Zaynab bint Ali
Encyclopedia
Zaynab bint Ali was the daughter of the Rashid Caliph
and first Shi'i Imam
, Ali
and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
through his daughter Fatimah
.
In Muslim
views, she is a great figure of sacrifice and strength. In Iran
, her birthday is recognized as Nurse's Day.
on the 5th of Jumada al-awwal
(although some traditions say she was born on the 1st of Sha'aban
) (of the Islamic calendar
). Zaynab was named by Muhammad just as with her two elder brothers, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain. Zaynab means "the adornment of her father" as a reference to Imam Ali. Zaynab lost her mother when she was only seven years old. She grew extremely close to her full brothers, the Imams Hasan ibn Ali
and Husayn ibn Ali
.
, a nephew of Ali, in a simple ceremony. Although Zaynab's husband was a man of means, the couple is said to have lived a modest life. Much of their wealth was devoted to charity. Abdullah was sometimes called "the sea of munificence" or "the cloud of munificence".
The marriage of Zaynab did not diminish her strong attachment to her family. Ali also felt a great affection for his daughter and son-in-law and when he became caliph and moved the capital from Medina to Kufa
, Zaynab and Abdullah joined him. Zaynab bore four sons - Ali, Aun ibn Abdullah, Mohammad ibn Abdullah, and Abbas - and one daughter, Umm Kulthum.
, Husayn was forced out of Mecca
due to the assassins that were sent by Muawiyah's son Yazid I
to kill Husayn during pilgrimage, thus, Husayn went to Kufa by the invitation of the people of Kufa for him to claim the leadership of the Muslim community. Zaynab accompanied him, as did most of his household. After Husayn and all his 72 companions were brutally killed at the Battle of Karbala
by the order of Yazid, Zaynab was taken captive by the army of Yazid, Muawiyah's son and successor. Zaynab and the other survivors of Husayn's expedition, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus
, Yazid's capital, where they were held hostage. Tradition says that Zaynab, already in anguish due to the death of her brother Husayn and her sons Aun and Muhammad, was forced to march unveiled. This was an extreme indignity to inflict on a high-ranking Muslim woman, the granddaughter of Muhammad.
Eventually Yazid released his captives and allowed them to return to Medina. The anniversary of her death is said to be either the 11th or 21st of Jumada al-Thani
, the 24th of Safar
, or the 16th of Dhu al-Hijjah
. Her grave can be found within Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
in Damascus, Syria
. There is a different view, with many Sunnis
holding her grave can be found within at a different mosque, also titled "Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque", in Cairo
.The Fatimid
/Dawoodi Bohra
also believe in same.Their 52nd Dai Mohammad Burhanuddin made zarih for the shrine,photo is place opposite. They further believe that the Mausoleum of Zaynab-al-Kubra in Damascus is of lady Umm Kulthum bint Ali younger daughter of Ali
(may be confusion in 'Sugra' & 'Kubra') and the mausoleum of elder daughter of Ali the Zaynab bint Ali is in Cairo. There is history of Zaynab leaving in Cairo in her last days.
"Yazid .. ordered . dispersion of Ahl Al Bayt ... The governor . Medina asked Zainab to leave .city .. She chose Egypt, and arrived .. in Sha’aban of 61 H. . was received by the governor, Mouslima Ben Makhled Al Ansari, and by a mass of Muslims, .. to Al Fastat (the capital of Egypt ..).
Mouslima invited her .. at his place.. She remained in her residence almost a year (11 months and 10 days) without leaving until her death, on Sunday 14 Rajab 62 H/March 27th, 682 A. D, in a place called “Al Hamrae Al Qoswa”, .. where the mausoleum of Zainab is currently located. It became a large mosque .. renamed “the district of Sayeeda Zainab”.
Historical evidence... Rokaya Bent Oqba Ben Nafi’ AlFihri said: “I was one of .. who welcomed Zainab ., when she came to Egypt after .. Kerbala. Mouslima Ben Makhled, Abdullah Ben El Hareth and Abu Amira Al Mazini .. welcome her. Mouslima presented his condolences to her …".(Yasin/52).
In the books “Mashariq Al Anwar” and “Tabaqat Asha’arani”, .. indications of her arrival in Egypt. Hafed Ben Asaker Addimashqi, the 6th century of Hegira historian, mentioned her arrival in Egypt in his .. book, .. in the Al Khalidiay Library in Damascus. This event .. mentioned by the historian Ibn Toloun Addimashqi, in a separate book. Among the contemporaries is Dr. Ahmed Asharbassi, ... mentioned her arrival in one of his books.
