Fatimah bint Asad

Who is Fatimah bint Asad?

Fatima bint Asad was the mother of Ali bin Abi Talib, the fourth caliph of Islam and the husband of Muhammad's daughter, Fatima Zahra bint Muhammad. She was the daughter of Asad ibn Hashim. Her husband Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib was Muhammad's paternal uncle; the orphaned Muhammad was raised in their household for much of his early life, following the death of his paternal grandfather Abdul Muttalib.

When Muhammad began to preach Islam, Fatima was one of the early converts. She was one of Muhammad's followers who accompanied him on the flight to Medina in 622 C.E.

According to Anas bin Malik, when Muhammad learned that Fatima had died, he went to her house to sit beside her body and pray for her, give his shirt to be incorporated into her shroud, and personally placed her in her grave in the Jannatul Baqee' cemetery in Medina.

Beside Ali bin Abi Talib, Fatima had five other children. Her other sons were Ja`far ibn Abī Tālib, who led the forces of Islam in the battle of Mu'tah and was killed there; Talib ibn Abi Talib; and Aqeel ibn Abi Talib. Her two daughters were Fakhitah bint Abu Talib and Jumanah bint Abu Talib.