It is certain that the fire of Hell is forbidden to Fāṭimah al-Zahrā (peace be upon her) and her pure descendants. For her sake, God—Blessed and Exalted—is also certain to keep the fire away from her true followers and devotees.
حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْوَشَّاءُ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ قَالَ: كُنْتُ بِخُرَاسَانَ مَعَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى الرِّضَا ع فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَ زَيْدُ بْنُ مُوسَى حَاضِرٌ قَدْ أَقْبَلَ عَلَى جَمَاعَةٍ فِي الْمَجْلِسِ يَفْتَخِرُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَ يَقُولُ نَحْنُ وَ نَحْنُ وَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع مُقْبِلٌ عَلَى قَوْمٍ يُحَدِّثُهُمْ فَسَمِعَ مَقَالَةَ زَيْدٍ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ يَا زَيْدُ أَ غَرَّكَ قَوْلُ بَقَّالِي الْكُوفَةِ إِنَّ فَاطِمَةَ أَحْصَنَتْ فَرْجَهَا فَحَرَّمَ اللَّهُ ذُرِّيَّتَهَا عَلَى النَّارِ وَ اللَّهِ مَا ذَلِكَ إِلَّا لِلْحَسَنِ وَ الْحُسَيْنِ وَ وُلْدِ بَطْنِهَا خَاصَّةً فَأَمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ مُوسَى بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ ع يُطِيعُ اللَّهَ وَ يَصُومُ نَهَارَهُ وَ يَقُومُ لَيْلَهُ وَ تَعْصِيَهُ أَنْتَ ثُمَّ تَجِيئَانِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ سَوَاءً لَأَنْتَ أَعَزُّ عَلَى اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنْهُ إِنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ ع كَانَ يَقُولُ لِمُحْسِنِنَا كِفْلَانِ مِنَ الْأَجْرِ وَ لِمُسِيئِنَا ضِعْفَانِ مِنَ الْعَذَابِ وَ قَالَ الْحَسَنُ الْوَشَّاءُ ثُمَّ الْتَفَتَ إِلَيَّ فَقَالَ يَا حَسَنُ كَيْفَ تَقْرَءُونَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ- قالَ يا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ فَقُلْتُ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقْرَأُ إِنَّهُ عَمِلَ غَيْرَ صَالِحٍ فَمَنْ قَرَأَ إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ نَفَاهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ فَقَالَ ع كَلَّا لَقَدْ كَانَ ابْنَهُ وَ لَكِنْ لَمَّا عَصَى اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ نَفَاهُ اللَّهُ عَنْ أَبِيهِ كَذَا مَنْ كَانَ مِنَّا لَمْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا وَ أَنْتَ إِذَا أَطَعْتَ اللَّهَ فَأَنْتَ مِنَّا أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ.
*Maʿānī al-Akhbār*, text, p. 106
Al-Ṣadūq relates from Ḥasan ibn Mūsā in his *Maʿānī al-Akhbār*:
I was in Khurāsān, at a gathering of His Eminence al-Riḍā (AS). Zayd ibn Mūsā, the brother of al-Riḍā (AS), was also present. Zayd turned to a group of people at the gathering and said, “We are such and such.” When His Eminence al-Riḍā (AS) noticed the group and heard what Zayd had said, he told him:
“Zayd, have the claims of the grocers of Kūfa—that Fāṭimah kept herself pure, and so God has forbidden her children to the fire of Hell—made you conceited? By God, this applies only to Ḥasan and Ḥusayn (peace be upon them both) and to the children born of that noble lady. Can it be said that Mūsā ibn Jaʿfar (AS) obeys God, fasts by day and stands in prayer by night, while you disobey God—and that on the Day of Resurrection you will be his equal before God, or even held in greater esteem by Him? Whereas ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn (AS) says:
‘The reward of the righteous among us, the Household, will be doubled, and the punishment of our wrongdoers will likewise be doubled.’”
