Event 5
 

Amr Ibn Saeed, after getting the news, went up the pulpit and within a speech conveyed the news to the people. Bani Hāshem became very sad by this news and they arranged mourning. Zainab, daughter of Aquil bin Abi Tālib127 recited a dirge and said: "What will you reply when the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) asks you, "Being the last Ummah what did you do to my progeny after my departure?" Some of them were imprisoned and some were drowned in their own blood. Had I willed you to misbehave with my household, you would not have done worse than what you did. O you, who killed Husain under utmost oppression, takes news of a painful chastisement. Everyone who is in the heaven and every prophet and messenger and every martyr (witness) wept over him. You are the cursed ones who have been cursed by the tongues of Soloman, Moses, and Jesus."

- Amr Ibn Saeed was the governor of Mecca and Medina under Muawiyah and Yazeed. He went to Syria, co-operated with Marwān for getting the caliphate. After Marwan, Abdul Malik, gave temporary governorship to him. During his caliphate Abdul Malik intended to remove Amr from governorship and Amr fled. Abdul Malik was after him until he caught and killed him in 70 A.H. [Al-Isābah Part 6850; Al-Elām 4/78]

- In Ansābul Ashraf, p.221, it is mentioned: Zainab was with Ali bin Yazeed from Bani Muttalib bin Abde Manāf who brought forth children for him. She was among slave girls and the mother of Wahab bin Wahab Abul Bakhtari Qāzi.
****

When the letter of Ibn Ziyād reached Yazeed Ibn Muawiyah, and he got acquainted with the story, he wrote a reply and ordered that the heads of Husain (a.s.) and the martyrs, the women and family members, and bags of Imām be sent to him. Ibn Ziyād called Mahaffar Ibn Thalaba and handed over the heads and the slaves to him. The evil-hearted Mahaffar drove the slaves savagely towards Syria.

Ibn Laheeah128 has narrated, from which we are quoting the required parts as follow: He has said that he was praying round Ka?ba when he met a man who was wailing, "O Allāh, forgive me, but I do not see to be forgiven." I told him, "O servant of Allāh! Fear Allāh and do not say so! Even if your sins are more than drops of rain, or leaves of all trees, and you pray Allāh for pardon, Allāh will forgive you. He is the All- forgiving and the Most Merciful." He told me, "Come close to me so that I may tell you my story." I went close to him. He said, "We were fifty men who carryied the holy head of Husain to Shām. Every night we put the head in the midst of a coffin and engaged in wine drinking nearby. That night my friends were drunk. But I did not drink. As the curtain of darkness fell on us and lightning began I saw that the gates of the - Ibn Laeeah: Abdullāh Ibn Laheeah Ibn Marghan al-Hazrami Misri Abu Abdur Rahmān was a Muhaddith of Egypt and a judge. He was among the writers and compilers of hadith and one who had traveled a lot for gaining knowledge. He died in 174 A.H. [Al-Wulat wal Quzat: 368]

sky opened and Ad?m, Noah, Abraham, Is?hāq, Ismaeil and Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) came down along with Gibrael (Gabriel- Spirit) and a group of angels." "Gibrael approached the coffin, took out the holy head from it, embraced and kissed it. All the prophets did likewise. The holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) wept by the side of the blessed head, and the other messengers consoled him." Gibrael submitted the proposal, "O Muhammad! Allāh, the Almighty, has commanded me regarding your nation that I should do as you like. If you order, I may shake the earth severely, and make it topsy-turvy, as I did to the nation of L?t."

The holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) replied: "No, Gibrael! Because I have made an endowment with Allāh about them."129

- In the manuscript "B? it is mentioned: Then he offered prayer on the holy head. Then a group of angels came and said: Allāh has ordered us to kill these fifty fellows. The Prophet replied: Carry out your duty. They inflicted blows by weapons on those fifty. One of them thought of hitting me. I said: O Prophet of Allāh! Al-aman. He said: Go away. Allāh will not pardon you. Next morning I saw that all of my fellow travelers were finished on ground. In manuscript "A? after this story it is mentioned: In the footnotes of Muhammad Ibn Najjar Shaykhul Muhaddithine Baghdād in the description of Ali Ibn Nasr Shabuki I saw an addition that he wrote in this hadith with proofs: As they carried the holy head of Hussain (a.s.) they sat for drinking wine. One of them brought the head when suddenly a hand appeared and it wrote with a pen of iron on the wall: Does the Ummah that killed Husain have any hope for the intercession of his grandfather on the day of accounting? When the people heard this they left the head and ran away.

The narrator says, "When the caravan of the slaves came near Damascus," Umme Kulthum approached Shimr and said, "I have a request."

