Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: The the Prophet's wives were with him when Fātimah (may Allah be pleased with her) came walking. Her gait was exactly similar to the gait of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). When he saw her, he welcomed her saying: "Welcome, my daughter." He made her sit on his right side or on his left side. Then he said something secretly to her and she wept bitterly.

When he found her in grief, he said to her something secretly for the second time and she laughed.

I said to her: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) has singled you out with talking to you secretly, excluding all his wives, and you weep!" When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) went away, I said to her: "What did the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say to you?" Thereupon she said: "I am not going to disclose the secret of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) died, I said to her: "I adjure you by the right that I have upon you that you should tell me what the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to you." She said: "Yes, now I can do that.

When he talked to me secretly for the first time he informed me that Jibrīl was in the habit of reciting the Qur'an along with him once or twice every year, but this year it had been twice and so he perceived that his death was quite near, so fear Allah and be patient, and he told me that he would be an excellent predecessor for me, and so I wept as you saw me.

Then when he saw me in grief, he talked to me secretly for the second time and said: 'O Fātimah, would it please you to know that you will be the head of the believing women or the head of the women of this Ummah?' So I laughed and it was that laughter which you saw.'"