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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Food for Thought: - Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.) 02

2 Your Daily-Life Questions Answered 03

3 Tragedy of Karbala Remains Unforgettable 04

4 Imam Husain’s Journey to Karbala 14

5 Imam Hussain’s Revolution for Humanity 34

6 Imam Hussain (A.S.) And the Tragedy of Karbala 38

7 Forty Traditions on Azadari 48

8 Every day is Ashura & every place is Karbala 56

9 Reply to Trump’s Speech on U.S. Foreign Policy 58

10 Defeat Acidity 60

Kids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ CornerKids’ Corner

11 I am Sakina, Today is Ashura and here is Karbala 61

THE MESSAGE

Editor: Hujjat-ul-Islam Wal Muslimeen Sheikh Shabbir H. Lakhani (Maisami)

Editorial Board: Mr. Mazher Ali Jumani, Molana Sajjad Qaimi, Dr. Hussain Kanani,

Mr. Hasnain Nanjiani, Dr. Sana Muhammad Sadiq.

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Published by

Zahra (S.A.) Academy Institute of Islamic Education, Development & Relief

The Message Muharram-ul-Haram 1439 AH

2

1. Verily enjoining good and

forbidding evil neither

brings death near nor de-

creases sustenance, rather

it multiplies reward and

magnifies recompense; and

a just word in the presence

of an oppressive ruler is

[even] better than this.

2. Whoever regards his stay [in

this world] as short and

temporary, his hope and

aspiration gets diminished.

3. No shield is more protective

than the appointed time of

death.

4. It is not appropriate for an

intelligent person to live in

fear when he has found a

way to [attain] security.

5. Weeping is the trait of the

soft-hearted [and those

who fear Allah].

6. Reduce your greed and

remain [satisfied] with what

has been allocated to you of

your sustenance, [by this]

you will protect your faith.

7. Ignorance is a balky mount;

whoever rides it stumbles

and whoever accompanies

it is led astray.

8. The foundation of content-

ment is complete reliance

on Allah.

9. Doing good is the nature of

the righteous and doing evil

is the nature of the wicked.

10. One whose wisdom be-

comes established under-

stands the lessons [that can

be learnt from the past].

11. Through tolerance and

forbearance, people be-

come your helpers and sup-

porters.

12. How great a loser is he for

whom there is no share [of

reward] in the Hereafter!

13. The practice of the virtuous

ones is polite speech and

spreading peace.

14. Many a profit turns back

into loss.

��

FOOD FOR THOUGHT Sayings of Imam Ali (A.S.)

Muharram-ul-Haram 1439 AH The Message

3

Q.1: Is it permissible to

follow the ruling of any

Marja` for convenience or

should each person follow

his or her Marja`?

Ans.: When and where one is

unsure there is a difference

(in rulings), he should follow

the “most knowledgeable”

Mujtahid. Following the Fatwa

of a jurisprudent other than

the most knowledgeable is not

acceptable.

Q.2: How to do Ghusl! Do

we have to wash the body

from up to down?

Ans.: As for Ghusl, it is not

necessary to wash down-

wards. You can wash upwards

also. However, if you wash

your head and neck first and

then wash the body, it would

be sufficient.

Q.3: What should be the

minimum distance be-

tween a man and a wom-

an when both are offering

prayers in same room?

Ans.: If a man standing in

front and a woman behind,

the least distance between

them is that the place of

prostration for woman can be

in equal line with knee of the

man.

Q.4: Is it compulsory for

us to keep relationship

with one who does not

want to talk and keep any

relation with us?

Ans.: You do not have to cut

off your relation and it is

sufficient to say ‘Salam’ and

ask after his\her health when

you meet him\her. And if he

or she becomes sick, visit

them and if they need help,

then help them.

Q.5: Did Imam Hussain

(as) combine the prayers

of zuhr and àsr on the

day of Àshura?

Ans.: It was narrated that

Imam Husayn (as) ordered

Zuhayr ibn Qin and Sa'id ibn

'Abdullah to go before him (as)

to say his zuhr prayer. Al-

Husayn (as) & his companions

said their prayer individually.

