 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful May Allah bless Muhammad and his people Peace be upon you dear viewers and welcome to this show on Imam Hussein TV Where we will be examining lessons from the life of the great lady Fatima Tezahra, the daughter of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Inshallah in the next few episodes we will be examining various aspects of her life And looking at how we can take those lessons on board in our own lives One of the main lessons that we can take from Fatima Tezahra In particular, from her marriage to her husband, Ali ibn Abi Talib Is the lesson of the absolutely perfect marriage Today marriage is an issue of unfortunate contention in the west And also in our communities where divorce rates have never been higher And many people across this side of the earth are facing issues in their marriage But inshallah hopefully in this episode what we can do is look at what Fatima Tezahra As-salam taught us in terms of being the exemplar wife And how we can take those lessons on board in our own marriages And ensure that we much like Fatima Tezahra As-salam And our husband achieve marital bliss Insha'Allah to explore this topic I want to be joined today by my dear guest Sheikh Muhammad al-Halil, As-salam Alaikum As-salam Thank you so much for joining us today Of course I think we're well aware of the fact that the marriage Between Fatima Tezahra As-salam and Imam Ali was one that was absolutely powerful And there are many, many stories that we've heard over the years Going to Majalis and different programs Just about what lessons we can take on board from this marriage But just to give us a brief introduction Can you tell us why the household of Ali ibn Fatima is particularly our exemplary What about that marriage is so special In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds And peace and blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad and his family And his family, the good and the righteous I guess one of the things I was reflecting on is How the Almighty Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala is so kind and merciful In that every concept and every idea in our lives He has given us and set an example for us to emulate and look to So in the teachings of the religion of Islam We have the idea of the theory, the instructions That we are somehow given to follow But a tremendously powerful extension of this Is exemplars who actually took this on board And applied it into their own lives And this is very key for human beings Because we like to emulate, we like to look to individuals And we say, okay, how do they live their lives Let's see how they dealt with problems or challenges And that's why I think when we discuss the wonderful household Of Amir al-Mu'mineen, Ali ibn Abi Talib And Sayyidat al-Nisa'a, Fatima al-Zahra, Salawatullah And peace and blessings of Allah be upon them There are, you know, so many areas that we can reflect on And some people I know now in the 21st century Perhaps living in the western world will say Well, there are two concerns I have in this discussion At the outset. Number one, these are individuals Who lived 1400 years ago They're not really some people I can relate to now We have different challenges now A marital life and a family setup, as you said Is going through so many challenges now And the second thing is they'll say they're ma'asum You know, they're perfect in that sense So how can I, as a mortal human being As a fallible human being, look at an individual Who's error-free, who's sinless And somehow learn from them The answer to this is number one The examples of the Ahl al-Bayt Are ones that are for all times This is what makes them unique Because they're set, they're here for guidance Of all human beings, not for their time only Because people around their time didn't really As much evaluate or really benefit from them As much as they could have And the Quran says You have in the holy prophet of Islam The best example, and when Allah says You have the best example The Quran doesn't limit this to the people In the 7th century Arabia Or those who used to live there This is for all times So the prophet and the Ahl al-Bayt Are certainly not time specific They're there for all the time And so being a ma'asum is necessary For the delivering of God's instructions And guidance and message So that when we receive it from them When we know it's pristine, it's pure We can know that it's definitely something We should follow But at the same time, when you examine The life of the holy lady Peace and blessings be upon her According to our traditions She only lived for 18 years Now imagine, 18 years And she got married at 9 So that means her marital life Was only 9 years And it's incredible when you Sit for a moment and think You know today we have people Living 50, 60, 70, 80 years And yes, they leave a particular Legacy or a few pointers Or they discover something But what a gem Lady Fatima was That 18 years of age She left this world Yet we can sit and discuss For hours and hours Exemplary lessons from her life Now it's not me Or anyone else coming and saying We love Ali ibn Abi Talib We love Fatima to Zahra And their marriage was something Of a great setup So let's look from them It's the Quran The Quran tells us the household Of Imam Ali and Fatima to Zahra Is amongst the best households Someone will ask where Chapter 24 Surat al-Nur verse 36 Allah SWT in the verse before 35 Says