Fatima bint Asad (r.anha)

Who does not want to do favors and help people when it is possible? If the poor person is an oppressed person who needs to be taken care of, we can forget about even our own needs and fulfill that person’s wishes. We will not eat but feed him; we will not wear new clothes but make him wear. We do all of the favors that we can. Ali’s blessed mother, Hz. Fatima, had such a spirit. She had the burden of a big family with her husband Abu Talib. He was a well-known and respected person of Quraysh but he was a poor person who hardly made ends meet. When his father, Abdulmuttalib, died, his beloved nephew, Muhammad, was entrusted to him.

The material upbringing of this precious orphan, who was eight years old, was under the responsibility of his uncle but he needed the compassion of a mother and a loving heart more.

• Hz. Fatima did her best so as not to make this blessing child feel that he was motherless. 

She fed and clothed him before her own children; she combed his hair before her own children. What is more, she acted as if she was his real mother. Thus, the Prophet lived with his uncle and aunt and under their protection until he got married.

• When the Messenger of Allah was assigned the duty of prophethood, he was inflicted unbelievable tortures by the polytheists. 

This situation distressed Hz. Fatima very much and made her sad. She protected him with Abu Talib and did her best to make him forget the pains. She became a Muslim after a while. The Messenger of Allah became very glad when fatima, whom he liked as if she was his own mother, became a Muslim and forgot about his pains.

• Hz. Fatima attained the honor of becoming a muhajir when she migrated to Madinah. 

However, what made her happier was the fact that she became the mother-in-law of the Prophet’s beloved daughter, Fatima, whom he described as “a part of me”. She regarded it a great honor. She did her best so as not to distress Hz. Fatima. They shared the tasks at home. They did their tasks in the best way and helped each other. They set an example about how a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law should treat each other. Their getting on very well rejoiced both the Messenger of Allah and Hz. Ali.

• The Prophet showed her gratitude and duty of loyalty to Fatima bint Asad whenever it was possible. 

He frequently visited her, asked about her health and helped her. He did more than what a son would to his mother. He addressed her “mum” and mentioned her by saying “mum”.

Four years passed after the Prophet migrated to Madinah. The Prophet, whose face always smiled, was sad one day. He expressed the reason for his sadness as follows:

“My mum passed away today.”

This blessed woman was Fatima bint Asad, who took care of the Prophet in her house, who was among the first ones who believed in him, and who left her hometown when migration to Madinah started because she could not put up with being away from him.

• The Prophet took off his shirt and wanted it to be used as her shroud. 

He himself led her janazah prayer. Then, her dead body was placed in the grave. The grave was big. The Prophet also entered the grave. He lay there for a while. Then, he came out. There were tears coming from his eyes. The tears fell onto the grave. This attitude of the Prophet’s represented his closeness to her. It was also a compliment to her. For, the grave that the Prophet’s body touched would be a garden of Paradise.

The Companions asked the Prophet about his attitude toward her:

“O Messenger of Allah! We have not seen you taking care of anybody else like this?”

The Prophet answered them as follows:

“She was my mother. She fed me before her own children. She combed my hair and put rose oil on me first though her own children were dirty and dusty.
She was my mother. I have not met anybody who took care of me more than her after my uncle Abu Talib. I put my own garment on her so that she will be clothed in garments of Paradise. I lay down in her grave for a while so that life in grave will be easy for her.“

After the soil was thrown on the dead body of Hz. Fatima, the Messenger of Allah prayed as follows for his beloved mother:

“O Mum! May Allah show mercy on you and reward you with goodness. You treated me like a mother after my own mother. You fed me while you yourself went hungry. You gave me new clothes though you yourself did not have new clothes.  You gave me the best food without eating them yourself. You did this for the sake of Allah and the hereafter.

Allah gives both life and death. O Allah!  Forgive my mother, Fatima bint Asad and widen her grave! O Allah! The Most Merciful of all who have mercy! Accept my prayer for my sake and for the sake of Your previous prophets!”

After a while, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) smiled and gave the people who were there the following glad tiding:

Jibril said to me, ‘This woman is a person of Paradise.’ Besides, Allah ordered 70 thousand angels to perform her janazah prayer. The angels performed her janazah prayer.”(Usdu’l-Ghaba, 5: 517; Mustadrak, 3: 108; Hz. Muhammed ve İslamiyet, 4137; Tabaqat, 8: 222.)