Fatimah bint Asad ibn Hashim

Fatimah bint Asad, was the mother of Ali bin Abu Talib, and the mother-in-law of the Prophet's daughter Fatimah bint Muhammad. She was born in about 570, around the same time that the Blessed Prophet was born.
Her grandsons, Hasan and Husain are to be the leaders of the youths of Paradise. Besides Ali, she had two other sons, Ja'far Tayyir who was a famous General. He led the forces of lslam in the battle of Mu'tah and was martyred in the same battle.


When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) grew up and proclaimed himself to be the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) and Last Messenger of Allah, she still stood by him. All the relentless persecution did not deter her in any way. She was exceptionally fond of her son Ja'far, but for the sake of Islam she bore the separation from him and his wife, Asma bint Umais when they migrated to Abyssiniah on the Prophet's orders with the first group of migrant Muslims.

Fatimah bint Asad, being one of the first to swear allegiance to Islam and its concept of the Oneness of Allah, faced the economic and social boycott of the Shi'ab Abi Ta1ib for those three terrible years. She was also a member of the privileged group who migrated to Madinah.


Abdul Muttalib, who was a very discriminating man had assessed her nature, her intelligence and her capabilities from the very beginning and proposed for her for his son, Abu Talib.

When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was told by Allah to spread the Message of Islam among his kith and kin, it was She who immediately accepted this invitation and swore allegiance and entered the fold of Islam. When the Prophet's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, passed away, the guardianship of the orphan Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) passed on to Abu Talib.
His wife, Fatimah bint Asad, looked after him, loving him as if he were her own. He remembered in his later life that she would go hungry to feed him. He respected her so highly that whenever she visited him he would stand up and receive her with great love, addressing her as 'Mother'.

His uncle too loved him deeply. Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in his childhood was so well mannered and so fastidious about his personal cleanliness that Abu Talib would hold him up as an example to his other children.

Normally boys would be dirty and tousled from playing rough games with the other boys, but Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was always dignified with a neat appearance. People were impressed when they saw him. Abu Talib liked all the children to eat together because he felt that whenever Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) ate with other children, food would be sufficient and when the children ate alone they would remain hungry. Abu Talib often told his nephew that he was specially blessed, as there was plenty when he was around.


She did not spare any pains and looked after the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in his infancy, boyhood and youth. Once in his childhood he accompanied his uncle on a business trip to Syria. Some very unusual and surprising incidents took place on the journey, and Abu Talib described these to his wife when they came back.


The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) placed the invitation to a religion with a new and rational perspective before the Quraysh of Makkah, the worshippers of all the false idols in the Ka'bah were infuriated. They could not dream that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) would dismiss their gods as useless helpless creatures, and they became his bitter enemies for propagating a new faith that did away with their traditional and inherited practices. They adopted a very antagonistic attitude and swore to crush him and Islam.

During this period they resorted to the most cruel and sadistic forms of torture to make the converts give up the new faith and return to their old barbaric practices and rituals.
It was only the power and influence of Abu Talib that prevented them from doing any harm to Muhammad. He stood by him with all his love and carried out the responsibilities of a guardian faithfully by giving him his protection. No enemy could dare to do anything to him as long as he was under the mantle of his uncle's protection. She cooperated with Abu Talib wholeheartedly and she was a mother pure and simple where the safety and well being of Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) was concerned. No wonder he loved and respected her so highly. Considering the dangerous conditions which developed for the Muslims in Makkah, he thought it was better that the Muslims migrate to Abyssiniah where the ruler was known to be tolerant and hospitable.

The leader of this first group of migrants was Ja'far bin Abi Talib, the brother of Ali, and the favorite son of Fatimah bint Asad. She loved him more than the others because he resembled Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) very much, and was extremely intelligent.

He seemed to have inherited the family's mastery over language and was also an eloquent speaker who could win people over to his viewpoint. It was with this same skill that he had won over the king of Abyssiniah when the Quraish appealed to him to surrender the Muslims to them.

The Quraysh now decided to restrict the Muslims to one small area, besiege them and boycott them. Social and economic sanctions were imposed, and these three years were perhaps the toughest that the followers of lsldm faced.

Economically, it was certainly the worst ever. Children could be heard on all sides sobbing with hunger, and the elders looked on helplessly with tears in their eyes. To satisfy their hunger they started eating the leaves of trees and grass; they even sucked on wet skins to slake their thirst.
She passed this terrible period with fortitude and patience, and did not waver in the smallest degree. Ten years after the first revelation to Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) appointing him the Messenger of Allah, this harsh siege was finally lifted.

It was in the same year that the Prophet's wife and most faithful supporter, Khadijah, passed away. The pangs of separation from her were very strong for the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). He had not yet recovered from her loss, when he was dealt another terrible blow - his best ally, Abu Talib , also passed away. This year is known as 'The Year of Sorrows' in Islamic history.


The torture and torment, atrocities and cruelties reached such proportions that Allah finally ordered the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) to migrate to Madinah. She was among these migrants.

Anas bin Malik (radiAllahu anhu) says that when the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) got news of the death of Fatimah bint Asad, he immediately went to her house, sat beside her and prayed for her.

"My dear mother, may Allah keep you under His Protection. Many times you went hungry in order to feed me well. You fed me and clothed me on delicacies that you denied yourself. Allah will surely be happy with these actions of yours. And your intentions were surely meant to win the goodwill and pleasure of Allah and success in the Hereafter."

He gave his shirt to be used as part of her shroud, saying he prayed to Allah to forgive her and give her the dress of Paradise.


When the grave was prepared the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) himself examined it and with his own hands placed her into the grave. Thus She was one of the few blessed people in whose graves the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) himself examined


"Fatimah bint Asad is that great lady for whom he gave the glad
tidings that she would be blessed with a place in Paradise.
He said that he shrouded her with his shirt, praying that Allah would
give her the dress of Paradise.
Allah pleased with them and they pleased Allah."

RadiAllahu anha.

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