MESSAGE OF THAQALAYN Summer 2012, Vol. 13, No. 2
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was born in the Ka‘bah, but it implies the preeminence of Fatima Bint
Asad (a) as well.
Now we should reflect that given the fact that Lady Mary held the rank
of servitude, purity, and guardianship (wilayah),9 does Imam Ali’s
mother, for whom the wall of Ka‘bah cracked open so that she could
take refuge in the divine favors and gifts, not hold such positions?10
The rank of wilayah is attained through knowledge and worship of God
and devotion to Him, as well as by taking the lead in faith and good
deeds. This is the rank of total submission to God, witnessing the
dominion of the world and of man, and witnessing the absolute ruler of
the seen and unseen world: “In Whose hands is the dominion of all
things” (Yasin, 83); “So also did We show Abraham the dominion of
the heavens and the earth,”11 the dominion to which Fatima Bint Asad
(a) opened the eyes of her heart and played a role in her sincerity and
certitude.
Biography
Fatima Bint Asad ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf (a) was from the family
of Abu Talib, and Abu Talib was both her spouse and cousin; thus, this
made her from same family of the Prophet himself.12 She was the first
Hashimite lady whose husband was also a Hashimite.13 Because of her
role as mother to the Prophet (s), her faith and firmness in the way of
monotheism, and her migration from Mecca to Medina, she was
considered pre-eminent and exemplary. As Abul-Faraj Isfahani stated,