Prayer

The first major obligation once you become Muslim is the daily prayer. Most converts are very eager and stressed about knowing how to perform it correctly immediately. Following are some basic instructions to get you started with the daily prayer. You can hold this if necessary for awhile until you start to memorize things. When you get the chance, meet with someone who already knows the prayer and they can help you with the Arabic and little details, God willing. In the meantime, try to pray with concentration and when you prostrate place your forehead on soil, rock, wood, or blank paper.

The five daily prayers are as follows:

Morning prayer is two rakaats (cycles) performed approximately 70 minutes prior to sunrise.

Noon-ish prayer is 4 rakaats performed just after true noon (when the sun reaches the highest point in its path across the sky, or passes from the eastern half into the western half of the sky.)

Afternoon prayer is 4 rakaats performed anytime between the noon prayer and the evening prayer, with its ideal time when an object’s afternoon shadow just becomes longer than the object itself.

Evening prayer is 3 rakaats performed roughly 15 minutes to half an hour after sunset, when redness has left the western half of the sky.

And the night prayer is 4 rakaats performed after the evening prayer ideally when twilight is over, which is usually about one and a half hours after sunset.

Prior to praying you should perform wudhu, the ritual ablution. This is done by washing your hands with water, then covering the face with water from the top down. Then using your left hand, cover your right arm from the elbow to the finger tips with poured water, then using your right hand do the same to your left. Next, without getting new water, wipe the top of you head with the wetness on your right hand fingers (usually done in a parting in your hair), and finally, similarly wipe the top of your right foot with your wet right hand from toes to ankle, and likewise wipe your left foot with your left hand.

If you are a female just finishing your monthly cycle, or if you have had intercourse or a wet dream since your last prayer, or in a few other less likely cases, instead of performing wudhu, you should perform ghusl, which is a shower, prior to your prayer. This is usually performed by rinsing your head and neck area, then your right front all the way to your toes, then your right back, left front and left back so that your whole body is touched by running water. It is best to overlap your coverage area (do a little of the left front while washing your right front and vice versa) to guarantee coverage.

Also, whenever you use the toilet, you should rinse the affected area with water three times and make sure no more urine or feces are present. Men should learn how to perform istibra, which is a process of pushing out any left over urine from the urethra. Detailed instructions on wudhu, ghusl, istibra and so on may be found in books of Islamic laws such as “Islamic Laws” published by The World Federation and available online from .

Finally, before beginning, if you are a male you should make sure your privates are covered, or preferably from the navel to the knee (more is better). And if you are female everything should be covered but hands, face and feet.

Prayer is performed facing a house of worship to God built by Prophet Ibrahim (as) in Mecca. Look at a globe and find the shortest curve from your location to Mecca (a great circle) and that will show you which way to face in prayer. For North Americans, that is Northeast.

Prayer begins with Niyyat (You make an intention in your mind that you are praying so and so prayer for seeking nearness to Allah). Then recite takbir (saying Allahoo Akbar (God is greater than description, roughly, with hands held up by your ears). Then lower your arms to your sides.

1st cycle (rakat)

STANDING:

1) Recite Surah Fateha:

Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful)

Alhumdoolellaahi Rabbil Aalameen (Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds).

arrahmaan irraheem (the Compassionate, the Merciful)

maaliki yowm ideen (Owner/master of the day of Judgment)

iyaaka na’ boodoo wa iyyaaka nas taeen (Thee alone we worship and Thee alone we ask for help.)

ihdinas siraatal moostaqeem (Show us the straight path)

siraatal ladheena anamta alayhim (The path of those whom Thou hast favored)

ghayril maghdoobi alayhim waladhaalleen (Not the path of those who have earned Thine anger nor of those who have gone astray.)

2) Then recite any other surah of Qur’an. Probably the shortest and easiest, and one that is also highly recommended to recite, is Surah Ikhlas:

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem (In the name of Allah, the Compassionate the Merciful)

Qul hoo wallahoo ahad (Say: He is Allah, the One!)

Allaahus samad (Allah, the eternally besought of All!)

Lam yalid walam yoolad (He begetteth not nor was begotten)

walam yakool lahoo koofoo wan ahad (And there is none comparable to Him.)

3) Say Allaahoo Akbar again

BOWING (Bend forward with your hands on your knees, males keeping the knees unbent and ladies bending their knees slightly):

1) Say: Soobhaana rabbi al adheemi wabihamdih (Roughly, Glory be to my High Sustainer and I praise Him)

2) While going back to standing position: Sami’ Allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears and accepts the praise of one who praises)

3) While standing again briefly: Allahoo Akbar

PROSTRATING/SITTING:

1) After that Allahoo Akbar, go to the ground and put head, knees, toes, and palms on the ground (elbows usually recommended for women as well).

Say: Soobhana Rabbi al Aa’laa wa bihamdih (Glory be to my Great Sustainer, Most High, and I praise Him)

2) Go to sitting position, say Allahoo Akbar, then say Astaghfirullaahaa Rabbi wa atooboo ilayh [I seek forgiveness from Allah my Sustainer and I turn to Him (repent)] then Allahoo Akbar again

3) Repeat #1 (Soobhana Rabbi al Aa’laa wa bihamdih)

4) Sit up, say Allaahoo Akbar, and return to standing position while saying Bi haw lillaahi wa qoowwatihi aqoomoo wa aqa’ood (I stand and sit with the help and strength of Allah.)

THAT IS END OF RAKAT #1.

RAKAT #2

Perform like rakat #1, except for the addition of qunoot and the following modification to step#4 in

PROSTRATING/SITTING: (new parts are marked with asterix*)

*Qunoot: In the second rakat, after reciting the two surahs and before bowing, place you hands palms up, together at about chest level and say:

La ilaaha illallaahool halimool kareem (There is none worshipping but Allah, the Forbearing and Generous.) There are many other things you could say here, but that is a simple one to learn for starters. After qunoot, continue with the prayer as in the first rakat, with bowing.

Then in step 4) take note of these modifications:

Sit up, say Allahoo Akbar,

*Then say Al hamdoo lillaah, Ash hadoo an laa ilaha il Allahoo wah dahoo laa sharika lah (All praise is for Allah, and I testify that there is none worth worshipping except Allah, who is one and has no partner.)

*Then say: Wa Ash hadoo anna Muhammadan ‘abdoohoo wa Rasooloh (And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and messenger)

*Then say: Allah hoomma salli’ala Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad (O Allah, send your blessings on Muhammad and his progeny).

IF THIS IS NOT THE LAST RAKAT,

Then say: Bi haw lillaahi wa qoowwatihi aqoomoo wa aqa’ ood while standing up.

**IF THIS IS THE LAST RAKAT, SAY THE FOLLOWING TO END THE PRAYER, WHILE STILL IN SITTING POSITION:

*Assalaamoo alayka ayyoohan Nabiyyoo wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatoh (O Prophet, Allah’s peace, blessings and grace be upon you!)

Assalamoo ‘alayna wa ‘ala ibaadillaahis saaliheen (Allah’s peace be on us, and all pious servants of Allah)

Assalaamoo ‘alaykoom wa rahmatoollaahi wa barakaatoh (Allah’s peace, blessings and grace be on you.)

IF IT IS NOT THE LAST RAKAT CONTINUE AS FOLLOWS:

3RD & 4TH RAKAT:

Just like 1st rakat except for the Standing part:

STANDING:

1) While standing say either Surah Fateha or the following, which is most recommended:

Subhaanallaahi wal hamdoo lillaahi wa laa ilaahaa illallahoo wallaahoo akbar (Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah, there is no God but Allah and He is greater than description)

You may say this once, or three times.

IF THIS IS THE LAST RAKAT, SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN RAKAT #2 MARKED WITH THE ** SIGN TO END SALAAT.

There are online prayer and wudhu instructions at <http://www.playandlearn.org/Fiqh/index.htm>.

Also, you can purchase video instructions from Idara e Jaferia in Maryland. Their tape is distributed by Khatoons Inc., 6650 Autumn Wind Circle, Clarksville MD 21029 USA and online at http://www.khatoons.com.

You can usually obtain a prayer timetable to get the most accurate local times for prayer from a mosque in your area, or download computer software that calculates prayer time and direction from this site: <http://www.ais.org/~islam/subject/praytime.html>.

Now, continuing with the Branches of Religion:

Fasting

During the month of Ramadhan Muslims are required to fast from about a half-hour prior to the morning prayer until the time for the evening prayer. The month of Ramadhan on the Islamic calendar cycles throughout the seasons with a nice result that no matter where you live you will get to experience long days and short days of fasting over the years. For those living in extreme northern or southern locales so that they may not experience any sunrise or sunset in a 24-hour period, they follow the timings of another, less extreme location. Fasting means no eating, drinking, intercourse, immoral behavior, etc. People who have medical reasons for not fasting are exempted but should donate the equivalent of a meal to charity for days when they miss a required fast. Also, menstruating women do not fast but make up missed fasts at a later date.

The month of Ramadhan is a time of spiritual renewal and there are many special prayers during this time. If you need to know when the month of Ramadhan is likely to begin, please visit the following website: .

Pilgrimage

Every individual with the physical and financial means is obliged to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his/her lifetime. It is a very spiritual and exciting event that happens once a year. Its rituals are generally related to events involving the Prophet Ibrahim (as), and are designed for spiritual reflection and renewal. If you plan to go you should read up on it first and make your arrangements through an established hajj travel organization that is based on the particular school of Islam that you follow.

Zakat and Khums

Muslims who possess certain things like amounts of gold, grain or livestock are required to give a percentage of their wealth, usually 5 or 10% to the needy. Since most people don’t have the wealth to have to pay this, I won’t go into a lot of detail. However, all Muslims are likely to have to pay Khums, the other kind of charity tax. Khums is a tax of 20% on your surplus earnings. Let’s say that at the end of this month after paying all your expenses you have $500 in unused goods and/or money in the bank. Next year, you should take new account of your surplus earnings. If it is less or the same, you do not have to pay khums, and you record the new amount of surplus for comparison with the following year. If you have more, then you pay khums on the difference. For example, if you have $600, the difference is $100 and 20% of that is $20, so you owe khums of $20 dollars. This money should be sent to people and organizations who have been given authority to accept and/or distribute khums money.

Jihad

This is the struggle for Allah (swt), discussed in the main portion of the book.

Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil

These are the practices of encouraging each other to do good deeds and avoid sin.

Tawalla and Tabarra

These are the practices conforming your heart and behavior to standards that demonstrate your love and devotion to the Prophet and his family (as). And conforming your heart and behavior to standards that demonstrate that you are not like and do not associate with those who act as enemies of the Prophet and his family (as).

Those are all the branches of religion, but, there are some other acts that are compulsory, such as observing the Islamic modest dress and avoiding consumption of certain foods/drinks. For women, as mentioned in the main portion of the book, this standard of dress requires covering all but hands and face in loose clothing.

Muslims do not allow any intoxicating substances into their bodies, do not eat pork, and otherwise only eat meat that is permissible according to the Qur’an and has been slaughtered in an Islamic manner. This meat is obtained from special stores and is called halal meat. There is a directory of Islamic clothing retailers (for men, children and women) at:

and a directory of halal meat grocers/restaurants at

< http://www.geocities.com/~iaba/res.html>.

For the sake of not becoming overwhelming, God willing, I will conclude the appendix at this point. If you are ready for more information, refer to the suggested reading list, contact Muslims in your area, or examine the following recommendations:

The Islamic Correspondence Course

Contact: Islamic Education and Information Center 5359 Timberlea Blvd., Unit 52
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 4N5
Canada

Phone 905-212-9676 Fax 905 212-9690

This is a 50 lesson postal mail course that is very nice. The first six lessons are free so that you can see if you are interested. After that, there is a one-time fee to help cover the postage costs.

The World Islamic Network book club

Contact: World Islamic Network
67/69 H. Abbas (as) Street
Dongri, Mumbai 400 009 India
e-mail: win@bom4.vsnl.net.in

This is an organization that distributes Islamic literature for free to anyone who asks. In order to receive more literature after the first shipment, you need to write a summary/commentary of what you read and send it back to them by post.

May Allah (swt) guide us all on the straight path and grant us the good of this world and the hereafter.

Statue of a Sumerian worshipper, ca. 2550 and 2520 BC
Sumerian religion was the religion practiced and adhered to by the people of ancient Sumer. The Sumerians credited their divinities for all matters pertaining to them and exhibited humility in the face of cosmic forces, such as death and divine wrath.[1]:3-4

Before the beginning of kingship in Sumer, the city-states were effectively ruled by theocratic priests and religious officials. Later, this role was supplanted by kings, but priests continued to exert great influence on Sumerian society. In early times, Sumerian temples were simple, one-room structures, sometimes built on elevated platforms. Towards the end of Sumerian civilization, these temples developed into ziggurats--tall, pyramidal structures with sanctuaries at the tops.

The Sumerians believed that the universe had come into being through a series of cosmic births. First, Nammu, the primeval waters, gave birth to An (the sky) and Ki (the earth), who mated together and produced a son named Enlil. Enlil separated heaven from earth and claimed the earth as his domain. Humans were believed to have been created by Enki, the son of An and Nammu.

The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm, Enki, the god of water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of the earth and of fertility, Inanna, the goddess of sex, beauty, and warfare, Utu, the god of the sun, and Ereshkigal, the queen of the Underworld.

Sumerian religion heavily influenced the religious beliefs of later Mesopotamian peoples; elements of it are retained in the mythologies and religions of the Hurrians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and other Middle Eastern culture groups. Scholars of comparative mythology have noticed many parallels between the stories of the ancient Sumerians and those recorded in the early parts of the Hebrew Bible.

Worship Edit

Cuneiform temple hymn from the 19th century BCE; the hymn is addressed to the Lugal Iddin-Dagan of Larsa
Written cuneiform Edit
Sumerian myths were passed down through the oral tradition until the invention of writing. Early Sumerian cuneiform was used primarily as a record-keeping tool; it was not until the late early dynastic period that religious writings first became prevalent as temple praise hymns[2] and as a form of "incantation" called the nam-šub (prefix + "to cast").[3]

Architecture Edit
Main article: Sumerian architecture
In the Sumerian city-states, temple complexes originally were small, elevated one-room structures. In the early dynastic period, temples developed raised terraces and multiple rooms. Toward the end of the Sumerian civilization, ziggurats became the preferred temple structure for Mesopotamian religious centers.[4] Temples served as cultural, religious, and political headquarters until approximately 2500 BCE, with the rise of military kings known as Lu-gals (“man” + “big”)[3] after which time the political and military leadership was often housed in separate "palace" complexes.

Priesthood Edit

Statuette of a Sumerian worshiper from the Early Dynastic Period, ca. 2800-2300 BC
Until the advent of the lugals, Sumerian city states were under a virtually theocratic government controlled by various En or Ensí, who served as the high priests of the cults of the city gods. (Their female equivalents were known as Nin.) Priests were responsible for continuing the cultural and religious traditions of their city-state, and were viewed as mediators between humans and the cosmic and terrestrial forces. The priesthood resided full-time in temple complexes, and administered matters of state including the large irrigation processes necessary for the civilization’s survival.

Ceremony Edit
During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian city-state of Lagash was said to have had sixty-two "lamentation priests" who were accompanied by 180 vocalists and instrumentalists.

Cosmology Edit

The Sumerians envisioned the universe as a closed dome surrounded by a primordial saltwater sea.[5] Underneath the terrestrial earth, which formed the base of the dome, existed an underworld and a freshwater ocean called the Apsû. The deity of the dome-shaped firmament was named An; the earth was named Ki. First the underground world was believed to be an extension of the goddess Ki, but later developed into the concept of Kigal. The primordial saltwater sea was named Nammu, who became known as Tiamat during and after the Sumerian Renaissance.

Creation story Edit
Main article: Sumerian creation myth
The primordial union of An and Ki produced Enlil, who became leader of the Sumerian pantheon. After the other deities banished Enlil from Dilmun (the “home of the deities”) for raping the air goddess Ninlil; she had a child, Nanna, god of the moon. Nanna and Ningal gave birth to Inanna, the goddess of war and fertility, and to Utu, god of the sun.[6]

Deities Edit

Akkadian cylinder seal from sometime around 2300 BC or thereabouts depicting the deities Inanna, Utu, Enki, and Isimud
The Sumerians originally practiced a polytheistic religion, with anthropomorphic deities representing cosmic and terrestrial forces in their world. During the middle of the 3rd millennium BCE, Sumerian deities became more anthropocentric and were "...nature gods transformed into city gods."[according to whom?] Deities such as Enki and Inanna were viewed as having been assigned their rank, power, and knowledge from An, the heavenly deity, or Enlil, head of the Sumerian pantheon.

This cosmological shift may have been caused by the growing influence of the neighboring Akkadian religion, or as a result of increased warfare between the Sumerian city-states; the assignment of certain powers to deities may have mirrored the appointment of the Lugals, who were given power and authority by the city-state and its priesthood.[7]

Earliest deities Edit
The earliest historical records of Sumer do not go back much further than c. 2900 BC, although it is generally agreed that Sumerian civilization started between c. 4500 and 4000 BC.[8] The earliest Sumerian literature of the 3rd millennium BC identifies four primary deities: An, Enlil, Ninhursag, and Enki. The highest order of these earliest gods were described occasionally behaving mischievously towards each other, but were generally involved in co-operative creative ordering.[9]

Lists of large numbers of Sumerian deities have been found. Their order of importance and the relationships between the deities has been examined during the study of cuneiform tablets.[10]

Pantheon Edit
The majority of Sumerian deities belonged to a classification called the Anunna (“[offspring] of An”), whereas seven deities, including Enlil and Inanna, belonged to a group of “underworld judges" known as the Anunnaki (“[offspring] of An” + Ki). During the Third Dynasty of Ur, the Sumerian pantheon was said to include sixty times sixty (3600) deities.[11]

Primeval deities Edit
Nammu was the primeval sea (Engur), who gave birth to An (heaven) and Ki (earth) and the first deities; she eventually became known as the goddess Tiamat. An was the ancient Sumerian god of the heavens. He was the ancestor of all the other major deities[12] and the original patron deity of Uruk.

Enlil and his family Edit
Enlil was the god of air, wind, and storm. His name means "Lord of the Storm" and he was the patron deity of Nippur. Ninlil was an air goddess and Enlil's primary consort. She was one of the matron deities of Nippur; she was believed to reside in the same temple as Enlil.[13] Ninurta was the son of Enlil and Ninlil. He was worshipped as the god of war, agriculture, and one of the Sumerian wind gods. He was the patron deity of Girsu and one of the patron deities of Lagash.

Enki and Ninhursag Edit
Enki was god of freshwater, male fertility, and knowledge. He was the patron and creator of humanity and the sponsor of human culture. He was also the patron deity of Eridu. Ninhursag was the Sumerian goddess of the earth[14] and Enki's primary consort.

Inanna Edit

Ancient Akkadian cylinder seal depicting Inanna resting her foot on the back of a lion while Ninshubur stands in front of her paying obeisance, c. 2334-2154 BC[15]:92,193
Main article: Inanna
Inanna was the Sumerian goddess of love, sexuality, prostitution, and war.[15][page needed][16]:109 She was the divine personification of the planet Venus, the morning and evening star. Her main cult center was the Eanna temple in Uruk, which had been originally dedicated to An. Deified kings may have re-enacted the marriage of Inanna and Dumuzi with priestesses.[16]:151, 157-158 Accounts of her parentage vary; in most myths, she is usually presented as the daughter of Nanna and Ningal, but in other stories she is the daughter of Enki or An along with an unknown mother. She was one of the Sumerians' favorite deities and appears in nearly all their myths. Many of the myths involving her revolve around her attempts to usurp control of the other deities' domains.[17]

Ereshkigal Edit
Main article: Ereshkigal
Ereshkigal was the goddess of the Sumerian Underworld, which was known as Kur. She was Inanna's older sister.[18]

Celestial deities Edit
Utu was god of the sun, whose primary center of worship was the E-babbar temple[19] in Sippar. Nanna was god of the moon and of wisdom. He was the father of Utu and one of the patron deities of Ur.[20] He may have also been the father of Inanna and Ereshkigal. Ningal was the wife of Nanna,[21] as well as the mother of Utu, Inanna, and Ereshkigal.

Legacy Edit

Ninurta portrayed with an eagle head, c. 860 BC, Temple of Ninurta, Nimrud
Akkadians Edit
The Sumerians had an ongoing linguistic and cultural exchange with the Semitic Akkadian peoples in northern Mesopotamia for generations prior to the usurpation of their territories by Sargon of Akkad in 2340 BCE. Sumerian mythology and religious practices were rapidly integrated into Arabian culture,[22] presumably blending with the original Akkadian belief systems that have been mostly lost to history. Sumerian deities developed Akkadian counterparts. Some remained virtually the same until later Babylonian and Assyrian rule. The Sumerian god An, for example, developed the Akkadian counterpart Anu; the Sumerian god Enki became Ea. The gods Ninurta and Enlil kept their original Sumerian names.[citation needed]

Babylonians Edit
The Amorite Babylonians gained dominance over southern Mesopotamia by the mid-17th century BCE. During the Old Babylonian Period, the Sumerian and Akkadian languages were retained for religious purposes; the majority of Sumerian mythological literature known to historians today comes from the Old Babylonian Period,[2] either in the form of transcribed Sumerian texts (most notably the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh) or in the form of Sumerian and Akkadian influences within Babylonian mythological literature (most notably the Enûma Eliš). The Sumerian-Akkadian pantheon was altered, most notably with the introduction of a new supreme deity, Marduk. The Sumerian goddess Inanna also developed the counterpart Ishtar during the Old Babylonian Period.

Hurrians Edit
Main article: Hurrians
The Hurrians adopted the Akkadian god Anu into their pantheon sometime no later than 1200 BCE. Other Sumerian and Akkadian deities adapted into the Hurrian pantheon include Ayas, the Hurrian counterpart to Ea; Shaushka, the Hurrian counterpart to Ishtar; and the goddess Ninlil,[23] whose mythos had been drastically expanded by the Babylonians.[citation needed]

Parallels Edit
Some stories in Sumerian mythology bear strong similarities to the stories recorded in the older parts of the Hebrew Bible. For example, the biblical account of Noah and the Great Flood bears a striking resemblance to the Sumerian deluge myth, recorded in a Sumerian tablet discovered at Nippur.[24]:97-101 The Judaic underworld Sheol is very similar in description with the Sumerian Kur, ruled by the goddess Ereshkigal, as well as the Babylonian underworld Irkalla. Sumerian scholar Samuel Noah Kramer has also noted similarities between many Sumerian and Akkadian "proverbs" and the later Hebrew proverbs, many of which are featured in the Book of Proverbs.[25]:133-135

Sumerian myths suggest a prohibition against premarital sex.[26] Marriages were often arranged by the parents of the bride and groom; engagements were usually completed through the approval of contracts recorded on clay tablets. These marriages became legal as soon as the groom delivered a bridal gift to his bride's father. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that premarital sex was a common, but surreptitious, occurrence.[1]:78

Muawiya himself led a raid right across the Jazira from Raqqa to Mosul, and met no resistance anywhere. At last, Ali declared in the mosque of Kufa that he would leave the city with the few of his faithful followers in an attempt to halt the Syrian aggression against Iraq, even if it cost him his life. This threat awakened the citizens of Kufa to the specter of being left leaderless if Ali was killed fighting against the Syrians. They were stung into action and they began to mobilize for defense.

The battle of Siffin had been the first trial of strength between Ali and Muawiya. Militarily, the battle had been a near-victory for Ali, but politically, it had become a stalemate. After some time, it began to appear that Ali would take up the challenge of Muawiya. But just then Ali was assassinated in the mosque of Kufa, and the second trial of strength never took place.

