Praise be to Allah for
that which He bestowed (upon us);
And thanks be to Him for all that which He inspired; and commended
in His Name for that which He Provided: Form prevalent favors which
He created, And abundant benefactions which He offered and perfect
grants which He presented; (such benefactions) that their number is
much too plentiful to compute; Bounties too vast to measure; Their
limit was too distant to realize;
He recommended to them
(His creatures) to gain more (of His benefaction) by being grateful
for their continuity; He ordained Himself praiseworthy by giving
generously to His creatures;
I bear witness that
there is no God but Allah Who is One without partner, a statement
which sincere devotion is made to be its interpretation;
hearts guarantee its
continuation, and illuminated in the minds is its sensibility. He
Who can not be perceived with vision; neither be described with
tongues; nor can imagination surround His state.
He originated things but
not from anything that existed before them, and created them without
examples to follow. Rather, He created them with His might and
dispersed them according to His will; not for a need did He create
them; nor for a benefit
(for Him) did He shape
them, But to establish His wisdom, Bring attention to His obedience,
manifest His might, lead His creatures to humbly venerate Him, and
to exalt His decrees. He then made the reward for His obedience, And
punishment for his disobedience, so as to protect His creatures from
His Wrath and amass them into His Paradise.
I too bear witness that
my Father, Muhammad, is His Slave and Messenger, Whom He chose prior
to sending him, named him before sending him; when creatures were
still concealed in that which was transcendental, guarded from that
which was appalling and associated with the termination and
nonexistence. For Allah the Exalted knew that which was to follow,
comprehended that which will come to pass, And realized the place of
every event.
Allah has sent him
(Muhammad)
(P.B.U.P.) as perfection
for His commands, a resolution to accomplish His rule, and an
implementation of the decrees of His Mercy. So he found the nations
to vary in their faiths; Obsessed by their fires, Worshipping their
idols, And denying Allah despite their knowledge of Him. Therefore,
Allah illuminated their darkness with my Father, Muhammad,
(P.B.U.P.) uncovered obscurity from their hearts, and cleared the
clouds from their insights. He revealed guidance among the people;
So he delivered them from being led astray, led them away from
misguidance, guided them to the proper religion, and called them to
the straight path.
Allah then chose to
recall him back in mercy, love and preference. So, Muhammad
(P.B.U.P.) is in comfort from the burden of this world, he is
surrounded with devoted angels, the satisfaction of the Merciful
Lord, and the nearness of the powerful King. So may the praise of
Allah be upon my Father, His Prophet, Trusted one, the chosen one
from among His creatures, and His sincere friend, and may peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him.
(Fatima then turned to
the crowd and said:) Surely you are Allah’s slaves
at His command
Prohibition; You are the bearers of His religion and revelation; You
are Allah’s trusted ones with yourselves; and His messengers to the
nations.
Amongst you does He have
righteous authority;
A covenant He brought
unto you, and an heir He left to guard you; That is The eloquent
book of Allah; The truthful Quran; The brilliant light; The shining
beam; Its insights are indisputable; Its secrets are revealed; Its
indications are manifest; and its followers are blessed by it. (The
Quran) leads its adherents to goodwill; and Hearing it leads to
salvation; with it are the bright divine authorities achieved, His
manifest determination acquired, His prohibited decrees avoided; His
manifest evidence recognized, His satisfying proofs made apparent,
His permissions granted, and His laws written. So Allah made belief
to be purification for you from polytheism.
He made:
Prayer - An exaltation
for you from conceit.
Alms - A purification
for the soul and a (cause of) growth in subsistence.
Fasting - An
implantation of devotion.
Pilgrimage - A
construction of religion.
Justice - A harmony of
the hearts;
Obeying us (Ahlul-Bayt)
Management of the nation.
Our leadership
(Ahlul-Bayt). Safeguard from disunity.
Jihad (struggle) - A
strengthening of Islam.
Patience - A helping
course for deserving (divine) reward.
Ordering goodness (Amr
Bi Maruf) Public welfare.
Kindness to the parents
- A safeguard from wrath.
Maintaining close
relations with one’s kin-A cause for a longer life and multiplying
the number of descendants.
Retaliation (Qesas) -For
sparing blood (souls).
Fulfillment of vows -
subjecting oneself to mercy.
Completion of weights
and measures - A cause for preventing the neglect of others’ rights.
Forbiddance of drinking
wine - An exaltation from atrocity.
Avoiding slander - A
veil from curse.
Abandoning theft-a
reason for deserveing chastity.
Allah has also
prohibited polytheism so that one can devote himself to His
Lordship.
Therefore;
Fear Allah as He should
be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam;
Obey Allah in that which
He has commanded you to do and that which He has forbidden, for
surely those truly fear among His servants, who have knowledge.