He asked, "What do you need?"

She replied, "When you intend to make us enter the city, usher us from a gate where there are less people and issue order to take the heads of the martyrs out of the camel-litters, and to keep them away from us. Because we have been much disgraced in the eyes of the people." Shimr, due to his natural malice, gave an opposite order! The heads were placed on the top of the spears, and put in the midst of camel-litters, and the prisoners were thus paraded upto the gate of Damascus and thenceforth to the gate of the Grand Mosque. Then they were confined to the detention quarter.

It is mentioned in a tradition that when an elderly Muslim saw the holy head of Hussain (a.s.), he hid himself from the people for one month. Thereafter when people saw him they asked the reason. He replied: "Did you not see what happen to us?" Then he recited the following prose:

O son of the daughter of Muhammad! They brought your head drenched in your blood; Thus, O son of the daughter of Muhammad! They have openly and intentionally killed the Prophet; They killed you, keeping you thirsty, and did not pay attention to the Quran and its interpretation; While killing you they said Allāho Akbar. Verily by killing you they have killed Takbeer (Allāho Akbar) and Tahleel (Lā ilāha illa Allah).

An old man approached the womenfolk and household of Husain (a.s.) when they all were in the same place. Then he said, "Praise to Allāh Who killed and destroyed you, and relieved the cities from your men, and imposed the order of Amirul Momineen (Yazeed) on you!" Ali Ibn Hussain (a.s.) told him, "O old man! Have you recited Quran?" He replied: "Yes." Ali Ibn Hussain (a.s.): Did you understand the meaning of this vrese that, "(O' Prophet) Say: I do not expect from you anything as wage (for my Prophethood) except friendship with my close relatives?"(Quran 42:43)130 He replied: "I have read this verse!"

Ali Ibn Husain said: "We are "Zilqurba? (the close relatives of the Prophet). O old man! Have you read in Bani Israel chapter this verse: Observe the rights of Zilqurba (the close relatives)?"131 (Quran 17:26) The old man: I have read it! Imam (a.s.): "We are the "Zilqurba"! Have you read this verse," And know that whatever you may earn from everything, then truly one-fifth of it is for Allāh, and Prophet, and Zilqurba?132 (Quran 8:41) The old man: "Yes."

The Imam: We are the "qurba? O Shaykh! Have your read this verse, "Indeed Allāh intended to remove - Surah Shoora 42:23
- Surah Bani Israel 17:26

- Surah Anfal 8:41

impurity from you Ahle Bayt, and to purify you, in the best purification?"133 (Quran 33:33) The old man: "I have read it!" The Imam: "O Shaykh! We are the Ahle Bayt whom the Almighty Allāh has identified through this verse." The narrator has added: The old man kept quiet. He felt ashamed for what he had said. Then he asked: "Tell me, by Allāh, are you those persons?"

Sajjād (a.s.): "By Allāh, we are those. I swear by our grandfather that, without any doubt, we are the same people." The old man wept, threw his turban on the ground. Then he raised his head towards sky and said: "O? God! I hate the enemies of the ?le Muhammad, either jinns or human beings." Then he asked, "Is there any scope of repentance for me?" The Imam replied: "Yes. If you repent, Allāh will accept your repentance, and you will be with us." The old man said: "I repent."

The story of that old man reached Yazeed. He ordered for his execution, and he was killed. The narrators have said that thereafter the family and womenfolk of Hussain (a.s.) were brought to Yazeed bound in ropes. They stood before Yazeed in that condition. Ali Ibn Hussain (a.s.) said to Yazeed, "By God, what do you think about the holy Prophet, if he would see us in this condition?" Yazeed ordered to open their hands.

- Surah Ahzab 33:33

Then Yazeed placed the holy head of Hussain (a.s.) in his front, and asked the womenfolk go behind so that they may not see the face of Yazeed. Zainul ?bedin looked at the head and grief overtook him. When Zainab saw the head of her brother she tore her collar and cried in a sorrowful voice that influenced human hearts. Then she said, "O Husain! O the beloved of the Prophet of Allāh! O son of Mecca and Medina! O son of Fātima Zahra, the lady of the women of Paradise! O son of the daughter of Mustafa!"

The narrators said, "By Allāh, everyone in the audience wept, andYazeed remained silent." A woman of Bani Hāshim who was in the palace of Yazeed, began to mourn and said: "Ya Husain, Ya Habib, Ya Sayyad, Ya Sayyade Ahle Bayt, Ya Ibne Muhammad, O hope and shelter of the guardianless women and orphan children! O the one who has been killed by the bastards!" All wept loudly.

