Jump to content

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

no edit summary
imported>Nazarzadeh
No edit summary
imported>Nazarzadeh
No edit summary
Line 27: Line 27:
::"It has come in ''al-Hawiya'' that the ladies from the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], in the state of captivity, after all the men had been [[martyr]]ed in [[Battle of 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."
::"It has come in ''al-Hawiya'' that the ladies from the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], in the state of captivity, after all the men had been [[martyr]]ed in [[Battle of 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 Ruqayya:  
This narration has some differences to that which is commonly accepted about the demise of Ruqayya:
# The name of the daughter is not mentioned in the narration;  
# The name of the daughter is not mentioned in the narration;
# It states that she was four years old and not the commonly accepted three;  
# It states that she was four years old and not the commonly accepted three;
# It says that she passed way in the palace of Yazid and not in the [[ruins of Sham]]  
# It says that she passed way in the palace of Yazid and not in the [[ruins of Sham]]
# It says that this happened a couple of days after seeing the head of Imam Husayn (a) and not immediately after seeing it.
# It says that this happened a couple of days after seeing the head of Imam Husayn (a) and not immediately after seeing it.


===Report in ''Rawdhat al-shuhada'''===
===Report in ''Rawdat al-shuhada'''===
After Hasan b. 'Ali al-Tabari, [[Mulla Husayn Wa'idh Kashifi Sabizwari]] (d. 910/1504) in his book ''[[Rawdhat al-shuhada']]'' elaborates extensively on the narration of al-Tabari. However, he also fails to mention the name of the daughter; also mentions that she was four years old and states that this incident happened in the palace of Yazid. He adds the following:
After Hasan b. 'Ali al-Tabari, [[Mulla Husayn Wa'idh Kashifi Sabizwari]] (d. 910/1504) in his book ''[[Rawdat al-shuhada']]'' elaborates extensively on the narration of al-Tabari. However, he also fails to mention the name of the daughter; also mentions that she was four years old and states that this incident happened in the palace of Yazid. He adds the following:


::"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. <ref>Mulla Husayn Wa'idh Kashifi Sabziwari, ''Rawdhat al-shuhada''', p. 389</ref>
::"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. <ref>Mulla Husayn Wa'idh Kashifi Sabziwari, ''Rawdat al-shuhada''', p. 389</ref>


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 Hasan b. 'Ali al-Tabari and it is this narration that has been recorded in the books that followed.
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 Hasan b. 'Ali al-Tabari and it is this narration that has been recorded in the books that followed.
Line 66: Line 66:
At the beginning of the fourteenth/twentieth century, Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Yazdi wrote in his book titled ''Sh'ash'at al-Husayni'' the following:
At the beginning of the fourteenth/twentieth century, Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Yazdi wrote in his book titled ''Sh'ash'at al-Husayni'' the following:


