The Book of Fatimah (
Arabic: مُصْحَف فَاطِمَة,
romanized: Muṣḥaf Fāṭimah) is, according to
Shia tradition, attributed to
Fatimah, the daughter of the
Islamic prophetMuhammad. Fatimah occupies a similar position in
Islam that
Mary, mother of
Jesus, occupies in
Christianity.[1] The Quranic praise for
Mary in verse Q3:42 is often echoed for Fatimah in view of a
sahihhadith that lists Fatimah,
Khadija,
Asiya, and
Mary, mother of
Jesus, as the outstanding women of all time.[2][3]
As with Mary, there are reports that
angels spoke to Fatimah on multiple occasions.[3][4][5] In particular, in
Shia view, the Book of Fatimah recounts the conversations of
Gabriel with Fatimah to console her after Muhammad's death.[6] Fatimah's husband,
Ali, scribed the revelations. The book is said to contain prophecies about the future.
In
Shia view, the Book of Fatimah has been preserved by the descendants of Fatimah, namely, the
Shia Imams, and is now held by the last Shia Imam,
Mahdi, whose advent is awaited by the
Shia and
Sunni alike, even though the two sects hold different views about Mahdi.[7]
Content
The Book of Fatimah is specifically described as a text of heavenly origin (kalām min kalām allāh) dictated to Fatimah. Yet the traditionists emphasize that this book, occasionally described as being three times the size of the Quran, includes not even one letter (ḥarf) from it. According to
Ja'far al-Sadiq, the muṣḥaf Fāṭima (Book of Fatimah) does not contain information about legal matters, but only about future events. In one version, the future events described pertain to what will happen to Fatimah's descendants after her death.[8]
The Book of Fatimah should be distinguished from another document known as Ṣaḥīfat al-Zahrāʾ (Fatimah’s scroll) which contained the names of the
Twelve Imams and unlike other holy texts, it is cited in its entirety in a number of early Shiʿi sources.[8]
Hidden Words
Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the
Bahai Faith, wrote Kalimat-i-Maknunih (Hidden Words) around 1857 CE. Bahá'u'lláh originally named his manuscript The Book of Fatimah.[9] Bahais believe that The Hidden Words is the symbolic fulfilment of the Islamic prophecy.[10]
Abbas, Hassan (2021). The prophet's heir: The life of Ali ibn Abi Talib. Yale University Press.
ISBN9780300252057.
Ayoub, Mahmoud M. (2011). Redemptive Suffering in Islam: A Study of the Devotional Aspects of Ashura in Twelver Shi'ism. Walter de Gruyter.
ISBN9783110803310.
Momen, Moojan (1985). An Introduction to Shi'i Islam. Yale University Press.
ISBN9780853982005.