According to the historical accounts some of which are quite plausible, three Kharjis met in Kufa (some say in Makkah) to hatch a conspiracy. Each of them volunteered to kill each of the three leading political figures of the Dar-ul-Islam – Ali, Muawiya and Amr bin Aas. By killing them, it is alleged, they hoped to put an end to civil wars in Islam, and to restore peace to the Muslim umma.

One of the three conspirators was a certain Abdur Rahman bin Muljam. He stayed in Kufa to kill Ali, and the other two went to Syria and Egypt to kill Muawiya and Amr bin Aas. The plans of the would-be assassins of Muawiya and Amr bin Aas, according to the stories in circulation, went awry, and they were captured and were executed.

The Kharjis had been defeated at Nehrwan, and most of them had perished in the battle but a few had escaped. Abdur Rahman bin Muljam was one of those who had escaped. He was consumed with the desire to kill Ali, and was in quest of an opportunity to do so. By a coincidence, he met a Kharji woman, one Qattama, whose father and brothers had also been killed in Nehrwan, and she too had nursed an undying hatred of Ali.

Abdur Rahman fell in love with Qattama, and proposed marriage to her. She told him that the price of her hand was the head of Ali ibn Abi Talib. This only strengthened Abdur Rahman in his resolution. He promised his inamorata the moon if she asked for it, but she said that nothing was of interest to her if she could not get the head of Ali ibn Abi Talib!

Abdur Rahman bin Muljam carefully worked out his plans to kill Ali. A few other trusted Kharjis also volunteered their services to him, and together they rehearsed the assassination. Abdur Rahman bin Muljam took one extra precaution – he put his sword in deadly poison, and let it soak in it for three days.

On the morning of the 19th of Ramadan of the year 40 A.H., Ali came into the Great Mosque of Kufa, and called Adhan (the call to prayer). He took his place in the alcove, and moments later, the worshippers began to arrive. They stood behind him in serried ranks, and the prayer began. Standing in the front row, with other worshippers, were Abdur Rahman bin Muljam and his confederates. They were watching Ali's movements. In the folds of their cloaks, they were carrying swords burnished to a high sheen, and soaked in poison.

Just when Ali touched the ground with his forehead for sajda, Abdur Rahman bin Muljam stepped out of his row, and crept into the alcove. And just when Ali lifted his head from the ground, ibn Muljam struck the fatal blow at his forehead with such deadly force that it split open.

Blood squirted from Ali's forehead in several jets, and he exclaimed:

“By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful!”

The members of the congregation realized what had happened, and as soon as they concluded the prayer, they surrounded him. His sons, Hasan and Husain, carried him to his house. A physician came, and tried to dress the ghastly wound but could not stop the bleeding. The blow of the sword was fatal anyway, but the poison from its blade was also spreading rapidly in his body.

The Arab historians say that it was the second time that Ali was wounded in the forehead, the first time being when, in the battle of the Trench fought in 627, the sword of Amr bin Abd Wudd cut through his shield and helmet, and struck it. His forehead still bore the scar left by the sword of Amr.

This is the account left by the Arab historians of the assassination of Ali, and it has been accepted as authentic by the vast majority of the Muslims.

Though this account has the authority of “consensus” of the historians behind it, its authenticity, nevertheless, is suspect on the grounds of “circumstantial evidence.” There are too many “coincidences” in it.

No one questions the fact that it was Ibn Muljam who killed Ali. But was it his own idea to kill him? It is quite probable that the idea was planted in his mind by someone else who used subliminal techniques for doing so. Ibn Muljam didn't know that he was only a cat's paw, and he went ahead and killed Ali.

At this time no one in Dar-ul-Islam was more interested in the assassination of Ali than Muawiya. The plot to kill Ali, the skill displayed in its execution, and its success, show the touch of consummate subtlety and a high degree of professionalism which were characteristic of Muawiya alone, whereas Ibn Muljam was nothing more than a bumpkin. Muawiya employed the same “skill” in removing from the scene, real or fancied threats to his own security and power, on numerous other occasions in later times, with the same results.

Muawiya's spies had informed him that Ali was making preparations for the invasion of Syria. In the battle of Siffin, Muawiya had not responded to chivalrous treatment by Ali. This time, therefore, Ali had decided, not to fight a lingering action but a swift one that would quell Muawiya's rebellion, and would restore peace to the embattled empire of the Muslims.

Muawiya also knew that Ali had, this time, both the ability and the resolution, to bring the conflict to a speedy and successful conclusion. His only hope, therefore, for his safety in future, as in the past, lay in the succor that he could get from his old and trusted “allies” – treachery and intrigue. He, therefore, mobilized them, and they didn't disappoint him.

Muawiya made the act of the assassination of Ali look absolutely spontaneous and convincing by making himself and his crony, Amr bin Aas, the potential and intended “victims” of the conspiracy and fanaticism of the Kharji anarchists. But both of them “escaped” assassination by a rare “stroke of good luck.”

One of them “fell ill” on the day he was to be “assassinated,” and did not go into the mosque; the other did not fall ill, but went into the mosque wearing his armor under his cloak. He was “attacked” by his “assassin” but was “saved” by his armor. “Falling ill” would have been an indiscreet act, and would have exposed both “victims.” In this manner, “illness” and the armor “saved” both Muawiya and Amr bin Aas from the daggers of their Kharji “assassins.”

But Ali was not so “lucky.” He did not fall ill, and he did not put on his armor when entering the mosque. In the mosque, Ibn Muljam was awaiting him with a sword soaked in poison. When Ali rose from sajda, he struck at his forehead, and cleft it. The blow proved to be fatal.

Most of the Arab historians wrote histories which were “inspired” by Muawiya and his successors. He was of course free to inject any account into those histories. He, therefore, managed to save himself and Amr bin Aas from the indictment of history, and it was Ibn Muljam alone who went down in history books as the real and the only villain of the crime.

By a coincidence, the assassination of Ali took place on the eve of his invasion of Syria.

Though the Kharji anarchists had aimed their daggers at all three of the leading political figures of the Muslim world, viz., Ali, Muawiya and Amr bin Aas, by a coincidence, the latter two escaped the attempts on their lives, and Ali alone was killed.

By still another coincidence, the two men who escaped, i.e., Muawiya and Amr bin Aas, were intimate friends of each other, and both of them were – coincidence again – the mortal enemies of the third, i.e., Ali, who was the only one to be killed.

There are too many mysterious coincidences that saved the lives of Muawiya and Amr bin Aas but took the life of Ali.

Ali spent the time still left to him in prayer and devotions; in dictating his will; in giving instructions to his sons, ministers and generals regarding the conduct of the government; and in urging them all never to forget the old, the sick, the poor, the widows and the orphans at any time.

Ali declared that his elder son, Hasan, would succeed him as the head of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, and as the sovereign of all Muslims.

Though Ali was steadily weakening from the loss of blood and from the action of poison, all his faculties were sharp and clear right to the last moment. To all those people who came to see him, he said that they ought to be aware, at all times, of the presence of their Creator in their lives, to love Him, to serve Him, and to serve His Creation.

The poison had done its work, and on the morning of the 21st of Ramadan of 40 A.H., Ali ibn Abi Talib left this world to go into the presence of his Creator whom he had loved and served all his life. He was “God-intoxicated.” His greatest ambition in life was to wait upon his Creator, every moment of his existence, and he realized it, and this is the meaning of his exclamation in the alcove of the mosque when he felt the edge of the sword at his forehead: “By the Lord of the Kaaba, I am successful.”

Hasan and Husain washed the body of their father, draped it in a shroud, offered the funeral prayers for it, and then buried it silently at midnight at Najaf Ashraf, at some distance from Kufa. No markings were placed on the grave, and the grave-site was kept a secret, as desired by Ali himself.

Ali, Islam's greatest saint, hero, statesman, philosopher and martyr, had left this world, and the world was not to find a man sublime like him to all eternity.

Many among the Muslims were the mourners of Ali's death but none mourned him more dolorously than the Dhimmis (the Jews, the Christians, and the Magians). They were utterly heart-broken. And when the sick, the disabled, the cripples, the orphans and the widows in the empire heard that he had died, they felt that their world had collapsed. He had been a father to them all. He had taken them all by the hand. He had taken them all into his prayers. Many among them did not know until after his death that it was he who had fed them and had taken care of them. He had taken all mankind into his grasp.

Whereas Ali was accessible at all times to the poor and the weak, his own greatest anxiety and fear were lest any of them be inaccessible to him. It was only in his dominion that the Dhimmis (non-Muslims), the powerless and the defenseless enjoyed complete security. No one could terrorize them or exploit them. With his death, their security was gone forever!

It is a truism that exercise of power cannot be combined with saintly purity, since once a man assumes responsibility for public affairs, the moral simplicities within which it is just possible, with luck, to be able to lead a private life, are soon hideously complicated to an extent that precludes all clear distinctions between right and wrong.

This truism, however, has its own exception – in Ali. He upheld principle, in public life as in private, regardless of cost. He invariably put the right thing ahead of the smart thing, regardless of cost. The source of the principles which guided his private and public life, was Al-Qur’an al-Majid as it was also the source of his political philosophy.

Ali has many critics and enemies but they cannot point out a single instance when he deviated from a principle. They cannot point out any conflict between his thought and speech on the one hand, or between his speech and deed on the other. He was consistently consistent in thought, speech and action.

Ali represented the ultimate triumph of character and ideology. He was a rare combination of love of God, devotion to duty, strength tempered with tenderness, symmetry of disposition, and inflexible integrity. His greatest legacy to the world of Islam will remain forever his sublime character.

We read in Surah As-Saffat (Ch:37) Verse 83:

“Verily Ibrahim was a Shi’a of Nuh”.

The Prophet (s) was likewise from the people of Ibrahim that is because Allah (swt) says in Surah al Baqarah verse 134:

“They say: "Become Jews or Christians and you would be guided (To salvation)." Say No (I would rather) follow the Religion of Abraham”
This therefore means that Hadhrath Muhammad (s) was a Shi’a of Hadhrath Ibrahim (as) - who was a Shi’a of Hadhrath Nuh (as). The term Shi’a, should therefore not be viewed with hostility rather previous Prophets and their adherents were Shi’a.

“And he entered the City at a time when its people were not watching: and he found there two men fighting,- one of his Shi’a, and the other, of his enemies”. (Qur'an 28:15).
In this verse, Hadhrath Musa (as)’s party are referred to as Shi’a because Hadhrath Musa (as) was Shi’a. His followers were Shi’a as declared by the Holy Qur’an. This fact is acknowledged by the scholars of Ahl’ul Sunnah.

In Tafsir Bidhawi Volume 4 page 125 (Egypt edition)
“One was his Shi’a in others one that followed his path”.

Allamah Farah Baghawi in his “Mu’allim ul Tanzil” Volume 3 page 175 (India, Bombay edition) writes:

“The fighter was a Shi’a - a momin, his enemy was a Kaffir”.

Shi’a in light of hadith of the Prophet(s)
Hadhrath Ali (as) and his Shi’a are the best of creations

It is in praise of the Shi’a of Ali that Allah (swt) sent down the following revelation:

“Those who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of the creatures. Their reward from their Lord shall be everlasting gardens, below which flow rivers, they will abide there forever. Well pleased is God with them and they are well pleased with Him” (Qur'an 98:7)”.

Muhammad bin Ali narrates in Tafsir ibne Jarir, Volume 33 page 146 (Cairo edition) that the Prophet (s) said “The best of creations are you Ali and your Shi’as.

Jalaladin Suyuti, (849 - 911 AH) is one of the highest ranked Sunni scholars of all time. In his commentary of this verse, he records through 3 asnad (chains) of narrators, that the Prophet (s) told his companions that the verse referred to Ali and his Shi’a:

“I swear by the one who controls my life that this man (Ali) and his Shi’a shall secure deliverance on the day of ressurection”.
TDM Volume 6 page 379 (Cairo edition)

The 3 Sahaba who narrated this hadith are (1) Ali (as) himself (2) Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari (ra) (3) Abdullah ibne Abbas (ra). They are acknowledged by the majority school as truthful narrators of hadith. Had this been in a Shi’a book, our opponents would have deemed it a forgery, but it’s presence in their own books has perplexed the minds of many of their scholars.

There are no hadith in which the Prophet (s) guaranteed paradise for a specific Sahaba and his followers, with the sole exception of Ali (as) and his Shi’a. Other Sunni scholars have also recorded this hadith from Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari in their commentaries of the above verse.
Tafsir Fatha ul bayan Volume 10 page 333 (Egypt edition) &
Tafsir Fatha ul Qadir, Volume 5 page 477

Hadhrath Abdullah ibne Abbas narrates “that when this verse descended the Prophet (s) Ali you and your Shi’a will be joyful on the Day of Judgement” (ibid Suyuti).

Ahmad ibn Hajr al Makki quotes from Imam Dar Qatany in his al Sawaiqh al Muhriqa page 159 (Cairo edition) “O Abul Hasan you and you Shi’a will attain paradise”.

The Shi’a will enter Heaven with the Prophet (s), Hadhrath Ali (as) and the pure Imams
Ibn Hajr records this tradition from Imam Tabarani:
“O Ali four people will enter heaven first of all. You Hasan Hussain your descendents and me will follow us and our wives will follow our descendents and our Shi’a will be to the left and right of us”.

The Prophet (s) promised to meet Ali (as) and his Shi’a at the fountain of Kawthur

Hadhrath Ali narrates in Tafsir Durre Mansur, Volume 6 page 379 (Cairo edition)
“Have you not heard this verse “Their reward from their Lord shall be everlasting gardens, below which flow rivers, they will abide there forever”? This verse refers to you and you Shi’a, I promise you that I will be meet you at the Fountain of Kawthur”.

Seventy thousand Shi’as will enter Heaven without any questioning

Whilst salvation will be for the Shi’a of course deeds will differ amongst the followers. It is indeed part of the articles of faith of the Ahl’ul Sunnah that:

“Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had once observed that as many as seventy thousand of his followers will be allowed entry in to paradise without any questioning”.
Islam: The Basic Articles of Faith - According to the Beliefs of the Ahl al Sunna wa al Jama’a - a Modern English translation of Bahar-e-Shariat Part One (Unamed author) page 67 (First edition, Crescent Publishing, Rochdale 1998)

The question that one should ask is ‘Did the Prophet (s) expand any further on who this blessed group would be?’ The answer is recorded by the Shafii scholar al Maghazli who records a tradition from Anas bin Malik, that he heard the Prophet (s) say:

“Seventy thousand people will go to heaven without questions, the Prophet then turned to Ali and said ‘they will be from among your Shi’a and you will be their Imam”

Sunni Reference:
Manaqib Ali al Murtaza, page 184 by al Maghazli al Shafii

What should also be noted is the fact that whilst some verses in the Qur’an are concerned with a specific episode / incident there are some that have a general applicability for all times. Clearly this verse, helps Man to identify the fact that that group “who believe and do righteous deeds are the best of the creatures”.

The verse is a guarantee that at all times, in every era these type of individuals shall exist. If the Prophet (s)’s commentary of that verse is that it is Hadhrath Ali (as) and his Shi’a that are being referred here, then that means that the Shi’a compliment this verse.

This means that that in the same way that this verse will exist until the end of the world, Ali (as)’s Shi’a will likewise exist to provide a practical commentary to it. The fact that the Prophet (s) had made reference to Ali and his Shi’a during his lifetime proves that the Shi’a existed then.

Furthermore, the very fact that this verse has never been abrogated means that from then until the Day of Judgment, if one is seeking to identify the best of creations s/he will need to turn to Ali (as) and his Shi’a. There exist no traditions in which the Prophet (s) guaranteed paradise for a specific companion and his followers, with the sole exception of Ali (as) and his Shi’a.

If the term Ahl' al Sunna wa'al Jammah existed in a definitive form from the moment of the death of the Holy Prophet, undoubtedly some Hadith fabricators would have put this name in and substituted it for the name Shi’a. But since this term did not exist till the reign of Al Mansur, a whole century after the death of the Holy Prophet, no such Hadith exists. So what was the title given to the early companions?….

The companions, the Muhajireen and Ansar were Shi’a

The highly respected Sunni scholar Al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz Dehlavi in his discussion of hadith relating to Ali and his Shi’a writes:

“The title Shi’a was first given to those Muhajireen and Ansar who gave Bayah to Ali (may Allah enlighten his face), they were his steadfast faithful followers during his (Ali’s) khilafat, they remained close to him, and they always fought his enemies, and kept on following Ali’s commands and prohibitions the true Shi’a are these who came in 37 Hijri”
Taufa Ithna Ashari, (Gift to the Twelvers) (Farsi edition p 18, publishers Sohail Academy, Lahore, Pakistan).

(NB: 37 Hijri -the year Hadhrath Ali (as) fought Mu’awiyah at Siffeen).

MUSTAFA AND AHMED BARZANI

The Barzani family has been the leading light of Kurdish politics since the decline and final collapse of the Ottoman Empire

Ahmed Barzani (1896–1969) was the head of the Barzani tribe in Northern Iraq. Sheikh Ahmed is considered to be the architect of Barzan by bringing many different Kurdish tribes under his command and expanding Barzani region. Along with his younger brother Mustafa Barzani, he fought the Iraqi government in the 1920s and 1930s. Mustafa”s sons Masoud Barzani( Massoud Barzani), is the current leader of the KDP and was re-elected as the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region with 66% of the popular vote in July 2009. Mustafa”s other son Idris Barzani was also actively involved in politics A grandson, Nechirvan Barzani, the son of Idris Barzani was the prime minister of Iraqi Kurdistan. Idris Barzani died in 1987 of a heart attack

GEN NEXT MASSOD AND IDRIS BARZANI (OLD PIC)

MASSOD BARZANI NOW

The surname Barzani is a common Iraqi Jewish surname and there even is a celebrated Zionist named Moshe Barzani (1928–1947), Jewish Kurdish member of Lehi (the “Stern Gang”) and Asenath Barzani (1590–1670), renowned Kurdish Jew who was among the first female rabbis

moshe-barzani1
A stamp in memory of Moshe Barzani

The Barzani”s it turns out are probably Crypto Jews An article in the Jewish Telegraph Agency (JTA) speaks of the Barzani families Jewish Rabbinical roots ——- The war in Iraq has ended, and the Kurds in the country’s north emerge as one of the war’s great victors, To the world’s surprise, it turns out that one of the Kurds’ top leaders is actually Jewish and that, as a result,the nascent Kurdish country will forge a close alliance with Israel, giving the Jewish state another toehold in the Middle East and access to the oil riches of the Iraqi north.A Feb. 17 article in the respected daily newspaper Hurriyet offered an interesting take on the situation:Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party, one of two political factions that control the autonomous Kurdish area of northern Iraq, is Jewish and comes from a long line of Kurdish rabbis, the article claimed.

The article was based on information taken from “The Folk Literature of the Kurdistani Jews,” a 1982 anthology that discusses a Kurdish rabbinic family named Barzani, and from work done by a Turkish researcher who found Ottoman documents that refer to a 19th-century Kurdish rabbi also named Barzani. In the article, the researcher — a history instructor named Ahmet Ucar— said Barzani’s “Jewish roots” should lead to a different understanding of the region and its history, since the Hebrew Bible states that the Jewish “Promised Land” stretches from the Nile to the Euphrates, an area that would include Kurdish territory in northern Iraq. See Kurdish leader a Jew ?

There is PLENTY of photographic evidence of the Barzani family Israeli links

Barzani israel

BRAZANI 2Source for both pics http://en.iranwire.com/features/5888/

The links extended to the next generation as well

BARZANI 12

Members of the Barzani family allegedly control a large number of commercial enterprises in Iraqi Kurdistan, with a gross value of several billion dollars, although no evidence of such ownership by Masoud Barzani himself exists.

KRG-controlled parts of Iraqi Kurdistan are estimated to contain around 45 billion barrels of oil,making it the sixth largest reserve in the world .Barzani controlled Peshmerga provide cover to the Rothschild controlled Genel Oil and the Turkish pipeline sending oil to Turkey and Israel

KURDISTAN IS ALL ABOUT OIL CRYPTO JEWS AND ERETZ ISRAEL AND THE CRYPTO BARZANIS ARE THERE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

• The administrations of the United States of America and the United Kingdom have been continuously waging wars against Iraq since 1991.
  The armed forces of these two administrations have been using different kinds and new generations of conventional, nonconventional, and illegal weapons like Napalm, cluster bombs, white phosphorous, microwave, and Depleted Uranium weapons [1][2][3][4] against the human population and the environment of Iraq. Invasion and occupation of Iraq proved to the world that oil flow is the main reason behind these criminal attacks.

To be continued..

