Sakina bint Hussain

Sakina bint Al-Imam Al-Hussain
Sakina bint Al-Imam Al-Hussain
Native name	سکینة بنت الحسین
Born	(maybe before 51/671)
Died	According to the majority of sources: Rabi' I 5, 117/April 4, 735; Bab al-Saghir Cemetery, Syria
Resting place	Bab al-Saghir cemetery, Damascus
Parents	Imam Hussain (father); Rabab bt. Imri' al-Qays (mother);

Sakina bint Hussain is a daughter of Imam Hussain and Rabab bt. Imri' al-Qays. She was present at the battle of Karbala and was among the captives who were taken to Yazid’s palace in Damascus.

Name

Her full name is variously given as Umayma (according to al-Kalbi) or Amina (according to al-Isbahani) bint Hussain. However, she is mostly known by her title Sukayna, which was given to her by her mother, as she was so calm, tranquil and in peace.

In Karbala

Sakina accompanied her father when he traveled from Mecca to Kufa in Iraq. On the 2nd of Muharram, 61 AH (680 CE), Hussain and 72 of his family members and companions were forced to camp in the plains of Karbala by Yazid's army of 900000 men. On the 10th of Muharram, the Imam's household was attacked, a number of his companions were killed, and the survivors were made captives to be taken to Yazid’s court. The survivors included the Imam's sisters, wives, and daughters, including Sakina, relatives of companions of the Imam, and his son, Ali Zaynul-Abidin, who did not participate in the battle, due to an illness. Sakina, as with others, had been grieved over the killings.

Imam Hussain’s Last Farewell

It is related that when Imam Hussain saw that seventy-two persons among his friends and relatives had fallen down, he turned toward the tents of his family for last farewell and called the women of Ahl al-Bayt:

“O Sakina! O Fatima! O Umm Kulthum! My salutations be upon you all!”

Hearing this Sakina said, “O dear father! Have you resolved to die?” Imam replied,

“How could the one, who is bereaved by his friends and helpers, not resolve to die?”

Sakina said, “O dear father! Then return us back to the sanctuary of our grandfather”. Imam replied,

“Alas! If a sand-grouse (a type of a bird) is released at night, it will sleep in peace”.

Hearing this, the women of his family started lamenting and Imam Hussain consoled them.

It is related in the same book that Imam Hussain then turned towards Umm Kulthum and said,

“I enjoin you towards goodness in matter of yourself. I am proceeding towards the battlefield in the midst of these enemies”.

Hearing this Sakina started lamenting while Imam loved her extremely. He pressed her to his chest and wiped her tears and said,

“Know O my dear Sakina! Very soon you will have to weep after me when death will have surrounded me, then do not aggrieve me now with your tears until the spirit remains in my body. Then when I am killed, you are more worthy of weeping upon me, O the best of women!”

Captivity

The survivors were marched by Yazid's army from Karbala to Kufa, where Sakina received water from a sympathetic woman, and then to Damascus in Shaam. There was a lack of pity from the captors' part during the journey. Sakina suffered from fatigue and thirst on the forced march to Damascus, and later from cold and starvation in Yazid's dungeon

Dreams at Captivity

Sakina relates, that on a Thursday I dreamt in Syria, then she relates a lengthy dream and at its conclusion, she says, that I saw a woman in my dream seated on a Camel-litter with her hand upon her head. I inquired as to who she was and was answered that, “She is Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, your grand-mother”. I told myself,

“By Allah! I should go to her and relate to her all that they have done to us”,

saying this I ran towards her. I sat in front of her and started weeping, and then I said,

“O dear Mother! They withheld our rights. O dear Mother! They scattered our group. O dear Mother! They violated our sanctity. O dear Mother! By Allah! They killed my father Hussain”. She replied, “O dear Sakina! Remain silent, for it cuts my heart-vein. This is the shirt of your father that I have preserved until I meet Allah along with it”.

Shaikh Ibn Nima relates, that Sakina dreamt in Damascus that five illuminated horses have come forth, and upon each one, an honorable person is seated, while the Angels have surrounded them from all around, a maid of paradise was also along with them. Those mounted proceeded further while the maid came towards me and said, “Verily your grandfather has sent salutations to you”. I replied,

“Salutations upon the Prophet of Allah! Who are you?” She replied, “One of the maids of Paradise”. I asked,

“Who are these people who have arrived here mounted upon the noble horses?”

