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WHO IS FATIM A?
Gender, and Representation
Culture, in Islam
Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet
Alifurther Ali'sclaimstoleadership
solidified oftheIslamiccommunity inthe
eyesof hissupporters. Fatima died after
shortly the Prophet'sdeath, and ite
Shi1
sourcesindicatethatin thelastyearsofherlifeFatimahad enduredsuffering
atthehandsofAli's(Sunni)rivals. According to DavidPinault(1998:70),Abu
Bakr,thefirstcaliphof Islam,impededherfrominheriting property, while
vUmar, AbuBakr'ssuccessor, in a disputewithAlioverthequestionofsucces-
sion,openedthedooroftheirhouse,hitting Fatimaandfracturing someofher
ribs.4
AfterFatima's death,hersonHusaynattempted to claimleadership ofthe
Islamiccommunity and setout to Kufa,Iraq bywayof Karbalawitha small
groupoffollowers toconfront theSunnicaliph,Yazid.5 Yetforces loyaltoYazid
captured Husayn's and
entourage, Husayn was killedin battle
at Karbala in680
CE Sincethen,Shi'itewritings haveunderscored thedivinity and martyrdom
ofHusayn.Indeed,eachyearShi'itesmournhisdeathon Ashura, andthemost
recentmanifestation of thissentiment was conveyed in southern Iraq several
monthsago,when,afterdecadesof quietismand suppression, thousandsof
Shi'itemourners tookto thestreets ofIraqto remember Husayn's martyrdom
(Agence France-PresseApril23,2003).Through Husyarís victimization, Fatima's
positionas thedevotedmother ofthisrevered andsacredmartyr hasbeenen-
hancedin Shi'itesocietyandliterature.
Western workshavealso delvedintothelifeandbackground ofFatima.
The renownedorientalists HenriLammensand Louis Massignonhaveat-
temptedto recoverthehistorical Fatimafromthelegendsthatsurroundher
(Vaglieri1965:841), but in doing theyhavemerely
so createdlegendsoftheir
own. LammensremarksthatFatimahas been the subjectof Sunniteand
Shi'itedevotionbut herrealpersonality has been buriedbeneathreligious
propaganda. Lammens'so-called"historical" biography ofFatimacontradicts
theharmonious viewoftheahi al-bayt(family oftheProphet)presented in
Shi'isources.Insteadof beingthelovingfatherand guide,Muhammadis
depictedas "abandoning" Aliand Fatimaand payingattention to theearthly
grandeur ofhisIslamicempire(Lammens1912:61-2).In addition, Lammens
notesmaritaldiscordbetweenFatimaandAli,particularly regarding theissue
ofAli'smonogamy, andAliemergesas an austerehusband.6 Lammensstates
that"hadithsrevealtheseverity ofAlitowardthemotherofhissons,"though
he providesno detailedepisodeto explainthisassertion. Although Lammens'
workfallsshortof itsintentions of offeringan authentic historical portrait
ofFatima,thedetailshe includescan be comparedto existing Shi'itelegends
on theProphet's daughter.
UnlikeLammens,LouisMassignonoffers a sympathetic description of
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET es 5
MuhammadpraisesAliprofusely as theholiestofMuslimsand,therefore, as
themostfitting husbandforFatima(130). This attention to Ali'svirtuous
character as wellas to Muhammad's
andspirituality, abundantadmiration for
Ali,pointsto Kashifi'sunderlying -
focus hisdesiretovalidatetheuniqueness
ofAliandthelawfulclaimoftheShi'iteImamsto theleadership oftheMus-
limcommunity aftertheprophet's death.As suggested in Kashifi'swork,the
prophet's desiredsuccessor is none other than his beloved daughter'shusband,
whomtheprophetselectswithforethought and divineguidance.
