Lady Fatima was now eighteen years of age and her father had made mention to his family that he thought Ali, who had been raised with her for many years, but now lived in a very modest house near the mosque, would be the most suitable husband for her.

However, the issue had not been settled. Lady Fatima was not without suitors. Abu Bakr and Omar had both offered their hand in marriage but the Prophet (sa) deferred them saying he would wait until Allah clarified the matter. A few weeks after the Encounter at Badr, in which Ali had fought so bravely, the Prophet (sa) suggested that he might like to ask for Lady Fatima's hand in marriage.

Ali had been too shy to come forward before now as he was very poor and did not consider himself to be in a position to offer Lady Fatima a worthy dowry and drew the Prophet's attention to it. The Prophet (sa) was touched by Ali’s humility and asked referring to a piece of armor he had won at the Encounter of Badr, "What have you done with 'Huttiyah'?" Ali replied that he still owned it, whereupon the Prophet (sa) said it was sufficient for his daughter's dowry.

Ali's worldly possessions were indeed meager, all he owned was the piece of armor, a sheep skin and an old piece of Yemeni cloth that he used as a sheet. However, now that he had received encouragement from the Prophet (sa) he asked Lady Fatima for her hand in marriage in the presence of her father.

It was customary in those days for brides-to-be not to answer her suitor if she was agreeable to his proposal, so Lady Fatima remained silent and Ali knew that his proposal had been accepted. Up until now, several schools of Islamic jurisprudence consider a prospective bride’s shy silence as an indication of acceptance to a proposal.

A Home for the Blessed Couple

One of the Ansar, Haritha, Numan's son, owned many houses and had already given several of them to the Prophet (sa) who accepted them graciously and then given them to those in need. Lady Fatima knew of Haritha's generosity, and asked her father if it might be possible for him to also give them one.

The Prophet (sa) was reluctant to press upon Haritha's generosity, however, when Haritha learned of Lady Fatima's forthcoming marriage he went immediately to the Prophet (sa) saying, "Whatever I have is yours. By Allah, whenever you accept any of my houses, it gives me greater pleasure than if I still owned them." Haritha's generous offer was accepted and Ali with his bride-to-be now had a home awaiting them.

As a wedding gift, the Prophet (sa) gave his daughter and Ali a bed woven from Arkanda fiber. A leather mattress stuffed with soft palm leaves, a water-skin, two sets of mill stones with which to grind grain, and two earthenware pitchers. When the day of the marriage arrived, Lady Ayesha and Lady Umm Salama went together to prepare the house for the young couple and soft sand was brought then strewn over the floor. In celebration of the occasion, the Prophet (sa) requested that a ram be sacrificed and prepared in readiness for their guests.

Grain, dates, figs and perfumed water were also brought to feed their guests. It was a very happy occasion and one that was well remembered for a long time afterwards. As the celebration drew to a close the Prophet (sa) arose and left whereupon the guests realized that it was also time for them to leave, but just before he departed he spoke to Ali telling him not to approach Lady Fatima until after he returned.

The only person to remain behind was the faithful, long time family maid, Umm Ayman, who had consoled the Prophet (sa) upon the death of his mother nearly fifty years before, and she busied herself with tidying up after the guests had left. When the Prophet (sa) returned, Umm Ayman answered the door and he asked: "Where is my brother?" Umm Ayman was somewhat surprised and inquired, using an expression common to Arabs of that time, "May my father and mother be your ransom! O Messenger of Allah, who is your brother?"

Whereupon the Prophet (sa) replied: "Ali, the son of Abu Talib." The reply puzzled Umm Ayman and she asked: "How can he be your brother, when you have just married your daughter to him?" "It is as I said," replied the Prophet (sa) and asked her to bring some water.

Upon hearing the Prophet's voice Ali entered the room and sat down in front of him. Umm Ayman returned and gave the water to the Prophet (sa) whereupon he took a mouthful of water then returned it to the vessel. Then he dipped his hand into the vessel and sprinkled some water over Ali's shoulders, chest and arms. Then he called for his daughter and did the same, as he supplicated for blessings upon them both and upon their children.