Holy Karbala Hosts Major Mourning Ceremony in Honor of Sayyida Ruqayyah

Holy Karbala Hosts Major Mourning Ceremony in Honor of Sayyida Ruqayyah
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A large-scale mourning event commemorating the martyrdom of Sayyida Ruqayyah (peace be upon her) was held in the area between the two holy shrines in Holy Karbala. Organizers described it as the largest gathering of its kind dedicated to her honourable memory.

The ceremony, held on the anniversary of her martyrdom, featured a range of religious and cultural activities. According to Shia Waves correspondent, the program included recitations from the Holy Qur’an, a reading of the visitation prayer for Sayyida Ruqayyah, and elegiac poetry mourning her tragic fate.

A number of religious figures, poets, and eulogy reciters participated in the event. A theatrical performance dramatizing episodes from Sayyida Ruqayyah’s short life and her suffering during the aftermath of the Battle of Karbala was also staged. Children dressed in green gathered to symbolically represent her innocence and to honor her legacy.

A symbolic Sufra (table) was laid out on a green cloth, adorned with thorns to represent the physical and emotional hardship endured by Sayyida Ruqayyah during the journey of captivity. The display included candles and lanterns, as women and children gathered around it to offer prayers and supplications.

The ceremony concluded with a dramatic reenactment portraying the moment of Lady Ruqayyah’s martyrdom. Historical accounts suggest that she passed away in Damascus at the age of three or four, shortly after witnessing the severed head of her father, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him).

According to tradition, she saw him in a dream while imprisoned, awoke crying for him, and upon receiving his head, embraced it and died of grief. Sayyida Ruqayyah’s story remains one of the most heart-wrenching narratives associated with the tragedy of Karbala, embodying the suffering of innocent children in times of war and captivity.