Kashifiaccentuates theotherworldliness of Fatimaand theahi al-bayt
throughout his account of Fatima's marriage.He notesthatAli is satisfied
witha mahrof400 mesqal(unitofweight)of silver - presumably a modest
sum of money - and Fatima'sgiftsconsistof twosilverarmlets, an outfit,
a mill,twopitchers, and othersimilarly usefuland economicalhousehold
items(130). Kashificitesadditionalanecdotesdisplaying theasceticism ofthe
prophet's For
family. example, someone reprimands Ali for a
marryingpoor
womansuchas Fatima,offering hisownrichdaughter to Ali;Alirefuses. As
a confirmation ofAli'sproperdecisionnotto abandonFatimaformoney, Ali
receivesa heavenlyvision,inwhicha lushparadiseis depictedand referred to
as Fatima'sjahaz,or dowry. A similarstorymentionsa fellownamedSulay-
man,who attempts to attract Ali to his daughter; Ali has a dreamin which
thedaughter of SulaymanservesFatimain heaven,a signto AlithatFatima
is superiorto Sulayman's daughter (131).
The qualitiesthatFatima,thesayyidatal-nisà\represents in Kashifi's
legend include suffering,obedience,and motherhood. ThoughKashifidoes
notarticulate thosecharacteristics, theyarethethemesofhisnarrative. The
storiesthatKashifiincludesin hisversionconcernFatimaas a dutiful mother,
wife,and daughter. In thosecapacities, shehas a historically significantrole.
OtherstoriesprovideFatimawithsomeagencyin herlifeand portray heras
activelysupporting thegrowth oftheearlyIslamiccommunity. One anecdote
aboutthechildhoodofHasanand HusayndepictsFatimaas a caringmother
and Islamicactivist. A youngJewcapturesand hidesHusayn,and Fatima,
troubled, urges Hasan to go searching forhis brother. WhenHasan locates
Husaynat theyoungJew'shouse,theJewbegsforforgiveness, particularly
fromFatima.In orderto repent, theJewconverts to Islam,alongwithseventy
members ofhistribe(119).
Fatima'scontribution in encouraging theconversion ofnon-Muslims to
Islamis depictedin anotherincidentregarding a localwedding.The prophet
convinces Fatimato attendtheopulentceremony ofa clanthatopposesand
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET e» 9
LittleevidenceofKashifi'sworkexistsinthepopularaccountsofwomen
fromnineteenth and earlytwentieth century Iran.In fact,Fatimararelyap-
pears in discussions of modern Iranian womanhood in theperiodunderre-
view.10Thisabsencereflects thegrowing secularism oftheQajar and Pahlavi
an intellectual
literati, trendthatembracednon-Islamicsymbolsof culture
and advancement, includinga revivalof pre-IslamicIranianthemesand
Western politicalconceptssuchas a constitution and a republic.11Similarly,
theburgeoning women'smovement adoptednon-religious symbols to convey
itsmessageof politicalactivismand inclusionof women.In a schoolbook
fromthelateQajareradesignedspecifically forgirls'schools,JoanofArc,by
virtueofherpatriotism, appearedas a more appropriate paragonformodern
Iraniangirlsthandid Fatima(Kashani-Sabet 1999). Qajar families
Yet vener-
atedthememoryof Fatimaand thefamilyof theprophetevenas modern
Iraniansdo today.'Aynal-Saltanahreported in 1893thaton theanniversary
ofFatima's birth,commemorated on 20 Jumada al-Thani,a publiccelebration
tookplaceattheAmiriyah Garden(al-Saltanah 1995/2000:564). He notedfur-
therthattheaudienceat passionplays(ta'ziyahs)consisted mostlyofwomen
(al-Saltanah1:908).Similarly,AbdAllahMustawfi recallsthesocialfunction
ofta'ziyahduringtheholymonthsofMuharramand Safar(Mostowfi trans.
Glenn1997,l:157-9).12
The conflict betweenreligionand secularism playedout in theConsti-
tutionalRevolution of 1906,whichestablished a parliament and constitution
in Iranforthefirsttime(Afary1996;Abrahamian1982).Althoughsecular
reform in Iranianpoliticallifewas achievedin theaftermath oftheconstitu-
tionalmovement, had hardlydisappeared
religiosity fromeveryday life,espe-
ciallywhere women were concerned (Mostowfi 159-160). In 1911, a British
12 a© JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST WOMEN'S STUDIES
descriptionofFatima.Becauseofitspolemicaltone,Shari'ati s workcannotbe
dissociatedfromitshistorical context ofpre-revolutionary Iran- a periodof
ideologicalfluxand questioning formanyIranians.Muchofhisspeculation
abouttheroleand positionof Fatimarelatesto Shari'ati s largerintellectual
concernsaboutsocialismand revolution (Yeganeh1982:48-9;Abrahamian
292-5).
