Lady Fatimah is the beloved daughter and the only surviving child of the noble Messenger of Allah. Ali ibn Abi Talib is the cousin and the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad. He was raised by Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) from infancy. He lived with the Messenger of Allah and Lady Khadijah. He was brought up in the shade of Divine inspiration and graduated from the Prophetic school. While still a boy, he was the first male believer in the mission and message of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH).
When Fatimah reached the age of maturity, the great companions from the emigrants and Ansar such as Abu Bakr, Umar and Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf came to the Messenger of Allah (PBUHH) to propose Fatimah in marriage but His Eminence (PBUHH) turned down their proposal and said: “I am waiting for the decree of Allah regarding her.”
It was reported that when Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf visited Prophet Muhammad, he said, “If you give Lady Fatimah’s hand in marriage to me, I will put as her dowry a hundred camels covered with expensive Egyptian cloth followed by a thousand gold Dinars!” The Prophet (PBUHH) was so displeased with this meaningless proposal that he took a handful of gravel and threw it towards Abdul Rahman and said: “Do you think I am the servant of wealth and money that you try to impress me with these things?” (Tazkirat al-Khawas)
Thereafter, the Prophet (PBUHH) announced that the marriage of Fatimah was in the hand of Allah and he himself had nothing to do concerning the matter. When Muslims knew that, they refrained from asking the Prophet for his daughter’s hand any more. Lady Fatimah’s marriage had been decreed by Allah. And with the descent of the angel of revelation; Arch Gabriel, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) had been commanded to marry Lady Fatimah to Ali ibn Abi Talib. Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) has said in this regard that an angel came to him from Allah and said, “The Lord sends his greetings unto you and has said, I have wedded your daughter Fatimah in the Heavens to Ali ibn Abi Talib; you too, therefore, wed Fatimah to Ali ibn Abi Talib!” It is mentioned in the narratives that Prophet Muhammad said: “If Ali didn’t exist, there would be no mate for Fatimah.”
Sometime later, some companions met Imam Ali and mentioned to him his close kinship to the Prophet, his great jihad for Islam, and his support to the Prophet in all his battles and situations. They asked him to propose to Fatimah and win the honour of the Prophet’s affinity. Imam Ali finally approached the Prophet hesitatingly because of his shyness to ask for Fatimah’s hand in marriage. He came to the Prophet lowering his sight to the ground. The Messenger of Allah (PBUHH) asked: “O son of Abu-Talib! What did you come here for?” “For a marriage proposal of Fatimah?”. He (PBUHH) replied: “Salām and welcome! Men from Quraysh were angry with me because I did not give them my daughter in marriage. I told them that this was based on Divine permission. “
The Messenger of Allah (PBUHH), who has absolute guardianship over all Muslim men and women, including his daughter, would not announce his agreement to the marriage without Fatimah’s consent. By this action, he made it clear that it is inevitable to obtain the daughter’s permission for marriage because she is the one who is to live with the man and share his life.
When the Prophet (PBUHH) described the virtues of Imam Ali to his daughter, he (PBUHH) said: “I wish to make you the wife of the best of God’s creation. What is your opinion?” Lady Fatimah, who was submerged in shyness and modesty, lowered her head saying nothing and denying nothing. The Prophet (PBUHH) raised his head and spoke this historical sentence, which is proof for Islamic jurists today concerning the marriage of previously unmarried girls: “Allah is Great! Her silence is the proof of her acceptance.”
And when the Messenger of Allah (PBUHH) heard a positive response from her daughter, he asked Ali thus: “What do you have from the worldly wealth for the dowry?” Ali said: “May my parents be sacrificed for you, you are well aware that my belongings are nothing more than a sword, an armour, and a camel.”
