Once Fatima came walking and her gait resembled the gait of the Prophet ﷺ . The Prophet ﷺ said, "Welcome, O my daughter!" Then he made her sit on his right or on his left side, and then he told her a secret and she started weeping. I asked her, "Why are you weeping?" He again told her a secret and she started laughing. I said, "I never saw happiness so near to sadness as I saw today." I asked her what the Prophet ﷺ had told her. She said, "I would never disclose the secret of Messenger of Allah ﷺ." When the Prophet ﷺ died, I asked her about it. She replied. "The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Every year Gabriel used to revise the Qur'an with me once only, but this year he has done so twice. I think this portends my death, and you will be the first of my family to follow me.' So I started weeping. Then he said. 'Don't you like to be the chief of all the ladies of Paradise or the chief of the believing women? So I laughed for that."  

كَأَنَّ مِشْيَتَهَا مَشْىُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَرْحَبًا بِابْنَتِي ثُمَّ أَجْلَسَهَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ أَوْ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ ثُمَّ أَسَرَّ إِلَيْهَا حَدِيثًا فَبَكَتْ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا لِمَ تَبْكِينَ ثُمَّ أَسَرَّ إِلَيْهَا حَدِيثًا فَضَحِكَتْ فَقُلْتُ مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ فَرَحًا أَقْرَبَ مِنْ حُزْنٍ فَسَأَلْتُهَا عَمَّا قَالَ فَقَالَتْ مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى قُبِضَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَسَأَلْتُهَا فَقَالَتْ أَسَرَّ إِلَىَّ إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ كَانَ يُعَارِضُنِي الْقُرْآنَ كُلَّ سَنَةٍ مَرَّةً وَإِنَّهُ عَارَضَنِي الْعَامَ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلاَ أُرَاهُ إِلاَّ حَضَرَ أَجَلِي وَإِنَّكِ أَوَّلُ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي لَحَاقًا بِي فَبَكَيْتُ فَقَالَ أَمَا تَرْضَيْنَ أَنْ تَكُونِي سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ أَوْ نِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَضَحِكْتُ لِذَلِكَ  

You are welcome, my daughter, and made her sit on his right side or on his left side, and then talked something secretly to her and Fatima wept. Then he talked something secretly to her and she laughed. I said to her: What makes you weep? She said: I am not going to divulge the secret of Messenger of Allah ﷺ. I (ʿA'isha) said: I have not seen (anything happening) like today, the happiness being more close to grief (as I see today) when she wept. I said to her: Has Messenger of Allah ﷺ singled you out for saying something leaving us aside? She then wept and I asked her what he said, and she said: I am not going to divulge the secrets of Messenger of Allah ﷺ. And when he died I again asked her and she said that he (the Holy Prophet) told her: Gabriel used to recite the Qur'an to me once a year and for this year it was twice and so I perceived that my death had drawn near, and that I (Fatima) would be the first amongst the members of his family who would meet him (in the Hereafter). He shall be my good forerunner and it made me weep. He again talked to me secretly (saying): Aren't you pleased that you should be the sovereign amongst the believing women or the head of women of this Ummah? And this made me laugh.  

قَالَتِ اجْتَمَعَ نِسَاءُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَلَمْ يُغَادِرْ مِنْهُنَّ امْرَأَةً فَجَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ تَمْشِي كَأَنَّ مِشْيَتَهَا مِشْيَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِابْنَتِي فَأَجْلَسَهَا عَنْ يَمِينِهِ أَوْ عَنْ شِمَالِهِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَسَرَّ إِلَيْهَا حَدِيثًا فَبَكَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ سَارَّهَا فَضَحِكَتْ أَيْضًا فَقُلْتُ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ فَقَالَتْ مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ فَرَحًا أَقْرَبَ مِنْ حُزْنٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا حِينَ بَكَتْ أَخَصَّكِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِحَدِيثِهِ دُونَنَا ثُمَّ تَبْكِينَ وَسَأَلْتُهَا عَمَّا قَالَ فَقَالَتْ مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى إِذَا قُبِضَ سَأَلْتُهَا فَقَالَتْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَدَّثَنِي أَنَّ جِبْرِيلَ كَانَ يُعَارِضُهُ بِالْقُرْآنِ كُلَّ عَامٍ مَرَّةً وَإِنَّهُ عَارَضَهُ بِهِ فِي الْعَامِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلاَ أُرَانِي إِلاَّ قَدْ حَضَرَ أَجَلِي وَإِنَّكِ أَوَّلُ أَهْلِي لُحُوقًا بِي وَنِعْمَ السَّلَفُ أَنَا لَكِ فَبَكَيْتُ لِذَلِكِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ سَارَّنِي فَقَالَ أَلاَ تَرْضَيْنَ أَنْ تَكُونِي سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَوْ سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ فَضَحِكْتُ لِذَلِكِ  

"I have not seen anyone closer in conduct, way, and manners to that of the Messenger of Allah in regards to standing and sitting, than Fatimah the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ." She said "Whenever she would enter upon the Prophet ﷺ he would stand to her and kiss her, and he would sit her in his sitting place. Whenever the Prophet ﷺ entered upon her she would stand from her seat, and kiss him and sit him in her sitting place. So when the Prophet ﷺ fell sick and Fatimah entered, she bent over and kissed him. Then she lifted her head and cried, then she bent over him and she lifted her head and laughed. So I said: 'I used to think that this one was from the most intelligent of our women, but she is really just one of the women.' So when the Prophet ﷺ died, I said to her: 'Do you remember when you bent over the Prophet ﷺ and you lifted your head and cried, then you bent over him, then you lifted your head and laughed. What caused you to do that?' She said: 'Then, I would be the one who spreads the secrets. He ﷺ told me that he was to die from his illness, so I cried. Then he told me that I would be the quickest of his family to meet up with him. So that is when I laughed.'"  

