CHAPTER 12
THE EVENT OF CLOAK
(HADITH AL-KISA)
A famous event known as the "Event of the Cloak" was reported in the Shiite books regarding "the verse of purification." The context of the event is as follows:
THE EVENT OF CLOAK
(HADITH AL-KISA)
Jabir Ibn Abdullah Ansari (Allah be blessed with him) narrated from the authority of Lady Fatima, the beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be on her) that she said:
- One day when my beloved father, the Holy Prophet, visited
me in my house, he said:
'O Fatima! Peace be on you
I replied:
'O father! Peace be on you too.'
He then said:
'I am feeling some weakness within me
I said:
'Allah forbid that you may be sick.'
Then he said:
'Fatima! Fetch me a Yemenite cloak and wrap it round
me.'
I brought the Yemenite cloak and covered my dear father with it.
I then noticed that his face was glowing like a full moon.
A moment later, my beloved son, Hassan came and said:
- 'O my dear mother! Peace of Allah be on you.'
I replied:
'O my loving son, the apple of my eyes, the delight my heart! Peace be on you too.'
He then said:
'O my dear mother!
I am smelling the fragrance of my loving grandfather!
I said:
'Yes, your beloved grandfather is here under the cloak.'
Hassan then went forward his grandfather and said;
'O my grandfather! Peace be upon you.
May I inter the cloak.'
My loving father replied:
'O my son, the owner of my fountain (of kauthar)! peace
be on you too. Yes; you may enter.'
Thus Hassan entered the cloak. Soon after, my loving son,
Hussain came and said:
'O my dear mother! Peace be to you.'
I replied:
'O my loving son, the apple of my eyes, the delight of my heart! Peace be on you too.
He then said: 'O my dear mother!
I am smelling the fragrance of my affectionate
grandfather!
I replied:
Hassan, are inside the cloak.'
Hussain, then went near the cloak and said:
'O my dear grandfather, the chosen Prophet of Allah!
peace be on you.
- May I also come inside the cloak to be with both of you.
My loving father replied:
'O my son, the interceder of my Ummah! Peace be on you
too.
Yes you may enter.'
Thus Hussain too entered th cloak.
Then Ali Ibn Abu Talib came said:
'O beloved daughter of the Holy Prophet! peace be on you.'
I replied:
'O Abul-Hassan, Commander of the Faithful! peace be on
you too.'
He then said;
'Fatima! I am smelling the fragrance of my brother, the son
of my Uncle
I replied:
Yes! He along with your two sons is inside the cloak.'
Ali then proceeded towards the cloak and said:
'O Prophet of Allah Peace be on you.
May I also come to you inside the cloak!
My beloved father replied: 'Peace be on you also my brother, my vicegerent, my successor, my standard bearer!
You may also come inside.' Thus Ali also went inside the
cloak.
Then I went near the cloak and said Peace be on you,
O my loving father!
O Prophet of Allah!
May I also come to you inside the cloak.
My loving father replied:
'Peace of Allah be on you also, my beloved daughter! My
dear heart! You too have my permission.
Thus, I also went inside the cloak.
- Now when all of us got assembled inside the Cloak, my affectionate father held the two corners of the cloak and raising his right hand towards the sky said:
'O Allah! These are my Ahlul-Bayt.
They are my confidants and my supporters.
Their flesh is my flesh and their blood is my blood. Whoever hurts them, hurts me. whoever displeases them, displeases me. Whoever makes peace with them, will make peace with me. Whoever has enmity against them, will have enmity against me. Whoever is a friend to them, is a friend of mine. It is because they belong to me and I belong to them.
O Allah! Bestow your peace, Benevolence, Mercy, forgiveness and Your Pleasures on me and on them.
And keep them aloof from uncleanliness and keep them pure and thoroughly purified.
Then the lord, Almighty Allah said:
'O my Angels! O inmates of the heavens!
I created this solid firmament, well-stretched earth, well-lighted moon, shinning sun, rotating planets, rippling oceans, floating boats, and all other things for the sake and love of these five persons who are inside the cloak.'