::"It has been narrated that a child of Imam Husayn (a) passed away in the prison of Sham after seeing the head of her father. However, there is a difference of opinion concerning her name i.e. was it Ruqayya, Zubaydah, Zaynab or Sukayna?
::"It has been narrated that a child of Imam Husayn (a) passed away in the prison of Sham after seeing the head of her father. However, there is a difference of opinion concerning her name i.e. was it Ruqayya, Zubaydah, Zaynab or Sukayna?<ref>Shaykh Muhammad Jawad Yazdi, ''Sha'sha'at al-Husayni'', vol. 2, p. 171</ref>
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 Fatima.
In this report, many names, including that of Ruqayya has been mentioned for the child who passed away in the prison of Sham.
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 Ruqayya and that she was three years old. He writes:
'Husayn (a) had a little daughter who he loved very much and she also loved the Imam (a) very much. It is said that her name was Ruqayya. She was three years old and was amongst the captives in Sham.
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.
The Mausoleum attributed to Ruqayya
The report of Tasliyah al-Majalis
The first report that available about the current mausoleum attributed to Ruqayya, dates back to the tenth century Hijri. In his book Tasliyah al-Majalis, Muhammad b. Abi Talib Haeri Karaki (alive at 955AH) writes:
'In the city of Damascus, Sham, towards the eastern side of the Great Masjid of the city, I saw a ruins that used to previously be a masjid. Amongst those ruins I saw a stone that had the name of the Holy Prophet (s), his family and the names of the twelve Imams written on it. At the end it had the following sentence,' This is the grave of a princess, the daughter of Husayn b. Amir al-Mominin (a).'
Report of Nur al-Ibsar
In the thirteenth century, Shablinji in his book Nur al-Absar, about this mausoleum, writes:
'Some of the people of Sham told me that there exist in Damascus, Sham, a mausoleum for Lady Ruqayya, the daughter of Imam Ali (may Allah illuminate his face), whose walls at that time had been damaged. The people of Sham wanted to remove the corpse from its grave so that they could rebuild and repair the mausoleum. However, no one, because of the admiration and respect they had for her, had the courage to enter the grave until a person from the family of the Holy Prophet (s) by the name of Sayyid the son of Murtadha entered the grave. He threw a piece of cloth over the grave and wrapped the body with the cloth and brought it out; everybody saw that it was a child who had not reached the age of maturity. I told this story to one of the great teachers; he also narrated the same story from a few of his teachers.'
Shablinji, Nur al-Absar, pg. 195.
In this report, the name of the owner of the grave i.e. Ruqayya 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
During the first part of the fourteenth century, Shaykh Muhammad Hashim Khurasani' (d. 1352 AH), in his book- written in Persian-Muntakhab al-Tawarikh in addition to attributing the grave to Ruqayya b. Husayn (a), he goes into detail describing the damage done to the grave. The text of his report is as follows:
'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 Ruqayya 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 Ruqayya in his dream and she addressed him in a very reproaching manner and said: 'Why have you not informed the governor?'
Sayyid awoke and in the morning went to the governor and narrated his dream to him. The governor summoned all the scholars and sages amongst the Sunni and Shia and ordered them to make major ablution and dress in neat and clean clothes. He then said that in whoevers hands the lock opens, that person should enter the tomb and exhume the body from the grave until the tomb and grave is repaired. The dignitaries from amongst the Shias and Sunnis performed the major ablution and dressed appropriately, however the gate did not unlock for any of them except for Sayyid. After they all entered the tomb, no pickaxe except the one in the hands of Sayyid Ibrahim had an effect on the ground. After digging up the grave, the tomb was cleared of people and the tomb was opened. They saw a delicate garbed body that had not decomposed at all, however, a lot of water had collected within the tomb. Sayyid then removed the body of the child from the tomb and placed it on his knees and he did this for three days, whilst crying continuously, until they repaired the tomb.
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.
After this incident, the governor wrote an extensive letter to Sultan Abd al-Hamid. He then granted the custodianship of the Zaynabiyyah shrine together with the tombs of Ruqayya, Sukayna and Umm Kulthum to him. Currently Sayyid Abbas, the son of Sayyid Musthapha and grandson of Sayyid Ibrahim mentioned above, is the custodian of these pure and holy places.
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.
What should be noted about this report is that the scholars and sages of both the Sunnis and Shias witnessed this event and what should also be taken into consideration is that narrating and confirming such events has many benefits and that no one other than the custodian of the shrine has reported these events and that a great scholar like Sayyid Mohsin Amin has not mentioned anything about this incident, even though he was present at that time. He writes the following about this shrine:
'Ruqayya, the daughter of Imam Husayn (a) has a shrine attributed to her that is located in the al-"Amarah District of Damascus. And Allah (swt) knows best. Mirza Ali Asghar Khan [Atabak, Amin al-Sultan], the supreme ruler of Iran rebuilt the tomb in 1323 AH.