Then Yazeed asked a whipper, and whipped the front teeth of Husain (a.s.) Abu Barzah Aslami134 looked at Yazeed and said, "Woe unto you Yazeed! Do you whip the lips and teeth of Husain, son of Fātima (s.a.)? I bear witness that I have seen the holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) kissed the lips and teeth of - The name of Abu Barzāh is Fazallāh bin Ubaid bin Hārith Aslami and his nickname is more famous than his proper name. There is a diversity of opinion about his name. He was a Sahābi, (Prophet's companion) a resident of Medina and later of Basra. He was with Ali (a.s.) in Nahrawan. He died in Khorasan in 65 A.H. [Tahzibut Tahzib 10/446; Al-Isābah (trans.) Part 8718; Al-Elām 8/33]

Husain and his brother Hasan (a.s.) and said that they two were the leaders of the youths of Paradise. Allāh will kill their killers, and will curse the killers, and He has prepared hell for their killers. What a bad end!" The dirty-hearted Yazeed frowned and ordered him to be dragged out harshly. A narrator has said, "Then Yazeed began to sing the poems of the anti-Islam poet Ibnu Zabari:135 Alas for my forefathers who were killed in Badr, who had heard the wailing of Khazraj, due to the pain of spear wound;

So now you rise up and glance and say: O Yazeed! May your hand not be paralyzed; We killed their heads and chiefs and took the revenge of Badr; Hāshimites played with the kingdom! Neither (divine) news nor any revelation had come to them! I may not be considered as a person of my tribe, if I do not take the revenge from the sons of Ahmad, for what they did."

Narrators have said that, Zainab, daughter of Ali (a.s.) got up and said, "Praise to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds! And blessings on Muhammad and on all the members of his family. Allāh told the truth that, "The end 135 - Abdullāh bin Zabari bin Qais Sahmi Quraishi, Abu Sa?ad was a poet of Quraish in the days of ignorance. He was a bitter enemy of the Muslims and he fled to Najran when Mecca was liberated. He died in 15 A.H. [Al-Elām 4/87] 146 of those who did bad deeds is bad, because they denied the verses of Allāh and mocked them."136 "O Yazeed! Do you think that it is a matter of pride for you that you captured us, and made us to move like slave maids, and that it is a disgrace to us? Does all this make you rejoice as you have prepared the world for youself? You imagine that everything has been arranged properly for you and that the kingdom and the country is now in your favor! Take respite for a while. But you have forgotten the Word of Allāh Who has said, "And do not let the disbelievers think that our respite, [The postponement of their punishment] is good for them [and they will enjoy life through it]. We postpone the punishment only for that they may increase their sinfulness; and for them there is a Disgraceful Torment [because of their sins]."137

"Is this just, o son of the liberated slaves that your wives and slave girls remain covered from the public, and the daughters of the Prophet of Allāh being remained as captives? You tore their veils, revealed their faces, and drove them from town to town like enemies! You degraded them in public view. You made people look at them, while their guardians and helpers were not with them."

"What can one expect from the son of the one who chewed the liver of pious persons, and whose flesh was nourished by the blood of martyrs?" "Due to enmity towards us, Ahle Bayt, how much harshness can one display? And then, without realizing, - Rome 30:10
- Quran - ?le Imrān (3:178)



you utter such sinful words: (your elders) rise and dance and tell you: O Yazeed! May your hand not be paralyzed whereas you whip on the teeth of Abi Abdullāh (a.s.)!" "Why should you not say so. By shedding the blood of the progeny of Muhammad (s.a.w.s.), who were the shining stars of the earth, you have driven his family to extremities and now you are remembering your ancestors and, in your imagination, calling them!" "O Yazeed! Very soon you will join them and on that day, you will wish (and say): Alas, I wish, I had been paralyzed and would not have uttered what I uttered and should not had done what I did."

"O Allāh! Restore our rights and take revenge from those who oppressed us, and send Your wrath on those who shed our blood and killed our supporters." "(O Yazeed!) By Allāh, you have skinned none but yourself, and have cut only your own flesh. No doubt, you will be brought before the Prophet of Allāh (s.a.w.s.) was having shed the blood of his progeny, and tore the curtain of the honor of their progeny and that will be the time and place when Allāh will gather them and remove their anxieties and restore their rights. Do not consider that those who are killed in the path of Allāh are dead.

