Lady Zubaydah was married to Haroun ar-Rashid, the famous Abassid Caliph. They were among the most powerful and richest couples on earth at the time. They both worked tirelessly for the welfare of the nation and were true philanthropists. They took great care of the infrastructure and advancement of literature and science; at their time Baghdad was a minaret of knowledge for the world. They were cooperative and their harmony benefited the people.
They were both formidable, beautiful inside and out, and noble in character and lineage; both are descendants of the Prophet, may peace be upon him . Ar-Rashid was tall, with a strong built and strong charisma. He was knowledgeable about the Religion and about the language. He used to pray every day and night 100 rak^ah, that is, among the optional prayers. He is among the very rare rulers who traveled solely to seek the knowledge while in power.
It was narrated that he used to give in charity, every day, from his own money, 1,000 dirham. (This is on a regular basis, and many times he would give more than that.) The stories about him that he used to drink alcohol and seek the forbidden pleasures are fabricated. He was not engrossed in amusement and entertainment, rather he was a magnificent king in whose time, the Islamic nation was strong: financially, economically, militarily, and on the level of knowledge.
It is important to note that the book “One Thousand and One Nights” is fiction and not based on the life of Haroun ar-Rashid. It was narrated that he saw in his dream the Prophet before he became the caliph, telling him, “You will become the ruler, so when this happens do this (and he named one matter) and go to Hajj. The same year he became the caliph, he did both matters.
Zubaydah’s trail of public work is immense. She improved the pilgrimage route from Kuffah in Iraq to Mecca, which is still called Darb Zubaydah. She commissioned the construction of an aqueduct to bring water to Arafat and Mecca, which was in use until 1950 (Ain Zubaydah), a marvel of hydro-engineering. When cautioned by the engineers about the prohibitive cost and technical difficulties of this project, her answer was to go through with it, “ even if every stroke of a pickax were to cost a dinar”.
May God have mercy on both of them. They were truly a golden couple.
