Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) noticed the difficulty that his wife was undergoing, and hence when he learnt that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had received some slaves, he suggested to her that she go to her father and request him to provide her with a servant to fulfill the household chores.

Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) set out to towards the home of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) but did not find him there. Hence, she requested Hazrat Aa’ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) to mention to her father that she had come to visit him, but due to not finding him present, she returned home.

When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) later came home, then Hazrat Aa’ishah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) informed him of the visit and request of his beloved daughter, Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). Hence, he thereafter came to the home of Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha).

When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) arrived at their home and requested permission to enter, then Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) were already in bed. On hearing that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was at the door, they immediately began to awake from the bed so that they could stand and welcome Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) into their home. However, out of love and compassion for them, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to them, “Remain as you are.”

On entering, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) came and sat between Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha). Out of love for them, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) sat so close to them that Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) mentions, “I could feel the coolness of his blessed feet which were next to my stomach.”

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) addressed Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) with deep love and compassion and asked her, “I was told that you came yesterday to ask me for something. What do you need?” However, Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) felt shy to mention her need to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam).

Thus Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) spoke and said, “O Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Her hands have become worn out on account of working the grindstone, the water skin used by her for fetching water has left an impression on her chest, and her clothes remain dusty because of sweeping the house herself. Therefore, I had sent her to ask you for a slave so that she would get some relief in her work.”

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said to Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), “O Faatimah! Continue to fear Allah Ta‘ala, discharge the obligations that you owe to him, and fulfill all the household chores yourself.”

Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then said to Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), “Shall I not show you something which is better than that which you requested? Before retiring to bed, recite Subhaanallah 33 times, Alhamdulillah 33 times and Allahu Akbar 34 times, for certainly this is better for you than acquiring a slave.”

Hearing this, Hazrat Faatimah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) immediately said, “I submit to the will of Allah Ta‘ala and the advice of His Rasul (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)!”

On one occasion, many years later, Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) mentioned to his companions, “From the day Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) taught me this zikr, I never left it out.” Hearing this, some of his companions asked, “Not even on the night of the Battle of Siffeen?” Hazrat ‘Ali (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) replied, “Not even on the night of Siffeen did I leave out this zikr.”

In another narration, it is reported that Hazrat 'Ali (radhiyallahu 'anhu) said that due to tiredness, he had forgotten to recite the tasbeeh before sleeping on the night of Siffeen. However, during the night, his eyes opened, and on remembering that he had forgotten to recite the tasbeeh, he immediately recited it.

(Saheeh Bukhaari #5361, Sunan Abu Dawood #2988 and Fat-hul Baari 11/137-141)