They are alive, getting provision near their Lord."138 "O Yazeed! It is sufficient for you that Allāh is the Judge, and Muhammad (s.a.w.s.) is your enemy and avenger of blood, with Gibrael as his supporter. The one, who deceived you and imposed you as the head of Muslims, will soon know that how bad has been his - Quran - ?le Imrān (3:157)

selection of succession! And whose place and position is worse and weaker!" "O Yazeed! Though I have suffered many calamities from you, I consider you valueless! You have caused a great tragedy, and you should be always blamed. But, the eyes are tearful and the hearts are burning now." "I Wonder, I wonder! (It has been the) Killing of the members of the party of Allāh by the members of the party of Damn Satan. Our blood is dripping from your dirty hands. Your unclean mouths are devouring our flesh. Those holy and pious bodies are facing the attacks of rapacious wolves. And the hyenas leave no trace of them. If you have caught us as war booty, then very soon it will prove to be a fine instead of booty. On that day, you will not get anything except what your hands sent forth, your God is not cruel to His servants, and all complaints are before Allāh."

"Carry out whatever fraud or betrayal and effort is in your mind! By Allāh, you will never be able to erase our name and fade out our revelation as you did not perceive our time. This shameful blot will not be removed from you. It is just your own viewpoint and it is wrong; your days (time) are limited and your group shall soon scatter. Yes, it will be soon the day when it will be proclaimed: Now, the curse is upon the unjust people!" "So, all praises are for Allāh Who destined salvation and bless for the first group of us and martyrdom and mercy for the last among us."

"We appeal to Allāh so that He may complete their rewards, and multiply causes (of such rewards), and may duely bless the caliphate to us; as He is Kind and Merciful. Allāh is sufficient for us. He is the best of the executors!" "Yazeed (may the curse of Allah be upon him)! Wailing of the wailing women is nice; and how insignificant if they die."

The narrator said that Yazeed consulted the Syrians regarding the affairs of Ahle Bayt. The Syrians (may the curse of Allah be upon them) said: "Deal with them like dogs." Nomān Ibn Bashir: "Do with them as the holy Prophet behaved with them." A Syrian man looked at Fātima, daughter of Husain, and said: "O Amir! Give this girl to me!" Fātima told her aunt: "I became an orphan and now a slave girl!" Zainab (a.s.) said: "No! Such greatness is not for this lewd fellow!"

The Syrian: "Who is this girl?" Yazeed (may the curse of Allah be upon him): "She is Fātima, daughter of Husain and this one is also Zainab, daughter of Ali." The Syrian: Husain, the son of Fātima and Ali bin Abi Tālib? Yazeed: "Yes!" The Syrian: "May Allāh curse you, O Yazeed! You are killing the progeny of the Prophet and imprisoning their offspring? By Allāh, I had thought that they are disbelieving prisoners of war!"

Yazeed: "By Allāh, I will add you with them." Then he ordered and the Syrian was killed. Then Yazeed called a speaker and ordered him to imprecate Husain and his father (p.b.u.t.). The speaker went up the pulpit and condemned Amirul Momineen and the martyr Hussain (a.s.), and praised Muawiyah and Yazeed extensively. Ali Ibn Husain (a.s.) cried out: "O speaker! You have purchased pleasure of the created, by causing the wrath of the Creator. Verily your abode will be in Hellfire."

"How true has Ibn Sinān Khafaji139 said in his poems in the praise of Amirul Momineen and his son (a.s.), Are you Abusing Ali from top of the Pulpit? Though this pulpit has been raised by the sword of Ali (a.s.)!" It was on that day that Yazeed (may the curse of Allah be upon him) gave a promise to Ali bin Husain (a.s.) that he would accept three requests from him. Then Yazeed ordered to settle the Ahle Bayt in a place where they were not sheltered from heat and cold of day and night. They were kept therein for such duration that their holy faces were cracked. Yet they went on mourning on Husain (a.s.) during their staying in Damascus.

- Abdullāh bin Muhammad bin Sinān, Abu Muhammad Khafaji Halabi. He was a poet and learnt literature from Abil Ula and others. He was poisoned to death in 466 A.H. [Al-Elām 4/122, Fuwātul Wafiyāt 1/233, An Nujumuz Zahira 5/96]

Sakina has said that on the fourth day of their stay, she has seen in a dream, "There was a lady in the camel litter. She had placed her hand on her head." I asked about her. It was said, "She was Fātima daughter of Muhammad." I said that I should go to her and tell her what had happened to us. So I rushed to meet her, stood by her, wept and said, "O my mother! By Allāh, they denied our rights and scattered our community. O mother! They considered the violation of our honor permissible. O mother! By Allāh, they killed my father."

She said: "O Sakina! Keep quiet my dear! Your story has torn my heart, and wounded my liver. This is the shirt of your father, Husain that will not get separated from me until I meet Allāh."

