Allahu Akbar - 34 times, Alhamdulillah - 33 times and Subhanallah - 33 times.

This is what we call the Tasbih of Hazrat Fatimah (s.a).

The Tasbih of Hazrat Fatimah (s.a) is from the emphatically recommended acts of worship in the Islamic Shariat. It has immense significance in the eyes of the infallible Imams (a.s) and the Shiite jurists. It is a simple act of worship from the aspect of performance; however, its effect, reward and merit are abundant. This can be gauged from the fact that when the Holy Prophet (PBUH) wished to impart this act of worship to his daughter Hazrat Zahra (s.a), he declared,

‘O Fatimah! I have granted you something that is superior to a maidservant and to the world and everything in it.’ (Aasaar o Asraare Tasbih Zahra (s.a), Pg. 7)

In this context Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) informs, ‘Allah is not worshipped by anything more meritorious than the Tasbih of Fatima Zahra (s.a). Had there been any worship superior to it, most surely the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would have granted it to Hazrat Fatimah (s.a).’ (Wasaaelush Shea, Vol 4 Pg. 1024)

Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) says about the dearness of this Tasbih in the eyes of the Imams of the Ahl-ul-bayt (a.s):

“Reciting Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) everyday after every Namaz is liked by me more than reciting one thousand rakats of (mustahab) namaz”. (Al-Kafi, Kitabus Salaat)

Reciting this Tasbih results in forgiveness of sins. In a tradition, Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s) says:

“One, who recites the Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) and then seeks forgiveness, will be forgiven”. (Wasaaelush Shia Vol 4, Pg. 1023)

It also results in driving Satan away and in the satisfaction of Allah as tradition from Imam Mohammad Baqir (a.s) says:“(Reciting Tasbih) drives away Satan and makes results in the satisfaction of Allah”. (Wasaaelush Shia Vol 4, Pg. 1023)

Reciting Tasbih regularly delivers the reciter from adversities in this world as well as the hereafter. One of the graceful effects of the regular recitation of the Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) is that it delivers the reciter from adversities and hardships in this world as well as the hereafter. Thus one should not ignore its benefits and effects and should not be careless and lazy in its recitation

In this connection, Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) says to one of his companions:

“You do adhere to it and be regular about its recitation, for surely one who is steadfast upon its recitation will not encounter adversity.” (Al-Kafi, Kitabus Salaat, Pg. 343)

How to recite Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a):

According to a tradition from Imam Jafar Sadiq, one should recite Allaho Akbar 34 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Subhaanallah 33 times. (Behaarul Anwaar Vol 85, Pg. 334)

Reciting Tasbih immediately after Namaz

Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) should be recited immediately on completion of Namaz. This entails that as soon as the reciter has finished the Namaz, he should remain seated in the same position of Tashahud without moving his feet and doing any other thing, immediately he should commence the recitation of the Tasbih. The reciting of Tasbih immediately on completion of Namaz has a special excellence, which is not there otherwise.

The above statement can be evidenced by the following tradition of Imam Jafar Sadiq (a.s) wherein he states:

“One who recites the Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) before even moving his feet, Allah will forgive him.” (At-Tahzeeb of Shaikh Toosi (r.a), Vol 2, Pg. 105)

Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) has said: “One who recites the Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a) after a wajib namaz before he stretches out his legs (i.e. he recites the Tasbih while he is in the posture of Tashahud) , then Jannat (Paradise) becomes wajib upon him” (Falaahus Saael by Ibne Taaoos (r.a.), Pg. 165)

Another tradition from Imam Sadiq (a.s) says: “One who glorifies Allah after the obligatory prayer through the Tasbih of Hazrat Zahra (s.a.), and then follows it up by saying ‘Laa elaaha illallaho’, Allah will forgive his sins.” (Al-Kafi, Kitabus Salaat, Pg. 342)

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 Merits of Hazrat Fatimah"s Tasbih - Part 2

Fatimah (peace be upon her) is a woman, but has several crucial roles and in each role a real sample. She is a woman, the sample of leadership and grandeur, the one, through fulfilling her roles, has managed to give a practical face to some aspects of the Prophetic mission.

In achieving her role as a sample, she has got a heavy load over her shoulders; the motherhood responsibility, caring the people, helping the poor, administering justice in the society, looking after children, family management, etc. Expressing all Fatimah’s aspects and roles needs a separate and lengthy book, but whatever can be stated here in brief consists of:

1. Fatimah (peace be upon her) as a Muslim:

Before being the Prophet’s daughter, Ali’s wife or the mother of eleven Imams, she is a Muslim, a worthy Muslim, and before being a woman with different roles, she is Allah’s servant. She does not forget Him even for a moment, and never neglect the heavy load of responsibility.