��

Your Daily-Life Questions Answered


4

In the month of Muharram 61

A.H. a terrific tragedy took

place in Iraq on the bank of

the river Euphrates. It seemed

in those days to be trivial and

insignificant from the histori-

cal point of view. A large army

which had been mobilized by

the Umayyad regime besieged

a group of persons numbering

less than one hundred and

put them under pressure so

that they might take the oath

of allegiance to the caliph of

the time and submit to his

authority. As the persons

constituting this small group

did not swear allegiance and

did not surrender, a severe

battle took place.

Its duration was very brief.

The matter was settled in less

than a day's time and all the

persons constituting that

small group were killed. It

appeared at that time that like

hundreds of other similar and

more important events which

continue to take place in

human history this historical

event would also be recorded

in history and forgotten with

the lapse of time.

The usual way of life of the

Muslims did not change on

account of this tragedy and

everyone remained engaged

in his daily business. The

Muslim tradesmen were busy

with their occupations. The

masjids were frequented as

usual. The Muslim preachers

spoke about lawful and

unlawful things, Paradise and

Hell, spiritual reward and

punishment and other reli-

gious matters from the

pulpits. The only thing which

was not talked about was this

event which was apparently

transient and without any

effect.

It was only the organization of

the caliphate which published

this event in various regions

of the Islamic territories

although in a brief and

ambiguous manner. This was

Tragedy of Karbala Remains Unforgettable

Excerpts from the book, “A Probe into the History of Ashura”,

By: Dr. Ibrahim Ayati


5

done with two objects in view;

firstly that the people should

come to know about the

leaders of the movement

opposed to the government

having been killed, and should

take a lesson from it, and

similar risings should not take

place in future; secondly that

the caliphate should show

itself guiltless and innocent in

the matter and the leaders of

the movement should be

depicted as adventurous and

mischievous. Husayn bin Ali

who was at the head of the

rising was to be introduced as

opposed to truth and a liar.

Not only the regime of Bani

Umayya and its supporters

but even the majority of the

Muslims of those days consid-

ered this tragedy to have

culminated in the success of

the killers of Imam Husayn. It

was imagined that not only

that the Imam and his com-

panions had met martyrdom

but thereafter nope from

amongst Ahlul Bayt nor

anyone else would pick up

courage to oppose Yazid, and

the hearts which had been

wounded due to the martyr-

dom of the Imam would also

heal up with the passage of

time.

Those people were not aware

of the true spirit of this tragic

event which covered only a

few hours. They did not know

that with the passage of time

the greatness and effect of

this sacred campaign against

falsehood and tyranny would

continue to increase.

At the time of the occurrence

of this tragedy there were

only a few persons from

amongst the Ahlul Bayt, who

could assess its value and

importance, speak about the

effects, which it would have

later on the Muslims and

relieve them to some extent

from the misunderstanding in

which they were involved.

These were the few persons

who could unveil with their

speeches, the wickedness of

the prevailing regime and the

misunderstanding of the

people and draw the attention


6

of the people to the blow,

which had been dealt to the

enemy by those martyrs who

were lying calmly in their

graves, and to the tumult

those heads would create in

history later -the heads, which

had been severed and held on

the spears.

The persons who went to

various cities and regions in

the capacity of prisoners,

changed the thinking of the

people and exonerated their

sacred martyrs from the

charges leveled against them

in such a way that the facts of

the event became crystal

clear.

Here arises a question, which

must be looked into and

answered. The question is:

Why did it so happen that the

tragedy of Karbala occupied

the central position amongst

all the historical events of

Islam and all religious risings,

and no collective rising,

struggle and martyrdom could

acquire greatness in the world

similar to that of the rising of

Imam Husayn?

In the Battle of Uhud which

took place near Madina in the

month of Shawwal 3 A.H.

between the Muslims and the

polytheists of Makkah, a group

of forty Muslims disobeyed

their commander owing to

some misunderstanding.