Ibn Laheeah has narrated from Abi Aswad Muhammad Ibn Abdul Rahmān,140 that he met Ra?s-ul- Jāloot, the chief of Jews. He said, "I am in the seventieth generation from Dāwood (a.s.). Yet the Jews honor and pay respect to me. Between you and your Prophet the distance is not more than one generation, and you killed his sons?" Zain-ul-?bedin (a.s.) is reported to have said, "When they brought the head of Husain (a.s.) to Yazeed (may the curse of Allah be upon him), he arranged several - He is Abul Aswad Muhammad bIn Abdur Rahmān Ibn Naufal Ibn al-Aswad Ibn Naufal al-Qarshi al-Asadi. He was living in Egypt and had narrated Kitāb Maghazi to Urwah Ibn Zubair. He has quoted from Imām Sajjād and An-Nomān Ibn Ayyash and some more persons. A group of people like Habwah Ibn Shuraih and… have quoted him. He expired around three hundred thirty A.H. [Seer A'lamun Nubla 6/150, Part 62]

drinking parties, placed the holy head near him, and drank." Once, the Roman ambassador, who was from the nobles of Rome, who was present in the ceremony told Yazeed, "O king of Arabia, whose head is this?" Yazeed: "It has nothing to do with you." The ambassador: "When I return to my country, the king will inquire about everything. I would like to narrate the story of this head, so that he may also share your joy!" Yazeed: "This is the head of Husain, son of Ali Ibn Abi Tālib." The ambassador: "And who is his mother?" Yazeed: "Fātima, daughter of the Prophet of Allāh!"

The ambassador: Damn with you and your faith! My faith is better than yours since my father is from the descendants of Dāvid and from his race, and there is a lengthy time span between them and me. Yet the Christians respect me and pick up dust from beneath of my footsteps, as an auspicious gift, only because I am a descendant of Dāvid. But you are killing the son of the daughter of your Prophet; whereas, the distance between him and your Prophet is only of one mother. What kind of a religion do you follow? Then he asked, "Have you heard the story of the Church of Hafir?" Yazeed: "Tell me."

The ambassador: There is a sea between Oman and China. It takes six months to cross it. There is no habitation therein except for an island in the midst of the sea, which has an area of eighty farsakh in length and eighty in width. No city on the surface of earth is greater than that. Camphor and ruby are exported from there. It is under the control of Christians, and their king is a Christian too. There are many churches in it, and the biggest one the Church of Hafir. On its altar is a small golden box having a hoof mark. It is said that it is the hoof of the donkey that Jesus (a.s.) had rode. They have decorated it in a golden frame and brocade. Every year a large number of Christians visit it, go round it, kiss it, and standing near it, pray to Almighty Allāh for the fulfillment of their needs. This honor and tradition is for the hoof of the donkey of Jesus (a.s.) and it is for a place, where according to them, is the mark of the hoof of the donkey on which their Prophet used to ride. And you are killing the son of the daughter of your Prophet. Allāh will not bless either you or your religion.

The hostile Yazeed: "Kill this Christian so that he may not disgrace us in his country!" When the Christian perceived his intention, he asked, "Do you intend to kill me?" Yazeed: Yes!

The Christian: Know that last night I saw your Prophet in my dream and he told me, "O Christian! You are a man of Paradise." I became very surprised by his word. Now I witness that there is no God except Allāh, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allāh.

Then he rushed towards the head of Husain, embraced it and began to kiss it, and while doing so became a martyr! It is said that once Zainul ?bedin went to the Market of Damascus, where Minhal bin Amr141 rushed to welcome him and said, "O son of the Prophet! How did you pass the night?" He replied: "Like the children ofIsrael (arrested) in the hands of the people of Pharaoh, who killed their sons and kept their daughters alive." "O Minhal! The Arabs always used to take pride over the non-Arabs since Muhammad was from them; and the Quraysh used to take pride over other Arab tribes telling them that Muhammad was from them. Yet we, the family of the holy Prophet, are homeless, tortured, and killed. So "Inna lillāhe wa inna ilaihe raajeoon" over whatever has happened to us, Minhal!" How nice has Mahyar142 composed the couplets: They honoured the wooden pieces of the Prophet's pulpit

- He is Minhal bin Amr al-Asadi. The Shaykh has mentioned him by the same name sometimes among the company of Ali (a.s.). By adding the words "Maulahum" among the companions of Bāqir and Sādiq (a.s.). By mentioning "Minhal bin ……? said that he had quoted from Sajjād, Bāqir and Sādiq (a.s.). Some consider him as a companion of Sajjād. There is a narration from Asbagh that Ali bin Abbas has quoted him. [Mojam Rijālul Hadith 19/8]

