So I laughed."

Not long afterwards the noble Prophet(saw) passed away. Fatimah(ra) was grief-stricken and she would often be seen weeping profusely. One of the companions noted that he did not see Fatimah(ra), may Allah be pleased with her, laugh after the death of her father.

One morning, early in the month of Ramadan, just less than five month after her noble father had passed away, Fatimah(ra) woke up looking unusually happy and full of mirth. In the afternoon of that day, it is said that she called Salma bint Umays who was looking after her. She asked for some water and had a bath. She
then put on new clothes and perfumed herself. She then asked Salma to put her bed in the courtyard of the house. With her face looking to the heavens above, she asked for her husband Ali(ra).

He was taken aback when he saw her lying in the middle of the courtyard and asked her what was wrong. She smiled and said: "I have an appointment today with the Messenger of Allah(saw)."

Ali(ra) cried and she tried to console him. She told him to look after their sons al-Hasan and al-Husayn and advised that she should be buried without ceremony. She gazed upwards again, then closed her eyes and surrendered her soul to the Mighty
Creator.

She, Fatimah(ra) the Resplendent One, was just twenty nine years old.