The Mother of Imam-e-Zamana (a.t.f.s.), Janab Narjis Khatoon (s.a.) was a Roman princess. She is introduced in the following narration of Behaarul Anwar, Vol. 51, Chapter 1, Hadith No. 12.
Sahl al-Shaybani narrates, ‘Bishr ibn Sulaiman al-Nakhkhaas, a descendant of Abu Ayyub Ansari and a devotee of Abu al-Hasan (a.s.) and Abu Muhammad (a.s.) and their neighbour at Saamarraa, Kafur, the servant came to me and said, “Our Master Abu al-Hasan Ali Ibn Muhammad (a.s.) is calling you.’ I went to the Master and as I sat in front of him, he said,
“O Bishr, you are from the descendants of the Ansaar. This devotion is your legacy, which each coming generation of yours inherits from your preceding generation. You are the trusted ones of us Ahle Bait (a.s.). I am elevating you and ennobling you by an excellence through which you will surpass all Shi’ites in devotion, by sharing a secret with you and sending you to purchase a certain bondmaid.”
He then wrote a very fine letter in Roman script and Roman language and imprinted his seal on it. He took out a yellow cloth wherein were two hundred gold coins. He said, “Take this and go to Baghdad.” He told me to go to the crossing of the Euphrates on noon of such and such day and instructed me as follows when I reach the boats of the captives:
“You will see bondmaids in them. You will find buyers working for the procurers of the Abbasids and a small group from the Arab youths. When you see that keep an eye on a man called Umar ibn Yazid alNakhkhas from a distance all day long, until a bondmaid with the described qualities is brought to the buyers.”
… At that moment go to Umar Ibn Yazid al-Nakhkhas and tell him you have a kind-hearted letter from a certain man of nobility, which he has written in Roman language and in Roman script, describing therein his benevolence, his fidelity, his excellence, and his generosity, so she may discern from it the character of its author. Should she be interested in him and choose him, then I am his representative in buying her from you.”
Bishr Ibn Sulayman says, “I did all that which my Master Abu al-Hasan (a.s.) had ordered me to do with respect to the bondmaid. When she saw the epistle, she cried profusely and said to Umar Ibn Yazid, “Sell me to the author of this letter.” She took the solemnest of oaths that should he refuse to sell her to him, she will take her life.
I negotiated the price with the dealer until it settled exactly on the amount of dinars my Master had given me. The money being sufficient, I took the bondmaid, who was extremely happy and joyous. I returned with her to my residence in Baghdad. She was very restless until she took out from her pocket the letter of our Master. She would kiss it and put it on her eyes and place it on her cheeks and touch it to her body. Astonished, I said, “You are kissing a letter whose author is unknown to you!”
“O the one who is unaware of the position of the progeny of Prophets (a.s.),” she responded. “Lend me your ears and empty your heart for my words. I am Malika, the daughter of Yashua, son of the Caesar of Rome. My mother is from the descendants of the disciples (Hawaariyyoon) of Jesus, and her lineage goes back to the successor of Jesus, Sham’oon. I will narrate to you the wonderful incident. My grandfather, the Caesar (of Rome), wanted me to marry his nephew when I was thirteen years of age. So, he gathered in his palace three hundred priests and monks from the descendants of the Hawaariyyoon, and from their men of stature seven hundred men. He gathered four thousand men from the commanders of the army and officers of the military and leaders of the armed forces and chiefs of the tribes. He erected a throne from the dearest of his riches, which was studded with varieties of jewels and was raised over forty steps.
When his nephew climbed, the crosses were fixed about, the bishops took their stands in great reverence, and the pages of the Bible were opened, suddenly the crosses collapsed from the top and hit the ground. The pillars of the throne crumbled and crashed onto the floor. My grandfather’s nephew, who had risen over the throne, fell down and became unconscious. The colours of the bishops changed and their chests trembled. Their leader said to my grandfather, ‘Please excuse me from facing this evil, which forebodes the demise of the Christian religion and the regal creed.’
“My grandfather took this as an evil omen and said to the bishops, ‘Erect these scaffolds, raise the crosses and bring the brother of this man, whose dreams have been ruined, so I may marry him to this young girl; so the evil of his dead brother may go away through his goodfortune. When they did that, the same thing happened to the second prospective groom as had happened to the first. People dispersed. My grandfather the Caesar stood in great distress.”
Next: Janab Narjis Khatoon (s.a.), Mother of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) – Part II
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