She is a Muslim, who achieves worship and from the other side, fulfils family duties as well as social duties. And how active, energetic, and successful she has been in dividing her time and facilities for achieving her mission.

Her nightly vigils , her worship, her essential social responsibilities, her important political conflicts and campaigns to stand against injustice in the society, her sense of confidence with Ali (peace be upon him), and her teachings for women all and all were in Allah’s way and for His satisfaction.

2. As a Daughter:

Fatimah (peace be upon her) is a daughter, pure and clean, duteous and obedient. Although she is her father’s dear, she reveres the Divine position of her father. She calls him”‌ Rasool Allah”‌ that means the Messenger of Allah, and when she is asked by father about the reason, she answers, “The holy Qur’an addresses you as so.”‌

She is a daughter full of affection so that she was called “Omme Abiha”‌ that means the mother of her father, because she was very kind towards her father like a mother to her son.

While the enemy threw dust to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), she cleansed them by his figure, caressed him as if this is her mission to soothe to her father, have sympathy towards him, and delicate her affection as a reaction against the people’s wrath and oppression.

3. As a Wife:

Unlike her sisters, she married a poor but illuminated man in order to deconstruct the inner group marriage (the marriage of the people in the same level), and more important is that in order to provide the family, she worked along with her husband.

Despite all pains, Fatimah (peace be upon her) is satisfied with herself, because she does some significant roles in and out of the house through which she proves the importance of the women in the society.

She is Ali’s company in life struggles, his confidant and his consultant in life affairs. She helps Ali (peace be upon him) to administer his right.

She is an ideal wife. Her love towards Ali (peace be upon him) is real; she loves him for Allah’s sake and pleasure, and in this way, she never said any discouraging word to Ali (peace be upon him) throughout her life.

4. As a Mother:

What kind of mother was she! A sample and unique. What kind of children did she bring up! What kind of flowers did she produce in her garden! All sincere and the real obedient to Allah. The children who devoted themselves for the people and had the responsibility of serving the religious laws and its revival.

She educated the children, who were the defenders of Islam; the guards of the sublime ideological values, and are stable in this way. One by his own peace [Imam Hassan (A.S)] and the other by his bloody revolution [Imam Hussein (A.S)] watered the Islam tree and made it grow.

Her daughters were well-reared and purposeful, zeineb and Kolthum (A.S) continued the mission of Imam Hassan and Hussein (A.S). They recorded the voice of Hussein in the day of Ashura, and in Kufa and Sham (Damascus) and on the way made the people hear it. Hussein’s martyrdom is completed by their efforts, and they were the loudspeakers of Hussein’s movement.

5. As a House Manageress:

Although she was the apple of the Prophet’s eyes, and there was no one nobler than her, she worked in the house and turned the mill so that her hands had injured.

She had made the house a place of peace so that when there were a lot of pressure on Ali (peace be upon him) due to sorrow, pains, difficulties, and disorders, he resorted to the house, hoping that through speaking to Fatima (peace be upon her), he could be tranquilized.

She kept the house clean, peaceful, and calm, and although nothing is found for eating, it was overflowing with sincerity and love; her purity and tenderness was the food of the household and made them satisfied.

At the night of her marriage, she went to Ali’s house along with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants), the latter said to her, “My daughter, whatever is related to the inner side of the house belongs to you and whatever is related to out of the house belongs to Ali. Ali has the responsibility of providing the house economic aspects, and you have the responsibility of providing the peace and quietness of the house.”‌

6. As a Lady of the House:

In the house, there existed a lot of chores; on the other hand, she was young, and had a number of children while each of them needed care. Therefore, she must have a fellow-work but not a slave maid. she shared the chores with her and lent a hand to her. Also, she was not as an aristocrat to sit and order, but she always gave a hand to her; washed clothes, cleaned the house, milled the wheat, etc.

Unlike the aristocrats, Fatimah (peace be upon her) did not make the maid do everything and be the cause of the husband’s sensuality and make up like doll.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) once said to her, “My daughter, a maid is a human and must be treated as a man”‌. Her treatment towards a maid signifies Fatimah’s justice that she regards the equality with her maid in the house chores.