Ḥasan relates: His Eminence al-Riḍā (AS) then turned to me and said:
“Ḥasan, how do you recite this verse in which God says:
قالَ يا نُوحُ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ، إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ ”
I replied, “Some people recite it as:
انه عمل غير صالح (with a fatḥah on the ʿayn and lām, and a kasrah on the mīm), while others recite: إِنَّهُ عَمَلٌ غَيْرُ صالِحٍ (with a fatḥah on the ʿayn and mīm, and a ḍammah on each lām). According to the second recitation, God did not consider Noah’s son to be his son.”
His Eminence al-Riḍā said, “Absolutely not. He was indeed Noah’s son, but he disobeyed God, and so God did not count him as belonging to his father. In the same way, anyone among our Household who does not obey God will not be of us. If you obey God, you will be one of us, the People of the Household.”
The fire of this world, too, has no power to harm the noble members of the Household of the Prophet. This is illustrated by the story of the pot of fire that did not burn the blessed hands of the Lady of Light. Only if there is a divine test, trial or purpose may earthly fire affect them, so as to reveal their lofty spiritual qualities. An example is the story of the fire reaching the blessed person of Imam ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn, Sayyid al-Sājidīn, when his turban caught fire.
According to a report from Ḥammād ibn Salamah, from Ḥumayd al-Ṭawīl, from Anas, he said:
Al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf asked me about the report concerning ʿĀʾishah, and the pot she saw—how Fāṭimah, the daughter of the Messenger of God (PBUH), was stirring it with her hand. I said, “Yes, may God set the Commander right. ʿĀʾishah entered upon Fāṭimah (AS), who was making a dish of flour, milk and fat in a pot for al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (AS). The pot was over the fire, boiling, and Fāṭimah (may God’s blessings be upon her) was stirring its contents with her finger, while the pot bubbled over the flames. ʿĀʾishah fled in alarm and distress and went to her father. She said, ‘Father, I have seen something astonishing from Fāṭimah al-Zahrāʾ. I saw her making food in a pot boiling over the fire, stirring its contents with her hand!’ He said to her, ‘My daughter, keep this secret, for it is a momentous matter.’”
The news reached the Messenger اللّه صلّى اللّه of God (PBUH), who ascended the pulpit, praised and glorified God, and then said: “People regard what they have seen of the pot and the fire as extraordinary and remarkable. By the One who sent me with the message and chose me for prophethood, God Most High has forbidden the Fire to touch Fāṭimah’s flesh, blood, hair, sinews and nerves. He has kept her descendants and her followers from the Fire. Among Fāṭimah’s descendants will be one whom the Fire, the sun, the moon, the stars and the mountains obey; jinn will fight with swords before him; the prophets will come to him, fulfilling their pledges; the earth will yield up its treasures to him; and the blessings it holds will descend upon him from heaven. Woe to whoever doubts Fāṭimah’s merit. May God curse whoever hates her husband and is not content with the Imamate of her offspring. On the Day of Resurrection, Fāṭimah will have a place of standing, as will her followers. Fāṭimah will be summoned and will answer; she will intercede, and her intercession will be accepted, despite all who resent it.”
*Al-Thāqib fī al-Manāqib*, p. 293
One day, ʿĀʾishah came to Fāṭimah (SA) while she was making a dish of flour, milk and oil in a pot for al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (AS). The pot was boiling over the stove, and Fāṭimah (SA) was stirring it with her hand.
Distressed and alarmed, ʿĀʾishah went to her father, Abū Bakr, and said, “Father, I saw something astonishing from Fāṭimah: she reached into a pot boiling over the fire and stirred it.”
He said, “My daughter, keep this secret, for it is a momentous matter.”
When the news reached the Noble Prophet (PBUH), he ascended the pulpit and praised and thanked God. Then he said:
“People are amazed and astonished to see the pot and the fire. By the One who chose me for prophethood and appointed me as a messenger, God, Mighty and Majestic, has forbidden the Fire to touch Fāṭimah’s flesh, blood, hair, sinews and nerves. He has kept her children and her followers from the Fire. Some of Fāṭimah’s descendants hold such rank and station that the Fire, the sun and the moon obey them; jinn fight with swords before them; the prophets fulfil their pledges and covenants concerning them; the earth yields up its treasures to them; and heaven sends down its blessings upon them.