• http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-sponsored-genocide-against-iraq-1990-2012-killed-3-3-million-including-750000-children/5314461
• https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/07/west-criminal-bloodbath-iraq-media-cover-up?CMP=share_btn_fb
• https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/earth-insight/2013/oct/13/world-health-organisation-iraq-war-depleted-uranium
• http://www.globalresearch.ca/iraqi-doctors-call-depleted-uranium-use-genocide/5409287
• https://www.rt.com/news/iraq-depleted-uranium-health-394/
• https://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2015/01/29/the-horrors-caused-by-the-usa-uks-indiscriminate-use-of-depleted-uranium-in-iraq-they-must-be-made-to-pay/
• http://thewe.cc/weplanet/news/depleted_uranium_iraq_afghanistan_balkans.html
• https://www.rt.com/news/uk-iraq-depleted-uranium/
• https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/19/us-depleted-uranium-weapons-civilian-areas-iraq
• www.bandepleteduranium.org
• https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/iraq-records-huge-rise-in-birth-defects-8210444.html%3famp
• https://www.rt.com/uk/350804-iraq-chilcot-depleted-uranium/

• News Code : 744009
• Source : ABNA24.com

Birthday Anniversary of Sayyida Fatimah / Biography

Name : Fatima
Title : Az-Zahra
Kunyat : Umm-ul-Aimma
Born : Friday 20th of Jamadi-ul-Akhar in Mecca
Father’s Name : Holy Prophet Muhammad Ibn-e-Abdulla (S.A.W.)
Mother’s Name : Khadija bint-e-Khuwailid
Martyred : 13th Jamadi-ul-Awwal or 3rd Jamadi-ul-Akhir 11Hijrah at Medina at the age of18 years (due to injury inflicted upon her through force of a falling door by a hypocrite).
Buried :The cemetery of Jannatul Baqi or in the Masjid-un-Nabi at Medina

The Birthday of Hadrat Fatima Zahra(A.S.)
Hadrat Khadija’s(S.A.) excellent and noble characteristics are fantastic example for mankind to follow. She is the lady who gave birth to Fatima Zahra(S.A.) and brought her up with talents and virtues. Fatima Zahra(S.A.) was a descendant of two great people. Furthermore, there are undisputed facts that have been declared by the Sacred Messenger and Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.) that neither science nor contemporary discoveries have been able to conquer the deep meanings of, despite what science has achieved in these fields. Because these facts are beyond the reach of machines and telescopes, photographer’s advanced lenses can not capture their rays, nor can natural or logical senses realize them. Actually, the truth goes beyond material and logical realization, for the five senses are unable to define it.
We move on to elaborate on the subject by verifying it through a selection of narration’s mentioned in Volume 6 of Bihar Al-Anwar.
Gabriel descended to the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) and told him:
O Muhammad! The Most Exalted sends His peace upon you and commands you to refrain from (coming close to) Khadija for forty days. It was difficult for the Prophet, who loved and adored Khadija to do so; nevertheless (in obedience to Allah’s command) he spent forty days fasting and praying nights. When it was close to the end of the forty days, he (S.A.W.) summoned Ammar Ibn Yasser and asked him to go to Khadija and tell her:
“O Khadija! do not assume that my separation from you means abandoning or forsaking you, rather my Lord commanded me to do so, so expect nothing save benevolence, for surely Allah (exalted is His Name) praises you to His most honorable angels several times a day. Therefore, with nightfall, close the door and lay dawn to sleep; for I will be staying at Fatima Bint Assad’s house.”
This brought sad tidings to Khadija who missed having the Prophet by her side. At the end of the forty days, Gabriel once again descended to Allah’s Messenger and said:
“O Muhammad! The Most Exalted sends His peace upon you and commands you to be prepared for His salutation and gift.”
The Prophet said:
“Gabriel! What is the Lord of the world’s gift and what is His salutation?”
Gabriel said:
“I have no knowledge of it” At that moment, Michael descended with a plate covered with a kerchief made of brocade or sarcenet and presented it to the Prophet! Gabriel said to him (S.A.W.):
“O Muhammad, your Lord commands you to break your fasting with this food tonight.”
Imam Ali Ibn Abu Talib (A.S.) said in this regard:
“The Prophet (S.A.W.) used to order me to open the door to whoever wanted to join him when he came to break his fast, bus that night he ordered me to guard the door of the house and said to me:
‘O son of Abu Talib! This food is forbidden to everyone save me.”
Then he (A.S.) said:
“I sat at the door, and the Prophet (S.A.W.) uncovered the plate, in privacy, to find a cluster of dates and a bunch of grapes; he ate until satisfied and drank his need of water. He then extended his hands to be washed, so Gabriel poured the water, Michael washed his hands, and Israfil dried them. Thereafter, the remaining food with the plate ascended to heaven.
Then he (S.A.W.) started to prepare himself for prayers when Gabriel said to him:
“Prayer is forbidden to you until you go to Khadija’s house and perform coition with her; for Allah (Glory be to Him) ordained upon Himself to create noble progeny from you tonight.’ So he (S.A.W.) rushed to Khadija’s house.”
It can be concluded from the above mentioned narration that: 1. Allah Almighty commanded His Messenger to abandon Khadija a period of time so that his longing and wanting her increased.
2. He (S.A.W.) performed more worship so as to achieve a higher level of spirituality and sacredness, as a result of being in constant contact with the heavenly world.
3. He (S.A.W.) broke his fast on the pure heavenly gift.
This narration was mentioned by the following Sunni scholars with minor variations between some of their accounts of it: 1. Kharazmi in his book Maqtal Al-Hussain P. 63, 68. 2. Dhahabi in Al-Etedal V. 2, P. 26. 3. Talkhees Al-Mustadrak V. 3, P. 156. 4. Asqalani in Lisan Al-Mizan V. 4, P. 36.
In addition, there are various traditions with minor verbal differences and the same fundamental meaning that Fatima Zahra (S.A.) was created in very sacred way. We mention herein some of these narrations and restrict ourselves to the part which are related to our subject in observance of briefness and omit the rest:
Imam Reza (A.S.) said: “The Prophet said (S.A.W.): ‘On the night of my ascension to Heaven, Gabriel took my hand and led me into Paradise, then he handed me dates from which l ate. When I descended to Earth, I came unto Khadija who became pregnant with Fatima; thus, Fatima is a human huri, whom whenever I long for Paradise I smell.’
Imam Baqir (A.S.), on the account of Jabir Ibn Abdullah, said: “It was said to the Messenger of Allah: Surely you kiss, embrace and bring Fatima close to you… and treat her better than your other daughters!” He (S.A.W.) commented: “Indeed, for Gabriel brought me an apple from heaven, which I ate which later bore Fatima through Khadija.Hence, I smell paradise’s fragrance in her.”
Ibn Abbas said: “Aisha entered the house while the Messenger of Allah was kissing Fatima, so she said:
‘Do you love her, O Messenger of Allah?’
He replied:
‘Indeed, by Allah if you knew the extent of my love for her, your love would increase for her. When I was in the forth heaven… (until he said) that I found these dates softer than butter, more pleasant than musk and sweeter than honey. So when I descended to earth, I came unto Khadija and she bore Fatima. Thus, Fatima is a human huri, whenever I long for paradise I smell her.’
This last narration was also mentioned with variations by:
1. Al-Khateeb Al-Baghdadi in his history book V. 5, P. 87.
2. Kharazmi in Maqtal Al-Hussain P. 63.
3. Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Al-Demashqiin Mizan Al-Etedal V. 1, P. 38.
4. Az Zarandi in Nazm Durar As Simtain.
5. Asqalani in Lisan Al-Mizan V. 5, P. 160.
6. Qanduzi in Yanabi’ Al-Mawaddah.
7. Muhib-Ad-Din At-Tabari in Dhakhaer Al-Uqbi P. 48
These narrations are mentioned on the accounts of Aisha, Ibn Abbas, Saed Ibn Malik, and Umar lbn Al-Khattab.
8. Sheik Shua’b Al-Misri in Ar-Rawd Al-Faeq P. 214, Writes: “Some noble narrators mentioned that one day Lady Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her)asked the Master of creatures (the Prophet (S.A.W.)) to show her a fruit from the Dwell of Peace (Paradise). Thus, Gabriel brought him who was chosen above all (S.A.W.) two apples from Paradise and said:
‘O Muhammad, He who appointed a due proportion for all things says to you: “Eat one apple and give the other to Lady Khadija, then come unto her; for I will create from you (both) Fatima Zahra.”’
The Chosen One (S.A.W.) did what The Guardian (Gabriel) told him to do, and…. (until he said). Thus, whenever the Chosen One (S.A.W.) longed for Paradise and its greatness, he would kiss Fatima and smell her beautiful fragrance and say:
‘Fatima is a human huri.’
There are successive narrations in this regard, but we satisfy ourselves with what has been mentioned. There remains a point here on which elaboration is rather important; it is noticeable that the narrations clearly state that Khadija bore Fatima immediately after the Prophet’s Ascension to heaven, which took place in the second or third year after revelation. Nevertheless, there is a collection of narrations from the Holy Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.), which state that Fatima was born five years after the first revelation to the Prophet (S.A.W.). This indicates that she stayed in her mother’s womb for more than two years, which is definitely incorrect. How can the contradictions between the narrations be explained?! There are several probabilities, which can be given as answers to this question; they are:
1. The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) ascended to heaven more than once, as was stated in the Book of Kafi. This, in my opinion, is the most accurate account of this affair.
2. Taking into account some narrations which state that Fatima (S.A.) was born in the second or third year after the first revelation (as will be mentioned together with the historians’ opinions who claim that Ascension took place in the third year of revelation); this contradiction can be explained especially in light of the various sayings regarding the month during which Ascension occurred.
Among the unique merits of Fatima Zabra was that she spoke to her mother while she was still in her mother’s womb. Shiite scholars are not alone in reporting this merit of Fatima; several Sunni scholars and narrators also support this fact. For instance, Abdurrahman Shafe’i narrated in his book Nuzhat Al-Majalis V. 2, P. 227, that Khadija (may Allah be pleased with her) said:
“When I was pregnant with Fatima, which was an easy pregnancy, she would speak to me from inside my womb.” Also, Dahlawi in Tajhiz Al-Jaish quoted the author of Madh Al-Khulafa Ar-Rashidin as saying:
“When Khadija was pregnant with Fatima, she (Fatima) used to speak to her from her womb, but Khadija kept this from the Prophet. One day, the Prophet entered the house and found Khadija speaking to someone while no one was in the room with her He (S.A.W.) inquired as to whom she was speaking; she replied:
‘That which in my womb, surely it speaks to me.’ Then the Prophet said:
‘Rejoice Khadija, for this is the girl whom Allah has made to be the mother of eleven of my successors who will come after me and after their father.’
Shuab Ibn Saad AI-Misri mentioned the following in Ar Rawd Al-Faeq P. 214: “At the time when Khadija’s pregnancy had become apparent, the infidels asked the Prophet (S.A.W.) to show them the splitting of the moon; upon hearing this Khadija declared:
“O what a disappointment it would be! Had Muhammad lied while he is the best Messenger of my Lord?” It was then that Fatima called Khadija from her womb and said:
“O Mother, do not be grieved nor sorrowful, for surely Allah is with my father.” When Fatima was born, the skies became illuminated from the brightness of her face.

Fatima Zahra’s Birth
The clear disagreement on Fatima’s birth date is surprising. Some scholars state that she was born five years after revelation; while others say that she was born two or three years before that; and still others claim that she was born five years before revelation.
It should be noted that the first statement was narrated from the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.); a group of Sunni scholars also favor the same viewpoint. On the other hand, Sunni scholars and narrators alone speak of the second date. The following are narrations which have been cited concerning the date of Fatima Zahra’s birth:
1. Kafi (Kulayni): “She was born five years after (the beginning of) Prophethood, and three years after Ascension to heaven. When the Prophet died, Fatima was eighteen years old… .”
2. Al-Manaqib (Ibn Shahr Ashub): “Fatima was born five years after (the beginning of) Prophethood and three years after Ascension, namely on the 20th of Jamadi Al-Thani. She lived eight years in Mecca with her father, then she immigrated… .”
3. Al-Bihar: Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: “Fatima Bint Muhammad was born five years after the (first) revelation to Allah’s Messenger. She died when she was eighteen years and seventy-five days old.”
4. Rawdhat Al-Waedhin: “Fatima was born five years after the (first) revelation to the Prophet.. .”
5. Iqbal Al-Aamal: Sheik Mufeed in his book Hadaiq Ar-Ryadh, said: “The 20th of Jamadi Al-Thani was the birthday of Fatima Zahra during the second year after (the first) revelation.”
6. Misbab Al-Kaf’ami: “Although it has been said that she was born five years after (the first) revelation, (Fatima) was born on Friday the 20th af Jamadi Al-Thani, two years after revelation.”
7. Misbahain: “Friday the 20th of Jamadi Al-Thani, two years after revelation, was the birthday of Fatima (S.A.), as was cited by some narrations. It has been mentioned in a narration that she was born five years after revelation. The Sunnis narrate that she was born five years before revelation.”
8. Dala’el Al-Imamah, on the authority of Imam Sadiq (A.S.): “Fatima was born on the 20th of Jamadi Al-Thani, forty five years after the Prophet was born… .”
The above mentioned statements are a selection of narrations from the Imams of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.) and the old Shiite scholars (may Allah bless their souls) declaring that Fatima Zahra’s birth took place after revelation. Contrary to this, the Sunni scholars have stated:
1. Ma’refat As-Sahabah by Abu Nu’eym: “Fatima was the youngest of Allah’s Messenger’s daughters. She was born while Quraish was building Kaaba.”
2. Maqatil At-Talibin by Abu Al-Faraj Al-Isfahani: “Fatima’s birth took place before revelation, during the time that Quraish was building Kaaba.”
3. lbn Al-Athir in Al-Muhktar Fi Manaqib Al-Akhiar.
4. Tabari in Dhakhaer Al-Uqbi.
5. Sayuti in Ath-Thughour Al-Basimah.
Perhaps more research would reveal that the Sunnis adopted this viewpoint in most of their books. After briefly examining the above mentioned narrations and in view of the fact that neither Ascension nor Revelation took place before the beginning of Prophethood, it becomes clear that Lady Fatima Zahra’s birth was after revelation.
Therefore, the falsity of the traditions, which claim that she was born five years prior to the first revelation, becomes obvious. There are two motives, which can be cited for those who made such false claims: The first is to refute the prophetic traditions which reveal the story of heavenly food that bore Fatima. The second is to prove that Fatima Zahra was unattractive to the point that she became eighteen years old before anyone asked to marry her.
Nevertheless, Tabari in Dhakhaer Al-Uqbi, Asfuri Shafe’i in Nuzhat Al-Majalis and Qanduzi in Yanabea Al-Mawaddah narrated that Khadija (S.A.) said:
“…Then, when (Fatima’s) delivery came near, I sent for the Quraishan midwives who refused to help me because of Muhammad (S.A.W.). During childbirth, four ladies whose beauty and brilliance were indescribable entered the house. One of them said:
‘I am your Mother Eve.’
The second said: ‘I am Um Kulthum, Musa’s sister.
‘ The third said: ‘I am Mariam, and we have come to help you.’”
Here is the same narration but in a different manner:
“When Khadija was about to deliver, she sent for the Quraishan women to help her give birth to her child. They refused and said:
‘We will not help you; for you became Muhammad’s wife.’ In the meantime, four women entered the house; their beauty and brilliance can not be described. One of them said:
‘I am your Mother Eve.’
The second said:
‘I am Asyia Bint Muzahim.’
The third said: ‘I am Kulthum, Musa’s sister.’
The fourth said:
‘I am Mariam Bint Imran, (Isa’s mother). We have come to deliver your child.’”
Fatima was then born. When Fatima fell on the ground, she was in a prostrating position, raising her finger.
Furthermore, the detailed narration was mentioned by Al-Mufaddal Ibn Amr on the authority of Imam Sadiq (A.S.) in V.1 of Al-Bihar by Al-Majlisi.

Fatima(A.S.) The Radiant
Imam Hasan Askari(A.S.) reported that his father quoted Jabir Ibn Abdullah as saying : ‘ The Messenger of Allah, Peace be Upon him and his cleansed progeny, said : ‘ When Allah created Adam and Eve, they strutted through paradise and said : ‘ Who are better than we ? ‘ At that moment they noticed an image of a girl like they had never seen before; from this girl came an illuminating light so bright that it almost blinded the eyes.
They said : ‘ O Lord, what is this ? ‘ He answered : ‘ This is the Image of Fatima (A.S.), the mistress of your women descendants. ‘
Lisan Al Mizan Volume 3 page 346
Ibn Abbas said : ‘ Aisha entered the house while the Messenegr of Allah was kissing Fatima ( A.S. ), so she said : ‘ Do you love her, O Messenger of Allah ? ‘
He replied : ‘ Indeed, by Allah if you knew the extent of my love for her, your love would increase for her. When I was in the forth heaven … that I found these dates softer than butter, more pleasent than musk and sweeter than honey. So when I descended to earth, I came unto Khadija and she bore Fatima. Thus Fatima is a human huri, whenever I long for paradise I smell her.

Hadrat Fatima Zahra’s(A.S.) other name:
Az-Zahra: She was named by Allah, as Az-Zahra because her Holy Light used to shine among those brighter in all The Heavens.
Batool: Because of her absolute Purity attained from Paradise from The Heavens. And also because, The Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra, not like all the other women in the world, she had been blessed of not having the monthly menstrual period. This purity of hers was created by Allah The Almighty with the Purity of the Heavenly food and water her Holy Father had received, when he was alone on the mountain top indulging himself in prayer in the worship of God, for forty days and nights.
Siddiqah The Honest, The Righteous
Al-Mubarakah The Blessed One
Al-Tahirah The Virtuous, The Pure
Al-Zakiyah The Chaste, The Unblemished
Al-Radhiatul Mardhiah She who is gratified and who shall be satisfied
Al-Muhaddathah A person other than a Prophet, that the angel’s speak too
Al-Zahirah The Luminous

Hazrat Fatima (A.S.) in the Holy Quran
Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass …. [ 25 : 35 ]
Ibn al Maghazli al Shafi’i has related that the niche means Hazrat Fatima ( A.S. ), the lamp means Hasan ( A.S.) and Husain ( A.S.) …..
Give the kinsman his due …. [ 17 : 26 ]
Commentators have written that when this verse was revealed the Holy Prophet ( S.A.W. ) asked the Angel Gibrael : Who are the kinsmen and what is their due ? The Angel replied : Give Fidak to Fatima for it is her due, and whatever is due to Allah and the Prophet out of Fadak, that also belongs to her, so entrust it to her also. Thereupon the Holy Prophet called Fatima ( A.S.) and wrote the deed of gift, giving Fadak to her.
Tafseer Durre Mansoor ( Volume 4 page 177 )
It is Allah’s wish to keep away all blemish from you, O Ahl al Bayt, and purify you with a perfect purification. [ 33 : 33 ]
Al Tirmizi, Ibn Manthoor, Al Hakim, Ibn Mardawaih and Al Bayhaqi in his Sunan, all recorded the report of Umme Salemah, wife of the Prophet ( S.A.W.) in which she said :
Im my own house the Quranic verse : Certainly God wants to keep away all abominitions from you …. Ali Fatima, Al Hassan and Al Hussein were at my house. The messenger of God covered them with a garment and then said : These are the members of my House. God keep away abomination from them and make them pure and spotless.
Sahih al Tirmizi, Volume 5 page 328 Hadith no. 3875
And whoever disputes with thee concerning him after the inspired knowledge which has been given untoo thee, tell him : ‘ Come, let us call our sons and your sons; our women and your women; and ourselves and yourselves; then let us pray and invoke Allah’s curse upon those who lie. [ 3 : 61 ]
When the above verse came down ( at the time of debate between the Messenger and the Christians from Najran ), the Messenger of God called upon Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussein and said : God, these are the members of my family.
Sahih Muslim Volume 15 page 176

The Marriage
One day when the Prophet ( S.A.W. ) came out and joined his companions his face was beaming with joy. Abd al Rahman ibn Awf inquired as to the cause of his joy and the Prophet ( S.A.W ) said :
I have received good tidings from my Lord about my brother and the son of my uncle, that Allah has given my daughter Fatima, Peace be Upon Her and her progeny, in marriage to Ali.
Sawaiq Al Muhriqah page 103
The Prophet ( saw ) said :
O Fatima ! Are you not pleased with this, that Allah, the Mighty and Glorious, cast a glance on the dwellers of the earth and selected from them two men, one of them your father and the other your husband ?
Mustadrak Al Hakim Volume 3 page 129 ( admits it to be genuine )
Kanz al Ummal Volume 6 page 153
Musnad of Imam Ahmed Volume 5 page 39
Sharh al Nahj al Balagah Volume 2 page 451
Ibn Abu Hatam has recorded a report from Anas, who says that Umar and Abu Bakr came to the Prophet (S.A.W. ) and each of them requested to give him the hand of Fatima (A.S.). But the Prophet (S.A.W.) kept silent and gave no answer. Then both of them went to Ali (A.S.) and told him that they had asked for the hand of Fatima (A.S. ), but the Prophet (S.A.W.) gave no answer. They requested Ali (A.S.) to ask for the hand of Fatima ( A.S.).
Many eminent traditionists have copied this report from Ibn Hatam. Ibn Hajar Asqalani ( Hadith Scientist ) has recorded in the opening part of Chapter 11 of Sawaiq al Muhriqah.
Kanz al Ummal Volume 6 page 153
Musnad of Imam Ahmed Volume 5 page 31
The Prophet (S.A.W.) gave Abu Bakr some money and asked him to accompany Salman and Bilal to buy some house hold necessities for Fatimas house. The Prophet said to Abu Bakr :
Buy some appropriate household necessities for my daughter with this money.
Abu Bakr said :
He ( saw ) gave me sixty three ( 63 ) dirhams, so we went to the market and bought the following
a leather mat
a Khaibairion cloak
jugs and jars for water
a thin curtain made of wool
a veil costing 4 ( foour ) dirhams
a bed embellished with ribbon
a mat from Hajar
a special copper container used for dye stuff
a water skin

The Leader of all Women in Paradise
Like her Holy Infallible Father(S.A.W.), she possessed all the intellectual abilities and achievements. Many verses of The Holy Koran were revealed in her praise and about her spiritual credits. The Holy Prophet of Islam(S.A.W.) had given her several honorable titles among which one is:
The Holy Prophet her Father(S.A.W.) loved her very much Whenever she would go to the house of her father The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) would stand up out of respect to her. Whenever he greeted her, and he would honour her by giving her a special place to seat herself in his house. Very often Her Father(S.A.W.) would softly kiss her hands and say, “Allah, The Most High; is pleased when Fatimah(A.S.) is pleased. He is angered; whenever Fatimah is angered!”

The Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.) Pleads Her Case
After all else failing, the holy Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.), in her desperation and frustration, causes a great controversy among all the Muslims. By personally going to her Father’s Mosque of Al-Madinah, after prayers had ended, to publicly expose and demand the immeadiate return of her rightful inheritance from Abu Bakr and his supporters, who had ordered it confiscated.
The Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.) had now exhaused all possible avenues in her pursuit to reclaim her rightful inheritance to the Fadak, given to her by her Father The Holy Prophet Mohammad Al-Mustafa(S.A.W.). But sadly her pleas fell on deaf ears. For this reason, and on the grounds of proving that she has been oppressed by those who professed righteousness under false pretences of faith and piety. At a very last resort the holy Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.), daringly went to her Father’s Mosque, to face her adversaries and delivered to them the most eloquent of words in her defense, which left the assembly speechless. She chose to proceed to the Mosque at a time when it was crammed with people, in order that her words reached the ears of all the people, who were somewhat accessories after the fact due to their silent approval of the events that occurred after the Holy Prophet’s demise. She addressed the assembly in a speech that was both harmonious and systematic. It was an impeccable speech in that it contained no minced words, and was free of equivocation, distortion and slander. Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.) used the occasion to firstly acquaint the people with Allah, The Most Exalted, and to disclose the merits of the Islamic religion and to clarify the cause and effect of the Islamic Laws. With this introduction she succeeded in securing the full attention of the assembly and created an appropriate atmosphere in which she could deliver her final statement which contained the underlying intentions and reasons that forced her to leave her house and proceed to the Mosque. And the reasons which warranted her leaving her house were, of course, the misappropriation by the so-called then self appointed caliph Abu Bakr of: The Fadak which was legally hers.

