Sayyidah
Sakina was born on 20 Rajab 56 A.H. in Madinah. She was the most
beloved daughter of The King of Martyrs Imam Hussayn (a.s.) and she in
turn loved her father and would sleep on his chest. Imam Hussayn (a.s.) used to
say: “A house without Sayyidah Sakina would
not be worth living in!” She loved all her brothers and sisters specially
her younger brother Ali al-Asghar who
was about six months old in Karbala. Moreover, she had a special
relationship with her uncle, al-Abbas
ibn Ali (a.s.) and he also loved her niece more than his own children.
She was very religious, enjoyed reading the Noble Qur’an, would
pray salaat (namaaz) regularly and was always dressed-up in Islamic attire
including head-cover.
In Karbala, after 7 Muharram, Yazid (l.a.)’s army did not allow
water into Imam Hussayn (a.s.)’s camp. Sayyidah Sakina would share whatever
water was left with other children. As the days passed, the desert heat made
the children unbearable without water. On the Day of Ashura, when all the companions and the family members of Hashmi
youths had attained martyrdom, Hazrat al-Abbas ibn Ali (a.s.) sought permission
for Jihad. Imam Hussayn (a.s.) refused to grant permission saying that he was
the Commander of Imam (a.s.)’s army to which Hazrat al-Abbas replied that there
was no army left at that time. In the meantime Sayyidah Sakina, along with some
42 children, brought a dry mashk or water-bag and Imam Hussayn (a.s.) permitted
Hazrat al-Abbas to fetch some water. Hazrat al-Abbas courageously fought his
way and landed his horse in the River Euphrates.
Neither he nor his faithful horse drank
a drop of water. He filled the water-bag with water and was galloping
towards the camp when the treacherous enemy cut-off both of his hands but still
he held tight the water-bag in his teeth but the arrows of the enemy pierced
the water-bag and the water flowed away. After that time, she never asked for
water anymore!
After the
martyrdom of Imam Hussayn (a.s.), the cursed Shimr slapped Sayyidah Sakina,
forcibly snatched her ear-rings tearing her ear lobes. The barbaric enemy
looted the sacred household of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.), and set the camps
on fire. The sacred ladies were deprived of their head covers, the children ran
out of the burning camps. Sayyidah Sakina’s clothes also caught fire, and when
one of the reporters tried to extinguish flames, she warned the man not to
touch her as she was the member of the sacred Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). She was
running in the battlefield crying: “Father! O Father, where are you?” As the
butchers of Karbala, had already severed the pious heads of the martyrs, the
bodies in battle field were unrecognizable.
As night fell, the “Sham-e-Ghareeban”
became sorrowful and painful. The
Sani-e-Zahra, Bibi Zaynab (s.a.) took the charge of the caravan and along
with her sister, Umme Kulsoom (s.a.), they started counting the children and
could not find Sayyidah Sakina. They went in the battle-field and searched her
and at last found her sleeping on the chest of Imam Hussayn (a.s.). She woke
her up and enquired as to how she recognized her father? Sayyidah Sakina
replied: “I was running around in the battle-field and calling my father, when
a voice came from this trampled body calling me towards him” During the “Sham-e-Ghareeban”,
the widow of Yazid (l.a.)’s deflected commander, Hazrat Hurr, brought some water and food into Ahlul Bayt’s camp,
Bibi Zaynab (s.a.) gave some water to Sayyidah Sakina. She took the water towards the battle field for her martyred baby
brother, Hazrat Ali al-Asghar, being the youngest in the family!
The children at Karbala were in no way connected to the “allegiance”
to Yazid (l.a.).
In any human society,
the survivors are pacified and offered kind words of consolations. In the
tragedy of Karbala, the so called humans did not stay at the level of humanity
what to call of Muslims! It was the height of barbarism and butchery un-parallel
in human history.
On the 11 Muharram, the daughters of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w.s.) were made captive and made to sit on the camels without seats and
routed through the battlefield, where the bodies of the martyrs were scattered
all over the place. Imagine the sorrow and grief of the women who saw their
loved-ones un-buried (against the dictates of Islamic customs). The caravan
proceeded towards Kufa. In Kufa, the markets were decorated in celebration of
the massacre at Karbala and the procession of Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s)’s captive
family! Bibi Zaynab (s.a.) was going through the bazars without head-cover
while her mother, Lady of Paradise, Bibi Fatimah Zahra (s.a.)’s funeral was not
witnessed by any one! On way from Kufa to Damascus, Sayyidah Sakina fell from
the camel. Imam Hussayn (a.s.) head will not move forward, on enquiry it was
found that Sayyidah Sakina had fallen from camel and the family walked back to
see that she was sitting in the lap of a sacred lady in black attire concealing
her identity. When Bibi Zaynab (s.a.) tried to thank her, she disclosed her
identity; she was the Lady of Paradise, Bibi Fatima Zahra (s.a.) who was all
along with the Holy Caravan from Madinah.
The oppressive armed men, in order to cause pain and misery,
hurriedly completed the journey in sixteen days, which normally takes thirty
two days! The sacred members of Ahlul
Bayt (a.s.) were imprisoned in a prison without roof when the scorching sun
light fell on them while they were exposed to the chill at night!
While in the court of Yazid (l.a.), he was desecrating Imam
Hussayn (a.s.)’s head by hitting his lips and teeth with a cane. At one time,
he wanted to test Sayyidah Sakina’s love for her father. He (l.a.) challenged
Sayyidah Sakina to call her father’s head to come to her lap. She responded and
raised her little hands and called her father to come to her. Imam Hussayn
(a.s.)’s head rose from the big plate and flew in to the waiting arms of
Sayyidah Sakina.
Sayyidah
Sakina used to sit at the gate of the prison and witness that birds were
returning to their nests in the afternoon. She would ask her aunt Bibi Zaynab
(s.a.) where those birds were going, she would reply that they were going to
their homes. Sayyidah Sakina would ask her aunt as to when they were going back
to Madinah? Unfortunately, it was not destined that she will ever return to
Madinah!
One night, she wake up from her sleep and cried continuously.
The Holy Ladies tried their best to pacify and console her. She said: “O dear my aunt, where is my father? A few
minutes ago I was with my father and he kissed me and said that “my dear Sakina
you will soon be with me” But where is my father now?” When Sakina told her
dream, all the sacred ladies started to cry and when this noise reached Yazid
(l.a.)’s quarters, he sent the severed head of Imam Hussayn (a.s.) to the
prison. As soon as she received her father’s head, she held it tight to herself
and cried even more and said to her father: “Who cutoff my father’s head? Who martyred my father? Why we are kept as captives?” With these words
of sorrow, she suddenly became quiet. Everyone thought that she might have
slept again, but alas! Sayyidah Sakina had gone into eternal sleep. Imam Sajjad
(a.s.) dug a grave in the prison and buried her little sister in her torn clothes
which were intermingled with her flesh after the burning of the camps on
Ashura!
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