23rd of Safar; the death anniversary of Fatima bint Asad (peace be upon her).

On such day; 23rd of Safar of the fourth year of migration, the immaculate Lady Fatima bint Asad (peace be upon her) wife of Abu Taleb and mother of Imam Ali (peace be upon both of them) died. She is a venerable lady who was following the religion of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) before the advent of Islam.

When Abu Taleb (peace be upon him) brought her the Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) after the death of Abd al-Muttalib (peace be upon him) and told her: Know that he is my nephew, and he is dearest to me than myself and my money, then take a good care of him and do not let anyone harm him. She smiled and said: Do you recommend me to take care of my son Mohammad?! He is more beloved to me than myself and than my children! So Abu Taleb rejoiced.

Fatima bint Asad took great care of the Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household), giving him her affection and love, preferring him to her own children, feeding and covering him before others, and she used to wash him and comb his hair. And the Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) loved her and called her always by "Mom".

As for her position, the lofty and superior personality of Fatima Bint Asad (peace be upon her) – a woman who strove in the cause of God – can be considered from two angles: her roles as a guardian for the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) and in raising her son, Imam Ali (peace be upon him).

The lofty character of Fatima Bint Asad (peace be upon her) is known analytically and comprehensively for two reasons: She was an exemplary woman in early Islam and a shining example of faith, struggle in the way of God, and insight and forbearance in the ideological, political, and social arenas. And she was an influential and competent mother who played a vital role in both her family and society. She was the mother of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) who was a source of truthfulness, wisdom, and piety and the embodiment of justice and rationality. She was also a role model for all worshippers and mystics. People have always been - and still are - in need of and eager for such eternal role models for mankind who went beyond time, place, and language and played a dynamic and decisive role in history.

It is narrated that Imam as-Sadeq (peace be upon him) said that the Almighty Allah has revealed to His Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household): "I forbade the fire on the backbone from which you come, the belly that bore you, the lap that fostered you, and the household that sheltered you." And Abdullah son of Abd al-Muttalib is the backbone from which he came, and the belly that bore him is Aaminah bint Wahab, the lap the fostered him is Fatima bint Asad and the household that sheltered him is Abu Taleb.

When Fatima daughter of Asad, mother of Ali (peace be upon them) breathed her last, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) went weeping to the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) and said, "My respected mother passed away." The Holy Prophet said, "By Allah, she is my mother too." He then rushed to enter to look at her and cried, then he order the women to wash her, and told them: "When you finish to not do anything unless you inform me." And so they did, so he gave them one of his shirts (that he used to wear directly on his holy body) and ordered them to shroud her in it. And then told to the Muslims, if you see me do something you are not used to see then ask me why I did it. Thus when they shrouded her the Holy Prophet (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) carried her on his should until they put her in her grave, he put her aside, and entered her grave and laid in it then took her on his hands and put her in it and hugged her for a long time and said to her loudly, "Your son, your son, your son" Then he went out of the grave filled it up and then leant on her grave and they heard him said: "There is no God but Allah, O Allah I deposit her by you!" Then he left.

Muslims asked him then: We saw you doing thing you never did before today. He said: "She was my mother. She fed me before her own children. She combed my hair and put rose oil on me first though her own children were dirty and dusty. She was my mother. I have not met anybody who took care of me more than her after my uncle Abu Taleb. Once she heard me say, “On the Day of Resurrection, people will be mustered bare.” She said, “Woe to me for such a brazen act!” Also, when she heard me speak of the squeeze of the grave, she said, “Woe to me, helpless in that situation!” Thus, I put my own garment on her so that she will be clothed in garments of Paradise and I lay down in her grave for a while to protect her from the squeeze of the grave. And then I kneeled on her grave and taught her what she should answer to the angels who asked her about God, she replied, `Allah¬, when they asked about the Prophet, she replied, `Mohammad` but as for Imam she was confused. So I told her: Your son, your son, your son!

After her burial, the Prophet of God (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) said, “The angels were everywhere in the horizon, opening the door of Heaven to Fatima and rolling out the heavenly carpets for her. The heavenly ladies rushed to meet her. Now she is showered with happiness, bounty and heavenly blessings, and her grave is a heavenly garden.” And he (Allah's prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) said, “The Archangel Gabriel informed me she is a dweller of Heaven and God has commanded seventy thousand angels to pray for her.”

Her holy grave in the cemetery of al-Baqi' is near the graves of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and for her supreme and lofty position and her sincere devotion to the guardians of Allah, her intercession is sought by those who have difficult requests.
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