Undoubtedly, there were many suitors for Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her), and there is no need to mention the narrations in this regard. Her father, even before becoming a prophet, held a prestigious position in the eyes of his fellow townspeople.

The Prophet’s response to the suitors: “I am awaiting the divine command.”
Umar and Abu Bakr were among those who sought the hand of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her). However, when they expressed their desire to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), he replied, “I am awaiting the divine command.”

Nasa’i, one of the great Sunni hadith scholars, states in his Sunan: The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) responded to them by saying, “Fatimah is still young.” However, when Ali (peace be upon him) asked for her hand in marriage, the Prophet accepted.

Many suitors for Lady Zahra (peace be upon her)
Nasa’i recorded this hadith under a chapter titled “The Equality of Age between Man and Woman.” Among the suitors, the names of Umar and Abu Bakr were mentioned because they were more prominent in terms of status compared to others. This does not imply that these two elderly men were the only suitors of the Prophet’s daughter. Ya’qubi has written that a group of Muhajireen asked for Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) hand in marriage from her father.

The Proposal of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) for Lady Zahra (peace be upon her)
The accounts of Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) proposal and marriage to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) are mentioned in both Shia and Sunni books. The daughter of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had several suitors, but her father chose Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) from among all his cousins as the best match for her. He said to his daughter, “I have married you to the best of my kin.” Indeed, his knowledge surpassed all others, his patience was greater, and his Islam was more advanced than anyone else.

Ibn Sa’d writes: When Abu Bakr and Umar did not receive a favorable response from the Prophet, they advised Ali to propose to her.

He further writes: A group of Ansar encouraged Imam Ali (peace be upon him) to ask for Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) hand from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). When Imam Ali came into the presence of the Prophet, he greeted him. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) asked him, “What is your need?” He said, “I have come to ask for the hand of Fatimah Zahra (peace be upon her).” The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) replied, “Welcome!” and said nothing more. When Imam Ali (peace be upon him) returned to the group that was waiting for him, they asked him, “What news do you have?” He replied, “I don’t know. The Prophet just said, ‘Welcome!'” They said, “That the Prophet welcomed you is sufficient.”

Majlisi, quoting from Uyūn Akhbār al-Riḍā (peace be upon him), wrote: “O Ali, a group of Quraysh men reproached me about Fatimah Zahra, saying, ‘We were her suitors, but you did not accept us. Now you have given her to Ali ibn Abi Talib.'”

The Silence of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her) in Response to Imam Ali’s (peace be upon him) Proposal
Majlisi, quoting from Al-Amali by Sheikh Tusi, writes: Ali (peace be upon him) said, “Abu Bakr and Umar came to me and said, ‘Why don’t you propose to Fatimah from the Prophet?’ So, I went to the Prophet. When he saw me, he smiled and asked, ‘O Abu al-Hasan, what brings you here?’ I mentioned my connection with him, my precedence in Islam, and my efforts in the path of religion. He said, ‘You speak the truth. You are more virtuous than you describe.’ I said, ‘I have come to ask for Fatimah’s hand in marriage.’ He said, ‘O Ali, others have proposed to her before you, but my daughter did not accept. Let me see what she says.’

Then, he went to his daughter and said, ‘Ali has come to propose to you. You know his connection to us, his precedence in Islam, and his virtues.’ Lady Zahra (peace be upon her) remained silent without turning her face. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), seeing signs of her approval, said, ‘Allahu Akbar! Her silence is a sign of her consent.'”

The Flower of the Garden of Creation is Zahra * In the creation of the universe, Zahra is the epitome of insight.

Ali wished to choose a wife * Allah said the best choice is Zahra.

The Tears of Joy of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her)
Sheikh Tusi, in his Al-Amali, writes: When the Prophet gave his consent to the marriage of Ali and Fatimah, Fatimah (peace be upon her) wept. The Prophet said, “By Allah! If there had been anyone better among my family, I would have given you to him.”

The author of Kashf al-Ghumma, and later Majlisi, narrated that Ali (peace be upon him) said to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), “May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! You know that you took me in as a child from my father, Abu Talib, and my mother, Fatimah bint Asad, and raised me under your care. You were more loving to me than my parents in this upbringing. You saved me from the confusion and doubt that my forefathers suffered from. You are my only refuge and provision in this world and the hereafter.”

Now that God has strengthened me through you, I want to arrange my affairs and take a wife for myself. I have come to propose to Fatimah. Will you give your daughter to me?”

The Dowry of Lady Zahra (peace be upon her)
Umm Salama said: The face of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) lit up with joy, and he smiled at Ali (peace be upon him) and said: “Do you have anything that can serve as a dowry for my daughter?” Ali (peace be upon him) replied: “You are well aware of my situation. I have nothing except my sword, my armor, and a camel for drawing water.” The Prophet said: “You need your sword for jihad and your camel to draw water for your palm grove, to prepare your bread, and to carry your goods during travel. I will set the armor as the dowry.”

