Sayyida Sakina was born on 20 Rajab 56 A.H. in
Madinah. She was the most beloved daughter of The King of Martyrs, Imam Husayn (a.s.) and she in turn loved her
father and would sleep on his chest. Imam Husayn (a.s.) used to say: “A house without Sayyida 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 Glorious Qur’an,
would pray salaat (namaaz) regularly and was always dressed-up in Islamic
attire including head-cover. She was 5 years old in Karbala.
In Karbala, after 7 Muharram, Yazid (l.a.)’s army did not
allow the water into Imam Husayn (a.s.)’s camp. Sayyida 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 Ashurah, when all the companions and the family members of Hashmi
youths had attained martyrdom, Hazrat al-Abbas ibn Ali (a.s.), the Commander of
the Imam (a.s.)’s band of warriors, sought permission for Jihad. Imam Husayn
(a.s.) refused to grant permission saying that he was the Commander of Imam
(a.s.)’s army to which Hazrat al-Abbas (a.s.) replied that there was no army
left at that time. In the meantime Sayyidah Sakina, along with some 42
children, brought a dry water-bag (mashk) and Imam Husayn (a.s.) reluctantly permitted
Hazrat al-Abbas (a.s.) to get some water. Hazrat al-Abbas (a.s.) 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 to the water-bag in his teeth but the arrows of
the enemy pierced the water-bag and the water flowed away. Hazrat Abbas (a.s.)
attained martyrdom. After that time, she never asked for water anymore!
After the martyrdom
of Imam Husayn (a.s.), the accursed Shimr slapped Sayyida Sakina, forcibly
snatched her ear-rings tearing her ear lobes. The barbaric enemy looted the
sacred household of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.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, Sayyida 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 inquired 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 AhlulBayt’s camp, Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) gave some water to Sayyida 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 humane and
civilized 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, their hands were tight behind 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.a.s)’s captive family! Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) was going through
the bazars without head-cover while her mother, Lady of Paradise, Sayyida
Fatimah Zahra (s.a.)’s funeral was taken out at night and not witnessed by any
one! On the way from Kufa to Damascus, Sayyida Sakina fell from the camel. Imam Husayn (a.s.)’s
head will not move forward, on inquiry it was found that Sayyida Sakina had
fallen from the 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 Sayyida Zaynab
(s.a.) tried to thank her, she disclosed her identity; she was the Lady of
Paradise, Sayyida 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 two days, which normally takes sixteen 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
Husayn (a.s.)’s head by hitting his lips and teeth with a cane. At one time, he
wanted to test Sayyida Sakina’s love for her father. He (l.a.) challenged
Sayyida 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 Husayn
(a.s.)’s head rose from the big plate and flew in to the waiting arms of
Sayyida Sakina.
Sayyida Sakina used
to sit at the gate of the prison and witness that birds were returning to their
nests in the evening. She would ask her aunt Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.) where those
birds were going, she would reply that they were going to their homes. Sayyida 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 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 Sayyida 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 Husayn (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! Sayyida 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!
May Allah curse the
oppressors of Ahlul Bayt
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