Peace be upon you, O Remnant of God (Baqiyyatullah). Peace be upon you, O son of al-Zahra, peace be upon her.
The Virtues of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her):
Even among the classical Sunni scholars of earlier eras, those dedicated to truth, jurisprudence (fiqh), and the Sacred Law (shari'ah) fully recognized the exalted rank, grandeur, and virtues of the Household of the Prophet (Ahl al-Bayt), peace and blessings be upon him and his family. They understood that without love for the Ahl al-Bayt, even ritual prayers lack acceptance. It was this conviction that inspired Imam al-Shafi'i's renowned couplet:
"O Household of the Messenger of Allah, love for you is an obligation from Allah revealed in the Quran; it suffices for your immense glory that whoever sends no blessings upon you has no valid prayer."
Likewise, verses celebrating the virtues of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) affirm:
"Love for Ali is a shield; he is the distributor of Hellfire and Paradise. The true successor to the Chosen Prophet (al-Mustafa), the leader of humankind and the Jinn."
These panegyrics were composed in honor of Mawla Ali (peace be upon him) by classical Sunni authorities themselves.
Yet today, one could argue that we find ourselves in an era of renewed ignorance—a period marked by estrangement from authentic Islam and apathy toward its core truths. The narratives and lessons of the Holy Quran are increasingly dismissed as mere fables of the past. Modern worldly advancements are prized above divine scripture and the exemplary knowledge and character of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Worldly status, power, and wealth have effectively become deities, while nationalism and tribe have been mistaken for genuine devotion.
A faction of individuals, detached from serious study of the Quran, jurisprudence, and hadith, adhere to the mainstream tradition not out of deep theological conviction, but simply because it commands the demographic majority. Today, numbers are conflated with political dominance, and majoritarianism defines collective identity. Out of sheer ignorance, some have turned away from the Quran, prophetic traditions, and the Sacred Law, even harboring animosity toward Ali and the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), viewing devotion to Ali as an obstacle to their sociopolitical unity. They operate under the delusion that defying the Prophet's explicit directives leaves their faith intact.
They frequently quote the Quranic phrase, "Say: I am only a mortal like you," out of context, assuming without reflection that the Prophet was identical to ordinary mortals in every respect. They reason that just as a worldly ruler seeks to preserve political power within his immediate household, the Messenger of God must also—God forbid—have sought to restrict leadership to his own family. Through this flawed lens, they claim the Prophet designated Ali as his successor simply out of familial favoritism and showered unparalleled praises upon the Ahl al-Bayt merely to elevate his kin.
Some go further, arguing that the Prophet had several daughters, yet showered praise almost exclusively on Fatima because she was wed to Ali. However, sound historical examination demonstrates the unique status of Lady Fatima al-Zahra. If the Prophet had other biological daughters whom he completely overlooked while heaping unmatched praise and honor solely upon Fatima, it would stand contrary to the consummate prophetic justice of God's Messenger. The other young women raised in the Prophet's household were, in fact, daughters of Khadijah’s sister, whom Lady Khadijah and later the Holy Prophet fostered with care.
The Messenger of Islam proclaimed the sublime dignity of his daughter, his grandsons, and the Commander of the Faithful (Mawla al-Kainat) before the masses. He carried his grandsons upon his shoulders, designated them the Leaders of the Youth of Paradise, and declared salvation tied to their allegiance. None of this was a bid to preserve dynastic rule. Yet, at the Saqifah of Bani Sa'idah, the explicit commands of God and His Messenger were cast aside, and Abu Bakr was appointed caliph in place of the Commander of the Faithful. Today, some mistakenly defend the events of Saqifah as a justified maneuver to check what they misunderstand as a dynastic agenda.
The truth is entirely the opposite. While the Prophet of Islam appeared in a mortal human form, he made it abundantly clear that although he walked as a mortal subject to divine laws, his metaphysical reality and creation were distinct. As the Holy Quran testifies:
"Nor does he speak from his own desire. It is nothing but revelation revealed." (Surah an-Najm, 53:3–4)
Because every word uttered by the Prophet was anchored in divine revelation, every merit he articulated regarding the Ahl al-Bayt—his appointment of Mawla Ali as his brother, successor, and legatee; his introduction of the subsequent eleven guides; and his proclamations honoring Fatima al-Zahra—was executed purely under divine mandate, not out of personal or familial whim.
Yet following the Prophet's departure from this world, with the exception of a faithful few, many rushed toward worldly ambitions and looked on silently as the divine order was fractured. The Commander of the Faithful endured this usurpation with steadfast patience, honoring the pledge of restraint he had made to the Prophet.
When Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) stepped forward to defend the divine trust of the faith and the institution of Wilayah, overwhelming hardships were brought upon her. In her grief, she lamented:
"Such afflictions were poured upon me that, had they fallen upon radiant days, they would have turned into pitch-black nights."
Was this not the very Fatima in whose honor the Messenger of God would stand, offering her his seat, kissing her hands and forehead with reverent affection? Nor was this devotion confined to the Prophet alone; the angels held her in such awe that they would not enter her home without permission. It is related in traditions that out of divine mercy, when she grew exhausted from turning the handmill and rested, God dispatched Gabriel and Michael to assist her household and rock the cradle of her child.
Should a modern skeptic object to the reality of the unseen or angelic intervention, it must be remembered that no believer can deny the existence of angels, as faith in the angels is an essential article of Islamic creed firmly established in the Holy Quran. The inability of the physical eye to perceive the spiritual realm does not diminish its reality; the world is full of truths that transcend ordinary human vision.
(To be continued...)