Allah is illuminating light Physical light This light is a light Of guidance is a light That brings about existence And sustains existence But the next says The light is found in certain households That he SWT Has allowed for these For these particular households To be raised either Physically we use this verse to Prove the legitimacy of building shrines But also raised in the minds of people Respected and revered in the minds of people And so In many traditions For example In the Duran Manthur He narrates That one of the companions of the prophet said Okay we want to find this light Where do we look for it Allah says it's in certain households And so the prophet of Islam says It is in the households of prophets And so another person Asks the prophet One of these amazing households Which is enriched with the light of God The prophet answers emphatically And that answer from the prophet Is sufficient Yes the prophet says But it's amongst the best That you can find the light of God So when you have this wonderful illuminating household We can learn so much from it And of course the Quran praises them In Ayatul Tatheer In the story of Mubahala In numerous verses highlighting their relationship And we can look at that But it is sufficient for us to realize That it's not something that we can ignore We have to look at that example And every little bit of detail We have to I think what's very interesting is you mentioned You know we're speaking about the idea Of a perfect marriage And using the marriage of Aliyun Fatima To show us what a perfect marriage is And you also mentioned that This idea that God's light Existed within the household So my question to you is In regards to the marriage of a Muslim Married couple Marriages in our communities What role does God consciousness play In Ensuring that that marriage is a perfect marriage Or trying to be a perfect marriage I think it's probably the most important factor What is interesting Before I forget this point Because I wanted to mention earlier Was the idea that The perfection of the household Of Aliyun Fatima, peace be upon them Is in relation to their character Not in relation to what they faced There's a difference Because they faced Tremendous trials and tribulations They faced hardship after hardship Difficulty after difficulty You know many people don't know But the first few years Of marriage in Medina Was plagued with poverty They would not have food for a number of days So when somebody today says They're ma'asum Allah test the ma'asumin More than he tests you and I And other human beings And that would entail that They're going through hardship And the fact that they're ma'asum Doesn't mean that they're not going through pain And suffering From a form of hardship No, they go through it They feel the pain They understand the difficulty In today's set ups I think there is a lack of spirituality In the marital set ups Many a times we see that Because people are very much consumed With materialism And the need to possess And the I want culture is all there So it's reflective When we see Looking to get married And the huge costs In wedding Ceremonies It puts some of our youngsters Off because Some of the requirements You need to have a car You need to have an amazing job You need to have savings Some of our ladies Are looking to get married They say it's once in a lifetime I need to have this Beautiful amazing occasion And by the way today in the United Kingdom It's been shown that on average A wedding costs 30,000 pounds Now this might be quite difficult For example a university student Someone who's just graduated with A huge burden of loans To be able to afford something like this Just because There's high expectations Someone else did it And if I don't do it in a very lavish place Everyone will say oh this is not a great wedding So I'll be the talking Of the people There's a whole culture of trying to please people With the cost of your marriage It's all about Meeting the standards That society sets Rather than what pleases Allah And I think there's two Very important areas here That we learn from the life of Imam Ali Alayhi Salam and Sayyida Fatima First is spirituality Having studied their lives as much as possible And I've written a section of A book on marriage on the life of Imam Ali Alayhi Salam and Sayyida Fatima A book is coming up very soon inshallah Is Absolute most spectacular Most powerful quality of Sayyida Fatima And Imam Ali in their marital setups Is their servitude To Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala And the fact that they had this connection To the only beloved Allah So when Sayyida Fatima Alayhi Salam and Imam Ali Are asked by the Prophet To evaluate the other Sayyida Fatima is Asked, she replies He's the best husband But in which way Imam Ali Alayhi Salam then quantifies it When he's asked about His beloved wife Sayyida Tunmisa The lady of light The Prophet asks and she replies He replies That Fatima is the best aid Support and assistance In the goal Of worshipping Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Obedience of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala So Amir al-Mu'mineen summarizes Fatima In this wonderful line That if I was looking for the best individual To help me in my goal in life To be the best Abdullah The servant of God Then I have Fatima So in that sense You find that that somehow Drew up all their lives It puts everything in place So with regards to materialism