Consequently 700 Muslims,

who were fighting against

3000 polytheists, were defeat-

ed after having gained victory

over the enemy. More than 80

persons were martyred. The

bodies of most of the martyrs

were mutilated in such a way

that a sister could not identify

the body of her brother except

by means of a defect in his

finger. Notwithstanding this

the Battle of Uhud and the

martyrdom of more than 70 to

80 Muslim mujahids have not

acquired the grandeur of the

tragedy of Karbala.

Another tragical event is that

of the martyrs of Fakh,

wherein a number of the

descendants of the Holy

Prophet were martyred near

Makkah during the time of

Hadi Abbasi.


7

Another similar event is that

of the martyrdom of sixteen

Hasani Sayyids who were

imprisoned in the Hasimiyya

jail of Kufa under the orders

of Mansur Dawaniqi. They

died one after the other and

Mansur did not allow their

dead bodies to be buried.

When all of them died he

ordered the roof of the jail to

be made to fall on the dead

bodies of these sons of the

Holy Prophet. They were

neither bathed, nor shrouded

nor buried. These as well as

other similar tragedies of the

history of Islam cannot equal

the tragedy of Karbala and

none of these martyrs can be

matched with Imam Husayn.

Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib,

the magnanimous uncle of the

Prophet of Allah was martyred

in Uhud and he received the

title of Doyen of Martyrs from

Allah and His Prophet. How-

ever, if even his name is

substituted for that of Imam

Husayn it cannot be expected

to create the same effect.

We do not intend to give and

cannot perhaps give a com-

plete and comprehensive

answer to this question. It

may, however, be said that

besides the personality of the

leader of this rising which is

certainly a reason for its

enjoying precedence over

other risings, one of the most

important and effective

factors and causes for the

superiority of Imam Husayn's

rising was the chapter which

was added to the tragedy

after the martyrdom of Imam

Husayn and his companions.

It was a chapter on the

creation of which the enemy

himself insisted and thus

unintentionally provided the

means of his own disgrace.

The result was that it was

through Ahlul Bayt, who had

been made prisoners, and

also through those who had

killed Imam Husayn, the world

came to know about the

reality and importance of this

rising.

The enemies most brutally

treated the Ahlul Bayt after


8

the martyrdom of the Holy

Imam and termination of

fighting. They denuded the

martyrs of their belongings,

and plundered their dresses.

They rushed into the tents,

looted the property of Ahlul

Bayt and set their tents on

fire. They attempted to kill the

ailing Imam Sajjad in his bed.

They got the dead bodies of

the martyrs trampled upon

under the hooves of the

horses and held their heads

on the spears. They behaved

harshly towards the bereaved

prisoners and struck a stick on

the lips and teeth of their

Imam.

These heinous acts which

recoiled upon the enemy

themselves and made the real

position known to the people

commenced from Karbala and

continued up to Damascus.

Yazid himself took part in

these atrocities and had a

share in the consequent

disgrace for himself and his

associates.

On the contrary the Ahlul Bayt

showed perfect greatness and

magnanimity and behaved as

if nothing had happened and

they had experienced no

hardship. Most of the people

were under the impression

that they had been defeated

and eliminated, but wherever

they went they talked about

their own success and the

enemy's disgrace.

At a time when most of the

people thought that the

enemy had been victorious,

they introduced themselves as

exalted and successful, and

the proud enemy as unfortu-

nate and disgraced, in history.

Contrary to the anticipation of

the people they predicted the

downfall of Bani Umayya.

If Ibn Sad and Ibn Ziyad,

after the martyrdom of Imam

Husayn and his companions,

had even as a matter of

expediency, shown honor and

respect to the Ahlul Bayt of

the Holy Prophet and offered

condolences to them for the

tragedy which had been

brought about by themselves.

They did not prevent the

burial of the martyrs but


9

buried them earlier than their

own soldiers, and sent the

Ahlul Bayt to Madina directly

from Karbala with due honor

and respect.

