Fidah (S.A.)
The housemaid of Fatima (S.A.) ( The Chief of the Women of Paradise )

The Muslims in the life time of the Prophet (saw ) were brought up to learn the Quran as _Ibadat_ ( Devotion ), to recite it as _Devotion_, to write it down as _Devotion_, to teach their children and other people and make them learn it by heart and understand it as _Devotion_. They became so familiar with it that they used the Verses of the Holy Quran in their daily conversation. History records that Janab e Fidah, the noble Abysinian housemaid of Hazrat Fatima Az Zahra, the Lady of Paradise, the daughter of the Holy Prophet ( saw ) was in the habit of using the verses and words of the Quran in her Conversation.
Abul Qasim Qashiri relates the dialogue between Fidah and Abdullah bin Mubarak; I saw a woman passing through the desert who had fallen behind the caravan, and asked her " Who are You and where are you from ?."
She said : " Say Sallam !.... Soon shall ye know it ." ( Chapter 6 Verse 67 )

I learned that she expected me to greet her and say Assalam o Alaikum first, before any question. I did as she reminded, and inquired why she was in this desert.
She answered : " Whomesoever God guideth, then none shall beguille . " ( Chapter 39 Verse 37 )

I gathered that she was left behind and thus restless, so I asked again are you a human being or a jinn ?
She returned : " O children of Adam ! Be Ye adorned at every time of prostration ." ( Chapter 7 Verse 31 )

I discovered that she was a human being, so I continued my enquiry, Where are You coming from ?
She said : ".... Who are called to from a place far off. " ( Chapter 41 Verse 44 )

I found out that she was coming from a place far off and inquired her destination.
She immediately responded : " ........ And for God is incumbent upon mankind the Pilgrimage of the House..... " ( Chapter 3 Verse 97 )

I realized that she was going for Hajj ( Pilgrimage of the Kaaba ), and asked her how many days she had been travelling ?
She told me : " Indeed created We ( God ) the heavens and the earth and what is between them to in Six days . " (Chapter 7 Verse 54 ) and ( Chapter 50 Verse 38 )

I concluded it was six days. I requested her to have food and water if she was so inclined.
She politely indicated : " We ( God ) made them not such bodies that do not eat food, and they will not abide ( in this world ) for ever. " ( Chapter 21 Verse 8 )
She accepted my refreshment. Then to catch the caravan, I suggested her to make haste.

She reminded me again : " God tasks not any soul beyond ( individual ) ability...... " ( Chapter 2 Verse 286 )

I told her that if she could'nt do so, let her ride on the back of my camel behind me.
She recited another Quranic Verse : " If there were therein gods besides Allah, then verily both ( the heavens and the earth ) would have been disordered ...." ( Chapter 21 Verse 22 )

It was a reminder of piety that when a man was not a husband of a woman, it was un-lawful to ride together on the same animal. [ It is an Islamic Law concerning the relatives of persons of prohibited degree - Namahiram ]. Qashiri says that he got down and requested her to ride the camel.
She occupied the seat and recited : " Hallowed is He who subjected this ( animal ) unto us ."
( Chapter 43 Verse 13 ).

She thanked Allah who brought the animal under her control. When we reached the caravan, I asked her do you know any one among them ? She recounted :
" O Dawud ( David ), We have appointed thee a vicegerent in the earth .........." ( Chapter 38 Verse 26 );

" And Muhammad is not but an Apostle ...... " ( Chapter 3 Verse 144 );

" O Yahya ( John the Baptist ) ! Hold thou the Book fast !" ( Chapter 19 Verse 12 );

" O Musa ( Moses ) ! Verily it is, I am God the All-Mighty ." ( Chapter 27 Verse 9 )

I understood that Dawud, Muhammad, Yahya and Musa were the names of her sons. When the boys appeared, I asked her who they were ?
She said in her habitual manner : " Wealth and Children are the adornment of this World " (Chapter 18 Verse 46 )

I recognized them as her sons. The woman looked at her sons with the feeling of contentment and uttered
" ... O my father ! Employ him verily the best of those who canst employ is the strongman and trusted ones. "
( Chapter 28 Verse 26 )

In these words of the Quran, she informed the sons indicating towards me that
" ..... This man offered me a gift ( i.e help ), so verliy God giveth manifold increase to whomsoever He willeth . "
( Chapter 2 Verse 261 )

The sons grasped their mothers indications, and so they paid me twice as much as I ought to have been paid. To satisfy my curiosity I asked the sons, Who is this honorable Lady that speaks nothing but the Quran ?. They responded that she was their mother, the housemaid of Hazrat Fatima Al Zahra ( peace be upon her and her progeny ), the daughter of the Holy Prophet ( saw ) and the Wife of Amir Al Momineen. She was raised under the shade of supreme knowledge and piety of the daughter of the Prophet ( saw ). Since 20 years she spoke nothing but the Quran in her daily conversations.
May Allah Bless her soul ( Amen ! ) ........


Reference : -
Essence Of The Holy Quran
The Eternal Light by
Ayatullah Agha Haji Mirza Mahdi Pooya
Edited by Syed Muhammad Murtaza &
Husain P Taylor ISBN 0-944880-02-9 ( Hard Back ) , 03-7 ( Paper Back )

Source: Taken from The Shi'a Home Page

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