Seyed Hashem Moosavi
Introduction
This issue of the magazine is dedicated to the commemoration of the first Fatimiyyah period and the sacred memory of the martyrdom of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her).
It seeks to revisit the story of an unparalleled oppression – the oppression born from a courageous defence of Wilayah, the symbol of divine truth. It is the story of the noble daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), who stood firm in upholding the right of her Imam and the successor of the Messenger of God.
Indeed, throughout the history of Islam, no sorrow or injustice shines clearer than the oppression of Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) – the lady who, through the eloquence of reason and the silence of awareness, preserved the truth of Wilayah for all time; and with a cry woven from silence, awakened the conscience of a sleeping world.
- The Beginning of the Defense for the Truth of Wilayah (Divine Leadership)
The passing of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) marked a turning point in the history of Islam, plunging the Muslim community into a deep crisis. The gathering of a group of the Prophet’s companions at Saqifah to appoint a successor without regard for the divine designation was a great test for the ummah – a test between loyalty to the truth and inclination toward power.
In that critical moment, the first person who, with divine insight, perceived the danger of deviation and realized that a great truth was being sacrificed, was none other than the Prophet’s daughter, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her). She understood that Imamate is the continuation of Prophethood, and that if it were separated from its divine foundation, religion itself would become hollow from within. It was at this point that her intellectual and spiritual struggle began – a struggle to remind the ummah that the succession to the Prophet was not a matter of human election, but of divine appointment.
She declared openly and courageously: « أمّا وَاللّهِ، لَوْ تَرَکُوا الْحَقَّ عَلی أهْلِهِ وَ اتَّبَعُوا عِتْرَةَ نَبیّه، لَمّا اخْتَلَفَ فِی اللّهِ اثْنانِ؛ “By Allah, had they entrusted the right to its rightful owners and followed the Prophet’s family, not even two people would have differed about God and religion.” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 36, p. 352, hadith 224)
Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) stand was not a reaction born of emotion or personal grievance; it was a conscious, reasoned, and divinely guided movement – a defence of the truth of Wilayah that continues to inspire every just and truth-seeking movement in the history of Islam.
Such was the spiritual depth of her stand that Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) refers to her as “the Hujjah (Proof) of God over Himself.”
Shi‘a scholars explain that this means the method and manner of Lady Fatimah’s struggle against distortion and injustice will serve as the model for Imam al-Mahdi’s universal mission to establish divine justice.
Thus, one may rightly say: Fatimah was the beginning of the path, and Mahdi is its fulfilment – two manifestations of a single light, and two chapters of one eternal truth.
- The Sermon of Fadak — A Cry of Awakening
In those uncertain days when many were trapped in doubt and expediency, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) rose courageously to unveil the truth. In her powerful Sermon of Fadak, delivered before the rulers, the Muhajirun, and the Ansar, she began with the praise of Divine Unity (Tawhid), expounded on the mission of Prophethood, explained the wisdom behind divine laws, and ultimately warned the people of the deviation that had begun from the path of Wilayah (divinely appointed leadership).
With reasoned arguments and verses from the Qur’an, she demonstrated that the issue of Fadak was not a personal or economic claim, nor a matter of inheritance, but rather a principled stand in defence of Wilayah – the guardianship that preserves the continuity of Prophethood through Imamate. She reminded the people that turning away from Wilayah is, in essence, severing the very root of faith.
- The Assault on the House of Wilayah
The Sermon of Fadak marked the beginning of Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’s (peace be upon her) intellectual and social struggle to awaken the ummah. Her courageous stand provoked the anger of the usurping rulers, who issued threats that revealed their utter disregard for the sanctity of the Prophet’s family – even to the extent of shedding their blood.
It was not long before those threats turned into action. The rulers of the time attacked the house of Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him) to force him into pledging allegiance.
In that tragic moment, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) stood firmly at the door, defending the sanctity of Wilayah. Her resistance was not merely an act of defiance against oppression, but the purest manifestation of faith-driven honour and love for divine truth.
In that stand, her blessed body was grievously injured – yet her spirit, stronger than ever, became immortal in the memory of history.
- A Silence Louder Than Words: Continuing the Struggle Through Patience
After those tragic events, Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (peace be upon her) chose silence – a silence that spoke louder than a thousand cries. She moved from words and reasoning to a new form of struggle: the language of patience and withdrawal. Her silence was not weakness; it was a new stage of deliberate resistance and conscious jihad. In a time when tongues were silenced before falsehood, her silence became the most powerful voice in history.
She taught us that sometimes truth must be proclaimed not with words, but with purposeful silence – a silence that enlightens hearts and awakens consciences, not through noise, but through the quiet force of moral clarity.
The first sign of this sacred silence appeared in her withdrawal from public life: she refused to attend the congregational prayers led by the usurping rulers, and she even withheld returning their greetings. These actions were not born of personal anger; they were a clear and dignified form of protest – a silent yet thunderous declaration that exposed deviation and affirmed the rightful position of ‘Ali (peace be upon him) and the oppressed cause of Wilayah.
The final and most profound expression of her protest was found in her last will. She instructed that none of those who had usurped the right of Wilayah should attend her funeral or offer prayers over her body. She requested that she be buried secretly at night – so that history would forever remember that the daughter of the Prophet departed this world while justice still remained a stranger in Madinah.
That silence was a cry that has echoed through the centuries – a voiceless protest, yet more enduring than any spoken word.
Even in our own time, we face similar challenges: the voice of truth is often lost amid the clamour of power, and falsehood disguises itself in the garb of reason. In such times, the example of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) reminds us that steadfastness in defending truth is greater than any outward triumph. She taught us that the value of truth does not lie in numbers or popularity, but in sincerity and divine intention.
Her martyrdom was the final seal upon the authenticity of her struggle for Wilayah – as Imam Musa al-Kadhim (peace be upon him) said of her: « كانت صادقةً شهيدةً، لا يُدانيها أحدٌ من النساء؛ “She was truthful and a martyr; no woman ever reached her rank.”
(Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 34)
- The Everlasting Message
Lady Fatimah al-Zahra’s (peace be upon her) struggle began within her home, yet it transcended all boundaries of geography and time. Through reason, eloquence, and sacrifice, she presented to the world the perfect image of a believing, insightful, and responsible woman who stands firmly in defence of truth.
The martyrdom of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) is not merely a moment of sorrow – it is a call to responsibility. Despite all her suffering, she ensured that the truth of Wilayah would never fade into oblivion. In her brief but radiant life, she left behind an enduring example of awareness, steadfastness, and faith – an example that remains alive for eternity.
Fatimah cannot be understood through tears alone. Tears are the beginning of knowing her, not the end. To truly know Fatimah is to continue her path – to defend truth, to stand by principle, and to preserve faith in times of heedlessness.
Fatimah is the silent cry of history – a cry that rises not from anger, but from truth itself; a cry that still, after centuries, shakes the conscience of humankind.
In the end, she proved that nothing is more precious than defending Wilayah. For the sake of this divine trust, she offered her pure life in complete sincerity to the Almighty – and thus, she lives forever, as the Qur’an declares: «وَلا تَحسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَل أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ؛ “And never think of those who are slain in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive, receiving sustenance in the presence of their Lord.” (Surah Āl ‘Imrān, 3:169)
