صراط عشق صراط عشق
Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
Today the 10th of Rabi al-Akher is the sad anniversary of the departure from the mortal world of Our Innocent Lady of Qom. According to other narrations her ascent to the heavens was on the 12th of this same month.
Whatever the exact date of the Almighty’s decision to recall her to His presence – a decision that transformed Qom into a Gateway of Paradise – the people of this Iranian city have ever since been commemorating these three days as “Ayyamiyeh Ma’soumiyeh” in honour of the venerable daughter of Imam Musa al-Kazem (AS), the 7th Infallible Heir of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA).
The consanguineous sister of Imam Reza (AS) needs no introduction. The shrine of Fatema al-Ma’sumah (SA) is the rendezvous of pilgrims from all over Iran and from throughout the world.
Born in Medina in 173 AH (790 AD), she was named in honour of her great ancestress, the noblest lady of all times, the Prophet’s Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (SA). She was ten years old when her father was martyred through a dose of poison in the prison of Baghdad on the orders of the tyrant Haroun Rashid, the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime. Thereupon her consanguineous brother, Imam Reza (AS), assumed charge of her upbringing.
She grew up into the most virtuous lady of her times, demonstrating her God-given knowledge even as a girl of less than ten years old, when in the absence of her father she provided the correct, logical and satisfactory answers to a set of jurisprudential queries posed by a group of Iranian pilgrims from Khorasan, who had called upon the threshold of the Ahl al-Bayt in Medina. When this group chanced to meet Imam Kazem (AS) on their way back and showed him the answers provided by his little daughter, he said “Fidaha Abuha”, which means: May her father be her ransom.
This excellent lady did not marry as no man of her age was worthy of her hand, in addition to the political conditions of the time that did not permit any qualified suitor from approaching the persecuted family of the Prophet.
In 200 AH, when the crafty Abbasid caliph, Mamoun, forced Imam Reza (AS) to leave Medina and come to his capital in distant Marv in Khorasan, the noble lady became distraught on separation from her brother. When news reached her from northeastern Iran of the respect – although outward – shown to her brother, who was deceitfully declared Heir Apparent by Mamoun, the sister, along with some of her brothers decided to journey to Khorasan.
After an arduous journey lasting several months when her entourage reached the outskirts of the city of Saveh – 128 km west of modern day Tehran – it was attacked by agents of the Abbasid regime. In the ensuing battle, several members of her entourage, including her brothers, were martyred, making the lady to change direction of the caravan towards Qom, which was the centre of the followers of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt in Iran.
On hearing of her approach, the people enthusiastically came out to welcome her. She was shown great respect and during her 17 days sojourn in this city she enlightened the people on many issues, including the merits of the Infallible Imams and hadith from the Prophet on their virtues.
The fatigue of the journey and the injuries she had suffered as a result of the skirmish near Saveh, this blessed lady answered the Divine Call and left for her heavenly abode. The people of Qom turned out in large numbers for her funeral, and Imam Reza (AS) miraculously arrived from Khorasan to give burial to his virtuous sister. She was laid to rest in an orchard beside the local stream.
Over the centuries her resting place rapidly grew into a sprawling mausoleum as people of every strata of society, including rulers and kings, visited Qom to pay homage to her. Soon the dome over her shrine was plated with gold.
As for epithet “Ma’saumah” or “Innocent”, it was bestowed by her brother, Imam Reza (AS), who is reported as saying: “Whoever visits (the shrine of) Ma’sumah in Qom is like the one who has visited me.”
The “Ziyarah” or standard form of salutation for this noble lady, which has been recorded on the authority of Imam Reza (AS), contains the phrase: “O Fatema! Intercede for me (on the Day of Judgment), so that I enter Heaven; for indeed you have a great status in the sight of Allah.”
As for her other famous epithet “Karima-e Ahl al-Bayt”, which means the Munificent Lady of the Prophet’s Progeny, it was given to her by her great grandfather Imam Muhammad al-Baqer (AS) in a dream to Ayatollah Seyyed Mahmood Mar’ashi Najafi (father of the famous bibliophile Grand Ayatollah Seyyed Shahab od-Din Mar’ashi).
When the elder Mar’ashi Najafi supplicated for forty consecutive nights with the intention of being blessed with the sight of the location of the grave of Hazrat Fatema Zahra (SA), he had a dream on completion of his prayers. He saw himself in the presence of Imam Baqer (AS), who said to him: “Tidings to you of the Karima-e Ahl al-Bayt.”
He thought the term “Karima-e Ahl al-Bayt” meant the Prophet’s Immaculate Daughter, at which the 5th Imam remarked: “I mean the holy grave of Fatema al-Ma’sumah (SA) in Qom.”
The Imam added: “It is Allah’s Will that the location of the holy grave of Lady Fatema az-Zahra (SA) be hidden from everyone.”
On waking up, the Ayatollah understood and informed his family that all the honour and grandeur reserved for the concealed grave of the Prophet’s Immaculate Daughter has been accorded to the tomb of Lady Fatema al-Ma’sumah (SA) in Qom. He, however, soon passed away in holy Najaf, but his illustrious son, Grand Ayatollah Shahab od-Din Mar’ashi Najafi, migrated to Iran and would often proudly say that one of the reasons for his settling in Qom was the dream of his father.
For over sixty years, every morning, the late Ayatollah Shahab od-Din Mar’ashi, used to be the first person to perform the pilgrimage at the shrine of this noble lady. He would wait outside her shrine for the doors to be opened. Even during his final illness before his death, he requested to be carried to her shrine in order to salute her in the proper manner.
Now we better understand the prediction of her grandfather, Imam Ja’far as-Sadeq (AS): “A lady from my offspring whose name will be Fatema, daughter of Musa, will be buried in Qom. On the Day of Judgment she will intercede for my Shi’a to enter Heaven.”