- Mahyar Ibn Marzuyah, Abul Hasan or Abul Hussain Dailami was a great poet. His poems are innovative and style powerful. Mahyar was originally from Iran who lived in Baghdād. He became a Muslim at the hands of Sharif Razi who was his Guide and teacher. He expired in Baghdād in 428 A.H. [Al-Elām 7/317, Tārikh Baghdād 13/276, Al- Muntazam 8/94: Al-Bidaya wan Nihaya 12/41 and other sources]

but tossed beneath their feet the Prophet's children;

On what basis should the Prophet's children follow you, while you take pride in being his companions and followers!? Yazeed said to Ali Ibn Husain: "Tell me the three needs for fulfilling, which I have promised." Imām Sajjād: First show me the head of my father so that I may look at it and bid him good-bye. Second, whatever has been looted from us should be returned third, if you intend to kill me, and then ask someone to accompany the women and to take them to the city of their grandfather (Medina). The spiteful Yazeed said: "You will never see the face of your father. I do not want to kill you. And none except you will take the women to Medina. I am ready to give the value of the property seized from you, plus equal to it as a fine!"

Imām (a.s.) Sajjad: "I do not need your money, it is important only in your eyes. I demanded only what has been looted from us, because it included some thing knitted by Fātima daughter of the holy Prophet, and also the veil, the shirt, and the manacle spun by her." Yazeed ordered that the property snatched from the Ahle Bayt be returned to them plus 200 dinars to Imām Sajjād. Imām distributed the money among the poor. Thereafter Yazeed ordered that the prisoners should return to Medina (from Syria).

It is narrated that the holy head of Imām Husain (a.s.) was sent back to Karbala where it was buried with his body. The Shia people act according to this narration. There are other narrations besides to the one we mentioned here. However, we overlode them, because we have decided to write this book in brief. It is said that when the women and family members of Hussain (a.s.) returned from Syria and reached Iraq they asked the caravan guide to lead them via Karbala. When the holy family reached the grave of Imām Husain (a.s.), Jabir Ibn Abdullāh Ansāri143 and a group of Bani Hāshim men were also there in order to visit the holy grave…All of them began to recite the mourning poems together in an extremely sorrowful manner. Women of that area also joined them. They stayed there for a few days. It is narrated from Abi Janab Kalabi144 that plasterers narrated to him that they used to go to the place where Imām Hussain (a.s.) was slaughtered and during the night they heard the mourning of jinns who were reciting: The holy messenger puts his hand on his forehead; verily his face was radiant;

- Jabir Ibn Abdullāh Ibn Amr Ibn Hizam al-Khazraji al-Ansāri as- Salami. He died in 78. A.H. and was a companion of the Holy Prophet. He has narrated many hadiths from the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.). A group of Sahābis have quoted him. He fought in nineteen wars. In his last days he used to lecture in the mosque of the Holy Prophet and people used to learn from him. [Rijālush Shaykh: 72, Al- Elām 1/213, Al-Isābah 1/213, Tahzibul Asma 1/142]

- Yahya Ibn Abi Dayh al-Kalbi Kufi has narrated from his father and Shobi and Abi Ishāq Sabiee and… And Abdur Rahmān Maharabi has narrated from him. [Al-Akmal 2/134]

His parents were from the high class of the Quraysh; and his grandfather was the best Grandfather. Then the Ahle Bayt left Karbala for Medina. Bashir bin Jazlam145 has said, "Ali Ibn Hussain (a.s.) stopped the caravan near Medina and erected the tents and said: "O Bashir! Your father (may Allāh have mercy on him) was a poet. Are you also able to recite poetry?" I said: "Yes, O son of the holy Prophet! I am a poet!"

Imām (a.s.) said: "Go to Medina, and announce the martyrdom of Aba Abdillāh (a.s.)." Bashir says: I rode a horse, and rushed to enter Medina. When I reached the mosque of the holy Prophet, I raised my weeping voice and recited: O people of Medina! Medina is no more your place; Husain has been killed making me weep all the time; His bleeding body was left in Karbala; And his holy head was moved from place to place on a spear.

