Fatimah's Wish

Umamah lost her mother Zaynab in 8 AH and her grandfather ﷺ in 11 AH. Her aunt Fatimah died a few months after him, and the biographers report that Fatimah asked 'Ali to marry Umamah after her, because Umamah would be kind to her children. 'Ali did so, and Umamah was his wife until he was killed in 40 AH.

The biographers add that after 'Ali's death she married al-Mughirah ibn Nawfal ibn al-Harith, a grandson of the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, and that she died while married to him. Reports differ over whether she had children by either husband.

01Why it matters

Fatimah, facing death, thought first of her children, and trusted her niece to love them as her own.

02Reflection

Whom would you trust with the people you love most, and why?

03Sources

Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-KubraHistorical report
Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Isti'abHistorical report
Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-SahabahHistorical report

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