At this, the Archangel Gabriel asked,
'O Lord! Who are they inside the cloak?
The Lord said:
They are Ahlul-Bayt of the Prophet and the assets of the Prophethood. They are Fatima, her father, her husband and her two sons.'
Gabriel said:
'O Lord! permit me also to descend to earth and join them as the sixth inside the cloak.
- The Lord said:
You are permitted.'
Thus Gabriel, the Archangel came down to earth and said:
'O Prophet of Allah! Peace be on you. The Gracious Lord, the Almighty Allah sends His Greetings to you to bestow on you His Grace and Mercy and says:
"By My Grace and Grandeur! I have created this solid firmament. well-stretched earth, well-lighted moon, shinning sun, rotating planets, rippling oceans, floating boats and all other things for the sake and love of you and your chosen people."
And the Lord, Almighty has given me the permission to join you inside the cloak.
O prophet of Allah!
May I come in and be with you?'
The Holy Prophet replied:
'O Bearer of the Divine revelations! Peace be on you and also.
'Yes, you may come in.'
Then Gabriel too came inside the cloak.
Thereafter, he spoke to my affectionate father;
'Allah sends His revelation to you people and says:
"Surely Allah has decided that He should keep you and your Ahlul-Bayt clean of all pollution and purify you people with a thorough purification."'
Then Ali said to my loving father:
'Tell me! What merit the coming under this cloak has before Allah?'
The Holy Prophet replied:
'By that Being, Who made me His Prophet and Who, for the salvation of mankind appointed me to Prophethood! when any of our shiites and supports will assemble in a
- gathering of the inmates of this earth and narrate this Hadith, Allah will bestow on them His Blessings and Mercy;
angels will encircle them and as long as they do not disperse, the angels will pray for the forgiveness of their sins.'
At this, Ali said:
'By Allah! We and our shiites have now become triumphant.'
Then the Holy Prophet said:
'O Ali! By that Being, Who made me the righteous prophetand appointed me to the prophet-hood for the sake of people's salvation, whenever in the gathering of the inmates of this earth our shiites and friends will assemble and narrate this Hadith of ours, and if some one amongst them will be in agony, Allah will remove his trouble; and if someone was sorrowful, Allah will relieve him of his sorrows, will answer his needs.'
Then Ali said:
By Allah! At this moment we have been crowned with success and Blessings; and by the Lord of Kaabah, in the same way our Shiites too have become triumphant and blessed in this world and the Hereafter.'
CHAPTER 13
AZ-ZAKIYAH
(THE CHASTE)
The word "Tazkiah" has been mentioned several times and in different forms in the Holy Quran. It means the attestation of someone's honorable record, or to purify one's self. For instance, the following verses spoke of "Tazkiah":
AZ-ZAKIYAH
(THE CHASTE)
- "Truly he succeeds that purifies it,"
"Hast thou slain an innocent person,"
"(To announce) to thee the gift of a holy son."
- "That is (the course making for) most virtue and purity amongst you."
The second verse means: Have you killed someone who, I attest to his honorable record, for he has not committed a crime or an action which necessitate punishing.
The third verse speaks of granting a prophet a virtuous son made pure from all sins, and whose nations conform to goodness.
Lady Fatima Zahra (AS) is Zakiah in all the above
mentioned meanings. This is understood from the verse of purification which we have already discussed, and concluded that She (A.S) was pure of all abominations or "Rijs."
As for the fourth verse, you can refer to the study in regard to her name "Al-Mubarakah", for here we have explained the purification meant in this verse.
CHAPTER 14
AR-RADHIAH
(THE SATISFIED OR GRATIFIED ONE)
Accepting what Allah ordains for one's self, is considered an excellent degree of belief in Allah-Glory be to Him. Throughout her difficult life, Lady Fatima Zahra (AS) was delighted with whatever Allah Almighty ordained for her. In fact, this book specializes in discussing the inflictions and disasters which befell Fatima from the day she was born until she was martyred at young-age. During the difficult stages of her life, Fatima was content with the fear, oppression, deprivation, poverty, sorrows, and pains which Allah had predestined for her.
