Translated & Edited by Saiyid Hasan Ali Rizvi

 

1. Is Hadhrat Fatima al-Zahra’s (a) position and station higher than the other ma’soomeen (a)?

We believe that “All of them are one light.” However, they all expressed humility in front of the grandeur of the Holy Prophet (s).

 

2. Did Hadhrat Fatima (a) hold the rank and position of an Imam?

An Imam should be a male individual who can progress and move forward in society.  As a female, she was unable to accomplish this.  But, she did possess the inward, esoteric dimensions of Imamah which are ‘ismah and knowledge.

 

3. In what way is she (a) a hujjah, authority, and proof?

Whatever she (s) says is accepted, recognized, and acknowledged by the other ma’soomeen (a).

 

4. Is the following statement a hadeeth?

“Oh Muhammad (s)!  If you didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have created anything.  If Ali (s) didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have created you (s).  If Fatima (a) didn’t exist, I wouldn’t have created either of you two.”

Yes, this is a general and universal principle.  Any person that wants to perform some task must be aware that there are certain prerequisites and preliminaries that should be done first.  While they are performing those initial steps, they have that original final purpose and goal in mind.  If you told that person, “What you’re doing right now won’t result in what you want,” they would never have started it in the first place.  So, why did God create Adam (a)?  Because He had the ma’soomeen in mind, meaning, they were the original final goal.  He wanted them to come train and teach the children of Adam (a).  If the ma’soomeen never existed, then there would have been no point in creating others.  Thus, they are the final cause for all of creation and became the reason for God to create in the first place.

 

5. What does this line in the ziyaarah of Lady Fatima (a) mean?

اَلسَّلَامُ عَلَيْكِ يَا مُمْتَحَنَةُ، امْتَحَنَكِ‏ اللّهُ‏ الَّذِي خَلَقَكِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَكِ

Salaam upon you, Oh the carefully examined one.  You were tested and evaluated by Allah, who created you before He created you.

 

Before Allah created Sayyida Fatima (a) in her material and physical form, He knew within the realm of knowledge that when He creates her, she will have a high level of emaan.  She will come out glowing bright white after the most difficult of tests, which was her support of Ameer ul-Mu’mineen (a).

 

6. What days are the 1^st Fatimiyyah & 2^nd Fatimiyyah supposed to be? When should we perform azaadaari?

In the past, they used to write using the Kufi script.  The numbers 7 and 9 (سبع and تسع)  are read the same way in that script.  Thus, azaadaari should be performed 75 days and 95 days after the passing of Rasoolullah (s) so that whichever day is the real day remains secure and protected.