“O’ Allah! I ask you for a noble end (to my life) and do not take away (the true faith, security and Your consciousness) which I possess.”
When the visitors to the sacred city of Qum embark on the Ziyarat of Sayyida Fatima Masuma, the sister of the 8th Imam, Ali ibne Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon them), the first thing they notice is the beautiful gold covered dome of her shrine glistening in the rays of the sun. Upon entering the sacred precincts and reciting the visitation rites (the Ziyarat), we come across the line quoted at the beginning of this article, in which we ask Allah for something by using Fatima Masuma as our intermediary. Rather than asking Allah for material bounties or pleasures and fame and fortune of this world, we seek a ‘noble end’ to our life and that the, ‘true faith, security and Allah consciousness’ is not taken away from us. What a beautiful prayer to ask Allah through using the intermediary of this great woman! Truly, were we to leave this world with a ‘noble end’ – following Islam and the path of the Ahlul Bayt, what else would have any worth or value to it? And were we to die, lacking faith and awareness of Him, what treasures could compensate us for the state we would find ourselves in?
Born in 173 AH in the blessed city of Madina, Lady Fatima Masuma was surrounded by those who were granted wisdom, knowledge and the sacred status of Imamate by Allah. Her father was the 7th Imam, Musa ibne Jafar al-Kadhim, her brother was the 8th Imam, Ali ibne Musa al-Ridha, and her nephew was the 9th Imam, Muhammad ibne Ali al-Jawad! The scant biographies written about this great woman mention that it was from such personalities that she was able to develop her understanding of Islam and become an Alimah in her own right.
In order to understand why a single woman would leave her home in Madina to make the long, arduous journey east, we need to understand the political situation at her time. Immediately after her father was killed by the Abbasid caliph of the time, Lady Masuma’s brother, Imam al-Ridha assumed the office of Imamate. Due to the political in-fighting between the two sons of Harun al-Rasheed – namely Ameen and Mamoon, the later of whom killed his brother and assumed authority – the 8th Imam was swiftly brought to Khorasan (present day Mashad) to be groomed as the heir apparent. Being separated from her Imam and brother, the 28-year-old Lady Masuma decided to make the long journey to Khorasan and thus set out with a caravan from Madina to reach Iran.
In those days, travelling was not an easy task for anyone, especially a young woman, and this trip would be no different. Upon reaching Marw (a city outside of Qum), the small caravan was attacked by bandits. Fatima Masuma was mortally wounded in the attack and was forced to rest in Marw. Realizing that she would not be able to make it to her brother’s side, she enquired about the distance to Qum. When told that another 80 kilometres remained in the trek, she asked that she be taken there, as if she was foretold of the future greatness of this city and wanted to be a part of its spiritual significance.
She survived for seventeen days until succumbing to her injuries (or, as other reports claim, her poisoning), and she was buried in the blessed city. Perhaps she had heard the traditions of the city of Qum and its future role as the sanctuary for the lovers of the Ahlul Bayt, and knew that from this blessed ground the teachings of the Shia faith would spread throughout the world.
Her life and death have become a beacon for countless people from all over the world who make the difficult journey to Qum to partake in the religious studies offered by the Theological Seminary, and to benefit from her spiritual presence and intercession – something that the Imams have spoken about to their followers.
“O’ Fatima! Intercede for me in Paradise, because you have a great station near Allah …”