Thereafter I said: "Here is Ali Ibn Husain (a.s.) who has come to you near Medina with his aunts and sisters. I am his messenger informing you of their arrival." It is said that all the ladies and veiled women came out with unveiled faces and bare heads, and they scratched their faces and slapped their cheeks. They wept loudly in 145 - Bashir Ibn Khadim or Jazlem. But we could not find his life story nor the record of his name. Those who have written about him have relied on Lohoof.

mourning. After the death of the holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) it was not seen so much weeping and mourning of men and women in the muslim society. I saw a girl who was mourning on Hussain (a.s.) reciting: "The messenger of doom gave of death of my leader, that was so painful that it made me sick; O my eyes! Pour out all your tears incessantly; This mourning is for the dear one, whose prayer made the throne tremble;

Now the honor and greatness of religion has been badly damaged;

Go on weeping for the son of the messenger and the son of his heir; even though he was very far from us." Then she told me: "O the messenger of doom! You have renewed our grief by the news of martyrdom of Abi Abdullāh (a.s.). You put salt on our wounds, which were not yet healed. May Allāh have mercy on you, who are you?" "I am Bashir Ibn Mazlam. My master Ali bin Husain has sent me, and he is at such and such place with his family members." I said.


People left me alone and rushed to the outskirts of Medina. I drove my horse after them to reach them. I saw that people had jammed the road and surrondings. So I dismounted and went on foot to reach the entrance of the tent. Imām Sajjād (a.s.) was still in the tent. Then he came out with a handkerchief in hand, wiping his tears with it. A servant holding a chair was also behind him. He placed the chair on ground and Imām sat on it. He was not able to prevent tears rolling from his holy eyes. The voice of weeping of men and women rent the whole atmosphere. Everyone from every side was consoling the Imām. It is seemed that piece of earth had turned into a mourning land.

Imām signaled with his hand for silence. All of them stopped weeping. Then Imām Sajjād (a.s.) said: "All praise is for Allāh, the Lord of the worlds. The Most Merciful and the Most Beneficent. Allāh is the Master of the Day of Judgment. He is the Creator of all creatures, the One Who is so far that His Height surpasses the highest skies, and He is also so near that even the noise of humming bee is not inaudible to Him. We praise Him over great affairs, and over tragedies of time, and over bitterness of scoldings, and over crushing difficulties and hardships!" "O people! Praise is for Allāh; we have been affected by great hardship and a split in Islam. They have martyred Abu Abdillāh (a.s.), his household, and companion. They imprisoned his wives and daughters. They have carried his holy head on a spear from place to place, and so this is a calamity unparalleled."

"O People! Now who among you can ever be joyful after this? Or who is able to stop tears rolling from the eye and who will be stingy in weeping?" "Truly the seven heavens wept over his martyrdom, the oceans through their waves, skies with their pillars, the earth with its tracts, the trees with their branches, the fish in the depths of seas, and all the angels of Allāh and all in the heavens became tearful." "O people! Which heart is so hard that has not been shoked by his martyrdom, and which soul has not inclined towards him and which ear has not deafened after hearing this blow on Islām?"

"O People! We spent in such a condition that we were expelled, scattered, and driven off away from cities and villages, as if we were slaves. And all this happened to us without any fault or mistake, or any harm to Islām on our part. We have not heard such a thing in the predecessor histories."

"By Allāh, even if the holy Prophet had declared war against us (instead of recommendation), our state would not have been worse than what we have faced till now. Inna lillāhe wa inna ilaihe rājeoon. We forward our complain to Allah, in over such a terrible calamity, so troublesome, so cruel… Verily He is Mighty and powerful to take revenge." It is said that Sauhan Ibn Sa?saeh Ibn Sauhan,146 who was bedridden and paralyzed, apologized before Imam for his inability of being present at Karbala. Imām accepted his excuse, and thanked him for his good intention, and prayed for his father. I, the editor and compiler of this book, Ali Ibn Musa Ibn Ja?far Ibn Muhammad Ibn Tāwūs say that thereafter Imām Sajjād (s.a.) marched towards Medina with his household, and looked at the homes of his own people. He realized that even the buildings could not hide their feelings, and hence were mourning and expressing grief over the loss of their men and sympathizers and helpers. They weeped just like a woman who has lost her child, and cried in grief.

- His father is Sa?asa? bin Sauhan. Most of the historians have considered him among the companions of Amirul Momineen (a.s.) But we did not find anything about his son Sauhan in reliable biographies and whoever has said anything about him has relied on Lohoof.

O people! Assist me in mourning and help me in these terrible calamities. Because, those people for whom I am weeping, were such that my heart and mind look for their high moral virtues. They continue to come to my mind day and night. They are lights in my dark environment. They are my pride, strength and success. How often (their honour) dispelled the clouds of horror from me, and how often their generosity made strong the foundation for my honor. How often in the nights my ears used to hear their soul-stirring supplications, which enriched me with their secrets. How nice were the days when they enlivened and beautified my house by their gatherings, made fragrant my nature, and removed my misfortune by their auspiciousness. How many saplings of good character did they implant for me, and safeguarded my place from awful events.