Hadrat Fatima’s Protest Against Abu Bakr’s Actions
Hadrat Fatima (A.S.) felt grieved by Abu Bakr’s actions, and was so displeased with him that when she knew of his attempt to seize Fadak, she accompanied a group of women to the Masjid-un-Nabi in the holy city of Madina. There she sat down and delivered the following speech:
Hadrat Fatima’s Historical Speech
Praise be to Allah for that which He bestowed (upon us); And thanks be to Him for all that which He inspired; and commended in His Name for that which He Provided: Form prevalent favors which He created, And abundant benefactions which He offered and perfect grants which He presented; (such benefactions) that their number is much too plentiful to compute; Bounties too vast to measure; Their limit was too distant to realize; He recommended to them (His creatures) to gain more (of His benefaction) by being grateful for their continuity; He ordained Himself praiseworthy by giving generously to His creatures; I bear witness that there is no God but Allah Who is One without partner, a statement which sincere devotion is made to be its interpretation; hearts guarantee its continuation, and illuminated in the minds is its sensibility.
He Who can not be perceived with vision; neither be described with tongues; nor can imagination surround His state. He originated things but not from anything that existed before them, and created them without examples to follow. Rather, He created them with His might and dispersed them according to His will; not for a need did He create them; nor for a benefit (for Him) did He shape them, But to establish His wisdom, Bring attention to His obedience, manifest His might, lead His creatures to humbly venerate Him, and to exalt His decrees. He then made the reward for His obedience, And punishment for his disobedience, so as to protect His creatures from His Wrath and amass them into His Paradise.
I too bear witness that my Father, Muhammad(S.A.W.), is His Slave and Messenger, Whom He chose prior to sending him, named him before sending him; when creatures were still concealed in that which was transcendental, guarded from that which was appalling and associated with the termination and nonexistence. For Allah the Exalted knew that which was to follow, comprehended that which will come to pass, And realized the place of every event. Allah has sent him (Muhammad) (S.A.W.) as perfection for His commands, a resolution to accomplish His rule, and an implementation of the decrees of His Mercy. So he found the nations to vary in their faiths; Obsessed by their fires, Worshipping their idols, And denying Allah despite their knowledge of Him. Therefore, Allah illuminated their darkness with my Father, Muhammad, (S.A.W.) uncovered obscurity from their hearts, and cleared the clouds from their insights. He revealed guidance among the people; So he delivered them from being led astray, led them away from misguidance, guided them to the proper religion, and called them to the straight path.
Allah then chose to recall him back in mercy, love and preference. So, Muhammad (S.A.W.) is in comfort from the burden of this world, he is surrounded with devoted angels, the satisfaction of the Merciful Lord, and the nearness of the powerful King. So may the praise of Allah be upon my Father, His Prophet, Trusted one, the chosen one from among His creatures, and His sincere friend, and may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Hadrat Fatima(A.S.) then turned to the crowd and said:
Surely you are Allah’s slaves at His command Prohibition; You are the bearers of His religion and revelation; You are Allah’s trusted ones with yourselves; and His messengers to the nations. Amongst you does He have righteous authority; A covenant He brought unto you, and an heir He left to guard you; That is The eloquent book of Allah; The truthful Quran; The brilliant light; The shining beam; Its insights are indisputable; Its secrets are revealed; Its indications are manifest; and its followers are blessed by it. (The Quran) leads its adherents to goodwill; and Hearing it leads to salvation; with it are the bright divine authorities achieved, His manifest determination acquired, His prohibited decrees avoided; His manifest evidence recognized, His satisfying proofs made apparent, His permissions granted, and His laws written.
So Allah made belief to be purification for you from polytheism. He made: Prayer — An exaltation for you from conceit. Alms — A purification for the soul and a (cause of) growth in subsistence. Fasting — An implantation of devotion. Pilgrimage — A construction of religion. Justice — A harmony of the hearts; Obeying us (Ahlul-Bayt) Management of the nation. Our leadership (Ahlul-Bayt). Safeguard from disunity. Jihad (struggle) — A strengthening of Islam. Patience — A helping course for deserving (divine) reward. Ordering goodness (Amr Bi Maruf) Public welfare. Kindness to the parents — A safeguard from wrath. Maintaining close relations with one’s kin-A cause for a longer life and multiplying the number of descendants. Retaliation (Qesas) -For sparing blood (souls). Fulfillment of vows — subjecting oneself to mercy. Completion of weights and measures — A cause for preventing the neglect of others’ rights. Forbiddance of drinking wine — An exaltation from atrocity. Avoiding slander — A veil from curse. Abandoning theft-a reason for deserveing chastity. Allah has also prohibited polytheism so that one can devote himself to His Lordship.
Therefore; Fear Allah as He should be feared, and die not except in a state of Islam; Obey Allah in that which He has commanded you to do and that which He has forbidden, for surely those truly fear among His servants, who have knowledge.
Hadrat Fatima Zahra (A.S.) then added:
0 People! Be informed that I am Fatima(A.S.), and my father is Muhammad (S.A.W.) I say that repeatedly and initiate it continually; I say not what I say mistakenly, nor do I do what I do aimlessly. Now hath come unto you an Apostle from amongst yourselves; It grieves him that you should perish; Ardently anxious is he over you; To the believers he is most kind and merciful. Thus, if you identify and recognize him, you shall realize that he is my father and not the father of any of your women; the brother of my cousin (Ali) (A.S.) rather than any of your men. What an excellent identity he was, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his descendants. Thus, he propagated the Message, by coming out openly with the warning and while inclined away from the path of the polytheists, (whom he) struck their strength and seized their throats, while he invited (all) to the way of his Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; He destroyed idols, and defeated heroes, until their group fled and turned their backs. So night revealed its dawn; righteousness uncovered its genuineness; the voice of the religious authority spoke out loud; the evil discords were silenced; The crown of hypocrisy was diminished; the tightening of infidelity and desertion were untied, So you spoke the statement of devotion amongst a band of starved ones; and you were on the edge of a hole of fire; (you were) the drink of the thirsty one; the opportunity of the desiring one; the fire brand of him who passes in haste; the step for feet; you used to drink from the water gathered on roads; eat jerked meat. (Lady Fatima (S.A.) was stating their lowly situation before Islam) You were despised outcasts always in fear of abduction from those around you.
Yet, Allah rescued you through my father, Muhammad (S.A.W.) after much ado, and after he was confronted by mighty men, the Arab beasts, and the demons of the people of the Book Who, whenever they ignited the fire of war, Allah extinguished it; and whenever the thorn of the devil appeared, or a mouth of the polytheists opened wide in defiance, he (S.A.W.) would strike its discords with his brother (Ali) (A.S.), who comes not back until he treads its wing with the sole of his feet, and extinguishes its flames with his sword. Ali(A.S.) is diligent in Allah’s affair, near to the Messenger of Allah, A master among Allah’s worshippers, setting to work briskly, sincere in his advice, earnest and exerting himself (in service to Islam); While you were calm, gay, and feeling safe in your comfortable lives, waiting for us to meet disasters, awaiting the spread of news, you fell back during every battle, and took to your heels at times of fighting. Yet, When Allah chose His Prophet from the dwell of His prophets, and the abode of His sincere (servants); The thorns of hypocrisy appeared on you, the garment of faith became worn out, The misguided ignorants spoke out, the sluggish ignorant came to the front and brayed. The he camel of the vain wiggled his tail in your courtyards and the your courtyards and the Devil stuck his head from its place of hiding and called upon you, he found you responsive to his invitation, and observing his deceits.
He then aroused you and found you quick (to answer him), and invited you to wrath, therefore; you branded other than your camels and proceeded to other than your drinking places. Then while the era of the Prophet was still near, the gash was still wide, the scar had not yet healed, and the Messenger was not yet buried. A (quick) undertaking as you claimed, aimed at preventing discord (trial), Surely, they have fallen into trial already! And indeed Hell surrounds the unbelievers. How preposterous! What an idea! What a falsehood! For Allah’s Book is still amongst you, its affairs are apparent; its rules are manifest; its signs are dazzling; its restrictions are visible, and its commands are evident. Yet, indeed you have casted it behind your backs! What! Do you detest it?
Or according to something else you wish to rule? Evil would be the exchange for the wrongdoers! And if anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), it never will it be accepted from him; And in the hereafter, he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. Surely you have not waited until its stampede seized, and it became obedient. You then started arousing its flames, instigating its coal, complying with the call of the misled devil, quenching the light of the manifest religion, and extinguished the light of the sincere Prophet. You concealed sips on froth and proceeded towards his (the Prophet) kin and children in swamps and forests (meaning you plot against them in deceitful ways), but we are patient with you as if we are being notched with knives and stung by spearheads in our abdomens, Yet-now you claim-that there is not inheritance for us! What! “Do they then seek after a judgment of (the Days of) ignorance? But How, for a people whose faith is assured, can give better judgment than Allah?
Don’t you know? Yes, indeed it is obvious to you that I am his daughter. O Muslims! Will my inheritance be usurped?
O son of Abu Quhafa(Abu Bakr)! Where is it in the Book of Allah that you inherit your father and I do not inherit mine? Surely you have come up with an unprecedented thing. Do you intentionally abandon the Book of Allah and cast it behind your back? Do you not read where it says: ‘And Sulaiman inherited Dawood’? And when it na,rates the story of Zakariya and says: ‘So give me an heir as from thyself; (One that) will inherit me, and inherit the posterity of Yaqoob’ And: ‘But kindred by hood have prior rights against each other in the Book of Allah’ And: ‘Allah (thus) directs you as regards your children’s (inheritance) to the male, a portion equal to that of two females’ And: ‘…If he leaves any goods, that he make a bequest to parents and next of kin, according to reasonable usage; this is due from the pious ones.
‘ You claim that I have no share! And that I do not inherit my father! What! Did Allah reveal a (Quranic) verse regarding you, from which He excluded my father? Or do you say: ‘These (Fatima and her father) are the people of two faiths, they do not inherit each other?’ Are we not, me and my father, a people adhering to one faith? Or is it that you have more knowledge about the specifications and generalizations of the Quran than my father and my cousin (Imam Ali)? So, here you are! Take it! (Ready with) its nose rope and saddled! But if shall encounter you on the Day of Gathering; (thus) what a wonderful judge is Allah, a claimant is Muhammad(S.A.W.), and a day is the Day of Rising. At the time of the Hour shall the wrongdoers lose; and it shall not benefit you to regret (your actions) then! For every Message, there is a time limit and soon shall you know who will be inflicted with torture that will humiliate him, and who will be confronted by an everlasting punishment.
Hadrat Fatima(A.S.) then turned towards the Ansars and said:
O you people of intellect! The strong supporters of the nation! And those who embraced Islam; What is this short-coming in defending my right? And what is this slumber (while you see) injustice (being done toward me)? Did not the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) my father, used to say: ‘A man is upheld (remembered) by his children’? O how quick have you violated (his orders)?! How soon have you plotted against us? But you still are capable (of helping me in) my attempt, and powerful (to help me) in that which I request and (in) my pursuit (of it).
Or do you say: “Muhammad (S.A.W.) has perished;” Surely this is a great calamity; Its damage is excessive its injury is great, Its wound (is much too deep) to heal. The Earth became darkened with his departure; the stars eclipsed for his calamity; hopes were seized; mountains submitted; sanctity was violated, and holiness was encroached upon after his death. Therefore, this, by Allah, is the great affliction, and the grand calamity; there is not an affliction which is the like of it; nor will there be a sudden misfortune (as surprising as this).
The Book of Allah-excellent in praising him-announced in the courtyards (of your houses) in the place where you spend your evenings and mornings; A call, A cry, A recitation, and (verses) in order: It had previously came upon His (Allah’s) Prophets and Messengers; (for it is) A decree final, and a predestination fulfilled: “Muhammad(S.A.W.) is not but an Apostle: Many were the apostles that passed away before him. If he died or was slain, will ye then turn back on your heels? If any did turn back on his heel, not the least harm will he do to Allah, but Allah (on the other hand) will swiftly reward those who (serve Him) with gratitude.” O you people of reflection; will I be usurped the inheritance of my father while you hear and see me?! (And while) You are sitting and gathered around me? You hear my call, and are included in the (news of the) affair? (But) You are numerous and well equipped! (You have) the means and the power, and the weapons and the shields. Yet, the call reaches you but you do not answer; the cry comes to you but you do not come to help?
(This) While you are characterized by struggle, known for goodness and welfare, the selected group (which was chosen), and the best ones chosen by the Messenger (S.A.W.) for us, Ahlul-Bayt. You fought the Arabs, bore with pain and exhaustion, struggled against the nations, and resisted their heroes. We were still, so were you in ordering you, and you in obeying us. So that Islam became triumphant, the accomplishment of the days came near, the fort of polytheism was subjected, the outburst of fabrication subsided, the flames of infidelity calmed down, and the system of religion was well-ordered. Thus, (why have you) become confused after clearness? Conceal matters after announcing them? Turned on your heels after daring? Associated (others with Allah) after believing? Will you not fight people who violated their oaths? Plotted to expel the Apostle and became aggressive by being the first (to assault) you?
Do ye fear them? Nay, it is Allah whom you should more justly fear, if you believe! Nevertheless, I see that you are inclined to easy living; dismissed he who is more worthy of guardianship (Ali) (A.S.); you secluded yourselves with meekness and dismissed that which you accepted. Yet, if you show ingratitude, you and all on earth together, yet, Allah free of all wants worthy of all praise.
Surely I have said all that I have said with full knowledge that you intent to forsake me, and knowing the betrayal which your hearts sensed. But, it is the state of soul, the effusion of fury, the dissemination of (what is) the chest and the presentation of the proof Hence, Here it is! Bag it (leadership and) put it on the back of an ill she-camel, which has a thin hump, with everlasting grace, marked with the wrath of Allah, and the blame of ever (which leads to) the Fire of (the wrath of) Allah kindled (to a blaze), that which doth mount (right) to the hearts; For, Allah witnesses what you do, and soon will the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take!!
And I am the daughter of a Warner (the Prophet) (S.A.W.) to you against a severe punishment. So, act and so will we, and wait, and we shall wait.” (The end of Hadrat Fatima’s speech.)
It appears from recorded historical events, that Hadrat Fatima (A.S.) was successful at the beginning in persuading Abu Bakr to hand back Fadak to her; listen to part of a speech he (according to some historians) delivered after hearing Hadrat Fatima’s speech Abu Bakr said:
“O daughter of the Messenger of Allah… Surely the Prophet is your father, not anyone else’s, the brother of your husband, not any other man ‘s; he surely preferred him over all his friends and (Ali) supported him in every important matter, no one loves you save the lucky and no one hates you save the wretched. You are the blessed progeny of Allah’s Messenger, the chosen ones, our guides to goodness, our path to Paradise, and you-the best of women-and the daughter of the best of prophets, truthful is your sayings, excelling in reason. You shall not be driven back from your right…But I surely heard your father saying: ‘We the group of prophets do not inherit, nor are we inherited. Yet, this is my situation and property, it is yours (if you wish); it shall not be concealed from you, nor will it be stored away from you.
You are the Mistress of your father’s nation, and the blessed tree of your descendants. Your property shall not be usurped against your will, nor can your name be defamed. Your judgment shall be executed in all that which I possess. This, do you think that I violate your father’s (will) ?”
Hadrat Fatima(A.S.) then refuted Abu Bakr’s claim that the Prophet (S.A.W.) had stated that prophets couldn’t be inherited, and said:
“Glory be to Allah!! Surely Allah’s Messenger (S.A.W.) did not abandon Allah’s Book nor did he violate His commands. Rather, he followed its decrees and adhered to its chapters. So do you unite with treachery justifying your acts with fabrications?
Indeed this-after his departure-is similar to the disasters which were plotted against him during his lifetime. But behold! This is Allah’s Book, a just judge and a decisive speaker, saying:
‘One that will (truly) inherit Me, and inherit the posterity of Yaqub,’ and ‘and Sulaiman inherited Dawood.’ Thus, He (Glory be to Him) made clear that which He made share of all heirs, decreed from the amounts of inheritance, allowed for males and females, and eradicated all doubts and ambiguities (pertaining to this issue which existed with the) bygones. Nay! But your minds have made up a tale (that may pass) with you, but (for me) patience is most fitting against that which you assert; it is Allah (alone) whose help can be sought.”
It is apparent that Abu Bakr chanced the mode with which he addressed Hadrat Fatima (A.S.) after delivering her speech. Listen to his following speech; which is his reply to Hadrat Fatima’s just reported speech. Abu Bakr said:
“Surely Allah and His Apostle are truthful, and so has his (the Prophet’s) daughter told the truth. Surely you are the source of wisdom, the element of faith, and the sole authority. May Allah not refute your righteous argument, nor invalidate your decisive speech. But these are the Muslims between us-who have entrusted me with leadership, and it was according to their satisfaction that I received what I have. I am not being arrogant, autocratic, or selfish, and they are my witnesses.”
Upon hearing Abu Bakr speak of the people’s support for him, Hadrat Fatima Zahra (A.S.) turned towards them and said:
“O people, Who rush towards uttering falsehood and are indifferent to disgraceful and losing actions! Do you not earnestly seek to reflect upon the Quran, or are your hearts isolated with locks? But on your hearts is the stain of the evil which you committed; it has seized your hearing and your sight, evil is that which you justified, cursed is that which you reckoned, and wicked is what you have taken for an exchange! You shall, by Allah, find bearing it (to be a great) burden, and its consequence disastrous. (That is) on the day when the cover is removed and appears to you what is behind it of wrath. When you will be confronted by Allah with that which you could never have expected, there will perish, there and then, those who stood on falsehoods.”
Although parts of Abu Bakr’s speeches can not be verified with authentic evidence, and despite the fact that we have already mentioned part of the actual speech which Abu Bakr delivered after Hadrat Fatima’s arguments, it appears certain that Abu Bakr was finally persuaded to submit Fadak to her.
Nevertheless, when Hadrat Fatima(A.S.) was leaving Abu Bakr’s house, Umar suddenly appeared and exclaimed:
“What is it that you hold in your hand?”
Abu Bakr replied:
“A decree I have written for Fatima(A.S.) in which I assigned Fadak and her father’s inheritance to her.”
Umar then said
“With what will you spend on the Muslims if the Arabs decide to fight you?!” Umar then seized the decree and tore it up!.

Hadith-E-Kesa
Hadrat Fatima Zahra(A.S.) said:
One day, my dear Father, The Holy Prophet of Allah, came to my house and said to me “Peace be upon you, O Fatima,” To which I replied: “And upon you be peace.” He said “I feel some weakness in my body.” I said “May Allah protect you from your weakness, O my Father.” He said, “ 0 Fatima, please bring me, the Vestment of Yemen and cover me with it.” So, I brought my Father, the Vestment of Yemen and covered him with it. Then I looked at him and saw that his face was shining with the glow of a full white moon, and with the moon’s full glory and splendour. After a while my son Hasan(A.S.) came in and said “Peace be upon you, my mother.” I replied: “And upon you be peace, O, the light of my eyes and the happiness of my heart.” He then said: “Mother! I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure, as that of my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah.” I replied: “Yes. Indeed your Grandfather is sitting underneath that Vestment.” Hasan went near to the Vestment and said: “Peace be upon you my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah. Will you permit me to enter the Vestment with you?.” He replied: “And upon you be peace, my son and the master of my fountain, I grant you permission to enter under the Vestment with me.” So Hasan entered and sat under the Vestment with my Father. After a while my son Husain(A.S.) came in and said “Peace be upon you, my mother.” I replied: “And upon you be peace, O, the light of my eyes and happiness of my heart.” He then said: “Mother I smell a fragrance so sweet and pure as that of my Grandfather, The Prophet of Allah.” I replied, “Yes. Indeed your Grandfather and your brother are both sitting covered underneath that Vestment.” Hussain approached the Vestment and said: “Peace be on you, O my Grandfather, The Chosen of Allah, do you allow me to enter the Vestment with both of you.” He replied: “And upon you be peace, my son and intercessor of my followers, I so grant you permission.” So Hussain entered and sat under the Vestment with them. After a while Abul Hasan(A.S.), came in and said “Peace be on you, O daughter of The Prophet of Allah.” I replied: “And upon you be peace, O Abul Hasan, the Commander of the Faithfulls.” He then said: “O Fatima I smell a sweet fragrance and so pure which is like of my Brother and my Cousin, The Holy Prophet of Allah.” I replied: “Yes. He is sitting covered underneath that Vestment with both of your sons.” Ali(A.S.) then went near to the Vestment and said: “Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah; May I enter the Vestment with You?” He replied: “And upon you be peace, my brother, my legatee, my successor and my standard bearer; I give you permission to enter.” So Ali(A.S.) entered under the Vestment with them. Then I myself approached the group sitting underneath the Vestment and requested. “Peace be onto you, my Father, O Prophet of Allah; do you permit me also to enter.” He replied: “And upon you be peace, my daughter, O part of myself, I give you permission to enter.” So I myself entered and sat under the Vestment with them all. When all of us had gathered together covered over and sitting underneath the holy Vestment, my Father, took hold of the two ends of the Vestment and raised his right hand in Prayer towards The Heavens saying, “Allah, these are The People of my Ahlul-Bayt and very specially my Own and my Protectors. They are of my own flesh and of my own blood. Whoever gives them trouble, gives me trouble too; whoever makes them unhappy, makes me unhappy too, I am at war with those who are at war with them, I am at peace with those who are at peace with them. I am the enemy of those who are at enemy with them; I am the friend of those who befriend them. Indeed they are from me, and I am from them. Therefore, send Thy blessings, mercy, forgiveness, and pleasure upon me and upon them. Remove all blemish from them and keep away all kinds of impurity from them.” Then Allah The Majestic and The Glorified, spoke to His Angels
Then The Archangel Jibrael, the Trusted One, asked Allah. “O Lord, who are these sitting covered under the Vestment?”
Allah, The Majestic, The Glorified, answered, The Archangel Jibrael then requested, “O Lord, may I go down, and be the Sixth of Them?”
Allah replied The Archangel Jibrael Al-Ameen, decended down to the Earth and said, “Peace be upon you, O Prophet of Allah. The All Highest conveys His peace on you and His salutation, and He has sworn by His Honour and Glory that He has not created, but the erected Sky, the spread Earth, the illuminated Moon, the bright Sun, the rotating Universe, the flowing Seas, and the sailing Ships but for your sake and your love. God has given me permission to enter and sit with all of you underneath the Vestment.. Do you also grant me that permission, O Prophet of Allah?” The Prophet replied, “And upon you be peace, O thou who art the Trusted with The Revelations of Allah; yes I grant you permission to enter.” So The Archangel Jibrael entered and sat beneath the Vestment with us all, and said to my Father that indeed Allah has sent this revelation to you;
“Verily Allah desires to keep away all blemish from you, O Ahlul-Bayt, and to purify you with a perfect purification.”
Then Ali(A.S.) asked my father, “O Prophet of Allah what significance does Allah attach to this Event of our sitting gathered together underneath this Vestment?” The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) replied, “I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger, that no assembly, wherever this Event is narrated by our followers and devotees, shall remain without the Mercy of Allah decending on them, and encircling Angels as king Allah for the remission of their sins till the assembly has dispersed.” Ali(A.S.) then exclaimed, “I swear by Allah the Lord of The Kaba, that we have all succeeded and our all followers have succeded too.” Again The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said, “I swear by Him who appointed me a Prophet and chose me a confident Messenger that in any of the assemblies on the Earth, in which our followers and friends have gathered, wherever this Event is narrated there shall remain none grieved, but Allah will remove his grief ; there shall be none distressed, but Allah will dispell his distress, and there shall be none who seeks a wish, but Allah will grant his wish.” Ali(A.S.) then said, “Verily, by Allah, We have succeeded and become happy so also all our followers have succeeded and become happy in this world as well as in the next world by the Lord of The Kaba. O Allah, send Thy Blessings on to Muhammad(S.A.W.) and The Descendents of Muhammad(S.A.W.).”
Foot Note
Below are the wives of The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.), who have also recalled this Sacred and very special Event.
· Umm Salamah
· Ayesha

‘Her Prayer’
One day the Holy Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.) was shown by her Father The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) a very special kind of Prayer. That he himself was shown earlier by The Trusted Archangel Jibrael(A.S.).
This special After-Prayer is to be said after each time, any Prayer of Worship is concluded.
The Holy Lady(A.S) in turn began to teach the short Prayer to so many others. That in the very short time, it became to be known as the ‘Prayer of Fatimah Al-Zahra(as)’.
The Prayer
Take any kind of Prayer Bead string, such as shown on the image below. The Prayer String should have a total of 99 beads, with two dividers and ahead called the Sheikh.
The Prayer Bead is taken by the left hand and with the index finger and tumb of the right hand draws each bead seperately one by one and saying the words as described below.
For first set of 33 beads plus counting the first divider. Hence totalling in all 34 beads. For each bead passed say the clearly the words to yourself: ALLAHO AKBAR For each of the 34 beads seperately. For the next second set of 33 beads. For each bead passed say the clearly the words to yourself: AL-HAMDU LE ALLAH For each of the 33 beads seperately. For the third set of 33 beads For each bead passed say the clearly the words to yourself: SUBHANA LE ALLAH For each of the 33 beads seperately.
Totally 100 beads
That concludes the Prayer of the Holy Infallible Lady of all women, in all of the worlds and in all of the Seven Heavens, The Lady Fatimah Al-Zahra(A.S.)
Most or if not all of the Mujtahideen express a great Mustahab (preferable) as near to as Wajib (compulsory) to say this Prayer after any Prayer of Worship is concluded.
Many Muslims carry with them at all times the Prayer Bead String so that they can recite this prayer numerously at any time of the day and night. Especially at times when one has nothing to do such as waiting or sitting around lazily.
So think about it! What better way of filling your spare and idle time than to quietly recite this small Prayer to yourself in the rememberance and in thankfulness of Allah your Creator and Master. And in return Allah will reward His untold Thawaab and A’jar(reward)!
Thus it is good to always recite, in One’s idle times. For it keeps the mind away from straying into troubled terrain. But to keep it travelling on the true and right track of good and steer away from evil with its untold mischievoius wicked thoughts and ideas etc.

