The circumstance of Imam Hussein’s (God bless him) three year old daughter’s martyrdom

Book:  A review on the story of Imam Hussein’s (God bless him) martyrdom

Writer:  Ayatullah Professor Hussein Ansarian

One of the harrowing tragedy which came upon Ahle Bait (God bless them) in Shaam town that has been narrated in Maghtal books[1] was Ahle Bait’s (God bless them) accommodation in a ruin and the death of Imam Hussein’s (God bless him) three year old daughter. Imam Sadegh (God bless him) said “they accommodate Ahle Bait (God bless them) in a dilapidated house which was beside the Damascus Jame mosque and had a little distance from the palace of Yazid and because no one lived in that place so it was called ruin.[2]

When they accommodated Ahle Bait (God bless them) in that ruin despite their magnificence and munificence and personality, they said “certainly they have accommodated us in this dilapidated house so that its roof collapses on our heads and fordo us.[3] Sheikh Sadoogh in Amaly[4] and Syed Ibn Tavoos in Lahoof have written:

The dilapidated house where Ahle Bait (God bless them) were accommodated wasn’t guarded against days’ heat and nights’ cold. Because of this condition the women and daughter’s face skin peeled off. Imam Sajjad (God bless him) said “Ahle Bait (God bless them) were hungry on the days and were spending their night praising God and crying on Imam Hussein (God bless him).”[5]

Ahle Bait (God bless them) were hiding the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (God bless him) and his households and companions from children and babies as much as they can. But one of the children who was a three year old girl and Maghatel books have written that her name was Roghayeh (God bless her) started to crying and said “I want my father.”

Roghayeh (God bless her) extremely loved his father and Imam Hussein (God bless him) also loved her highly. She cried in that dilapidated house all the days and night and wanted her father. They told her over and over that your father has gone to a journey but she didn’t calm down till one night she dreamed her father. When she awaked, she started to crying and weeping. They highly tried to calm her down, not only she didn’t calm down but also she cried more extremely.

All women and girls weren’t able to tolerate, and by looking her crying they started to cry. The women and girls were hurting their face by looking her crying. They poured the soil of that ruin on their heads and disheveled their hairs and started to cry so loudly that the noise reached Yazid in the palace and he awaked.

He asked the guards what all the noise was about. When they told him what it was, Yazid ordered that Imam Hussein (God bless him) head be taken to Roghayeh (God bless her) in order to keep her quiet. He said “she is a child and she can’t realize it, she will be quiet by looking at the face of his father. They brought the head in a tray and had covered it by a cloth and put it front of her. Roghayeh (God bless her) said “I didn’t want food, I wanted my father.” They said “your father has come.”

When she picked up that cloth she saw a cut off head. Then she lifted the head with her little hands and placed it on her chest. She was saying continuously “O father! Who has colored your beard with your head blood? Who has cut your vessels? Who has orphaned me in childhood? O father! Who will help the orphans? Who will take care of these mournful women? Who will soothe these women who had given martyrs? Who will assist to these tearful women? O father! Which hand fondles these children’s disheveled hairs? O father! Who is our supporter after you? Woe to our saddening condition, Woe to our loneliness, O father! I wish to die for you. O father! I wish I was blind before it so that I wouldn’t have seen such a scene.” Then she put her lip on his father lip and cried so extremely that she fainted; but when they moved her, they got that she has died.[6]