حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ زَكَرِيَّا، عَنْ فِرَاسٍ، عَنْ عَامِرٍ، عَنْ مَسْرُوقٍ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتِ اجْتَمَعْنَ نِسَاءُ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَلَمْ تُغَادِرْ مِنْهُنَّ امْرَأَةٌ فَجَاءَتْ فَاطِمَةُ كَأَنَّ مِشْيَتَهَا مِشْيَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ 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 ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ: مَا رَأَيْتُ كَالْيَوْمِ فَرَحًا أَقْرَبَ مِنْ حُزْنٍ ‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا حِينَ بَكَتْ: أَخَصَّكِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ بِحَدِيثٍ دُونَنَا ثُمَّ تَبْكِينَ؟ وَسَأَلْتُهَا عَمَّا قَالَ ‏.‏ فَقَالَتْ: مَا كُنْتُ لأُفْشِيَ سِرَّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ -صلى الله عليه وسلم - ‏.‏ 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 ‏.‏

“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.’”