 

 

Fatimah (peace be upon her) was a responsible and duteous woman, believing that she was not able to think of herself alone and lead a life for her own sake, because Islamic umma belongs to all and regards all people as the members of one body.

“ کنتم خیرامة أخرجت للناس”‌

She had got this strong sense of responsibility since childhood and had been her father’s confidant when she was only five or six. She lent her mother a hand in house works, and when she grew up, she felt sympathetic towards all the people and was willing to solve their problems.

1. She was parallel with people:

Why Fatimah (peace be upon her) was slapped in the face? Why the enemy whipped her? Was she meant to promote her husband’s position? Was she meant to build up a reputation for herself? Wasn’t she the daughter of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants)? Had she done anything to abuse this honour and title?

The history has recorded that all Fatimah’s effort and anxiety, and all her activities were for the sake of the people. She was of the opinion that by the usurpation of Ali’s right, the right of the people keeping Ali (peace be upon him) away from the caliphate is oppression to the humanity. Due to this fact, she is ready to tolerate all pains so as to stop occurring such oppression.

Observing the necklace in Fatimah’s neck, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) pointed out to her by his look that there were more vital necessities in the society that must be regarded. Fatimah (peace be upon her) opened the necklace and sent it to her father. The father then said, “Dear Fatimah! You are of me. We must attend to the people’s pains”‌. Then, he spent it to ameliorate the life of the poor through selling it. She thinks of the people so that she would not like anybody to deceive the Ummah through her martyrdom and prove his leadership through attending her funeral ceremony and carrying her coffin.

2. She is in Charge of the Women Leadership:

Before the women be abused or taken as a means, Fatimah (peace be upon her) endeavoured to save them from being a plaything.

She raised an opportunity in which women could set themselves free from being ignorant and inferior and made her utmost so as to achieve a noble character for them. She tried to save the lives of the women from absurdity, not to be a means for the satisfaction of men’s passion, and not to jeopardize their grandeur and honour.

She taught the women how to obstruct the way of exploitation and be free by regarding their Qur’anic and Islamic character. Fatimah (peace be upon her) proved that woman should not be bargained as goods with a heavy marriage portion. She also proved that marriage just for the satisfaction of the passion and ambition is a pernicious form of social life and the cause of collapse of woman’s value.

3. She is a Sample for Women:

Fatimah (peace be upon her) is a sample for all the women at all times, especially those who are willing to preserve their honour and defend their purity and piety, since her age to Doomsday.

She is a perfect sample for women in all aspects of man’s life. She is the sample and symbol of freedom and is far from impurity and sin, slavery and captivity. She aimed to teach the people how to elevate their souls instead of indecency and insipid adornment and; therefore, managed to attract the hearts through this way. She taught the women that they could do manly jobs in case of necessity, but have to keep their eyes pure from the strangers and preserve their purity and nobility.

She also taught them how to rise against the oppression, usurpation, and injustice. To teach them the aforementioned lessons practically, Fatimah (peace be upon her) tried so much that the flames of her life light were extinguished. But she never stopped fulfilling her mission until the end of her life.

4. She is at the Service of the People of Society:

She was always thinking about the people and their needs before thinking about herself, and she knew it as a responsibility for herself, and in this way, she thought of both material and spiritual aspects. She had devoted her life to them, thinking day and night how to ameliorate the quality of this service.

She dedicated her wedding dress to the poor at her wedding night and went to Ali’s house with her old dress.

Like her husband and children, she dedicated her food which they had to break their fast to the orphan, poor, and captive for three successive nights as the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) said in this regard,

“واغوثاه اهل بیت محمد یموتون من الجوع”‌.

Although she knew that there existed no food storage in the house, she spent the Fadak income for the poor.

She sent her house curtain to her father in order to provide a shirt for the poor.

Sometimes, she dedicated her share of food to the poor and remained hungry.

She was worshipping and praying during the night and wished luck and prosperity for the people first.

Yes, she was a woman, but thought of human beings as the divine prophets and guardians. Also, she was ruthful and merciful to the believers.

Yes, she should be so, because she is the source of the abundant blessing, and has learnt the lesson of the philanthropy in the school of revelation and under the supervision of a professor as Mohammed (A.S), the father of humanity. She should be benevolent toward people, because she is under the supervision the one, the holy

Qur’an said about him, “ وما ارسلناک الا رحمة للعالمین”‌.