A question arises as to why she was given this title of “Masuma”? Was she infallible in the same sense as the 14 Ma’sumeen? Several scholars believe that some of the noble personalities from the household of the Holy Prophet (SAW), such as Lady Zainab (A), Hazrat Abbas (A) and Lady Fatima Masuma (AS), due to their proximity to the Ma’sumeen have acquired a high state of purity.

Infallibility has two meanings: infallible from error and infallible from sin. When speaking of the infallibility of the Ma’sumeen (A), both these meanings apply, but when speaking about special and noble people as those mentioned above, the latter meaning of infallible from sin is meant.

The title, Karima Ahl al-Bayt, means “Noble one of the family of the Prophet (SAW).” This title was given to her by either Imam al-Baqir (A) or Imam Sadiq (A) in a dream seen by Ayatollah Sayyid Mahmud Mar’ashi Najafi, the author of Mashjirat al-Alawiyin.

This noble man was very interested in finding the exact location of the burial place of Lady Fatima Zahra (A), and for this purpose he spend 40 days supplicating, so that he could be privileged with this information.

On the 40th night, after the completion of his prayers, he went to sleep and in his dream he saw himself present at the grave of either Imam al-Baqir (A) or Imam Sadiq (A) in Jannat al-Baqi in Madina. Imam (A) said to him: “I advise you to go to the Karimat (Noble one) of the Ahl al-Bayt.”

He thought that by Karimat Ahl al-Bayt, Imam (A) was referring to Lady Fatima Zahra (A), and so he answered, “Yes, I have been supplicating for this very purpose, so that I may know the exact place of the holy grave of this noble personality, enabling me to perform her pilgrimage.”

The Imam (A) said, “I meant the holy grave of Lady Fatima Masuma (AS) in Qum.” Then the Imam (A) added, “It is Allah’s desire that the location of the holy grave of Lady Fatima Zahra (A) be hidden from everyone.”

Therefore, the Imam (A) has placed the grave of Lady Fatima Masuma (AS) in place of the grave of Lady Fatima Zahra (A), and so all the honour and grandeur that would have been accorded to the grave of Lady Fatima Zahra (AS) should be given to the grave of Lady Fatima Masuma (A).

On waking from his dream, the late Mar’ashi made an intention to travel to Qum with his family, in order to perform the pilgrimage of Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and he carried out this intention without delay.

The late Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Shahab al-Din Mar’ashi Najafi, the son of the late Mar’ashi mentioned in the dream above, migrated to Iran in the year 1342 AH. He often cited that one of the reasons for his emigration to Iran was the dream of his father.

The late Grand Ayatollah entered the seminary in Qum in the year 1343 AH and here, he lived in the proximity of Lady Fatima Masuma (AS) until his death in 1411 AH. For over sixty years, he was the first person to perform the pilgrimage of this noble lady. He would wait outside her shrine for the doors to be opened.

In 200 AH, Ma’moon (the 7th Abbasid Caliph), demanded Imam Ali Al-Ridha’s (A) presence in Khurasan. The departure of Lady Fatima’s brother increased sorrow in her heart for it was not long ago that she was separated from her father, the 7th Imam (A).

After a difficult year of separation from her beloved brother, Lady Fatima Masuma (A) decided to go to Khurasan. She began the journey from Madina in the year 201 AH, accompanied by a caravan made up of some members of her household and friends of the Imam (A).

According to one narration, the Imam (A) wrote a letter to his sister, which he sent to her with one his servants, instructing him to hasten to Madina without stopping anywhere on the way.

After receiving the letter from her brother, Lady Fatima Masuma (A), immediately prepared herself for the journey to Khurasan via Saweh.

According to another tradition, the Imam (A) wrote a letter to all his family members, inviting them to come to Khurasan.

It is narrated that after the arrival of this letter, a group consisting of the sons and other family members of the Imam (A), and other Shi’a, numbering over 12000 people made their way to Khurasan.

We find in narration that two separate caravans headed towards Khurasan. One of these groups was the one that Lady Fatima Masuma (A) was in. It was comprised of 23 people, under the leadership of Harun ibn Musa ibn Ja’far.

The other group travelling to Khurasan consisted of about 12,000 people under the leadership of Ahmad ibn Musa ibn Ja’far.

These caravans reached a town called Saweh on their way. Here they were attacked by enemies of the family of the Holy Prophet (SAW).

Many were martyred, including Harun, and many others were wounded or taken as prisoners. A few managed to flee. A woman from the enemies put poison in the food of Lady Fatima Masuma (A) and she became ill.

When Lady Fatima Masuma (A) became ill at Saweh, she enquired from her companions, how far Qum was. She was told 10 farsakh (approx. 60km). She asked to be taken to Qum, which at the time was a centre of the Shi’a. Saweh, on the other hand was hostile towards the family of the Holy Prophet (SAW.)

