Mostafa Al-Badawi
One of the most frequently visited shrines in Cairo is that of the beloved Sayyidah Nafisah. The mosque containing the tomb stands where her house once stood, in one of the oldest districts of Cairo, not far from the great citadel of Saladin and the Muqaam Hill. The thousands of men, women, and children who flock to visit her grave know, some by experieence, others by hearsay, and many intuitively, that her spiritual influence still remains powerful. One reaches the tomb by walking through the prayer area in the mosque, then down a long corridor, on the walls of which hang pictures of Mecca and Medina; her biography is inscribed on one panel, another panel shows her lineage, and others carry poems in her praise. On entering the corridor, one seldom fails to experience a powerful presence that induces awe, yet at the same time comforts and reassures. Indeed, anyone who sits long enough at the Sayyidah Nafisah Mosque is sure to hear stories of contemporary miraculous events attributed to her. She is a living presence whose impact is undeniable. Sayyidah (Lady) Nafisah was born in Mecca on Wednesday the eleventh of Rabi al-Awwal in the year 145 of the Hijrah, but she grew up in Medina. She was the daughter of Hasan, son of Zayd, son of Imam Hasan l, grandson of the Prophet
. Her father was known as al-Hasan al-Anwar, which means “Hasan whose light is most powerful,” and her grandfather was known as Zayd al-Ablaj, which means “Zayd whose light is like that of dawn.” Hasan named his newborn daughter after his sister, Nafisah, who was known for her great sanctity. His sister had married an Umayyad, al-Walid b. Abd al-Malik, who was to become caliph, and who under her influence accomplished great things; made special arrangemments for looking after the poor, the weak, the orphans, and the blind; and prohibited begging. He also expanded and renovated the Prophet’s mosque in Medina. However, he was unacceptably tyrannical in other ways, and she sufffered unbearably in her compassion for the community; she eventually left him and spent the rest of her life in Egypt. Source: Zaytuna.Org
Purchase: Seasons Vol. 4, No. 1 | Autumn 2007
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