Tahirih, the young bride, moved with her husband, Mulla Muhammad, to Karbila so he could pursue his education to become a mujtahid.
Karbila was a place of profound importance because the third Imam, Husayn, was buried there. In the Battle of Karbila, in 680 AD, Husayn and seventy companions were massacred by troops sent by the caliph whose authority he publicly rejected. Husayn became the symbol of sacrifice, devotion, and defiance against oppression for Shi’a Muslims.
Explanation of the station and thought of the Imam Husayn
Tahirih gave birth to two sons, Ibrahim and Isma’il, in Karbila and a daughter, Zaynab. But the future with her children was one of conflict and loss. In time, the sons turned against their mother, becoming important orthodox mujtahids.
Despite this, when her sons were mentioned in future Shi’a biographies, they were designated by one of her titles ‘al-Qurat ul-Ayn’ not that of her husband—evidence of the great respect in which her learning had been held.