The Queen Zubaida of Baghdad

The Mausoleum of Queen Zubaida of Baghdad

by
Mohammed Abdul Hafeez

Email hafeezanwar@yahoo.com
Hyderabad, India

Published by
MOHAMMED ABDUL HAFEEZ
First Published 1437/2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without written
permission from the publisher.

Preface
This is brief biography book of Queen Zubaida of
Baghdad and it is very old record from history books and which
is written in Urdu language and translated by me first time into
English.
This is a small book in which there are biography details of
Queen Zubaida of Baghdad are added and in this book there
are some great achievements of this great Queen Zubaida of
Baghdad which are not yet known to the general persons and
other persons are published in a very interesting style so for this
reason the readers will find great interest and attention in this
matter.
From the above facts and details, if the readers will starts
reading this books first page and will not stop its reading till
they will reach its last page as in this book some interesting
events and as well as endeavours of Queen Zubaida of
Baghdad are added and who was passed away from the world
many centuries ago.
Even though this is a small book but due to its importance it
is so great due to coverage of many interesting events and
positive information in it so it is like an ocean of knowledge
and information about great queen of Baghadad and who was
passed away from the world upon doing her great endeavours
and many hard tasks and work of Islam in the area of the
Makkah region as well in some other native states of Arabia
during the Hashmite family rule of Baghdad. So this book is

small one but it will present the ocean of knowledge and

information for the guidance of people towards the right path of
Islam.
This book is edited and formatted as per the great book
Muslim saints and Mystics (Tadhkirtal Aliyah by Farid al din
Attar) which is very famous in the Western world among the
English knowing persons. So for this reason there will be some
small differences in it while comparing with the Urdu books
and its literature. The aim of this book is to present in the
Western world where there is great search and demand of the
books of Sufism and biographies of holy saints who lived and
spent their entire lives for the preaching and propagation of
Islamic religion in all corners of the world as per tradition and
practice of Allahs last prophet.
.

The canal of Zubaida in Makkah

It is a period of the second century of Hegira Islamic calendar
in all corners of the world there were shining the rays of the
Islamic religion. The control over of the Islamic kingdom was in
the hands of caliph Harun al-Rashid. From all corners of the
world the Muslims are visiting Makkah but at that time, there
was a shortage of water supply in the holy city of Makkah. The
pilgrims and the local people of Makkah are hardly able to get
water supply in the pilgrims city of Makkah. During that time,
Queen Zubaida bin Jaffer visited Makkah for performing the
Hajj pilgrimage there. When she has seen the water scarcity
problem for the Hajj pilgrims and local people of Makkah so, for
this reason, she was worried about this matter. So to solve this
problem she was given the order to dig one great river canal
with her expenses. This is her great work which she has done
and which will be remembered till the end of the world.
Her real name was Um Jaffer Zubaida bin Jaffer and she
belonged to the great and famous family of Hashemite of
Makkah. She was cousin sister of the caliph of Harun al- Rashid
and her name was Umm al-Aziz and her grand father Mansur
used to play too much with her in her childhood time. And he
used to call her Zubaida so, for this reason, the people have

forgotten her original name. She was very beautiful as well as

very wise and temptation woman. She was married to caliph
Harun al-Rashid in the Hegira year 165.
During the year when Queen Zubaida was performed Hajj
pilgrimage and at that time there was a shortage of water supply
in the holy city of Makkah. The pilgrims and the local people
are hardly able to get water supply in the pilgrims city of
Makkah. So she was seen the above water supply problem in
Makkah city by her own eyes there. So for this reason, she was
given the order to dig one water canal in Makkah city. Also, her
help and facilitation with the people of Makkah and Hajj
pilgrims were very kind and sympathetic.
When there was finalized the canal plan of Makkah then she
has called for the engineers from different areas. It was planned
to start to dig a canal from one place of 35 kilometers away and
which is on the north-eastern side in the area of the valley of
Hunain from place Jabal Tao. There was one canal there and its
water goes from Jabal Qara to Wadi Noman and which was
added to the canal of Zubaida and that place is 12 kilometers
away from Arafat on the south eastern side. Also, on the
southern side of Muna in the desert area, there was one water
tank was there known as Zubaida tank in which the rainy water
was used to be gathered there in the above water tank known as
Zubaida. From there by seven sub-terranean canal water was
taken to the canal of Zubaida and from there the water was taken
by small canal to mosque Nemra in Arafat and on this great
water canal project there were spend 17,00,000 Dinars.
The Queen Zubaida had dug the canal with her too much
interest and with the feeling of her sincerity and she want to
solve the water scarcity problem of the people of Makkah as
well the Hajj pilgrims visiting Makkah. So she was completed

