Fateema
Fateema, the favorite daughter of Muhammed, was born c 605-614. She accompanied her father into exile and was his nurse during his last illness. She was the wife of Ali ibn Talib, the first imam. Tradition says that the couple was very poor and that Muhammed relieved their poverty and arbitrated their disputes.Through the influence of the prophet, Ali wed only once while Fateema lived. The couple had five children, of whom one died in infancy, and Fateema's children began the only physical line of descent from Muhammed. Fateema died in 633. Fateema is mentioned in the Koran, and she is the principle female figure in Islam, especially among the Shiites. She is among the infallible, and she has many epithets, including Umm-Abiha (mother of her father) and Batul (virgin). She is also called Az-zahra, the shining one. Her importance since her death has grown and has greatly overshadowed the few details of her life.
Karen Rae Keck
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