Umm Kulthum bt. al-Imam Ali (a): Difference between revisions

'''Umm Kulthum Kubra bt. 'Ali b. Abi Talib b. ‘Abd al-Muttalib''' is the fourth child of [[Imam Ali (a)]] and Lady Fatimah (a), after Imam al-Hasan (a), Imam al-Husayn (a) and Ziynab al-Kubra. According to historical sources, she married to ‘Umar b. Khattab, the second Calif. Some scholars believe that she attended in the Event of Karbala and her sermons have been quoted in Maqtal books (narrative accounts of the Event of Karbala). The ambiguity surrounding her character and denial or approval of some events happening to her is mostly because there were three or four women with the same name and kunya in the family of Imam Ali (a); Umm Kulthum Kubra who was the daughter of Lady Fatimah (a), Umm Kulthum Wusta who was the wife of Muslim b. ‘Aqil, Umm Kulthum Sughra (Nafisah), and Zaynab Sughra whose Kunya was Umm Kulthum.

Historians have different opinions about Umm Kulthum’s date of birth. However, both Shi‘a and Sunnites agree that Ali (a) and Fatimah (a) had a daughter called Umm Kulthum.

It is recorded in the history that she was born in 6 AH. Some historians believe that she was born at the time of the Prophet (s) or before he (s) passed away. Another disagreement between Shi‘a and Sunnites is that Shi‘a scholars believe that she was younger than Zaynab (a) while Sunnites believe that she was the third child of Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and older than Zaynab (a).

Shaykh Mufid has mentioned the names of Imam Ali’s (a) children and introduced her as Zaynab Sughra whose kunya was Umm Kulthum. This Kunya was given to her by the Prophet (s) because of her similarity to her aunt, Umm Kulthum (the Prophet’s (s) daughter). In many Shi‘a and Sunnite sources, she is called Umm Kulthum Kubra.

Sayyid Muhsin Amin says, “The daughters of Imam Ali (a) whose names or Kunyas are Umm Kulthum have been three or four”.

# Umm Kulthum Kubra, the daughter of Lady Fatimah (a)

# Umm Kulthum Wusta, the wife of Muslim b. ‘Aqil

He continues that if two last ones be the same, so there were three Umm Kulthum, otherwise there were four. In some other sources, the name of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Ali (a) and Fatimah (a) is mentioned as “Ruqayyah Kubra” and the name of Umm Kulthum Sughra is mentioned as “Nafisah”.

According to the history, Umm Kulthum first married ‘Umar b. Khattab. After his death, she married ‘Un b. Ja‘far b. Abi Talib, her cousin. When he passed away, she married his brother, Muhammad. After Muhammad’s death, she married another brother of them, ‘Abd al-Allah. Mas‘udi believes that she had no children. Some others mention Zayd and Ruqayyah as her children whose father was ‘Umar. Ibn ‘Anbah counts Hamidah as the daughter of Muslim b. ‘Aqil whose mother was Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Ali b. Abi Talib (a). Sayyid Muhsin Amin says, “It means that Muslim b. ‘Aqil married his cousin, Umm Kulthum. But there is no evidence that he married Umm Kulthum Kubra, so he might has married Umm Kulthum Wusta.”

==Marriage to ‘Umar b. Khattab==

According to historical and hadith references and Shi‘a and Sunnite translations, Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Ali b. Abi Talib, married ‘Umar, the second Caliph. They married in Dhu al-Qa‘da, 17 AH.

Some Maqtal books (narrative accounts of the Event of Karbala) have reported the attendance of Umm Kulthum in the Event of Karbala. In these books, she has been frequently mentioned beside Zaynab (a) and her sufferings have been quoted. Majlisi says, “After Imam’s martyrdom, when the tents were burned, the earrings of Umm Kulthum, Husayn’s (a) sister, were taken out forcibly”. She was a narrator of the Event of ‘Ashura and preached a sermon in the meeting held by Ibn Ziyad in Kufa.  In his book, Ibn Tayfur has quoted a sermon from Umm Kulthum which was delivered in Kufa when the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (s) were held captive. Also ‘Allamah Majlisi has quoted poems and speeches of Umm Kulthum in the meeting held by Ibn Ziyad.