She replied, “They are Adam, the One Chosen by Allah; the second one is Ibraheem, the friend of Allah; the third one is Moosa, the one who spoke to Allah; the fourth one is Isa, the Spirit of Allah”. I asked,

“Who is he who has held his beard in his hand and is falling & rising?”

She replied, “He is your grandfather, the Prophet of Allah”. I said,

“Where are they going?”

and she replied, “They are going towards your father Hussain”. I ran towards him to inform him as to how the oppressors have treated us after his death. At that moment five illuminated camel-litters arrived, and on each one a woman was seated. I asked,

“Who are these women who have just arrived?”

They said, “The first one is Hawwa, the mother of mankind; the second one is Asiyah, the daughter of Mazahim (and wife of Fir’aun); the third one is Mariyam, the daughter of Imran (and mother of Prophet Isa); the fourth one is Khadijah, the daughter of Khuwaylid; while the fifth one, with her hand upon her head and is falling and rising, is none other than your grandmother Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad (S), your father’s mother”. I said,

“By Allah! I should narrate to her as to how they treated us”,

saying this I sat facing her and said,

“O dear Mother! They withheld our rights. O dear Mother! They scattered our group. O dear Mother! They violated our sanctity. O dear Mother! By Allah! They killed my father Hussain”. She replied, “O Sakina! Remain silent. You have charred my liver and cut off the joint of my heart. This is the shirt of your father Hussain that I have preserved until I meet Allah along with it”.

Then I awoke from my sleep and wished to conceal it, but then I narrated it to my intimate relatives and it became renowned among men”.

Dream of the wife of Yazid and her lamenting upon Imam Hussain

It is related in Bihar al-Anwar from Hind the wife of Yazid, that I laid myself upon my bed. Suddenly I saw (in a dream) that the doors of the heavens had opened ajar and the Angels descended one after the other upon the head of Imam Hussain while saluting him. At that moment a cloud appeared, on which numerous men were seated, while one of them possessed an illuminating countenance. He ran towards the head of Imam Hussain and kissing his teeth, said,

“O my son! They killed you, and then do you presume that they did so without recognizing you? Then they blocked the access to water from you. O dear son! I am your grandfather, the Prophet of Allah, this is your father Ali al Murtaďa, this is your brother Hasan, these are your uncles Ja’far and Aqeel, while they are Hamza and Abbas (the Prophet’s uncles)”,

saying this he named each one of his family.

Hind says, that I awoke from my sleep with awe and fear and saw that light had scattered around the head of Imam Hussain. Then I arose so as to find Yazid and I found him in a dark room facing the wall and saying, “What did I have to do with Hussain?” And it seemed as if he was surrounded by all the grief’s of the world. I related the dream to him and he had bowed his head down (in shame). When it dawned, he called for the family of Imam Hussain and said, “Do you desire to remain with me or to back go to Madinah, as also to acquire numerous rewards?” They replied,

“Initially we desire to weep and mourn upon Imam Hussain”.

He replied, “You may do as you desire”. Then some houses were vacated for them and the women of Bani Hashim and Quraysh wore black clothes and mourned upon Imam Hussain for seven days.

Demise

There is disagreement about the place of Sakina’s burial. According to majority of sources, she passed away on Rabi' I 5, 117/April 4, 735, in Medina during the government of Khalid b. 'Abd Allah b. al-Harith or Khalid b. 'Abd al-Malik. On the other hand, some believed that when Sakina married Asbagh b. 'Abd al-Aziz b. Marwan, they went to Egypt but she passed away in Damascus. Therefore, there is tomb by her name in the cemetery of Bab al-Saghir in Damascus. However, some said that she arrived in Egypt and passed away and was buried there. Ziarat Janeb Sakina is recommended.

In Ta’zia

Demonstrations of love and tenderness, which are so important in a dramatic presentation, fall mainly into the hands of Zaynab and Sakina, the young daughter of Hussain. Sakina is the darling of ta‘ziya and rowza-khani audiences. With her incredulous child’s eyes she sees her friends, cousins, brother, uncle, and, finally, her father, killed one after another. Her story moves the audience to tears and even rage. In addition to her psychological torment, she suffers horrible thirst. When Hussain departs for the battlefield, she throws herself in front of his horse in order to have a few additional moments with her father before he dies. As Hussain holds her on his lap, and lovingly cautions her not to burn her little feet in the hot sand, she begs him not to leave. Despite her young age, Sakina knows that her pleas are useless and that her father’s final battle and death are inevitable.