Bibi Fatima

See also Chapter 28, 'Fatima' in The Republic of Rumi: a Novel of Reality

Fatima bint Muhammad (c.605-632), the youngest daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is respectfully called Bibi Fatima or Syedah Fatima Zahra among Muslims, and regarded as a role model for Muslim women (a view which Iqbal emphasizes especially in Secrets and Mysteries).

Bibi Fatima was married to Ali (see the note on the Rightly-Guided Caliphate) around 623, and bore him two sons, Hasan and Husain, and two daughters, Zainab and Umm-i-Kulsoom.

She is reported to have opposed the election of Abu Bakr Siddiq, which happened soon after the death of the Prophet, and also entered into a dispute with the caliph over the property rights of her father. While these incidents are highlighted in some accounts of history, Iqbal desired to focus more on the role of Bibi Fatima in the upbringing of her illustrious children. While writing the relevant chapters of Secrets and Mysteries, he regretted that not much information was available on this aspect of her life.

Bibi Fatima died within a few months after her father – hence the first among the members of the Prophet’s household to pass away after the Prophet’s death. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Jannatul Baqee, the graveyard of Madinah. A tomb was later erected over her grave, and got demolished in the early 20th century when the Saudi government ordered demolition of all tombs in the graveyard.