166. Fatimah (Umm 'Abdullah) Bint Al-Hasan
Fatimah was the daughter of Imam al-Hasan Ibn 'Ali ('a), the wife of Imam 'Ali Ibn al-Hasan ('a), the mother of Imam Muhammad al-Baqir, and the sister of al-Hasan, al-Husayn, and 'Abdullah al-Bahir. Her nickname was Umm'Abdullah, and her mother was a bondmaid. She accompanied her husband Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a), her son Imam Muhammad al-Baqir ('a), and her uncle Imam al-Husayn ('a) to Karbala'. And, after that she was taken as prisoner of war to Damascus. She was a part of all the tragedies which faced them.1
Her Merits
Fatimah was one of the descendents of the Prophet (S), from the family of Banu-Hashim. She was honorable, modest, chaste, and magnificent. It is impossible to list all of her merits and so instead we will get help from her son, Imam al-Baqir ('a), who has said about her, "My mother was sitting beside a wall. A loud noise was heard from the wall at it started to fall. My mother pointed with her hand and said, 'No, by the right of the Prophet, God does not permit you to fall down.' The wall stayed in midair till she went aside. My father gave one hundred dinars in charity for her."2
Imam al-Sadiq ('a) has said about her, "She was an honest and upright woman. There was no woman from the family of Imam al-Hasan ('a) who was her equal.”3
Fatimah witnessed all of the oppression and tragedies which came upon the Household of the Prophet. With patience and perseverance, she tolerated the illness and torture of her husband, the martyrdom of her dear ones, and the capture of the women and children which was accompanied with degradation and insults while she kept her Islamic covering.
Fatimah, who was the daughter of an Imam, the wife of an Imam, and the mother of an Imam, has certainly reported about at least one of these three, but her words have not remained.
