Faatimah Bint Asad: Guardian of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam

27/12/2010| IslamWeb

Her name and lineage

She is Faatimah bint Asad ibn Haashim ibn ‘Abd Manaaf Al-Haashimiyyah, may Allah be pleased with her. Her husband was Abu Taalib ibn ‘Abd Manaaf ibn ‘Abd Al-Muttalib ibn Haashim. He was from the Quraysh and he was the father of ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, and the paternal uncle of the Prophet, .

Faatimah bint Asad, may Allah be pleased with her, was the among the first guardians of the Prophet, , and she was the first among Banu Haashim to have the honor of marrying a member of Bani Haashim and giving birth to a member of Bani Haashim, and she was also the first of her people to give birth to a caliph, according to Az-Zubayr, may Allah be pleased with him.

Her children are: ‘Ali, Ja‘far, ‘Aqeel, Taalib, Umm Haani’, Jumaanah, and Raytah. 

Tending to the Prophet,

When ‘Abd Al-Muttalib died, Abu Taalib provided for the Prophet, . Faatimah bint Asad looked after the Prophet, , and tended to him even more than her own children because she noticed that he, , enjoyed a unique sensitivity and intelligence. She also felt that he was blessed, as whenever he ate with them she felt as if the food was plenty. She also observed that he was always fair and ethical in all his dealings and actions.

Bidding farewell to her son, Ja‘far, may Allah be pleased with him

Due to the extreme torture inflicted by the Quraysh upon the new Muslims, the Prophet, , advised them to migrate to Abyssinia. Faatimah bint Asad, may Allah be pleased with her, bade her son Ja'far, may Allah be pleased with him, and his wife, Asmaa’ bint ‘Umays, may Allah be pleased with her, a fond farewell before they left. Her son Ja‘far, may Allah be pleased with him, was the leader of the migrants in Abyssinia.

Her migration

She migrated to Al-Madeenah after the Prophet, , and his companions had migrated. Thus, she had the honor and reward of the migration.

Her status in the eyes of the Prophet, , and the Companions

The Prophet, sallallaahu‘alayhi wa sallam, used to offer her valuable gifts due to her special rank. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated, ”The Prophet received a piece of brocade as a gift, and told me: ‘Divide it among the four Faatimahs,’ and I divided it among Faatimah, the Prophet’s daughter, Faatimah bint Asad and Faatimah bint Hamzah.” He did not mention the fourth one.”

 Faatimah bint Asad, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated about 46 Hadeeths (narrations), one of which was included in Saheeh Al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim.

Her death

She died during the lifetime of the Prophet, sallallaahu‘ alayhi wa sallam, in the year 5 A.H. When she died, the Prophet, sallallaahu‘ alayhi wa sallam, took off his shirt, dressed her in it [he gave his shirt to be used as part of her shroud], and placed her in the grave.

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated,

When Faatimah bint Asad, may Allah be pleased with her, the mother of Ali ibn Abi Taalib, may Allah be pleased with him, died, the Prophet, sallallaahu‘ alayhi wa sallam, dressed her in his own shirt and placed her in the grave. The companions told him, “We have not seen you doing this before!"

The Prophet replied: “There was no one kinder to me after Abu Taalib than her. I dressed her in my shirt so that Allah The Exalted would dress her in the garments of Paradise, and I lay her down in her grave so that Allah The Almighty would ease her stay in the grave.”