In the darkness of the jet-black night, when eyes
were asleep and voices were silent, a Heavenly procession left Ali's
house while carrying the Messenger of Allah's daughter to her final
abode.
This was on the night of the third of Jamadi Al-Thani (the second), 11
A.H.
The heartbreaking procession moved towards an unknown
location followed by a small number of devoted ones...
They were Ali, Hassan, Hussain, Zainab and Um Kulthum... Abu Dhar, Ammar,
Miqdad, and Salman were following them.
Where are the thousands who inhabited Medina?! One
asks, and the answer came: Fatima (S.A.) requested that they may not be
present at her funeral!
The family and their friends hurry to bury Fatima... then they rush back
to their own homes so that no one would know where Fatima was buried!
In such a matter, the first start from Ahlul-Bayt set after the sun (the Prophet) and left everyone with the only light of Imamate!
Here I was asked:
"What do you think about the end of the life of Fatima? What will
be the position of those who oppresses her in the hereafter!?"
I waved my hand to him...
So long... with no word...dead silence...So long!
But wait..can't you hear the Commander of the faithful...the known
hero...Ali...Don't you realize that he is crying? Yet, who would not cry
for being separated from the Mistress of women? Listen to him, he is
speaking to the Prophet(S.A.W.):
"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 (S.A.W.)! My patience about your chosen
(daughter) has been exhauted 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 seperation. I laid you down in
your grave while your last breath had passed (when your head) between my
neck and chest.
'Verily we are Allah's and verily unto Him shall we return.' (2:56)
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 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."
Failing Attempts
At
sunrise people gathered to participate in Fatima's funeral, but they
were informed that the darling of Allah's Messenger (S.A.W.) had been
secretly buried during the night.
Meanwhile, Ali (A.S.) made the shapes of four fresh graves in Baqi' so
as to conceal the location where Fatima was buried. When the people
entered the graveyard, they were confused as to which spot was actually
Lady Fatima Zahra's grave; the people turned towards each other and with
feeling of guilt said:
"Our Prophet (S.A.W.) has not left behind but one daughter, yet she
has died and was buried without our participation in the funeral or the
prayer rituals. We do not even realize the place where she has been
buried!"
Noticing that a revolt might be ignited because of the emotional
atmosphere that event created, the governing party announced:
"Select a group of Muslim women and ask them to dig these graves so
that we may find Fatima and perform prayers on her."
Yes! They attempted to execute the plan, violating Fatima's will and
causing Ali's (A.S.) attempts to hide the grave to lay veinly.
Have they forgotten Ali's sharp sword and his well-known courage! Did
they really think that Ali would remain indifferent to their outrageous
actions up to the point of letting them dig Fatima's grave?!
Imam Ali (A.S.) did not fight back after the
Prophet's (S.A.W.) death because he considered the Muslim's unity and
overall interests. Yet, this did not mean that he would ignore their
villainous crimes against Fatima even after her death. In other words,
Ali(A.S.) was asked by the Prophet (S.A.W.) to have patience, but only
to a certain extent; when Ali(A.S.) recieved the news of the about to be
executed plot, he put on his fighting gear and rushed towards Baqi'. A
man from among the people called out:
"This is Ali Ibn Abu Talib leveling his sword and saying:
'If anyone moves even a more stone from these graves, I shall strike
even the "back of the last follower of the unjust.'
People who realized Ali's seriousness, took his threats with complete
belief that he would do just as he said if anyone were to appose him.
Yet, a man from the governing ones addressed Ali (A.S.) by saying:
"What is the matter, Abu Al-Hassan?! By Allah, we shall dig her
grave out and perform prayers on her."
Ali (A.S.) then grabbed the man by his clothes, shook him and threw him
to the ground and said:
"Son of the Sawada! I have abandoned my right to prevent people
from forsaking their faith, but as regards Fatima's grave, by Him in
whose hand is my soul, if you and your followers attempt to do anything
to it, I will irrigate the ground with your blood!"
At this, Abu Bakr said:
"Abu Al-Hassan, I ask you by the right of Allah's Messenger, and by
Him Who is above the Throne: leave him alone and we will not do anything
which you would not approve of..." Thus, until this day, the
location of Fatima Zahra's grave remains a secret.
Zehra.s.a