On the contrary, some other sources indicate that Umm Kulthum who attended the Event of Karbala was not the daughter of Lady Fatimah (a). Sayyid Muhsin Amin says, “Imam Ali (a) had two daughters called Umm Kulthum, one of them was Umm Kulthum Kubra, the daughter of Lady Fatimah (a), who passed away before the Event of Karbala, and the other one, whose mother was a handmaiden, attended the Event of Karbala and delivered a sermon in Kufa. She was the wife of Muslim b. ‘Aqil”.

Some hadiths have been quoted from Umm Kulthum in Shi‘a sources. Mamaqani has counted her as a narrator of hadiths and says:

:::“She was a great woman and I know her a reliable source”.

When Lady Fatimah (a) passed away, Umm Kulthum, wearing a veil and shedding tears, told the Prophet (s), “O father! O the Messenger of Allah! Indeed, the time now is like when you passed away! We will have no chance to visit our mother again”.

‘Allamah Majlisi writes:

:::Umm Kulthum said, “At the night of 19 Ramadan, I prepared two loafs of barley bread, some milk, and some salt for my father to break the fasting. After saying prayers, he (a) attended the food spread. He (a) took one look at his food and cried loudly. He (a) then said, “… O my dear daughter! If you do not take one of these two foods, swear by God, I will eat nothing ….” And he (a) ate a loaf of bread and some salt”.

:::'Ali (a) stayed awake all the night before the day he (a) was martyred. Umm Kulthum asked him the reason. He (a) said, “I will be killed in the morning”. Umm Kulthum prevented him from going to Masjid. But Imam (a) said, “Death is inevitable” and left home.

:::“Woe on you! Allah abased you in this world and the hereafter and you will always remain in the everlasting fire of the hell”.

Sayyid b. Tawus has quoted a hadith from Shaykh Saduq in which Umm Kultum talks about Imam Ali’s (a) advice to his children and his funeral and burial ceremony. In one part of this hadith we read:

:::… Umm Kulthum said, “At the burial ceremony, the grave was split. I do not know whether my lord (father) was buried in the ground or he (a) ascended to the sky. Suddenly, I heard a voice condoling with us and saying, “May God helps you in mourning for the vicegerent and proof of God upon His creation”.

===The Event of ‘Ashura and the Succeeding Events===

“When Hussayn (a) bade his family a final farewell, Umm Kulthum cried out, “O Aba ‘Abd Allah! Woe on us after you!” Then, Imam (a) consoled her, Zaynab (a), and Rubab.”

# When the Ahl al-Bayt were held captive and the people of Kufa brought food for children, Umm Kulthum cried out, “O people of Kufa! It is forbidden to give alms to the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (s)”.

# Some scholars believe that they passed away about 50 AH at the time of Mu‘awiyah and government of Sa‘id b. ‘As.

# Some others believe that they passed away at the time of ‘Abd al-Malik b. Marwan (73-86 AH).

# Miqrizi writes that she passed away when she was the wife of ‘Un b. Ja‘far.

# Ibn ‘Abd al-Birr believes that she passed away at the time of Imam Hassan (a).

:::“It has been narrated that Umm Kulthum, Imam Husayn’s (a) sister, passed away in Sham.

:::“About one parasang  to Sham, there is the tomb of Umm Kulthum, the daughter of Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and Lady Fatimah (a).”

:::“Umm Kulthum’s tomb is in Rawiya (Damascus).”

Ibn ‘Asakir says,

:::“The tomb which is in Rawiya (Damascus) is not Umm Kulthum’s, the daughter of Lady Fatimah (a) … she passed away in Medina and was buried in Baqi’ graveyard”.