Fatima az-Zahra'


		Fatima az- Zahra'
	Fatima az-Zahra' was one of the three daughters of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) and whose mother, Khadija, was the Prophet’s first wife. The Prophet commended Fatima’s character, once saying to her, "Thou art the highest of the women of the people of Paradise, excepting only the Virgin Mary, daughter of Imran" (Lings M, Muhammad; his life based on the earliest sources 1988, p332). She is usually referred to as Fatima az-zahra which in English means ‘Fatima the Resplendent’. She married ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet’s paternal cousin, who was also the fourth Caliph, and had two sons Al-Hassan and Al-Hussein. Six months after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), the grieving Fatima too passed away. Today she is held in great reverence by Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims alike and a sepulchre called Fatima’s Tomb is located near the tomb of the Prophet in the Prophet’s mosque. However she is believed to be buried in al-Baqi cemetery in al-Medina al-Munawwara.