THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME WITH PROPHET MUHAMMAD THE PROPHET OF ALLAH 033 THE WEDDING OF LADY FATIMA by Khadeijah A. Stephens Copyright © 1984-2012 by Allah.com Muhammad.com Mosque.com Khadeijah A. Stephens Bismillah Ir Rahman Ir Raheem The Wedding of Lady Fatima The Engagement and Marriage of Lady Fatima In the second year after the Migration, now referred to as Hijrah 2, during the month of Dhul Hija, which equates approximately to the Christian era 623/624, Lady Fatima, daughter of the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) and Lady Khadijah, was married to Ali, may Allah be pleased with them. Lady Fatima was now eighteen years of age and her father had made mention to his family that he thought Ali, who had been raised with her for many years, but now lived in a very modest house near the Mosque, would be the most suitable husband for her. However, the issue had not been settled. Lady Fatima was not without suitors. Abu Bakr and Omar had both offered their hand in marriage but the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) deferred them saying he would wait until Allah clarified the matter. A few weeks after the Encounter at Badr, in which Ali had fought so bravely, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) suggested to Ali that he might like to ask for Lady Fatima's hand in marriage. Ali had been too shy to come forward before now as he was very poor and did not consider himself to be in a position to offer Lady Fatima a worthy dowry and drew the Prophet's attention to it. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was touched by Ali’s humility and asked, referring to a piece of armor he had won at the Encounter of Badr, "What have you done with 'Al Hutaymiyah'?" Ali replied that he still owned it, whereupon the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) said it was sufficient for his daughter's dowry. Ali's worldly possessions were indeed meager; all he owned was the piece of armor, a sheep skin, and an old piece of Yemeni cloth which he used as a sheet. However, now that he had received encouragement from the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) he asked Lady Fatima for her hand in marriage in the presence of her father. It was customary in those days for brides-to-be not to answer her suitor if she was agreeable to a proposal, so Lady Fatima remained silent and Ali knew his proposal had been accepted. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) called his Companions together and told them of the proposed marriage of Ali to Fatima. Ali was not present at the beginning of the gathering but when he arrived, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) smiled and said, “Allah has ordered me to let you marry Fatima with a dowry of 400 silver dirhams, do you accept?” Ali replied that he accepted. Up until now, several schools of Islamic jurisprudence consider a prospective bride’s shy silence as an indication of acceptance to a proposal, if the proposal was unacceptable to her she would make it known. A Home for the Blessed Couple One of the Ansar, Haritha, Numan's son, owned many houses and had already given several of them to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam), who accepted them graciously and then gave them to those in need. Lady Fatima knew of Haritha's generosity, and asked her father if it might be possible for Haritha to also give them one. The Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) was reluctant to press upon Haritha's generosity, however when Haritha learned of Lady Fatima's forthcoming marriage, he went immediately to the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) saying, "Whatever I have is yours. By Allah, whenever you accept any of my houses, it gives me greater pleasure than if I still owned them." Haritha's generous offer was accepted and Ali with his bride-to-be now had a home awaiting them. The Wedding As a wedding gift, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) gave his daughter and Ali a bed woven from Arkanda fiber. A leather mattress stuffed with soft palm leaves, a water-skin, two sets of mill-stones with which to grind grain, and two earthenware pitchers. The day of the marriage arrived and the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) ordered Bilal to bring a large cooking vessel and to slaughter a camel in preparation for the wedding feast. After the food had been prepared and ready to serve, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) patted Fatima on her head. The joyful guests were invited to dine one group after the next as the house was too small to accommodate everyone at the same time, and everyone ate until they were satisfied. Now that everyone had eaten, the Prophet (salla Allahu alihi wa sallam) blessed what remained in the cooking pot and gave instructions for it to be taken to his wives with the message that they should feed anyone who came to them from it. It was a very happy occasion and one well remembered for a long time after. Lady Fatima and Ali were to be blessed with three sons, and two daughters. Their sons were Al Hasan, Al Husain and Mohsin who died in infancy. Their daughters were Umm Kulthum and Zaynab. The Wedding of Lady Fatima May Allah be please with Lady Fatima and Ali 033 Back Cover Subtitles The Engagement and Marriage of Lady Fatima A Home for the Blessed Couple The Wedding