Miracles that have occurred at the holy shrine of Fatima Ma'suma (A)

Adopted from the Book : "Fatima Ma'suma (S.A.) of Qum" by : "Ma'suma Jaffer"

Numerous miracles have taken place at the shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (A) over the centuries. Pilgrims come here for the blessing of the noble lady and are not disappointed. Miraculous events are scrupulously recorded in a special office within the shrine and details of some of them are regularly published in issue of the shrine's monthly newspaper, the Payam-e Astan.

There are so many miracles which have ocurred at this holy site, that it would not be possible to mention them all. Perhaps the only non-Ma'sum whose shrine is the site for similar occurrences is Hadzrat 'Abbas (A) in Karbala and Lady Zaynab (A) in Damascus. Here, a few brief examples are mentioned:

1. Cure of a Serious Illness:

A man by the name of Mirza Asadullah, who was a guard at the shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (A), developed gangrene in one foot. It had become so has that the doctors advised amputation of the foot to halt the progress of the disease.

The night before the scheduled amputation, Mirza Asadullah decided to go to the shrine fo Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and pray for a miracle. He prayed earnestly in the shrine late into the night, until the shrine was shut. He remained inside weeping and beseeching the noble Lady for assistance.

Next day early morning, while it was still dark, the guards who had come to reopen the doors of the shrine heard him shouting, "Open the door, the Lady has been kind to me, through her intercession I have been cured."

They opened the doors and found Mirza Asadullah standing there, completely cured. He gave the following account of the events leading up to his cure, which have been recorded in his words:

"A noble lady approached me and asked: What is it that you want? I replied, Cure me of this illness in my foot; ask Allah for my cure or my death!"

Then that noble Lady rubbed the corner of her scarf on my foot a few times and said: Allah has cured you. Immediately, I felt better and the constant pain in my foot disappeared. I asked her who she was, and she replied: How do you recognize me, while you are one of the guards of my shrine? I am Fatima, daughter of Musa ibn Ja'far."1

2. Seeking guidance from Lady Fatima Masuma (A) by Mulla Sadra

Sadr al-Din Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Shirazi, well known as Mulla Sadra or Sadr al-Muta' allihin, was a great scholar of philosophy during the time of the Safavids. After the death of his father, Mulla Sadra moved to a village called "Kahak" (near Qum), where he spent a lot of his time in deep thought and contemplation.

Mulla Sadra would continously go to Makka for pilgrimage and it was on his return from the seventh of these journeys that he died in Basra, in the year 1050 A.H.

His works include: Al-Hikmat al-Muta'aliyat fi al-Asfar al-Aqliyah al-Arbi'at (The Transcendent Wisdon Concerning the Four Intellectual Journeys), Kitab al- Masha'ir (The Book of Metaphysical Penetrations) and Al-Hikmat al- Arshiyat (The wisdom of the Throne).

Whenever Mulla Sadra encountered any scholarly problems he would travel to Qum and pay homage to Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and through her guidance, he would be able to solve these problems.2

The late Grand Ayatollah Sayyid shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi has said, "whenever Mulla Sadra faced a philosophical problem or something which he had difficulty in understanding, he would come to the shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (A) ask for her assistance. With her help, he would invariably find answers which he was searching for."3

3. The resolution of the difficulties of Ayatollah Najafi by Lady Fatima Masuma (A):

The late Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar'ashi Najafi narrates, "When I was young, I faced some difficult times, the most difficult of which was when I wanted to get my daughter married and did not have the money or possessions for her trousseau.

With sadness in my heart I went to the shrine of Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and with tears in my eyes, I asked reproachfully, Oh my Lady and Mistress, why do you not care about my life? How can I get my daughter married with these empty hands?

After pleading in this manner, I returned home. I dozed off and in my dream I heard someone knocking at my door. I opened it, there stood a person who said: 'The lady is seeking you' I quickly went to the shrine.

When I entered the courtyard, I saw a number of ladies cleaning the golden porch. I asked them why they were cleaning so throughly, they replied that the lady was coming soon. After a little time, lady Fatima Masuma (A) appeared. Her appearance and manner, was just like my grandmother, Lady Fatima Zahra (A), whom I had previously seen in my dreams three times.

I went closer to my aunt, Lady Fatima masuma (A) and Kissed her hand. She said to me: "Oh Shahab! When have we not thought of you, that you now expect harshness from us and are complaining. You have been under our eyes since the time you have arrived in Qum and we have been granting you your desires.

When I woke from my sleep. I understood that I had been impolite in my approache to Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and so I immediately went to her shrine to apologize and ask for her forgiveness. Soon after that, my problems were solved and my life became easier.4

This is a mention of only a few for the miracles as there is not enough space in this book to mention more. However, probably, the greatest of all the miracles of this noble lady is her influence on this city of Qum which has become what it is, due to her presence, guidance, inspiration and blessing.
____________
1. Anwar al-Masha'sha'in, vol.1, p.216.

2. Shaykh Abbas Qummi, Fawa'id al-Radawiyah, p.379

3. Ghanhine-ye Danishmandan, vol. 1, p. 39.

4. Ali Rafi'i, Shahab-e shari'at (Biography of Ayatollah Mar'ashi Najafi), p.288