Find below a beautiful write-up of a hawza student from Qum. She has managed to capture the essence and true meaning of these Ayyam through her experience in the Holy City of Qum.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
اللهم صل علی صدیقة فاطمة الزکیة، حبیبة حبیبك و نبيّك، ام احبائك و اصفيائك التي انتجبتها و فضلتها و اخترتها على نساء العالمين اللهم كن الطالب لها ممن ظلمها و استخف بحقها و كن الثائر اللهم بدم اولادها
Signs of Ayyame Fatimiya are everywhere we go. From posters on Jamiah notice boards, flags and banners in the streets to the black cloth draped all over the walls of the Haram of Hazrat Fatimah Masoomah (s.a.). Today’s Dua Nudba was just unbearable, all the ‘before/after & between dua narrations’ these days are the heart wrenching narrations of the evils that took place after the death of the Holy Prophet (s) and injustice done to his holy household- especially to his daughter who is ‘a part of’ him (Fatimah Zahra s.a.) and to the his brother and successor, for whom faith is mixed in his blood and flesh just as it is for the Prophet (Ali ibne Abi Talib a.s.). I never knew about Ayyame Fatimiya until I came to Qum and experienced the uproar first hand.
Ayyame Fatimiya is the name given to the 20 days of mourning Hazrat Zahra (s.a.)’s death anniversary. Its 20 days long because of the two varying narrations of her death date; the first one being 75 days after and besides it’s an excuse to educate and make people aware of the great lady! There are lectures and azadari held in all the mosques in every area. The second Fatimiya (the second narration- 95 days after the Holy Prophets death), especially, is as commemorated as big as Ashura here – the whole country is mourning- especially Qum, as they say if you want to perform the Ziyarat of Hazrat Zahra then do so at the Haram of her granddaughter Fatima Masoomah!
There’s a Farsi saying “قبری که در مدینه شد گم، پیدا شد در مدینه قم” – The grave that was lost in Madina, has been found in the city of Qum.
Groups of mourning men and boys come to the Haram in turns with their drums and flags, barefooted, beating their heads and chests, to pay their respect to Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) and Hazrat Masoomah (s.a.), but this time it’s not only the regular boys and men, on the Shahadat day Maraje Taqleed – Ayatullah Waheed Khorasani, Ayatullah Safi Gulpaygani and the likes of them, walk from the homes to the Haram of Hazrat Masoomah barefooted, mourning and performing matam and are followed by huge crowds of Tulab (students of hawza) and other people. You will see regular Ruhanis (scholars), having taken their amamas (turbans) off their heads - rubbing dust on their shoulders to show their sorrow. There are stalls of ‘salawati’ tea or sherbet, ‘nazri’ food is given out to all.
But these are just the physical signs you see everywhere, if we open the eyes and ears of our heart, I am sure we would be able to see every existent, the birds, insects, trees, flowers, walls and doors, crying and wailing for the atrocities that befell this great lady of light! It’s a pity we don’t know her and definitely don’t understand her worth!
A lot of the ulema and shuhada that I have heard or read stories of had a very special connection with Hazrat. Ayatullah Waheed advised us once to recite Sura Yasin every day after we finished our work, and gift it to Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) – I guess if you want special attention from someone, you are going to have to do something special for them. Here in Jamiah every evening for 40 days the Salawat of Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) (which can be found in the Mafatih and was recommended by Khanum Jafari) is being recited for the quick reappearance of Imam Zaman (a.s.). In that salawat it is stated that Hazrat Zahra is the mother of anyone who has even a bit of love for her in their hearts, therefore a lot times here you will hear her being called ‘Madar’ meaning mother in Farsi and this helps you make a closer connection.
We need to increase our maarifat for this Bibi by reading history, reading about the religious and sociopolitical situation in Madina at the time of the Prophet, reading about how Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) lived her life and how we can apply it to our lives today, understanding the super amazing role of women in Islam through this great lady, understanding how she didn’t protect her husband rather she defended her Wali, the Imam of her time.
We as women need to be religiously and politically aware to avoid falling into the traps and tricks of the enemy and we are able to easily decipher between the truth and the falsehood dressed in the clothing of the truth. And when the time comes we are able defend the truth just as our ‘Mother’ did!
During these days we should take some time out to read and try to understand Hazrat’s the sermons she gave in the Mosque of the Prophet and see how eloquently she shut the mouths of deceptive ones. We should remind ourselves that reading alone will not get us very far, for knowledge without two very important factors - practicing it and tawasul (seeking intercession) from her and her pure household – is useless.
I pray to Allah (SWT) that He helps us understand and follow our ultimate role model, Hazrat Fatimah al-Zahra(s.a.) and may she be our intercessor and we be her companions on the Day of Regret!
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