Shahrbanu was allegedly one of the wives of Husayn ibn Ali, the third Shia Imam and grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as the mother of his successor, Ali ibn Husayn.
14 Facts About Shahrbanu
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Shahrbanu was reportedly a Sassanid princess, a daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid emperor of Persia.
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Shahrbanu has been referred to with several other names by different writers, such as: Shaharbanawayh, Shahzanan, Shahjahan, Jahanshah, Salama, Salafa, Ghazala, and Sadira.
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Islamic legends state that Shahrbanu was captured during the Muslim conquest of Persia.
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The majority of Shia sources state that Shahrbanu subsequently died shortly after giving birth to her son Ali and was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi, alongside other members of Muhammad's family.
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Shahrbanu is viewed as a saintly figure by the Shia denominations and is especially revered in Iran, her importance being partly tied to the link she provides between pre-Islamic Persia and modern Shi'ism.
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Islamic histories regarding Shahrbanu generally state that she was a daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid emperor of Persia.
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In relation to this, historian Mary Boyce states that al-Qummi's account ignores that the conquest of Khorasan took place during the latter's reign, as well as the fact that Shahrbanu's supposed son, Ali, was not born until over a decade after Umar's death.
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Shahrbanu was allegedly buried in the Jannat al-Baqi in Medina, her grave being beside that of her brother-in-law Hasan ibn Ali.
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Shahrbanu was closely pursued by Yazid's soldiers and as she approached the mountains surrounding Rey, she tried to call out to God in desperation.
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The historicity of Shahrbanu is highly debatable, with no source available which can truly confirm or deny her existence.
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Shahrbanu was raised by a concubine of Husayn's, who was publicly assumed to be his mother.
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Ali ibn Abi Talib plays an important role in this, with he and Shahrbanu conversing in Persian, him insisting on her freedom and nobility of rank as well as predicting the birth of the future Imam.
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Subsequently, it appears that Shahrbanu served as a factor in the convergence between the persecuted Shias and the conquered Persians.