One also finds in Aleppo a book by Abdalli (Al Hassan Ben Yahya), descendant of Ali Ben Abi Taleb, born in 194 H in Al Aqiq in Hijaz. The book is .. “Akhbar Azainabiyate” (Information on Zainabs), and mentions .. Ahl Al Bayt bearing .. Zainab. It indicates .. .. Zainab left Medina .. settled in Egypt. . gave the same date and length of stay as ... in this article.
In 1170 the Emir Abdul Rahman Katekhda H/1768 A. D. restored the gallery and put a copper plate on the door with the inscription: “O Sayeeda Zainab, O daughter of Fatema Azzahra, give me strength”. It is still there."
Sayyida Ruqayya and Sayyida Nafisa along with Sayyida Zaynab are from Ahl al-Bayt
and traditionally considered the patron saints of the Cairo city. The subsequent section describe about them also.
. (Ali married the Prophet's daughter, Fatima.)
The mashhad is noted among other things for its central mihrab, one of the greatest pieces of stucco decoration in Egypt. It comprises a niche surmounted by a shell which is in turn surrounded by an outer scalloped edge, the ribs of which radiate from a medallion in a fashion recalling the niches decorating the facade of the al-Aqmar Mosque
.These depict Fatimid Caliphate history of Egypt.
family.She was the daughter of al-Hasan al-Anwar, the son of Zaid al-Ablaj, son of Imam Hasan, brother of Imam Husayn, son of the Daughter of the Prophet Sayyida Fatimat al-Zahra.
Rashidun
The Rightly Guided Caliphs or The Righteous Caliphs is a term used in Sunni Islam to refer to the first four Caliphs who established the Rashidun Caliphate. The concept of "Rightly Guided Caliphs" originated with the Abbasid Dynasty...
and first Shi'i Imam
Imamah (Shi'a doctrine)
Imāmah is the Shia doctrine of religious, spiritual and political leadership of the Ummah. The Shīa believe that the A'immah are the true Caliphs or rightful successors of Muḥammad, and further that Imams are possessed of divine knowledge and authority as well as being part of the Ahl al-Bayt,...
, Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
and granddaughter of the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
through his daughter Fatimah
Fatimah
Fatimah was a daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad from his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid. She is regarded by Muslims as an exemplar for men and women. She remained at her father's side through the difficulties suffered by him at the hands of the Quraysh of Mecca...
.
In Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
views, she is a great figure of sacrifice and strength. In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, her birthday is recognized as Nurse's Day.
Early life
Zaynab was the third child of Ali and Fatimah. She was born in MedinaMedina
Medina , or ; also transliterated as Madinah, or madinat al-nabi "the city of the prophet") is a city in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia, and serves as the capital of the Al Madinah Province. It is the second holiest city in Islam, and the burial place of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, and...
on the 5th of Jumada al-awwal
Jumada al-awwal
Jumada al-awwal is the fifth month in the Islamic calendar.We can also find the alternative spelling Jumada al-Ula.The origin of the word is as follows: the word Jumda, from which the name of the month is derived, is used to denote dry parched land: land devoid of rain, and hence denote the dry...
(although some traditions say she was born on the 1st of Sha'aban
Sha'aban
Sha'aban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar.This is the month of ‘separation’, so called because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water...
) (of the Islamic calendar
Islamic calendar
The Hijri calendar , also known as the Muslim calendar or Islamic calendar , is a lunar calendar consisting of 12 lunar months in a year of 354 or 355 days. It is used to date events in many Muslim countries , and used by Muslims everywhere to determine the proper day on which to celebrate Islamic...
). Zaynab was named by Muhammad just as with her two elder brothers, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain. Zaynab means "the adornment of her father" as a reference to Imam Ali. Zaynab lost her mother when she was only seven years old. She grew extremely close to her full brothers, the Imams Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan ibn Ali
Al-Hasan ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib is an important figure in Islam, the son of Fatimah the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and of the fourth Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib. Hasan is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa...
and Husayn ibn Ali
Husayn ibn Ali
Hussein ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib was the son of ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fātimah Zahrā...
.
Marriage
When Zaynab came of age, she was married to her cousin Abdullah ibn Ja'farAbdullah ibn Ja'far
Abdullah ibn Ja'far was the son of Ja'far ibn Abu Talib and the nephew of Ali.-Migration to Abyssinia, 615 and overseas preaching:...
