Sulaym says: “I heard Salman al-Farsi saying: “I was sitting with the Holy Prophet (SAW) while he was in that period of illness in which he passed away. Lady Fatimah (AS) entered and when she saw the weak state of the Holy Prophet’s (SAW) health, she got into the state of crying until tears started rolling down her cheeks. The Holy Prophet (SAW) asked: “Why are you crying?” She replied “O Prophet of Allah after your death I am scared of destruction of myself and my children.” The Holy Prophet (SAW) with his eyes full of tears, said: “Oh Fatimah don’t you know? We are people of that household which Allah has chosen for the hereafter instead of this world and He ordained it necessary for all beings to be destroyed. And Allah Tabarak wa T’ala looked at the entire beings that He created and He selected me and made me a Nabi and a Rasul. Then He looked again and He chose your husband and commanded me to marry you to him and make him my caliph of my Ummah. So your father is the best amongst all Prophets and Messengers and your husband is the best amongst viziers and from all my family you are the first one to meet me. Then He looked for the third time, and He chose you and chose men from your children and the children of my brother who is your husband.
So Oh Fatimah, you are the leader of the women of Paradise and both your sons (Al Hassan and Al Husain (AS) are the the leaders of the youths of Paradise, and myself and my brother and the Imams who are my successors till the Day of Judgment are all Guides, and are themselves Guided. After my brother, amongst all the successors the first one is Hasan, then second is Husayn, after whom the nine are from Husayn’s children. All of us will be in one place in the Paradise and there will not be any place nearer to Allah than my place.
After my place there will be the place of Hadhrat Ibrahim (AS) and his children. Oh daughter, don’t you know that Allah has given you the status that you have been married to the one who is the best amongst my Ummah and the best that my whole household. He is the first one in Islam, possesses most control over anger that everyone else, is the most knowledgeable and is most prestigious than anyone else and is the most truthful in tongue, is the bravest in heart, most generous in hand and is the least attached to this world and is the best in action.
After the Holy Prophet (SAW) told the above to Lady Fatimah (AS) she was pleased and became happy.
Then the Holy Prophet (SAW) said to Fatimah: “Ali has 8 very shinning wonders and he has such merits that no other human being possessed.
He has faith in Allah and His Prophet.
There was no one from my Ummah who came forward to accept faith before him.
He had knowledge about Allah’s Book and my Sunnah and there is no one in my Ummah, except your husband, who knows absolutely all my knowledge because Allah has given me such a knowledge that except myself and him (Ali) no one else knows.
He (Allah) has not given this knowledge to Angels of messengers- He has given the knowledge only to me. He commanded me to give that knowledge to Hadhrat Ali so I did that.
Then there is no one in my Ummah who has all my knowledge. Understanding and Jurisprudence except Ali. O Fatimah you are his wife, his two sons Hasan and Husayn are my grandchildren and they are also the chosen ones of my Ummah. Only Ali is the one to do the command to do good and forbid evil. Allah the Exhalted and Praised has bestowed him with knowledge of wisdom, and the final decision.
Oh my daughter, no doubt, we are the people of that house whom Allah has bestowed seven such merits that He has not given to anyone from the beginning to the end.
I am the leader of all Prophets and Messengers and am better than them.
My successor is better that all successors.
My vizier, after me is better than all viziers.
And my martyr is better than all martyrs and his is my uncle.” (I.e. Hadrat Hamzah)
Lady Fatimah enquired: “Oh Prophet of Allah is he the best of martyrs from those who accompanied you in wars?”
The Holy Prophet replied: “No, he is the leader of martyrs from beginning to end, except Prophets and their successors. Ja’afer ibn Abi Talib who migrated twice, who was martyred, has been given two wings by Allah and with his two wings he flies with Angels in Paradise.
Hasan and Husayn, who are you children, are Sibt of Ummah and they are leaders of the youths of Paradise. By Him who has control of my life, The Guide of this Ummah is from us, who will fill the earth with as much peace and justice as there will be oppression on this earth.”
Lady Fatimah asked: “Oh Prophet of Allah, from all the names that you have mentioned who is the best of all?”
The Holy Prophet replied: “My brother Ali who is the best in my Ummah. And Hamza and Ja’far are both best in my Ummah after Ali, after you and after my two sons Hasan and Husayn, and after the successors who are from my this son (pointing toward Husayn) and from the successors, there is Mahdi (The Guide) and he who is before him is best than him, and the first one is better than the last one because the first one is the Imam of the later and the later one is vicegerent of the former. We Ahlulbayt are those for whom Allah has chose the hereafter instead of this world.”
After this the Holy Prophet looked at Lady Fatimah, her husband and their two sons and said: “Oh Salman, I say bearing Allah as witness, that I am at war with whoever is at war with these and I am at peace with whoever is at peace with them. Be informed that these will all be with me in Paradise.
Then the Holy Prophet looked at Hadhrat Ali (AS) and said: “Oh Ali, no doubt, after me you will face a lot of harshness from Quraysh, in such a manner that they will overpower you and harass you. If you find helpers to fight then with those who obey you , fight with those who oppose you. If you cannot find helpers, then have patience and restrain your hands and do not let yourself be destroyed. Because, surely, your status to me is like the stats that Haroon had with Musa and for you, the footsteps of Haroon are present. He (Haroon) had told his brother: “Surely the people reckoned me weak and had well nigh slained me” (Surah Araf: 50)