It is believed that Lady Fatima Masuma (A) died on the 10th or the 12th of Rabi al-Thani and that she spent the last 16 or 17 days of her life in Qum.

The full preliminary results from Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections point to the victory of the coalition led by former premier Iyad Allawi over its main rival and incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
According to the Shiite News Monitoring Desk, Securing 91 seats in the 325-member Council of Representatives, two more than those won by Maliki’s State of Law coalition, Allawi’s secular al-Iraqiya Alliance backed by Saudia Arabia and United States came victorious out of the March 7 elections, Iraqi electoral officials announced on Friday.
Allawi’s bloc won 91 seats and the State of Law coalition gained 89. The Iraqi National Alliance, dominated by Shiite parties, got 70 seats and a Kurdish alliance got 43.
Mr Allawi, a secular Shia and former loyalist of Saddam, will need to form a coalition government as he lacks a majority, amid fears the results may spark violence.
Political observers believed that Saudia and America backed Iraqiya coalition led by Ayad Allawi will not able to form the coalition government as the other coalitions have not interested to form the government with Saddam loyalist.
According to the Shiite News Correspondent from Baghdad says the coalition with the largest seats will be given “a first shot” to form a government which must hold at least a majority of 163 seats in the council.

According to the Iraqi constitution, if Allawi fails to do so within 30 days, the Iraqi president, who is elected by parliament, will designate the leader of another political list to form a coalition government. Following the results announcement, Allawi pledged to “work with all sides” to form a coalition government.
More than 6,200 candidates from six major coalitions and several other tribal and ethnic minority groups vied for the parliamentary seats on March 7, with Allawi and Maliki deemed as the main contenders.
Prior to the announcement, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supporters took to the streets, echoing the call by the premier and President Jalal al-Talabani who had requested recount of the ballots.
Al-Maliki has asked for a manual recount as members of his State of Law coalition and other blocs have alleged voter fraud as the margin of votes separating the candidates has narrowed.
He has pledged to appeal the results to the federal court.
“The electoral commission refused our demand for a manual recount and insisted on refusing despite the demand of the president and my demands as a prime minister and the commander in chief of the armed forces,” al-Maliki told reporters. “The reasons behind their refusal were unknown.” However after the announcement Maliki says that the results are not yet final, AFP reported.
Speaking directly after the figures released by the electoral commission, Mr Maliki challenged the result and repeated his call for the electoral commission to recount the vote.
He added that his bloc would press ahead with plans to form the new government.
He demanded that the controversial de-Baathficiation law, under which those with links to Saddam Hussain’s Baath party are excluded from public office, should be applied to candidates who won seats in the parliament.
This is while the United Nations representative in the country called the electoral process “credible” and a “success” and urged the candidates to “accept the results.”

Protest demonstrations were held in the Sindh Province against the failure of the Government to arrest the terrorists involved in the bomb blast incidents on Ashura and Chehlum-e-Imam Hussain (AS) processions in Karachi add the attack of terrorists on Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) processions in the country.

According to the Shiite News Correspondent, the protest demonstrations were held in the several cities and districts of the Sindh province on the appeal of Majlis-e-Wahdate Muslameen (MWM) Sindh.

Addressing the central protest demonstration held outside the Noor-e-Iman Mosque in Karachi, MWM Central leader Maulana Hassan Zafar Naqvi vehemently condemned the arrest of innocent Shia people from the metropolis and denounced the Government failure to arrest terrorists involved in the Ashura and Arbaeen processions bomb blasts and attacks on Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) processions.

He criticized the political and religious parties over their support to the outlawed terrorist’s outfits saying that the support of these political parties to the terrorist’s organization would promote the sectarian violence in the country.

He urged the government to arrest the terrorists of outlawed organization to maintain the religious harmony in the country.

A policeman who along with other security men was escorting the vehicle of Allama Hasan Turabi when the latter was killed in a blast identified three suspects in an anti-terrorism court on Thursday.Sultan Mahmood alias Saifullah, Mohammad Amin alias Khalid Shaheen, Mohammad Akbar Khan, Mohammad Rehman alias Mani, Ashfaq Qureshi and Raheemullah alias Ali Hasan, who are stated to be associated with banned militants outfits, are charged with masterminding a suicide attack on Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal leader Allama Hasan Turabi on July 14, 2006.Two witnesses appeared before the court and testified during the trial on Thursday.Eyewitness Mohammad Altaf, who was escorting the vehicle along with other policemen, identified Sultan Mahmood, Mohammad Amin and Mohammad Rehman and deposed that he saw them on motorbikes outside the Gulshan-i-Iqbal residence of Allama Hasan Turabi when the vehicle reached there.He testified that a man posing as a beggar then appeared and tried to approach Allama Turabi. As a victim’s nephew tried to stop the ‘beggar’ he blew himself up, the witness said, adding that the three accused disappeared after the blast.