Syeda Khawla AS and the caravan of captives from Kufa to Shaam

After the battle of Karbala Prophet Mohammed’s (pbuh) surviving family members were made captives, tortured, chained and were taken to the city of Kufa to be presented to tyrant king Yazid’s governor Ibn Zyad and then from Kufa they were all taken to Damishq (Damascus) in Shaam (Syria), this time to be presented to Yazid ibn Muawiyah I the tyrant Omayyad ruler, It took over 20 days for the caravan of the captives of Karbala to reach Shaam (Syria). They set out from Kufa on 19th Muharram (Islamic calendar month) and reached Shaam (Iraq) on 1st Safar (Islamic calendar month that falls after Muharram)

The caravan crossed various cities like Tikrit, Mosul, Nasibiyen, Aleppo in Iraq and Bablek in Lebanon and various other places. On the way the captives of Karbala met different people in various cities that have been mentioned in reliable books, based on this, the route of Bilad al-Sham ( meaning land to the north) was noted as the route taken by the caravan to reach Shaam (Syria).

Bilad al-Sham was a province under Rashidun, Omayyad and later Abbasid dynasty that also incorporated former Byzantine territories of the Diocese of the East which is now the region of Levant divided into different countries.

The journey from Kufa to Shaam (Syria) was a long one. The women and the children were exhausted and quite often the children would faint under the scorching desert heat and fall off the camels. Syeda Zainab ع (Imam Hussain’s (as) sister) would have to beg their captors to let her go back and search for them. The women and children were surrounded by the severed heads upon spears of their fathers, husbands and sons.

Imam Sajjad ع (Imam Hussain’s (as) only surviving son) was under heavy chains which bit into his flesh, but the soldiers had no pity and would flog him if he slowed down. On these occasions Lady Zainab ع would intervene to stop the Imam ع from being flogged to death. Along this journey our Imam Sajjad ع and his aunt Lady Zainab ع faced the most difficult of hardships and further tragedies such as having to bury young children like Syeda Khawla ع who could not cope with the exhaustion.

was a 3 year old small sweet orphan child, the daughter of the master of martyrs Imam Hussein ع who passed away on the way in Baalbek, Lebanon on that arduous journey from Karbala to Kufa and then to Shaam.

Her elder brother Imam Sajjad ع buried her there in an orchard and planted a tree with his own hands over her grave, later her grave was later moved a short distance away where her where her Shrine has stood since and the planted tree still stands there till day.

There was no one to protect these small orphaned children who had to suffer a journey inconceivable in its hardships, the scorching heat of the sun and the whips of Yazid’s cruel soldiers

Peace be upon Syeda Khawla ع bint Hussain ع, and upon the unknown martyrs along the way.

Pictures of the tree planted 1400 yrs ago by Imam Sajjad ع (Imam Hussain’s (as) surviving son ) over her 3 year old sister’s grave in Baalbek, Lebanon, the route map of the journey, and her shrine that stands there as a testimony and reminiscent of history.

Location : Bablek, Lebanon
Holy Shrine : Syeda Khawlaع binte Hussainع (as)
Death : On the way of Caravan, from Kufa to Sham (Damishq).
Age : 3 years.
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Know we know why Wahhabis and Wahhabi Atheists are so insecure about history, so dependant on Ibne Taymiyah and so afraid of antiquity. Because it uncovers the crimes against humanity of those whom they worship – like Yazeed, the Omayyad dynasty and its supporters and founders.