Woman in Islamic Shari‘ah
9. Dowry
~ 200 ~
164. See, Qur’an, 12:70.
Different versions of Fatimah’s request have been
recorded in many of the books on Hadith. It seems
that she had to do all the housework herself, which
she found physically very taxing. During the early
period of her marriage, the Prophet had received a
number of captives who were to be used as slaves.
‘Ali told Fatimah about this and suggested that she
should go and ask her father to give her one of
them. When Fatimah came to the Prophet, he asked
what had brought her there. But, feeling too shy to
ask anything of him, she merely said, “I have come
to say
salam
to you,” and she went back home
without having explained her difficulties to him.
The Prophet later came to her house and asked why
she had really come. Then Fatimah said, “O Prophet
of God, both of my hands have boils on them. I
have to keep grinding and kneading the flour, so I
wanted a servant.” The Prophet replied, “Whatever
God has decreed, that you will receive. And I will
tell you something better than that. That is, when
you go to bed, glorify God 33 times and proclaim
His glory 33 times and praise him 34 times. This
makes full one hundred. Such’ action on your part
