Tomb & Mosque of Sayyida Nafisa - Cairo
Sayyida Nafisa Mosque in Cairo is built over the tomb of Sayyida Nafisa. She was the great granddaughter of the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH), daughter of al-Hasan al-Anwar, the son of Zaid bin Hassan bin Imam Ali (A.S.). Nafisa moved to Cairo from Medina (Hejaz in the past, now Saudi Arabia) in 809 AD and died in Cairo in 824 AD. She married to Ishaq al-Mutamin, son of the sixth Shia Imam Jafar al-Sadiq.
It is said that this holy lady dug her own grave because she knew her time was getting nearer. Every day she would enter the grave and worship in it. She was not only known for her abstinence and piety but also for religious teachings. Imam al-Shafi was also one of her students (he is buried in Cairo too). This holy lady provided education for the young girls and women alike in her era.
The mosque was first built by the governor of Egypt, Ubaydullah bin Sirri bin al-Hakam and subsequently renovated in 1089, 1371 and again in 1897. The current mosque that exists today in the square dates back to 1897 and was erected by Abbas Helmy II.
Sayyida Nafisa was known for her incredible charity. She would give away all the gifts she gets to those in need and rarely kept anything for herself. She passed away in Ramadan in the year 208 hijri. Her husband made plans to take her to Median but people of Egypt wanted her remains to be buried in Cairo and their wish was granted.
