Her name was Zahra', and she was the daughter of Hajji Muhammad 'Ali al­Hassun and the wife of Shaykh Zuhayr al-Hassun. She was born in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf, into a family known for its piety and nobleness. She received an excellent upbringing there. After her father's death, she moved to the house of her brother, Hajji Fadil al-Hassun.1

Her Merits

Staying in her brother's house was an excellent opportunity for Umm 'Ali to meet with other Muslim women and teach them the principles of Islamic beliefs. Her marriage to her paternal cousin, Shaykh Zuhayr al-Hassun, opened the doors of knowledge for her. Her husband taught her with great diligence, and Umm 'Ali studied Islamic jurisprudence, doctrines of Islam, syntactic, rhetoric, traditions, and the reliability of the transmitters of traditions. When Ayatullah Mar'ashi took residence in her house, he tested her and permitted her to narrate from him.

The martyr Bint al-Huda (the sister of Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr), who was an eminent scholar and one of the leaders of the Islamic movement in Iraq, was among her students. This brother and sister were martyred by Saddam in 1979.2

• 1. He was deeply fond of teaching the holy laws of Islam and attached to Imam al­Husayn ('a). He conducted educational meetings for young people in his home. (A'lam al-Nisa' al-Mu'minat, p. 172).
• 2. A'lam al-Nisa' al-Mu'minat, p. 172.