The Prophet (PBUHH) said: “You cannot use the camel and swords for this purpose, as you need all of them, but you can sell your armour and use it for this.” Ali went to the market and sold his armour for 480 dirhams and brought the money and gave it to the Prophet, and he (PBUHH) therefore divided it into three sections. He gave a part of it to Hazrat Bilal to purchase a decent perfume, and he spent the other two to purchase some household items and clothes for Lady Fatimah.
Obviously with the money from the armour the materials that could be bought were very cheap and simple! According to Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, items bought include: a shirt worth seven Dirhams; a kerchief worth four Dirhams; black bathing gown sawn in Khaybar; bed cloth sawn from palm leaves; two mattresses with a thick layer of cotton on them, one filled with palm fibre and the other with wool; four leather cushions from Ta’if, filled with lemongrass (this plant has small leaves that have medical effects.); a curtain from wool; a mat woven in Hajar; hand-Mill; copper basin; leather waterskin; wooden bowl; a bowl for milking; a waterskin for water; an ewer with plaster; a green jar; a couple of vases.
After the Battle of Badr and on the last day of Dhul al-Qa’dah (i.e., the eleventh month), 2 A.H., the marriage of Ali and Lady Fatimah (according to reports) occurred on the first of Dhu al-Hijjah of the second year of Hijrah.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) invited the emigrants and the Ansar to attend a banquet on the occasion of the marriage of his daughter. On the night of the wedding, the Prophet said to Imam Ali, ‘O Ali, there must be a banquet for the bride. Imam Ali had nothing in order to prepare the banquet. Sa’d ibn Ubadah offered a sheep and some men from the Ansar offered some corn. Food was prepared and Muslims were invited for dinner. The Prophet (PBUHH) gave some dirhams to Ali and asked him to buy some oil, dates and cheese. When Imam Ali bought those things, the Prophet uncovered his arms and began splitting the dates and mixing them with the oil and cheese and so he made “Heiss” and offered it to the invitees. After having dinner, the invitees congratulated Imam Ali and prayed to Allah to bless his marriage.
Prophet Muhammad (PBUHH) praised Allah and thanked Him for all His mercies. He then recited the marriage formula of their marriage and declared Ali and Fatimah as husband and wife, and invoked the blessings of Allah upon both of them. All the guests congratulated the Messenger of Allah (PBUHH) on this most auspicious occasion. After this ceremony, the guests feasted on lamb meat, bread, date fruit and milk. Imam Ali, on his part, started preparing his house for Lady Fatimah and furnishing it in a simple and neat way. He covered the floor with soft sand and placed a wooden bar between two walls for hanging their laundry on. He decorated Lady Fatimah’s room with sheep skin and a pillow, stuffed with palm leaves. He got his house ready and was awaiting Lady Fatimah’s arrival.
A few days later in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah (the twelfth month), Fatimah Zahra had to bid farewell to her parental home so she could go to the house of her husband. Her father assisted her in riding his she-camel. Medina rang with the shouts of Allah-u-Akbar. Salman the Persian held the reins of the she-camel, and walked in front of it, as he recited Qur’an. The Apostle of God walked on one side of the she-camel, and Hamza, the Lion of God, on the other.
All the young cavaliers of Banu Hashim rode as escorts of the bride, with gleaming swords held high. Behind them were the emigrants and Ansar women, and behind them came the emigrants and the Ansar themselves. They were reciting hymns from the glorious Qur’an to the glory of God. The recitation of hymns was punctuated from time to time by thunderous shouts of Allah-u-Akbar.
And thus, the married life of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra and Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon them) began. The establishment of the new house was completed, and its firm pillars were fixed by the Messenger of Allah (PBUHH).
Lady Fatimah al-Zahra and Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib had 4 children from this blessed union: Imam Hassan, Imam Hussain, Hazrat Zainab and Hazrat Umm Kulthum (peace be upon them). Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, who are trained by such mother, are among the noble Prophet’s Household (Ahl al-Bayt) those who have been thoroughly purified by Allah from every filth and their love and loyalty have been made obligatory on every Muslim.
