The Lady of Paradise in the grip of misfortunes and grief

      

On the day,when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) expired, there was not a single minor or major who was not overtaken by grief. Everybody was sob­bing and weeping. Friends, relatives and kinsmen all were grief stricken and crying. There was a thick pall of gloom everywhere. But the most shocked personality on the face of earth was the daughter of the Prophet (s.a.w.a.).

A week had elapsed since the death of the Prophet yet, she (s.a.) was continuously and profusely crying and grieving. She had confined herself in her house.

On the eighth day, she could not control her emotions, and broke down sobbing. The ladies around came out hearing her laments to console her. Janabe Siddiqa Tahera (s.a.) had extinguished all lamps of her house, and was sitting in darkness to avoid recognition. Janabe Siddiqa Tahera (s.a.) overwhelmed with grief addressed her father (s.a.w.a.) as follows :

O’ Father!

O’ Messenger of Allah!

O’ Mohammed Mustafa!

O’ Abul Qasim!

O’ The anchor and shelter of orphans!

Who is there to hear the complaints of your dear daughter who is on the verge of death and who is there to do justice to her.

So saying,
she started to wear her dress in the same manner as the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) used to wear. Her gait of walking was exactly similar to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.). Her dress was long enveloping her feet and her vision was blurred due to continuous downpour of tears. She was unable to find her path through them. However, she reached to the sacred grave of her father (s.a.w.a.). When she caught sight of the place from where the call of prayer (Azaan) used to be sounded, she swooned and passed out. Women who were there rushed up to her and applied wat er to her face. She then regained conscious­ness and sat up, and again began to cry saying the following:

Father! my strength is failing me;

I have lost my stamina and bearing;

Enemies are torturing me;

I am being eaten away insidiously by sorrow and grief,

Father! I am lonely;

My personal affairs are causing concern to me;

Father! My voice is being subdued by brute force;

My back is broken;

An upheaval has taken place in my life;

The world has become a living hell;

O’ Father! After you, there is no one who could offer me solace and to stand by me in these trying times;

I am crying for you, but there is no one who could sympathize with me and stop me from crying;

In the present state of my physical weakness, there is no one to look towards
to;

O’ Father! After you, the place of descendence of Qur’an, and arrival of Jibraeel and Michael looks deserted and abandoned.

Father! People have turned their eyes from me and all doors were closed on me. Father!
After you I hate this world, But as long as I would be breathing, I will go on crying for you;

Father! My love towards you knows no bounds, and my sorrow will be immense.

Then she started reciting an elegy, as under:

For you my sorrow is always with me. By Allah, I say that my heart is full of your love.
Day after day, my sorrow goes on increasing. O’ Father! I will be forever sorrowful for you. The sad event of your death is very shocking to me. A heart which willy nilly accepts a solace, is indeed an enduring and a patient heart.

Fatiier! With you, went the light of the world, and the blossoming flowers have withered.

Since you and I were parted it is not possible for me to forget what has happened.

Father! After you, who would lend his ear and time to the injustices done to the widows and orphans.

Father! After you nobody would take care and bother for Ummah till the Day of Rising.

Father! After you Ahle Bait were made weak and oppressed.

Father! After you everybody had started shun­ning us; Father! by your august presence we were not counted among oppressed.

Father! What tears have not been shed for you? Father! What misfortune and grief were there, which have not been continuously borne by me;

Father! Which eyelid was there that was in­clined towards sleep;

Father! You were the spring of religion and were the beacon light of the messengers of Allah.

Father! Why mountains did not disintegrate into pieces, and why oceans did not get dry?

Father! Why on your death, the earth did not have an earthquake?

Father! Soon after your departure, we became prone to all sorts of hardships and miseries.

Father! In fact your demise was a major calamity that has befallen mankind;

Father! After your demise ugliest misfortunes had fallen on my house;

Father! On your demise angels of Allah have wept;

Father! Since your departure, skies have stopped their rotation;

Father! After you, your Mimbar has become empty and presented a desolate sight;

Father! Your grave was happy to have you inside;

Father! Paradise was looking forward to your supplications and prayers;

Father! Without your presence, your meeting places have worn a deserted look;

Father! On your death, I shall ever grieve, till I join you;

Father! All who was your trusted secretary and an associate, and who was the father of your children has been deprived of your presence;

Yes, father the same Ali who was your brother, confidante and friend, whom you have brought up and groomed since childhood. The same Ali, who was your dearest friend and a close associate. The same Ali, who was first to embrace Islam, and was the first Muslim to migrate, has now lost his brother, his most precious possession.

Therefore, Father, it is the loss of your valuable personality that affected us and has saddened us. Distress and sorrow have overtaken us. It is your sorrow that has killed us. Grief has now become one constant companion.