Her Sacred Life
The most predominant view in the traditions transmitted by our traditionists is that Fatimah az-Zahra(A.S.) was born in Mecca, on the twentieth of Jumada ‘l-Akhir, in the fifth year of the Prophet’s apostolic career. It is also asserted that when the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) died, Fatimah(A.S.) was eighteen years and seven months old.
The scholar Abu Said al-Hafiz relates in his book Sharafu’n-Nabiyy that all the children of the Messenger of Allah were born before Islam except Fatimah and Ibrahim, who were born in Islam.
It is reported that the sixth Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq(A.S.) said:
“Fatimah(A.S.) has nine names with Allah. They are: Fatimah, as-Siddiqah (the Righteous), al-Mubarakah (the Blessed), at-Tahirah (the Pure), az-Zakiyyah (the Unblemished), arRadiyah (the one content with Allah’s pleasure), al-Mardiyyah (the one pleasing to Allah), al-Muhaddathah (the one spoken to by angels) and az-Zahirah (the Luminous). In the Musnad (collection of transmitted hadiths) of the eighth Imam Reza(A.S.), it is reported that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) declared: “I named my daughter Fatimah because Allah weaned her.
The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) also called her al-Batul (pure virgin), and said to `A’ishah: “O Humayra’ (a redish white, a well-known epithet of `A’ishah), Fatimah is not like the women of human kind, nor does she suffer the illness you (women) suffer! “ This is explained in another prophetic tradition which asserts that she never menstruated. It is likewise reported by Sunni traditionists on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, who heard Umm Salim, the wife of Abu Talhah al-Ansari, say: “Fatimah never experienced the blood of menstruation or parturition, for she was created from the waters of Paradise.” This is because when the Messenger of Allah was transported to heaven, he entered Paradise, where he ate of its fruits and drank its water.
Proofs Of Her `Ismah (Sinlessness), Some Of The Signs Proving Her Status With Allah, And Traditions Indicating Her Excellence And Exalted Status
One of the most incontrovertible proofs of Fatimah’s sinlessness is Allah’s saying: Surely Allah wishes to keep away all abomination from you, O People of the House, and purify you with a great purification [our. 33 : 33 ] . The argument in favour of this, is that the Muslim community has unanimously agreed that the `People of the House’ (i.e., Ahlu’l-Bayt), intended in this verse are the People of the Household of the Messenger of Allah. Traditions (ahadith) of both the Shi`i and Sunni communities have asserted that this verse particularly refers to ‘Ali(A.S.), Fatimah(A.S.), Hasan(A.S.) and Husayn(A.S.) The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.), moreover, spread over them all one day a Khaybarite mantle and prayed: “O Allah, these are the People of my Household, keep away all abomination from them and purify them with a great purification!” Umm Salamah said: “I too, O Apostle of Allah, am of the People of your House!” He answered: “Your lot shall be good!”
The Divine Will expressed in this verse must by necessity be either an abstract will not implemented by an action, or a will accompanied by an action. The first option is untenable because it implies no particular applicability to the People of the Prophet’s House; such a will is shared by all obligated (mukallafin) human beings. Nor is abstract will by itself cause for praise. The entire community has concurred on the view that this verse proclaims the excellence of the People of the Prophet’s House over all others, and that the verse refers to them alone. Thus the second option (that the Divine Will referred to in the verse is a will accompanied by action) is true, and in it is clear proof of the sinlessness of those who were intended in the verse. It implies further that it is impossible for them to commit any evil action. Moreover, any others whom we have not named here are no doubt not held by general consensus as possessing `ismah (protection from error). Thus since the verse necessarily implies sinlessness it must apply to them (the People of the Prophet’s House), because it pertains to no other individuals.
The Holy Prophet of Islam(S.A.W.) said:”Fatimah(A.S.) is part of me”
Another proof of Fatimah’s sinlessness is the Holy Prophet’s saying concerning her: “Fatimah(A.S.) is part of me. Whatever causes her hurt, hurts me.” He also said: “Whoever hurts Fatimah(A.S.), hurts me, and whoever hurts me, hurts Allah, exalted be His Majesty! “ The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said further: “Allah becomes wrathful for Fatimah’s anger, and is pleased at her pleasure.”.
Among the signs indicating Fatimah’s exalted status with Allah is an incident related by both Shi’i and Sunni traditionists on the authority of Maymunah (the Holy Prophet’s wife), who reported that Fatimah(A.S.) was found asleep one day, the handmill beside her turning of its own accord. She informed the Apostle of Allah of this, and he said: “Allah knew the weak condition of His handmaid; He thus inspired the handmill to turn by itself, and so it did.” Among the reports asserting her excellence and high distinction over all other women is the tradition reported on the authority of `A’ishah who said: “I never saw a man more beloved of the Apostle of Allah than `Ali(A.S.), or a woman more dear to him than Fatimah(A.S.).”
Sunni traditionists also reported on the authority of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali(A.S.)who said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah, `Who is more beloved to you, Fatimah(A.S.) or I?’ He answered, `Fatimah(A.S.) is more beloved to me, and you are dearer to me than she is.’ “ These traditionists also reported from Anas ibn Malik that: “Fatimah(A.S.) is the most excellent of all the women of the world.” In another tradition it is reported that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said: “The most excellent among the women of the world are: Maryam daughter of `Imran (that is, the virgin Mary), Asiyah daughter of Muzahim (wife of Pharaoh), Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylid and Fatimah(A.S.) daughter of Muhammad(S.A.W.)” It is also related on the authority of Ibn `Abbas who said: “The most excellent of the women of Paradise are: Khadijah daughter of Khuwaylid, Fatimah(A.S.) daughter of Muhammad, Maryam daughter of `Imran and Asiyah daughter of Muzahim.” Traditionists report that `Abdu ‘r-Rahman ibn `Awf said: “I heard the Apostle of Allah say, `I am a tree, Fatimah(A.S.) is its trunk and ‘Ali(A.S.) is its pollen. Hasan(A.S.) and Husayn(A.S.) are its fruits, and our followers (Shi’ah) are its leaves. The roots of the tree are in the Garden of Eden, and its trunk, fruits and leaves are in Paradise.’ “
Traditionists further report on the authority of `A’ishah that: “Whenever Fatimah(A.S.) came to the Messenger of Allah, he would rise from his seat, kiss her on the forehead, and make her sit with him.” Traditionists have also reported on the authority of ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim al-Qummi in his commentary of the Holy Qur’an, as related on the authority of the sixth Imam as-Sadiq, Ja’far ibn Muhammad(A.S.), who said: “We were told that our forefathers said that the Messenger of Allah often indulged in kissing the mouth of Fatimah(A.S.) the mistress of the women of the world, so that `A’ishah finally protested saying, `O Messenger of Allah, I see you indulge so often in kissing the mouth of Fatimah(A.S.) and placing your tongue in her mouth.’ He answered, `Yes, O `A’ishah, when I was taken up to heaven, Gabriel took me into Paradise and brought me near the tree of Tuba (beatitude). He gave me an apple of its fruits which I ate. Thus when I returned to earth, Khadijah, conceived Fatimah(A.S.). Whenever, therefore, I yearn for Paradise, I kiss her and place my tongue in her mouth, for I find in her the fragrance of Paradise. I also sense in her the fragrance of the tree of Tuba. Fatimah(A.S.) is thus a celestial human being.’ “
The traditions which our Companions (that is, Shi’i hadith transmitters), may Allah be pleased with them, have reported in proof of Fatimah’s special place — her honoured status and distinction over all the women of humankind — are beyond number. We shall, therefore, limit ourselves to the reports which we have already mentioned.
Among the things which Allah completed the great honour of the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali(A.S.)in this world and the world to come was His special favour towards him in having him unite in marriage with the noble daughter of the Messenger of Allah, who was the most beloved of all creatures to him, the consolation of his eyes and leader of the women of the world. Among the many ahadith (traditions) concerning this event is the sound hadith reported on the authority of Anas ibn Malik, who said: “As the Apostle of Allah(S.A.W.) was sitting one day, ‘Ali(A.S.) came to see him. He addressed him saying, `O ‘Ali(A.S.), what brings you here?’ `I came only to greet you with the salutation of peace’, `Ali(A.S.) replied. The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) declared: `Here comes Gabriel to tell me that Allah has willed to unite you in marriage with Fatimah(A.S.). He has, moreover, called as witnesses to her marriage a thousand angels. Allah has revealed to the tree of Tuba, “Scatter your pearls and rubies! “ Black-eyed houris rushed to pick the precious stones up, which they shall exchange as presents among them till the Day of Resurrection.’ “
It is related on the authority of Ibn `Abbas, who said: “On the night when Fatimah(A.S.) was married to ‘Ali(A.S.), the Messenger of Allah(S.A.W.) stood before her. Gabriel stood at her right hand and Michael at her left. Seventy thousand angels stood behind her, praising and sanctifying Allah. The Commander of the Faithful prided himself on his marriage to her on numerous occasions.” Abu Ishaq ath-Thaqafi reported on the authority of Hakim ibn Jubayr, who reported from al-Hajari who related from his uncle who said: “I heard `Ali(A.S.) say one day, `I shall utter words which no other man would utter but that he would be a liar. I am `Abdullah (Allah’s servant), and the brother of the Apostle of Allah. I am the one whose guardian is the Prophet of mercy, for I have married the mistress of all the women of the community. I am the best of the vicegerents.’ “ Numerous reports expressing similar ideas have been transmitted.
Ath -Thaqafi reported on the authority of Buraydah, who said: “On the nuptial night of `Ali(A.S.) and Fatimah(A.S.), the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) said to ‘Ali(A.S.), `Do not do anything until you see me.’ He then brought water — or the traditionist reported that he called for water — which he used to perform his ablutions for prayers, pouring the rest over ‘Ali(A.S.). The Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) then prayed, `O Allah, bless them! Shower your blessings over them, and bless for them their two young lions (that is, their two sons Hasan(A.S.) and Husayn(A.S.)).”’ ath-Thaqafi also related on the authority of Shurahil ibn Abi Sa’d, who said: “On the morning after Fatimah’s wedding, the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) brought a skinful of milk, and said to Fatimah(A.S.), ‘Drink! May your father be a ransom for you.’ He likewise said to `Ali(A.S.), ‘Drink! May your cousin be a ransom for you.’ “

The Time Of Fatimah’s Martyrdom And The Spot Of Her Grave
It is reported that Fatimah died on the 13th Jamadi-al-Awwal orthird of Jumada ‘l-Akhir in the eleventh year of the hijrah. She survived the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) by only ninety-five days.
The Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali(A.S.) himself took charge of her washing. It is reported that Asma’ daughter of `Umays assisted him in washing her. Asma’ related: “Fatimah(A.S.) had stated in her will that no one should wash her corpse except ‘Ali(A.S.) and I. Thus we washed her together, and the Commander of the Faithful prayed over her along with Hasan(A.S.) and Husayn(A.S.), `Amman ibn Yasir, Miqdad, `Aqil, az-Zubayr, Abu Dharr, Salman, Buraydah and a few men of Banu Hashim. They prayed over her in the night, and in accordance with her own will ‘Ali the Commander of the Faithful buried her in secret.”
There is much disagreement among traditionists as to the exact spot of her grave. Our own traditionists have asserted that she was buried in the Baqi `. Others said that she was buried in her own chamber, and that when the Umayyad rulers enlarged the Mosque of Medina, her grave came to be in the sanctuary. Still others argued that she was buried between the grave and pulpit of the Prophet. It is to this that the Holy Prophet(S.A.W.) alluded in his saying: “There is between my grave and pulpit a garden of the gardens of Paradise.” The first view is unlikely, while the two other views are nearer to the truth. Thus, those who wish to apply the principle of caution (ihtiyat) when performing ziyarah, or pilgrimage, to her grave, should do so in all three places.

A Quiet Funeral
In the darkness of the jet-black night, when eyes were asleep and voices were silent, a Heavenly procession left Imam Ali’s house while carrying the Messenger of Allah’s daughter to her final abode. This was on the night of the third of Jamadi Al-Thani (the second), 11 A.H.
The heartbreaking procession moved towards an unknown location followed by a small number of devoted ones… They were Ali(A.S.), Hasan(A.S.), Hussain(A.S.), Zainab(A.S.) and Umm Kulthum(A.S.)… Abu Dhar, Ammar, Miqdad, and Salman were following them.
Where are the thousands who inhabited Medina?! One asks, and the answer came: Fatima (A.S.) requested that they may not be present at her funeral! The family and their friends hurry to bury Fatima… then they rush back to their own homes so that no one would know where Fatima was buried!
In such a matter, the first start from Ahlul-Bayt set after the sun (the Prophet) and left everyone with the only light of Imamate! Here I was asked: “What do you think about the end of the life of Fatima(A.S.)? What will be the position of those who oppresses her in the hereafter!?” I waved my hand to him… So long… with no word…dead silence…So long! But wait..can’t you hear the Commander of the faithful…the known hero…Ali…Don’t you realize that he is crying? Yet, who would not cry for being separated from the Mistress of women? Listen to him, he is speaking to the Prophet(S.A.W.):
“O Prophet of Allah, peace be upon you from me and from your daughter who has come to you and who has hastened to meet you. O Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.)! My patience about your chosen (daughter) has been exhauted and my power of endurance has weakened, except that I have ground for consolation in having endured the great hardship and heart-rending event of your seperation. I laid you down in your grave while your last breath had passed (when your head) between my neck and chest. ‘Verily we are Allah’s and verily unto Him shall we return.’ (2:56)
Now the trust has been returned and what had been given has been taken back. My grief knows no bounds, and my nights will remain sleepless till Allah chooses for me the house in which you are now residing. Certainly your daughter would apprise you of the joining together of your Ummah (people) for oppressing her. You ask her in detail and get all the news about the position. This happened when a long time had not elapsed and your remembrance had not disappeared. My salam be on you both, the salam of a grief stricken not of a disgusted or a hateful person; for if I go away, it is not because I am weary (of you); and if I stay, it is not due to lack of belief in what Allah has promised the endurers.”

Failing Attempts
At sunrise people gathered to participate in Hadrat Fatima’s funeral, but they were informed that the darling of Allah’s Messenger (S.A.W.) had been secretly buried during the night. Meanwhile, Ali (A.S.) made the shapes of four fresh graves in Baqi’ so as to conceal the location where Fatima was buried.
When the people entered the graveyard, they were confused as to which spot was actually Lady Fatima Zahra’s grave; the people turned towards each other and with feeling of guilt said:
“Our Prophet (S.A.W.) has not left behind but one daughter, yet she has died and was buried without our participation in the funeral or the prayer rituals. We do not even realize the place where she has been buried!”
Noticing that a revolt might be ignited because of the emotional atmosphere that event created, the governing party announced:
“Select a group of Muslim women and ask them to dig these graves so that we may find Fatima(A.S.) and perform prayers on her.
“ Yes! They attempted to execute the plan, violating Hadrat Fatima’s will and causing Imam Ali’s (A.S.) attempts to hide the grave to lay veinly. Have they forgotten Ali’s sharp sword and his well-known courage! Did they really think that Imam Ali(A.S.) would remain indifferent to their outrageous actions up to the point of letting them dig Fatima’s grave?!
Imam Ali (A.S.) did not fight back after the Holy Prophet’s (S.A.W.) demise because he considered the Muslim’s unity and overall interests. Yet, this did not mean that he would ignore their villainous crimes against Hadrat Fatima(A.S.) even after her death.
In other words,Imam Ali(A.S.) was asked by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) to have patience, but only to a certain extent; when Imam Ali(A.S.) recieved the news of the about to be executed plot, he put on his fighting gear and rushed towards Baqi’.
A man from among the people called out:
“This is Ali Ibn Abu Talib(A.S.) leveling his sword and saying:
‘If anyone moves even a more stone from these graves, I shall strike even the “back of the last follower of the unjust.’
People who realized Imam Ali’s seriousness, took his threats with complete belief that he would do just as he said if anyone were to appose him. Yet, a man from the governing ones addressed Imam Ali (A.S.) by saying:
“What is the matter, Abu Al-Hasan?! By Allah, we shall dig her grave out and perform prayers on her.”Imam Ali (A.S.) then grabbed the man by his clothes, shook him and threw him to the ground and said:
“Son of the Sawada! I have abandoned my right to prevent people from forsaking their faith, but as regards Fatima’s grave, by Him in whose hand is my soul, if you and your followers attempt to do anything to it, I will irrigate the ground with your blood!”
At this, Abu Bakr said:
“Abu Al-Hassan, I ask you by the right of Allah’s Messenger, and by Him Who is above the Throne: leave him alone and we will not do anything which you would not approve of…” Thus, until this day, the location of Hadrat Fatima Zahra’s grave remains a secret.

Sayings of Hadrat Fatima Zahra(A.S.)
1.Praise and Eulogy is for Allah for the blessing and bounties which He has bestowed. And thanks to HIM upon what He revelated (to His servants) And Praise is for HIM upon the common boons and blessings which He bestowed upon His servants without their request And upon the comprehensive and complete blessings which He granted to all and sundry and gave it to us, consequetively. Those graces and favours which are uncountable.
And are irredeemable and uncompensatable due to their plentifulness of number. And the imagination of their end is out of the reach of human mind.
He invited the servant to thankfuness for the sake of the consequetive and continous enhanecment of blessings. And opened the door of euloqy and Praise (of Allah) upon them so that He may make his favours and beneficiences great and plentiful for them.
2.I testify that there is no Diety (Lord) except the sole and matchless Allah. And the testification of the singleness of Allah is a word that Allah has declared sincerity (as) it’s reality, and made the hearts the centre of it’s contact and union. And has made the specifications and research of the oneness of Allah’s station obvious and evident in the light of meditation. The Allah Who can not be seen by the eyes and tongues are unable and baffled to describe His virtues and attributes. And the intelligence and apprehension of man is helpless and destitude from the imagination of his howness.
3.Allah made all the beings without previous matter and sample and shape and pattern. And made them wear the dress of life by His main and mights and created them according to His Devine will and Intention short of it that He might have neeeded their creatlon or have wished any benefit for Himself from their shaping and sketching except this that he wanted to give a proof of Hls wisdom and make the people (creations) aware about His obedience and submisslon and invited them to his servitude and worship and make His Invitation grand and ostentatlous.
4.Allah fixed the reward for His obedience and torment for His insubordination and disobedience so that He may restraln His servants from His wrath and fury and lead them to His paradise.
5.And I testify that my father Mohammad (S.A.W.) is the apostle and the servant of Allah. And Allah selected and chose him before appolnting him at the post of Prophethood. And He named him before choosing and selecting him. And chose him before envoying and delegating him. Then all the creations were hidden and covered in the covers of unseen and were hidden amid the screen and curtain of fear and fright and stayed near the last and final border of non entity (nothingness) for Allah was aware of and knew the end of matters and because of Hls encompassing the incidents of times and ages and His knowledge of the predestinates.
Allah appolnted him (as apostle) so that he may complete and finalise His matter and Implement His order and materialise His decreeds and predestinates.
6.Allah saw nations and groups had various different sects in their religion and scattered and staying on the verge of the fires of differences, busy with the their idol worshipping. They denied God with all the signs and symbols of HIM. (IRFAN) So Allah illuminated the darknesses through my father Mohammad (S.A.W.) and removed the darknesses from their hearts, removed (cured) the blindness of the eyes.
7.My father (Mohammad (S.A.W.) ) stood up with (his) guidance among the people. And saved them from perversion and aberration, and turned their blindness into enlightenment and guided them towards the firm religion. And called (invited) them to the straight way.
8.You the servants of Allah, are the ones to maintain His injunctions and prohibitions, and the carriers of His religion, and His relevation, and the trustees of Allah upon your souls, and the propagators of His religion among the other nations.
9.Oh the servants of Allah! (beware) the real leader from Allah, is present among you and the commitment has previously been made to you and the remaining and left over of the prophet hood has been appointed for your guidance.
That is the speaking book of Allah the truthful Quran, and a beaming and gleaming light, in which all the secrets and facts about the completion of man and his prosperity have been exhibited and illuminated. It guides from darkness towards light of guidance. It s followers are the subject of envoy of others.
10.The book of Allah is the guide of it’s followers towards the pleasure of Allah. Listening (carefully) to it leads to the salvation. The enlightened and conspicous evidences and proofs of Allah can be obtained through it. And (also the knowledge) of His interpreted intentions and fear invoking constraining prohibitions. His sufficing testimonies and conspicous arguments, and desired virtues and allowed endowments and gifts and obligatory devine laws. (can be obtained from it)
11.Allah made the faith for you as a purity from polytheism (and infedility).
12.And (made) service the cause of your getting distant (purification) from pride (egoism).
13.And rendered alms for the purity of your soul and flourishment and expansion of your sustenence.
14.And rendered fasting for the maintainance and firmness of your sincerity.
15.And Allah set Hajj for the consolidation and reinforcement of the religion.
16.Allah executed and rendered justice for the sake of putting together and harmonization of the hearts.
17.And (Allah set) the subordination and obedience of us (the houshold of the Prophet (SAW)) for the security of society’s system and our Immamate as a safety from seggregation and disunity).
18.And (Allah made) Jahad (holy war), the honour and glory for Islam and abjectness and humbleness for the infidels and the hypocrites.
19.And (Allah rendered) patience as a help for getting reward.
20.And (Allah caused) commanding goodness and forbiding to do evil for the amendment and correction of society and the common folks (public).
21.And (Allah made) the kindness to parents as a protectional (shield) to His wrath and displeasure.
22.And Allah made joining and connecting with the kinship and cognition, the cause of lengthening of life.
23.And Allah made law of retaliation (revenge for homicide) as the security of blood (from being shed).
24.And Allah executed the vow performing as a medium for forgiveness.
25.And (Allah rendered) the correct use of weights measure (units) a medium for stoping from selling less (than actual).
26.And (Allah rendered) prohibition from drinking wine the cause of taking distance from contaminations (evils).
27.And Allah made the prohibition to accuse someone of adultery a protection (shield) for avoiding (His) curse.
28.And (Allah made) refraining from theft for the sake of positiveness and affirmation for modesty.
29.And Allah prohibited polytheism for the sake of (bringing about) sincerety in (His) adoration and worship.
30.Certainly, an apostle has come to you from among yourselves; grievous to him is your falling into distress, excessively solictious respecting you; to the believers (he is) compassionate, merciful.
So if you assay and recognise him you will find he is my father not the father of your women and the brother of my cousin, Ali (A.S.) not that of your men. And how nice a relation I have to him. So he propagated his prophetic (mission). He always used to turn his face from the polytheists.
And fought against them till he beat them up. He would invite people towards Allah by wisdom, and beautiful admonition. He broke the idols and scattered the aggregation of polytheists in a way that they ran away (from the battle fields), so that finally the hidden secret of oneness of Allah became manifested by him.
And he made the logic of religion reach the ears ((of the people) and settled down the foam of the camels of satan and turned the salogan yelling of those devils silent. And downed the agents of hypocrisy and mutual commitments of the infidels got dissolved till such time that, you (people) spoke to a group of enlightened and modest men with the words of oneness of Allah and sincerity.
31.You were on the edge of a fire ditch, and were a cup of drink and the morsal of a greedy one and a firebrand of every hastey one and were being trampled on (by other nations) and drank from the contaminated waters gathered over in ditches and your energy (food) was (secured by) the leaves of trees and desert grass. And for your abjectness and abasement you were always afraid that those arround you might abduct you in the winking of an eye. So, Allah liberated you (of these misfortunes) through my father Mohammed (S.A.W.). Inspite of it that he (S.A.W.) was involved and at war against the intrepid and the hungry wolves of Arab and the stubborns refractories of the people of the books (Jews and Christians). Whenever his opponents would lit the fire of war, Allah extinguished it to your benefit.
32.Imam Hassan (A.S) said, ‘on the friday night I saw my mother (Fatima (A.S.)) standing in her arch of prayer. She was continuously kneeling and performing prostration till the dawn broke. I would hear her pray for the faithful men and women, but she did not at all pray for herself. I said, ‘Oh mother why did you not pray for yourself like you prayed for others?’ so she replied, ‘Oh my son, first thy neighbour and there after your own house.’
33.The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) said to Fatima (A.S.) what is the thing which is a blessing for woman?’
She said that, ‘she must not see a man (stranger and not intimate) and a man must not see her.’
34.One day a lady came to Fatima (A.S.) said ‘I have a weak old mother who does not know a few problems about her service (prayers). She has sent me towards you to question you (about them). Thus Fatima(A.S.) answered her (questions). And the number of her queries reached to ten and Fatima (A.S.) replied to all her questions. Then she (the woman got a shamed because of the high number of her questions. And said, ‘Oh daughter of the Prophet (S.A.W.), ‘I do not put you to more inconvinience than this.’
Fatima (A.S.) said, ‘Ask me what you do not know. Have you ever seen a person who is one day hired to carry a heavy thing to the roof top from ground for an amount (equal to) a thousand dinnars (nearly a hundred thousand miskal (unit of weight) of gold) and he may feel himself tired.’
She said ‘No’. Fatima (A.S.) said, ‘I have been hired by Allah to get a wages which if the space between the earth and sky is filled up with pearls still (That wages) would he more than it for each of the questions I may answer you. Therefore, I deserve it that I must not feel tired exhausted.
35.Oh Allah! belittle me in my eyes and glorify and magnify Your station to me. And inspire me (about) Your obedience and the practice which may cause Your pleasure and the shunning and evading from things (matters) which are the cause of Your wrath, oh the most merciful of all! 36.
Oh Allah! content me with the sustenence you have granted me. And till such time that you keep me alive, hide me and make me sound and prosperous. And forgive me and take pity upon me when I die. (During death process). Oh Allah! do not help me in something that you have not predestined for me. And facilitate the achievement of that thing which you have predestined for me.
37.Oh Allah! bestow upon my parents and all those persons who have rights of their blessings and beneficiences upon me, the best of Your rewards. Oh my Allah, spare me the leisure and respite for the object for which You have created me. And do not let me be busy and involved (absolutely) in my commitments. And do not torment me when I ask forgivensess. And do not deprive me of what I yearn and question you for.
38.Underlying are the rhymes which Hazrat Zahra (A.S.) recited upon the mourning of Prophet’s (S.A.W.) demise.
The person who smells the sweet fragnance of the grave of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) so what if he does not smell any other fragnance for long times to come?
Agonies and anguishes and griefs poured upon me in such a way that had they poured upon days those would have turned into nights. (bleak, dark and bewildering).
39.The dust of sorrow covered the space of sky and the sun has faded and the bright day turned bleak. The earth has become dark and gooomy after the death of the Prophet (S.A.W.) Woe! Alas! what the earth will have much of Jolting upon being seperated and parted from him (S.A.W.).
It is meritorious and befitting that the east and west of the world may weep upon the parting of Prophet (S.A.W.) and the persons of Muzzir tribe and all of they rest of the Yemen tribes shed tears.
And the great magnificient mountain of the existence and the hidden and covered Kabaah (House of ALLAH) and its pillars should shed tears.
Oh the terminator and finaliser of the (series of) prophets! the light of whome is the source of blessing for the worlds inhabitants, Be the salutation and blessings of Allah the desender of Holy Quran upon you.
40.Following you (Prophet (S.A.W.)) inequities (intrigues and revolts) took shape and varient voices were raised so that if you were present and supervising (things) all these differences and deviations would not have taken place.
You set off (on the journey of eternity) from among us and now our condition is like the earth which becomes devoid of the beneficial rains. And your nation upset the order and discipline of matters. So be a witness and do not let their matter get out of your sight.
Salutations to Hazrat Fatima (A.S. )
Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the Messenger of Allah !
Peace be upon you, Oh daughter of the possessor of outstanding merit
above all Prophets and messengers and angels !
Peace be upon you, Oh Leader of the Women of the Worlds.
Peace be upon you, Oh Wife of the Vicegrent of Allah !
Peace be upon you, Oh mother of Hassan and Hussein, the Leaders of the Youth of Paradise !
Peace be upon you, Oh most truthful and martyr.
Peace be upon you, who was pleased to resign to the will of Allah and Allah was pleased with you.
Peace be upon you, Oh possessor of outstanding merit of above others,
and the pure.
Peace be upon you, who is holy and guarded herself against sins !
Peace be upon you, who is knowledgeable and an authority on traditions of the Prophet.
Peace be upon you, who was subjected to anger and oppression.
Peace be upon you, Oh Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah, and May Allah have mercy on you and bless you.

