Lady Ruqayyah is the daughter of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), the granddaughter of Imam Ali and the Lady of the Women of the Worlds Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon them), the sister of Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him), and the aunt of Imam al-Baqir (peace be upon him). She was born in the year 57 AH or 58 AH in Medina.

She (peace be upon her) was present at the Karbala incident when she was three years old, and she saw with her own eyes the great tragedy and the great tragedy of what happened to her father Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), his family and companions of killing. Then she was taken as a prisoner with the prisoners of the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) to Kufa, and then to Damascus.

​

Lady Ruqayyah (peace be upon her) in captivity:
 The second chapter was about the tragedy of Ashura, and it can even be said that it is the tragedy of Ashura itself; because (killing is a habit for us, and our honor from God is martyrdom. Have you ever seen a Hashemite woman taken captive before today?) This is what Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) said to Abu Hamza al-Thumali when he asked him about crying. And Ruqayyah (peace be upon her) has a special story in the stage of captivity, as if God Almighty wanted to single out this little girl who was not more than three years old to be a witness to the era of captivity with her evidence. We often hear about captivity, but do we know the details?

No, but when we mention the captivity or mention Ruqayyah (peace be upon her), the child who was lost during the captivity comes to mind. God alone wanted to make the captivity a small child who became a refuge for lovers, repentant people, and those seeking needs...

It was mentioned in some news that when the caravan of captives was sent from Kufa to Damascus, and after the painful suffering of captivity and the cruel treatment of the captives by the enemies, this little child began to remember her father, Al-Hussein (peace be upon him), and his compassionate heart and his gentle hand, so she began to cry and groan loudly. When the enemy heard that, one of the cruel ones began to silence the child and threaten to beat her, but she did not remain silent, rather her crying intensified, so that accursed one said to her: Be quiet, daughter of the Kharijite...

The orphan child was hurt by these hurtful words and began to address her father:
Father, they killed you unjustly and aggressively and called you the Kharijite...
He had no choice but to throw her from the back of the camel to the ground...

It was night and pitch black, and no one noticed her fall, so she stood up with her father... My mother was running after the caravan, but she could not catch up with the caravan because of her young age and the severity of the fatigue and exhaustion that had befallen her. Suddenly, the spear that had the head of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) on it stopped and became embedded in the dirt so that no one could move it.

​

They tried to move it but they could not, so they knew that there was a miracle in the matter and that it was an intervention from the hand of the unseen. They said that no one can answer this except the people of the house (peace be upon them).

The leader of the caravan came to Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) and asked him about the reason for that puzzling incident. The Imam (peace be upon him) told him that one of the little girls was lost and the spear would not move unless she was found.
When Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) heard those words, she threw herself from the back of the camel to the ground and went back until she found the little girl.
She searched for the orphan girl in every direction and corner until her eyes fell on something black. She advanced until she reached it and saw a woman wrapped in black holding the head of the little girl in her lap. She said to that woman: Who are you?

She said: I am your mother, Al-Zahra. Did you think that I would neglect my children’s orphans? So Al-Aqila Zainab (peace be upon her) took Ruqayyah and joined the caravan...
 

Ruqayyah, and how do you know what she is?

She broke the hearts of Al-Hussain and Zainab, she is the tear of Al-Hussain, she is the beloved of Al-Zahra, she is the severed piece of the heart of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his family and grant them peace)...

Ruqayyah, oh name, the calamity of time has shaken it, that is, a three-year-old girl dying of grief over the death of her father, rather, who like her has died of crying and grief...

And in Ash-Sham, the accursed Yazid ordered that the prisoners be housed in one of the ruins of Ash-Sham, and one night, Lady Ruqayyah woke up startled from her sleep and said: Where is my father Al-Hussain? I saw him just now in a dream, very disturbed, and when the women heard that, they cried and all the children cried with them, and the wailing and crying increased.

Then Yazid (may Allah curse him) woke up from his sleep and said: What is the news? They told him about the incident, and he ordered them to go to her with her father's head. They brought the noble head to her covered with a handkerchief, and it was placed in her hands. When she uncovered the cover and saw the noble head, she cried out: "O my father, who stained you with your blood? O my father, who cut your vein? O my father, who orphaned me in my young age? O my father, who is left after you that we can hope for? O my father, who will care for the orphan until she grows up?"

Then she put her mouth on his noble mouth and cried intensely until she fainted. When they moved her, they found that her soul had departed from life. So, she continued to cry and wail, and sought consolation. That day, no one was seen except a weeping man and a weeping woman.

​

Her death:
She died (peace be upon her) on the 5th of Safar 61 AH in the city of Damascus, and was buried near the Umayyad Mosque, and her grave is well-known and visited.

​

From the sayings of poets about it:

1- The poet Saif bin Umaira Al-Nakha’i Al-Kufi - one of the companions of Imam Al-Sadiq and Al-Kadhim (peace be upon them) - said: 

And your servant Saif bin Umaira ** For the servant of Obaid Haidar Qanbar
and Sakina, peace left her ** When separation and change began And
Ruqayyah, the envious took pity on her weakness ** And tomorrow he who did not excuse will excuse her
And for Umm Kulthum, he finds something new ** A meanness after her tears that did not repeat
I did not forget her Sakina and Ruqayyah ** Weeping for him with regret and sighing

​

2- The poet Sayyid Mustafa Jamal al-Din (may God have mercy on him) said - a poem written in gold on her shrine - in which he said:

In Damascus, in the resting place of Yazid, there is a shrine ** That tells you how the blood of martyrdom is immortalized
The daughter of Al-Hussein slept in it, and became ** Even the stones of its corner are burning
Come, wake up, Damascus, and awaken ** And tomorrow he will lie in the filth of the garbage
And show him how you sat on his throne ** That blood from which the scene oozes
Your memory, O Ruqayyah, will remain a lesson ** For the oppressors, immortalized throughout time

​

3- The poet Mr. Salman Hadi Al-Ta’mah said:

Your shrine is a lush wreath of flowers ** Love surrounds it from all sides
The angels of mercy descend around it ** Praise its corners and soar I smell
the fragrance of the spring in it ** As if the morning breeze from the garden of eternity is fragrant
To it the yearning one, with agitated visions ** And his eyes are gleaming with tears
The noble grandson of the Chosen One How magnificent she is ** To her the noble glory bows and flutters
The orphan of the land of Ash-Sham A thousand greetings ** To you and my heart speaks with affection

​

Visit her:

It was mentioned in her visitation: “Peace be upon you, O daughter of Al-Hussain, the martyr, slaughtered, thirsty, covered in blood. Peace be upon you, O oppressed one. Peace be upon you, O wronged one. Peace be upon you, O sorrowful one, calling: O my father, who stained you with your blood? O my father, who cut your vein? O my father, who orphaned me despite my young age? O my father, who will care for the orphan until she grows up… Your calamity is great and your affliction is immense. It is great and immense in the heavens and the earth. So we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. There is no power or strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Almighty. May Allah make us with you in the abode of His mercy. Peace be upon you, my masters and all my followers, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.”