Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain: Difference between revisions

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Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain, according to some reports, was one of the daughters of [[Hussain ibn Ali]], who passed away in childhood and during the captivity of Imam’s family in Levant. She was present at the battle of [[Karbala]] and was among the captives who were taken to [[Yazid]]’s palace in Damascus. Today, there is a mausoleum for her in the city of Damascus, Syria.  
{{infobox person
| name              = Ruqayya bint Al-Imam Al-Hussain
| native_name        = رُقَیَّة بنت الحُسَین
| image              = Ruqayya.jpg
| caption            =
| known_for          =
| birth_date        =
| birth_place        =Medina 
| father            = [[Hussain ibn Ali|Imam Hussain]]
| mother            =
| relatives          =
| spouse            =
| children          =
| death_date        =
| death_place        = Damascus, Syria
| resting_place      = Damascus, Syria
}}Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain, according to some reports, was one of the daughters of [[Hussain ibn Ali]], who passed away in childhood and during the captivity of Imam’s family in Levant. She was present at the battle of [[Karbala]] and was among the captives who were taken to [[Yazid]]’s palace in Damascus. Today, there is a mausoleum for her in the city of Damascus, Syria.  
==In Historical Sources==
==In Historical Sources==
In historical sources, hadiths, and ancient [[maqtals]], there is no mention of Ruqayya among the daughters of Imam Hussain. Earlier sources mention two daughters of Imam Hussain as Fatima and [[Sukayna]], and in recent sources, another daughter is also mentioned as Zaynab. <ref>→ Hussain ibn Ali *, Imam, wives and children; CF. ibn Talha Shafi'i, Vol. 2, p. 69; and as cited by him; → Bahaeddin Irbeli, Vol. 2, p. 248, according to whom, Imam Hussain had four daughters, yet only three of them are mentioned, with no mention of Ruqayya. For a strange citation about the number of Imam's children → Sharif Kashani, Vol. 1, p. 459-460</ref> Kamil Baha'i (completed in 1276 AD) by Emadeddin Tabari* (living in 1300 AD) is the oldest source that mentions the story of Imam Hussain's four-year-old daughter, although there is no mention of her. Tabari's source is Al-Hawiah Fi Masaleb Muawiyah written by Qassim ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad Mamouni, a Sunni scholar, which is not available today. <ref>→ Qomi, 2006 AD, Vol. 1, pp. 201-203</ref> In this book <ref>Vol. 2, pp. 179-180</ref>, it is written: “Now that the men were martyred in [[Karbala]], the women of [[Ahl al-Bayt]] concealed their [[martyrdom]] from their sons and daughters and made promises to the children saying that their fathers were on journeys and they would come back. Then the women and children were taken to [[Yazid]] ibn Mu‘awiya's palace. There was a four-year-old girl. She woke up one night and said, “Where is Hussain, my father? I had a dream about him, he was agitated.” All women and children started weeping and crying. Yazid who was asleep, woke up and asked what was happening. He was told about what had happened. Then, Yazid ordered his men to grab Imam Hussain's head and place it next to Ruqayya. They brought her father's head and placed it next to her.  “What is this?” she asked. “Your father's head,” they replied. The little girl was scared, screaming and suffering, and passed away after a few days.”. <ref>Cf. Ibn Tawus, 1996 AD, pp 109-110, mentions Imam Hussain's daughter, Sukaynah, dreaming about Fatimah bint Muhammad (PBUH), and also there is a mention of Imam Hussain's cloak, not his head</ref> In his [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] <ref>pp 686-687</ref>, Hussain ibn Ali Kashefi Sabzevari (d. 1504 AD) mentions the same story with slight differences and some additions which are similar to the contemporary language, and without mentioning Ruqayya, and cites from Qanz al-Ghareib Fi Qasas al-Aajeib, a book on the accounts of the Four Caliphs and Imam [[Hasan]] and Imam Hussain, written by Najmuddin Qasim bin Mohammed Mazamkini (living in 1477). <ref>About this book → Storey [1], Vol. 1, Chapter 2, p 1266; Danesh Pajouh, p 273</ref> Except for these two sources, none of the ancient sources available today mention Imam Hussain's little daughter who passes away after seeing her father's head. Subsequent authors have repeated the same story in their books with slight changes. <ref>For instance → Toraihi, p. 136-137; Qomi, (1959, a) Vol. 2, pp. 1002-1004; Ibid (1959, b) pp. 415-416</ref> In more recent sources, it is believed that the name of Imam Hussain's little daughter was Ruqayya and there is a tomb in the Levant with the same name. <ref>→Khorasani, p. 251; Haeri Mazandarani, p. 586; Mahallati, Vol. 3, p. 312; Ibid, Vol. 3, pp. 309-310, that mentions Kamil Baha'i’s account under the title “Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain”; Cf. Sharif Kashani, Vol. 1, p. 459, mentions Zubaydah as another name for Ruqayya</ref> Haeri Mazandarani <ref>p. 626-627</ref> asserts that Ruqayya’s mother was Lady of the Land, daughter of Yazdegerd, and Ruqayya passed away aged 5 or 7 in the Levant; however, the said accounts lack precise documentation. <ref>Cf. Ibid, p. 584-585, in which Ruqayya’s age is 4 and 3, citing from Kamil Baha'i’ and Fakhreddin Toraihi's Montakhab respectively; for other accounts regarding Ruqayya’s mother, without historical documentation → Rabbani Khalkhali, p. 199; for more details about Imam's wives→ Hussain ibn Ali *, Imam, wives and children section; Shahrbanu</ref> In some copies of Ibn Tawus’s Al-Malhuf ʿala Qatla al-Tufuf (d. 671) Ruqayya’s name is mentioned by Imam Hussain. <ref>→Ibn Tawus (1992 AD), p. 141; Cf. Ibid, (1996 AD) p. 50; for another instance in a more recent source → Ghondozi, Vol. 3, p. 79</ref> Toraihi also mentions an elegy on Imam Hussain written by Saif ibn Umayrah Nakhaei*, a companion of [[Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq]] in which Ruqayya’s name is mentioned twice, yet the attribution is uncertain because in ancient sources, there is no mention of this long elegy and its attribution to Saif.  
