Fatemeh Masumeh (b. 1 Dhu al-Qi'dah 173 AH [March 22, 790 CC], Medina, Abbasid Caliphate [now in Saudi Arabia] – d. 10 or 12 Rabi' al-Thani 201 AH [November 7 or 9, 816 CC], Qom, Abbasid Caliphate [now in Iran]), commonly known as Fatima bint Musa, Fatimah bint Musa, Fatimah al-Masumah, Fatima al-Masuma, or Fatemeh Masoumeh, was the daughter of the seventh Twelver Shi'a Imam, Musa al-Kadim (Musa Kazem), and sister of the eighth Twelver Shi'a Imam, 'Ali al-Rida (Ali Reza). Every year, millions of Shi'a Muslims travel to Qom to honor Fatemeh Masumeh at her shrine.
Fatemeh Masumeh was the eldest daughter of Musa al-Kadim, and the Shi'a consider her to be the holiest child of Musa al-Kadim after her brother 'Ali al-Rida.
Fatemeh Masumeh was highly praised in the narrations and speeches of three Shi'a Imams: Jafar Sadiq, the sixth Shi'a Imam, in two narrations; 'Ali al-Rida, the eighth Shi'a Imam, in five narrations; and Muhammad al-Taqi, the ninth Shi'a Imam, who pronounced that whoever visits Masumeh in Qom will go to heaven.
A prominent aspect of Fatemeh Masumeh is her ability to provide intercession. According to the narrations of Jafar Sadiq and 'Ali al-Rida, Fatemeh Masumeh will intercede for the Shi'a on the Day of Judgment so that all of them will enter Paradise.
Another prominent aspect of Fatemeh Masumeh, as Jafar Sadiq pointed out, is that the shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh in Qom is deemed to be the shrine of all Shi'a Imams. This means that all twelve Shi'a Imams are present in the shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh and whoever visits Fatemeh Masumeh in Qom is deemed to have visited all twelve Shi'a Imams.
A notable feature of Fatemeh Masumeh is the title "Masumeh" given to her by 'Ali al-Rida. "Masumeh" in Arabic means "pure and innocent". 'Ali al-Rida's purpose in giving this name to his sister was to indicate that Fatemeh Masumeh was a pure and innocent human being. This feature is very important for Shiites and indicates that Fatemeh Masumeh has a degree of infallibility.
Hamidah, Fatemeh's grandmother and the mother of Fatemeh’s father (Musa al-Kadim) was also the owner of Fatemeh's mother, Najmah Khatun, a slave of African descent. Hamidah had a dream that the Prophet Muhammad told her that Najmah needed to become the wife of her son, Musa, so that Najmah could birth “the best people in the world”. While Najmah was more focused on the son, Imam al-Rida, she would also give birth to Fatemeh as a product of the marriage.
It is written that even before she was born, Shi'a Imams foretold of Fatemeh Masumeh's holiness and piety. Fatemeh was born into Shi'a royalty, being raised under the care of two Imams - her father and her brother - and she is said to have absorbed their knowledge and holiness.
Fatemeh Masumeh was born in Medina in 173 AH (790 CC) and spent the first six years of her life learning alongside her father, Imam Musa al-Kadim. She had a special gift of knowledge and spiritual awareness, even in childhood. When she was ten years old, Harun al-Rashid, the 5th caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate sent her father (Musa) to prison. This separation was very difficult for Fatemeh, but her brother 'Ali (who was 25 years her senior) took care of her.
'Ali and Fatemeh were among Imam Musa al-Kadim's 37 children, but they were the only two children from the Imam's marriage to Najmah Khatun. Their mother was a former slave from North Africa who became very learned in Islamic teachings under the guidance of Imam Musa al-Kadim's mother, Hamidah. 'Ali would later become the 8th Imam and gain the title Imam 'Ali al-Rida. The historian al-Tabari states that 'Al-Rida' means "The One Well-pleasing [to God]." 'Ali was appointed successor to the Abbasid Caliph al-Mamun, but he was hesitant in accepting this role. As 'Ali al-Rida received the title of "Crown Prince" , some people refused to accept his role amidst civil war. 'Ali al-Rida revealed the extent of this revolt to al-Mamun, stating that people considered him (al-Mamun) "bewitched and mentally deranged"; were hiding reports from him; and had given their allegiance to his paternal uncle Ibrahim ibn al-Madhi instead of him.
In 200 AH (815 CC), al-Mamun called for 'Ali al-Rida to leave for Khorasan. Fatemeh Masumeh was forced to live apart from her brother. After one year of separation from her brother, Fatemeh Masumeh decided to join him. She did not leave solely because of her wish to live near her brother; but also because Fatemeh Masumeh's knowledge and religiosity could help her brother in his political office, especially in decisions regarding women. In 201 AH (816 CC), she set off in a caravan with 23 family members and friends of Imam 'Ali al-Rida, alongside another caravan of 12,000 people traveling to Khorasan.
The caravans never made it to Khorasan, and Fatemeh Masumeh never reached her brother. The caravans were attacked by agents of the caliph while at Saveh. Some fled, but many were wounded, taken prisoner, or killed. Fatima Masumeh survived, but was forced to watch the murders of the 23 close family members and friends. It is written that Fatemeh Masumeh was then poisoned by a woman. Fatemeh became ill and asked to be taken to Qom.
Fatemeh Masumeh died in Qom at the age of 26. She was buried in her host's land in Qom.
The Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh is located in Qom, which is considered by Shi'a Muslims to be the second most sacred city in Iran after Mashhad.
In Shi'a Islam, women are often revered as saints if they are close relatives to one of the Twelver Imams. Fatemeh Masumeh is therefore honored as a saint, and her shrine in Qom is considered one of the most significant Shi'a shrines in Iran. Every year, thousands of Shi'a Muslims travel to Qom to honor Fatemeh Masumeh and ask her for blessings.
Also buried within the shrine are three daughters of the ninth Twelver Shī‘a Imām Muhammad al-Taqi.
The mosque consists of a burial chamber, three courtyards and three large prayer halls, totaling an area of 38,000 square meters (410,000 square feet). The three prayer halls are named: Tabataba'i, Bala Sar, and A'dham.
Although Shi'a theology formally states that the relatives of the Imams, the imamzadehs, hold a lower status than the Imams, popular Shi'ism still strongly venerates imamzadehs. In Iran, there are many more burial places of the Imams' relatives than there are for the Imams themselves. Imamzadehs are considered to be close to God and religiously pious because of their close relation to Imams. The Shi'a commonly travel on pilgrimages to shrines of imamzadehs, such as the Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh, the sister of the 8th Imam 'Ali al-Rida, in Qom, Iran. Men and women seek cures to ailments, solutions to problems, and forgiveness of sins at these sites. Many hadiths, or teachings, are recorded from Shi'a Imams praising the veneration of Fatemeh Masumeh, and proclaiming that those who make a pilgrimage to her Shrine will "certainly be admitted to heaven."
Fatemeh Masumeh's Shrine in Qom is crowded every day of the year with Shi'a men, women, and children from all around the world. Some stay for hours or days praying at the mosque and circumambulating around her tomb. The economy of Qom has become reliant on this pilgrimage for the tourism it brings. In turn, Qom has remained conservative and traditional to maintain a pious environment for pilgrims. Many miracles have been recorded as taking place at this shrine, and they are documented in a special office within the shrine complex. Some are published in the shrines monthly newspaper, the Payam-e Astan.
Pilgrims at the Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh follow rituals that have been passed down for centuries. Imam 'Ali al-Rida, Fatemeh Masumeh's brother, outlined these ritual acts as he described the way he visited her Shrine. The prayer Imam al-Rida dictated to his sister continues to be part of the pilgrimage. Since the Safavid period, additional rituals have been added that are now typical for many Shi'a pilgrimages including ritual washing beforehand, dressing in perfumed clothing, and entering the site with one's right foot.
Since the beginning of Qom's history in the 7th century of the Christian calendar, the city has been associated with Shi'ism and set apart from the Sunni caliphate. Many Shi'a hadiths referred to Qom as a "place of refuge for believers," calling it a deeply religious place. After Fatemeh Masumeh's death in Qom and the construction of her Shrine, scholars began to gather in Qom and the city gained its reputation for religious learning. Today, Qom is still noted for its religious seminaries and organizations.
The style of Fatemeh Masumeh's Shrine has developed over many centuries. At first, her tomb was covered with a bamboo canopy. Fifty years later, this was replaced by a more durable domed building, at the request of the daughter of Imam Muhammad al-Taqi, Sayyida Zaynab. The family of Sayyida Zaynab later added a further two domes to the Shrine. These architectural projects marked the beginning of female patronage of the tomb of Fatemeh Masumeh.
From 1795–1796, Fath Ali Shah Qajar converted two Safavid sahn or courtyards into one large courtyard and, in 1803, fixed the golden dome. In 1883, Amin al-Sultan added the new sahn e-jadid or "New Court" to the Shrine complex.
During the Ayatollah Khomeini's 1979 Iranian Revolution, Qom was named "the birthplace" of this movement. Khomeini studied in Qom and lived there at the beginning and end of the Revolution. Aspects of the culture of Qom, including the Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh, were used to unite the Iranian people over significant historical and mythical events. Khomeini used images of the Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh in posters, money, and stamps created during the Revolution. Khomeini also constructed an addition to the Shrine of Fatemeh Masumeh and added more space for pilgrims. In addition, the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini utilizes architectural elements that are similar to Fatemeh Masumeh's Shrine, such as the golden dome.
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A Partial Bibliography:
Allan, James W. (2012). The Art and Architecture of Twelver Shi'ism: Iraq, Iran, and the Indian Sub-Continent. Oxford, England: Azimuth Editions.
Betteridge, Anne H. (2002). "Muslim Women and Shrines in Shiraz". In Donna Lee Bowen and Evelyn A. Early (ed.). Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East (Second Edition). Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press.
Canby, Sheila R. (2009) Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran. London, England: The British Museum Press.
Hattstein, Markus and Delius, Peter (ed.) (2001). Islam: Art and Architecture. Cologne, Germany: Konemann Verlagsgellschaft.
Jaffer, Masuma (2003). Lady Fatima Masuma (a) of Qom. Qom, Iran: Jami'at al-Zahra: Islamic Seminary for Women.
Lewis, B. "Ali al-Rida". Encyclopedia of Islam, Second Edition. BrillOnline Reference Works.
Tabari (1987). Translated by C. E. Bosworth (ed.). The History of al-Tabari: The Reunification of the 'Abassid Caliphate: Volume 32. New York, New York: State University of New York.
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A Partial Listing of Wikipedia Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_al-Ridha
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatimah_bint_Musa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatima_Masumeh_Shrine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Imams
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