Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Shahid Motahari Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran
The renowned Divine Saying (Ḥadīth al-Qudsī) or Prophetic tradition: "Had it not been for you, I would not have created the celestial spheres; and had it not been for Ali, I would not have created you; and had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" is among the narrations cited in Islamic sources to express the status and station of the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT), particularly Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH). This proposition, specifically its concluding segment, has consistently garnered the attention of Muslim thinkers, especially the gnostics (ʿurafāʾ), raising the mystical inquiry: How can the role of Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH) be elucidated as the final cause for the creation of the Prophet (PBUH) and Imam Ali (PBUH) within the specific context of this tradition? The present article, employing a descriptive-analytical method grounded in the principles of Islamic Theoretical Gnosis. analyzes the esoteric and mystical significations of this proposition. In this regard, following a brief survey of the sources and primary semantic layers of the ḥadīth, key mystical principles and concepts-such as the levels of divine manifestations, the perfect man, ontological guardianship (wilāyah al-takwīniyyah), and the role of the "Divine Feminine Principle" in the cosmic order-are discussed. Subsequently, citing the views of prominent Gnostics, the station of Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH) is elucidated as the supreme manifestation of divine names and attributes, the final cause for the continuity of the Light of Prophethood) within the lineage of the Imamate, and the intermediary of grace in the ontological system. Key research findings indicate that this ḥadīth does not signify the ontological superiority of Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH) over the Prophet (PBUH) and Imam Ali (PBUH) in all dimensions, but rather emphasizes her existential centrality, peerless role, and unique necessity in the complete realization of the final cause of creation and the perpetuation of divine guidance from a mystical perspective. Within this framework, Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH) is the ultimate manifestation of servitude and absolute receptivity for the reception of divine grace, without contradicting the overall superiority of the Prophet as the comprehensive Perfect Man. This analysis contributes to a more profound understanding of the station of Lady Fāṭimah (PBUH) within the mystical geometry of the universe.
ابنعربی، محییالدین. (بیتا). الفتوحات المکیة. بیروت: دار صادر.
امام خمینی، سید روحالله. (۱۳۷۸ش). شرح دعای سحر (ترجمه و شرح سید احمد فهری). تهران: مؤسسۀ تنظیم و نشر آثار امام خمینی(ره).
امام خمینی، سید روحالله. (۱۳۷۲ش). مصباح الهدایة إلی الخلافة و الولایة (مقدمه و تصحیح سید جلالالدین آشتیانی). تهران: مؤسسۀ تنظیم و نشر آثار امام خمینی(ره).
بحرانی اصفهانی، شیخ عبدالله. (۱۴۱۳ق). عوالم العلوم و المعارف و الأحوال من الآیات و الأخبار و الأقوال (قسم فاطمة الزهراء). تحقیق مؤسسة الإمام المهدی(عج). قم: مؤسسة الإمام المهدی(عج).
جیلی، عبدالکریم بن ابراهیم. (۱۹۸۱م). الإنسان الکامل فی معرفة الأواخر و الأوائل (تحقیق ابیعبدالرحمن صلاح بن محمد بن عویضه). بیروت: دارالکتب العلمیه.
Ebadi, M. (2025). Mystical Analysis of the Narrative Proposition "Had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" and Elucidating its Compatibility with the Ranks of Prophethood and Imamate. Hadith doctrines, 9(18), 111-127. doi: 10.30513/hd.2026.7601.1317
MLA
Ebadi, M. . "Mystical Analysis of the Narrative Proposition "Had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" and Elucidating its Compatibility with the Ranks of Prophethood and Imamate", Hadith doctrines, 9, 18, 2025, 111-127. doi: 10.30513/hd.2026.7601.1317
HARVARD
Ebadi, M. (2025). 'Mystical Analysis of the Narrative Proposition "Had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" and Elucidating its Compatibility with the Ranks of Prophethood and Imamate', Hadith doctrines, 9(18), pp. 111-127. doi: 10.30513/hd.2026.7601.1317
CHICAGO
M. Ebadi, "Mystical Analysis of the Narrative Proposition "Had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" and Elucidating its Compatibility with the Ranks of Prophethood and Imamate," Hadith doctrines, 9 18 (2025): 111-127, doi: 10.30513/hd.2026.7601.1317
VANCOUVER
Ebadi, M. Mystical Analysis of the Narrative Proposition "Had it not been for Fāṭimah, I would not have created the two of you" and Elucidating its Compatibility with the Ranks of Prophethood and Imamate. Hadith doctrines, 2025; 9(18): 111-127. doi: 10.30513/hd.2026.7601.1317