Therefore, based upon the historical and narrative evidences, it is not possible to give a concrete answer on the subject being researched. However, the miracles that have been seen and will be seen from this blessed place confirms that it does possess spiritual significance and that this place should be revered as it is a place that is attributed to the Ahlul Bayt (a), even though the exact details concerning the demise of Ruqayya does not appear in any of the reliable sources. Mentioning her tragedy must be referenced to a reliable source so that the truth or inaccuracy of the story can be placed solely on the narrators head.
In the pages that follows he narrates from the book ''Riyad al-ahzan'' that the name of the child was Fatima.
The station of Lady Ruqayya within the mourning gatherings
 
Even though many historical differences still exist concerning her, amongst the people and during the mourning gatherings held in Muharram, Lady Ruqayya has a very elevated position. The third night of Muharram is dedicated specifically for her remembrance. Many groups (heyat) of mourners are named after her. A large amount of eulogies and poetry have been composed and recited in her honor. In some of the eulogies, those people who have denied her existence have been sarcastically and slyly reprimanded.
In this report, many names, including that of Ruqayya has been mentioned for the child who passed away in the ruins of Sham.
 
=== Report in ''al-Iqad''===
A few years later a person by the name of Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shah Abd al-Azimi (d. [[1336]]/1918) in his book ''al-Iqad'' clearly and emphatically states for the first time that the name of the child was Ruqayya and that she was three years old. He writes:
 
::"Husayn (a) had a little daughter who he loved very much and she also loved the Imam (a) very much. It is said that her name was Ruqayya. She was three years old and was amongst the captives in Sham.<ref>Sayyid Muhammad Ali Shah Abd al-Azimi, ''al-Iqad'', p. 179</ref>
 
This was the order of the differing reports that stated that Imam Husayn (a) lost a daughter in the ruins of Sham.
 
==Mausoleum==
===Report of ''Tasliyat al-majalis''===
The first report that available about the current mausoleum attributed to Ruqayya, dates back to the tenth/sixteenth century. In his book ''Tasliyat al-majalis'', Muhammad b. Abi Talib al-Ha'iri al-Karaki (alive at 955/1548) writes:
 
::"In the city of Damascus, Sham, towards the eastern side of the Great Masjid of the city, I saw a ruins that used to previously be a [[Masjid]]. Amongst those ruins I saw a stone that had the name of the Holy Prophet (s), his family and the names of the twelve Imams written on it. At the end it had the following sentence,' This is the grave of a princess, the daughter of Husayn b. Amir al-Mominin (a)."
 
===Report of ''Nur al-absar''===
 
In the thirteenth/nineteenth, Shiblanji in his book ''Nur al-absar'', about this mausoleum, writes:
 
::"Some of the people of Sham told me that there exist in Damascus, Sham, a mausoleum for Lady Ruqayya, the daughter of Imam Ali (may Allah illuminate his face), whose walls at that time had been damaged. The people of Sham wanted to remove the corpse from its grave so that they could rebuild and repair the mausoleum. However, no one, because of the admiration and respect they had for her, had the courage to enter the grave until a person from the family of the Holy Prophet (s) by the name of Sayyid the son of Murtada entered the grave. He threw a piece of cloth over the grave and wrapped the body with the cloth and brought it out; everybody saw that it was a child who had not reached the age of maturity. I told this story to one of the great teachers; he also narrated the same story from a few of his teachers."<ref>Shiblanji, ''Nur al-absar'', p. 195</ref>
 
In this report, the name of the owner of the grave i.e. Ruqayya bt. Ali is mentioned and it is the first report that indicates to the damage that the grave endured.
 