Glimpses into the Family Life of Hazrat Fatima (A.S.)

By: Azra Ansari

Relationship with Children
The Fundamental Role of a Mother in the Well-Being and
Prosperity of a Generation:
There is no doubt that to a very large extent, the future of a child depends greatly on the mental and psychological influence that he is exposed to, through people closest to him in his childhood. And naturally since a mother is the closest to a child during his growing years, her role in his upbringing is of the utmost importance.
Therefore, we could say that the starting point of the success or failure of an individual’s life is the mother’s lap and the overall environment of his upbringing, of which the mother constitutes the main pillar. The child is therefore like a soft lump of wax which is moulded in the hands of his mother.
If we carefully examine the emotional and logical approach of Hazrat Fatima (SA) in the upbringing of her great children, we will be able to discover very subtle and delicate methods used by her in their upbringing. Behavioral psychologists and other experts who have studied these methods closely, have developed faith in the positive effects of the approach adopted by this great lady. This unique success in the upbringing of children has its roots in the profound understanding of the nature of man as has been explained by Islam. Every school of thought has recommended methods of upbringing of children, based on its interpretation and understanding of innate human nature. An unbiased research and analysis easily proves that the definition and explanation that the divine religion of Islam has revealed, regarding the complete innate nature of man (taking in consideration, all his physical, emotional, psychological, material as well as spiritual needs), is the most perfect and objective. Moreover, since the method of child-training and parenting used by Hazrat Fatima (SA) was based in this Divine Source, studying and practically adopting this method could ensure the success and well-being of our children both in this world and in the Hereafter.
One of the most critical factors determining the characters of the children of Hazrat Fatima (SA) was genetics. As we all believe, she was an Infallible (Ma’sum) and was thus free from all kinds of sins and moral pollution. The Ziyarat of Imam Hussain (AS) confirms:
“I testify that you (i.e. Imam Hussain) were from a pure seed that was nurtured in a pure womb, free from polytheism and ignorance.” (“Ziyarat of Imam Hussain”, see Mafatih ul-Jinan).
Imam Hussain had himself emphasized on the purity of Hazrat Fatima (SA), on the Day of Ashura, when he announced:
“The virtues of courage, freedom and generosity, I owe to the purity of my mother Hazrat Fatima (SA).”
All of us are aware of the importance and the greatness of the Day of Ashura (10th of Muharram), and as a matter of fact, the extraordinary roles that the children of Hazrat Fatima Zahra (SA) played, throughout the historical event were the result of her powerful upbringing and training. In other words, the Karbala phenomenon is one of the best testimonies of the divine nature of her methods of child-rearing.

The Methods of Child-Upbringing Adopted by Hazrat Fatima (SA)
Psychologists and child-training experts have always debated regarding the best age to commence child-training, and have not really reached to any substantial conclusion regarding the issue, even today. However, according to Islam, the point that actually starts affecting the soul of the child is the moment a name is chosen for him. And this is the first stage in the moulding of the character of a child. It is because of this very important reason that Islam has laid great emphasis on care and attention in naming of children. Thus, a good name has a very deep and lasting effect on the soul of a child. In this context, Imam Ali (AS) has advised thus in one of his sayings mentioned in the “Nahjul-Balagha (“Peaks of Eloquence”):
“… while the right of the child on the father is that he should give him a good name.” (Saying No. 409)
In other words, one of the primary duties of parents, especially the father, is the selection of a worthy name for his child. It is for this very important and scientific reason that Fatima (SA), after consulting her husband, Imam Ali (AS) and her beloved father, Prophet Muhammad (SAW), chose the best and most beautiful names for her children.

Sacrifice of a goat or sheep (Aqiqah)
Aqiqah (sacrifice of a goat or sheep) and also alms-giving, are highly-recommended acts that have been greatly emphasized in Islamic traditions. It has been recorded that whenever Fatima (SA) would be blessed with a child, she would sacrifice a sheep and would distribute the meat among people. Then on the 7th day of the child’s birth, she would shave his/her head and distribute in charity (alms), the equivalent in silver, of the weight of the shaved-hair of the child. Also she would send gifts to the mid-wife as well as the neighbors such that they too, would share the happy event with her family. (“Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 257)
Another custom followed by Fatima (SA) was that as soon as her child would be born, she would recite the `Adhan’ in his/her right ear and would recite the `Iqamah’ in his/her left ear. This was because she was very well-aware that if the child would be acquainted with the names of Allah, Muhammad (SAW), salat, etc., from the very beginning of his early life, it would have deep and lasting effects on his/her psychological inclinations.

The Role of Maternal Emotions in Child’s Upbringing:
The soul of a human being is created in such a way that love and compassion are among one of its most basic needs. This is the reason why children who have been deprived of love, care and attention, become prone to various psychological and physical illness, a fact that has been proved scientifically. Research indicates that many crimes committed are rooted in the vacuum created by lack of love and affection in the life of an individual.
Fatima (SA) who had herself grown up saturated with the love and affection of her beloved father (SAW), showered the same love and warmth upon her children.
An incident that has been narrated by one of the close companions of the Prophet named Salman, says:
“One day, I saw Fatima (SA) who was busy grinding some grain. In the meanwhile, her son Hussain (AS) became impatient and started crying. I offered my help to Fatima (SA), asking her whether she would prefer me to take over the grinding of grain or whether it would help her if I comforted the child. She answered by saying that it would be better for me to take over the grinding, since she would be better at comforting her child” (Bihar ul-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 280).
This incident gives us the knowledge of the importance of a mother’s soothing presence for a child. It indicates how no one else can soothe and comfort a child, better than his own mother, an important message to mothers in today’s “creche and milk-bottle” culture. She showed us just how important it is for a child to have his mother around when he needs her and how these little moments of attention go a long way in shaping a confident, secure and powerful personality for a human being.

Paying Attention to the Needs of Children
One of the most important factors for the mental and physical well-being of a child is nutrition and the other is hygiene. Thus providing for these needs of the child, guarantees his physical and psychological well-being for life. Many of the psychological and mental problems that surface in adulthood too, have their roots in unfulfilled childhood need and desires. Moreover, the mutual effects between the body and the spirit should never be taken for granted or neglected. There is no doubt that a sick body distresses the soul, while an unrestful soul causes physical disorders.
History has recorded that time and again, Hazrat Fatima (SA) would go hungry in order to feed her children. It is said that once, because of scarcity of water, the Muslims of Medina were facing severe problems. Like any other mother, Fatima (SA) was concerned about her sons Hassan and Hussain (AS) and took them to her father, the Prophet (SAW). She expressed her concern to her father saying that she was worried since her children were small and couldn’t bear the thirst. Seeing Fatima distressed, the Prophet (SAW) put his tongue into the mouths of his two grandsons. This immediately soothed Fatima (SA) and relieved her of her concern as well as satiated the extreme thirst of the two children. (Manaqibe Ibn-e Shahr Asheeb, vol. 3, p. 394)
Fatima (SA) loved her children so deeply and was so full of compassion that towards the end of her life, she was very worried about her small children. Her main worry was that these children would be deprived of a mother’s love which no one else could probably be able to compensate for. Foreseeing the plight of her motherless children, Fatima (SA) suggested that her husband Imam Ali (AS) married someone who would take care of her children, after her demise. (Ibid., p. 362)
As we all know, Fatima (SA) was deeply-grieved after the demise of her father and it is said that a large part of her pain was because her children were deprived of the love and care of the Prophet (SAW) and their grandfather. Sometimes she would talk to them with a painful heart, saying:
“Where has your grandfather who loved you so dearly gone? The grandfather who showered you with love and affection and carried you on his shoulders. Where has your grandfather who was the kindest to you, gone? He wouldn’t even allow you to walk on the ground and would carry you in his arms. Alas, I’ll never see you all on his shoulders again!” (Ibid.; Biharul-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 181)

Play & Activity
Although Islam emerged from an ignorant society, lacking in civilized culture, however the Message of the Prophet (SAW) and his Traditions that were forwarded through him and the Infallibles (AS) are suitable for the people of all cultures and civilizations, at any period of time, since Islam deals directly with the common innate nature of man.
Play and activity for children had a very special and important place in the methods of child-upbringing of Fatima (SA). Physical and mental activity and stimulation are so important for the healthy overall growth of a child that even adults should involve themselves wholeheartedly in these activities, in order to enthuse and encourage the child.
During childhood, play is the best way in which a child relates with his environment and leads to the surfacing of the latent aptitudes of the child. At the same time, it has very positive effects on the physical development of the child. Keeping these factors in mind, play and activity should never be neglected by parents or by the child.
It has been recorded that the Prophet (SAW) often involved himself wholeheartedly in play with his grandchildren. This shows that one of the very important tools of good parenting and positive upbringing of children is play and activity. Imam Ali (AS) and Fatima (SA) gave great attention to this childhood need and this was one of the secrets of the health and freshness of their children.
It has also been found that in homes where children do not have an environment where they can play and express themselves, the effects of such an environment are very negative on the children.
Fatima (SA) involved herself actively in play with her children, always attentive and alert to the fact that her words and actions would play a very determining role on the development of the characters and personalities of her children. This teaches us the importance of using healthy language and expressions in dealing with children. Hazrat Fatima (SA) used play as a very important tool in developing the bodies and souls of her children as well as enthused and inspired them into greatness and bravery through these entertaining activities.
It has been recorded that while playing with Imam Hassan (AS), Hazrat Fatima (SA) would swing him, reciting poems like:
“My Hassan, grow up to be like your father and do away with oppression on the way of the Truth. Worship Allah Who Bestows upon us countless blessings and never befriend oppressors.”
While play with Imam Hussain (AS), she would recite:
“You look just like my father (the Prophet) — you don’t look like your father (Ali).”
It is said that when Imam Ali (AS) heard these playful poems between Hazrat Fatima and her children, he would smile indulgently.
Our main purpose in glimpsing into the personal family-life of Fatima (SA) is to learn from her flawless and divinely inspired approaches in her inter-relationships within her immediate family as well as in society. We can see very clearly through studying her relationship with her father as well as her children that in spite of all the hardships, problems and pains this great family suffered at the hands of the cruel, ignorant people of their times, within of the family, always they shared very warm, affectionate and joyful times.
In the same way that the Prophet (SAW) used to put aside all his pains and concerns while he was with his beloved daughter Hazrat Fatima (SA), Fatima (SA) and Ali (AS) too, always made time to pay due attention to the different needs of their children. All of these very scientific methods played a very major role in bringing up their children as the bravest and most powerful people in human history. It is also important to note the importance of timing in child-upbringing because as we all know, Hazrat Fatima (SA) had a very few years with her children, but these were the most crucial years that shape a child’s personality. She played her role as a mother most perfectly and efficiently, leaving behind for the world a legacy of great and powerful heroes like Hassan (AS) and Hussain (AS) and Hazrat Zainab (SA) who in times to come, shook up the roots of oppression and tyranny.
Thus far, we have gained invaluable insights into the importance and benefits of healthy inter-family relations through studying the life of Hazrat Fatima (SA) and her role as a daughter and a mother. Continuing on this topic, in our following issue, we shall look into the personality of this great lady and her social relationships — insha’Allah.

The Personality of Hazrat Fatima (SA)
FATIMA (SA), the only daughter of the Prophet of Islam (SAW), was born in Mecca on 20th Jamadi ath Thani, 18 BH. The good and noble lady Hazrat Khadijah (SA) and the Apostle of Allah bestowed all their natural love, care and devotion on their lovable and only child Fatima (SA), who in her turn was extremely fond of her parents.
Fatima (SA) was very intelligent, accomplished and cheerful. She had inherited the genius and wisdom, determination and will-power, the piety and sanctity, the generosity and benevolence, the devotion and worship of Allah as well as other great qualities like self-sacrifice and hospitality, forbearance and patience, and the knowledge and nobility of disposition from her illustrious father, both in words and deeds. Her generosity and compassion for the poor was such that no destitute or beggar ever returned from her door unattended.
As a daughter, she loved her parents so much that she won their love and regard to such an extent that the Prophet (SAW) used to rise whenever she came near him. As a wife, she was deeply devoted to her husband, Ali (AS) and had never asked him for anything in her whole life.
As a mother, she cared for and brought up the most wonderful children who have left their marks in history that time will not be able to erase.
Fatima (SA) is acknowledged as `Sayyidatu-n-Nisa’i’l-alamin’ (the leader of all the women of the world for all times) because the Prophethood of Muhammad (SAW) would not have been everlasting without her. The Prophet (SAW) is the perfect example for men but could not be so for women. For all the Qur’anic verses revealed for women, Fatima (SA) has been the perfect model, who translated every Verse into action. In her lifetime, she was a complete woman, being daughter, wife and mother par excellence. ( M. H. Shakir, “A Brief History of the Fourteen Infallibles”, published by World Organization for Islamic Services, Tehran)

Fatima (SA), the Manifestation of Kindness and Self-sacrifice
The Tradition (Hadith) related below is said to be responsible for the revelation of the following Qur’anic verses:
“… and prefer (them) before themselves, though poverty may afflict them.” (59:9)
It is related that:
One day a poor, hungry man came to the Prophet (SAW) to ask for some food. The Prophet (SAW) guided him to go to the homes of his wives and get something to eat. All of them had no food in their homes and thus could not offer the poor man anything. He returned to the Prophet (SAW) who then asked his companions, “who is going to invite this guest to his home’? Ali (AS) immediately offered to take the man as his guest and soon they proceeded towards Ali’s (AS) home. On reaching home, Ali (AS) informed his wife Fatima (SA) that they had a guest and also enquired as to what they had at home for food. Fatima (SA) said that they had just enough food to feed the children, but that they would give priority to the poor guest. Ali (AS) then offered to turn off the lamp in the house, asking Fatima (SA) to put the children to bed. Ali (AS) thought of making the home dark so that their guest would not notice that his hosts had very little food and get embarrassed. Ali (AS) accompanied the guest on the dinner mat but the guest did not notice that Ali (AS) had not eaten, since the house was dark.
The night passed by in this manner. The guest ate comfortably and the members of Fatima’s (SA) home slept hungry.
It has been confirmed by numerous exegetes of the Qur’an that the Qur’anic verse mentioned above refers to the incident that demonstrated the kindness and self-sacrifice of Fatima (SA) and her family.
Hazrat Ali (AS) is quoted to have said:
“Once we were sitting with the Prophet (SAW) of Islam when he asked: `What is the best thing for a woman?’ No one could answer his question. I approached Fatima (SA) and discussed the issue with her and she immediately claimed to know the answer. According to her, the answer was, `The best thing for a woman is that she is protected from the sight of strangers such that neither does she have to see them nor do they get to see her.”
I returned to the Prophet (SAW) and gave him the answer. He asked at once, “Who taught you this answer?” I told him that the answer had come from Fatima (SA). The Prophet (SAW) was delighted and said: “Fatima (SA) is my flesh and blood.”
Numerous Traditions (Ahadith) have been related regarding the personality, dignity and responsibility of women. One Prophetic Tradition relates that once the Prophet (SAW) asked one of his companions, “When are women closest to Allah?” Again no one could answer this question. Fatima (SA) finally answered, saying: “When they are in their home.” According to exegetes, in all probability, this answer refers to a verse from the Qur’an that says:
“And stay in your home and do not display your finery like the displaying of the ignorant of yore…” (33:33)
It needs to be emphasized here that although in the Qur’an, this verse is addressed directly to the Prophet’s (SAW) wives, but it is also applicable to all Muslim women. In the same Chapter “The Allies”, Allah says:
“O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers that they let down upon them their over-garments that they may be known, and thus they will not be given trouble; and Allah is Forgiving, the Merciful.” (33:59)
The above verse has discussed the philosophy of Hijab (Islamic dress code) for women, as a kind of protection for them from being followed, teased, disrespected and from evil and lustful eyes.
Islam considers the protection of the dignity and character of women for their happiness and sincerity. However, here we need to clarify that Islam does not advocate that women should never be allowed to see the light of the day. In fact, when we study the life of Fatima (SA), we find that she was very active in her personal and social life. At the same time, she was so careful in safeguarding her dignity and self-respect that in spite of her activities, she never intermingled with any strangers.
Not only has the presence of women not been prohibited in the areas of culture, politics, defense, etc. rather wherever necessary they are obliged to participate actively in these areas. For example, whenever the society requires the services of female doctors, nurses, teachers etc., the women in that society are obliged (wajib) to obtain the necessary skills and qualifications.
The sermons of Fatima (SA) in the Prophet’s Mosque (Medina), her serving alongside Imam Ali (AS) in the Holy Wars (Jihad) and during their migration from Mecca to Medina and also the roles played by her great daughter Zainab (SA) in the Battle of Karbala, followed by her famous speeches in Kufa and Sham — all these reflect on the active and powerful roles played by these great Islamic personalities.
Hazrat Fatima’s (SA) legacy to all the Muslim women of her ummah is purity of faith and character. Her vision for all Muslim women for all times to come is that they keep themselves chaste and pure like angels, as per Islamic values and ethics. One Prophetic Tradition says:
“The alms (zakat) of the beauty of a woman is her dignity and chastity.”
Thus, if a woman does not guard or protect her beauty and exhibits herself to strangers, neither does she attain salvation, nor does her husband experience peace of mind and spirit.
It is to be remembered here that Islam regards women like a beautiful and delicate flower that needs to be protected from hardships and dangers. Moreover because only if a woman is well-protected and well-secure, can she offer happiness and peace to her family and home and in this way only would the society be safe, secure and progressive.
May Allah guide all Muslim women to Fatima’s (SA) example — Ameen.

The Link interviewed Naeim Giladi, a Jew from Iraq, for three hours on March 16, 1998, two days prior to his 69th birthday. For nearly two other delightful hours, we were treated to a multi-course Arabic meal prepared by his wife Rachael, who is also Iraqi. “It’s our Arab culture,” he said proudly.

In our previous Link, Israeli historian Ilan Pappe looked at the hundreds of thousands of indigenous Palestinians whose lives were uprooted to make room for foreigners who would come to populate confiscated land. Most were Ashkenazi Jews from Eastern Europe. But over half a million other Jews came from Islamic lands. Zionist propagandists claim that Israel “rescued” these Jews from their anti-Jewish, Muslim neighbors. One of those “rescued” Jews-Naeim Giladi-knows otherwise.

In his book, Ben Gurion’s Scandals: How the Haganah & the Mossad Eliminated Jews, Giladi discusses the crimes committed by Zionists in their frenzy to import raw Jewish labor. Newly-vacated farmlands had to be plowed to provide food for the immigrants and the military ranks had to be filled with conscripts to defend the stolen lands. Mr. Giladi couldn’t get his book published in Israel, and even in the U.S. he discovered he could do so only if he used his own money.

The Giladis, now U.S. citizens, live in New York City. By choice, they no longer hold Israeli citizenship. “I am Iraqi,” he told us, “born in Iraq, my culture still Iraqi Arabic, my religion Jewish, my citizenship American.”

