Virtues of the Ahlul Bayt
عن عائشة رضي الله عنها أنها كانت إذا ذكرت فاطمة بنت النبي صلى الله عليه و آله و سلم قالت ما رأيت أحدا كان أصدق لهجة منها إلا أن يكون الذي ولدها
When Aisha RA would speak about Fatimah RA the daughter of Rasulullah ﷺ, she would say, “I have not seen anyone more truthful in speech than her except her father.” [Al Hakim]

Famous personalities from the Ahlul Bayt: Fatimah رضي ألله عنها
The Terminal Illness of Fatimah RA and Caring for her
After the demise of Rasulullah ﷺ, Fatimah RA was grief stricken and passed those days with patience and perseverance. ‘Ulamaʾ write that she was only 28 or 29 years of age and her children were still young. In her sickness, Asmaʾ bint ‘Umays RA – the wife of Abu Bakr RA – would care for her and serve her.

Asmaʾ bint ‘Umays RA is that fortunate woman who was firstly married to Jafar Tayyar RA and bore children for him. After he was martyred in the Battle of Muta, Abu Bakr RA married her. After the demise of Abu Bakr RA, she married Ali RA.

The Demise of Fatimah رضي الله عنها
Fatimah RA got ill 6 months after the demise of Rasulullah ﷺ and remained ill for a few days. She passed away on Monday night 3rd of Ramadan 11 A.H. Her age at that time according to the scholars was 28/29 years. Many views are recorded regarding the age and date of death of Fatimah RA by the historians. [Al Bidayah wa Nihayah vol. 6 pg. 334] Fatimah RA was the last child of Rasulullah ﷺ to pass away.

The death of Fatimah RA was a great blow especially to the Muslims of that era. There was no limit to the pain and grief of the noble companions present in Madinah at that time. All the inhabitants of Madinah were affected by this loss, especially the Sahabah RA who understood that the last biological trace of Rasulullah ﷺ is now no more. Now, the only trace of Rasulullah ﷺ that remained was the pure wives – the Ummahat al Mu’minin. In this state, it was the desire of everyone to attain the honour of participating in the janazah of the beloved daughter of Rasulullah. The scholars write that Fatimah passed away between Maghrib and ‘Ishaʾ. In this short span of time, those who were present all gathered.

The Ghusl of Fatimah RA and the Service of Asmaʾ bint ‘Umays RA
Prior to leaving this world, Fatimah RA bequeathed Asmaʾ bint ‘Umays RA to give her ghusl after she passes away with the help of Ali RA. Accordingly, Asmaʾ bint ‘Umays RA arranged her ghusl with other women like Salma, the wife of Abu Rafi’ who is the slave of Rasulullah ﷺ, Umm Ayman, etc. RA. Ali overlooked the entire ghusl. [Usd al Ghabah vol. 5 pg. 478]

Some narrations concerning the bequests of Fatimah RA regarding her ghusl are totally unreliable. As a result, the scholars have left it out.

The Janazah Salah of Fatimah رضي الله عنها
After her ghusl and kafn was complete came the moment of her janazah salah. Abu Bakr and ‘Umar and other Sahabah RA gathered. Abu Bakr RA told Ali RA to lead the salaah. In response, Ali RA said that in front of the khalifah of Rasulullah ﷺ, I cannot go forward to perform the janazah. Only you have the right to perform the janazah, hence step forward and perform it. Accordingly, Abu Bakr RA stepped forward and performed the janazah salaah of Fatimah RA with four takbir’s while everyone followed. This has been mentioned by scores of authors with reliable references.

The Burial of Fatimah رضي الله عنها
After the janazah salaah was complete, Fatimah RA was taken to Jannat al Baqi’ and buried at night according to the general narrations. Ali, Abbas and Fadl ibn ‘Abbas RA descended into her grave to bury her.

The Offspring of Fatimah رضي الله عنها
The scholars have written regarding the children of Ali RA from Fatimah RA that their first son was Hasan RA, the second was Hussain RA and the third son was Muhsin RA who passed away in infancy. It is written in Nasab Quraysh that Hasan RA was born in the middle of Ramadan 3 A.H while Hussain RA was born in Sha’ban 4 A.H. [Nasab Quraysh pg. 24, 25] Fatimah RA had two daughters – Zainab bint Ali and Umm Kulthum bint Ali RA. Some scholars have recorded another daughter – Ruqayyah RA. However, according to the accepted view, she only had 2 daughters. Fatimah RA named her daughters after her sisters so that their remembrance remains fresh in her home. Umm Kulthum bint ‘Ali RA was married to Umar RA in 17 A.H whereas Zainab bint ‘Ali RA married Abdullah ibn Jafar Tayyar RA. [Nasab Quraysh pg. 25]