Today, the start of the sacred month of Zil-Hijjah is a very special day. It is the anniversary of the planting of a blessed tree whose branches have spread out over the whole earth for the guidance and benefit of all seekers of truth. To be precise is the day when Prophet Mohammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny), married his Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her) to his dear cousin, the Impeccable Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (PuH).
In the holy Qur’an God Almighty informs us in ayahs 74 and 75 of Surah Furqan of the earnest supplication of His Chosen Ones, who say:
“And those who say, ‘Our Lord! Grant us comfort in our spouses and offspring, and make us Imams of the Godwary (muttaqin).”
As we said, the 1st of the month of Zil-Hijjah is the anniversary of a very blessed day in history. It was the day on which the most blessed marriage took place and that too in the full limelight of history. The wedding of two of the noblest souls was solemnized on Planet Earth as God ordered angels in the celestial heavens to celebrate the nuptials of the finest-ever-pair, whose offspring, in every age and clime, would be the most excellent exemplars for the children of Adam and Eve (peace upon them).
Was it the anniversary of the marriage of the Prophet with the First Lady of Islam, Hazrat Khadija (peace upon her)?
No, not exactly, since the Mercy unto the creation entered into wedlock with the One and Only Mother of True Believers (Omm al-Momineen), in the month of Rabi al-Awwal, fifteen years before he was entrusted by God with the universal mission of Islam. Of course, this does not mean that the Prophet’s union with Hazrat Khadija was an obscure, uncelebrated, unrecorded and insignificant event of the days of Jahiliyya. Such a thought is sheer ignorance of the realities of Islam, and puts a big question mark on the mindset and belief of anyone claiming to be Muslim. The marriage of the future Prophet with the Richest Lady of Arabia, solemnized in the most monotheistic manner by his uncle and guardian Abu Taleb. the Primordial Muslim, was a landmark in the history of Mecca and Arabia.
With the proclamation of his universal mission by the Prophet, fifteen years after his marriage, the wealth of the Richest Lady of Arabia was spent to the last penny on feeding and sheltering the persecuted neo-Muslim community of Mecca – the Sahaba of the future, of whom some would remain loyal and some would turn traitors. Thus, nothing remained of Hazrat Khadija’s wealth, when on the 1st of Zil-Hijjah in the year 2 AH, the Prophet solemnized the nuptial of his only surviving offspring, the Immaculate Daughter Hazrat Fatema Zahra with his dear cousin, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (peace upon them), as the union of the most blessed couple. This was manifestation of Divine Authority. The blessed union of the most-infallible-ever couple gave to the world the concept of Ahl al-Bayt and their spotless purity – as indicated by ayah 33 of Surah Ahzaab which reads:
“Allah desires to keep away uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt, and preserve you thoroughly purified.”
It was indeed a marriage-made-in-heaven, since no man was worthy of the hand of the Prophet's immaculate daughter, the noblest lady of all times. A famous hadith says, if there was no Ali; Fatema would have remained unmarried – since no man was equal to her.
Following their marriage, these two exemplary figures started a simple life filled with kindness and spirituality. The fruit of this blessed union that guaranteed continuation of the Prophet's progeny were two noble sons, Imam Hasan (AS) and Imam Husain (AS), and two virtuous daughters, Hazrat Zainab (SA) and Hazrat Omm Kulthoum (SA).
The nuptials this day that were celebrated in the most modest manner with praises of God Almighty and without any extravagant dowry or bridal-money, serves as the all-time universal model for any Muslim couple anywhere in the world. Thus was planted the blessed tree of perpetual munificence, whose branches in the form of the Saadaat or honoured descendants of Imam Ali and Hazrat Fatema (peace upon them), have spread today all over the world. This made-for-each-other pair are ancestors of the Infallible Imams, the last of whom is the awaited Redeemer of Mankind, Imam Mahdi (God hasten his reappearance to cleanse the world of all vestiges of corruption and oppression, and to fill it with the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice).