مَا رَأَيْتُ أَحَدًا أَشْبَهَ سَمْتًا وَدَلاًّ وَهَدْيًا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ فِي قِيَامِهَا وَقُعُودِهَا مِنْ فَاطِمَةَ بِنْتِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَتْ وَكَانَتْ إِذَا دَخَلَتْ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَامَ إِلَيْهَا فَقَبَّلَهَا وَأَجْلَسَهَا فِي مَجْلِسِهِ وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِذَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا قَامَتْ مِنْ مَجْلِسِهَا فَقَبَّلَتْهُ وَأَجْلَسَتْهُ فِي مَجْلِسِهَا فَلَمَّا مَرِضَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ دَخَلَتْ فَاطِمَةُ فَأَكَبَّتْ عَلَيْهِ فَقَبَّلَتْهُ ثُمَّ رَفَعَتْ رَأْسَهَا فَبَكَتْ ثُمَّ أَكَبَّتْ عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ رَفَعَتْ رَأْسَهَا فَضَحِكَتْ فَقُلْتُ إِنْ كُنْتُ لأَظُنُّ أَنَّ هَذِهِ مِنْ أَعْقَلِ نِسَائِنَا فَإِذَا هِيَ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ فَلَمَّا تُوُفِّيَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ قُلْتُ لَهَا أَرَأَيْتِ حِيْنَ أَكْبَبْتِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَرَفَعْتِ رَأْسَكِ فَبَكَيْتِ ثُمَّ أَكْبَبْتِ عَلَيْهِ فَرَفَعْتِ رَأْسَكِ فَضَحِكْتِ مَا حَمَلَكِ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَتْ إِنِّي إِذًا لَبَذِرَةٌ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ مَيِّتٌ مِنْ وَجَعِهِ هَذَا فَبَكَيْتُ ثُمَّ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنِّي أَسْرَعُ أَهْلِهِ لُحُوقًا بِهِ فَذَاكَ حِينَ ضَحِكْتُ  

“The wives of the Prophet ﷺ gathered together and not one of them lagged behind. Fatimah came, and her gait was like that of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said, ‘Welcome to my daughter.’ Then he made her sit to his left, and he whispered something to her, and she smiled. I said to her: ‘What made you weep?’ She said: ‘I will not disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ I said: ‘I never saw joy so close to grief as I saw today.’ When she wept I said: ‘Did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ tell you some special words that were not for us, then you wept?’ And I asked her about what he had said. She said: ‘I will not disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ After he died I asked her what he had said, and she said: ‘He told me that Jibra’il used to review the Qur’an with him once each year, but he had reviewed it with him twice that year, (and he said:) “I do not think but that my time is near. You will be the first of my family to join me, and what a good predecessor I am for you.” So I wept. Then he whispered to me and said: “Will you not be pleased to be the leader of the women of this Ummah?” So I smiled.’”  

قَالَتِ اجْتَمَعْنَ نِسَاءُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَلَمْ تُغَادِرْ مِنْهُنَّ امْرَأَةٌ فَجَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ كَأَنَّ مِشْيَتَهَا مِشْيَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ مَرْحَبًا بِابْنَتِي ثُمَّ أَجْلَسَهَا عَنْ شِمَالِهِ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ أَسَرَّ إِلَيْهَا حَدِيثًا فَبَكَتْ فَاطِمَةُ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ سَارَّهَا فَضَحِكَتْ أَيْضًا فَقُلْتُ لَهَا مَا يُبْكِيكِ؟ قَالَتْ مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقُلْتُ مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ فَرَحًا أَقْرَبَ مِنْ حُزْنٍ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا حِينَ بَكَتْ أَخَصَّكِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بِحَدِيثٍ دُونَنَا ثُمَّ تَبْكِينَ؟ وَسَأَلْتُهَا عَمَّا قَالَ فَقَالَتْ مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى إِذَا قُبِضَ سَأَلْتُهَا عَمَّا قَالَ فَقَالَتْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ يُحَدِّثُنِي أَنَّ جِبْرَائِيلَ كَانَ يُعَارِضُهُ بِالْقُرْآنِ فِي كُلِّ عَامٍ مَرَّةً وَأَنَّهُ عَارَضَهُ بِهِ الْعَامَ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلاَ أُرَانِي إِلاَّ قَدْ حَضَرَ أَجَلِي وَأَنَّكِ أَوَّلُ أَهْلِي لُحُوقًا بِي وَنِعْمَ السَّلَفُ أَنَا لَكِ فَبَكَيْتُ ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ سَارَّنِي فَقَالَ أَلاَ تَرْضَيْنَ أَنْ تَكُونِي سَيِّدَةَ نِسَاءِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَوْ نِسَاءِ هَذِهِ الأُمَّةِ فَضَحِكْتُ لِذَلِكَ