Ruqayya al-Sughra bint Ali

Shaykh al-Mufid lists Ruqayya al-Sughra among the daughters of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib. In the same passage he distinguishes an elder Ruqayya, the twin sister of Umar, whose mother was Umm Habib bint Rabi'a, and then names Ruqayya al-Sughra among daughters born to various mothers. The exact name of Ruqayya al-Sughra's mother is not supplied. This distinction is essential because later writings often merge the elder and younger Ruqayya into one biography.

The early genealogical record preserves a marriage connection with the family of Aqil ibn Abi Talib. Ibn Habib states that Muslim ibn Aqil married Ruqayya al-Sughra and that Muhammad ibn Aqil married her afterward. His wording also mentions another marriage between Muslim and a Ruqayya bint Ali, which suggests that he knew more than one woman of this name. The precise sequence, duration, and legal circumstances of these marriages are not otherwise described in detail.

Other sources complicate the identification. Mus'ab al-Zubayri identifies Ruqayya al-Kubra as the wife of Muslim ibn Aqil and the mother of Abdullah, Ali, and Muhammad. Maqatil al-Talibiyyin states that Abdullah ibn Muslim's mother was Ruqayya bint Ali and that her own mother was an umm walad, but it does not label her as the elder or younger Ruqayya. These reports establish a real family connection while leaving the exact assignment of husband and children between the two names unresolved.

Later Imami and devotional writings sometimes place a Ruqayya bint Ali among the women connected with Karbala and the captivity of the Prophet's family in 61 AH. The accessible early notices, however, do not independently identify Ruqayya al-Sughra by name among the captives. Her presence at Karbala, particular speeches, and motherhood of specific Karbala martyrs must therefore remain attributed or disputed rather than being presented as secure biography.

Her birth date, death date, and burial place are not reliably preserved. A later shrine tradition in Cairo and other regional attributions concern a Ruqayya bint Ali, but the surviving evidence does not securely connect any one of them to Ruqayya al-Sughra. Her historical value lies in the genealogical record itself and in the need to protect lesser-known women of the Ahl al-Bayt from homonym confusion, unsupported family assignments, and automatic shrine identification.