Descendants of the Prophet(SAW)


Descendents of the Prophet
1.        Children:
The Prophet had seven children, 3 of whom died in infancy. When his sons passed away in Makkah, Surah Kausar was revealed to comfort the Prophet, since all his sons did not live long, your syllabus primarily requires you to have brief knowledge of his 4 surviving daughters.
a.     Hazrat Zainab:

      Eldest daughter
      2nd child after Qasim
      Mother to maternal cousin, Abul Aas
      She converted to Islam but he didn’t
      He fought against the Muslims in Battle of Badr and was taken as captive
      When he was ransomed, the Prophet requested Zainab to come to medina (before this she was living in Makkah)
      She bought along her daughter Umama
      Umama was later married to Hazrat Ali
      3 years later Hazrat Zainab’s husband converted to Islam too and came to medina
      She died in 8 AH

b.       Hazrat Umme-Kulsoom:

      2nd daughter
      Married to son of Prophet’s uncle
      Marriage  was broken after revelation of Surah Lahab
      Migrated to Medina with Hazrat Sawdah
      Remained at home until Hazrat Usman married her in 3 Ah
      Died in 9 AH while her father and husband were at the Tabuk Expedition

c.     Hazrat Ruqqaya:

    3rd daughter
    Married to Abu Lahab’s son
    Marriage ended after the Prophet started preaching Islam
    Married then to Hazrat Usman
    Migrated with him to Abyssinia and returned when ban was lifted
    She was amongst the muslims who were instructed to migrate to Medina before the Prophet himself left
    Died in  2 AH while Prophet was at Battle of Badr

d.    Hazrat Fatima:

      4th daughter
      Born in Makkah in 605 AD
      Travelled to Medina with Hazrat Sawdah when Prophet called them
      Married to Hazrat Ali in 2 AH
      Lived in a small house near the Mosque of the Prophet
      Like other emigrants, the couple experienced much poverty
      In 3 AH, she gave birth to her first son, whom Prophet named Hassan, the beautiful one.
      In 4 AH, she gave birth to her 2nd son, whom Prophet named Hussain, the little beautiful one
      She had two daughters, Umme-Kulsoom and Zainab
      Prophet had special affection for her
      She was often near him in his stressful moments
      Washed his head when Makkans threw dirt on him
      Washed his clothes when Abu Lahab threw entrails of camel on the Prophet while praying
      Tended to his wounds after Uhad
      Prophet said:  “you are the highest of the women of the people of paradise, except for Maryam, daughter of Imran”
      Prophet gave his chair to her sit on when she visited him in his last days
      In his last days, the Prophet told him that she would be first of his family to follow him
      Likewise, she died in 11 AH, 6 months after Prophet’s death

2.        Grandsons:

a.  Hazrat Hasan:

      Born in 3 AH in Medina
      Prophet named him the beautiful one
      He used to climb on the Prophet’s back when the Prophet was prostrating in prayer
      Prophet interrupted his sermon once to come down and puck Hazrat Hasan when he fell down
      Hazrat Hasan used to take water to Hazrat Usman when he was besieged in 35 AH
      Sent to Kufa, during Hazrat Ali’s caliphate to seek reinforcements in battle of Camel
      Fought in battle of Siffin along with father
      Supporters claimed caliph after father’s death in 40 AH
      Muawiya, governor of Syria, rejected his claim and moved forces against him
      Hasan reacted slowly as he did not want fights between the Muslims
      Desertions to Muawiya’s side made him weaker
      Finally he renounced caliphate after less than a year
      Settled in Medina and died in 50 AH
      Poisoned by wife, Jada, who was enticed by Muawiya on promises of money
      He is buried in Medina
      Regarded by Shias as 2nd Imam

b.        Hazrat Hussain:

      Born in 4 AH in Medina
      Great joy for grandfather
      Prophet took him on his knees and carried him on his back
      Loyal supporter of father
      Reluctant to accept Hazrat Hassan’s renunciation of caliphate
      Though he knew that Muawiya was too strong to resist
      Refused to accept Muawiya’s son, Yazid, as caliph
      People of Kufa invited him to lead an uprising against Ummayads
      Sent cousin, Muslim, to see the situation
      Muslim saw Kufan support and sent a letter to Hazrat Husain, telling him to come
      After dispatching the letter, Muslims was captured by governor of Basra and killed
      Strict measures were taken against Husain’s supporters in Kufa
      Meanwhile, Hazrat Husain left Medina for Makkah in Rajab 59 AH
      Sensing trouble during hajj, he set out from Makkah with members of his family and close supporters on 8th Dhul Hajj 59 AH
      Muslims advised him against this and people he met on his way cautioned him
      But he was not to be turned aside
      His will strengthened when he heard that his supporters had been killed in Makkah and troops had been sent against him
      On 2nd Muharram, 60 AH he camped at Karbala, a desert near Kufa
      The next day, the Ummayad army surrounded the camp and prevented anyone from taking water from river Euphrates
      Negotiations took place for some days, but failed
      Battle began with 72 people of Husain and 4000 Ummayad troops on 10 Muharam 60 AH
      Initially there were small skirmishes and the army did not attack with force
      Gradually, Hussain’s supporters were killed one by one
      His camp was set on fire
      When a handful of supporters were left they went to the river to get water but were surrounded
      Hazrat Husain resisted but was struck down due to being outnumbered
      His head was cut off and taken to Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad, governor of Kufa and then to caliph Yazid at Damascus
      His body was buried at Karbala, modern day southern Iraq

3.        Imams:

In this section, all you need to know is the name of the 12 Imams along with brief biographical accounts of the first 3 and the last. Hazrat Ali has been discussed in detail in the next lecture. Hazrat Hasan and Husain we just did quite comprehensively and Hazrat Mehdi’s is mentioned below.

a.        Hazrat Ali
b.       Hazrat Hasan
c.        Hazrat Hussain
d.       Hazrat Zain-ul-Abideen
e.        Hazrat Muhammad Baqir
f.         Hazrat Jafar Saqiq
g.       Hazrat Musa Kazim
h.       Hazrat Ali Raza
i.         Hazrat Muhammad Taqi
j.         Hazrat Ali Al Hadi
k.        Hazrat Hasan Askari
l.         Hazrat Muhammad Mehdi
Hazrat Imam Mehdi:
      he did not die but went into hiding
      continued communication through 4 agents during the period known as lesser occultation
      from 329 AH greater occultation began, and continues till date
      this period will continue until the end of times
      the Imam will reappear publicly before the final judgment
      he is believed to have continued oversight of the affairs of the world
      when he returns he will be guided to defeat the forces of evil and establish justice on earth

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