‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet's wives were sitting with him when Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came to visit him in his final illness. Fātimah came in walking exactly like the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). It was the Prophet's habit to stand up for his daughter, kiss her, and let her sit in his place. So he welcomed her and let her sit next to him. ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) then mentioned that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) talked secretly to Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her), who therefore wept heavily. When the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) saw that she was very sad, he talked once again secretly to her, so she laughed. ‘Ā’ishah asked Fātimah why she wept although she had such a privilege of being told a secret by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) apart from his wives. Fātimah said that she would not divulge the Prophet's secret. However, when the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) died, ‘Ā’ishah adjured Fātimah to tell her what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) had told her. Fātimah agreed to tell her this time. She said that she cried the first time because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told her that Jibrīl used to study the Qur'an with him once or twice every year, but that time it was twice. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) believed this was an indication that his life was coming to an end. He asked Fātimah to adhere to piety and have patience, and told her that the honor of being the Prophet's descendant would compensate the grief of separating from him by his death. So Fātimah cried and was very sad. Then, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) told her another secret; he assured her that she is the cream of Muslim women, so she laughed. As this Hadīth reports, Fātimah laughed because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed her that she would be the chief of the women of Paradise. However, there are other narrations stating that in the second time he talked secretly to her, she laughed for the following reasons: 1. He told her that she would be the first of his family to die after him. 2. He told her that she would be the chief of the women of Paradise. This, along with the first, is the preponderant opinion. 3. He told her that Jibrīl told him that no Muslim woman has more excellent offspring than her, and asked her not to be the least patient. It remains that ‘Ā'ishah's keenness for knowledge pushed her to ask Fātimah what secret the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) confided to her. But the Prophet's daughter said that she would not disclose the Prophet's secret. This is the point of the Hadīth. When the restriction ended by the Prophet's death, she told her about the secret speech. Finally, this Hadīth tells something about the future, and this thing happened as described. It is agreed that Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the first of the Prophet's family to die after him, even before his wives (may Allah be pleased with them).
بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين لسليم الهلالي، ط1، دار ابن الجوزي، الدمام، 1415ه. تطريز رياض الصالحين للشيخ فيصل المبارك، ط1، تحقيق: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل حمد، دار العاصمة، الرياض، 1423 هـ. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428 هـ. رياض الصالحين، ط4، تحقيق: عصام هادي، وزارة الأوقاف والشؤون الإسلامية القطرية، دار الريان، بيروت، 1428هـ. كنوز رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين برئاسة حمد بن ناصر العمار، ط1، كنوز إشبيليا، الرياض، 1430هـ. شرح رياض الصالحين للشيخ ابن عثيمين، دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، 1426هـ. صحيح البخاري، تحقيق: محمد زهير بن ناصر الناصر، ط1، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، 1422ه. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت. نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين لمجموعة من الباحثين، ط14، مؤسسة الرسالة، 1407هـ. فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري، لابن حجر العسقلاني، الناشر: دار المعرفة - بيروت، 1379 شرح العقيدة الواسطية، لابن عثيمين، دار ابن الجوزي، الطبعة السابعة، 1422ه.