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The Prophet was elated by the birth of his grandchildren. In. fact
he would refer to Hassan and Hussein as his sons. He would sometimes be
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seen sitting in the Mosque with his grnadchildren who used to climb
onto his back when he prostrated.
1 Many stories reveal the depth of
his affection towards them. Sometimes he would be on the rostrum
and Hassan and Hussein would come along, stumbling as they walked,
his tenderness would overcome him and he would descend from the
rostrum and carry them and say 2, as the Qurlan says:
"Your possessions and your progeny are but a trial. " 3
Time passed peacefully for ratimah
until her father complained of
a pain which at first was thought to be a passing ailment. As soon
aas F7timah received the news, she rushed to his side.
'91isha
recounts: The wives of the Prophet were ga-thered by his side. Fitimah
arrived, her gait so identical to her father's, and he saw her and
welcomed her and said, 'Welcome, my daughter'. Then he sat her to
his right or left, then confided to her (something), she cr"Ped, then
he whispered to her something and he laughed. She said, "I have not
seen laughter so like crying, the Prophet chose you to confide his
SI
ecrets and you cry? " I said, "What did the Messenger confide to'you? "
She said. "I cannot break his confidence. " When the Prophet died, I
asked her and she said, "He said that Jebriel came to me every year,
confronting me with the Qurlan, this year he confronted me twice. I
think my time has come. What a perfect father I am to you. Then he
said, "Would it please you to be the first lady of the nation (or of
the world)? " she said, "So I laughed. " 4 The story reveals a
touching dimension to the father/daughter relationshipo
152'
1. Hamid, op, cit., P. 21
2. Al! Aq(ýaid, ratimah
al-Zahr4o, wa al-raLimayy'un. P. 29
3.
4.
Q 8.28',
.,
al-MuVbbal-Tabr-i% op. qt.,
Ibn OUs4l,
al-Attrir,
al--Ghabah
P. 18
er
ff. XvýýJfat aj-§Ejgýhq VO-1. T. P. 223v
-q
Ibn Sald, op. cit., Vol. 9, p. 17