Fatimah az-Zahra: A Part of Her Father
Sisters' Weekly, Part 2. The life of Fatimah az-Zahra, youngest daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah, in 17 chapters, with the Qur'an, hadith and the early biographies referenced throughout.
Updated 25 October 2026
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About 1 hour 20 minutestime it takesFatimah az-Zahra was the youngest daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the wife of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and the mother of al-Hasan and al-Husayn. She was the child who most resembled her father in manner, the only one of his children to outlive him, and the one of whom he said that she is the leader of the women of the people of Paradise.
This part follows her life in order: her birth and childhood in the first Muslim household in Makkah, the years of persecution and the boycott, the death of her mother, the Hijrah, her marriage to 'Ali, the poverty of their home and the hand-mill, her children, the Prophet's ﷺ words "Fatimah is a part of me", Uhud and the conquest of Makkah, the secret he told her in his last illness, her grief, the question of Fadak, and her death six months after him.
Every statement carries a reference: the Qur'an by surah and ayah, hadith by collection and number, and the early biographies by name. Reports from the biographies are marked as such, weak reports are flagged, and where the scholars differ the text says so.
How to use it well
- 1A daughter of Makkah
Her birth around the rebuilding of the Ka'bah, her names az-Zahra and al-Batul, and the household she grew up in.
- 2The years of persecution
As a girl she lifted the camel's entrails from her father's back at the Ka'bah (Bukhari 240).
- 3The valley and the Year of Sorrow
Three years of boycott, then the death of her mother Khadijah.
- 4The Hijrah
She follows her father to Madinah with her sister Umm Kulthum and Sawdah.
- 5The marriage
Abu Bakr and 'Umar propose; she is married to 'Ali, with his coat of mail as her mahr.
- 6The hand-mill
She asks for a servant and is taught the tasbih of Fatimah instead (Bukhari 3113).
- 7Her children
Al-Hasan, al-Husayn, Muhassin, Zaynab and Umm Kulthum, and the Prophet's ﷺ love for his grandsons.
- 8Her father's daughter
'A'ishah's testimony that no one was more like him, the hadith of the cloak, and the oath "even if it were Fatimah".
- 9"Fatimah is a part of me"
The occasion of the words, and how the scholars explained it.
- 10The secret
In his last illness he told her she would follow him first and is the leader of the women of Paradise (Bukhari 3623).
- 11Fadak and the inheritance
Her request, Abu Bakr's answer from the hadith, and the Sunni understanding, without polemic.
- 12Six months
Her death in Ramadan 11 AH, her burial at night, and her rank in Islam.
What this part covers
- Her childhood in Makkah, the years of persecution and the boycott in the valley of Abu Talib
- Her marriage to 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, their home, and the origin of the tasbih of Fatimah
- Her five children, and the hadith on al-Hasan and al-Husayn
- The hadith on her resemblance to the Prophet ﷺ, the hadith of the cloak, and "Fatimah is a part of me"
- The Prophet's ﷺ last illness, the secret he told her, and her words at his death
- The question of Fadak, her death six months later, and her rank as leader of the women of Paradise
Sisters' Weekly
Part 2. Follow the path to the other parts.
How to use it
Read it a chapter or two at a time; the chapters follow her life in order and each is complete in itself. The references let you look up every hadith yourself. Next Wednesday, in sha Allah: Part 3, Maryam bint 'Imran.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Fatimah az-Zahra?
She was the youngest daughter of the Prophet ﷺ and Khadijah, the wife of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and the mother of al-Hasan and al-Husayn. The Prophet ﷺ told her she is the leader of the women of the people of Paradise (Sahih al-Bukhari 3623).
What is the tasbih of Fatimah?
When Fatimah asked her father for a servant because of the hand-mill, he taught her and 'Ali to say Allahu Akbar 34 times, Subhan Allah 33 times and Alhamdu lillah 33 times before sleeping, and said it was better for them than a servant (Sahih al-Bukhari 3113).
What secret did the Prophet ﷺ tell Fatimah?
In his last illness he told her he would die of it, and she wept; then that she would be the first of his family to follow him and the leader of the women of Paradise, and she laughed (Sahih al-Bukhari 3623–3624).
When did Fatimah die?
Six months after the Prophet ﷺ, in 11 AH, according to the narration of 'A'ishah in Sahih al-Bukhari 4240. 'Ali buried her at night in Madinah.
What is Sisters' Weekly?
A free series from Jamia Hafs telling the lives of the great women of Islam, one part every Wednesday, with the Qur'an, hadith and early biographies referenced throughout.
Is it free to print?
Yes. Download the PDF and print it at home, in A4 or Letter size, for yourself, your family or a study circle.
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