Ali Bahrani, a researcher of religious studies and a preacher, in a conversation with Shafaqna, offered a deep analysis of the status of Lady Zahra (SA) describing her as “the greatest gift of God to humanity” and “the protective shield of human identity.”

Referring to the life of Lady Fatimah (SA), Bahrani emphasized that she demonstrated that gender is never a barrier to perfection or social influence.

Below is the text of Shafaqna’s interview with Ali Bahrani.

In the Islamic Shia epistemological framework, why has Lady Fatima Zahra (SA) attained such exceptional status and what role does this status play in understanding the truth of the Perfect Human?

Lady Zahra (SA) has a heavenly dimension, reflected in the saying: “Fatima is the Light of God” and the account of her luminous creation before the creation of Adam (AS). God placed the reality of Lady Zahra (SA) beside the Tree of Tuba and commanded the Prophet (PBUH) to partake of its fruit so that her conception would take place. Therefore, her reality transcends the earthly realm.

But in her earthly dimension, her exceptional importance lies in the fact that in a society where women were treated as commodities and considered second-class citizens, a school of thought emerged in which a woman became the complete mirror of divine attributes.

Lady Zahra (SA) showed that a human being, despite possessing multiple social roles (motherhood, marriage, nursing the wounded in battle, political struggle), can remain unwavering on the path of Divine Unity and integrate all these multiplicities into the oneness of servitude. This is the model of the “Perfect Human,” which provides guidance for the busy, end-of-time human who is entangled in numerous responsibilities.

In an age of declining spirituality and the dominance of a commodifying view of women, how can the Fatimid model help rebuild the concepts of dignity, freedom, and social responsibility for women within an Islamic and human civilizational horizon?

In the logic of Islam and the Quran, God wants to move humanity beyond gender binaries and guide it toward the essential human core, which is “spirit” and “innate nature (Fitrah).” In the realm of the spirit, gender has no meaning. Through her life, Lady Zahra (SA) eternally proved that being a woman creates no limitation for spiritual journeying or attaining perfection.

She showed us that worldly and gender-based matters should not overshadow human salvation. A woman who is working at the hand-mill in her home can simultaneously reach the peaks of Divine Unity and be influential in society. This is true freedom: freedom from material constraints so that the spirit may soar — not the superficial gender-based freedoms that are discussed today.

In rethinking the status of women in religious tradition, to what extent have our interpretations been able to properly introduce the model of Fatima (SA)? What gaps exist between the ideal image of Lady Fatimah (SA) and the social reality of women today?

Our main problem is methodological. We often approach the lives of the Ahlul-Bayt (AS) with an outlook belonging to 1,400 years ago. The infallible Imam is like a spring that produces fresh water “moment by moment.” If Lady Zahra (SA) were alive today, she would act in accordance with the conditions of our time while fully preserving her fixed principles of divine unity.

We have not been able to discover the “Zahra (SA) of today.” A deep gap has formed between the modern human’s understanding and the purely historical interpretation we present. Even an issue such as Hijab remains unresolved for part of society because we have failed to create a mechanism to extract the principles of her lifestyle and translate them into the language of contemporary human needs. We must not remain stuck in historical appearances; rather, we must discover the spirit that governs her life.

In contemporary media discourse, how can Hazrat Fatimah (SA) be represented in the manner she truly deserves?

When the narrations say that Shia believers are created from the remnant of our clay, it means that an attack on Lady Zahra (SA) is an attack on the truth of my own being. An attack on Imam Ali (AS) is an attack on my unrealized potentials. When I weep for her oppression, in reality I am crying for myself, for how much I could have grown under her guardianship, yet the obstacles of injustice prevented it. This is weeping for my “unrealized inner justice.” The oppression against her was oppression against humanity itself, depriving it of the path of guidance and existential balance.

Lady Zahra (SA) did not weep for government or caliphate; her tears were for humanity’s deviation from the path of perfection. Her tears were a mother’s tears for her lost children throughout history. If our religious ceremonies achieve this level of self-awareness, they will naturally become “narratives of meaning” and awakenings.

In inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue, what capacities does Lady Fatimah (SA) offer for redefining the concepts of womanhood and spirituality? Can this model be universalized?

Yes, but not by focusing on the “person” and names; rather, by focusing on “culture” and “innate nature (Fitrah).” The lifestyle of Lady Zahra (SA) is fully aligned with pure human nature. Anywhere in the world, any human being who performs good deeds, cares for orphans, or stands against injustice even if they do not know her name their hand is in hers, because these are manifestations of the same Divine Nature of which she is the perfect embodiment.

In global dialogue, we must highlight these innate commonalities. When the dust of heedlessness is lifted from a non-Muslim human being through an act of kindness and they perceive a ray of truth, that light is from the Ahlul-Bayt (AS). We must say: “This virtue you possess, this justice you seek the perfect model of it exists in our tradition.” This shared language removes prejudices and attracts hearts.

In reproducing the meaning of Fatimiyyah in today’s world, what new relationship can be formed between ritual and idea?

We must tell today’s confused human being, who suffers from an identity crisis: “You are so valuable that God paid an immense price for your guidance.” To ensure that humanity recognizes truth, God brought forth God’s greatest treasures, Lady Zahra (SA) and the Commander of the Faithful (AS) and allowed them to endure immense tribulations.

This “cost paid by God” for humanity reveals human greatness. If today’s human being realizes that God placed all His treasures on the table and made the greatest gamble of love so that he might be saved, he will rediscover his identity. Fatimiyyha is the reminder that God has not abandoned us and that God sacrificed God’s dearest ones for our awakening. This perspective transforms rituals from mere ceremonies into an identity-building and knowledge-awakening resurrection.

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