Letter 28 to Muʿāwiyah ibn Abū Sufyān Remembering Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa), in the words of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa)
﷽
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful
Dear Readers,
Our condolences to Imam al-Mahdī (ʿaj), for the martyrdom of Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa).
Today, we commemorate the martyrdom of Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa). In reflecting on her esteemed status, we turn to the words of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) as articulated in the Nahj al-Balāghah. Let us delve into Imām's expressions found in his letter to Muʿāwiyah:
وَمِنَّا خَيْرُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينِ وَمِنْكُمْ حَمَّالَةُ الْحَطَبِ فِي كَثِير مِمَّا لَنَا وَعَلَيْكُمْ
among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds while among you is the bearer of firewood and many more distinctions on our side and shortcomings on your side.
Brief background of the letter
This letter of Amīrul Muʾminīn’s (ʿa) is in reply to Muʿāwiyah’s letter, and it contains responses to some points which Muʿāwiyah had written, such as he mentioned the deputation of the Prophet (ṣ) and his ascension to the position of revelation and wrote in such a manner as though it was a matter not known to or not understood by Amīrul Muʾminīn (ʿa) and that he was in need of being informed and told of it. This is just like a stranger who may draw the map of a house for the guidance of those who dwell in it and apprise them of things already known to them1.
Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) eloquently presents his lofty and divine points and clarifies that the Progeny of Rasūlullāh (ṣ), are the first recipients of the bounties of Allah (swt) and the source of bounties for the rest of the people, no one from among the people can be compared with them, nor can anyone be regarded as their equal, especially those individuals who were in direct contrast to the attainments and characteristics of the Noble Ahlul Bayt (ʿa). Amīrul Muʾminīn (ʿa) places both the sides of the picture before Muʿāwiyah and says:
فَدَعْ عَنْكَ مَنْ مَالَتْ بِه الرَّمِيَّةُ، فَإِنَّا صَنَائِعُ رَبِّنَا، وَالنَّاسُ بَعْدُ صَنَائِعُ لَنَا. لَمْ يَمْنَعْنَا قَدِيمُ عِزِّنَا وَلاَ عَادِيُّ طَوْلِنَا عَلَى قَوْمِكَ أَنْ خَلَطْنَاكُمْ بَأَنفُسِنَا، فَنَكَحْنَا وَأَنْكَحْنا، فِعْلَ الاْكْفَاءِ، وَلَسْتُمْ هُنَاكَ! وَأَنَّى يَكُونُ ذلِكَ كَذَلِكَ وَمِنَّا النَّبِيُّ وَمِنْكُمُ الْمُكَذِّبُ، وَمِنَّا أَسَدُ اللهِ وَمِنْكُمْ أَسَدُ الاْحْلاَفِ، وَمِنَّا سَيِّدَا شَبَابِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ وَمِنْكُمْ صِبْيَةُ النَّارِ، وَمِنَّا خَيْرُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينِ وَمِنْكُمْ حَمَّالَةُ الْحَطَبِ، فِي كَثِير مِمَّا لَنَا وَعَلَيْكُمْ!
“Better leave those whose arrows miss the mark. We are the direct recipients of our Lord's favours while others receive favours from us after that. In spite of our old established honour and our well-known superiority over your people, we did not stay away from mixing with you and married and got married (among you) like equals although you were not so. And how could you be so when (the position is that) among us is the Prophet while among you is the opposer, among us is the lion of Allah while among you is the lion of the opposing groups, among us are the two masters of the youth of Paradise while among you are the children of Hell, among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds while among you is the bearer of firewood, and many more distinctions on our side and shortcomings on your side.” (Quoted from Letter 28, Nahj al-Balāghah)
“....among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds”
Commentators unanimously agree that Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) is specifically referring to Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) when he declares, “among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds.”
In drawing a sharp contrast to this esteemed lady, Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) employs poignant words, stating, “while among you is the bearer of firewood,” a reference to Umm-i-Jamil, the sister of Abū Sufyān, Muʿāwiyah's aunt, and Abu Lahab's wife, as mentioned in Sūrah Lahab (Chapter 111 of the Qurʾān).
Concluding this comparison, Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) unequivocally states, “and many more distinctions on our side and shortcomings on your side.”