How many nights, which I wholly passed in their service, while I used to take pride over mansions overtaken by joy and happiness! "Hence destiny targeted me and time envied me. Those dear ones have been hit by the arrows of enmity when they came among them like aliens. With cutting off the fingers of those dear ones, virtues have been discarded. With the disappearance of their radiant faces heights have fallen down. With the dissection of their organs merits have fallen down. So for God sake, respect his blood, which has been shed in those battles, and as a result of which, respect his dignity.

If I have missed the assistance of the wise people, and if the unwise people have left me, then I do have good luck in the forgotten traditions. So they may weep like me. And their grief and sorrow will be like my own grief and sorrow.

So if you could hear that how the prayers, are mourning for them, and how many hermits are weeping over them. Indeed its hearing will cause you full of grief. So care your any shortcoming in this matter. Alas; how earnestly they chose their abodes and the inns where they lodged and made them their land. I wish, I were a man who could have protected them from the swords, spears and arrows. I wish I would had stood between them and the wicked ones and would have warded off the arrows of the enemies from them. Now that I have missed the opportunity of cooperation, I should be capable of preserving the characters and rememberances of those dear ones from calamitie.

If I were with those brave and bountiful personalities, I would utilize all my talents to ensure their safety. I would fulfill the old promise of loyalty. I would fulfill my duties towards them. With my strength, I would protect them from any awful events, and like a loyal servant would continue to serve them wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. I would embrace them and their spiritual insights to illuminate the darkness of my soul and spirit. In my eagerness to attain the said aspirations I have worded all these things. The absence of my beloved leaders has grieved me so much. I do not see any improvement, despite all my patience and forbearance.

Hence my hopes remained only on the promised Day of Resurrection." How nice is the poem of Ibn Qattah,147 when he passed by the said holy place (Karbala): I passed by the dwelling places of ?le Muhammad; And did not find them like other houses; May Allāh not keep these houses and their inhabitants far off; Though they are now vacant against my wish; Certainly those who killed the martyrs of Karbala from the progeny of Hāshim; Were themselves disgraced;

Those chiefs were sheltering others; But now they are in trouble, and the trouble is very great; Did not you see that the sun has become sick? And the cities are trembling for death of Husain. And now, you, the one who hear! Follow the path of the holders of the holy book in this calamity. It is narrated that our master Zainul ?bedin (a.s.), who is the master of forbearance, wept on this calamity very much and complained very much. It is narrated from Imām Sādiq (a.s.) that truly Imām Zainul ?bedin (a.s.) wept over his father forty

- He is Sulaimān bin Qattah al-Adavi Teemi belonging to Bani Teem Ibn Marrah. He died in Damascus in 126 A.H. He was in the service of Bani Hāshim.

years. He used to fast during the days and stand to worship during the nights. When the servant brought food and water for the breaking of his fast, and would request him to eat, Imam (a.s.) would have said, "They killed the son of the holy Prophet when he was hungry; they killed the son of the messenger, when he was thirsty. He continued to repeat this complaint and went on weeping till his food became wet with his tears. This was the state of Imām till the end of his life." One of his servants has said, Once, Imām went out of the city. I followed him. I found that he was prostrating, and had put his head on a hard rock. I stood near him and heard the noise of his weeping and counted that he repeated these words in his prostration one thousand times (La Ilaha illallaahu haqqan haqqa, la ilaaha illallāhu ta- abbudan wa riqqan; la ilaaha illallāhu imaanan wa Tasdeeqa).

Then he raised his head from the ground, while his face and beard had become wet with tears. I requested him, "O? my master! Has not the time yet come that you end your grief and tears?" He replied, "What has happened to you. Jacob Ibn Issac Ibn Abraham was a messenger, as well as, the son of a messenger, the grandson of a messenger, and father of twelve sons. The Almighty Allāh kept one of his sons out of his sight. His hair became white due to grief and sorrow. His back also curved, and he became blind because of constant weeping, though his son was alive. However, I saw, with my own eyes, that my father, brothers, and seventeen members of my family were martyred. Then how will the grief in my heart end, and how can I stop to cry?"

****

I cite the following prose while referring to them: They ask me to discard the dress of grief and sorrow; While it never turns old; There was a time when their nearness made us to smile; Now their separation causes us to weep; Those whose absence has made our days dark; Once our nights were illuminated like days, due to their presence.

This was the conclusion of everything that I desired to write. Everyone who becomes aware of its arrangement and structure will find that this book, despite its briefness, has distinction over other similar books. Praise be to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his purified Progeny. Praise to Allāh for this success that under the special attention of Hazrat Waliullāh al-Azam Maulana Sahibul Amr (may God accelerate His appearance).