Lady Fatima Zahra (A.S)
then added:
0 People!
Be informed that I am
Fatima, and my father is Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) I say that repeatedly
and initiate it continually; I say not what I say mistakenly, nor do
I do what I do aimlessly. Now hath come unto you an Apostle from
amongst yourselves; It grieves him that you should perish;
Ardently anxious is he
over you; To the believers he is most kind and merciful.
Thus, if you identify
and recognize him, you shall realize that he is my father and not
the father of any of your women; the brother of my cousin (Ali A.S.)
rather than any of your men. What an excellent identity he was, may
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his descendants.
Thus, he propagated the
Message, by coming out openly with the warning and while inclined
away from the path of the polytheists, (whom he) struck their
strength and seized their throats, while he invited (all) to the way
of his Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching;
He destroyed idols, and
defeated heroes, until their group fled and turned their backs.
So night revealed its
dawn; righteousness uncovered its genuineness; the voice of the
religious authority spoke out loud; the evil discords were silenced;
The crown of hypocrisy was diminished; the tightening of infidelity
and desertion were untied, So you spoke the statement of devotion
amongst a band of starved ones; and you were on the edge of a hole
of fire; (you were) the drink of the thirsty one; the opportunity of
the desiring one; the fire brand of him who passes in haste; the
step for feet; you used to drink from the water gathered on roads;
eat jerked meat.
(Lady Fatima (A.S.) was
stating their lowly situation before Islam)
You were despised
outcasts always in fear of abduction from those around you. Yet,
Allah rescued you through my father, Muhammad (P.B.U.H) after much
ado, and after he was confronted by mighty men, the Arab beasts, and
the demons of the people of the Book Who, whenever they ignited the
fire of war, Allah extinguished it; and whenever the thorn of the
devil appeared, or a mouth of the polytheists opened wide in
defiance, he (P.B.U.H) would strike its discords with his brother
(Ali A.S.), who comes not back until he treads its wing with the
sole of his feet, and extinguishes its flames with his sword.
(Ali is) diligent in
Allah’s affair, near to the Messenger of Allah, A master among
Allah’s worshippers, setting to work briskly, sincere in his advice,
earnest and exerting himself (in service to Islam);
While you were calm,
gay, and feeling safe in your comfortable lives, waiting for us to
meet disasters, awaiting the spread of news, you fell back during
every battle, and took to your heels at times of fighting. Yet, When
Allah chose His Prophet from the dwell of His prophets, and the
abode of His sincere (servants); The thorns of hypocrisy appeared on
you, the garment of faith became worn out, The misguided ignorant(s)
spoke out, the sluggish ignorant came to the front and brayed. The
he camel of the vain wiggled his tail in your courtyards and the
your courtyards and the Devil stuck his head from its place of
hiding and called upon you, he found you responsive to his
invitation, and observing his deceits. He then aroused you and found
you quick (to answer him), and invited you to wrath, therefore; you
branded other than your camels and proceeded to other than your
drinking places. Then while the era of the Prophet was still near,
the gash was still wide, the scar had not yet healed, and the
Messenger was not yet buried.
A (quick) undertaking as
you claimed, aimed at preventing discord (trial), Surely, they have
fallen into trial already! And indeed Hell surrounds the
unbelievers. How preposterous! What an idea! What a falsehood! For
Allah’s Book is still amongst you, its affairs are apparent; its
rules are manifest; its signs are dazzling; its restrictions are
visible, and its commands are evident. Yet, indeed you have casted
it behind your backs! What!
Do you detest it? Or
according to something else you wish to rule? Evil would be the
exchange for the wrongdoers! And if anyone desires a religion other
than Islam (submission to Allah), it never will it be accepted from
him; And in the hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have
lost. Surely you have not waited until its stampede seized, and it
became obedient. You then started arousing its flames, instigating
its coal, complying with the call of the misled devil, quenching the
light of the manifest religion, and extinguished the light of the
sincere Prophet. You concealed sips on froth and proceeded towards
his (the Prophet) kin and children in swamps and forests (meaning
you plot against them in deceitful ways), but we are patient with
you as if we are being notched with knives and stung by spearheads
in our abdomens, Yet-now you claim-that there is not inheritance for
us!
What!
"Do they then seek after
a judgment of (the Days of) ignorance?
But How, for a people
whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah? Don’t
you know? Yes, indeed it is obvious to you that I am his daughter. O
Muslims!
Will my inheritance be
usurped? O son of Abu Quhafa! Where is it in the Book of Allah that
you inherit your father and I do not inherit mine?