In historical sources, hadiths, and ancient [[maqtals]], there is no mention of Ruqayya among the daughters of Imam Hussain. Earlier sources mention two daughters of Imam Hussain as Fatima and [[Sukayna]], and in recent sources, another daughter is also mentioned as Zaynab. <ref>→ Hussain ibn Ali *, Imam, wives and children; CF. ibn Talha Shafi'i, Vol. 2, p. 69; and as cited by him; → Bahaeddin Irbeli, Vol. 2, p. 248, according to whom, Imam Hussain had four daughters, yet only three of them are mentioned, with no mention of Ruqayya. For a strange citation about the number of Imam's children → Sharif Kashani, Vol. 1, p. 459-460</ref> Kamil Baha'i (completed in 1276 AD) by Emadeddin Tabari* (living in 1300 AD) is the oldest source that mentions the story of Imam Hussain's four-year-old daughter, although there is no mention of her. Tabari's source is Al-Hawiah Fi Masaleb Muawiyah written by Qassim ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad Mamouni, a Sunni scholar, which is not available today. <ref>→ Qomi, 2006 AD, Vol. 1, pp. 201-203</ref> In this book <ref>Vol. 2, pp. 179-180</ref>, it is written: “Now that the men were martyred in [[Karbala]], the women of [[Ahl al-Bayt]] concealed their [[martyrdom]] from their sons and daughters and made promises to the children saying that their fathers were on journeys and they would come back. Then the women and children were taken to [[Yazid]] ibn Mu‘awiya's palace. There was a four-year-old girl. She woke up one night and said, “Where is Hussain, my father? I had a dream about him, he was agitated.” All women and children started weeping and crying. Yazid who was asleep, woke up and asked what was happening. He was told about what had happened. Then, Yazid ordered his men to grab Imam Hussain's head and place it next to Ruqayya. They brought her father's head and placed it next to her.  “What is this?” she asked. “Your father's head,” they replied. The little girl was scared, screaming and suffering, and passed away after a few days.”. <ref>Cf. Ibn Tawus, 1996 AD, pp 109-110, mentions Imam Hussain's daughter, Sukaynah, dreaming about Fatimah bint Muhammad (PBUH), and also there is a mention of Imam Hussain's cloak, not his head</ref> In his [[Rawdat al-shuhada]] <ref>pp 686-687</ref>, Hussain ibn Ali Kashefi Sabzevari (d. 1504 AD) mentions the same story with slight differences and some additions which are similar to the contemporary language, and without mentioning Ruqayya, and cites from Qanz al-Ghareib Fi Qasas al-Aajeib, a book on the accounts of the Four Caliphs and Imam [[Hasan]] and Imam Hussain, written by Najmuddin Qasim bin Mohammed Mazamkini (living in 1477). <ref>About this book → Storey [1], Vol. 1, Chapter 2, p 1266; Danesh Pajouh, p 273</ref> Except for these two sources, none of the ancient sources available today mention Imam Hussain's little daughter who passes away after seeing her father's head. Subsequent authors have repeated the same story in their books with slight changes. <ref>For instance → Toraihi, p. 136-137; Qomi, (1959, a) Vol. 2, pp. 1002-1004; Ibid (1959, b) pp. 415-416</ref> In more recent sources, it is believed that the name of Imam Hussain's little daughter was Ruqayya and there is a tomb in the Levant with the same name. <ref>→Khorasani, p. 251; Haeri Mazandarani, p. 586; Mahallati, Vol. 3, p. 312; Ibid, Vol. 3, pp. 309-310, that mentions Kamil Baha'i’s account under the title “Ruqayya bint Al-Hussain”; Cf. Sharif Kashani, Vol. 1, p. 459, mentions Zubaydah as another name for Ruqayya</ref> Haeri Mazandarani <ref>p. 626-627</ref> asserts that Ruqayya’s mother was Lady of the Land, daughter of Yazdegerd, and Ruqayya passed away aged 5 or 7 in the Levant; however, the said accounts lack precise documentation. <ref>Cf. Ibid, p. 584-585, in which Ruqayya’s age is 4 and 3, citing from Kamil Baha'i’ and Fakhreddin Toraihi's Montakhab respectively; for other accounts regarding Ruqayya’s mother, without historical documentation → Rabbani Khalkhali, p. 199; for more details about Imam's wives→ Hussain ibn Ali *, Imam, wives and children section; Shahrbanu</ref> In some copies of Ibn Tawus’s Al-Malhuf ʿala Qatla al-Tufuf (d. 671) Ruqayya’s name is mentioned by Imam Hussain. <ref>→Ibn Tawus (1992 AD), p. 141; Cf. Ibid, (1996 AD) p. 50; for another instance in a more recent source → Ghondozi, Vol. 3, p. 79</ref> Toraihi also mentions an elegy on Imam Hussain written by Saif ibn Umayrah Nakhaei*, a companion of [[Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq]] in which Ruqayya’s name is mentioned twice, yet the attribution is uncertain because in ancient sources, there is no mention of this long elegy and its attribution to Saif.