, a nephew of Ali, in a simple ceremony. Although Zaynab's husband was a man of means, the couple is said to have lived a modest life. Much of their wealth was devoted to charity. Abdullah was sometimes called "the sea of munificence" or "the cloud of munificence".
The marriage of Zaynab did not diminish her strong attachment to her family. Ali also felt a great affection for his daughter and son-in-law and when he became caliph and moved the capital from Medina to Kufa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
, Zaynab and Abdullah joined him. Zaynab bore four sons - Ali, Aun ibn Abdullah, Mohammad ibn Abdullah, and Abbas - and one daughter, Umm Kulthum.
Zaynab and Karbala
At the death of the Muawiyah IMuawiyah I
Muawiyah I was the first Caliph of the Umayyad Dynasty. After the conquest of Mecca by the Muslims, Muawiyah's family converted to Islam. Muawiyah is brother-in-law to Muhammad who married his sister Ramlah bint Abi-Sufyan in 1AH...
, Husayn was forced out of Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
due to the assassins that were sent by Muawiyah's son Yazid I
Yazid I
Yazīd ibn Mu‘āwiya ibn Abī Sufyān , commonly known as Yazid I, was the second Caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate . He ruled for three years from 680 CE until his death in 683 CE. Many Muslims condemn Yazid's rule as contentious and unjust...
to kill Husayn during pilgrimage, thus, Husayn went to Kufa by the invitation of the people of Kufa for him to claim the leadership of the Muslim community. Zaynab accompanied him, as did most of his household. After Husayn and all his 72 companions were brutally killed at the Battle of Karbala
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala took place on Muharram 10, in the year 61 of the Islamic calendar in Karbala, in present day Iraq. On one side of the highly uneven battle were a small group of supporters and relatives of Muhammad's grandson Husain ibn Ali, and on the other was a large military detachment...
by the order of Yazid, Zaynab was taken captive by the army of Yazid, Muawiyah's son and successor. Zaynab and the other survivors of Husayn's expedition, most of them women and children, were marched to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Yazid's capital, where they were held hostage. Tradition says that Zaynab, already in anguish due to the death of her brother Husayn and her sons Aun and Muhammad, was forced to march unveiled. This was an extreme indignity to inflict on a high-ranking Muslim woman, the granddaughter of Muhammad.
Eventually Yazid released his captives and allowed them to return to Medina. The anniversary of her death is said to be either the 11th or 21st of Jumada al-Thani
Jumada al-thani
Jumada al-Thani is the sixth month in the Islamic Calendar.It is also known as Jumaada al-Akhir and Jumada al-Akhira.This is the sixth month of the Islamic calendar...
, the 24th of Safar
Safar
Safar is the second month in the Islamic calendar.The root of the name, صفر ṣafr, has three basic areas of meaning: 1) whistle, hiss, chirp; 2) be yellow, pale ; 3) to be empty, devoid, vacant...
, or the 16th of Dhu al-Hijjah
Dhu al-Hijjah
Dhu al-Ḥijjah is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar.This is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, marking the end of the year. It is in this month in which the Hajj takes place....
. Her grave can be found within Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque
Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque is a shrine located in Damascus, Syria, that contains the grave of Zaynab daughter of ‘Alī and Fātimah, and granddaughter of Muhammad ....
in Damascus, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. There is a different view, with many Sunnis
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
holding her grave can be found within at a different mosque, also titled "Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque", in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.The Fatimid
Fatimid
The Fatimid Islamic Caliphate or al-Fāṭimiyyūn was a Berber Shia Muslim caliphate first centered in Tunisia and later in Egypt that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Sudan, Sicily, the Levant, and Hijaz from 5 January 909 to 1171.The caliphate was ruled by the Fatimids, who established the...
/Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra
Dawoodi Bohra is a subsect of Ismāʿīlī Shīʿa Islām. While the Dawoodi Bohra is based in India, their belief system originates in Yemen, where it evolved from the Fatimid Caliphate and where they were persecuted due to their differences from mainstream Sunni Islam...
also believe in same.Their 52nd Dai Mohammad Burhanuddin made zarih for the shrine,photo is place opposite. They further believe that the Mausoleum of Zaynab-al-Kubra in Damascus is of lady Umm Kulthum bint Ali younger daughter of Ali
Ali
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
(may be confusion in 'Sugra' & 'Kubra') and the mausoleum of elder daughter of Ali the Zaynab bint Ali is in Cairo. There is history of Zaynab leaving in Cairo in her last days.
