The House of Sorrow: A Forgotten Relic of Lady Fatima al-Zahra Adnaan Raja Tuesday, April 28, 2020

"Had my sorrows fallen upon the morning, it would have turned to night," Fatima al-Zahra.

If you visit the Baqi Cemetery in Medina, you will surely pay respects at the mausoleum of the Ahlul Bayt wherein Sayyida Fatima - peace be upon her - is buried along with other members of the Prophetic House Hold. You may even recall old photos of this area, before the waves of Saudi-Wahhabi destruction, when it was housed under a most splendid dome called the Dome of al-Abbas. Yet, very few know of the small building/prayer room which once sat behind these sacred graves. It was build by Sayyiduna Ali for Lady Fatima and she would go there to cry and lament the loss of her father, the Beloved Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Quite aptly, it became known as the House of Sorrow (Bayt al-Hazan).

Although destroyed during the second wave of Saudi-Wahhabi invasions during the early 20th century, its description has been detailed in numerous travelogues by travelers and pilgrims who once visited it.

The leading saint, Sayyid Ashrafi Miya (d.1937) said of it: "To the East of this dome [of al-Abbas] is the Dome of the House of Sorrow. Lady Fatima would retreat here following her father's demise, to cry because of her separation from him." [1]

Sayyid Jafar al-Barzanji (d.1899) wrote: "There are two domes, one to the East and one to the West, of the Dome of al-Abbas. The Eastern dome is knows as the House of Sorrow. It is the building which al-Ghazali alluded to it as ‘Masjid Fatima,' and Ibn Jubayr said it is the place where Lady Fatima would spend her days when grieving the passing away of her father." [2]

Ibrahim Rifat Basha (d.1935) was an Ottoman traveler from Egypt who visited the Meccan and Medina on several occasions. In his memoir/travelogue, Mirror of the Two Sanctuaries he says: "There is the dome of the Prophet's wives...and the dome of Imam Malik...and there is the Dome of Sorrows. It is said that this dome is over a room which Lady Fatima would go to during her sadness upon the demise of her father." [3]

The historian al-Samhudi (d.1505) commented: "The place known as the House of Sorrow is also called Masjid Fatima. Situated in by the graves of al-Hasan and al-Abbas, it is said to be the place where Lady Fatima would go to grieve after the passing away of her father." [4]

Allah have mercy on the soul of Sayyida Fatima, send prayers upon her, and pour unto us love and reverence for the Prophetic Household.

A photo of Baqi Cemetery, showing the Dome of al-Abbas (later called the Dome of Ahl al-Bayt) with the green arrow; and the House of Sorrow/Masjid Fatima with the red arrow (early 1900s).

صلى الله على سيدنا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين.

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[1] Saha'if e Ashrafi, pg.196

[2] Nuzha al-Nāzirīn, pg. 119

[3] Mira'āt al-Haramayn, 426

[4] Wafā'u al-Wafā, 3/101

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