If the barbarous activities of

the enemy on the one hand

and the impressive preachings

of the Ahlul Bayt on the other,

had not taken place, the

martyrdom of the Imam and

the tragedy of Karbala would

certainly not have been

reflected in the world in the

shape which it assumed, and

the enemies of the Imam,

too, would not have been

disgraced to such an extent.

This too was as willed by

Allah.

The enemy took the powerful

preachers (Ahlul Bayt) forcibly

as captives from one city to

another and provided them an

opportunity to speak to the

people, who were mostly

spectators of this tragedy, and

introduce themselves to them

and mentioned the Holy

Prophet everywhere as their

father or grandfather. The

Ahlul Bayt got the first oppor-

tunity to display their elo-

quence on the 12th of Muhar-

ram when they were brought

into the city of Kufa. Seeing

Kufa was very painful for the

Ahlul Bayt, because the major

part of the Caliphate of Imam

Ali had been spent in this city.

In 41 A.H. the daughters of

Imam Ali had gone from Kufa

to Madina along with their

brother Imam Hasan and

now, after twenty years, they

had arrived as prisoners in a

city where they had ruled for

about four years. The people

of Iraq who had been the

Nahrawan supporters of Ali in

the Battle of the Camel, Siffin

and Nahrawan had now killed

his son and taken his other

descendants captives.

However, it might be said that

the orators of Ahlul Bayt had

come from Madina and the

Hijaz to Kufa and Iraq to

address the people and the

people assembled in the lanes

and bazaars to hear their

speeches. They commenced

their mission from the very

12th day of Muharram and


10

spoke out to the people

without fear. When there was

no chance of speaking in the

bazaar or at the door and no

audience other than the court

of Ibn Ziyad was available,

they continued their task

there also, although it was in

the shape of replies to his

questions, and then returned

to the prison of Kufa.

The speeches of these brave

and matchless orators ex-

tremely impressed the people,

stirred their hearts and

changed their views. Tears

began to trickle from their

eyes and they realized their

grave error. These speeches

roused the sentiments of the

people and the value and

importance of this event

became known to them. The

efforts of the enemy to

tamper with the facts of this

event were frustrated and the

tragedy of Karbala was

recorded in history in its true

shape.

The severe thirst of Ahlul Bayt

was confirmed in the pages of

history .The misdeeds of the

enemy were recorded. History

also shows the spiritual

eminence of the companions

and supporters of the Imam.

This sentence of Ali bin

Husayn is also recorded in

history: "When we are on the

right path why should we fear

death?" The following words

of Qasim bin Hasan also

brighten the pages of history:

"For me death is sweeter than

honey". The devotion and the

manner of speech of Muslim

bin Awsaja has been embod-

ied in these words: "If we

withdraw our support from

you and fail in performing this

duty what excuse shall we put

forward before Allah? I swear

by Allah that so long as I live I

shall not give up my support

to you till I may lay down my

life for your sake and am

killed earlier than all your

other friends".

The Imam had permitted Sa'id

bin Abdullah Hanafi to go

away. His spiritual greatness,

character and courage is

summed up in this sentence:

"I swear by Allah that even if


11

I am killed and am brought to

life again and am then burnt

in fire and my ashes are

scattered in the air and this

process is repeated seventy

times I shall not leave you till

I am martyred in this path".

The following words have

made the name of Bishr bin

Amr everlasting in the history

of the martyrs of Islam: "O

Husayn bin Ali! May the fierce

animals of the desert tear me

into pieces if I leave you and

enquire about your circum-

stances from others. Why

should I withdraw my support

to you when you are alone

and friendless? I am not at all

going to do any such thing".

He expressed his devotion in

these words: "Is it possible

that I should leave the son of

the Holy Prophet at the mercy

of the enemies and try to save

my own life? May Allah not

bring such a day".

The following words uttered

by other honorable martyrs of

Karbala, which show their

matchless magnanimity, valor,

sincerity and steadfastness

are recorded in the pages of

history: Amr bin Qurza Ansari

said while he was breathing

his last: "O son of the Holy

Prophet! Have I been faithful

and have I discharged my

duty?"

