Mohammed Khaku
Felicitations to the great Muslim Ummah, and its illustrious women, on this blessed day of the birth anniversary of Fatima Zahra, the daughter of the holy Prophet Muhammad.It is also known as Women’s Day and Mother’s Day which will fall on Thursday Jan 12th. Imam Khomeini: “The world is proud of Fatema. It is Women’s day. It is the birthday anniversary of a woman that the world was proud of; it is a day of a woman whose daughter stood against the powerful governments and she expressed that sermon and those words that all of you know.”My pen and words are unable to adequately describe the status of Fatema Zahra, peace be upon her (PBUH).Who is Fatema Zahra (as)?The most common attribute given to her is Zahra – meaning the magnificent, glorious, and resplendent.The Prophet on many occasions addressed her as, ‘the mother of her father.’ Indicating the extremely close relationship between himself and his daughter.Fatimah was born from the first wife of the Prophet, Bibi Khadijah, about five years after the beginning of the mission of the Prophet.From an early age onwards, she was particularly close to the Prophet as narrations says: That when the Prophet was praying in the courtyard of the Ka’abah still at a time when Makkah was full of idolatry, the enemies of the Prophet whilst he was in prostration – threw dung on his back.It was her daughter Fatimah although still a child went forward to cleanse this from the back of her father and confront the enemies.It is also in many Ahle Sunnah books she brought food and water for the fighters in many battles, and cared for the wounded. On one occasion when idolaters threw stones at the Prophet which resulted in the breaking of one of his teeth and bleeding, Fatimah came forward to wipe blood from the face of the Prophet.It is said that she was so close to her father that she resembled her father, her manner of speech, in the way that she walked – above all in the simplicity, truthful, and honesty of her way of life.Such is the veneration in which her father held her, that whenever she would come into his presence he would smile and rise to his feet.It is also said that whenever he left Madinah to participate in a military expedition in the defense of Islam the last person that he would go to say farewell to was Fatimah.And when he returned from those expeditions the first person that he would meet was likewise Fatima.All of this indicates a close relationship between father and daughter.There is a tradition in which the Prophet says which is found in the two principal books of Sunni tradition Sahih Bukhari and Muslim as well as in Shia books:-‘Fatimah is a part of me, whoever causes her to rejoice, has made me rejoice. Whoever has grieved her has grieved me. Whoever has grieved me has grieved Allah. And whoever has grieved Allah is an unbeliever.’After the death of two infant sons to the Prophet and his wife Khadija, many enemies of Islam in Makkah had mocked the Prophet with the assumption that his legacy and ancestry would die out due to no male heir to perpetuate his line.Thereupon three verse chapter of the Quran was revealed:-‘Surely, We have given you Kausar, Therefore pray to your Lord and make a sacrifice. Surely your enemy is the one who shall be without posterity.’ (108)Fatima Zahra lineage would spring ‘Surely We have given you Kausar,’ And that abundance can historically be seen as the descendants of the Prophet through his daughter Fatimah [AS] and his son-in-law Imam Ali [AS].The Imamate exist for the sake of preserving order among the Muslims and replacing their disunity with unity. To my Muslim Ummah bury your hatred against the Ahlul Bayt and have firm belief in Imamate, Eid-e Ghadeer and Eid-e-Mubahila.May 17th, 1979 Imam Khomeini designated “Women’s Day … what a day is more deserving than the joyous birth of Fatima Zahra. It is a day when women’s dignity and character came into being.”All dimensions that one can imagine exist for a woman and a human being were personified in Fatema Zahra. She was not an ordinary woman; she was a spiritual woman, divine and a heavenly woman.Fatema is one of history’s miracles and sources of pride for Islam. It is unfortunate that many western societies continue to undervalue the role of motherhood and thus undermining the importance of a good upbringing.Surprisingly, America has some of the poorest maternity leave benefits in the world. It is just one of three countries in the world that has no requirement for paid maternity leave benefits. Canada and the UK offer over 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.Why would a country like America consider motherhood to be so insignificant?Inadequate maternity benefits force new mothers, especially people of color and low-income families, to grapple with the delicate balance of raising a newborn and trying to make ends meet.Hence, it is important for societies to value motherhood. In the light of Islamic teachings, she sees her status to be very lofty in the eyes of God (Allah) and performs her responsibilities.It is in these situations where one finds comfort in Islamic teachings which explain that the value of a mother is not just in the fact that she has brought children into the world.She also gets value and satisfaction by staying at home and taking care of her family. Moreover, it is said in Islam that the first school is mothers lap and home.Surely this ability to be a mother is a gift from God with the realization of how much influence she has on the character of the next generation.Islam views her mothers’ status to be very lofty in the eyes of God, and again she finds solace knowing that if she performs her responsibilities appropriately, she is rewarded with bountiful happiness.Over the years Muslim Ummah and the leaders of Islamic Republic of Iran have celebrated the birth anniversary of Fatema as Mother’s Day and Women’s Day.Imam Khomeini has referred the exemplary characteristics of Fatimah Zahra (PBUH) based on the verses of the Qur’an. He said:“Her status as the embodiment of purity, her work for God, her selfless service, and her confrontation with the front of falsehood in the event of Mubahila, and Fadak are some of her unique qualities that have been clearly referred to in the Holy Qur’an.”In conclusion, let us all remember our mothers who are alive with flowers, gifts and kiss their hands . And for those whose mothers have passed away we continue to pray to Allah to shower His infinite Mercy on our parents.Also, it is a time to remember that every day we are walking towards death. Death is a day destined for every soul. I pray to Allah to make this transition easy for all of us.To all the women martyred like Bint-e-Huda, and the women martyrs of the Islamic revolution we pray for infinite mercy.On this auspicious Mother’s day, I will never forget her tender love, sacrifices and care of eight siblings throughout our lives when we were young and even when we grew up.In his infinite Wisdom, Allah has placed immense love in the heart of every mother for all her children.O Allah, we beseech You to envelope parents and loved ones in your infinite mercy and compassion. Ya arham ar-Rahimeen, grant them maghfirah and the highest place in Jannatul Firdaus. Ameen ya Rabb al-alameen.
