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| Zubaydah bint Jafar: When the Abbasid queen built a canal worth millions of dinars and said, "I will leave the account on the Day of Judgment." |
His name was Ummah al-Aziz, but his grandfather used to call him 'Zubaida', so he was known by that name. The meaning of this word in the Arabic language is 'chosen' and also 'pain of butter'.
Thus, the family gives any name with love, but the Abbasid princess found a place in the collection of folk tales of the Golden Age of Islam, 'Alf Laila Walila' (One Thousand and One Nights), with her charitable works. He also arranged for the survival of the name.
Zubaydah was good-looking, intelligent, soft-spoken, kind-hearted, and very well-dressed. She married her cousin Harun al-Rashid, who became the fifth Abbasid caliph four years later and ruled from 786 to 809.
Hugh Kennedy writes that 'Harun al-Rashid's most famous queen, Zubaydah, was an educated and capable woman who managed to maintain her position and influence at court for nearly thirty years.'
A wealthy woman
Thus, the state was also prosperous, but Zubaydah inherited a lot of wealth from her father, Jafar bin Mansoor.
Al-Suyuti wrote in Tarikh-i-Khalifa that Zubaydah received valuable properties, money, land, and servants from her father. It is stated in the 'Tarikh Baghdad' that Zubaydah's wealth included a thousand maids, each of whom wore the best clothes.
Zubaydah hired assistants to manage her properties and various business ventures. His own palace was also managed magnificently. Food was served on gold and silver plates. He also introduced the fashion of jeweled shoes. She also rode in palanquins made of silver, ebony, and silk.
Verses of the Quran were engraved on the walls of his palace in golden letters. The palace was surrounded by a garden full of animals and birds.
Robert Holland in his book 'In the Way of God: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of the Islamic Empire' writes that 'Zubaida had a liberal income, which enabled her to make substantial charitable donations and to exercise power and influence over the caliph. .'
When Zubaydah married Haroon al-Rashid, her wealth increased even more. Harun himself built magnificent palaces, mosques, and public buildings. Zubaydah used her wealth for many of these projects.
Zubaydah was also known for her philanthropy, helping the poor and the needy. They often distribute their wealth to the less fortunate and provide them with food, clothing, and shelter. Once tasted the bread and water for the prisoners himself to ensure that they were of good quality and fit for human consumption.
Zubaydah once learned that the bread distributed to the poor in Makkah was of poor quality. He immediately ordered the construction of a new place to provide better bread and the project was completed within a day.
Patronage of knowledge, art, and literature
Zubaydah was also known for her patronage of knowledge, art, and literature. He provided financial support for the construction of the famous 'Zubaida Library' in Baghdad for its vast collection of books and manuscripts.
Amin Maalouf wrote in the "History of the Seljuk Turks" that Zubaydah's wealth was so vast that he provided capital for the construction of this library without touching his personal wealth.
Zubaydah was a great patron of knowledge and her palace was the center of literary and scientific activities. According to historian Shibli Nomani, Zubaydah was a great patron of knowledge and her palace was the center of literary and scientific activities.
Hugh Kennedy writes that 'Zubaida was a generous patron of literature and the arts, and her court was noted for its cultural activities.'
Robert Holland says that 'Zubaida was the patron of poetry. He helped develop the skills of many poets of that time.
According to the historian al-Tabari, Zubaydah sponsored the compilation of a famous collection of poetry, Diwan al-Hamsa, which included the works of many prominent Arab poets.
Zubaydah was also known for her patronage of scientific research and exploration. His patronage of knowledge, art, and literature helped foster a flourishing cultural scene in the Abbasid Caliphate.
Welfare work
Zubaydah built a passage for pilgrim caravans from Iraq to Makkah, it is called 'Darb Zubaydah'. Build inns for pilgrims and travelers, dig wells, and build mosques.
Ibn Battuta, referring to Zubaydah, wrote that every reservoir, pond, or well on this road from Makkah to Baghdad is her gift. If they had not been attracted by this passage, it would not have been usable. He has specifically mentioned the water reservoirs in Barakat Al-Murjam and Al-Qurura.
The city of Tabriz, which was destroyed in the earthquake, was rebuilt. The historic Egyptian city of Alexandria, which was almost destroyed, was rebuilt.
According to Hugh Kennedy, 'Zubaida was particularly noted for his contributions to public works such as bridges, canals, and wells.'
Historian al-Tabari says that Zubaydah built a large number of wells and water channels in the Arabian Peninsula to provide clean water to travelers and pilgrims.
Zubaydah was also known for supporting orphanages, hospitals, and other charities. She would donate large sums of money to support these institutions and personally supervise the use of the money.
Zubaydah's contribution to public welfare benefited countless people in the Abbasid EmpireHelped improves lives.
Zubaydah canal
There was a shortage of water in Makkah and other parts of Arabia. Once when Queen Zubaydah was in Makkah for Hajj, she saw the scarcity of water faced by the people of Makkah and the pilgrims, so she appointed experts to ensure an uninterrupted water supply. Handed over.
After a lot of effort, the experts said that they have found traces of springs flowing from two places many kilometers apart, but the water from these springs was obstructed in places by mountain ranges.
According to historians, the queen ordered to dig of a canal at any cost to convey the water of these springs to Mecca, even if a blow of a hoe costs one dinar.
On the advice of expert engineers, the work of draining the canal from Wadi Hunain in the northeast at a distance of 36 kilometers from Masjid-e-Haram was started. For three years, day and night, thousands of laborers were engaged in cutting the hills.
This canal was released after digging from Hunain to Wadi Numan, then through the Plain of Arafat and Wadi Arafa to Mina and Makkah. According to the historian Ibn Khallikan, two million dinars were spent on the project, which included the deepening of the Zam Zam water well.
The overseer presented the details of the expenditure to the queen when the work was completed. The queen lived in her palace on the banks of the Tigris river during that time.
According to historians, he took the details of the account and threw it into the river without looking, saying, "I did this just for the pleasure of Allah." I leave this calculation on the Day of Judgment.
The engineering masterpiece of this canal was called 'Ain Al-Mashash' but became famous as 'Ain Zubaydah' or 'Nahr Zubaydah'.
The Zubaydah canal was the main source of water supply to Makkah and the surrounding areas for 1200 years until alternative sources became available. Even today, a large part of it is preserved.