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Narrations state that on the last day of her blessed life, Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) was surprised to find that his dear wife (Fatima az-Zahra (peace be upon her)) had left her bed, and had started doing the housework; he asked her about it and she replied:
"This is the last day of my life. I want to wash my children's hair, and clothes, because they will soon be orphans, without a mother!!"
Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) then asked her about the source of knowledge of this news (the day of her departure). She (peace be upon her) told him that she had seen the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) in her dream, and he had told her that she was going to join him that night. She then asked Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) to execute her will.
He (‘Ali (peace be upon him)) said:
"Instruct me to do anything you wish, daughter of Allah's Messenger (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household)." ‘Ali (peace be upon him) then asked everyone to leave the house, and he sat next to her.
Fatima az-Zahra (peace be upon her) started:
"Cousin, you are not accustomed to me being a False-teller, undevoted, or, have I disobeyed you since I have become your companion?"
‘Ali (peace be upon him) said:
"Allah forbid!! You are more knowing of Allah, more devoted, more pious, and more honorable and more fearing of Allah than (to give me a reason) to reprimand you for disobeying me. Surely, it is very painful for me to be separated from you and to lose you; but, it is an inevitable destination. By Allah, you have renewed the sorrow I have just encountered with the death of Allah's Messenger (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household); surely your death and departure will be a great calamity, but `to Allah do we belong, and to Him shall we return.'
What a painful, bitter and sad calamity. Surely this is a calamity for which there is not consolement, and a disaster for which there is no compensation."
Then they both cried and Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) embraced her head, and said:
"Instruct me to do anything you wish; you certainly will find me devoted, and I will execute everything that you command me to do. I shall also put your matters over mine."
She (peace be upon her) said:
"May Allah reward you with the best of goodness. Cousin, firstly I ask you to marry after my death, my niece Umamah; surely she will be to my children as I was. Besides, men cannot do without women."
Fatima az-Zahra (peace be upon her) then added:
"I ask you not to let anyone who did injustice to me to witness my funeral, for they certainly are enemies of mine, and the enemy of Allah's Messenger (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household). Also, don't give them the chance to pray over me, nor, to any of their followers. Bury me at night when eyes are rested, and sight is put to sleep."
Fatima (peace be upon her), bint Mohammad (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) was ready to meet her Lord. She bathed, than lay down in her garment. She then instructed Asma Bint Umais to wait awhile and then to call her name; if there was no answer, this would mean that she (peace be upon her) had departed towards her Lord.
Asma waited awhile, then called Fatima’s (peace be upon her) name. But, there was no answer;
Asma repeated the call:
"O daughter of the chosen Mohammad!
O daughter of the most honorable of them whom women bore!
O daughter of the best of those who have walked on gravel! O daughter of him who was at `A distance of but two bow-lengths, or, (even) nearer" (a Qur’anic verse, (53:9))
...There is no answer... silence overwhelms the house ...Asma then proceeds towards Fatima and finds her dead.
At that point, Al-Hasan (peace be upon him) and Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) entered, and asked:
"Where is our mother?"
Yet Asma uttered not a word!
Al-Hasan (peace be upon him) and Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) proceeded towards their mother, and found her dead. At this, Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) turned towards Al-Hasan (peace be upon him), and said:
"May Allah console you for our Mother!"
Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) was at the Mosque. Al-Hasan (peace be upon him), and Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) went to the Mosque, and broke the news to their father. As soon as he (peace be upon him) heard their words, he fell unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he said:
"Who will console me now, daughter of Muhammad? You used to console me, so who will take your place now?"
The Hashimite women were then gathered to receive the news of the great calamity. Yes, the calamity befell them once more, while the blood was still flowing from the wound of losing the Prophet.
Medina shook.
Everyone came to console ‘Ali (peace be upon him), and his two children. Allah is with you, Zahra's children.
It was just yesterday that you were inflicted with the death of your great father, the Prophet of Allah, and your new calamity is not any less than that one! But, take patience, for this is the will of the Mighty Lord.
The people gathered waiting for the funeral to start, but Imam Ali (peace be upon him) sent Salman out to the people to tell them that the funeral of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah is delayed. So, people went away thinking that the funeral will take place the next day. (It was narrated that her death happened after 'Asr prayer or in early hours of night).
But, Imam Ali (peace be upon him) had washed her and shrouded her with the help of Asma on that night, then he called: "O Hassan, O Hussayn, O Zaynab, O Umm Kulthum.. Come to bid farewell to your mother, the meeting will be in Paradise." After a while, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) took them from over her and prayed upon her funeral and then raised his hands to the sky and cried: "O Lord, This is the daughter of Your Prophet; Fatima, You took her out from the darknesses into the light, then she has enlightened miles per mile."
In the darkness of the jet-black night, when eyes were asleep and voices were silent, a Heavenly procession left Ali's (peace be upon him) house while carrying the Messenger of Allah's daughter along with Al-Abbas, Al-Fadl Ibn Al-Abbas and a fourth person holding the slim body, accompanied by Al-Hassan, Al-Hussayn, 'Aqeel, Salman, Abu Dhar, Miqdad, Buraydah and Ammar. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) took the body of the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) and put it in the grave, saying: "O land, I entrust you my deposit, this is the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, In the name of Allah , the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful., In the name of Allah, and by Allah and on the religion of the Messenger of Allah; Mohammad son of Abdullah (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household). O truthful! I have given you to Who He is more worthy of you from me, and I am satisfied with what Allah the Almighty has chosen for you." then he (peace be upon him) read: {From the earth We created you, and into it We will return you, and from it We will extract you another time.} (20:55), then went out of the grave, then the attendees started putting the soil in the grave, and Imam Ali (peace be upon him) settled her grave, so no one could know where it is until the Day of Resurrection.
Then Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said:
"O Prophet of Allah, peace be upon you from me and from your daughter who has come to you and who has hastened to meet you. O Prophet of Allah ! My patience about your chosen (daughter) has been exhausted and my power of endurance has weakened, except that I have ground for consolation in having endured the great hardship and heart-rending event of your separation. I laid you down in your grave while your last breath had passed (when your head) `Verily we are Allah's and verily unto Him shall we return (2:56) between my neck, and the chest.
Now, the trust has been returned and what had been given has been taken back. My grief knows no bounds, and my nights will remain sleepless till Allah chooses for me the house in which you are now residing. Certainly your daughter would apprise you of the joining together of your Ummah (people) for oppressing her. You ask her in detail and get all the news about the position. This happened when a long time had not elapsed and your remembrance had not disappeared. My salam [peace] be on you both, the salam of a grief stricken not of a disgusted or a hateful person; for if I go away, it is not because I am weary (of you); and if I stay, it is not due to lack of belief in what Allah has promised the endurers."
And it is not strange that the historians have various versions concerning her martyrdom or birth date, her age and how long she has lived after the martyrdom of her father (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household), they have also speculated about her burial place, and she is the eyes' apple of the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household).
Some of them have said she was buried in her house, others say she was buried in Baqi' cemetery, while others think she was buried between the grave and minbar of the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household), as it is stated in the Hadith: "between my grave and my minbar is one of the gardens of Paradise." All of which is a stark evidence of her tragedy and sufferings during her life.
Peace be upon her the day she was born, the day she was martyred and the day she will be sent alive taking in her hands the palms of Aba al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) with which he redeemed the Master of martyrs; Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).