O’ The last Apostle, after your death, my patience was lost, and my strength was sagged, and the bliss of tranquility has left us.

O’ Eye! Weep to your heart’s content. I would be highly regrettable if you do not shed the tears of blood;

O’ Messenger of Allah! The selected one of Allah! O’ the Anchor of weak persons and orphans;

Mountains, animals, birds and earth, all have mourned for you, before the sky could express its grief;

O’ My Master! Hajoor, Rukun and Moishu, and the land Bathha, all are crying for you;

The Arch and lessons of Qur’an weep daily for you.

Islam, itself has become a foreign in the land of its origin;

The light of your Mimbar, which you used to occupy it has been overpowered by darkness;

O’ Allah! Call me soon, O’ my Master, I am now fed up with life, and hate it.

Then Fatema Zahra (s.a.) went to the grave of her father (s.a.w.a.), took some dust from it, kissed it and smelt its fragrance, and started reciting an elegy: Whoever has smelt the dust of Ahmed’s (Holy Prophet’s (s.a.w.a.)) grave need have to smell any fragrance in his life, as it will be of no conse­quence. Tell that man (Prophet), who has gone out of sight and has now hidden himself under the layers of the earth that “Is he not hearing my wailings?” A great misfortune has fallen on me, that if it had fallen on a lucid day, it would have turned into a gloomy night.

Uptill now, I was passing my life under the tender care of Mohammed (s.a.w.a..). I was neither afraid of anybody’s enmity nor care for those who used to harbor malice against me. I was sure of myself because be (Prophet) was my guide and protector. Today, I stand disgraced in front of the people of mean mentality. The dread of their atrocities is ever present in my mind, but I try to wave it away with a move of my cloak.

If a pigeon raises a note of melancholy in the stillness of night it does so seeing me weeping my heart out.

Father! Be assured, I will make sadness and melancholy my sympathizers. I will use my tears as a headgear and veil.

Allama Vahelaan, in his book titled “Seraye Nalenviya”, has quoted the following poetry of Fatema Zahra (s.a.) that she has recited after the burial of her father (s.a.w.a.)

All the Horizons of the world have become dusty and dark. Now one cannot distinguish be­tween the lucidity of a morning sun and a setting sun, they had lost shimmering brightness and luster.

After the Prophet (s.a.w.a.) the earth was drowned in sorrow and sadness. It is trembling for the loss of the light of both the worlds.

On the death of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.a.) West and East should weep, and for the clans of Mazer and Yamaan, it is a MUST to weep for the Prophet.

Similarly, Bait-ul-Muqqadas and its environ­ment and Ka’aba which is shrouded – should weep.

O’ The Last Apostle of Allah, your light is auspicious, and Allah the omnipotent and the mightiest, sends his blessings to you and salutes you.

Then she (s.a.) turned back to her house, weeping. Her face was veiled, and every part of her body was trembling due to weakness. A stream of tears was flowing. Her heart was burn­ing. Due to severe swooning sensation, she had forgotten herself and was lapsing into uncon­sciousness. When a wave of consciousness used to come to her she used to put questions to her sons, saying Oh my dearest sons where is your grandfather who used to respect and love you very much and used to allow you to ride on his back. Your grandfather, who was most kind to both of you, what has happened to him? That grandfather who never allowed you to walk simply on the ground? Now, you will not be able to ride on his back or climb on his shoulders. Now, on whose back and shoulders you will ride? From now on, the door will not be opened for him. Since the day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) died, Bilal left sounding the call of prayer (Azaan). He used to say that after his (Prophet) passing away, I will not perform that duty. Once Janabe Siddiqa Tahera (s.a.) said that I wish to hear Bilal sounding the Azaan. When the news reached Bilal, he started sounding the call. When he uttered the words of “Allaho Akbar, Ashaduanna Mohammed-ar Rasoolullah she shrieked, fainted and fell on the ground. People around then told Bilal to stop it and said that the daughter of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) has breathed her last. On hearing this Bilal stopped sounding the call, and did not complete it. When Fatema Zahra (s.a.) regained consciousness, she told Bilal to proceed with it. Bilal replied if you hear me, I am afraid that you will no more be alive and will go back to the Creator. Therefore, I seek your pardon that I may kindly be excused. Janabe Fatema Zahra (s.a.) then granted him par­don. Hazrat Ali (a.s.) says, I gave bath to the Prophet in his own clothes. Janabe Fatema Zahra (s.a.) wished to see her father’s garments. When I showed her the dress, she smelt it and while doing so she became unconscious. This was the reason that I had to hide that dress from her.

(Maqtalul Husain – Quranzanu).