Fātima (605?-633) was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. She was married to Alī ibn Abī Tālib. Fātima’s husband was the fourth caliph—that is, the successor to Muhammad as leader of the Muslims. He was also the central figure in the development of Shī`ah Islam.
Fātima was born in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. As a teenager, she accompanied Muhammad to Medina in 622. After her marriage to Alī, the son of one of her father’s uncles, Fātima lived in poverty and endured harshness at the hands of her husband until Muhammad reconciled them. She nursed her father in his last illness. She died shortly after him, having disputed her inheritance with Abū Bakr, Muhammad’s successor. The Fātimid dynasty (909-1171), which founded Cairo and ruled much of northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, claimed descent from Fātima.
See also Fātimid dynasty ; Muhammad .