John F. Mahoney Executive Director, AMEU

THE JEWS OF IRAQ

By Naeim Giladi

naeim giladi

write this article for the same reason I wrote my book: to tell the American people, and especially American Jews, that Jews from Islamic lands did not emigrate willingly to Israel; that, to force them to leave, Jews killed Jews; and that, to buy time to confiscate ever more Arab lands, Jews on numerous occasions rejected genuine peace initiatives from their Arab neighbors. I write about what the first prime minister of Israel called “cruel Zionism.” I write about it because I was part of it.

My Story

Of course I thought I knew it all back then. I was young, idealistic, and more than willing to put my life at risk for my convictions. It was 1947 and I wasn’t quite 18 when the Iraqi authorities caught me for smuggling young Iraqi Jews like myself out of Iraq, into Iran, and then on to the Promised Land of the soon-to-be established Israel.

I was an Iraqi Jew in the Zionist underground. My Iraqi jailers did everything they could to extract the names of my co-conspirators. Fifty years later, pain still throbs in my right toe-a reminder of the day my captors used pliers to remove my toenails. On another occasion, they hauled me to the flat roof of the prison, stripped me bare on a frigid January day, then threw a bucket of cold water over me. I was left there, chained to the railing, for hours. But I never once considered giving them the information they wanted. I was a true believer.

My preoccupation during what I refer to as my “two years in hell” was with survival and escape. I had no interest then in the broad sweep of Jewish history in Iraq even though my family had been part of it right from the beginning. We were originally Haroons, a large and important family of the “Babylonian Diaspora.” My ancestors had settled in Iraq more than 2,600 years ago-600 years before Christianity, and 1,200 years before Islam. I am descended from Jews who built the tomb of Yehezkel, a Jewish prophet of pre-biblical times. My town, where I was born in 1929, is Hillah, not far from the ancient site of Babylon.

The original Jews found Babylon, with its nourishing Tigris and Euphrates rivers, to be truly a land of milk, honey, abundance-and opportunity. Although Jews, like other minorities in what became Iraq, experienced periods of oppression and discrimination depending on the rulers of the period, their general trajectory over two and one-half millennia was upward. Under the late Ottoman rule, for example, Jewish social and religious institutions, schools, and medical facilities flourished without outside interference, and Jews were prominent in government and business.

As I sat there in my cell, unaware that a death sentence soon would be handed down against me, I could not have recounted any personal grievances that my family members would have lodged against the government or the Muslim majority. Our family had been treated well and had prospered, first as farmers with some 50,000 acres devoted to rice, dates and Arab horses. Then, with the Ottomans, we bought and purified gold that was shipped to Istanbul and turned into coinage. The Turks were responsible in fact for changing our name to reflect our occupation-we became Khalaschi, meaning “Makers of Pure.”

I did not volunteer the information to my father that I had joined the Zionist underground. He found out several months before I was arrested when he saw me writing Hebrew and using words and expressions unfamiliar to him. He was even more surprised to learn that, yes, I had decided I would soon move to Israel myself. He was scornful. “You’ll come back with your tail between your legs,” he predicted.

About 125,000 Jews left Iraq for Israel in the late 1940s and into 1952, most because they had been lied to and put into a panic by what I came to learn were Zionist bombs. But my mother and father were among the 6,000 who did not go to Israel. Although physically I never did return to Iraq-that bridge had been burned in any event-my heart has made the journey there many, many times. My father had it right.

I was imprisoned at the military camp of Abu-Greib, about 7 miles from Baghdad. When the military court handed down my sentence of death by hanging, I had nothing to lose by attempting the escape I had been planning for many months.

It was a strange recipe for an escape: a dab of butter, an orange peel, and some army clothing that I had asked a friend to buy for me at a flea market. I deliberately ate as much bread as I could to put on fat in anticipation of the day I became 18, when they could formally charge me with a crime and attach the 50-pound ball and chain that was standard prisoner issue.

Later, after my leg had been shackled, I went on a starvation diet that often left me weak-kneed. The pat of butter was to lubricate my leg in preparation for extricating it from the metal band. The orange peel I surreptitiously stuck into the lock on the night of my planned escape, having studied how it could be placed in such a way as to keep the lock from closing.

As the jailers turned to go after locking up, I put on the old army issue that was indistinguishable from what they were wearing-a long, green coat and a stocking cap that I pulled down over much of my face (it was winter). Then I just quietly opened the door and joined the departing group of soldiers as they strode down the hall and outside, and I offered a “good night” to the shift guard as I left. A friend with a car was waiting to speed me away.

Later I made my way to the new state of Israel, arriving in May, 1950. My passport had my name in Arabic and English, but the English couldn’t capture the “kh” sound, so it was rendered simply as Klaski. At the border, the immigration people applied the English version, which had an Eastern European, Ashkenazi ring to it. In one way, this “mistake” was my key to discovering very soon just how the Israeli caste system worked.

They asked me where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do. I was the son of a farmer; I knew all the problems of the farm, so I volunteered to go to Dafnah, a farming kibbutz in the high Galilee. I only lasted a few weeks. The new immigrants were given the worst of everything. The food was the same, but that was the only thing that everyone had in common. For the immigrants, bad cigarettes, even bad toothpaste. Everything. I left.

Then, through the Jewish Agency, I was advised to go to al-Majdal (later renamed Ashkelon), an Arab town about 9 miles from Gaza, very close to the Mediterranean. The Israeli government planned to turn it into a farmers’ city, so my farm background would be an asset there.

When I reported to the Labor Office in al-Majdal, they saw that I could read and write Arabic and Hebrew and they said that I could find a good-paying job with the Military Governor’s office. The Arabs were under the authority of these Israeli Military Governors. A clerk handed me a bunch of forms in Arabic and Hebrew. Now it dawned on me. Before Israel could establish its farmers’ city, it had to rid al-Majdal of its indigenous Palestinians. The forms were petitions to the United Nations Inspectors asking for transfer out of Israel to Gaza, which was under Egyptian control.

I read over the petition. In signing, the Palestinian would be saying that he was of sound mind and body and was making the request for transfer free of pressure or duress. Of course, there was no way that they would leave without being pressured to do so. These families had been there hundreds of years, as farmers, primitive artisans, weavers. The Military Governor prohibited them from pursuing their livelihoods, just penned them up until they lost hope of resuming their normal lives. That’s when they signed to leave.

I was there and heard their grief. “Our hearts are in pain when we look at the orange trees that we planted with our own hands. Please let us go, let us give water to those trees. God will not be pleased with us if we leave His trees untended.” I asked the Military Governor to give them relief, but he said, “No, we want them to leave.”

I could no longer be part of this oppression and I left. Those Palestinians who didn’t sign up for transfers were taken by force-just put in trucks and dumped in Gaza. About four thousand people were driven from al-Majdal in one way or another. The few who remained were collaborators with the Israeli authorities.

Subsequently, I wrote letters trying to get a government job elsewhere and I got many immediate responses asking me to come for an interview. Then they would discover that my face didn’t match my Polish/Ashkenazi name. They would ask if I spoke Yiddish or Polish, and when I said I didn’t, they would ask where I came by a Polish name. Desperate for a good job, I would usually say that I thought my great-grandfather was from Poland. I was advised time and again that “we’ll give you a call.”

Eventually, three to four years after coming to Israel, I changed my name to Giladi, which is close to the code name, Gilad, that I had in the Zionist underground. Klaski wasn’t doing me any good anyway, and my Eastern friends were always chiding me about the name they knew didn’t go with my origins as an Iraqi Jew.

I was disillusioned at what I found in the Promised Land, disillusioned personally, disillusioned at the institutionalized racism, disillusioned at what I was beginning to learn about Zionism’s cruelties. The principal interest Israel had in Jews from Islamic countries was as a supply of cheap labor, especially for the farm work that was beneath the urbanized Eastern European Jews. Ben Gurion needed the “Oriental” Jews to farm the thousands of acres of land left by Palestinians who were driven out by Israeli forces in 1948.

And I began to find out about the barbaric methods used to rid the fledgling state of as many Palestinians as possible. The world recoils today at the thought of bacteriological warfare, but Israel was probably the first to actually use it in the Middle East. In the 1948 war, Jewish forces would empty Arab villages of their populations, often by threats, sometimes by just gunning down a half-dozen unarmed Arabs as examples to the rest. To make sure the Arabs couldn’t return to make a fresh life for themselves in these villages, the Israelis put typhus and dysentery bacteria into the water wells.

Uri Mileshtin, an official historian for the Israeli Defense Force, has written and spoken about the use of bacteriological agents. According to Mileshtin, Moshe Dayan, a division commander at the time, gave orders in 1948 to remove Arabs from their villages, bulldoze their homes, and render water wells unusable with typhus and dysentery bacteria.

Acre was so situated that it could practically defend itself with one big gun, so the Haganah put bacteria into the spring that fed the town. The spring was called Capri and it ran from the north near a kibbutz. The Haganah put typhus bacteria into the water going to Acre, the people got sick, and the Jewish forces occupied Acre. This worked so well that they sent a Haganah division dressed as Arabs into Gaza, where there were Egyptian forces, and the Egyptians caught them putting two cans of bacteria, typhus and dysentery, into the water supply in wanton disregard of the civilian population. “In war, there is no sentiment,” one of the captured Haganah men was quoted as saying.

My activism in Israel began shortly after I received a letter from the Socialist/Zionist Party asking me to help with their Arabic newspaper. When I showed up at their offices at Central House in Tel Aviv, I asked around to see just where I should report. I showed the letter to a couple of people there and, without even looking at it, they would motion me away with the words, “Room No. 8.” When I saw that they weren’t even reading the letter, I inquired of several others. But the response was the same, “Room No. 8,” with not a glance at the paper I put in front of them.

So I went to Room 8 and saw that it was the Department of Jews from Islamic Countries. I was disgusted and angry. Either I am a member of the party or I’m not. Do I have a different ideology or different politics because I am an Arab Jew? It’s segregation, I thought, just like a Negroes’ Department. I turned around and walked out. That was the start of my open protests. That same year I organized a demonstration in Ashkelon against Ben Gurion’s racist policies and 10,000 people turned out.

There wasn’t much opportunity for those of us who were second class citizens to do much about it when Israel was on a war footing with outside enemies. After the 1967 war, I was in the Army myself and served in the Sinai when there was continued fighting along the Suez Canal. But the cease-fire with Egypt in 1970 gave us our opening. We took to the streets and organized politically to demand equal rights. If it’s our country, if we were expected to risk our lives in a border war, then we expected equal treatment.

We mounted the struggle so tenaciously and received so much publicity that the Israeli government tried to discredit our movement by calling us “Israel’s Black Panthers.” They were thinking in racist terms, really, in assuming the Israeli public would reject an organization whose ideology was being compared to that of radical blacks in the United States. But we saw that what we were doing was no different than what blacks in the United States were fighting against-segregation, discrimination, unequal treatment. Rather than reject the label, we adopted it proudly. I had posters of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela and other civil rights activists plastered all over my office.

With the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and the Israeli-condoned Sabra and Shatilla massacres, I had had enough of Israel. I became a United States citizen and made certain to revoke my Israeli citizenship. I could never have written and published my book in Israel, not with the censorship they would impose.

Even in America, I had great difficulty finding a publisher because many are subject to pressures of one kind or another from Israel and its friends. I ended up paying $60,000 from my own pocket to publish Ben Gurion’s Scandals: How the Haganah & the Mossad Eliminated Jews, virtually the entire proceeds from having sold my house in Israel.

I still was afraid that the printer would back out or that legal proceedings would be initiated to stop its publication, like the Israeli government did in an attempt to prevent former Mossad case officer Victor Ostrovsky from publishing his first book. Ben Gurion’s Scandals had to be translated into English from two languages. I wrote in Hebrew when I was in Israel and hoped to publish the book there, and I wrote in Arabic when I was completing the book after coming to the U.S. But I was so worried that something would stop publication that I told the printer not to wait for the translations to be thoroughly checked and proofread. Now I realize that the publicity of a lawsuit would just have created a controversial interest in the book.

I am using bank vault storage for the valuable documents that back up what I have written. These documents, including some that I illegally copied from the archives at Yad Vashem, confirm what I saw myself, what I was told by other witnesses, and what reputable historians and others have written concerning the Zionist bombings in Iraq, Arab peace overtures that were rebuffed, and incidents of violence and death inflicted by Jews on Jews in the cause of creating Israel.

The Riots of 1941

If, as I have said, my family in Iraq was not persecuted personally and I knew no deprivation as a member of the Jewish minority, what led me to the steps of the gallows as a member of the Zionist underground? To answer that question, it is necessary to establish the context of the massacre that occurred in Baghdad on June 1, 1941, when several hundred Iraqi Jews were killed in riots involving junior officers of the Iraqi army. I was 12 years of age and many of those killed were my friends. I was angry, and very confused.

What I didn’t know at the time was that the riots most likely were stirred up by the British, in collusion with a pro-British Iraqi leadership.

With the breakup of the Ottoman Empire following WW I, Iraq came under British “tutelage.” Amir Faisal, son of Sharif Hussein who had led the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman sultan, was brought in from Mecca by the British to become King of Iraq in 1921. Many Jews were appointed to key administrative posts, including that of economics minister. Britain retained final authority over domestic and external affairs. Britain’s pro-Zionist attitude in Palestine, however, triggered a growing anti-Zionist backlash in Iraq, as it did in all Arab countries. Writing at the end of 1934, Sir Francis Humphreys, Britain’s Ambassador in Baghdad, noted that, while before WW I Iraqi Jews had enjoyed a more favorable position than any other minority in the country, since then “Zionism has sown dissension between Jews and Arabs, and a bitterness has grown up between the two peoples which did not previously exist.”

King Faisal died in 1933. He was succeeded by his son Ghazi, who died in a motor car accident in 1939. The crown then passed to Ghazi’s 4-year-old son, Faisal II, whose uncle, Abd al-Ilah, was named regent. Abd al-Ilah selected Nouri el-Said as prime minister. El-Said supported the British and, as hatred of the British grew, he was forced from office in March 1940 by four senior army officers who advocated Iraq’s independence from Britain. Calling themselves the Golden Square, the officers compelled the regent to name as prime minister Rashid Ali al-Kilani, leader of the National Brotherhood party.

The time was 1940 and Britain was reeling from a strong German offensive. Al-Kilani and the Golden Square saw this as their opportunity to rid themselves of the British once and for all. Cautiously they began to negotiate for German support, which led the pro-British regent Abd al-Ilah to dismiss al-Kilani in January 1941. By April, however, the Golden Square officers had reinstated the prime minister.

This provoked the British to send a military force into Basra on April 12, 1941. Basra, Iraq’s second largest city, had a Jewish population of 30,000. Most of these Jews made their livings from import/export, money changing, retailing, as workers in the airports, railways, and ports, or as senior government employees.

On the same day, April 12, supporters of the pro-British regent notified the Jewish leaders that the regent wanted to meet with them. As was their custom, the leaders brought flowers for the regent. Contrary to custom, however, the cars that drove them to the meeting place dropped them off at the site where the British soldiers were concentrated.

Photographs of the Jews appeared in the following day’s newspapers with the banner “Basra Jews Receive British Troops with Flowers.” That same day, April 13, groups of angry Arab youths set about to take revenge against the Jews. Several Muslim notables in Basra heard of the plan and calmed things down. Later, it was learned that the regent was not in Basra at all and that the matter was a provocation by his pro-British supporters to bring about an ethnic war in order to give the British army a pretext to intervene.

The British continued to land more forces in and around Basra. On May 7, 1941, their Gurkha unit, composed of Indian soldiers from that ethnic group, occupied Basra’s el-Oshar quarter, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. The soldiers, led by British officers, began looting. Many shops in the commercial district were plundered. Private homes were broken into. Cases of attempted rape were reported. Local residents, Jews and Muslims, responded with pistols and old rifles, but their bullets were no match for the soldiers’ Tommy Guns.

Afterwards, it was learned that the soldiers acted with the acquiescence, if not the blessing, of their British commanders. (It should be remembered that the Indian soldiers, especially those of the Gurkha unit, were known for their discipline, and it is highly unlikely they would have acted so riotously without orders.) The British goal clearly was to create chaos and to blacken the image of the pro-nationalist regime in Baghdad, thereby giving the British forces reason to proceed to the capital and to overthrow the al-Kilani government.

Baghdad fell on May 30. Al-Kilani fled to Iran, along with the Golden Square officers. Radio stations run by the British reported that Regent Abd al-Ilah would be returning to the city and that thousands of Jews and others were planning to welcome him. What inflamed young Iraqis against the Jews most, however, was the radio announcer Yunas Bahri on the German station “Berlin,” who reported in Arabic that Jews from Palestine were fighting alongside the British against Iraqi soldiers near the city of Faluja. The report was false.

On Sunday, June 1, unarmed fighting broke out in Baghdad between Jews who were still celebrating their Shabuoth holiday and young Iraqis who thought the Jews were celebrating the return of the pro-British regent. That evening, a group of Iraqis stopped a bus, removed the Jewish passengers, murdered one and fatally wounded a second.

About 8:30 the following morning, some 30 individuals in military and police uniforms opened fire along el-Amin street, a small downtown street whose jewelry, tailor and grocery shops were Jewish-owned. By 11 a.m., mobs of Iraqis with knives, switchblades and clubs were attacking Jewish homes in the area.

The riots continued throughout Monday, June 2. During this time, many Muslims rose to defend their Jewish neighbors, while some Jews successfully defended themselves. There were 124 killed and 400 injured, according to a report written by a Jewish Agency messenger who was in Iraq at the time. Other estimates, possibly less reliable, put the death toll higher, as many as 500, with from 650 to 2,000 injured. From 500 to 1,300 stores and more than 1,000 homes and apartments were looted.

Who was behind the rioting in the Jewish quarter?
Yosef Meir, one of the most prominent activists in the Zionist underground movement in Iraq, known then as Yehoshafat, claims it was the British. Meir, who now works for the Israeli Defense Ministry, argues that, in order to make it appear that the regent was returning as the savior who would reestablish law and order, the British stirred up the riots against the most vulnerable and visible segment in the city, the Jews. And, not surprisingly, the riots ended as soon as the regent’s loyal soldiers entered the capital.

My own investigations as a journalist lead me to believe Meir is correct. Furthermore, I think his claims should be seen as based on documents in the archives of the Israeli Defense Ministry, the agency that published his book. Yet, even before his book came out, I had independent confirmation from a man I met in Iran in the late Forties.

His name was Michael Timosian, an Iraqi Armenian. When I met him he was working as a male nurse at the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in Abadan in the south of Iran. On June 2, 1941, however, he was working at the Baghdad hospital where many of the riot victims were brought. Most of these victims were Jews.

Timosian said he was particularly interested in two patients whose conduct did not follow local custom. One had been hit by a bullet in his shoulder, the other by a bullet in his right knee. After the doctor removed the bullets, the staff tried to change their blood-soaked cloths. But the two men fought off their efforts, pretending to be speechless, although tests showed they could hear. To pacify them, the doctor injected them with anesthetics and, as they were sleeping, Timosian changed their cloths. He discovered that one of them had around his neck an identification tag of the type used by British troops, while the other had tattoos with Indian script on his right arm along with the familiar sword of the Gurkha.

The next day when Timosian showed up for work, he was told that a British officer, his sergeant and two Indian Gurkha soldiers had come to the hospital early that morning. Staff members overheard the Gurkha soldiers talking with the wounded patients, who were not as dumb as they had pretended. The patients saluted the visitors, covered themselves with sheets and, without signing the required release forms, left the hospital with their visitors.

Today there is no doubt in my mind that the anti-Jewish riots of 1941 were orchestrated by the British for geopolitical ends. David Kimche is certainly a man who was in a position to know the truth, and he has spoken publicly about British culpability. Kimche had been with British Intelligence during WW II and with the Mossad after the war. Later he became Director General of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the position he held in 1982 when he addressed a forum at the British Institute for International Affairs in London.

In responding to hostile questions about Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and the refugee camp massacres in Beirut, Kimche went on the attack, reminding the audience that there was scant concern in the British Foreign Office when British Gurkha units participated in the murder of 500 Jews in the streets of Baghdad in 1941.

The Bombings of 1950–1951

The anti-Jewish riots of 1941 did more than create a pretext for the British to enter Baghdad to reinstate the pro-British regent and his pro-British prime minister, Nouri el-Said. They also gave the Zionists in Palestine a pretext to set up a Zionist underground in Iraq, first in Baghdad, then in other cities such as Basra, Amara, Hillah, Diwaneia, Abril and Karkouk.

Following WW II, a succession of governments held brief power in Iraq. Zionist conquests in Palestine, particularly the massacre of Palestinians in the village of Deir Yassin, emboldened the anti-British movement in Iraq. When the Iraqi government signed a new treaty of friendship with London in January 1948, riots broke out all over the country. The treaty was quickly abandoned and Baghdad demanded removal of the British military mission that had run Iraq’s army for 27 years.

Later in 1948, Baghdad sent an army detachment to Palestine to fight the Zionists, and when Israel declared independence in May, Iraq closed the pipeline that fed its oil to Haifa’s refinery. Abd al-Ilah, however, was still regent and the British quisling, Nouri el-Said, was back as prime minister. I was in the Abu-Greib prison in 1948, where I would remain until my escape to Iran in September 1949.

Six months later-the exact date was March 19, 1950-a bomb went off at the American Cultural Center and Library in Baghdad, causing property damage and injuring a number of people. The center was a favorite meeting place for young Jews.

The first bomb thrown directly at Jews occurred on April 8, 1950, at 9:15 p.m. A car with three young passengers hurled the grenade at Baghdad’s El-Dar El-Bida Café, where Jews were celebrating Passover. Four people were seriously injured. That night leaflets were distributed calling on Jews to leave Iraq immediately.

The next day, many Jews, most of them poor with nothing to lose, jammed emigration offices to renounce their citizenship and to apply for permission to leave for Israel. So many applied, in fact, that the police had to open registration offices in Jewish schools and synagogues.

On May 10, at 3 a.m., a grenade was tossed in the direction of the display window of the Jewish-owned Beit-Lawi Automobile Company, destroying part of the building. No casualties were reported.

On June 3, 1950, another grenade was tossed from a speeding car in the El-Batawin area of Baghdad where most rich Jews and middle class Iraqis lived. No one was hurt, but following the explosion Zionist activists sent telegrams to Israel requesting that the quota for immigration from Iraq be increased.

On June 5, at 2:30 a.m., a bomb exploded next to the Jewish-owned Stanley Shashua building on El-Rashid street, resulting in property damage but no casualties.

On January 14, 1951, at 7 p.m., a grenade was thrown at a group of Jews outside the Masouda Shem-Tov Synagogue. The explosive struck a high-voltage cable, electrocuting three Jews, one a young boy, Itzhak Elmacher, and wounding over 30 others. Following the attack, the exodus of Jews jumped to between 600–700 per day.

Zionist propagandists still maintain that the bombs in Iraq were set off by anti-Jewish Iraqis who wanted Jews out of their country. The terrible truth is that the grenades that killed and maimed Iraqi Jews and damaged their property were thrown by Zionist Jews.

Among the most important documents in my book, I believe, are copies of two leaflets published by the Zionist underground calling on Jews to leave Iraq. One is dated March 16, 1950, the other April 8, 1950.

The difference between these two is critical. Both indicate the date of publication, but only the April 8th leaflet notes the time of day: 4 p.m. Why the time of day? Such a specification was unprecedented. Even the investigating judge, Salaman El-Beit, found it suspicious. Did the 4 p.m. writers want an alibi for a bombing they knew would occur five hours later? If so, how did they know about the bombing? The judge concluded they knew because a connection existed between the Zionist underground and the bomb throwers.

