What is Meant by the Joy of Fatimah (peace be upon her)?

Question

The question revolves around the term 'Joy of Fatimah' and its association with the death of Umar. The inquiry seeks clarification on its meaning and whether it is indeed linked to Umar's death. [AR_ID:5875]

Answer 1

Peace be upon you. The term 'Joy of Fatimah' has not been mentioned in any verse or narration that has reached us, and scholars have differing opinions regarding its interpretation. The suggestion that it is related to the death of Umar is not clear, especially since we will present arguments later that negate this possibility and invalidate the reasoning they have formulated. The late scholar Sayyid Ja'far Murtada (may his soul rest in peace) stated: 'In some of our writings, we mentioned that they say the day of Fatimah's joy (peace be upon her) is the ninth of Rabi' al-Awwal, which does not align with what is said about Umar ibn al-Khattab's death, as he died in Dhul-Hijjah. How can Dhul-Hijjah be compared to Rabi' al-Awwal?' However, we have also established that their claim about Umar dying in Dhul-Hijjah is not accurate, and we have provided our reasoning for this. Nevertheless, we want to emphasize that even if it were unanimously agreed that he died or was killed on the ninth of Rabi' al-Awwal, it cannot be said that the day of Fatimah's joy (peace be upon her) was established based on Umar's killing on that day. This is due to two other reasons that are more significant and relevant: First, the greatest calamity that befell Fatimah (peace be upon her), her family, and Islam as a whole was the martyrdom of her son Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in such a horrific manner. This crime emboldened the Umayyads to commit further atrocities and violate sacred boundaries, to the extent that they even began to demolish and burn the Kaaba. Some of their tyrants, like Al-Walid ibn Yazid, were preparing to drink alcohol on its ruins. The killing of the murderers of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) by Al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, including Umar ibn Sa'ad, somewhat alleviated the grief of the family of the Prophet, even if just a little. Therefore, it is no surprise that this day is one on which Fatimah (peace be upon her) rejoices. They said: 'No Hashemite ever applied kohl to their eyes until they received the news of the killing of those tyrants and sinful ones.' The signs of victory for Al-Mukhtar's movement, which achieved this great accomplishment, appeared on the ninth of Rabi' al-Awwal. Second, this day also coincides with the first day of the Imamate of the Awaited Savior of the family of Muhammad (may Allah hasten his reappearance), who is the true seeker of the blood of the martyr in Karbala, the supporter of the allies, and the humiliator of the enemies. This undoubtedly brings joy to the heart of Fatimah (peace be upon her) and to every believer, ally, prophet, and successor from Adam until Allah inherits the earth and all that is upon it. Thus, Fatimah's joy (peace be upon her) on this day is greater, and the happiness is more complete. No one will focus on who died or who lived on this day, nor is there any room for discussing schadenfreude or rejoicing over this or that. Presenting the matter so simply and naively may be a disregard for those knowledgeable and an attempt to obscure the truth from those with insight. Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his pure family.