Draft:Umm al-Masāʾib

Umm al-Masāʾib (Arabic: أُمّ المَصائِب), translating to "Mother of Calamities," is a prominent title attributed to Lady Zaynab (a). This epithet was bestowed upon her in recognition of the myriad adversities she endured throughout her life. As recorded in the book al-Khasa'is al-Zaynabiyya, Umm al-Masa'ib is listed as one of sixty distinct titles associated with Lady Zaynab (a). Certain scholars maintain that Umm al-Masa'ib functions as a Kunya for Lady Zaynab (a) rather than a formal title.

Rabbani Khalkhali, a Shi'a researcher, chronicles the tribulations faced by Lady Zaynab (a). Foremost among these are the demise of the Prophet Muhammad (s) when she was five years old; the assault on her mother's residence and the burning of its door; the coercion of her father, Imam Ali (a), who was forcibly restrained and taken to pledge allegiance to the caliphs; the miscarriage of her brother Muhsin b. Ali (a); the martyrdom of her mother, Lady Fatimah (a); the martyrdom of her revered father, Imam Ali (a); the poisoning of her brother, Imam al-Hasan (a), by his wife Ja'da; and the martyrdom of her companions, brothers, nephews, and sons during the Event of Karbala. Furthermore, she witnessed the intense thirst of the women and children, the martyrdom of her brother Imam al-Husayn (a) on the Day of Ashura, the subsequent raid on the encampment, the physical abuse of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), the burning of the tents, and the captivity of Imam al-Husayn's (a) family. Her ordeal continued with the humiliation faced upon entering Kufa and Syria amidst the jubilation of the populace, and finally, her appearance before the courts of Ibn Ziyad and Yazid, where she endured their disrespect toward her brother.

While the specific epithet Umm al-Masa'ib is not explicitly found in narrations, the tribulations of Lady Zaynab (a) are well-documented. For instance, certain traditions state that the reward for weeping over her sufferings is equivalent to the reward for weeping over the tragedies of her brothers, Imam al-Hasan (a) and Imam al-Husayn (a). The title does, however, appear in the Ziyarah of Farewell to Lady Zaynab (a), which includes the supplication: "O God, do not let this be my last visit to Umm al-Masa'ib Zaynab bint Ali."

The designation Umm al-Masa'ib is also cited in maqtal literature. al-Shaykh Abbas al-Qummi, a renowned Shi'a muhaddith, invoked this title within an elegy recounting the events of the eleventh night of Muharram; the verses are translated in English as follows:

When the sun's umbrella fell from the sky's field

Overturned like the banner of 'Abbas (a)

Under the indigo canopy, this veiled lady

Drew a cover for the family of Haydar

The Batul, the second Umm al-Masa'ib

When she saw herself without a leader and master

She acted as a mother to her brother's children

And gathered the scattered stars