Fatima bint Asad
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Fatimah bint Asad (Arabic: فاطمه بنت اسد) was the mother of first Shi’a Imam Ali bin Abu Talib, and the mother-in-law of Muhammad's daughter, Fatima Zahra bint Muhammad. Besides first Shi’a Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, she had three other sons, Ja'far ibn Abu Talib who was a famous General (he led the forces of Islam in the battle of Mu'tah, during which he was killed), Talib ibn Abu Talib, and Aqeel ibn Abu Talib.
When Muhammad grew up and proclaimed his prophethood she stood by him. She was exceptionally fond of her son Ja'far, but she bore the separation from him and his wife, Asma bint Umais, when they migrated to Abyssinia on Muhammad's orders with the first group of migrant Muslims.
Fatimah bint Asad, being one of the first to swear allegiance to Islam and its concept of the Oneness of Allah, faced the economic and social boycott of the Shi'a Abu Talib for those three terrible years. She was also a member of the privileged group who migrated to Medina.
Shaiba ibn Hashim who was a very discriminating man, had assessed her nature, her intelligence and her capabilities from the very beginning and proposed for her for his son, Abu Talib. When Muhammad began to preach she converted to Islam. When Muhammad's grandfather, Shaiba ibn Hashim, died, the guardianship of Muhammad passed on to Abu Talib ibn Shaiba ibn Hashim. His wife, Fatimah bint Asad, looked after him, loving him as if he were her own. He remembered in his later life that she would go hungry to feed him. He respected her so highly that whenever she visited him he would stand up and receive her with great love, addressing her as mother.
Fatimah bint Asad looked after Muhammad during his youth.
- "So patience is most fitting. And it is Allah whose help can be sought against that (lie) which you describe." (12:18)
Anas bin Malik says that when Muhammad heard Asad had died, he immediately went to her house sat beside her body and prayed for her soul.
- "My dear mother, may God keep you under His Protection. Many times you went hungry in order to feed me well. You fed me and clothed me on delicacies that you denied yourself. God will surely be happy with these actions of yours. And your intentions were surely meant to win the goodwill and pleasure of God and success in the Hereafter."
He gave his shirt to be used as part of her shroud. When the grave was prepared Muhammad himself examined it and placed her into the grave. Thus, she was one of the few people whose graves were examined by Muhammad. Asad is buried in Jannatul Baqi cemetery in Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
She had four sons; Talib ibn Abu Talib, Aqeel ibn Abu Talib, Ja'far ibn Abu Talib, Ali ibn Abu Talib and two daughters; Fakhitah bint Abu Talib and Jumanah bint Abu Talib.