Woe, woe, woe to whoever allows doubt to enter their heart concerning Fāṭimah’s virtue and merit. May God’s curse and condemnation fall upon whoever hates her husband, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib, and is not content with the Imamate of her children. Fāṭimah herself will have a station, and her followers too will have the finest stations. Fāṭimah will intercede before me, and her intercession will be accepted, despite the wishes of those who oppose her.”
There is no explicit report or narration that the Lady of Purity (SA) was burned in the incident of the burning of Fāṭimah’s door.
However, the fire mentioned in the Verse of Light has been interpreted in various ways other than as literal burning. Among the interpretations of the fire in the Verse of Light are these:
The Prophet’s Household are lamps of God’s knowledge that need no kindling; the radiance of their knowledge requires no fuel.
The knowledge of the Prophet’s Household shines upon the world without any intermediary.
The Prophet’s Household know the knowledge of prophethood without any intermediary of inspiration.
يكادُ زَيْتُها يُضِيءُ، وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ يَكَادُ الْعِلْمُ مِنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص يَتَكَلَّمُ الْعِلْمَ “A niche whose glass is almost alight, even though no fire has touched it”—the knowledge of the family of Muhammad (PBUH) is almost ready to speak before it is asked.
And عَنِ الْبَاقِرِ ع قَوْلُهُ كَمِشْكاةٍ فِيها مِصْباحٌ هُوَ نُورُ الْعِلْمِ فِي صَدْرِ النَّبِيِّ ص، وَ الزَّجَاجَةُ صَدْرُ عَلِيٍّ ع عَلَّمَهُ النَّبِيُّ ص فَصَارَ صَدْرُهُ كَزُجَاجَةٍ يَكادُ زَيْتُها يُضِيءُ، وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ يَكَادُ الْعِلْمُ مِنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص يَتَكَلَّمُ الْعِلْمَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْأَلَ، نُورٌ عَلى نُورٍ
أَيْ إِمَامٌ مُؤَيَّدٌ بِالْعِلْمِ وَ الْحِكْمَةِ فِي أَثَرِ إِمَامٍ مِنْ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ ص، وَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ لَدُنْ آدَمَ إِلَى وَقْتِ قِيَامِ السَّاعَةِ هُمْ خُلَفَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي أَرْضِهِ وَ حُجَّةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ، لَا تَخْلُو الْأَرْضُ فِي كُلِّ عَصْرٍ مِنْ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُم
*Majmaʿ al-Baḥrayn*, vol. 3, p. 504
Imam al-Baqir ( مَثَلُ نُورِهِ کَمِشْکاةٍ فِیها مِصْباحٌ): “That light is the knowledge in the breast of Muhammad, the Messenger of God. And ‘a niche of glass’ refers to the breast of Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom the Messenger of God ﷺ endowed with knowledge. His breast thus became like the Prophet’s breast—like glass that is almost kindled, even though no fire has touched it. The knowledge in the household of Muhammad ﷺ is almost ready to speak before anyone asks …”
( کَأَنَّها کَوْکَبٌ دُرِّیٌّ یُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبارَکَةٍ زَیْتُونَةٍ): The light of knowledge. “Neither …” شَرْقِیَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِیَّةٍ: From Abraham, the intimate friend of the All-Merciful, to Muhammad, the Messenger of God; and to Ali ibn Abi Talib. “Neither …” شَرْقِیَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِیَّةٍ: He is neither a Jew nor a Christian. یَکادُ زَیْتُها یُضِیءُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ نُورٌ عَلی نُورٍ: The scholar from the household of Muhammad ﷺ is almost ready to speak from knowledge before anyone asks him.