AR-RADHIAH
Therefore, Fatima is worthy of being included with those mentioned in the verse:
"To the righteous soul will be said: O (thou) soul, In (complete) rest and satisfaction!
Come back to thy Lord.--
well pleased (thyself) and
well-pleasing unto Him"!
Because she is satisfied with Allah's rewards and grants to her, and is satisfied with Allah's will in this world,He has become well pleased with her.
CHAPTER 15
AL-MARDHIAH
(SHE WHO WELL-PLEASES ALLAH)
"Mardhiyoun" have an excellent rank, and lofty position near Almighty Allah.
AL-MARDHIAH
Just a few of Allah's worshippers achieve this rank which is attained by righteousness and sincerity. Fatima Zahra (AS) was one who was able to reach this lofty position. She achieved this rank through her good deeds that pleased Allah and made Him will-satisfied with her.
CHAPTER 16
AL-MUHADDATHAH
First of all, it should be explained that angels speak, appear and can be heard by others than prophets.
AL-MUHADDATHAH
It is written in the Holy Quran:
1. "Behold! the angels said: 'O Mary! God hath chosen thee and purified thee-chosen thee above the women of all nations.
O Mary! Worship the Lord devoutly: prostrate thyself,and how down."' III:42-43.
This verse already states that angels spoke to Mary by praising her and conveyed to her Allah's commands. It is evident that she heard their speech and realized their intention, for if not, it would be useless to speak to her.51
It is even mentioned that the Arch-angel Gabriel, himself, spoke to her.
2. "Relate in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the Earth. She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then we sent to her Our angel, and he appeared before her as a man in all respects.
She said:'I seek refuge from thee to (God) Most Gracious; (come not near) if thou dost fear God.'
He said: 'Nay, I am only a messenger from thy Lord, (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son.'
She said: I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?'
He said;So (it will be):Thy Lord saith, "That is Easy for Me: and (We wish) to appoint him as a Sign unto men and a Mercy from
____________
51. Majma' Al-Bayan.
Us", it is a matter (so) declared." XIX:16-21
The interpreters of the Holy Quran have unanimously agreed that the angel mentioned in the second verse was Gabriel. He "appeared before her as a man in all respects." Then a dialogue was held between the two of them.
3. "And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed ; but We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said: 'Alas for me! Shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old men? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!' They said: 'Dost thou wonder at God's decree? The grace of God and His blessings on you, O ye people of the house! For He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!"' XI:71-73.
These verses speak of the angels visit to Ibrahim (AS), bringing him the good news of a son. Ibrahim's wife, who was serving the guests thinking that were men, spoke to the angels and they replied to her. This matter is clear from the verses.
4. 'So we sent this inspiration (revelation) to the mother of Moses: 'Suckle (thy child) but when thou hast fears about him, cast him into the river."' XXVIII:7.
Some interpreters claim that Musa's mother was inspired to act in such a manner, while others say that she was spoken to (by the angels) in order to follow the Divine Commands.
Al-Manawi said in Al-Jame' Al-Saghir V.2, p.270, on the authority of Qurtubi:
"(Muhaddathoon) means those who are inspired or whose expectations are accurate and directed by Divine power."
It can also mean those who utter true and accurate words, those who are spoken to by angels, or those whose opinions and viewpoints always conform to righteousness as if they were inspired by the Kingdom of Heaven. Hence, this position is a generous miracle bestowed upon a selected group of Allah's pious
worshippers, and an exalted position granted to Allah's chosen ones.
Thereupon, it becomes readily easy to distinguish that Fatima Zahra was spoken by angels. Because the Mistress of all women, and the daughter of the best of all Prophets and Messengers is not any less significant than Maryam, Sarah, Ibrahim's wife, Musa's mother. Of course, this does not mean that any of these ladies-including Lady Fatima-was a prophet.