As we express our love for this revered Lady, let us extend our heartfelt condolences to Imām al-Ḥujjah (‘aj). Delving into the profound phrase that Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) presented,
"وَمِنَّا خَيْرُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينِ" (“among us is the choicest of all the women of the worlds”), we reflect on the unparalleled status of Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) among women across the worlds.
Some of the merits of Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa), that make her ‘choicest of all the women of the worlds’2:
Though we may never fully comprehend her merits, we can tap into her luminosity by building a connection with Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) within the constraints of our understanding and capacities.
Shaykh Ṣadūq in his Al-Amālī narrates a lengthy tradition from the Noble Prophet (ṣ), who at one point says:
فَأَمَّا اِبْنَتِي فَاطمَة فَهِيَ سَيِّدَةُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِيْنَ مِنَ الأَوَّلِيْنَ وَالآخِرِيْنَ، وَإِنَّهَا لَتَقُوْمُ فِيْ مِحْرَابِهَا فَيُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهَا سَبْعُوْنَ أَلْف مَلَكٍ مِنَ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِيْنَ، وَيُنَادَوْنَهَا بِمَا نَادَتْ بِهِ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ مَرْيَمَ فَيَقُوْلُوْنَ: يَا فَاطمَةُ إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطفَاكِ وَطهَّرَكِ وَاصْطفَاكِ عَلىَ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِيْنَ
“As for my daughter Fatima, she is the Mistress of the women of the worlds from the foremost and latter ones, and surely she stands in her place of prayer, whereupon seventy thousand angels close to Allah, send their salutations to her, and call her with what the angels called Maryam. So they say: “O Fatima, indeed Allah chose you and purified you, and chose you over the women of all the worlds.”
Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) is known as Sayyidatu Nisāʾ al-ʿĀlamīn (Mistress of the women of the worlds), which reveals her presiding status (Sayyidah) over all other women, past, present, and future. The word Sayyidah is the feminine form of the noun sayyid, which confers the connotation of precedence and mastership.
In the ontological and existential sense they (14 Maʿṣūmīn) represent the middle link between Allah (swt) and His creation. Therefore every good is sourced through their light. Hence they have mastership over the entire caravan of the creation.
Another possible meaning of Sayyidatu Nisāʾ, as understood from a tradition, is that she is mufrudhat al-ta’a (one who must be obeyed) with regard to all the women. That is, whatever she commands must be obeyed, and her words and deeds are proof for them. Rather according to a tradition, she has this position with regard to all:
Imām Muḥammad al-Bāqir (ʿa) is reported to have said:
وَلَقَدْ كَانَتْ مَفْرُوْضَةَ الطاعَةِ عَلىَ جَمِيْعٍ مِنْ خَلْقِ اللهِ مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَالإِنْسِ وَالطيْرِ وَالْوَحْشِ وَالأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمَلآئِكَةِ.
“And indeed she (ʿa) was one to be compulsorily obeyed by all the creation: the Jinns, the human beings, the birds, the wild animals, the prophets and the angels.”
And mafrudhat al-ta’a (one who must be obeyed) in this tradition should not be merely taken as one who must be obeyed by all through their volitions. Rather it also speaks of wilāyah takwiniyya (ontological presidency), which means that she has Divinely bestowed power and can control or lay effect on their entities of existence. This definition of mistress-ship is an inspiration from the following tradition:
ʿAllāmah Majlisī narrated the following tradition in Biḥār al-Anwār:
وَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ: عَلِيٌّ سَيِّدُ الْعَرَبِ فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَلَسْتَ سَيِّدَ الْعَرَبِ؟ قَالَ أَنَا سَيِّدُ وُلْدِ آدَمَ وَعَلِيٌّ سَيِّدُ الْعَرَبِ. فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَمَا السَّيِّدُ؟ قَالَ : مَنِ افْتُرِضَتْ طاعَتُهُ كَمَا افْتُرِضَتْ طاعَتِي.
