 In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful, respected viewers, brothers and sisters in Islam, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon you. Throughout history, many women are revered and remembered. These women are typically remembered for their bravery, courage and even modesty. It is these women who have revolutionized our minds and have certainly given women a lot of worth. In the West, the common picture of a Muslim woman is the stereotype of a woman hidden behind a veil, a voiceless, silent figure, bereaved of rights. It is a picture familiar to all of us in large part because this is invariably how the Western media portrays women in Islam. Islam covers many lands with many diverse cultures, from the borders of Arabia to the coasts of Africa, from Bosnia to Indonesia, large groups of people practice Islam. Islam is growing in European and American countries. Each one of these Islamic nations has its own distinct culture. There is a great diversity of cultures within Islam. One cannot bring all of these cultures, political systems, national heritage, belief systems, geographical locations, historical backgrounds and all the peoples who embody them under one uniform category or think of them as one system. Islam is practicing each nation according to those nations' characteristics. The nations are, by existing as nations, distinct and different from one another. No two cultures are alike. Muslim women have faced an unprecedented amount of discrimination, violence and abuse. Women who stand out and stand up for what is right are, unfortunately, more prone to these outcomes. Today in our show, Powerful Women in Islam, we will be discussing the life of Fatima to Zahra alaihi salam. Amongst the 14 infallibles, it is necessary for one of them to be a woman as if all of them were men. Then all of the advice, recommendations and teachings which we see directed towards the women of the community, things such as how to take care of one's spouse, how to maintain the home and how to take care of the children, the style and function of the hijab, how to modestly maneuver within society, patience and submission to God in the face of challenges and the hundreds of other teachings would have been more mere words which were spoken and simple theological discussion to be studied. It is possible that women of all ages would have said to themselves, if there was at least one infallible woman from amongst all of these people that God sent for guidance, a woman who knew what we as women go through, how we feel and how our emotions are formulated then all of these pieces of advice we have been given and responsibilities which have been put on our shoulders would not have been there, as these men just don't understand us. Therefore, the presence of Fatima al-Zahra al-Hassalam as one of the 14 infallibles and her being a role model for women cemented the guidance and teachings which Islam brought and showed us that they are possible to implement in our daily lives. It is not only Fatima al-Zahra peace be upon her who showed this reality to the women but also people like her beloved daughter Zayna peace be upon her who also becomes the ideal role model and is a grand historical figure for women to follow. Zayna Fatima al-Zahra al-Hassalam is the daughter of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and Zayna Khadija the daughter of Khawailud may the Almighty be pleased with her. Zayna Fatima was born in Mecca on a Friday the 20th of Jama'at al-Thani in the fifth year after the declaration of the prophetic message which corresponds according to the Christian calendar to the year 615. A number of chronicles quote her mother Khadija narrating the following about the birth of her revered daughter. At the time of Fatima's birth I sent for my neighbouring Quraishiyat women to assist me. They flatly refused saying that I had betrayed them by marrying and supporting Muhammad. I was per-chirpered for a while when to my great surprise I saw four strange tall women with halos around their faces approaching me. Finding me dismead one of them addressed me this. Oh Khadija I am Sarah mother of Ishaq. The other three are Mary mother of Christ, Asiya daughter of Muzahim and Umkelthum sister of Moses. We have all been commended by God to put our nursing knowledge to your disposal. Saying this all of them sat around me and rendered the services of midwifery till my daughter Fatima was born. The motherly blessings and affection received by Fatima al-Hassalam were only for five years after which Khadija left for her heavenly home. The holy prophet brought her up thereafter. The holy prophet said whoever injures bodily or otherwise Fatima he injures me and whoever injures me injures Allah and whoever injures Allah practices unbelief. Oh Fatima if your wrath is uncured it incures the wrath of Allah and if you are pleased it makes Allah pleased too. The prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam taught Fatima alaihi sallam divine knowledge and endowed her with special intellectual brilliance. So much so that she realized the true meaning of faith, piety and the reality of Islam. But Fatima alaihi sallam also was a witness to Sarah. But Fatima alaihi sallam was also a witness to Sarah and a life of anguish from the very beginning of her life. She constantly saw how her revered father was mistreated by the unbelievers and later how she herself follows a victim to the same abuse only this time by some Muslims. Sayyidah Zahra alaihi sallam is not just a role model for Muslim women or Muslim men. She is a role model for humanity as a whole. Regardless of what angle we want to view this, Sayyidah Zahra alaihi sallam was a role model from any angle we looked at it. In the Quran we read the commandment on being good to one's parents. Fatima alaihi sallam was so loyal and devoted to her father, the messenger of God, peace be upon him and his family, that he said the following about her. You are the mother of your father. One meaning of this is that the love which she had for her father was so much greater than just the average love which a daughter would have for her father. Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except him and he has enjoyed kindness to your parents. Should they reach old age at your side, one of them or both do not say to them fi and do not chide them but speak to them noble words. Sayyidah alaihi sallam was known for her immense generosity. In the Quran we read the commandment on being generous and In the Quran we read the commandment on being generous and munificent. In the Quran we read the commandment on being generous and munificent. On the night of her wedding when Fatima alaihi sallam was making her way to her husband's home, she was wearing a new wedding dress. Historical accounts narrate that a poor woman approached her or came to the door of the house she was in and asked for clothing to cover herself with. Rather than giving her the old dress which she had, she actually gave away her brand new wedding dress and wore her old clothes on her wedding night. You will never attain piety until you spend out of what you hold dear and whatever you may spend of anything. God indeed knows it. Not only that, Sayyidah alaihi sallam was actually one of the ones who migrated for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. In the Quran we read passages in regards to migration and the way of Allah. And as we know, Fatima alaihi sallam made the migration from Mecca to Medina along with the early group of Muslims. Those who have believed, migrated and struggled in the way of Allah and those who gave them shelter and help, it is they who are truly the faithful. For them is forgiveness and a noble provision. In the Quran we read numerous verses about the patient's sincerity, complete submission to God, consciousness of God and modesty. And indeed Fatima al-Zahra'a, peace be upon her, has reached to the pinnacles of perfection in all of these areas. Indeed the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the faithful men and the faithful women, the obedient men and the obedient women, the truthful men and the truthful women, the patient men and the patient women, the humble men and the humble women, the charitable men and the charitable women, the men who fast and the women who fast, the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard, the men who remember God greatly and the women who remember God greatly. God holds in store for them forgiveness and a great reward. Sayyid al-Zahra'a alaihi sallam had gained a great amount of knowledge and wisdom from her father. In the Quran we are advised to gain knowledge and to acquire the tools necessary to be granted wisdom, hikmah. And indeed this regards Fatima al-Zahra'a, peace be upon her. Shown bright as she has a book known as the Mushaf of Fatima, which the infallible imams would sometimes refer to when they wanted to acquire information on events which would take place in the future. In the Holy Quran we read, read in the name of your Lord, who created, created man from a clinging mass. Read and your Lord is the most generous, who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know. From the life of Sayyid al-Zahra'a, peace be upon her, we learn to be determined and not allow anything to stand in our way. We learn that life is not easy, and that we have to be patient and be thankful with what Allah SWT has planned for us. In the Quran we are spoken to in regards to working, striving and struggling, and when we glance at the life of Fatima al-Zahra'a we see that on many occasions her hands were clothed and bleeding from the amount of work which she used to perform. And that nothing belongs to a person except what he strives for, and that he will soon be shown his indiabere. In her dictionary, alaihi s-salam, arrogance and cruelty was not present. In the Quran there are verses in regards to showing justice in all aspects of life. And when we study how Fatima al-Zahra'a dealt with her house and how she divided the daily tasks of the house, we see how she enacted justice in her life. Indeed, God enjoys justice and kindness and generosity towards relatives and he forbids indecency, wrong and aggression. He advises you so that you may take admonition. In the Quran we are addressed in regards to having faith in the next world and that we should yearn for the next life. And indeed Fatima al-Zahra'a, peace be upon her, heard from her father that she would be the first person from this nation to leave this world and join him in the next life. While the hereafter is better and more lasting, by studying and understanding these few examples from the life of this illiterate woman, we are fully appreciate that Fatima al-Zahra'a peace be upon her is a practical and real world example of the verses of the Noble Quran. Despite the fact that amongst almost all civilizations of yesterday and today, and within the poems, stories and examples, which are often recounted, women have almost always borne and burnt, end of the stick and have constantly been humiliated and denigrated and have always been considered as a thing which must be associated to someone else in order to gain some identity. And that woman has always been looked upon as being the weaker gender. The Quran has shown us that not only for all women but rather for all men as well. Thank you very much for tuning in and we hope to see you in the next episode. Peace be upon you.