Simplicity was a whole mark Of the household of Ali and Fatima In the idea that In their setup They were not looking for Pumpers extravagant Lavish lifestyle In any way, shape and possible Their generosity Spoke very clearly Of their determination to serve Allah And of course we have many examples of this But in their lives generally They limited themselves to simple Aspects that they need in their marriage And even the dowry We are told of course That Amir al-Mu'mineen had his shield And the Prophet of Islam said Sell that shield for 80 Or 500 And that was used to buy Kind of a small mattress You know For the house Of Fatima Ali I think it was very interesting With the idea of being God conscious In marriage And it's almost as if What that does in your relationship Is make sure that you put something greater than yourself Before yourself And I'm sure that you know very well When speaking about When looking at the issues that marital couples face A lot of the time it's because One side of the marriage Is themselves before their partner And I think that's a great lesson In the fact that you know selflessness Is how you push a marriage forward Selflessness and understanding And I think one aspect of their marriage Is also very interesting Is how the marriage started And came about So can we just go back a bit Before we go straight into their marriage To that period of time And what we can learn from How they met and how they began For Sayyida Fatima Ali Some prominent individuals People who consider themselves companions Of the holy prophet They emerged and they recognized That Sayyida Fatima Ali Was unique She's unique in every aspect possible Here we have a lady That's described by Rasulullah As one of the Four chief women Of paradise Of course also described as So who wouldn't want to be With Such an individual And under the kind of protection Of Allah under the guidance Of the holy prophet But what was interesting Is that the prophet of Islam Would refuse all of them Why he would say I'm waiting for the command of Allah I'm waiting for that direction From the Almighty Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala And that's why we are told The celebrations in the heavens Were greater than the celebrations on the earth Despite the fact that in Madinah The celebrations were wonderful The prophet of Islam gave food to the poor And of course people were jubilant And delighted But we are told in Jannah or in heavens Trees like the Shajara of Tuba In one narration It started to sprinkle All kinds of Ruby and diamonds And all kinds of precious Substances and material Onto the Malaika In celebration of this wonderful occasion And of course The way The marriage was somehow Agreed Is that Amir and Mu'minin comes forward And proposes But the prophet of Islam He goes and seeks His daughter's And this is reflective of The worship of the prophets And the servants of Allah And those who consider themselves Chosen by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Because look at Ibrahim Allah commands him In his dream to slaughter his son And he knows it's a command Because when he comes to his son He says to him I have been told to slaughter you But if you imagine now If we have a higher authority Which is Masum Which comes to you and says That you have to do such a thing With a particular individual What is wonderful about this Is that the prophet despite being commanded By Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala Asks Fatima And of course we are told in Narrations that Sayyida Fatima Due to this kind of slight embarrassment She would just put her head down And not say anything And the prophet would say Silence is her approval And this was common at that time Because people would speak out if they didn't want to And it was something that was Delightful for the holy lady of light But in sha Allah In a future episode we'll just mention this But we'll talk about it in detail But just to highlight that Today when we read literature We will find that at that moment There are some unfortunately Muslim books of non-shia Origin Sayyida Fatima was not very happy That she was rebuked by people Oh look You're marrying someone who's poor You can get so much better And she came to the prophet and complained about that And it's totally unacceptable It's not something that we in any shape or form Are willing to somehow accommodate The reason being is that their life Together spoke of the wonderful bond And strong relationship And their praise of each other And remember that lady Fatima Is the light that brought together Imamah and prophethood And the imma aleyhum salam Would come forward and say We're the proof of Allah on this earth So this marriage is a marriage made in the heavens It cannot be something that Sayyida Fatima Is not happy or displeased with I think you know We're very well aware that Despite the fact that they are married for such a short time Nine years there are a thorough Of lessons we can take To our own lives And I know time is quite limited But if you can walk us through Perhaps some of the most important lessons That we should take on From their marriage today In the 21st century in our marriages Yes I think Having examined and dealing With a few cases On a regular perhaps Daily basis when I see couples And I discuss with them Some of the challenges they're going through Or when marriages Are unfortunately broken down Due to a number of reasons So you're in a very interesting