Fatimah (peace be upon her) did not live according to the norms, accepted by the society. She always felt a thorn in her eyes and was tormented by it, as the thorn that her husband felt in his eyes, and that was the poisonous thorn of the Caliphs’ arrogance.
The human-like bullies tried to belittle her grandeur and sublimity and did intolerable damages on her soul and body. The torments were diverse and painful for her. Some of them were:
1. Ummah Discrepancy:
The discrepancy among Ummah took roots from the arrogance of the chieftains’ of the society. Once, they were living in ignorance, contempt and disgrace, but it was Mohammed (peace be upon him and his descendants), who managed to elevate their minds and ranks. Soon after his demise, they passed everything into oblivion; and as a result, they weakened the Islam.
Disunity for Islamic Ummah was a grief and took root from the Caliphs’ disobedience, which caused the collapse of the regulations, and jeopardized the life of the newly-established Islam in the days of Fatima (peace be upon her).
Being in fact the guardian of Islam, she suffered from these threats, because she was witnessing the devoted efforts of her father, her husband, and the great men of Islam in vain, and the blood of the martyrs, futile. Due to this fact, she expected a dark future for Islam.
Fatimah (peace be upon her) never complained that why she had got a poor life, never cried that why she had not got wealth and property, why she did not live aristocratically, but on the contrary, she felt pity for the arrogance and self-centredness, causing anxiety and disunion for the Ummah.
2. Injustice Settlement:
It was as if the whole devoted efforts of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his descendants) and the great men of Islam were to promote the ranks of the sheikhs. It was as if the people devoted themselves so as to make Abubakr attain Caliphate, and he abandoned it to Omar after himself. And on the whole, it is as if all the Muslims’ depravity, disappointment, holy wars, and conflicts were to attain position and title for Caliphs.
If only Caliphs had had any privilege over others except illogicality; if only they were truth seeking, well-intentioned, and well-aware of the ideological aspects of Islam. But unfortunately, it was not so.
Witnessing how the Caliphs’ sharp claws of arrogance had held the body and soul of Islam, how the injustice had settled itself in the place of justice, and how Ali (peace be upon him), the chosen of Allah and His Messenger, had been removed from his real position irritated Fatimah.
Fatimah (peace be upon her) was sorrowful on the account that she was observing Abubakr on the Prophet’s pulpit, and Ali (peace be upon him), who was indeed the leader, deprived from his right. Although this unjust settlement had a short life, it was intolerable for Fatimah (peace be upon her) and burnt her heart.
3. People’s Poverty:
The material poverty is not only meant here, because it can be curable, but what about the spiritual, moral, cultural, and ideological poverty? The people were in the mid of the way to attain their purpose, but the new policies prevented them from continuation, and put them on the way of ignorance, unawareness, and collapse again. Because the Caliphs had themselves nothing to deliver, and their minds could not satisfy the peoples’ needs. Therefore, the people were kept passive, and even sometimes it was pretended through imposing their ideas that truth was what they said.
Besides, she was sorrowful due to the fact that she could observe that a lot of weakened people had nowhere to resort, and nobody felt responsibility for them. They had to attach themselves to one of the poles or blocs to continue their lives, and attachment could endanger their beliefs and, as a result, Islam.
4. Lack of Confidence:
The main problem, originated by the enemy, was that the peoples’ relationship with Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon her) was limited. The society was not in parallel with Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon her), because the people did blindly obey the Caliphs, and therefore, did not elevate.
The situation in which the people were put in it signified that their future were dark. Their purpose was limited to gluttony and extravagance. Their atmosphere was polluted and pernicious. They were divested of their rights, and they had no right to complain.
Fatimah (peace be upon her) witnessed how the seed, planted today, was growing. It was as if she could foresee the stroke of the sword, killing Ali (peace be upon him), in the mosque while praying, could observe Hassan’s peace treaty for Ummah safety, could witness the martyrdom of her dear son, Hussein and his shout, saying,
“ هل من ناصر ينصرني”
[is there anyone to assist me?].
She then could see that her generation consisted of the Imams and the religious leaders were martyred in prisons because of the people’s short-sightedness as well as the wrong basis, founded in the society by unjust Caliphs.