Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

240 'Ali ibn Abi Tilib at the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs
tell us."'O1 She died the night before Tuesday, on the third of
Ramadan 11 AH. Ibn Milik ihn Ja'far ihn Muhammad nmated from
his father that his grandfather 'Ali ibn al-Husayn said: "Fiitimah died
between sunset and nightfall, and Ahu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthmin, az-
Zubayr and 'Abdur-Rahmin ibn 'Awf (may Allah be pleased with
them) were present. When she was placed for the funeral prayer to he
offered over her, 'Ali (&) said: 'Go forward, 0 Abu Bakr (to lead
the prayer).' Abu Bakr (4) said: 'What about you, 0 Ahu al-Hasan?'
'Ali (&) said: 'By Allah, no one hut you will lead the prayer over
her.' So Ahu Bakr (&) led the funeral prayer for her, and she was
buried at night." It says in another report that Abu Bakr (&) offered
the funeral prayer for Fitimah (%), the daughter of the Messenger of
Allah (g), and said takbeer over her four times.lo2 According to a
report narrated by Muslim, 'Ali ibn Abi TSih (&) offered the funeral
prayer for her, and this is more likely to he correct.lo3
M&ammad IqhS spoke eloquently in his ode to Fitimah az-
Zahra', in which he said:
The lineage of the Messiah gives an honourable name to Maryam,
whose memory will live for ever,
But glory comes from three sources in the case of FeWh,
and how great they are.
She is the daughter of whom? The wife of whom?
The mother of whom? Who can come close to the
honourable status of her father?
She is aflash of lightfrom the eye of al-Mugafa, the one who guided
peoples who were lost.
He (the Prophet) is the one who awoke the sleeping
with his guidance, as if he brought them
back to life after they were dead.
He restored the course of history, just like a bride
in her adornment and beauty.