position Because you're seeing exactly What's happening with marriages Yes, yes I mean this case after case You know situation after situation And sometimes obviously Alhamdulillah I deal with people from different backgrounds So not necessarily from one ethnicity Or for example Age groups also differ People who are older Or younger when they're married as well And you see a common pattern In some of the challenges A couple's face as well I think it is safe to say That one of the common reasons Or one of the things that I'm not seeing As much as perhaps my Eldest soul is patience In the sense that today There are situations where Either the husband and wife Feels the need to walk out Or give up quite quickly And are not willing to Look for solutions as much Of course there are other Considerations and factors I'm not dismissing or making it as simple as that But one important lesson That I find from the illustrious life Of Holy Lady Fatima And Imam Ali Is the sabr that they exhibited Throughout the nine years Whether it was difficulty Whether it was ease At times you know We have narrations that Imam Ali Comes to the house And finds that Sayyeda Fatima Had not had food with Imam Hassan Hussein For three days And he finds them pale And he says And he was away And he says okay But why didn't you send a message And sayyeda Fatima responds And says my father has taught me That I should not burden my husband With anything that I know Provide And that moment maybe she recognized That Imam Ali would not be able to Provide the food And so they remained patient Recognizing That it is something that Allah Would remove them for And he sometimes viewed the sabr As a negative thing Because he sometimes viewed as something That people have to go through pain And suffering Whereas in reality is empowerment Of not only tolerance But the ability To deal with challenges in life The more we are patient The more we can be Progressive and develop in our lives The other important area Perhaps that we may need to look at And I think it was So key in the wonderful life Of these holy individuals Is servitude to others And there are so many examples In the Quran And say the Fatimah So many times There is a feeling in marriage That it's about the husband and the wife Let's look after ourselves Let's ensure that our family is Well fed Comfortable, nice accommodation Nice job, as long as we are happy Everything will be fine Ali and Fatimah shattered this belief What they sought To establish in society is You want a happy marriage And you want a relationship Serve others in there Cause of God for the sake of Allah And of course Surat ul-Insan Speaks about this brilliantly The idea that these two holy individuals Having Observed the fast for three days And encouraging Or somehow setting a wonderful example For their children and lady To do the same They would Be looking at the welfare of others And the food And the food They gave the food due to the love of Allah On three consecutive days To the poor To the yateem And the captive And the captive of course Probably most likely was not a Muslim Because at that time there were no Muslims Who were captives It has to be a non-Muslim They did not differentiate And it's interesting in chapter 59 verse number 9 There's another story Another story in which the Prophet of Islam Is visited by a poor individual Who says I need some food I'm a stranger here I need help The Prophet asks his wives Do you have any food at home He says no He says go to the house of Ali and Fatimah The Prophet knows the house of generosity The house of magnanimity The house of beauty I mean Amir not many welcomes him And says yes We'll provide you with food But the narrations tell us That they did not have enough food Because they had not eaten themselves And the children had not eaten And so Because they have this goal in life Which is to serve others They know that will strengthen the marriage They say it's fine We'll make sure the children sleep without food And we will make sure that the food is eaten And not shared by anyone else And in order for that to happen Say the Fatimah suggests to Amir That you have a lamp, a candle Blow this candle off So that it's dark Present the food in front of the person So he can see it And he will eat only by himself And he will not see that you're not eating Because if you have the candle He will ask you to eat But we want him to be satisfied only So that in case the food is not enough And it's amazing, Subhanallah The extent of the love for other human beings Characterized in their life Was seen in this story The next day or later when the Prophet Sees Amir al-Mu'mineen He says Allah SWT revealed this part of the verse We will throw it on their souls Even if it was their speciality They are favoring others Over themselves even though they need it Most And I feel there is something That we seem to sometimes lack In our day to day set ups And that's why a recommendation that I have For the couples to make it more practical Is do something For the sake of Allah together Serve the community Either for example teaching at the madrasah For example Or volunteering in a charity Or the local mosque or Hussainiyah Or any form of set up Yes, together Sponsor an orphan together Yeah, look for some initiative Where you can help each other Seek proximity to Allah Through ihsan Through doing good I think it's very interesting because especially in this day and age Serving others is