The Hidden Truth in the Names of Lady Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her)

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
May Allah's blessings be upon Prophet Muhammad and his pure family

I extend my condolences on the martyrdom of Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her) to Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) and all the Shiites of this noble personality. I sincerely thank the composers of religious poetry from all over the country, especially those from Qom.

As our dear brother, Mr. Shariati, mentioned Qom is the capital of religious poetry in our country and it should be so because Qom is the shrine of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). I also thank our dear brother, Mr. Seyed Hamid Borgha’i, for organizing this session, which is going to be the thirteenth annual ceremony of Fatimi mourning poetry.

The reality of Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) is a truth beyond the understanding of ordinary humans. By referring to the books written about Hazrat Zahra, we can only get to know a drop from the ocean of her personality.

Thanks to the Revolution and our Islamic Government, many books and articles have been published about Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her), which are incomparable to the past. In Bihar al-Anwar by Allamah Majlisi, which is one of the reference books of Shia, a significant portion of one volume is about Hazrat Zahra (as). When a person reads about the attributes of Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her), one is astonished as to who she was, what personality and magnificence she possessed. What manifestation of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, she was that nine of her attributes were bestowed upon her by Allah Himself? This is quite strange. In some narrations, 18 attributes have been mentioned for her, each of which sheds light on one aspect of this reality.

If the Shiites of Amir al-Mu'minin and Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon them) pay attention and contemplate on the designation and naming of Lady Fatimah (as), they will find deep discussions about each of her attributes such as Fatimah, Zahra, Mubarakah, Muhaddasah, Radiyah, Mardiyah, Sadiqah, Tahirah, and so on. Researchers can write a volume for each of these names. There are numerous narrations for each of these names with abundant points about them, so much so that they cannot be explained in one page, two pages, or even several pages. Because of this, there is need for composers of religious poetry [to compose poem about them].

According to some hadiths, Allah called Fatimah "Fatimah" because people cannot understand her reality or because she is far from evil characteristics. According to some other narrations, she is called Fatimah because a barrier separates her and her Shia from hellfire. It is strange that these narrations include all her Shias from the beginning until the Day of Resurrection.

According to a hadith, Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said that on the Day of Judgment, Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) will stand at the door of Hell. On that day, everyone's forehead will have a seal indicating whether he is a believer or an unbeliever. Then, she will look at a person whose forehead is marked with "Shia of Fatimah," but due to the abundance of his sins, the angels are taking him towards Hell. She will appeal to Allah, saying, "You named me Fatimah and promised to save my Shias and the Shias of my descendants from the fire of Hell. Your promise is true, and You never break it. So why are your agents taking this person towards Hell?" Allah will say, "O Fatimah, you are right. I promised you, and I command them not to take him to Hell. I intended to show the greatness of your status to all the angels!"

The fourth reason for naming her Fatimah is because of her knowledge. When she was still in the womb of Hazrat Khadijah, Allah granted her knowledge. About the angels, the heavens, and the earth, she had the kind of knowledge that our Imams possessed. There are numerous narrations confirming this fact. Sometimes, when Imam Ali came home, Fatimah told him, "Ali, today the Prophet mentioned such and such matters [insightful topics that were very profound]." Ali (peace be upon him) would say, "Fatimah, how did you come to know about these topics?" I mentioned this so that we can have some understanding of the ocean of Fatima's knowledge.

Now, our claim is that this country is a Fatimi country. Such mourning ceremonies are held; the first Fatimiyya and the second Fatimiyya are held; and thankfully, just like the days of Muharram and Safar, people dress in black. In fact, this is the right thing to do and everyone is mourning for her [during these days].

Today, all the conspiracies and plots of the enemies aim to take Hazrat Fatima away from us and separate us from the Ahlul-Bayt. A woman from this country, who has the love of Fatima in her heart, would she ever say that she does not want to observe hijab or that she does not like hijab?

Hijab is God's command, and unveiling is what Satan wants. Hijab is right, and unveiling is wrong. Hijab is good, and unveiling is evil. What good is in unveiling so that a woman should say that she wants to be without the veil? It is a shame that in the city of Qom, which is the shrine of the Al-Muhammad (peace be upon them), and the grave of Fatima Masouma (peace be upon her) is here but one sees women who are not observing hijab. Truly, a person wishes the earth split open and swallowed him so that he would not witness such scenes.

