‘Ali’s female servant found out that Fatimah (RA) was ready to get married and that one or more proposals had been made for her. She said to ‘Ali (RA), “Did you know that someone went to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and made a proposal to marry Fatimah?” ‘Ali said, “No.” She said, “Indeed, a proposal has been made for her. Then what prevents you from going to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), so that he can marry you (to her).” ‘Ali, who didn’t have any money with him at the time, exclaimed, “And do I have anything I can use to get married (i.e., and do I have any dowry money to give)?” ‘Ali’s servant, who was as confident as she was persistent, said, “Indeed, if you go to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), he will give her to you in marriage.” She continued to inject hope into ‘Ali until he finally succumbed to her entreaties and went to visit the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). But when ‘Ali sat down beside the Prophet (ﷺ), he became shy and speechless: he could not utter a word about the matter out of being in awe of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Seeing ‘Ali’s predicament, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) broke the ice and said, “What has brought you here? Is there anything that you need?” But ‘Ali did not respond, still too much overcome by nervousness. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Perhaps you have come to propose to marry Fatimah?” He answered, “Yes.” The Prophet (ﷺ) asked, “And do you have anything with which you can make her lawful for you (i.e., do you have any wealth to give as dowry)?” ‘Ali said, “No, by Allah, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet (ﷺ) asked him whether he still had some armour he had received earlier, for that armour could be sold for about four dirhams. ‘Ali confirmed that he still had the armour, after which the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Then I have indeed married you to her. Send it (i.e., the armour, which can then be sold) to her, so that you can lawfully have her.” That simple inexpensive item was the dowry given to the daughter of the chief of mankind, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ); surely, there is a lesson in this for those of today’s Muslims who pay exorbitant amounts as dowry, a practice that directly leads to many of society’s ills. Then consider the items the Prophet (ﷺ) gave to his daughter for her marriage: some velvet, a canteen, and a leather pillow that was stuffed with Idhkir (a kind of brush that had a sweet smell to it). As such, we should appreciate how the Prophet’s life was characterized by humbleness, not ostentation; simplicity, not extravagance; and struggle, not comfort.
The Prophet (ﷺ) not only made sacrifices himself; he expected the same from his closest relatives. For the most part, leaders are known to show special favours to family members – but not so regarding the Prophet (ﷺ). The best example we have in this regard is that of Fatimah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
After they got married, Faatimah and ‘Ali led a life of hard work, to the degree that one day, as Imam Ahmad related in his Musnad, ‘Ali said to Fatimah, “By Allah, I have constantly carried water to the degree that I now feel pain in my chest. Since slaves (that were prisoners of war) have been brought to your father, go and ask him for a servant (i.e., ask him to give you one of them to be your servant)! She said, ‘As for me, by Allah, I have constantly worked at grinding (wheat, etc.) until my hands have become weak and the skin on them has become coarse.’”
Faatimah later recounted what happened next: “I went to the Prophet (ﷺ), who said, ‘My daughter, what has brought you here?’ I said, ‘I came to extend greetings of peace to you.'” When she went to the Prophet (ﷺ), Fatimah was too shy to make her request. Then, when she went back to ‘Ali, he asked, “What did you do?” She answered, “I was too shy to ask him.” They then went together, and ‘Ali said to the Prophet (ﷺ), “O Messenger of Allah, by Allah, I have carried water so much that my chest now hurts me.” And Faatimah said, “And I have grinded so much that my hands have become weak and the skin on them has become coarse. And indeed, Allah has brought to you slaves and wealth, so provide us with a servant.”
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) replied, “By Allah, I will not give you both (what you ask for) while I leave the stomachs of the people of Suffah (poor Muslims who lived in the Masjid) to remain empty, without me being able to find any money to spend on them. Instead, what I will do is sell those slaves, and spend the proceeds of their sale on the people of Suffah.”
Having gotten their answer, Fatimah and ‘Ali returned to their home; shortly thereafter, the Prophet (ﷺ) went to them, by which time both of them had taken cover with the velvet they had. When it covered their heads, it left their feet bare; and if it covered their feet, it left their heads bare. And so they jumped up when the Prophet (ﷺ) entered. He (ﷺ) said to them, “Stay where you are,” after which he said, “Shall I not inform you about that which is better than what you asked me for?” They said, “Yes.” He (ﷺ) said, “Words that Jibreel taught me: Glorify Allah (i.e., say, ‘Subhaanallah,’ how perfect Allah is) at the end of each prayer ten times, praise Him (by saying, ‘Alhamdulillah,’ All praise is for Allah) ten times, and magnify Him (by saying, ‘Allahuakbar,’ Allah is the Greatest) ten times. Then, when you go to rest on your bed, glorify (Him) thirty-three times, praise (Him) thirty-three times, and magnify Him (thirty-four) times.”[1]
A just leader, the Prophet (ﷺ) chose, rather than give a slave to his daughter and son-in-law, to sell all of the slaves and use the proceeds of those sales on poor Companions who lived in the Masjid. For feeding hungry people was certainly more important than providing servants to hard-working, tired yet financially independent people.
Here, ‘Ali (RA) was being trained as a young man to make sacrifices for others, to lead a simple and humble life, and to avoid leading an extravagant lifestyle. And without a doubt, that training had a profound impact on ‘Ali’s character. Years went by and ‘Ali became the Khaleefah of the Muslim Ummah (nation). As Khaleefah, he had almost unlimited quantities of wealth at his disposal, and he could have spent it as he pleased. But he was a good student of the Prophet (ﷺ) and he rose above the diseases of greed and materialism. Faith and desire for Paradise, not greed and desire for gold, filled his heart.
As for the advice the Prophet (ﷺ) gave him – in terms of how to remember Allah after each prayer and before going to sleep – ‘Ali applied it on a consistent basis throughout his life. In fact, he once said during the latter part of his life, “Ever since he taught them (the words to say after prayer and before going to sleep), I never abandoned them.” One of his companions asked, “Not even on the night of Siffeen,” Siffeen being a major battle that ‘Ali fought in. ‘Ali (RA) answered, “Not even on the night of Siffeen.”[2] While seated in the gathering of Mu’aawiyah (RA), Diraar in Damrah gave the following description of ‘Ali (RA): “He felt an aversion for the world and its temptations, and he felt comfortable with the night and its darkness (when he would remember Allah, perform prayer, and recite the Qur’an). And by Allah, he would shed many tears (out of his fear of Allah). He was prone to practice introspection and reflection. He liked garments that were short (i.e., not garments that were long and that would get dragged on the ground when one walked in them; thus he liked simple and not ostentatious clothing) and food that was coarse.”[3]
[The Noble Life of the Prophet (ﷺ) by Dr. Ali Muhammad As-Sallaabee, vol. 2, p. 1086-1090]
Notes:
[1] Fathul-Rabbaanee (90), and the original source of this Hadeeth is Saheeh Bukhaaree, the Book of the Five Obligatory Duties; Hadeeth number: 3113.
[2] Refer to Al-Isaabah Fee Tamyeez As-Sahaabah (8/159).
[3] Refer to Safwatus-Safwah by Ibn Al-Jawzee (1/84).