The Prophet (ṣ) said: ʿAlī is the Sayyid of the Arabs. So ʿĀʾishah asked: O Messenger of Allah, aren’t you the Sayyid of Arabs? He (ṣ) said: I am the Sayyid of the children of Ādam, and ʿAlī is the Sayyid of the Arabs. So ʿĀʾishah asked: O Messenger of Allah, and who is a sayyid? He (ṣ) said: One whose obedience is made compulsory, the way my obedience is made compulsory
The word al-ʿĀlamīn3 confers the meaning that her mistress-ship envelops all the worlds, and she presides over every woman whatsoever. This is because when the article ‘al’ precedes a plural noun, it refers to all the extensions of the noun.
Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) - the source of all ‘Khayr’ as referred to Imām ʿAlī (ʿa) وَمِنَّا خَيْرُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينِ
Shaykh Ṣadūq narrates in his masterpiece collection ʿIlal ash-Sharāʾiʿ from Imām Jaʿfar aṣ-Ṣādiq (ʿa):
عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: إِنَّمَا سُمِّيَتْ فَاطمَةُ مُحَدَّثَةً لِأَنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ كَانَتْ تَهْبِط مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتُنَادِيهَا كَمَا تُنَادِي مَرْيَمَ بِنْتَ عِمْرَانَ فَتَقُولُ يَا فَاطمَةُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطفاكِ وَطهَّرَكِ وَاصْطفاكِ عَلى نِساءِ الْعالَمِينَ يَا فَاطمَةُ اقْنُتِي لِرَبِّكِ وَاسْجُدِي وَارْكَعِي مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ فَتُحَدِّثُهُمْ وَيُحَدِّثُونَهَا فَقَالَتْ لَهُمْ ذَاتَ لَيْلَةٍ أَ لَيْسَتِ الْمُفَضَّلَةُ عَلَى نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينَ مَرْيَمَ بِنْتَ عِمْرَانَ فَقَالُوا إِنَّ مَرْيَمَ كَانَتْ سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ عَالَمِهَا وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ جَعَلَكِ سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ عَالَمِكِ وَعَالَمِهَا وَسَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ الأَوَّلِينَ وَ الْآخِرِينَ
“Fāṭimah (ʿa) was known as Muḥaddatha (one spoken to by the angels) because the Angels would descend from the heaven and call her the way they would call Maryam, daughter of ʿImrān. They would say: Indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you over the women of the worlds. O Fāṭimah be obedient to your Lord and prostate and bow down with those who bow down. So she would speak to them and they would speak to her. One night she said to them: isn’t the one who has more merit over all the women of the world Maryam, the daughter of ʿImrān? They said: Indeed Maryam was the Mistress of her world, and indeed Allah, the Invincible and Magnificent made you the Mistress of the women of your and her world as well as the Mistress of the preceding and succeeding women.”
We explored the commendations bestowed upon Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ (ʿa) in the eloquent words of Imām ʿAlī (ʿa). As we conclude this post, let us reflect on the words that Sayyidah (ʿa) herself spoke about Imām ʿAlī (ʿa), as quoted from Rasūlullāh (ṣ).4:
إِنَّ الْسَّعَيْدَ كُلَّ الْسَّعِيدَ حَقُّ الْسَّعِيْدِ، مَنْ أَحَبَّ عَلِيّاً فِي حَيَاتِهِ وَبَعدَ مَوْتِهِ.
The Prophet (ṣ) said to the Commander of the Faithful, ʿAlī (ʿa), 'Verily the truly happy person is the one who loves ʿAlī (ʿa) during his life and after his death.”
We earnestly pray for the guidance of Sayyidah Fāṭimah az-Zahrāʾ(ʿa) in this transient world and her intercession in the eternal hereafter. Āmīn.
InshāʾAllāh, from next week we will complete our exploration of Khuṭbah Muttaqīn.
https://www.al-islam.org/nahjul-balagha-part-2-letters-and-sayings/letter-28-reply-muawiyah-and-it-one-ot-his-most-elegant
Points taken from https://www.al-islam.org/sacred-effusion-volume-1-muhammad-m-khalfan/chapter-4-peace-be-you-o-son-fatima-leader-women-worlds
used also in the phrase under discussion from Letter 28, وَمِنَّا خَيْرُ نِسَاءِ الْعَالَمِينِ
https://www.haydarya.com/?id=42&sid=377 and https://hadith.academyofislam.com/?q=_id:15479