Zuljanah from wikipedia
Dhuljanah (Arabic: ذو الجناح) was the horse of Husayn ibn Ali. The original name of Dhuljanah was Murtajiz and Maymoon and the reason for it being named that way was because of its sound of neighing being sweet, furious and high making it different from other horses. It was purchased by the Prophet Muhammad from an Arab called Haris. It features prominently in the traditional narrating of the story of the Battle of Karbala and it is thought to have been a white stallion.
Legend of Dhuljanah[edit]
According to the legend, when Husayn ibn Ali was a mere child and learning to crawl, he used to go to the stable of Dhuljanah and look at it. Once the Prophet of Islam said that his grand son was curiously looking at the horse as if some mysterious conversation was taking place, so the Prophet asked the child if he wished to ride the horse and on being answered the Prophet Muhammad ordered the horse to be mounted and when Husayn ibn Ali approached the horse it amazingly lowered itself to the ground allowing the child to mount him.
The Role of Dhuljanah in the Battle of Karbala[edit]
In the battle of Karbala, Husayn ibn Ali used the horse and went to the battlefield. According to a collection of Hadith, Dhuljanah on its own killed 60 enemies of Husayn ibn Ali in the Battle of Karbala.
It is also believed that Dhuljanah wept in sorrow of Husayn ibn Ali's martyrdom, weeping a single tear.
After the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, Dhuljanah went to the camps of Zaynab bint Ali and then went to the Euphrates river never to be found again.
Present day remembrance of Dhuljanah[edit]
The practice of taking out the replica of Dhuljanah is still prevalent in processions during Muharram. Shia Muslims in countries like Pakistan, Iran, India, Bahrain and Iraq decorate a replica of Dhuljanah and take it along with them in an Azadari / Maraseem procession. This replica reminds them of the real Dhuljanah and people often feed the replica with their own hands.