یَکَادُ زَیْتُهَا یُضِیءُ: The springs of knowledge are almost ready to gush forth from it. وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ (without any fire touching it)
َ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى- اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكاةٍ فَاطِمَةُ ع فِيها مِصْباحٌ الْحَسَنُ- الْمِصْباحُ فِي زُجاجَةٍ الْحُسَيْنُ- الزُّجاجَةُ كَأَنَّها كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ فَاطِمَةُ كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ بَيْنَ نِسَاءِ أَهْلِ الدُّنْيَا- يُوقَدُ مِنْ شَجَرَةٍ مُبارَكَةٍ إِبْرَاهِيمُ ع- زَيْتُونَةٍ لا شَرْقِيَّةٍ وَ لا غَرْبِيَّةٍ لَا يَهُودِيَّةٍ وَ لَا نَصْرَانِيَّةٍ- يَكادُ زَيْتُها يُضِيءُ يَكَادُ الْعِلْمُ يَنْفَجِرُ بِهَا- وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ
نُورٌ عَلى نُورٍ إِمَامٌ مِنْهَا بَعْدَ إِمَامٍ- يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشاءُ يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِلْأَئِمَّةِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ- وَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْأَمْثالَ لِلنَّاسِ قُلْتُ أَوْ كَظُلُماتٍ قَالَ الْأَوَّلُ وَ صَاحِبُهُ- يَغْشاهُ مَوْجٌ الثَّالِثُ- مِنْ فَوْقِهِ مَوْجٌ ظُلُمَاتٌ الثَّانِي- بَعْضُها فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ مُعَاوِيَةُ لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَ فِتَنُ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ- إِذا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ الْمُؤْمِنُ فِي ظُلْمَةِ فِتْنَتِهِمْ- لَمْ يَكَدْ يَراها وَ مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلِ اللَّهُ لَهُ نُوراً إِمَاماً مِنْ وُلْدِ فَاطِمَةَ ع- فَما لَهُ مِنْ نُورٍ إِمَامٍ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَ قَالَ فِي قَوْلِهِ- يَسْعى نُورُهُمْ بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَ بِأَيْمانِهِمْ أَئِمَّةُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ تَسْعَى بَيْنَ يَدَيِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ بِأَيْمَانِهِمْ حَتَّى يُنْزِلُوهُمْ مَنَازِلَ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ.
Al-Kafi (Islamic edition), vol. 1, p. 195
Imam al-Sadiq ( صالحبنسهل همدانی says: I heard Imam al-Sadiq ( speak about اللهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ کَمِشْکَاةٍ , saying: “‘A niche’ refers to Fatima (; ‘within it is a lamp’ refers to al-Hasan and al-Husayn (.” فِی زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ کَأَنَّهَا کَوْکَبٌ دُرِّیٌّ: It is as though Fatima ( were a shining star among the women of the earth. یُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍ مُّبَارَکَةٍ: She receives light from the tree of Abraham ( and is kindled by it. لَّا شَرْقِیَّةٍ وَ لَا غَرْبِیَّةٍ: That is, she is neither Jewish nor Christian. یَکَادُ زَیْتُهَا یُضِیءُ: The springs of knowledge are almost ready to gush forth from it. وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌ نُّورٌ عَلَی نُورٍ By “light upon light,” what is meant is one Imam after another. یَهْدِی اللهُ لِنُورِهِ مَن یَشَاء That is, God guides whom He wills to the Imams ( and admits them into the light of their authority. یَضْرِبُ اللهُ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ وَ اللهُ بِکُلِّ شَیْءٍ عَلِیمٌ.
يَكَادُونَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالنُّبُوَّةِ وَ لَوْ لَمْ يُنْزَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَلَكٌ (They are almost ready to speak as prophets, though no angel has descended upon them.)
يَكادُ زَيْتُها يُضِيءُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ نُورٌ عَلى نُورٍ
يَهْدِي اللَّهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ يَشاءُ يَقُولُ يَكَادُونَ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمُوا بِالنُّبُوَّةِ وَ لَوْ لَمْ يُنْزَلْ عَلَيْهِمْ مَلَكٌ.
Al-Kafi (Islamic edition), vol. 8, p. 381
Imam al-Baqir, peace be upon him: … یَکادُ زَیْتُها یُضِیءُ وَ لَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نارٌ نُورٌ عَلی نُورٍ یَهْدِی اللهُ لِنُورِهِ مَنْ یَشاءُ He says: “They are almost ready to speak as prophets, though no angel has descended upon them.”