When Fatima bint Asad passed away, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ took off his shirt and used it as her shroud. He descended into her grave, digging and widening it with his own hands. He emerged with tears in his eyes and prayed for her, asking Allah to resurrect her clothed, as she was shrouded in the shirt of the Prophet ﷺ.

When he had finished covering her with soil, some people said, “O Messenger of Allah, we saw you do something you have not done for anyone else.”

He replied, “I clothed her in my shirt so that she may be clothed in garments of Paradise. I descended into her grave to alleviate the pressure of the grave for her. She was the best of Allah’s creation to me after Abu Talib.”

She is Fatima bint Asad ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, a Qurayshi Hashimite woman. She was the wife of Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet, and the mother of Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), the fourth Rightly Guided Caliph.

The Prophet ﷺ lived under the care of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib until the age of eight. After Abdul Muttalib’s death, he moved to the house of his uncle Abu Talib. This household embraced the Prophet, and a great woman, Fatima bint Asad, treated him as one of her own children, even more so. In some narrations, it is mentioned that she loved the Prophet more than her own children.

Fatima took care of the Prophet and gave him her attention and love. She preferred him over her own children in food and clothing because she valued that he was an orphan. She gave him things and attention even more than her own children.

She would bathe him, oil his hair, comb it, and perfume him. The Prophet loved her and would not call her anything but “my mother,” because he had not received such care except from his mother, Fatima bint Asad.

When the Prophet ﷺ married Khadijah (RA), Fatima gave her dearest possession, her son Ali ibn Abi Talib, to be under the Prophet’s guardianship after his marriage to Khadijah (RA), the Mother of the Believers.

How did the Prophet ﷺ repay her kindness? He named his daughter Fatima after this great woman whom he called “my mother.”

When a man gifted the Prophet ﷺ a silk garment, he said, “Make it into headscarves for the four Fatimas.”

He divided it into four headscarves: one for Fatima al-Zahra, his daughter; one for Fatima bint Asad, the wife of his uncle Abu Talib and his caretaker; one for Fatima bint Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib; and one for Fatima bint Shaybah ibn Abdul Shams, the wife of Aqeel ibn Abi Talib.

Fatima bint Asad accepted Islam after the death of her husband Abu Talib. She migrated with her children to Medina.

She was a narrator of hadith and narrated forty-six hadiths from the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ would visit her and sometimes sleep in her house.

Fatima heard the Prophet ﷺ say, “People will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment naked.” She said, “How shameful!”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “I ask Allah that you be resurrected clothed.”

Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that when Fatima bint Asad passed away, the Prophet ﷺ entered her house and sat by her head. He said, “May Allah have mercy on you, O my mother. You were my mother after my mother. You would go hungry and feed me, go naked and clothe me, deprive yourself of good things and give them to me, and you did this seeking the face of Allah and the Hereafter.”

The Prophet ﷺ prayed, “O Allah, You are the One who gives life and causes death, and You are the Ever-Living who does not die. Forgive my mother Fatima bint Asad, teach her her argument, and make her entrance wide.”

Kindness and Sacrifice

Fatima bint Asad’s kindness and sacrifice towards the Prophet ﷺ are unparalleled. She treated him as her own son, providing him with love, care, and attention that shaped his early years.

Faith and Devotion

Fatima bint Asad’s faith and devotion to Islam are evident in her actions and words. She embraced Islam and migrated to Medina, demonstrating her commitment to the faith.

Maternal Love

The Prophet’s love and respect for Fatima bint Asad highlight the importance of maternal love and care. Her role in his upbringing was crucial, and he honored her by calling her “my mother.”