In hisintroduction, Shari'ati
notesthecontribution ofLouisMassignon,
hisinstructor at theSorbonne,in studying Fatima(Hermansen91). Shari'ati
lamentsthat"her [Fatima's]real personality is not known,"eventhough
people mark her lifein ceremonies throughout theyear(24). Shari'atisaims
in thisworkaretwo-fold:to legitimate Shi'ismand to convertFatimainto
a femalerolemodel.LikeKashifi, he commendstheShi'is,who choseAli as
theirleader.His accountis replete withdigressions,suchas discussions on the
roleofthereligious scholarsand attacksagainstinstitutional SafavidShi'ism
Shari'ati29,41-46;Yeganeh49; Abrahamian 295-6).Thesedepartures point
to Shari'atislargerpoliticaland socialaims,which,thoughinteresting, are
outsidethepurviewofthisdiscussion.
Shari'atiidentifies twocategoriesintowhichpeoplefall:thetraditional-
istswho adhereto outdatedinstitutions and notionsof religionand mod-
ernistswho rejecttraditionand clingto Europeannorms.This dichotomy
is extendedto show the differences in Iranianwomen.He criticizesthe
one-sidedviewof Europeansocietypropagated in Iranto influencewomen
(Hermansen89-90). As he expounds,
Thereareonly someEuropean women whom wehavetheright
torecognize.
Itistheywhomwealways havetorefer to.Theyarethewomen introduced
throughfilms, television
magazines, andsexymoviesbywriters
whohavegiven
them sex.Theyareintroduced tousas a universal of
type European woman.
Wehavenoright togettoknow theEuropean whoattheageof16went
girl to
thedeserts
ofNubi[sic], .. Shelived
Africa.. with
thethreat
ofsickness, and
death
wildtribes..
.. Wehavenorighttoknow Mme.Curie whodiscovered
quantum
andradioactivity
orResassDu LaChappelle whoknew more about
thesanctity
ofAlithanalltheIslamic ..
scientists..
Weonlyhavetheright toknow Mme.Twiggy!(82-4).
In thispassage,itis Shari'atis
determination
to showtheexploitation of
theIranianwomenwhohavebeenborrowing thefalsevaluesof a distorted
Europeancivilization as depictedin Iranianmedia.He aimsat liberatingthe
Iranianwomanfromthesocialfetters plaguingtheEuropeanwomanbyad-
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET <?» 15
notionsthatAli'scharacter mighthavedispleasedFatima.
OnceinAli'shouse,Shari'ati depictsFatimaas a hard-working andpro-
ductivemate- notas a "womanwho sitsat homeand is good fornothing"
(113). Shari'aticomparesFatima'svirtuousindustriousness withthetrivial
existence ofthe"absurdwoman,"theconsumer, parexcellence, whochooses
to buyratherthancreate.By contrast, Fatimais a productive worker, even
though sheis the prophet'sdaughter, and what she consumes serves merely to
provideherwithsustenance:"Fatimagrindsthewheatherself. Shebakesthe
bread.Sheworksin thehouseand is seenhundredsoftimesbringing water
fromoutsideherhome"(157). Shari'atisideal,then,is inexorably linkedto
hissocialist beliefs.
TheidealFatima - andwoman- is thediligent, unpreten-
tiouslaborer.Workand Fatima'sattitudetowardworkhavebeen idealized
in Shari'atis legend,and theyserveas thepanaceaforthemoralwoesailing
modernIranand theIranianwoman,particularly womenwhohaveshunned
industriousness withinthedomesticsphere, optinginsteadforindolenceand
materialism.18
In addition,Fatima'ssuffering winsherAli'sloveand admiration: "Ali,
who knowsthegenerosity and majestyof Fatima,and morethanlovesher
formultiple reasons,knowsthedifficulties thatshehasgrownup withwhich
havemadeherweakand is thereby sorrowedbyall of theworkand labour
whichshemustperform" (157). LikeKashifi, Shari'ati
haslinkedFatima'smo-
rality to herweakness and her
suffering; self-sacrificing mannerhas received
hertheapprovaloftheleadingmenin herlife.