something that's very very easy to do Any couple can Make sure that they give their Saturday afternoon Or whenever it is to go down to a local soup kitchen To help read the poem Or even help clothe the homeless Or whatever it is It's something that You mentioned people ask how is it that The marriage over a thousand years ago Can help us today But that lesson is something we can so easily take on board today In the west, given that there are so many initiatives To take part in together You mentioned that there are some more lessons as well Can you give us the next lesson Yes sure, there are Numerous Instances where Imam Ali Is seen to be Helping say the Fatima at home And I reflect on this And think okay 1400 years ago The idea of Men doing housework Very misogynistic society You know where Women before Islam Were Inherited Girls were being buried Alive Women had virtually no rights And now we have Men doing housework Islam came with Tremendous reforms And wanted to awaken Society To what is right And so these were demonstrated By these holy individuals The holy prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam Numerous narrations told that he came He saw Amir al-Mu'mini Saving the pulses you know Sweeping the floor And in those instances The holy prophet Would praise this act He would talk about how Those individuals men Who come and help their wives In the household chores for example Will be Rewarded More than for example The reward given to Asiya The wife Of Firaoun due to her patients For example and so on And talks about the rivers and the gardens That they would get in Jannah and so on Mutual cooperation in the household Was an example in The marital life of Sayyida Fatima And Amir al-Mu'mini peace and blessings Be upon them. The other area Which I find Is key is Today We have one of the biggest Challenges that husband And wife or parents are having Is the correct upbringing of children And I think people are struggling When they struggle they say well you know what My child doesn't want to pray My daughter doesn't want to My son god forbid Is into drugs My daughter is surrounded With the wrong crowd for example They don't listen We tell them but they don't listen They don't want to come to mosque They don't want to come to Husseiniyah They don't want to come to Majalis They're not interested They're on their phones all the time They're on social media and so on The complaints that people are getting Similarly we have other challenges Like LGBTQ movement These things are there And so parents it's a struggle And they need a lot of help What I say to parents often when I sit with them Is look it all starts with you Someone once said Beautifully He said to Someone else he said how do I make My kids love Salah How do I make them really interested In Salah and so the response was How do you make yourself love Salah Very true How do you make yourself interested in Salah Because definitely The most powerful tool In Tarbiyah and correct upbringing Of children is Being their role model Leading by example yes Because they learn much more through actions Than words you may tell them Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie But if they see you lying If they see you having a conversation With your wife for example Receiving or concealing something That is a bigger lesson for them Because then they are confused You're telling me not to lie but you're lying yourself So which one shall I actually do And what is so characteristic In the life of Sayyida Fatima and Amir Salamullahi alayhi maa Is that they definitely read by example There were wonderful examples for Imam Hassan Hussein Sayyida Zaynab and Umma Qulthum their children So for example just From the illustrious life We're all told of the famous story of Sayyida Fatima Saying Salatul Layl And when she would praise Salatul Layl She would recite this du'a For the neighbors and others in society And when she would finish Her son Imam Hassan would say How come you prayed for them before You prayed for us And she would say We pray for others before we pray for ourselves And similarly the story Of giving her food for the poor and the needy They led by examples that children were Inspired by this too And so on So it is so important That as parents we recognize That it's not about Just constantly telling Our children what to do It's about making it happen In our own lives It's about ensuring that we Understand religion We appreciate what we're doing to be Correct and we love what we're doing And in that they will see If I pray on time Watch something on TV and its haram comes up And switch off or turn the page Or turn the channel quickly They will do the same Because they will learn and by the way This happens from a really young age It's not when they are 10 or 11 It's when they are 1 or 2 They can pick up these Pick up things like a sponge Very much, they can really Work out what they should be Doing and what they shouldn't be doing In that particular way And then If they do what their parents Don't do they'll feel They're conscious telling them That this is not right Because they're somehow left out in the household Of course this is one area There are other things in parenting And tools within teachings Of religion of Islam that can be incorporated But I always say it has to start With the parents and how they conduct Themselves in the household And with others in society And with this regard I often say to parents When you have conversations