This, too, was the conclusion of Wilbur Crane Eveland, a former senior officer in the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), whom I had the opportunity to meet in New York in 1988. In his book, Ropes of Sand, whose publication the CIA opposed, Eveland writes:

In attempts to portray the Iraqis as anti-American and to terrorize the Jews, the Zionists planted bombs in the U.S. Information Service library and in synagogues. Soon leaflets began to appear urging Jews to flee to Israel. . . . Although the Iraqi police later provided our embassy with evidence to show that the synagogue and library bombings, as well as the anti-Jewish and anti-American leaflet campaigns, had been the work of an underground Zionist organization, most of the world believed reports that Arab terrorism had motivated the flight of the Iraqi Jews whom the Zionists had “rescued” really just in order to increase Israel’s Jewish population.”

Eveland doesn’t detail the evidence linking the Zionists to the attacks, but in my book I do. In 1955, for example, I organized in Israel a panel of Jewish attorneys of Iraqi origin to handle claims of Iraqi Jews who still had property in Iraq. One well known attorney, who asked that I not give his name, confided in me that the laboratory tests in Iraq had confirmed that the anti-American leaflets found at the American Cultural Center bombing were typed on the same typewriter and duplicated on the same stenciling machine as the leaflets distributed by the Zionist movement just before the April 8th bombing.

Tests also showed that the type of explosive used in the Beit-Lawi attack matched traces of explosives found in the suitcase of an Iraqi Jew by the name of Yosef Basri. Basri, a lawyer, together with Shalom Salih, a shoemaker, would be put on trial for the attacks in December 1951 and executed the following month. Both men were members of Hashura, the military arm of the Zionist underground. Salih ultimately confessed that he, Basri and a third man, Yosef Habaza, carried out the attacks.

By the time of the executions in January 1952, all but 6,000 of an estimated 125,000 Iraqi Jews had fled to Israel. Moreover, the pro-British, pro-Zionist puppet el-Said saw to it that all of their possessions were frozen, including their cash assets. (There were ways of getting Iraqi dinars out, but when the immigrants went to exchange them in Israel they found that the Israeli government kept 50 percent of the value.) Even those Iraqi Jews who had not registered to emigrate, but who happened to be abroad, faced loss of their nationality if they didn’t return within a specified time. An ancient, cultured, prosperous community had been uprooted and its people transplanted to a land dominated by East European Jews, whose culture was not only foreign but entirely hateful to them.

The Ultimate Criminals

Zionist Leaders:
From the start they knew that in order to establish a Jewish state they had to expel the indigenous Palestinian population to the neighboring Islamic states and import Jews from these same states.

* Theodor Herzl, the architect of Zionism, thought it could be done by social engineering. In his diary entry for 12 June 1885, he wrote that Zionist settlers would have to “spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries, while denying it any employment in our own country.”

* Vladimir Jabotinsky, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ideological progenitor, frankly admitted that such a transfer of populations could only be brought about by force.

* David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, told a Zionist Conference in 1937 that any proposed Jewish state would have to “transfer Arab populations out of the area, if possible of their own free will, if not by coercion.” After 750,000 Palestinians were uprooted and their lands confiscated in 1948–49, Ben Gurion had to look to the Islamic countries for Jews who could fill the resultant cheap labor market. “Emissaries” were smuggled into these countries to “convince” Jews to leave either by trickery or fear.

In the case of Iraq, both methods were used: uneducated Jews were told of a Messianic Israel in which the blind see, the lame walk, and onions grow as big as melons; educated Jews had bombs thrown at them.

A few years after the bombings, in the early 1950s, a book was published in Iraq, in Arabic, titled Venom of the Zionist Viper. The author was one of the Iraqi investigators of the 1950–51 bombings and, in his book, he implicates the Israelis, specifically one of the emissaries sent by Israel, Mordechai Ben-Porat. As soon as the book came out, all copies just disappeared, even from libraries. The word was that agents of the Israeli Mossad, working through the U.S. Embassy, bought up all the books and destroyed them. I tried on three different occasions to have one sent to me in Israel, but each time Israeli censors in the post office intercepted it.

British Leaders:
Britain always acted in its best colonial interests. For that reason Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour sent his famous 1917 letter to Lord Rothschild in exchange for Zionist support in WW I. During WW II the British were primarily concerned with keeping their client states in the Western camp, while Zionists were most concerned with the immigration of European Jews to Palestine, even if this meant cooperating with the Nazis. (In my book I document numerous instances of such dealings by Ben Gurion and the Zionist leadership.)

After WW II the international chessboard pitted communists against capitalists. In many countries, including the United States and Iraq, Jews represented a large part of the Communist party. In Iraq, hundreds of Jews of the working intelligentsia occupied key positions in the hierarchy of the Communist and Socialist parties. To keep their client countries in the capitalist camp, Britain had to make sure these governments had pro-British leaders. And if, as in Iraq, these leaders were overthrown, then an anti-Jewish riot or two could prove a useful pretext to invade the capital and reinstate the “right” leaders.

Moreover, if the possibility existed of removing the communist influence from Iraq by transferring the whole Jewish community to Israel, well then, why not? Particularly if the leaders of Israel and Iraq conspired in the deed.

The Iraqi Leaders:
Both the regent Abd al-Ilah and his prime minister Nouri el- Said took directions from London. Toward the end of 1948, el-Said, who had already met with Israel’s Prime Minister Ben Gurion in Vienna, began discussing with his Iraqi and British associates the need for an exchange of populations. Iraq would send the Jews in military trucks to Israel via Jordan, and Iraq would take in some of the Palestinians Israel had been evicting. His proposal included mutual confiscation of property. London nixed the idea as too radical.

El-Said then went to his back-up plan and began to create the conditions that would make the lives of Iraqi Jews so miserable they would leave for Israel. Jewish government employees were fired from their jobs; Jewish merchants were denied import/export licenses; police began to arrest Jews for trivial reasons. Still the Jews did not leave in any great numbers.

In September 1949, Israel sent the spy Mordechai Ben-Porat, the one mentioned in Venom of the Zionist Viper, to Iraq. One of the first things Ben-Porat did was to approach el-Said and promise him financial incentives to have a law enacted that would lift the citizenship of Iraqi Jews.

Soon after, Zionist and Iraqi representatives began formulating a rough draft of the bill, according to the model dictated by Israel through its agents in Baghdad. The bill was passed by the Iraqi parliament in March 1950. It empowered the government to issue one-time exit visas to Jews wishing to leave the country. In March, the bombings began.

Sixteen years later, the Israeli magazine Haolam Hazeh, published by Uri Avnery, then a Knesset member, accused Ben-Porat of the Baghdad bombings. Ben-Porat, who would become a Knesset member himself, denied the charge, but never sued the magazine for libel. And Iraqi Jews in Israel still call him Morad Abu al-Knabel, Mordechai of the Bombs.

As I said, all this went well beyond the comprehension of a teenager. I knew Jews were being killed and an organization existed that could lead us to the Promised Land. So I helped in the exodus to Israel. Later, on occasions, I would bump into some of these Iraqi Jews in Israel. Not infrequently they’d express the sentiment that they could kill me for what I had done.

Opportunities for Peace

After the Israeli attack on the Jordanian village of Qibya in October, 1953, Ben Gurion went into voluntary exile at the Sedeh Boker kibbutz in the Negev. The Labor party then used to organize many buses for people to go visit him there, where they would see the former prime minister working with sheep. But that was only for show. Really he was writing his diary and continuing to be active behind the scenes. I went on such a tour.

We were told not to try to speak to Ben Gurion, but when I saw him, I asked why, since Israel is a democracy with a parliament, does it not have a constitution? Ben Gurion said, “Look, boy”-I was 24 at the time-”if we have a constitution, we have to write in it the border of our country. And this is not our border, my dear.” I asked, “Then where is the border?” He said, “Wherever the Sahal will come, this is the border.” Sahal is the Israeli army.

Ben Gurion told the world that Israel accepted the partition and the Arabs rejected it. Then Israel took half of the land that was promised to the Arab state. And still he was saying it was not enough. Israel needed more land. How can a country make peace with its neighbors if it wants to take their land? How can a country demand to be secure if it won’t say what borders it will be satisfied with? For such a country, peace would be an inconvenience.

I know now that from the beginning many Arab leaders wanted to make peace with Israel, but Israel always refused. Ben Gurion covered this up with propaganda. He said that the Arabs wanted to drive Israel into the sea and he called Gamal Abdel Nasser the Hitler of the Middle East whose foremost intent was to destroy Israel. He wanted America and Great Britain to treat Nasser like a pariah.

In 1954, it seemed that America was getting less critical of Nasser. Then during a three-week period in July, several terrorist bombs were set off: at the United States Information Agency offices in Cairo and Alexandria, a British-owned theater, and the central post office in Cairo. An attempt to firebomb a cinema in Alexandria failed when the bomb went off in the pocket of one of the perpetrators. That led to the discovery that the terrorists were not anti-Western Egyptians, but were instead Israeli spies bent on souring the warming relationship between Egypt and the United States in what came to be known as the Lavon Affair.

Ben Gurion was still living on his kibbutz. Moshe Sharett as prime minister was in contact with Abdel Nasser through the offices of Lord Maurice Orbach of Great Britain. Sharett asked Nasser to be lenient with the captured spies, and Nasser did all that was in his power to prevent a deterioration of the situation between the two countries.

Then Ben Gurion returned as Defense Minister in February, 1955. Later that month Israeli troops attacked Egyptian military camps and Palestinian refugees in Gaza, killing 54 and injuring many more. The very night of the attack, Lord Orbach was on his way to deliver a message to Nasser, but was unable to get through because of the military action. When Orbach telephoned, Nasser’s secretary told him that the attack proved that Israel did not want peace and that he was wasting his time as a mediator.

In November, Ben Gurion announced in the Knesset that he was willing to meet with Abdel Nasser anywhere and at any time for the sake of peace and understanding. The next morning the Israeli military attacked an Egyptian military camp in the Sabaha region.

Although Nasser felt pessimistic about achieving peace with Israel, he continued to send other mediators to try. One was through the American Friends Service Committee; another via the Prime Minister of Malta, Dom Minthoff; and still another through Marshall Tito of Yugoslavia.

One that looked particularly promising was through Dennis Hamilton, editor of The London Times. Nasser told Hamilton that if only he could sit and talk with Ben Gurion for two or three hours, they would be able to settle the conflict and end the state of war between the two countries. When word of this reached Ben Gurion, he arranged to meet with Hamilton. They decided to pursue the matter with the Israeli ambassador in London, Arthur Luria, as liaison. On Hamilton’s third trip to Egypt, Nasser met him with the text of a Ben Gurion speech stating that Israel would not give up an inch of land and would not take back a single refugee. Hamilton knew that Ben Gurion with his mouth had undermined a peace mission and missed an opportunity to settle the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Nasser even sent his friend Ibrahim Izat of the Ruz El Yusuf weekly paper to meet with Israeli leaders in order to explore the political atmosphere and find out why the attacks were taking place if Israel really wanted peace. One of the men Izat met with was Yigal Yadin, a former Chief of Staff of the army who wrote this letter to me on 14 January 1982:

Dear Mr. Giladi:

Your letter reminded me of an event which I nearly forgot and of which I remember only a few details.

Ibrahim Izat came to me if I am not mistaken under the request of the Foreign Ministry or one of its branches; he stayed in my house and we spoke for many hours. I do not remember him saying that he came on a mission from Nasser, but I have no doubt that he let it be understood that this was with his knowledge or acquiescence….

When Nasser decided to nationalize the Suez Canal in spite of opposition from the British and the French, Radio Cairo announced in Hebrew:

If the Israeli government is not influenced by the British and the French imperialists, it will eventually result in greater understanding between the two states, and Egypt will reconsider Israel’s request to have access to the Suez Canal.

Israel responded that it had no designs on Egypt, but at that very moment Israeli representatives were in France planning the three-way attack that was to take place in October, 1956.

All the while, Ben Gurion continued to talk about the Hitler of the Middle East. This brainwashing went on until late September, 1970, when Gamal Abdel Nasser passed away. Then, miracle of miracles, David Ben Gurion told the press:

A week before he died I received an envoy from Abdel Nasser who asked to meet with me urgently in order to solve the problems between Israel and the Arab world.

The public was surprised because they didn’t know that Abdel Nasser had wanted this all along, but Israel sabotaged it.

Nasser was not the only Arab leader who wanted to make peace with Israel. There were many others. Brigadier General Abdel Karim Qasem, before he seized power in Iraq in July, 1958, headed an underground organization that sent a delegation to Israel to make a secret agreement. Ben Gurion refused even to see him. I learned about this when I was a journalist in Israel. But whenever I tried to publish even a small part of it, the censor would stamp it “Not Allowed.”

Now, in Netanyahu, we are witnessing another attempt by an Israeli prime minister to fake an interest in making peace. Netanyahu and the Likud are setting Arafat up by demanding that he institute more and more repressive measures in the interest of Israeli “security.” Sooner or later I suspect the Palestinians will have had enough of Arafat’s strong-arm methods as Israel’s quisling-and he’ll be killed. Then the Israeli government will say, “See, we were ready to give him everything. You can’t trust those Arabs-they kill each other. Now there’s no one to even talk to about peace.”

Conclusion

Alexis de Tocqueville once observed that it is easier for the world to accept a simple lie than a complex truth. Certainly it has been easier for the world to accept the Zionist lie that Jews were evicted from Muslim lands because of anti-Semitism, and that Israelis, never the Arabs, were the pursuers of peace. The truth is far more discerning: bigger players on the world stage were pulling the strings.

These players, I believe, should be held accountable for their crimes, particularly when they willfully terrorized, dispossessed and killed innocent people on the altar of some ideological imperative.

I believe, too, that the descendants of these leaders have a moral responsibility to compensate the victims and their descendants, and to do so not just with reparations, but by setting the historical record straight.

That is why I established a panel of inquiry in Israel to seek reparations for Iraqi Jews who had been forced to leave behind their property and possessions in Iraq. That is why I joined the Black Panthers in confronting the Israeli government with the grievances of the Jews in Israel who came from Islamic lands. And that is why I have written my book and this article: to set the historical record straight.

We Jews from Islamic lands did not leave our ancestral homes because of any natural enmity between Jews and Muslims. And we Arabs-I say Arab because that is the language my wife and I still speak at home-we Arabs on numerous occasions have sought peace with the State of the Jews. And finally, as a U.S. citizen and taxpayer, let me say that we Americans need to stop supporting racial discrimination in Israel and the cruel expropriation of lands in the West Bank, Gaza, South Lebanon and the Golan Heights.

ENDNOTES

• Mileshtin was quoted by the Israeli daily, Hadashot, in an article published August 13, 1993. The writer, Sarah Laybobis-Dar, interviewed a number of Israelis who had knowledge of the use of bacteriological weapons in the 1948 war. Mileshtin said bacteria was used to poison the wells of every village emptied of its Arab inhabitants.
• On Sept. 12, 1990, the New York State Supreme Court issued a restraining order at the request of the Israeli government to prevent publication of Ostrovsky’s book, “By Way of Deception: The Making and Unmaking of a Mossad Officer.” The New York State Appeals Court lifted the ban the next day.
• Marion Woolfson, “Prophets in Babylon: Jews in the Arab World,” p. 129
• Yosef Meir, “Road in the Desert,” Israeli Defense Ministry, p. 36.
• See my book, “Ben Gurion’s Scandals,” p. 105.
• Wilbur Crane Eveland, “Ropes of Sand: America’s Failure in the Middle East,” NY; Norton, 1980, pp. 48–49.
• T. Herzl, “The Complete Diaries,” NY: Herzl Press & Thomas Yoncloff, 1960, vol. 1, p. 88.
• Report of the Congress of the World Council of Paole Zion, Zurich, July 29-August 7, 1937, pp. 73–74.

§ Links:

• Americans for Middle East Understanding (AMEU)
• Arab Jew
• The Yemenite Mystique!
• The Jews of the Arab world
• Holy War
• “Justice for Palestine” — P h o t o A l b u m

Extreme right-wing Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman (C) holding the Torah stolen from Iraq on January 22, 2015.

By: Alaa al-Lami

Published Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Recently, Israel stole one of the symbols of Iraqi Jewish heritage, a rare ancient copy of the Torah. The incident went smoothly and quietly, with blatant collusion between Israel, the United States, the Kurdish Regional Government in Iraq, and the Jordanian authorities, amid suspicious silence from the Iraqi federal authorities and the Iraqi cultural scene, save for a few objections.

”The claim about the Torah scroll having been sent to the United States for restoration is a lie. The scroll was revealed to not have travelled to the United States, but to the Israeli embassy in Amman” -Akil al-AzrakiThe Torah manuscript in question, known as the Iraqi Old Testament Scroll, was written using concentrated pomegranate juice on deer-skin parchments. The manuscript was seized by US forces, among other Iraqi antiquities, which survived the systematic destruction by the illegal Anglo-American invasion and occupation.

At the time, it was said that many Iraqi archaeological treasures and huge amounts of documents from the Iraqi state’s secret archives were transferred to Israel, ostensibly for restoration and preservation. In truth, however, this was the deliberate looting of Iraqi heritage.

At a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israeli authorities publicly displayed that major Iraqi artifact, thus admitting that they had pirated part of Iraq’s heritage. The Israeli Foreign Minister explicitly admitted that the manuscript had been obtained from Kurdistan via Baghdad and Amman, and that it is now being used in daily prayer in the Foreign Ministry synagogue.

According to The Times of Israel, “After it was repaired and prepared for ritual use by a Jerusalem-based scribe, the scroll was placed in a case from Aleppo, Syria and brought over to the ministry.” Avigdor Lieberman, the extremist foreign minister of Israel, did not let the occasion go without repeating old Zionist cliches, saying that “the scroll’s journey from Kurdistan to Baghdad to Amman to Jerusalem was reminiscent of the destiny of the Jewish nation.”

Some like Iraqi writer Akil al-Azraki, one of the rare voices who commented on the affair, believe that the Israeli announcement exposed the lies of the Iraqi government. The Iraqi government had claimed the manuscript was sent along with other Iraqi artifacts to the United States for restoration.

Azraqi, citing information revealed by The Times of Israel, said, “The claim about the Torah scroll having been sent to the United States for restoration is a lie. The scroll was revealed to not have travelled to the United States, but to the Israeli embassy in Amman from that time until 2011. After the attack by Egyptian protesters on the Israeli embassy in Cairo, the manuscript was sent to Israel.”

After the Israelis celebrated their successful piracy, official Iraqi authorities were oddly silent. There was no immediate response to the reports, even in the Iraqi media and cultural scene, save for a few voices.

Recall here that the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities in Iraq Adel Shershab had said on January 19, 2015, “The Jewish archive should have been returned to Iraq since 2005, after it was removed on the grounds of restoring it,” stressing that this was part of Iraqi heritage and that his government would continue efforts to retrieve it.

However, the minister did not say anything in response to the Israeli theft. In turn, the Iraqi Ministry of Culture fell completely silent following the incident, although it had announced on May 13, 2010, that an agreement was conducted between Iraq and the United States, whereby the Iraqi Jewish archive and millions of documents that the US army removed from Baghdad following the US-led invasion in 2003 would be returned to Iraq. These include the archive of the dissolved Baath Party and many Iraqi historical artifacts.

A few days after the report on the Israeli theft, the media published remarks by a member of the Culture Committee in the Iraqi parliament calling on the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to issue a complaint to Washington over the matter.

The news agency that first published the remarks, which is owned by Fakhri Karim, a businessman and senior adviser to former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, tried to promote another account of what happened.

The news agency said the way the manuscript reached Israel was a “mystery,” describing what happened as “the loss of parts of the manuscript,” even though the Israeli foreign ministry had said in its ceremony that the scroll had come from Baghdad via Kurdistan, Jordan, and then Tel Aviv. Fakhri Karim, however, is known for his pro-Israel attitudes. Karim visited the headquarters of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in Washington, as reported by renowned Iraqi poet Saadi Youssef, in a story Al-Akhbar reported in August 2013 (in Arabic).

On the day Al-Mada reported the story, one of its most famous staff writers, Sarmad al-Tai, wrote a strongly-worded criticism of those who protested the theft of the Iraqi Torah scroll, accusing them of folly. He suggested that the Jews who were expelled by the Iraqis from their country in various ways had only retrieved their Torah.
Tai’s article is often quoted by the Israeli media, though some Iraqi Jews who live in Israel and beyond dispute such analysis. Refer, for example, to what Sasson Somekh wrote in his books, and novels by Jewish Iraqi writer Samir Naqqash, who wrote all his novels in Arabic and refused to write anything in Hebrew, considering himself an Iraqi until the last day of his cruel life in Israel. The article received strong responses, though they were few in number, on social media.

The article’s absurd and sinister logic is meant to exonerate the occupation and its allies in the Iraqi federal government, the KRG, and Israel, for the crime of stealing important Iraqi artifacts, produced in Iraq hundreds of years before the creation of the Zionist entity.

[T]he same skewed skewed logic can be used to justify an artificial entity, built on injustice, aggression, and warmongering, which has killed, maimed, and displaced people by the millions amid global silence.Furthermore, this logic justifies any future Israeli piracy of Iraqi historical artifacts, which could include items from shrines or tombs belonging to Israelite prophets, such as those that can be found in the town of Uzair. Uzair is home to the tomb of the prophet Uzair whose bilican name is Ezra, in the southern province of Maysan. The town of Kifl, home to the town of Prophet Ezekiel, whose Quranic name is Zulkifli, in the Babel province, could be another potential target.

Extrapolated further, the same skewed skewed logic can be used to justify an artificial entity, built on injustice, aggression, and warmongering, which has killed, maimed, and displaced people by the millions amid global silence.

The official Iraqi position was not stated publically until days after the incident. The Iraqi minister of tourism released a statement calling on Washington to return the manuscript to Iraq, and said what happened was unlawful confiscation of a part of Iraqi heritage.

However, the minister repeated previous claims purporting the manuscript had been in Washington. These claims were invalidated by remarks made by Israeli Labor MP Mordechai Ben-Porat, who has Iraqi Jewish ancestory. Ben-Porat said that it was Iraqi government officials who gifted Israel a number of precious historical manuscripts.

Ben-Porat’s account cannot be completely dismissed. It is indeed possible that insiders colluded with this theft and piracy. Recall that Lieberman said that the manuscript was moved from Baghdad to Kurdistan, Jordan, then Tel Aviv.

The theft of Iraqi antiquities is not unprecedented. Many Western powers, led by France, Britain, Germany, and the United States, have its looted artifacts in the last century and before.

Dr Mahmoud al-Saied al-Doghim, Research Associate, Centre of Islamic Studies at the University of London, wrote a paper titled, “One Hundred and Ten Years of US Theft of Iraqi Heritage.” The paper says that entire wings of the Louvre Museum, the Berlin Museum, and the British Museum would have to close down entirely, if they returned all the artifacts stolen from Iraq (and elsewhere).

Doghim estimates the number of stolen artifacts at more than one million. A single US university, the University of Pennsylvania, as he wrote,, “Acquired more than 50,000 palettes and other artifacts shedding light on the history of Mesopotamia, and discrediting many of the biblical claims promoted by the Zionists.”

The American occupation forces hit the motherlode following the invasion of 2003. The US forces seized a large part of the contents of Iraq’s 33 museums.
In effect, the astounding rich history of Iraq and its wealth of ancient historical artifacts is not the subject of dispute. However, it might be very surprising when one examines the numbers.

According to a statement made in March 2003 by former head of Iraqi antiquities Jaber Khalil Ibrahim, archaeologists believe that there are 500,000 archaeological sites in Iraq that remain undiscovered and unstudied, along with ten thousand registered and discovered sites. The sites include at least 25,000 highly important ones.

Only 15 percent of the sites in Iraq have been excavated, most of them located between the Euphrates and the Tigris. This area is considered the cradle of humanity, and from six thousand years ago, it was home to civilizations like the Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, all the way to the Abbasids.

The US occupation of Iraq was a disaster for the country’s material heritage. This is a subject best left for future articles.