The place where Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A) is buried was known at the time of her burial as "Babelan". It was a deserted area with no buildings. It belonged to Musa ibn Khazraj, who donated it for the purpose of the burial of this noble lady.
After the place of burial of Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A) was selected, the family members of Saad prepared her final resting place by digging a crypt in which to place the holy body. Once the Ritual Bath (ghusl) and the shrouding (kafan) of the holy body had been completed, the family of Saad began discussing who would have privilege of entering the crypt to lay the holy body into the ground. After much discussion, they finally agreed on a man by the name of Qadir, who was a pious and God-fearing old man from the family of the Prophet (P.B.U.H&H.P).
At that moment, they saw two masked riders appear, from the direction of the desert. These two masked riders approached swiftly and dismounted at the burial site. They came forward and recited the prayer for dead (salat al-mayyit) for Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A). Then, one of them entered the crypt while the other passed the holy body of Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A) to him. In this way her burial took place.
After the ceremonies of burial were completed, these two masked riders, without uttering a word to anyone, mounted their horses and rode off into the distance.
No one knows for certain whom these masked men were, but those who were familiar with the character and behaviour of the Imams (A.S), were in no doubt that these two personalities were Imam al-Rida (A.S) and his son Imam al-Taqi (A.S).
They had come from Khorasan and Medina respectively, by the miracle of being able to cross vast distances in an instances in an instant (tayy al-ard), to participate in the burial ceremonies of Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A).
The presence of an Imam (A.S) at the burial ceremony of a true Shia is not in itself unusual as there are many examples of this in history. In one instance, Imam al-Kazim (A.S) came from Medina to Neyshabur to participate in the burial ceremonies of an old woman by the name of 'shatiteh' who was sincere and devout Shia. at that time, Imam (A.S) said to Abu Jaafar Neyshaburi, who was present and wondered at Imam's (A.S) presence so far from Medina :
"I and whoever is the Imam of the Ahl al-Bayt after me in my pace, has to be present in the escorting of your dead bodies, in which ever land you die in. So be God-fearing and pious and persist in doing well, so that we come and help free you from the fire of Hell."
From the tradition above, it would not be unjustified to assume that the two masked riders who appeared from nowhere, to take part in the burial ceremonies of Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A) were, in fact, Imam al-Rida (A.S) and Imam al-Taqi (A.S).
After the burial of Lady Fatima Masuma (S.A), Musa ibn Khazraj placed a ceiling made of wicker over the grave, which remained unchanged until Zainab, daughter of Imam Taqi (A.S), came to Qum and had a dome built on the grave the dome was built of bricks and mortar. This event occurred in the middle of the third Islamic century.
After the passing of some time, two other domes were built near the first dome and it was under the third dome that Zainab, daughter of Imam al-Taqi (A.S) was herself buried.
These three domes remained till they year 457 A.H, when the vizier of Tughrul the Great, Mir Abu al-Fadl al- Iraqi, at the urging of the great scholar, shaykh Tusi (d. 460 A.H) built one high dome in place of the three domes.