According to Shari'ati,
Fatimamustlearnfromtheprophet howto forge
heridentity. Ashe states,"'Becoming Fatima'is noteasy....Shehasthegreatest
responsibility in thehistory offreedom, jihadandhumanity... Fatimahasthe
of
responsibilitybeing the linkbetween prophecy and imamate" (159).19This
to the
passagebrings light contradictions inherentin Shari'atisinterpretation
ofwomen'sfreedom and rights.Whilehe statesthatFatima'smereexistence
is revolutionary,herimportance is establishedthrough hervarioustraditional
rolesas childbearer, daughter, mother, and wife.Indeed,in learninghowto
becomeherself, Fatimahas to relyon thevaluesand teachingsof a male
rolemodel: herfather theprophet.Shari'atidepictsFatimaas havinglittle
agencyin creating herownpersonality. Her restricted freedom, therefore,as
portrayed by calls
Shari'ati, intoquestion Shari'atisinterpretation ofwomen's
socialrights. IfShari'ati
intended modernwomento followFatima'sexample,
wouldtheytoohaveto succumbto theopinionsoftheirhusbandsandfathers
or Shari'atihimselfin defining theirfunction in societyand in "becoming
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET e» 19
NOTES
1. It is interesting
to note,however, thatin thedaysbeforeand afterthean-
niversaryof thepromulgation of theunveiling decreeof 1936,thejournalmakesno
mentionof theunveiling decreeor thesubjectof unveiling in general.For culama
supportofthispublication, seeA'in-iIslam,12 Bahman1324/1February 1946,p. 11,
whichcitesculamafinancial contributionsto thejournal.
2. For studieson womenin modernIran,thoughnot necessarily on Fatima,
refer
to thefollowing works:ElizSanasarian,TheWomen'sRightsMovement in Iran
(New York:Praeger,1982);AfsanehNajmabadi,"Womenor Wivesof theNation?"
IranianStudies,26 (1993); Ziba Mir-Hosseini, Islamand Gender:The ReligiousDe-
batein Contemporary Iran(Princeton: Princeton Press,1999);and Haleh
University
Esfandiari,Reconstructed Lives:Womenand Iran'sIslamicRevolution (Washington:
TheWoodrowWilsonCenterPress,1997).
3. Forworkson theearlyhistoryof Islamand Shi'ismsee,R. StephenHum-
phreys,BetweenMemoryand Desire:The MiddleEastin a TroubledAge(Berkeley:
TheUniversity ofCaliforniaPress,1999);HeinzHalm,Shi'ism(Edinburgh: Edinburgh
UniversityPress,1991).
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET e» 21
REFERENCES
Afary,Janet
1996 The IranianConstitutional Revolution,1906-1911:
Grassroots Democracy,
Social Democracy,and the Originsof Feminism.New York:Columbia
UniversityPress.
Abrahamian, Ervand
1982 IranBetweenTwoRevolutions. Princeton:
PrincetonUniversityPress.
1988 Ali Shari'ati:Ideologueof theIranianRevolution.In Islam,Politics,and
Social Movements. EdmundBurke,III and Ira M. Lapiduseds.,pp. 289-97
Berkeley:University ofCaliforniaPress.
AgenceFrance-Presse
2003 ShiitesPourintoHolyIraqiCity.April23.
A'in-iIslam
1945-aYikBanuviIslami-viBuzureva nimunah-i kamil-imadar.27 April.
1945-bTalashi-yi 'Aqidah.6 April:1.
1946 Yikkhabar-Ita'asufangiz.4 January.
AliAmir-Moezzi, Mohammad
1999 Fatima, Daughter of the Prophet. In Encyclopaedia Iranica.
eds.,AhmadAshtraf etal. NewYork:ColumbiaUniversity Press.
Azari-Qumi, Ahmad
1993 Sima-yiZan darNizam-IIslami.Qum: Dar al-'Ilm.
FIROOZEH KASHANI-SABET «9 23