Draft:Rubab

Template:Infobox Prophets Rubab bint Imru' al-Qays ibn Adi, daughter of Imru' al-Qays al-Kalbi, mother of Lord Ali al-Asghar (peace be upon him), was one of the noble, famous, and influential women of Karbala and one of the most beloved and closest wives of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and among the renowned, virtuous, and loyal women of her era. This noble lady had special knowledge and affection for Aba Abdillah (peace be upon him) and was a loyal and virtuous wife for him.

Lady Rubab's poems and elegies regarding the tragedy of Aba Abdillah (peace be upon him) express the greatness of her character and her knowledge of the Sayyid al-Shuhada. She had realized the greatness of Aba Abdillah's status and accompanied Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) to Karbala to endure all calamities, pain, and suffering.

After returning to Medina, she held mourning gatherings for Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and as long as she lived, until one year after the event of Karbala, she was always in mourning. She finally bid farewell to the mortal world one year after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and joined her Master.

Lineage of Lady Rubab (peace be upon her)

Rubab is the daughter of Imru' al-Qays ibn Adi. Her father was from the Arabs of Syria and was a Christian who converted to Islam during the caliphate of Umar. Rubab's mother is also mentioned by the name Hind al-Hunud, daughter of Rabi' ibn Mas'ud ibn Musad ibn Hisn ibn Ka'b. It should be noted that this Imru' al-Qays is not the famous Arab poet. According to Nasikh al-Tawarikh, Lady Rubab's lineage is as follows: Rubab, daughter of Imru' al-Qays ibn Adi ibn Jabir ibn Ka'b ibn Ali ibn Bara ibn Tha'laba ibn Imran ibn al-Haf ibn Quda'a.

The late Farhad Mirza narrated in the book Qamqam that Awf ibn Kharija al-Muzani said: I was with him during the caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab. At this time, a man came to Umar and wanted to become Muslim. Umar asked his name and he said: I am a Christian and my name is Imru' al-Qays al-Kalbi. Umar recognized him and asked the reason for his conversion to Islam. Imru' al-Qays said: I have come to honor myself with Islam and learn its etiquette. After this statement, he became Muslim and the governance of the Muslim Quda'a who were in Syria was given to him. Rubab's mother, Hind al-Hunud, is the daughter of Rabi' ibn Mas'ud ibn Musad ibn Hisn ibn Ka'b. Hind al-Hunud's mother is Maymun, daughter of Amr ibn Tha'laba ibn Husayn ibn Damdam, and Maymun's mother is the daughter of Aws ibn Haritha ibn Lam al-Ta'i. In any case, the family of Lady Rubab (peace be upon her) was among the nobles and greats of the Arabs and had a worthy status and position near the Imam.

In some narrations, the lineage of Lady Rubab (peace be upon her) is mentioned as follows: Rubab daughter of Imru' al-Qays ibn Adi ibn Aws ibn Jabir ibn Ka'b ibn Alim ibn Hubal ibn Abdullah ibn Kinana ibn Bakr ibn Awf ibn Udhra ibn Zayd Lat ibn Rafida ibn Thawr ibn Kalb.

Father of Lady Rubab

Imru' al-Qays, the father of Lady Rubab (peace be upon her), is other than Imru' al-Qays ibn Abas al-Kindi, one of the famous poets of the Jahiliyyah, owner of the famous poem from the Mu'allaqat al-Sab'a. He had passed away eighty years before the Prophethood.

Some have not accepted this narration that Imru' al-Qays is Rubab's father and have said: Rubab, the wife of Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), is the daughter of Anif. Of course, this opinion is rare and most historians have mentioned the first opinion. Objections have also been raised to this narration, which are mentioned here.

Lady Sukayna (peace be upon her) was about fifteen or fourteen years old on the day of Ashura and there is no disagreement on this. If we assume that Imru' al-Qays's governance over the Christians of Syria was at the end of the caliphate of the Second Caliph and at that same time Rubab was proposed to Hussein, she still became pregnant with Sukayna 24 years after marriage; unless there were children before Sukayna who passed away, while there is no name for them in the reports and it must be said there was a very long gap between consummation and pregnancy.

In response to this objection, it must be said: Firstly, this matter cannot be raised as an objection; since there have been many women who did not bear children in the first years of marriage and later God granted them children. Secondly, perhaps Lady Rubab (peace be upon her) was at a young age at the time of proposal by Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him), and after she grew up, consummation and marriage took place. With this answer, no objection remains and the opinion of most books and masters of maqatil remains valid.

Marriage to Imam Hussein (AS)

Ibn Asakir in the book Tarikh Madinat Damascus has narrated the story of the Imam's marriage to her as follows:

During the time of Umar, Imru' al-Qais came to the mosque and converted to Islam. When he left the mosque towards his home, Imam Ali (AS) also left the mosque with Hasan and Hussein (AS). He said to him: I am Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin of the Prophet (PBUH), and these two are my sons.

We wish to establish a kinship bond with you. He also gave his daughter Muhayah in marriage to Imam Ali (AS); he gave his daughter Salma to Imam Hasan and Rubab (AS) to Imam Hussein (AS).

From the marriage story, it can be understood that Imru' al-Qais's conversion to Islam was based on real knowledge and insight, as he gave three of his daughters to this family with a proposal from Imam Ali (AS). Regarding Rubab (AS), it has also been narrated that she was one of the famous, virtuous, and loyal women of her time.

Therefore, in the same year 14 or 16 AH - which is the date of Imru' al-Qais's conversion to Islam - Rubab (AS) entered into marriage with the Lord of the Martyrs (AS); as is also famous among historians. She is the first woman who entered into the marriage bond with the Lord of the Martyrs (AS).

Shaykh Mufid, in mentioning the children of Imam Hussein (AS), counts Rubab among the Imam's wives. According to a narration, Imru' al-Qais brought his three children into the marriage bond of Amir al-Mu'minin, Imam Hasan, and Imam Hussein (AS) out of excessive love and devotion to Imam Ali (AS).

Children of Lady Rubab

Rubab had two children from Imam Hussein (AS), one Sukaynah and the other Abdullah. Abdullah (Ali al-Asghar) on the Day of Ashura while he was nothing more than a child, in the arms of his father reached martyrdom.

Imam Hussein's Affection for Rubab

The extent and depth of anyone's status can be understood from the words of the great figures, especially the [[ائمه|Infallible Imams (AS)]. Also, from the expressions that have been conveyed from Sayyid al-Shuhada (AS) regarding her, the peak of the status of this great lady can be discovered.

It is clear to the people of virtue that the love and hate of the Imam does not have a personal or emotional aspect, rather the hate of the Infallible Imam towards a person expresses the peak of that person's wickedness and the Imam's love towards a person expresses the peak of spiritual status and spiritual greatness of that person. Imam Hussein (AS) loved Rubab (AS) very much.

The divine saints, according to the extent of the peak of status and position, will face harder trials from the Merciful God. In describing her, perhaps if Second Zaynab of Karbala is said, it would not be an exaggeration; because her performance in the very event of Karbala and especially after that is thought-provoking; for the reason that her expressive performance is a kind of status of Hujjat Allah and mediation in propagating important divine matters; just as for Lady Zaynab (AS), Lady Mary (AS) and some other women we attribute the status of Hujjat Allah and these were divine proofs for mediation in some important matters.

Death of Lady Rubab

Ibn Athir writes: Rubab did not live for more than one year after the event of Karbala and in this one year she did not sit under a shade and passed away from the intensity of grief and sorrow. Sayyid Muhsin Amin mentions the year of Rubab's death as 62 AH (i.e., one year after Ashura).