We must learn from the days of Fatimiyyeh. O shopkeepers, youth, men, families, fathers, and mothers, and O officials! Do you follow Fatimah or not? Then why are you indifferent? I'm not saying that there should be harsh measures against those who do not observe hijab, but we should not be indifferent either. Today, I read an announcement issued in Mashhad that was very embarrassing. It was about a mourning ceremony organized by women who observe hijab but the announcement said that unveiled women were also welcome!

It happened that sometimes some people said to Imam Baqir or Imam Sadiq (peace be upon them): a such and such person has love and affection for Imam Ali and considers him superior to the other caliphs, but he is inclined towards the other caliphs as well! The Imams said: This person is of the people of Hell. If I claim to be a mourner of Hazrat Zahra (peace be upon her) I cannot say that someone who has animosity and hostility towards hijab is no different from those women who observe it. If I do so it would be a lie and I would not be a mourner of Hazrat Zahra! Hijab and modesty are a great asset that God has given us, and enemies want to take away this asset from us. Of course, we must invite those who do not observe hijab with respect and kindness, but it is different from accepting what they are doing and encouraging them to continue their mistakes.

I don’t want to touch on our other problems or economic issues! But it is clear today that the whole world is trying to take hijab from our women. I was so happy that today, in the funeral ceremonies of unrecognized martyrs, the veiled women in different cities were chanting slogans saying that even if they were to die, they would never let go of hijab. Bravo to you! We must kiss the chadors of such women; these women should be respected and honored by all of us. If we believe in Fatimah Zahra, she will change our life in this world and in the hereafter.

[Listen to this story to] see what Fatimah does to her followers. The narrator says, "When Fatimah was martyred, Um Ayman could no longer bear to stay in Medina. She said, ‘I cannot stay in Medina anymore after her.’ On her way from Medina to Mecca, she became thirsty in the scorching heat, until she felt she was about to die." She felt that she might die of thirst.

She looked tearfully towards the sky and said, ‘O Lord, quench my thirst. Do You want me to leave this world thirsty? While I am a servant of the household of Ali? I am a servant of Zahra, the daughter of Your Prophet.’ So a jug of water from Paradise was sent down to her." God cannot leave the request of someone who has been a servant to Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her) unanswered. So, a vessel of water from Paradise was sent down to her. According to this narration, by drinking it, she remained free from illness for the rest of her life—that is, about seven years. This is the result of serving Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her), and numerous examples like this have been narrated.

At the end, I would like to briefly refer to the martyrdom of Fatimah al-Zahra as an expression of respect to her. When Fatimah died, Imam Ali buried her secretly. It is a big tragedy. After burying Fatimah, he turned his face towards the Prophet's grave and said, "Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah, from me and from your daughter who is not resting next to you. O Messenger of Allah, how quickly your daughter has come to you! O Messenger of Allah, my patience after your daughter’s demise has come to an end. You were a pillar of Ali's life, and Fatimah was my other pillar of life.” In some narrations, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) states, "When Fatimah became a martyr, I felt as if I had lost a pillar of my existence. “Indeed, the trust has been returned.” That is, you entrusted me with the trust on the night of our marriage, placing her hand in mine, and you said, 'O Ali, this trust belongs to God, and your hand is the custodian of it.' Now, I return this trust to you."

"And the hostage was taken," is a phrase that is seldom read and understood. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) expresses to the Prophet that Zahra had been snatched away from him. From now on, the sky and the earth are dark for Ali. The Commander of the Faithful, laments in this manner his separation from Zahra and his statements shed light on the exalted status of Lady Zahra peace be upon her.

References:
[1]. Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 43, p. 65, Hadith 58.
[2]. Bihar al-Anwar, Vol. 43, p. 10.
[3]. Irshad al-Qulub, Vol. 2, p. 232.
[4]. 'Ilal al-Shara'i', Vol. 1, p. 179.
[5]. Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, p. 460.