Celebrating a Model of Resistance

As we celebrate the birthday of the Lady of Light and remember the lessons taught to us by this blessed lady, we are reminded of the strength of her resistance. Her stance in supporting Wilayah can be seen in her refusal to acquiesce to the ruling authorities. Her open disapproval and declaration that she was angry with them was her fight against them, a resistance she pursued till the end.

The clear stance of Fatima al-Zahra continued with her refusal to speak to the authorities, visits to the homes of the Ansar along with Imam Ali (a), the powerful sermon of Fadak, and her speech to the women of Madina when they visited her. Finally her last act of resistance cemented her struggle – the request that she be buried at night accompanied only by a small group of close and loved ones. The blow of not participating in the funeral of the daughter of the Prophet (s) brought shame upon the leaders of that time and the stain remains till today for all those who study that chapter of Islamic history.

Dr. Ali Shariati says in his book Fatima is Fatima;

Fatima has learned how to walk through struggles. She knows how to cut through propaganda. Her youth had been spent in the heart of the movement’s storm and her maturing years in the political fire of her times. She is a Muslim woman: a woman whose ethical purity does not prohibit her from social responsibility… Fatima does not sit down. Under a mountain, full of sorrow, bearing her bereaving spirit, she continues her resistance and her struggle

To resist is to refuse to accept or comply with an injustice. It is to expose the injustice, stand up to it, and drive society to also do the same. Resistance is a form of battle in which all can participate in different ways. In today’s world, we as believers must follow the example of this great lady and do all we can to resist. We must stand up against the injustice and hypocrisy of world powers. We must resist the moral and ethical corruption promoted in society and the external and internal enemies seeking to weaken the religion of God. It is through the determined resistance of a small group of believers that God’s light will continue to shine until His representative comes to illuminate the world forever.