No one was more caring and loving of his family than the Prophet. His kindness was exemplary. Everyone of his household spoke of his kindness. Indeed even those who served him spoke of his exemplary conduct. One of them stated that he spent ten years in the Prophet’s service and the Prophet never told him off for any mistake he made or omission of any task. But the Prophet was also a model husband and a model father. One of his dearest relatives was his youngest daughter, Fatimah.
Aishah, the Prophet’s wife reports: "I have never seen anyone who was closer to the Prophet in conversation, speech or the way they sat than Fatimah. When the Prophet saw her coming, he welcomed her and stood up to greet her and kissed her. He would then take her hand in his hand and seat her in his position. If the Prophet went to visit her, she would welcome him and stand to greet him and kiss him. Once she came to him when he was in his last illness, shortly before he died. He welcomed her and kissed her and whispered something in her ear. She cried.
Then he whispered to her again and she laughed. I said to other women, ‘I used to think that this woman has a higher status than other women, but I see that she is just like them. She laughs just as she is crying.’ I asked her what the Prophet said to her, and she answered, ‘If I tell, I would be unworthy of a secret.’ After the Prophet’s death she said, ‘He whispered to me that he was to die soon and I cried. Then he told me that I would be the first of his household to join him, and I was pleased with that’." (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood and Al-Nassaie).
The first thing to say about this Hadith is the close relationship between the Prophet and his youngest daughter, Fatimah. We find in his behavior toward her something that is rarely done by a father. He was apparently very pleased to see her at any time. He would welcome her at a distance, and then would stand to greet her and he would kiss her. Fathers may have a very close relation with their sons or daughters, and they may spoil their daughters, but it is rarely the case that a father would stand to greet his daughter and kiss her. Fatimah would do the same every time her father, the Prophet, visited her.
The particular occasion this Hadith deals with is one of the latest in the Prophet’s life. He was in his last illness, shortly before his death. Fatimah’s presence gave him pleasure which is indicated in his greeting and whispering to her, giving her first the sad news of his approaching death, and then the happier news that she would be the first to join him. Again this reiterates their close relationship.
In this Hadith we have the statement of Aishah, one of the closest relatives of the Prophet remarking on the close similarity between the Prophet’s manner in his speech and movement and that of her step daughter, Fatimah, the youngest of the Prophet’s children. She makes a further comment later in this Hadith, stating that she used to think very highly of Fatimah, but when she saw her crying then laughing in quick succession, she felt that she did not have such a status, as her feelings could swing so easily.
Yet the change of mood filled Aishah, and probably others, with curiosity and she asked Fatimah what her father, the Prophet, told her. The answer shows that Fatimah was fully aware of the Islamic moral standards, revealing nothing of what was told to her in secret. However, when the Prophet had passed away, she was free to disclose what he had told her, since it became partly known. The Prophet told her that he was dying, and after he had actually passed away, that part of the conversation was no longer a secret. The other part concerned Fatimah herself and she was free to tell it.
A point in this Hadith that merits further discussion is that of standing up to meet someone as he or she arrives. The Hadith mentions that the Prophet used to stand to greet his daughter, and she did likewise. Here we note that the two people involved are father and daughter. It is normal, and well in line with Islamic manners, that a son or a daughter stands up when their parents come in. It is a gesture of genuine respect. But the Prophet’s standing when his daughter comes in is a gesture of genuine love and kindness. In neither case, there could be any confusion of feelings or action.
The point about standing up to express respect or high esteem is highly relevant. At certain points, the Prophet indicated that this is not an acceptable behavior. Consider the following Hadith reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah, a companion by the Prophet: "The Prophet was ill, and he was leading us in prayer. He was seated, while Abu Bakr was repeating the takbeer so that the congregation could hear. The Prophet turned slightly to us and saw that we were standing. He signaled us and we all sat down to pray in the same position he prayed. When he finished his prayer, he said, ‘You were about to do the same as the Persians and the Byzantines: they would stand in the presence of their kings who would be seated. Do not do that; rather, do as your prayer leaders do. If the imam prays standing, you stand up; and if he prays seated, you also sit’." (Related by Muslim and Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).
In this Hadith the Prophet makes it clear that the congregation should do like the imam. If the imam can only pray in the seated position because of an illness or an injury, the congregation should do likewise. According to Imam Malik and Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan of the Hanafi school of Fiqh, this is obligatory, to the extent that if the congregation stand when the imam is seated, the prayer is invalid. However, other schools of Fiqh consider that permissible relying on other equally strong evidence.
As for standing up to meet respected people, there are Hadiths which show that this is permissible when there is no question of confusing this with glorifying the person concerned, as in the case of Saad ibn Mu’ath when he was to rule in the case of the Jews of Quraythah. As he entered, the Prophet told everyone in his main tent, saying: "Stand up to meet your master." On the other hand, Anas ibn Malik, a close companion of the Prophet reports: "They (meaning the Prophet’s companions) did not love to see anyone more than they loved to see the Prophet. When they saw him, they would not stand up to greet him, because they were well aware that he disliked that they should stand up." (Related by Al-Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, Ahmad and Al-Tirmidhi)