in front of your children What are you talking about Because if you're talking about You know what I have a lot of loan I don't know how to get this sorted Or how are we going to deal with my parents You know they're annoying Or for example How do I get more money How do I buy this car All that they're hearing is Money, materialism When you're having conversations And you say how do I get close to Allah How do I get my Salah better How do I make sure I attend Majal Ismour How do I get close to Ahlul Bayt They're saying that is important Because they're raised now thinking What is making an individual successful What is the hallmarks for a successful individual Is money and wealth And you know fame And somehow dealing with the challenges That society throws at you Whereas if the conversations At home are Led towards how to Be closer to Allah or how to become Better believers That sets the framework And their mindset to a much better Object Well we're coming to the end of the show now And you took us on a journey through The lessons that we should learn from the marriage Of these two Sayings starting with their God consciousness Going towards the way they met And how their marriage came about And leading on to a few more lessons What kind of final parting advice Would you give to married couples Who are seeking to better their marriage By learning from these two great individuals Yes I think When I reflect upon This blessed relationship Which is oozing with Great morals And light that we can be inspired I find that And the religion of Islam Is the religion of love Often people when they speak about Other religions like Christianity Perhaps they associate love More with those religions Whereas Imam Sadaq Was asked by somebody That I pray I fast But I don't do much more But I love Allah and I loved Allah As chosen servants And the Imam replies Back by saying Other than love You can do something amazing Hold on to this And the Quran comes forward and says If you want to If you're claiming that you love Allah Then you have to follow the messenger of God So that Allah will reciprocate And actually love you When I Look at this wonderful relationship I see that for example In Her will Of Sada Fardima She was speaking to Imam Ali And Imam Ali said to Her Instruct me to do anything you wish Because you certainly will find me devoted And I will execute everything That you command me to do I shall also put your matters over mine That's in the wonderful conversation That happened between them Look at the reply of Sada She says And then she says You are an individual that I have never Ever disobeyed And I have never ever made you angry And then You know She gives him a number of You know Recommendations she wanted For example To bury her at night And to make sure certain individuals would not Attend her burial And to marry Omaama After her and so on Genuine love in a marital relationship Will have to Develop over time But it comes with sacrifice And comes with understanding each other Comes from recognizing that Males and females are different And the way they'd like to receive love Is different too So a female's perception Of how she should be loved Is different to her male's understanding Expectation of how she should be loved Many times challenges we see In a marital setup Is because husband deals with his wife Just like he would deal with a friend Whose male and vice versa They don't understand that they have their needs And their needs are different to each other The other key thing to appreciate When we look at the whole concept Of how to strengthen Love between The husband and wife Is to appreciate that at the end of the day Words matter What we say Sometimes injures certain people Really hurts certain people What we do in the household Matter for example How we help and conduct ourselves Our relationship sometimes Certain wives or husbands Have a very important relationship So if we don't respect that relationship And try to somehow even if we may not get along Then we are hurting Our partners, our spouses In that regard But ultimately It comes down to a very key factor And that is to know That love is Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Placing it in our hearts Which he has promised in the Quran And from his verses And he created you from your wives This means I have placed amongst you Amongst your hearts love and compassion But it will strengthen over time People can't expect At the beginning of marriage When they head over heels of each other They think the more I am married The more I am drifting apart That means they are not working on their marriage They are not investing in their marriage They are not understanding and seeking help And tools out there That are needed to see What am I not doing What advice can I get from people Who are experts or scholars Who are dealing with challenges Let me know Just like how I feel spiritually empty Maybe I am not doing the right thing To enhance my marital relationship So seek advice, develop an understanding Of these wonderful relationships And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala Will bless their marriage That was some really wonderful advice And I hope that all our viewers You are watching this show Where we are celebrating The lessons of the life of Fatma al-Zahra And commemorating Saddamah Do join us for the next episode Where we shall be examining the injustice Done to this great lady We'll see you then Peace be upon you