Habib bin Mazahir Asadi said

to Muslim bin Awsaja when

the latter was about to die:

"Muslim! I congratulate you

for you are going to Paradise

earlier than us".

Muslim who was lying on the

ground said in reply: "Habib! I

am going, but you must not

desert the Imam".

Abu Thamama Saidi said to

the Imam at about noon:

"What a good thing it would

be if we offer the noon

prayers along with you before

we are martyred!"

If those speeches which were

delivered in Syria had not

been there and if the sister

and son of Imam Husayn had

not got opportunities to speak

in the courts of Ibn Ziyad and

Yazid, the event of the

martyrdom of Imam Husayn


12

and his companions might not

have been recorded in history

in its present form. History

would have ignored the true

accounts. Even the sentence

uttered by a black slave who

said to the Imam: "Do not

deprive me of martyrdom and

let me acquit myself of my

responsibility in spite of my

having a black face" would

have been forgotten.

Indeed there are very few

chapters in history which

remained immune from any

change to such an extent.

Historians often differ about

most of the details of histori-

cal facts, but it may be said

with certainty that the tragedy

of the martyrdom of Imam

Husayn is one of the most

luminous, sublime and the

most unique chapters of

history. None has been able

to tamper with this historical

event and to write contrary to

the facts.

The renowned historians like

Shaykh Mufid, Tabari and

Abul Faraj Isfahani have

unanimously recorded the

exact details of this tragedy.

As we have already men-

tioned, its reason was that the

enemy made a grave mistake

and insisted unintentionally

that this tragic event should

be related in Kufa -the center

of Iraq, Damascus -the center

of Syria and Madina -the

center of the Hijaz by the

Ahlul Bayt, who had been

taken prisoners and were eye-

witnesses of the happenings

on the day of Ashura and who

could explain them better

than anyone else. Ali bin

Husayn related these events

to the people one day in the

bazaar of Kufa, on another

day in the Jamea Masjid of

Damascus, and after some

time in Madina, in such a way

that the position became

crystal clear to them as if they

themselves had been present

in Karbala on the day of

Ashura.

At last Yazid felt regretful on

account of these develop-

ments. He realized correctly

that it was a grave mistake to

bring the women and children


13

to Kufa and Syria as prisoners

and it would have been better

if the matter had ended with

the martyrdom of Imam

Husayn and his companions,

and a new chapter had not

been opened, and the Ahlul

Bayt had not been allowed to

speak in the bazaars and

before the public gatherings.

However, it was then too late.

What had been said with the

lips could not be returned to

the breasts and the scenes

seen by the people and the

speeches heard by them could

not be wiped out from their

memory. It was no longer

possible that those, who had

cried loudly in the bazaars,

should once again consider

the descendants of the Holy

Prophet, about whom the

verse of Purification (33:33)

was revealed, rebellious and

fit to be killed!

When common people are

overtaken by a calamity they

usually conceal it and do not

wish that others should know

what has befallen them.

Contrary to this the Ahlul Bayt

endeavored that as far as

possible they should apprise

the people of what they had

suffered. It was for this

reason that whenever they

got an opportunity they

mentioned the events of

Karbala in detail and even

Imam Husayn who possessed

the highest human and

Islamic virtues was usually

mentioned with the title of the

martyr.

��

Beautiful Sayings of Imam Hussain (A.S.)

• Wisdom never attains

perfection except by follow-

ing the truth (obeying the

commandments of God).

• One who accepts your gift

has really helped you in at-

taining generosity.

• Do not seek help from any

person except one who is

religious, or generous or of

noble descent (parentage).

• The most forgiving person is

one who forgives in spite of

his ability to punish.

��


14

Those, who strive for a cause,

do not care for the odds or

the consequences. Imam

Husain (a.s) left Medina for

the cause of Islam; to save

Islam from the corruption,

innovation and distortions

introduced by the Banu

Umayya. Islam was no longer

the simple way of life, in

which bereft of pomp and

pretensions, the ruler was

hardly distinguishable from

the ruled. When Imam Ali

(a.s) went into the bazaar of

Kufa, he could not be differ-

entiated from the ordinary

citizens. As the Caliph, Imam

Ali (a.s) made it clear that he

was not to be feared and

shunned. He was one among

them, though he held the

ultimate authority. Even

people, who did not profess

Islam, felt safe under his rule.

