Shahrbanu

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Shahrbānū (or Shehr Bano) (Persian: شهربانو; "Lady of the Land")^[1] 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.^[2] She was reportedly a Sassanid princess, a daughter of Yazdegerd III, the last Sassanid emperor of Persia.^[3] Shahrbanu has also been referred to with several other names by different writers, such as: Shaharbānawayh,^[4] Shāhzanān,^[5] Shāhjahān,^[6] Jahānshāh,^[7] Salāma,^[8] Salāfa,^[9] Ghazāla,^[10] and Sādira.^[11]

Islamic legends state that Shahrbanu was captured during the Muslim conquest of Persia. When presented before the Arab nobility and offered a choice in husband, she requested to be given in marriage to Husayn.^[1] The majority of Shia sources state that Shahrbanu subsequently died shortly after giving birth to her son Ali^[12][13] and was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi, alongside other members of Muhammad's family. Some traditions however, indicate to the Bibi Shahr Banu Shrine in Rey being her resting place.^[1]

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. However, her historicity is uncertain. Islamic writers, such as al-Mubarrad, Ya'qubi and al-Kulayni, began alluding to Shahrbanu and her imperial Persian background from the 9th century onward. However, the earliest sources make no mention of the mother of Ali ibn Husayn, nor do they ascribe him with maternal royal ancestry. The first references were from Ibn Sa'd and Ibn Qutaybah, also in the 9th century, who instead describe her as being a slave from Sindh. This leads the Encyclopædia Iranica to consider that Shahrbanu was "undeniably legendary".^[1]