Ruqayyah bint Husayn Muslim Religious Flag

Ruqayyah bint Husayn

Ruqayyah bint Al-Ḥusayn (born on the 20th of Rajab, 56 AH – 5 Rabi’ al-Thani, 60 / 61 AH or 676 CE; died on the 13th of Safar, 60 / 61 AH or 680 / 681 CE), was the daughter of Husayn ibn Ali and Rubab bint Imra al-Qais. Her brothers included Ali Zayn al-Abidin, Ali al-Akbar, and Ali al-Asghar. Her sisters included Fatimah as-Sughra and Fatimah al-Kubra, with the latter also being called ‘Sakinah’. She accompanied her father when he traveled from Mecca to Kufah in Iraq. On the 2nd of Muharram, 61 AH (680 CE), Husain and 72 of his family members and companions were forced to camp in the plains of Karbala by Yazid’s army of 30,000 men. Yazid ibn Muawiyyah was the practical Caliph who desired religious authority by obtaining the allegiance of Husain, but the Imam would not give up his principles. On the 10th of Muharram, the Imam’s household was attacked, a number of his companions were killed, and the survivors were made captives. The survivors included the Imam’s sisters, wife, and daughters, including Sukayna, relatives of companions of the Imam, and his son, Ali Zaynul-Abidin, who did not participate in the battle, due to an illness. Sukayna, as with others, had been grieved over the killings. They had also suffered from thirst.