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

  | references =

Historians have different opinions about Umm Kulthum's date of birth. However, both [[Shi'a]]s and [[Sunni]]s agree that [['Ali (a)]] and [[Fatima (a)]] had a daughter called Umm Kulthum.

It is recorded in the history that she was born in [[6]]/627. Some historians believe that she was born at the time of the [[Prophet (s)]] or before he (s) passed away. Another disagreement between Shi'as and Sunnis is that Shi'a scholars believe that she was younger than [[Lady Zaynab|Zaynab (a)]] while Sunnis believe that she was the third child of 'Ali b. Abi Talib (a) and older than Zaynab (a).

{{Family tree Ahl al-Bayt (a)}}

[[Al-Shaykh al-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 bt. Muhammad b. 'Abd Allah (s)|Umm Kulthum]] (the Prophet's (s) daughter). In many [[Shi'a]] and [[Sunni]] sources, she is called Umm Kulthum Kubra.

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 Fatima (a) is mentioned as "Ruqayya Kubra" and the name of Umm Kulthum Sughra is mentioned as "Nafisa".

According to the history, Umm Kulthum first married [['Umar b. al-Khattab]]. After his death, she married 'Uwn 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 Ruqayya as her children whose father was 'Umar. [[Ibn 'Inaba]] counts Hamida as the daughter of [[Muslim b. 'Aqil]] whose mother was Umm Kulthum, the daughter of [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]]. [[Sayyid Muhsin al-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."

According to historical and hadith references, and also Shi'a and Sunnite life story books, Umm Kulthum, the daughter of [['Ali b. Abi Talib (a)]], married [['Umar b. al-Khattab|'Umar]], the second [[Caliph]]. They married in Dhu al-Qa'da, [[17]]/638.

Some [[Maqtal books]] (narrative accounts of the [[Battle of Karbala]]) have reported the attendance of Umm Kulthum in the Battle of Karbala. In these books, she has been frequently mentioned beside [[Lady Zaynab (a)|Zaynab (a)]] and her sufferings have been quoted. [[Muhammad Baqir Majlisi|Majlisi]] says, "After Imam's martyrdom, when the tents were burned, the earrings of Umm Kulthum, [[Imam al-Husayn (a)|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 [['Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad|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 'Allama 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 Battle of Karbala was not the daughter of [[Lady Fatima (a)]]. [[Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin]] says, "[[Imam 'Ali (a)]] had two daughters called Umm Kulthum, one of them was Umm Kulthum Kubra, the daughter of Lady Fatima (a), who passed away before the Battle of Karbala, and the other one, whose mother was a handmaiden, attended the Battle of Karbala and delivered a sermon in Kufa. She was the wife of [[Muslim b. 'Aqil]]".

:::"She was a great woman and I know her a reliable source"<ref>Mamaqani, Vol.3, P.73</ref>.

When [[Lady Fatima (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"<ref>Nisapuri, P.152</ref>.

:::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"<ref>Majlisi, Vol.42, PP.276-8</ref>.

:::[['Ali (a)]] stayed awake all the night before the day he (a) was [[martyr]]ed. 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<ref>al-Mufid, Vol.1, P.16</ref>.

:::"Woe on you! Allah abased you in this world and the hereafter and you will always remain in the everlasting fire of the hell"<ref>Majlisi, Vol.42, P.289</ref>.

:::… 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 help you in mourning for the vicegerent and proof of God upon His creation"<ref>Ibn Tawus, PP.63-4</ref>.

"When [[Imam al-Husayn (a)|Husayn (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 Rabab"<ref>Sayyid b. Tawus, P.82</ref>.

# When the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] 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)"<ref>Majlisi, Vol.45, P.114</ref>.

# There is a tradition according to which when the caravan of captives entered [[Syria]], Umm Kulthum wanted [[Shimr]] to move the heads of martyrs away so that people would be attracted to them and would look at the captives less<ref>Sayyid b. Tawus, P.174</ref>.

# According to many sources, her son, Zayd, and she passed away simultaneously and one [[Salat al-Mayyit|prayer]] was recited on their bodies.

# Some scholars believe that they passed away about [[50]]/670 at the time of [[Mu'awiya]] and government of [[Sa'id b. 'As]].

# Some others believe that they passed away at the time of [['Abd al-Malik b. Marwan]] ([[73]]/692 - [[86]]/705).

# Miqrizi writes that she passed away when she was the wife of [['Uwn b. Ja'far]].