===Report in ''Muntakhab al-tawarikh''===
 
During the first part of the fourteenth/twentieth century, Shaykh Muhammad Hashim Khurasani (d. [[1352]]/1933), in his book- written in Farsi -''Muntakhab al-tawarikh'' in addition to attributing the grave to Ruqayya b. Husayn (a), he goes into detail describing the damage done to the grave. The text of his report is as follows:
 
::"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 Dimashqi, whose lineage goes up to [[al-Sayyid Murtada '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 Ruqayya 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 Ruqayya in his dream and she addressed him in a very reproaching manner and said: 'Why have you not informed the governor?" Sayyid awoke and in the morning went to the governor and narrated his dream to him. The governor summoned all the scholars and sages amongst the Sunni and Shia and ordered them to make major ablution and dress in neat and clean clothes. He then said that in whoevers hands the lock opens, that person should enter the tomb and exhume the body from the grave until the tomb and grave is repaired. The dignitaries from amongst the Shias and Sunnis performed the major ablution and dressed appropriately, however the gate did not unlock for any of them except for Sayyid. After they all entered the tomb, no pickaxe except the one in the hands of Sayyid Ibrahim had an effect on the ground. After digging up the grave, the tomb was cleared of people and the tomb was opened. They saw a delicate garbed body that had not decomposed at all, however, a lot of water had collected within the tomb. Sayyid then removed the body of the child from the tomb and placed it on his knees and he did this for three days, whilst crying continuously, until they repaired the tomb. 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 for a son. His prayer was accepted and at that old age, Allah gave him a son who he named Sayyid Mustafa. After this incident, the governor wrote an extensive letter to Sultan Abd al-Hamid. He then granted the custodianship of the Zaynabiyyah shrine together with the tombs of Ruqayya, Sukayna and Umm Kulthum to him. Currently Sayyid Abbas, the son of Sayyid Mustafa and grandson of Sayyid Ibrahim mentioned above, is the custodian of these pure and holy places. To conclude, it should be mentioned that these events occurred approximately in the year 1270/1854.<ref>Shaykh Muhammad Hashim Khurasani, ''Muntakhab al-tawarikh'', p. 388</ref>
 
What should be noted about this report is that the scholars and sages of both the Sunnis and Shias witnessed this event and what should also be taken into consideration is that narrating and confirming such events has many benefits and that no one other than the custodian of the shrine has reported these events and that a great scholar like [[Sayyid Muhsin Amin]] has not mentioned anything about this incident, even though he was present at that time. He writes the following about this shrine:
 
::"Ruqayya, the daughter of Imam Husayn (a) has a shrine attributed to her that is located in the al-Amarah District of Damascus. And Allah knows best. Mirza Ali Asghar Khan [Atabak, Amin al-Sultan], the supreme ruler of Iran rebuilt the tomb in 1323/1905.
 
Therefore, based upon the historical and narrative evidences, it is not possible to give a concrete answer on the subject being researched. However, the miracles that have been seen and will be seen from this blessed place confirms that it does possess spiritual significance and that this place should be revered as it is a place that is attributed to the [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]], even though the exact details concerning the demise of Ruqayya does not appear in any of the reliable sources. Mentioning her tragedy must be referenced to a reliable source so that the truth or inaccuracy of the story can be placed solely on the narrators head.
 
==Station within the Mourning Gatherings==
 
Even though many historical differences still exist concerning her, amongst the people and during the mourning gatherings held in [[Muharram]], Lady Ruqayya has a very elevated position. The third night of Muharram is dedicated specifically for her remembrance. Many groups ([[Hay'a]]) of mourners are named after her. A large amount of eulogies and poetry have been composed and recited in her honor. In some of the eulogies, those people who have denied her existence have been sarcastically and slyly reprimanded.
 
==External Links==
* The material for this article is mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D8%B1%D9%82%DB%8C%D9%87_%D8%AF%D8%AE%D8%AA%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85_%D8%AD%D8%B3%DB%8C%D9%86_(%D8%B9) رقیه دختر امام حسین] in Farsi Wikishia.
 
==Notes==
{{notes}}
 
==References==
{{references}}
{{end}}


{{Event of Karbala}}
{{Event of Karbala}}
Line 104: Line 123:


[[Category:Event of Karbala]]
[[Category:Event of Karbala]]
[[Category:Captives of Karbala]]
Anonymous user