Quick Answer:
The love that the Prophet (ṣ) had towards his daughter Fatimah (‘a) is an indication of the existence of these virtues within her.
Detailed Answer:
The love of the Awlīyā towards various individuals cannot be described as a simple love; such love arises due to various different reasons and the most important of these reasons are those related to knowledge, faith, and piety. The love that the Prophet (ṣ) had towards his daughter Fatimah (‘a) is an indication of the existence of these virtues within her. For example, when the Prophet (ṣ) would say: Fatimah is the best woman from the women of this world or when he would say: Fatimah is the best woman of the women of paradise, such statements indicate that her knowledge was also superior to the knowledge of all the women of this world.
From a logical perspective, is it possible that an individual who has not reached the highest levels of knowledge would be someone whose satisfaction was the satisfaction of God or whose anger was the anger of God and his Prophet (ṣ)? There are many traditions which mention such things in regards to the Lady Fatimah (‘a). In addition to all these rational points, there are important traditions in the Islamic sourcebooks which specifically mention the lofty intellectual position of Fatimah. Let us review some of these traditions below:
1- Abū Na’īm has narrated in a tradition from the Prophet (ṣ) that one day he faced his companions and said: What is the best thing for women? The companions didn’t know the answer; ‘Ali (‘a) went to Fatimah (‘a) and narrated the question to her. The Lady Fatimah (‘a) said: Why did you not say: The best thing for women is that they neither see men nor do any men see them (meaning that they don’t have private gatherings with men who are not related to them).[1] ‘Ali (‘a) returned and he gave this answer to the Prophet (ṣ). The Prophet (ṣ) asked ‘Ali (‘a): Who taught you this answer? He said: Fatimah (‘a). The Prophet (ṣ) then said: She is a part of me (and from me).[2]
This tradition shows that Imam ‘Ali (‘a), in spite of his lofty intellectual position and his rank as the ‘gate to the city of knowledge’, would sometimes learn things from his wife Fatimah (‘a). What is interesting to note is that when the Prophet (ṣ) says that Fatimah is a part of me, he is referring to the reality that not only is Fatimah (‘a) physically from him, but she is also spiritually from him as well. Therefore, her knowledge, her ethics and behavior, her faith and virtue are all from the Prophet (ṣ) as well.
2- In Masnad Aḥmad, it has been narrated from Umm Salamah (or according to some reports, Umm Salamī) that: When Fatimah (‘a) was ill with the sickness that she later died from, I was busy taking care of her. One day, she was feeling better than she had felt before; it so happened that ‘Ali (‘a) was gone on an errand. Fatimah (‘a) said to me: Bring me water so I may perform the ritual bath (Ghusl); I brought water and she performed her bath and it was done in a very complete way. She then asked me: Please bring me new clothing; I brought the clothing and she put them on.
She then asked me again: Please set up my mattress in the middle of the room; I did this and she lay down facing the Qiblah, while she had placed her hand under her face. She then said to me: Oh Umm Salamah, I am going to leave this world now in a state of purity and no one should cover me (after I pass away). She said this line and she then passed away.[3] This tradition clearly shows us that Fatimah (‘a) was aware of her death and its circumstances, even though it was something that couldn’t clearly be seen by the average person (for example on the day mentioned above, she was feeling better than any of the other days of her illness). Since such knowledge could only come from divine teachings, this shows that she was sent divine inspirations.
According to various other traditions, she was even superior to Maryam, the daughter of ‘Imrān and the mother of Prophet Jesus (‘a), and this issue is enough for us as evidence since the Quran has mentioned that Maryam spoke with the angels and there are many Quranic verses in this regard. Therefore, it makes logical sense that Fatimah (‘a), who was the daughter of the Prophet of Islam (ṣ) would have contact with the angels at an even higher level.[4] [5]
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