BIBI FATIMA (AS) AS A DAUGHTER - THE QUINTESSENCE OF PATIENCE & VIRTUE

[N] Narrator

[PM] Prophet Muhammad S.A.W

[LF] Lady Fatema (A.S)

[IA] Imam Ali (A.S)

[FA] Fatima Binte Asad

[LK] Lady Khadija

[AT} Abu Talib

[Q1] Quffar 1

[Q2] Quffar 2

Narrator: On the 20th day of Jamadi al-Akhar, five years after Bi'thah (declaration of the message of Islam by Prophet Muhammad (s)) and 8 years before Hijra the household of the prophet was blessed with the birth of Bibi Fatema Zahra (a.s)

Imam Sadiq (A) has said: "Fatima has nine names near Allah (Exalted be His Name), they are: Fatima, Siddiqah (the honest), Al-Mubarakah (the blessed one), At-Tahirah (virtuous), Az-Zakiyah (the chaste), Ar-Radhiatul Mardhiah (she who is gratified and who shall be satisfied), Al-Muhaddathah (a person, other than a prophet, that the angels speak to), and Az-Zahra (the splendid)."

The behavior of Holy Prophet toward his daughter Fatima was special. The Holy Prophet showed unique respect to his dear daughter; whenever Fatima came to see him, he welcomed her, stood up to show respect and even kissed her hand and made her sit at his own place.

On every occasion that the Holy Prophet (s.a) decided to go on a journey, Fatima was the last one to whom he bade farewell, and as soon as he came back from his trip, Fatima was the first one whom the Holy Prophet visited. Imam Baqir (a) and Imam Sadiq (a) have related that the Holy Prophet (s) never slept unless he kissed the face of Fatima (s) and placed his face on hers.

'From her do I smell the fragrance of Paradise'. This is what our Holy Prophet s.a.w. used to say about his daughter Lady Fatema a.s., also known as 'Umme Abeeha', the mother of her father. Bearing in mind, that Lady Fatema a.s. was aged only 2 when the Boycott of the Banu Hashim started, her childhood was spent in very trying times. During this boycott, at such a tender age, Lady Fatema a.s. showed strength, resilience and patience second to none.

So, what was this boycott all about? Soon after our Holy Prophet (s.a.w) introduced himself as the messenger of Allah S.W.T, many people of Makkah turned against him. The chiefs of the Quraysh were disturbed by the way and speed in which Islam was spreading. Not knowing how to slow down this process, the Quraysh decided to banish the clans of Banu HAshim and Muttalib. A treaty was made, signed by the Quraysh, and it was hung on the door of the Kaaba.

The treaty had 5 points.

Quraysh to say lines from behind stage

1. The Quraysh would neither take the daughters from or give daughters to the banu Hashim

2. They will not sell to us or buy from us

3. They would have no contact with us

4. They would not even allow food or drink to come to us

5. And that our opponents will always be supported by them.

When this treaty was signed, on the 7th of Muharram, life in Makkah for the Banu HAshim became impossible. Hazrat Abu Talib takes all the Banu Hashim to a valley, known to us as 'Shayb - e - Abu Talib'. Here, they all spent a difficult 3 years. – (LK and FA on stage)

In the next scene, we will get a glimpse of what life was like during this boycott. It has been almost 3 years, and food is running out.

SCENE 1

LF: [Brings some food to LK & FA] O Mother, O Binte Asad. I brought you some food. I know it is only one date and a little bread, but it will help to keep up your strength.

LK: Fatema? Bread? Where did this come from? We only had a few dates left. We had no other food left. Where did this bread come from?

LF: We do not have much food at all. Sa'd found some camel hide. He washed it, ground it and kneaded it into flour then baked it.

FA: Alhamdulillah.. Has has everyone else eaten, fatema?

LF: O mother of Ali, Yes, they have all eaten. Now, you must eat too.

FA: We are fortunate that according to Arab law, violence is not allowed during the months of Rajab & Dhulhijjah! The last time we bought food was in the month of Rajab, and thankfully, the month of Dhul Hijjah is almost upon us. Again, InshAllah, we will get some food.

LK: It is difficult to hear the cries of the children. They are so weak. The food is less. There are 40 of us here. We must buy enough food. But the people of Makkah, the Quraysh, make all the food so expensive.

LF: The Makkans cannot be violent during the months of Rajab and Dhulhijjah.

LK: They make it difficult for us by making the food so expensive. Remember the treaty? It said that they will not allow food to come to us.

FA: Oh Fatema. I remember it like it was yesterday. It is almost 3 years we are here, in this valley of Abu Talib. We were banished from Makkah by the Quraysh. It has been almost 3 years since the people of Quraysh signed the treaty on the 7th of Muharram, the treaty against the family of Banu Hashim/ family of the prophet of Allah.