Furthermore, Sheik Saduq narrated in Ilal Ash Sahraye' that zaid Ibn Ali said:
"I heard Abu Abdullah (Imam Sadiq (AS) say:
'Fatima was called "Muhaddathah"because the angels descended from Heaven and called her as they called Maryam Bint Imam and said: "O Fatima ! Allah has chosen thee above the women of all nations.
It has been narrated in V.10 of Al-Bihar that Imam Sadiq (AS) said to Abu Basir:
"... We also posses Fatima's book Mushaf,and had they known about the book of Fatima!!!
It is three times the size of your Quran; and by Allah, it has not a letter of your Quran; rather it was dictated and revealed to her by Allah ...."52
This narration needs elaborate research and explanation, for the Imam (AS) compared the size of Fatima's book to the size of the most familiar book to all Muslims-the Holy Quran. Thus, if the Quran was printed in average -sized letters on standard paper, and let us suppose that it would fill five hundreds of such pages, then Fatima's books would need fifteen hundred had it been printed according to the same standards. This is what the Imam (AS) meant when he said :"It is three times the size of your Quran."
This, however, does not mean in any way that the Holy Quran
____________
52. Bihar: V.5.
is deficient or that Fatima's book completes it, nor does it mean that another divine book was revealed to her. In fact anyone who make such a claim is either ignorant or an infidel.
The word "Mushaf" does not mean "Quran" ;rather it means volume, book, or a collection of articles in one notebook.
When a group of Imam Sadiq's (AS) companions questioned him about Fatima's book, he was quiet for a long time then explained: "Surely you search for what you need and that you need naught!"
Actually, Fatima lived seventy-five days after the Prophet 's death, when she was intensely depressed, Gabriel would visit and condole her on the Prophet's death. He would cheer her up by mentioning the good situation her father was enjoying, and tell her what would come to pass after her death. Imam Ali (AS) worte what Gabriel said, and this is Fatima's book.
In addition, Hussain Ibn Abu Al-Ala reported that Imam Sadiq (AS) said:
"... Fatima 's book, I don't claim that it is Quran, rather it contains what makes people need us and makes us in need of no one. It even mentions (the legal punishment for) a lashing, half a lashing, one-fourth of a lashing, and the indemnity for a scratch mark ..."53
There remains a need for an explanation of what is meant by "It was revealed to her."
This explanation can be derived from the Quranic verses that revelation is not confined to prophets; but rather Allah, the Exalted, reveals to some chosen people as mentioned in the following verses:
A. "So Zakariya come out to his people from his chamber,told them by signs to celebrate God's praises in the morning and in the evening." XIX:11.
B."So He completed them as seven firmaments in two days, and
____________
53. Bihar: V.6.
He assigned to each Heaven it duty and command." XLI:12.
C. "And behold! inspired the Disciples to have faith in Me and Mine Apostle." V:114.
D. "Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): 'I am with you; five firmness to he Believers." VIII:12.
E. "And thy Lord taught the bee to build its cells in hills. XVI:68.
F. "So we sent this inspiration to the mother of Moses: 'Suckle (thy child)." XXVIII:7.
G. "And indeed We conferred a favour on thee another time (before)." XX:38
Moreover, these verses state that revelation is not confined to mankind, but it also includes other creatures such as: Heavens, the Disciples, the angels, the bees, and Musa's mother.
Therefore, there can be no doubt that Allah, the Exalted, sent revelations to the Mistress of Women and daughter of the Master of Prophets, as he revealed to Musa's mother or Maryam Bint Imran.
In conclusion, Fatima's book is enormous, and includes details information about the legal punishments and the Islamic penal code, whether major or minor.
It was also declared that her book lists the names of kings who ruled and will rule on Earth until the Day of Resurrection. All this was according to the will of Allah the knowing, the Omniscient. The book also contains descriptions of all important events that will take place throughout history.
Fatima's book was not a Qur'an, as is clearly stated in the traditions of Ahlul-Bayt, in spite of the claims of the enemies of the Shiite who argue that the Shiite believe in another divine book called Fatima's book, with the intention of undermining their authentic faith.