canal project for the willingness and pleasure of Allah only

and this can be found by this fact that when the planning of the
construction of Zubaida canal started and the chief engineer of
the project visited her and told her that The project for which
you have given order and for which there will be huge expenses
are required to be incurred in this matter. Because for the
completion of this project it is required to remove the big
mountains and cut off big stones as well as hills and for making
leveling there are required to go through many obstacles in this
project.Many hundred laborers are required to work day and
night then this project will be completed soon. Upon hearing all
details Queen Zubaida told her to reply in this matter and from
which her decision-making power and her utmost interest is
shown in this matter. She told chief engineer of the canal project
that Amalaha walu kanat zarabat fas ba Dinar. It means to
start the work even there will be an expenditure of one Dinar for
each and every strike of an axe.
So in this way when Makkah canal project was finished then
the supervisors and in-charge of the project were presented the
details of amount of expenditure to the Queen of Baghdad
Zubaida and she was at that time in her palace at the bank of
river Tigris and she has collected all papers by her hand in which
there were details of expenditure of the canal project of Makkah
were recorded and she has thrown all of them in the river Tigris
without seeing them and she said Oh Lord of the world I did
not check account details in the world and so You also do not
check my account details on the day of the judgement.
So in this way, Queen Zubaida was completed great canal
project of Makkah and she has solved water scarcity problem of
the people Makkah as well Hajj pilgrims in Makkah. May Allah
accept the canal project of Makkah as a propitiatory offering in

her favor. The three maps of Zubaida canal passing through

Arafat, muzdalfa and muna are showing as follows.
The pious queen and great woman was died in the month of
Jamad Awwal in the Hegira year 216 in Baghdad.

the
t

The love of the caliph Harun Rashid with queen Zubaida

Once there were some differences between caliph Harun alRashid and his dear wife Zubaida. So she told him that he is a
hellish man. Harun al- Rashid replied her that if he is a hellish
man then he will divorce her. He left her, but due to his extreme
love for her, he was worried to solve this matter and so he called
all the learned persons of Baghdad in his court and asked them,
Is he a hellish man? But no person answered this question and
all of them told the caliph, Only Allah knows this matter.
Imam Al-Shafe i, even though he was very young at that time,
but he was also among the learned persons who were present in
the royal court of Harun al-Rashid. He told Harun that if he
permits him, he would reply his question. When all other learned
persons heard his reply they were surprised. They thought that
he might be a mad person because when all other learned
persons were unable to solve the matter what then will he do?
After the permission of caliph, Imam Al-Shafei asked the
caliph whether he is in need of him or he is in need of caliph?
The caliph told him that he needs him. So Imam Al-Shafei
asked him to come down from the throne because the status of a
learned person is superior to kings. The caliph came down from
the throne and asked him to sit on the throne. He sat on the
throne and asked the caliph to reply his question first to enable
him to solve his problem. Have you got any chance of doing
any sin? Even though you had the power of doing it but due to
the fear of Allah, you escaped from it?
The caliph replied swearing, Yes, I had many chances but I was
always away from such sins. Imam Al-Shafei told him, You

are not a hellish man. When the Ulemas (learned persons)

asked him to give any proof for it, he told them that Allah says
in the Holy Quran:
After determination of sin, any person who avoids it due to fear
of Allah then his dwelling will be in the heaven.
All the learned men praised his wise decision and commented
that if he is so clever in the young age, then just imagine his
status in his youth.
Behlool sells paradise to Zubaydah, Behlool and serious
Aadvice, Behlool Wisdom

One day Bohlool was sitting at the corner of the river, and he
was making some flower beds like the children were. Abbasid
Caliph Harun Al-Rashid Rashid's wife Zubaydah happened to
cross by. When she came near Bohlool, she asked, "Bohlool!
What are you doing?"
Bohlool answered, "Making Paradise."
"Do you sell the Paradise you have to me?"
"Yes, I sell them."
"For how many dinars?"
"For 100 dinars."
Since Zubaydah wanted to help Bohlool in any way she could,
she immediately ordered her servant to give Bohlool 100
dinars, which he did.

Bohlool said, "You don't want a receipt?"

"Write it and bring it." Saying this, Zubaydah went her way.
Bohlool distributed that money among the poor.
In a dream that night, Zubaydah saw a big Garden, the like of
which she had never seen when awake. All of its houses and
palaces were seven stories high and made of colored jewels
and decorated with great style. The rivers were flowing and
beside them flowers were blooming. Very beautiful trees were
planted; servants (boys and girls) were all present and ready to
be of service. Zubaydah was given the receipt, written in gold
ink, and was told that this is the Garden that she had bought
from Bohlool.
When she awoke, Zubaydah was very happy and told Abbasid
Caliph Harun Al-Rashid about her dream. As soon as it was
morning, Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid sent someone to
bring Bohlool.
When Bohlool came, Abbasid Caliph Harun Al-Rashid said, "I
want you to take 100 dinars from me and sell me one of your
Gardens, like the one you gave Zubaydah."
Bohlool gave a loud laugh and said, "Zubaydah bought it
without seeing (the reward), but you heard and so want to buy
it, but regretfully, I won't sell it to you."

THE END.