In Kitab al-Muwaffaqiyat by Zubayr ibn Bakkar, one of the early sources, it is narrated from Imam Ali (peace be upon him): “I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and sat silently before him, for no one had greater respect and reverence than he did. Seeing my silence, he asked: ‘O Abu al-Hasan, what is it that you desire?’ I remained silent until the Prophet repeated his question three times.

Then he said: ‘It seems that you want Fatimah?’

_ Yes.

_ What happened to the armor I gave you?

_ I still have it.

_ Make that armor the dowry for Fatimah.”

Ibn Sa’d, in some narrations, mentions a sheepskin and a worn Yemeni shirt instead of armor.

Some say that Imam Ali (peace be upon him) sold his camel and used the money as the dowry. What was the price of this armor or the amount of this dowry? Al-Himyari, the author of Qurb al-Isnad, wrote that it was thirty dirhams, while others mentioned amounts up to four hundred and eighty dirhams.

The Dowry and Trousseau of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her)
In any case, the dowry of the Prophet’s daughter was four hundred dirhams, or slightly more or less. That was it. And thus, this sacred union was established, a union in which two people would share in each other’s joys and sorrows throughout life. It was not a commodity to be sold so that the buyer and seller would negotiate over its price. Whether it was armor, sheepskin, or a Yemeni shirt, whatever it was, it was sold, and the money was brought to the Prophet.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) did not count the money but gave a small portion to Bilal and said: “With this money, buy some perfume for my daughter.” He then handed the remaining money to Abu Bakr and said: “Use this money to prepare whatever my daughter needs.”

The List of the Trousseau of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her)
Ammar Yasir and several other companions were tasked to accompany Abu Bakr to prepare Lady Zahra’s (peace be upon her) trousseau as per his advice. The list that Sheikh Tusi wrote for the trousseau includes: A dress worth seven dirhams, a scarf worth four dirhams, a black Khaybar-woven cloak, a bed made from palm fibers, two mattresses with thick linen covers—one stuffed with palm fibers and the other with sheep’s wool, four pillows made of Ta’if leather stuffed with Idhkhir (a plant with medicinal properties), a woolen curtain, a mat woven in Hajar, a hand mill, a copper basin, a leather water bag, a wooden bowl, a deep bowl for milking, a water skin, a jug coated with tar, a green pitcher, and a few clay pots.

When the trousseau was brought to the Prophet, he inspected it and said: “May Allah bless the members of this household.”

The Marriage Sermon of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) and Imam Ali (peace be upon him)
The time for the marriage sermon arrived. Ibn Shahrashub in Manaqib, Majlisi in Bihar al-Anwar, and several other scholars and narrators have recorded this sermon with different phrases and in various forms. The version most commonly recorded by narrators has been selected.

For more details, refer to Bihar al-Anwar:
“Praise be to Allah, who is praised for His blessings and worshipped through His power. His dominion is heeded, His punishment is feared, His bounty is sought, and His command runs in the heavens and the earth. Allah created the creatures by His power, assigned each a duty that He saw fit, honored His religion, and exalted His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family). Allah Almighty ordained marriage as another form of connection and made it obligatory. Through this bond, kinship is united, and this tradition was established among the people.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: ‘He is the one who created man from water and made him a relation by lineage and marriage. Your Lord is powerful.’ Indeed, Allah Almighty commanded me to give Fatimah in marriage to Ali, and I have given her to him for a dowry of four hundred mithqals of silver. Ali, are you satisfied?”

_ “Yes, O Messenger of Allah.”

As we have mentioned, Ibn Shahrashub has presented the marriage sermon in Manaqib with these words, and Majlisi has also cited it in the same manner from Kashf al-Ghummah, adding one more line afterward.

Duration of Lady Fatimah’s Marriage to Imam Ali (peace be upon them)
Lady Fatimah’s (peace be upon her) marriage to Imam Ali (peace be upon him) lasted from the second year of Hijra, when she was nine years old, until the eleventh year, making it a period of nine years.

Children:

1. Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him)
2. Imam Husayn (peace be upon him)
3. Zaynab al-Kubra (peace be upon her)
4. Umm Kulthum

Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) was also pregnant with a child whom the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) had named “Muhsin.” After the Prophet’s passing, due to Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) being trapped between the door and the wall of her house as a result of an assault by attackers, she miscarried.

Companions and Supporters of Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her):

1. Umm Hani bint Abi Talib
2. Ummama bint Abi al-As
3. Asma bint Umays
4. Umm Salama
5. Umm Ayman
6. Fiddah
7. Salma bint Umays (wife of Hamza, the master of martyrs)