Ruqayya bt. al-Imam al-Husayn (a): Difference between revisions

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Ibn Fandaq in his book Labab al-Insab mentions Ruqayyah as being one of the daughters of Imam Husayn (a). However, about this daughter of Imam Husayn (a) differences exist concerning her name and the way she was martyred.

In mentioning the names of the children of Imam Husayn (a), Shaykh Mufid only mentions that he (a) had two daughters by the names of Fatimah and Sukaynah . However, Muhammad b. Talha Shafi’ mentions that Imam Husayn (a) had four daughters and that Zaynab, Sukaynah and Fatimah were the names of three of the daughters. He believed that this opinion was the generally accepted opinion and that the opinion of the two daughters was not the generally accepted opinion. As can be noticed, he did not bring a name for the fourth daughter, so it should be sought in other books.

Ibn Fandaq in Labab al-Insab writes: No children of Husayn (a) were left alive except Imam Zain al-Abidin (a), Fatimah, Sukaynah and Ruqayyah. In another place, while counting the children of Imam Husayn (a) he mentions the names of the daughters of Imam Husayn (a) as Fatimah, Sukaynah, Zaynab, Umm Kuthum and adds that Zaynab and Umm Kulthum passed away in their childhoods.

Another report that mentions the name of Ruqayyah is that in some manuscripts of the book Lah’uf, when Imam Husayn (a) bids farewell to his family members, he says the following: ‘O my sisters! O [[Umm Kulthum]]! O [[Zaynab]]! O Ruqayyah! O Fatimah ! and O Rabab! Listen to me! When I am killed, do not hurt yourselves, do not scratch your faces and do not shout out profanities!’

It can be said about this report that:

=The passing away of a daughter of Imam Husayn (a) in the prison of Sham=

The report in Kamil Bahai’

‘It has come in Hawiyyah that the ladies from the household of prophethood, in the state of imprisonment, after all the men had been martyred in Karbala; they hid the truth from their sons and daughters and every child was promised and told that your father had gone on a journey and will return. They were then taken to the palace of Yazid. A four year old daughter woke up from her sleep and said:’ Where is my father Husayn? I saw him in my dream extremely worried!’ The ladies and children started to cry and began to wail. Yazid was asleep. He awoke and started to investigate. He was brought news that such has happened. That accursed person said, Go! And take the head of her father and place it next to her.’ The doomed guards took the head to her and placed it beside the four year old girl. She asked:’ What is this?’ the doomed guards replied: ‘It is the head of your father.’ That daughter began to tremble and let out a scream and became very ill; and in the following days passed away.’

This narration has some differences to that which is commonly accepted about the demise of Ruqayyah. Firstly, the name of the daughter is not mentioned in the narration; secondly, it states that she was four years old and not the commonly accepted three; thirdly, is says that she passed way in the palace of Yazid and not in the prison of Sham and that this happened a couple of days after seeing the head of Imam Husayn (a) and not immediately after seeing it.

‘When she removed the cloth, she saw a head placed on that platter. She lifted it up and looked at it carefully. She recognized the head of her father. She let out a chilling scream, she rubbed her face upon his and kissed his lips and while in that state, she left this world. (Mulla Husayn Wa’idh Kashafi’ Sabzwari, Rawdhah al-Shuhadah, pg. 389).

This narration at the end states that the child passed away on that very night she saw the head of her father. In essence, this is the main difference between this narration and the one of ‘Amad al-Din Tabari’ and it is this narration that has been recorded in the books that followed.

The report in Al-Muntakhab of Turayhi

“It has been narrated that when the People of Allah and the household of Rasulullah (s) entered upon Yazid in the city of Sham, he provided for them a specific house and it was in this house that they mourned. Our Master, Imam Husayn (a) had a three year old daughter… the head of Imam Husayn (a) was wrapped in a Daybaqhi’ cloth. They brought the head and placed it in front of her and removed the cloth from it. The daughter of Imam Husayn (a) asked: ’Whose head is this?’ They said: ’It is the head of you father!’ She lifted it from the platter and hugged it and said: ‘O my beloved father! After you, who can we give our love to? O my beloved father! Who will look after the orphans until they grow up? O my beloved father! Who will be the guardian of the weak ladies? O my beloved father! Who will be the guardian of the imprisoned widows? O my beloved father! Who will wipe our tears away? O my beloved father! Who will be the refuge for all the lost strangers? O my beloved father! Who will reassure those who are worried? O my beloved father! Who will fill the void for us left by you? O my beloved father! Who is there for us in our loneliness after you? O my beloved father! If only I could be sacrificed for you! O my beloved father! If only i was blind before this. O my beloved father! If only I had died before, I would not have seen your face covered in sand.’ She then kissed the lips of her father and began to cry intensely until she fell unconscious. When they tried to wake her up, they realized that her soul had left this world.”

