Fatimah bint Muhammad

Fatimah was the youngest daughter of the Prophet and Khadijah. The Prophet said: 'Fatimah is a part of me; whoever angers her has angered me.' She was said to most closely resemble the Prophet in her walk, her speech, and her manner. She grew up during the most difficult period of the Makkan persecution. As a young girl, she once wiped the filth that the Quraysh had placed on her father's back while he was praying at the Ka'bah, weeping as she did so. The Prophet comforted her and prayed against those who did it. She married Ali ibn Abi Talib with a very modest mahr — his shield, which he sold. Their life together was simple. She would grind grain by hand until her hands blistered and carry water until her chest ached. When she asked the Prophet for a servant, he taught her and Ali instead to say 'SubhanAllah' 33 times, 'Alhamdulillah' 33 times, and 'Allahu Akbar' 34 times before sleeping, saying: 'This is better for you than a servant.' When the Prophet was in his final illness, he whispered something to Fatimah and she wept. He whispered again and she smiled. Aisha later asked her what he said. Fatimah replied: 'First he told me he would die from this illness, so I wept. Then he told me I would be the first of his family to join him, and that I am the leader of the women of Paradise, so I smiled.' She passed away six months after the Prophet — the first of his family to join him, as he had told her. The Prophet said: 'The best women of the world are four: Maryam bint Imran, Asiyah wife of Pharaoh, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, and Fatimah bint Muhammad.'