Year Sixteen
Issue No. 936 - 28/Jamadah-1/1432 AH
Corresponding to May 03, 2011 AD

Contents:
* Mihrab Platform:
Loving Daughters is rewarding – Prophet's Love to Zahra'a (pbut)

Mihrab Platform
Loving Daughters is Rewarding – Prophet's Love to Zahra'a (s.a.a.w)

The main axes of the subject:
1- Desperate look
2- Your God's chosen
3- Daughter shields from hell
4- Fatima, my flesh and blood

Purpose:

The daughter holds a special attribute that does not lessen than that of the son; rather, it excels it. She is a flower from the gardens of heaven as well as a merit for which there is a great reward. The best daughter in the world was Fatima (a.s.).

Exporting the Subject:

Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) was quoted as saying: "The best children are the screened daughters. He who has a daughter Allah will render her a shield for him against hell."¹

Desperate look:

Distinguishing the male from the female by favoring him was an ancient existing fact. However, it has never been accepted as a legal issue by the people of sound logic or by the owners of the clear human feelings as it was never accepted by the creating creator. "We have certainly created man in the best of stature."

Male human being is equal to female human being without any favored attribute that allows the boy excel the girl. Allah (the Exalted) spoke in his holy book in a contemptuous and blaming manner about those who feel resentment if they are ever to receive the birth of a female. Hence, his exaltedness said: "And when one of them is informed of [the birth of] a female, his face becomes dark, and he suppresses grief. He hides himself from the people because of the ill of which he has been informed. Should he keep it in humiliation or bury it in the ground? Unquestionably, evil is what they decide."²

Also, book al Kafi narrates that a man came to visit the prophet (s.a.a.w.). While there, he was informed of his born child and the face of his color changed. The prophet (s.a.a.w.) asked him: What is wrong? He said: I am fine. He said: Say it. And the man said: I left home as my wife was giving birth and I was just told that she delivered a female. Hence, the prophet (s.a.a.w.) said: "The land will carry her, the sky will shade her, Allah will provide her with sustenance, and she is a flower that you can smell."³

What was the cause behind your gloom and murkiness? Would you have been happy and your face cheered if you had a boy after which you would sacrifice a sheep for him, hand out candy and make vows in his favor? In fact, her weight is equal to your weight that the land carries; and her sustenance is like yours, ordained by heavens. What is more important is that she is a rose given from the gardens of the heaven, and you can sense the smell of the heaven in her."

Your God's chosen:

Man should be satisfied and proud for having a daughter as a grace from Allah (the Exalted), God's chosen. Allah (the Exalted) bestowed such grace on each father in order to be satisfied and to keep her safe.

Imam al Sadiq (a.s.) was quoted as saying: "When a man came to him resenting his born daughter, he replied: What would you do had Allah (the Exalted) inspired you telling, should I chose or do you want to chose for yourself? What would you say? He said: I would have replied: O Allah, you chose for me. He said: then, Allah has chosen for you."⁴

Daughter shields from hell:

Allah (the Exalted) commanded us to provide the proper environment for our sons and daughters in order to abide by the legitimate verdict and stay away from wrongdoings. We must perform this issue in order to protect them from the fires of hell on the day of resurrection. This way we will protect ourselves as well.

Allah (the Exalted) said: "O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded."⁵ However, Allah (the Exalted) rendered the one daughter, whom we educate and up bring according to the good teachings of Islam, as a shield for us from hell. For example, Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) was quoted as saying: "He, who has a daughter and educates her well, treats her with the generosity that the lord bestowed upon him; she will be his shield and protection from hell."⁶

Another quote of the prophet (s.a.a.w.) reads: "The best of the children are the screened daughters; he who has one of those will have her rendered by Allah as a shield for him from hell."⁷

A father must never treat his children indifferently; therefore, he must make his daughter feel equal to her brothers. This way he will receive great heavenly rewards.

Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) was quoted as saying: "He who receives a female child and does not hurt her, humiliate her, and prefer his sons – male children – to her, Allah will render her as his gate to heaven."⁸

Allah (the Exalted) has taken care of the daughters on behalf of his servants. Hence, it would be sufficient for a father to raise his daughter well and to be her good paradigm unlike sons who require – in addition to the aforementioned issues – additional provision. For example, in the accounts, Imam Abu Abdullah al Sadiq (a.s.) was quoted as saying: "Sons represent amenities whereas daughters represent alms; Allah will question us about the amenities whereas reward us for the alms."⁹

Fatima, my flesh and blood:

Women should be proud for having Fatima the daughter of Muhammad (a.s.) as one of them. She was rendered by Allah (the Exalted) as "The lady of all the women of the former and later peoples."

For example, Imam al Rida (a.s.) was quoted as saying: his ancestors said that the prophet has said: "Hassan and Husayn are the best of the peoples on earth after me and after their father; and their mother is the best of the women of the former and later peoples."¹⁰

Moreover, Ziad Bin al Attar was quoted as saying: "I read to Abi Abdillah (a.s.) the words of Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) "Fatima is the lady of the women in heavens, and asked him, is she also the lady of her world? He said: that was Mary; Fatima is the lady of the women in heavens of the former and later peoples."¹¹

- Sa'ad Bin Abi Waqqas was quoted as saying: "I heard Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) saying: "Fatima is my flesh and blood; he who pleases her pleases me, and he who hurts her hurts me. Fatima is my most beloved among the people."¹²

Also in a saying of Said Bin al Mosayeb who quoted Ibn Abbass in a long speech saying that Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) was sitting one day with Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Husayn (pbut). Suddenly, he looked at Ali (a.s.) and said: "O Ali, Fatima is my flesh and blood. She is the light of my eyes and the fruit of my heart. That which pleases her pleases me and that which hurts her hurts me, and she is the first to follow me (die after me) of my household members…"¹³

This is part of the issues that we can mention in this discussion regarding the excellent relationship between Allah's messenger (s.a.a.w.) and his daughter Fatima al Zahra'a (a.s.). However, we feel sorry for Fatima and for the events that took place after her father passed away. The prophet (a.s.) has been hurt in his daughter and her progeny to the point where he said in the past: "No prophet has ever been hurt as I had."

1- Makarim al Akhlaq, Vol. 1, P. 472, H. 16313
2- The Holy Quran: Surat al Nahl (the Bees): verses 58-59
3- Al Kafi, Vol. 6, P. 6, H. 11
4- Al Kafi, Vol. 6, P. 6, H. 11
5- The Holy Quran: Surat al Tahrim (the Prohibition): verse 6
6- Kanz al Ummal, by al Muttaqi al Hindi, Hadith No. 45391
7- Makarim al Akhlaq, Vol. 1, P. 472, H. 1613
8- Kanz al Ummal, by al Muttaqi al Hindi, Hadith No. 45400
9- Al Kafi, Vol. 6, P. 7, H. 12
10- Oyoun Akhbar al Ridha, by Sheikh al Saddouq, Vol. 2, P. 62, H. 252
11- Al A'mali, by Sheikh al Saddouq, P. 187, session26, H. 7
12- Al Majalis, by Sheikh al Mufid, P. 259, session 3, H. 2. Also al A'mali, by Sheikh al Tousi, P. 24, session 1, H. 3
13- Al A'mali, by Sheikh al Saddouq, P. 574, session 73, H. 18