Fakhr al-Din Turayhi’, al-Muntakhab fi’ Jam’ al-Marathi’ wa al-Khutub, known as al-Muntakhab of Turayhi, hundred and thirty six.

The report of Anwar al-Majalis

Towards the end of the thirteenth century, a person by the name of Muhammad Husayn Aarjastani in his book Anwar al-Majalis, describes this story in a different way.

Muhammad Husayn Aarjastani, Anwar al-Majalis, pg. 161.

Research shows that this is the first report that mentions a name i.e. Zubaydah, for the child and states that the incident happened in the prison of Sham.

On the previous page, he indicates towards the prison of Sham. He writes:

So according to our findings, Anwar al-Majalis is the first book to mention that Imam Husayn (a) had a daughter by the name of Ruqayyah in the prison of Sham, even though he does not mention what happened to her, but rather recounts the martyrdom of a daughter by the name of Zubaydah.

It is possible that the report found in this book laid the foundations for future books to mention a passing away of a child in the prison of Sham.

The report of Sh’ash’ah al-Husayni’

Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Yazdi, Sh’ash’ah al-Husayni’, vol.2, pg 171.

In the pages that follows he narrates from the book Riyadh al-Ihzan that the name of the child was Fatimah.

The report in al-Iyqad

A few years later a person by the name of Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shah Abd al-Azimi (d. 1336 AH) in his book al-Iyqad clearly and emphatically states for the first time that the name of the child was Ruqayyah and that she was three years old. He writes:

Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shah Abd al-Azimi, Iyqad, pg. 179.

This was the order of the differing reports that stated that Imam Husayn (a) lost a daughter in the prison of Sham.

Report of Nur al-Ibsar

In the thirteenth century, Shablinji in his book Nur al-Absar, about this mausoleum, writes:

Shablinji, Nur al-Absar, pg. 195.

In this report, the name of the owner of the grave i.e. Ruqayyah b. Ali (a) is mentioned and it is the first report that indicates to the damage that the grave endured.

Report in Mutakhab al-Tawarikh

‘The respected scholar, Shaykh Muhammad Ali Shami, who can be counted amongst the students and scholars of Najaf, said to me that his paternal grandmother told him directly that Sayyid Ibrahim Damisqi, whose lineage goes up to Sayyid Murtadha ‘Alam al-Huda and who was also a very respected and well-mannered individual whose age exceeded ninety, had three daughters and no sons. One night his eldest daughter saw Lady Ruqayyah b. Husayn (a) in a dream and she said to her, “Tell your father to tell the governor that water has fallen between my grave and my tomb and my body is being troubled. Tell them to come and fix my grave and tomb.”

The daughter told this to Sayyid, but out of fear from the Sunni population, he did not pay much attention to the dream. On the second night, the middle daughter saw the same dream and told her father, but again Sayyid was not affected by it. On the third night, the youngest daughter saw the same dream and told her father, but yet again Sayyid did not do anything. However, on the fourth night Sayyid himself saw the garbed figure of Lady Ruqayyah in his dream and she addressed him in a very reproaching manner and said: ’Why have you not informed the governor?’

When the time for prayers arrived, Sayyid would place the body of the child of a clean surface and when he returned would again place her on his knees until they completed the repair work of the tomb. Sayyid then buried the child. The miracle of these three days was that Sayyid never got hungry or thirsty, nor did he require to renew his minor ablution.  When Sayyid was about to bury the child, he prayed to Allah (swt) for a son. His prayer was accepted and at that old age, Allah gave him a son who he named Sayyid Musthapha.

To conclude, it should be mentioned that these events occurred approximately in the year 1270 AH.

Shaykh Muhammad Hashim Khurasani’, Mutakhab al-Tawarikh, pg. 388.