Zaynab and History of her last days
Some of the history related with Zaynab's last days are quoted here from news/web sources, which reveals that Zaynab died in Cairo and her shrine is also in Cairo:"Yazid .. ordered . dispersion of Ahl Al Bayt ... The governor . Medina asked Zainab to leave .city .. She chose Egypt, and arrived .. in Sha’aban of 61 H. . was received by the governor, Mouslima Ben Makhled Al Ansari, and by a mass of Muslims, .. to Al Fastat (the capital of Egypt ..).
Mouslima invited her .. at his place.. She remained in her residence almost a year (11 months and 10 days) without leaving until her death, on Sunday 14 Rajab 62 H/March 27th, 682 A. D, in a place called “Al Hamrae Al Qoswa”, .. where the mausoleum of Zainab is currently located. It became a large mosque .. renamed “the district of Sayeeda Zainab”.
Historical evidence... Rokaya Bent Oqba Ben Nafi’ AlFihri said: “I was one of .. who welcomed Zainab ., when she came to Egypt after .. Kerbala. Mouslima Ben Makhled, Abdullah Ben El Hareth and Abu Amira Al Mazini .. welcome her. Mouslima presented his condolences to her …".(Yasin/52).
In the books “Mashariq Al Anwar” and “Tabaqat Asha’arani”, .. indications of her arrival in Egypt. Hafed Ben Asaker Addimashqi, the 6th century of Hegira historian, mentioned her arrival in Egypt in his .. book, .. in the Al Khalidiay Library in Damascus. This event .. mentioned by the historian Ibn Toloun Addimashqi, in a separate book. Among the contemporaries is Dr. Ahmed Asharbassi, ... mentioned her arrival in one of his books.
One also finds in Aleppo a book by Abdalli (Al Hassan Ben Yahya), descendant of Ali Ben Abi Taleb, born in 194 H in Al Aqiq in Hijaz. The book is .. “Akhbar Azainabiyate” (Information on Zainabs), and mentions .. Ahl Al Bayt bearing .. Zainab. It indicates .. .. Zainab left Medina .. settled in Egypt. . gave the same date and length of stay as ... in this article.
In 1170 the Emir Abdul Rahman Katekhda H/1768 A. D. restored the gallery and put a copper plate on the door with the inscription: “O Sayeeda Zainab, O daughter of Fatema Azzahra, give me strength”. It is still there."
Sayyida Ruqayya and Sayyida Nafisa along with Sayyida Zaynab are from Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
and traditionally considered the patron saints of the Cairo city. The subsequent section describe about them also.
Sayyida Ruqayya
Sayyida Ruqayya was the daughter of AliAli
' |Ramaḍān]], 40 AH; approximately October 23, 598 or 600 or March 17, 599 – January 27, 661).His father's name was Abu Talib. Ali was also the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, and ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656 to 661, and was the first male convert to Islam...
. (Ali married the Prophet's daughter, Fatima.)
The mashhad is noted among other things for its central mihrab, one of the greatest pieces of stucco decoration in Egypt. It comprises a niche surmounted by a shell which is in turn surrounded by an outer scalloped edge, the ribs of which radiate from a medallion in a fashion recalling the niches decorating the facade of the al-Aqmar Mosque
Aqmar Mosque
The Aqmar Mosque is one of the few remaining mosques in Cairo, Egypt that have been built in the Fatimid era under vizier al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi during the caliphate of Imam al-Amir, son of Mustansir. The mosque is located along north Muizz Street, with several significant monuments located next to...
.These depict Fatimid Caliphate history of Egypt.
Sayyida Nafisa
Sayyida Nafisa bint Hasan along with Sayyida Zaynab are traditionally considered the patron saints of the Cairo city.She is woman from Ahl al-BaytAhl al-Bayt
Ahl al-Bayt is an Arabic phrase literally meaning People of the House, or family of the House. The phrase "ahl al-bayt" was used in Arabia before the advent of Islam to refer to one's clan, and would be adopted by the ruling family of a tribe. Within the Islamic tradition, the term refers to the...
family.She was the daughter of al-Hasan al-Anwar, the son of Zaid al-Ablaj, son of Imam Hasan, brother of Imam Husayn, son of the Daughter of the Prophet Sayyida Fatimat al-Zahra.
External links
- Zaynab bint Ali in Encyclopedia of Religion
- Speech said to have been given by Zaynab to Yazid