Muhaddatha, the Title of Fatima (a)
Why was Fatima az-Zahra (peace be upon her) called "al-Muhaddatha"?
Muhaddatha is one of the titles of Sayyida Fatima (peace be upon her), meaning "she with whom the angels speak." She was called al-Muhaddatha because she conversed with the angels.
The Meaning of "al-Muhaddath" and "al-Muhaddatha"
Al-Muhaddath and al-Muhaddatha refer to someone with whom others speak or to whom revelations are made.[1] Islamic hadiths define al-Muhaddath as someone who hears angels' words, receives calls in their ears, and receives inspirations in their heart.[2] Other sources define al-Muhaddath as a person with whom angels speak without being a prophet (peace be upon him).[3]
All the Imams (peace be upon them) were al-Muhaddath, and Fatima az-Zahra (peace be upon her) was al-Muhaddatha.[4] Like the mother of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him), who was not a prophet but received divine revelation.[5] Similarly, Mary (peace be upon her) was not a prophet, yet angels spoke to her.[6]
The Angels' Conversation with Fatima (a)
Several hadiths attest to Fatima's (peace be upon her) status as al-Muhaddatha:
- Imam as-Sâdiq (peace be upon him) said: «Fatima (peace be upon her) was called al-Muhaddatha because angels would descend from heaven and speak to her, just as they spoke to Mary»\.[7]
- Imam as-Sâdiq (peace be upon him) also said: «When God took His Messenger's soul (peace be upon him), Fatima (peace be upon her) was overwhelmed by sorrow and sadness, which only God knew. He sent an angel to console her, ease her grief, and speak to her».[8]
- Imam as-Sâdiq (peace be upon him) further stated: «Fatima (peace be upon her) lived only 75 days after the Prophet's death (peace be upon him), so intense was her grief. That is why Angel Gabriel frequently visited her, consoling her in her mourning and speaking to her about future events concerning her descendants».[9]
- In the text of the ziyârat (salutation) of Fatima (peace be upon her), it is written: "Peace be upon you, O one who speaks with angels and is filled with wisdom".[10]
Mushaf of Fatima, a Testimony of Her Status as al-Muhaddatha
The Mushaf of Fatima (peace be upon her) is a book that Archangel Gabriel dictated to her after the Prophet of Islam's death (peace be upon him), which Imam Ali (peace be upon him) recorded. According to hadiths, there is no doubt about this book's existence.[11] References to the Mushaf of Fatima (peace be upon her) are found in the oldest Shia texts, such as Basâ'ir ad-Darajât[12] and Al-Kafī.[13]
The existence of the Mushaf of Fatima (peace be upon her) serves as evidence that divine angels spoke to her, confirming her status as al-Muhaddatha.
References
- ↑ Ḥusaynī Zabīdī, Muḥammad Murtaḍā, Tāj al-‘Arūs min Jawāhir al-Qāmūs, Bayrūt, Dār al-Fikr, chāp-e awwal, 1414 q, j 3, ṣ 192.
- ↑ Ṣaffār, Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan, Baṣā’ir al-Darajāt fī Faḍā’il Āl Muḥammad (ṣ), Qom, Kitābkhāna-ye Mar‘ashī Najafī, chāp-e dovvom, 1404 q, ṣ 367, bāb 1, ḥadīth 1 wa 17.
- ↑ Amīnī, ‘Abd al-Ḥusayn, al-Ghadīr, Markaz al-Ghadīr lil-Dirāsāt al-Islāmiyya, j 5, ṣ 67.
- ↑ Ṣaffār, Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan, Baṣā’ir al-Darajāt fī Faḍā’il Āl Muḥammad (ṣ), Qom, Kitābkhāna-ye Mar‘ashī Najafī, chāp-e dovvom, 1404 q, ṣ 367, bāb 1.
- ↑ Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ, āya 7.
- ↑ Sūrat Maryam, āyāt 16-26.
- ↑ Ibn Bābūya, Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī, ‘Ilal al-Sharā’i‘, Qom, Kitābfurūshī-ye Dāwarī, chāp-e awwal, 1385 sh/1966 m, j 1, ṣ 182, bāb 146, ḥadīth 1. ; Ṭabarī Āmulī Ṣaghīr, Muḥammad ibn Jarīr ibn Rustam, Dalā’il al-Imāma, Qom, Ba‘that, chāp-e awwal, 1413 q, ṣ 80, ḥadīth 20.
- ↑ Ṣaffār, Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan, Baṣā’ir al-Darajāt fī Faḍā’il Āl Muḥammad (ṣ), Qom, chāp-e dovvom, 1404 q, bāb 14, ṣ 157, ḥadīth 18. ; Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Ya‘qūb, al-Kāfī, Tehrān, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, chāp-e chahārum, 1407 q, j 1, ṣ 238, bāb fīhi dhikr al-Ṣaḥīfa wa al-Jafr wa al-Jāmi‘a wa Muṣḥaf Fāṭima, ḥadīth 2.
- ↑ Ṣaffār, Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan, Baṣā’ir al-Darajāt fī Faḍā’il Āl Muḥammad (ṣ), Qom, chāp-e dovvom, 1404 q, bāb 14, ṣ 154, ḥadīth 6.
- ↑ Ibn Bābūya, Muḥammad ibn ‘Alī, Man Lā Yaḥḍuruhu al-Faqīh, Qom, Daftar-e Intishārāt-e Islāmī, chāp-e dovvom, 1413 q, j 2, ṣ 573. ; Ṭūsī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām, Tehrān, Dār al-Kutub al-Islāmiyya, chāp-e chahārum, 1407 q, j 6, ṣ 10.
- ↑ Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Ya‘qūb, al-Kāfī, Qom, Dār al-Ḥadīth, 1429 q, j 1, ṣ 599-600.
- ↑ Ṣaffār Qummī, Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan, Baṣā’ir al-Darajāt fī Faḍā’il Āl Muḥammad (ṣ), taḥqīq: Muḥsin ibn ‘Abbās ‘Alī Kūchebāghī, Qom, Maktabat Āyat Allāh al-Mar‘ashī al-Najafī, 1404 q, ṣ 170-181.
- ↑ Kulaynī, Muḥammad ibn Ya‘qūb, al-Kāfī, j 1, ṣ 592-602.