In their initial days of marriage, Ali رضي اللّٰه عنه and Fatima رضي اللّٰه عنها lived together in poverty. It was so severe, in the day they would place food on animal hide for their camels, and by night they would wash it and sleep on that same hide. Fatima رضي اللّٰه عنها did not have any servants to assist her in the housework. She would work and grind until her fingers blistered.
One day, Ali رضي اللّٰه عنه advised her to ask Nabi ﷺ for a servant. She tried to approach Nabi ﷺ but at times he was absent, and at times she felt shy to speak. Eventually, she set forward her request. Nabi ﷺ refused, saying that how can I give you a servant when the people of Suffa are hungry?
This response demonstrates Nabi ﷺ’s sterling quality of selflessness: When it came to sacrifice, he would put his family first and they would sacrifice the most. On the other hand, when it came to receiving benefits, he put his family last so that others could receive them first. Nabi ﷺ then said, “Shall I not guide you to what is better than a servant? Read SubhanAllah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times at the time of each prayer and at the time of your sleep” (Sahih Muslim).
This became known as Tasbih Fatimi, for it was Fatima رضي اللّٰه عنها’s fingers that became blistered for us to be blessed with this dhikr. Yet today, many of us are too busy to read Tasbih Fatimi for a few minutes after Salah, with our well-groomed fingers. Reciting it is easy, rewarding, and it will assist those women who are struggling with housework. May Allah grant us the ability to recite it regularly, aameen.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s talk on 6/3/19 in Copesville.
