Sukayna bint Husayn

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Sukayna or Sakina bint Husayn (Arabic: سكينة) (Twentieth of Rajab, 56 AH – 117 AH) was the youngest daughter of Husayn ibn Ali and Umm Rubab (Rubab bint Imra' al-Qays). Husayn ibn Ali is notable as the grandson of Muhammad and as a revered figure to Shi'a Muslims, who regard him as the third Shi'a Imam.

Sukayna bint Husayn was born on the 20th day of Rajab, 56 AH. Her name, Sukayna, means "peace" in Arabic.[1] Her real name was Fatima. Her titles includes Sukayna, Ruqayya, Masuma, Aatika, Kulthum, Zaynab. Her early years were said to have been spent in Medina. Her brothers included Ali ibn Husayn, Ali al-Akbar ibn Husayn & Ali Asghar ibn Husayn. Her sisters included Fatima al-Sughra.

According to Shi'a Muslims, she accompanied her father when he traveled from Mecca to Kufa, in what is now Iraq, to make a bid for the caliphate following the death of the caliph Muawiya I. Husayn was intercepted by the troops of Yazid I, and he and all of his men were killed at the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE. The women and children of the party, including Sukayna along with her aunts (Zaynab bint Ali and Lady Umm Kulthum bint Ali), were captured and force-marched to the court of Yazid I in Damascus, where they were held in prison.

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[edit] Shi'a view of Sukayna

The story of Sukayna is one of the many emotional and highly affecting stories that Shi'a Muslims tell of Imam Husayn ibn Ali and his martyrdom, at the hands of Yazid’s troops. The Battle of Karbala and the subsequent events at the court of Yazid are explained and mourned annually during the commemoration of Ashura.

Shi'a (and some Sunni) Muslim sources report that Sukayna bint Husayn was a sweet and loving child, the light of Imam Husayn’s household. She would not leave him, even when he was going into danger.

During the battle, the little girl watched in horror as her uncles, brothers and father were martyred. Then Yazid’s soldiers entered Husayn’s camp, where the women and children were hiding in fear: they pillaged the tents and ripped the earrings out of Sukayna’s ears. But she had no thought for her own pain and her bleeding ears. She went out to the battlefield, looking for her father. Her remaining family found her clinging to her father’s corpse. She had fallen asleep on Husayn ibn Ali’s chest, as she did during happier times.

Sukayna suffered from fatigue and thirst on the forced march to Damascus, and later from cold and starvation in Yazid’s dungeon. Her jailers are said to have shown her father’s head.

Persian- or Urdu-speaking Shi’a use the title "Hazrat" as a mark of deference for Husayn ibn Ali. Likewise, Sukayna is usually called "Bibi Sukayna," "Bibi" being a title of respect for women.

[edit] Shrine of Sukayna

Sukayna is believed to have died at the age of 4–8 years in prison, according to various historical accounts, and reputedly buried in Damascus, Syria. Her shrine is a place of pilgrimage (ziyarat) for Shi'a Muslims.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Behind the Name: Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Sakina
  • Momen, Moojan -- An Introduction to Shi'i Islam, Yale University Press, 1985.

[edit] External links