LK: It has not been easy... But I do know, as long we are on the right path, Allah SWT will be by our side. We have to serve and please Him.

FA: All the people who are here, are here to support Muhammad, in the way of Allah SWT. Fatema, the support you been to your father and Khadija, is all for the sake of Allah SWT.

LK: JazakAllah. Whatever we do, we do for Allah SWT, and the reward is from Him only.

[characters walks off stage]

Narrator: The patience portrayed by the family of our Holy Prophet was beyond imagination. In particular, he got tremendous support from his wife Lady Khadija, and his daughter of a very young age, Lady Fatema a.s.

In the next scene, we will see how the boycott ended.

SCENE 2

AT: [enters Masjidul Haram humbly] Salam alaikum, O People!

Q1: [sarcastic] Oh.. look.. if it's not the great uncle of the prophet, the father of Ali (A.S)

Q2: Come to surrender, have you? Has it got too tough for you in that valley of yours?

AT: Not at all! When you have Allah SWT by our side, nothing seems tough.

Q1: So, why are you here? You know the deal.. If you do not hand Muhammad over to us, the treaty must be obeyed.

AT: Muhammad, my son, has had a revelation from Allah SWT.

Q2: A revelation? What kind of revelation.

AT: This treaty is not active anymore

Q1: [angry, sarcastic] Go and tell Muhammad, it is we who decide whether the treaty is active or not! And if we say it is, then it is..

AT: If you have a look at the treaty, which is hanging within the Kaaba, you will find that the agreement has been eaten away by insects and no writing has been left except for the name of Allah SWT. This is what the Holy Prophet has said.

Q2: That is impossible!

AT: You have a look at the piece of paper. If my son, Muhammad, is right, you have to agree to end your injustice and high-handedness!

Q1: And if he is wrong?

AT: Then we will accept that you were right and we were wrong!

Q2: [to Q1] Quick, bring the agreement here! Let us not waste time any more. We can prove Muhammad wrong! Here and now!

[Q1 brings the treaty to Q2. The open it, look at the piece of paper in horror!]

Q2: I,... I ddddd...ont understand what has happened?

AT: [takes the piece of paper, turns to crowd] Alhamdulillah! Truely, the treaty has been eaten accept for the name of Allah SWT! Subhanallah!

Narrator: In this way, the boycott came to an end. After 3 years of suffering, the family of Hashim were able to go back to their homes and carry on with their lives.

The struggle of our Holy Prophet s.a.w carried on. Soon after the boycott ended, our Prophet faced a very painful year. The year of sadness, also known as Amul huzn, was the year he lost his cherished wife Khadija and supportive uncle, Hazrat Abu Talib. These losses caused our Holy Prophet much grief. Lady Fatema a.s. was by his side all the time, offering support and care for her dear father. Life for our Holy Prophet, in Makkah, had become very hard. The environment had become very hostile. Because of this, he decided to go to Taif, which in those days was a thriving city.

After spending a month in Taif, our Holy Prophet s.a.w. returned to Makkah:

SCENE 3

PM: [enters] Salam Alaikum Fatemah, umme abiha

LF: [rushes to her father, concerned, happy to see him] Alaikum Salam, father. Did you just return? You look so tired? The journey must have been hot. Can I get you some water father?

[runs to get some water, comes back and kneels down in front of P]

PM: Ahsant. [Places hand on F's head. PM looks at her with admiration. F looks down. P drinks the water]

LF: How was it father? Did the people of Taif listen to you?

PM: O my daughter, Fatema. You have been through such a lot. Come here, sit here next to me.

[LF sits next to PM]

LF: Was it better in Taif? Was it?

PM: [looks down and shakes his head] No Fatema. They would not listen to me. They insulted me, threw stones at me. [LF in tears, crying]. I had to return to Makkah. But we must not lose hope, Fatema. We know we are on the right path.

[stands up] Fatema, the pilgrims who come to Makkah, they listen. There were 20 Christians from Nazareth.. They came to meet me and they embraced Islam.

I also met a few people from the Khazraj tribe. They come from Yathrib, from Medina. I read to them a few verses of the Holy Qur'an. They also embraced Islam. Fatema, I am sure these people will go back to their homes and they will spread the word. And slowly, Islam will spread to all the corners of the world.

LF: InshAllah, you will be successful in your mission. And, baba, I will support through everything.

Narrator: As we can see, Our Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) was supported by his daughter at all stages in his life. It is because of this that she was known as "Shareekat-ur-rasul". During her short life, Lady Fatema (a.s.) fulfilled her role as the impeccable daughter, a flawless wife and an extraordinary mother. This is portrayed in many aspects of the life of Lady Fatemah a.s. Our lady went through some difficult times. However, her patience and strong character always stood out.