Surely you have come up
with an unprecedented thing. Do you intentionally abandon the Book
of Allah and cast it behind your back? Do you not read where it
says:
‘And Sulaiman inherited
Dawood’? And when it na,rates the story of Zakariya and says:
‘So give me an heir as
from thyself; (One that) will inherit me, and inherit the posterity
of Yaqoob’
And:
‘But kindred by hood
have prior rights against each other in the Book ofAllah’
And:
‘Allah (thus) directs
you as regards your children’s (inheritance) to the male, a portion
equal to that of two females’
And:
.If he leaves any goods,
that he make a bequest to parents and next of kin, according to
reasonable usage; this is due from the pious ones.’ You claim that I
have no share! And that I do not inherit my father! What! Did Allah
reveal a (Quranic) verse regarding you, from which He excluded my
father? Or do you say:
‘These (Fatima and her
father) are the people of two faiths, they do not inherit each
other?’ Are we not, me and my father, a people adhering to one
faith? Or is it that you have more knowledge about the
specifications and generalizations of the Quran than my father and
my cousin (Imam Ali)? So, here you are! Take it! (Ready with) its
nose rope and saddled! But if shall encounter you on the Day of
Gathering; (thus) what a wonderful judge is Allah, a claimant is
Muhammad, and a day is the Day of Rising.
At the time of the Hour
shall the wrongdoers lose; and it shall not benefit you to regret
(your actions) then! For every Message, there is a time limit and
soon shall you know who will be inflicted with torture that will
humiliate him, and who will be confronted by an everlasting
punishment.
(Fatima then turned
towards the Ansars and said:) O you people of intellect!
The strong supporters of
the nation! And those who embraced Islam; What is this short-coming
in defending my right? And what is this slumber (while you see)
injustice (being done toward me)?
Did not the Messenger of
Allah (P.B.U.H.) my father, used to say:
‘A man is upheld
(remembered) by his children’?
O how quick have you
violated (his orders)?!
How soon have you
plotted against us? But you still are capable (of helping me in) my
attempt, and powerful (to help me) in that which I request and (in)
my pursuit (of it). Or do you say:
"Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) has
perished;" Surely this is a great calamity; Its damage is excessive
Its injury is great, Its
wound (is much too deep) to heal.
The Earth became
darkened with his departure; the stars eclipsed for his calamity;
hopes were seized; mountains submitted; sanctity was violated, and
holiness was encroached upon after his death. Therefore, this, by
Allah, is the great affliction, and the grand calamity; there is not
an affliction which is the like of it; nor will there be a sudden
misfortune (as surprising as this).
The Book of
Allah-excellent in praising him-announced in the courtyards (of your
houses) in the place where you spend your evenings and mornings; A
call, A cry, A recitation, and (verses) in order:
It had previously came
upon His (Allah’s) Prophets and Messengers; (for it is) A decree
final, and a predestination fulfilled:
"Muhammad is not but an
Apostle:
Many were the apostles
that passed away before him. If he died or was slain, will ye then
turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heel, not the
least harm will he do to Allah, but Allah (on the other hand) will
swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude."
O you people of
reflection; will I be usurped the inheritance of my father while you
hear and see me?! (And while) You are sitting and gathered around
me? You hear my call, and are included in the (news of the) affair?
(But) You are numerous
and well equipped! (You have) the means and the power, and the
weapons and the shields. Yet, the call reaches you but you do not
answer; the cry comes to you but you do not come to help? (This)
While you are characterized by struggle, known for goodness and
welfare, the selected group (which was chosen), and the best ones
chosen by the Messenger (P.B.U.H.) for us, Ahlul-Bayt. You fought
the Arabs, bore with pain and exhaustion, struggled against the
nations, and resisted their heroes.
We were still, so were
you in ordering you, and you in obeying us. So that Islam became
triumphant, the accomplishment of the days came near, the fort of
polytheism was subjected, the outburst of fabrication subsided, the
flames of infidelity calmed down, and the system of religion was
well-ordered. Thus, (why have you) become confused after clearness?
Conceal matters after announcing them? Turned on your heels after
daring? Associated (others with Allah) after believing?
Will you not fight
people who violated their oaths? Plotted to expel the Apostle and
became aggressive by being the first (to assault) you?
Do ye fear them? Nay, it
is Allah whom you should more justly fear, if you believe!
Nevertheless, I see that you are inclined to easy living; dismissed
he who is more worthy of guardianship (Ali A.S.); you secluded
yourselves with meekness and dismissed that which you accepted. Yet,
if you show ingratitude, you and all on earth together, yet, Allah
free of all wants worthy of all praise. Surely I have said all that
I have said with full knowledge that you intent to forsake me, and
knowing the betrayal which your hearts sensed. But, it is the state
of soul, the effusion of fury, the dissemination of (what is) the
chest and the presentation of the proof Hence, Here it is!
Bag it (leadership and)
put it on the back of an ill shecamel, which has a thin hump, with
everlasting grace, marked with the wrath of Allah, and the blame of
ever (which leads to) the Fire of (the wrath of) Allah kindled (to a
blaze), that which doth mount (right) to the hearts; For, Allah
witnesses what you do, and soon will the unjust assailants know what
vicissitudes their affairs will take!! And I am the daughter of a
Warner (the Prophet P.B.U.H.) to you against a severe punishment.
So, act and so will we, and wait, and we shall wait." (The end of
Lady Fatima’s speech.)
