The Captivity Journey

The Head of Imam Hussain (Q) with his Orphan

Imam Hussain (Q) had a young daughter named Roqayya, she was three years old, and she was among the captives in Sham. She was crying day and night for her father’s parting, and they used to tell her: "he had travelled- meaning travelled to the Hereafter". Thus one night she saw him in her dreams and when she woke up, she was frightened and panicked and she said: "Get me my beloved father", and every time Ahlu El-Bayt (R) tried to calm her down, she would cry even more. And due to her crying, the grief of the family of the Prophet (R) was stirred up, so they started to cry, they slapped their faces, threw sand over their heads and they started to howl. Yazeed heard their howling and crying and said: "What’s wrong?" it was said to him: "it is the young daughter of Al-Hussain (Q), she saw her father in her sleep and woke up crying, howling and asking for him". When Yazeed heard that he said sarcastically: "take her father’s head to her and put it in front of her, so she would be comforted!", so they brought the head on a plate while covered with a veil, and they placed it before her, so she said: "Hey you, I asked for my father and not for food!", so they said: "your father is in there". She lifted the veil and saw a head and said: "whose head is that?" they said: "it is the head of your father" so she raised the head, held it close to her chest and said: "O father, who had pigmented your face with your blood? O father, who had cut off your veins, O father, who made an orphan of me even though I am still young, O father, who is going to take care of the orphan till she grows up? O father, who is going to comfort the grieving ladies, O father, who is going to help the captivated widows, O father, who is going wipe the tearing eyes? O father, who is going to protect the lonely and lost ladies, O father, who is going to take care of us after your depart? O what a disappointment! O father, who is to protect us after you, how lonely is it going to be after your depart! O father, I wish I had been sacrificed for your sake, O father, I wish I was blinded before this day, O father, I wish I was dead rather than seeing your grey hair pigmented with blood".

Then she put her mouth over the mouth of the oppressed martyr, and she cried till she fainted. When they moved her, they found that she was dead. Then the voices of Ahlu El-Bayt (R) became loud with the crying and howling, and the grief and mourning were renewed, along with whoever had heard  their crying from the people of Sham, as it was not seen on that day anyone, man or woman, but was crying.