The Banu Umayya always

considered Islam the religion

to be an empire and nothing

more. They could hardly

understand, nor did they care

to understand the philosophy

of Islam. For them, Islam was

a monarchy heritable by those

who had the money, means

and power to suppress the

masses. Instead of being the

creed providing to the poor,

help in this world and hope of

salvation in the life to come,

Islam was made into the

creed of the oppressive ruler

wielding his sword in the

name of Islam while they

were, in fact, cutting the faith

into shreds. This terrifying

image of the Banu Umayya is

now being imposed upon

Muslims all over the world by

the opportunistic detractors of

Islam. This terrorist image is

the only everlasting contribu-

tion of the Banu Umayya to

Islam.

It was then high time for

someone to take up the cause

of the real Islam, to bring out

and expose the corruption,

innovation and distortions

introduced by the Banu

Umayya in Islam. It was time

Imam Husain’s Journey to Karbala

Edited excerpts from the book, “Truth About The Karbala” By: Sayyid Mohammad Ali Musavi


15

for somebody to take up the

cause of the poor and the

oppressed, and to retrieve for

them the Islam that had

changed their very way of life

and made them intellectuals

instead of the robbers, dacoits

and murderers that they were

before the advent of Islam.

When Imam Husain (a.s) took

up this cause, he had no fear

of numbers or the immediate

result. He knew that he was

grossly outnumbered. He

knew that he and his follow-

ers would certainly lose their

lives in the strife. He also

knew that ultimately posterity

would realise that the truth

would prevail over falsehood.

He established that even in

the face of huge numbers and

heavy odds, the truth never

bows down to falsehood. It is

for these reasons that we find

Imam Husain (a.s) ignoring

what appears, at first look, to

be sound advice from Abdul-

lah Ibn Abbas, Mohammad

ibn al-Hanafyyia, Abdullah ibn

Ja’far, Jabir ibn Abdullah al-

Ansari, Ibn az-Zubair, Umar

ibn Abdurrahman, Musawwar

ibn Makhramah, Abdullah ibn

Umar and a great number of

relatives and friends.

His relatives and friends were

more concerned with the

worldly outlook of extreme

odds and immediate fatal

result. Therefore, they tried to

persuade him from going to

Kufa, for they were fully

aware from the days of Imam

Ali’s Caliphate that the people

of Kufa were weak-hearted,

irresolute and most untrust-

worthy. They were also aware

that Yazid and his men were

capable of terrorizing and

committing the greatest

atrocities, even on women

and children, in order to retain

their power. However, Imam

Husain (a.s) himself gave his

reason for not listening to

their apparently advice,

“I shall not be blamed by

Allah for shrinking from the

religious duty of training

and guiding people to be

pious and simple. If the

people of Kufa prove dis-

loyal and if I am killed in


16

the discharge of my duty,

my position will be much

nearer to God and they will

be responsible for their

disloyalty and evil deeds.”

According to the historian

ibnul Atheer, Abdullah ibn

Ja’far himself, and according

to other historians, the

Governor of Mecca Amr bin

Sa’eed either by himself or at

the instance of Abdullah ibn

Ja’far, wrote a letter to Imam

Husain (a.s). The letter was

taken by Abdullah ibn Ja’far

and Yahya bin Sa’eed, the

brother of the Governor of

Mecca. At-Tabari sets out the

contents of the letter as

follows: “I am told that you

are proceeding towards Iraq.

May God protect you from any

evil that may befall you. I am

afraid you may be killed. I am

sending this letter through

Abdullah bin Ja’far and my

brother Yahya bin Sa’eed so

that you may come back with

them to me. I assure you that

in me you will find asylum,

protection, kindness and good

company, and for what I have

written I hold God as my

witness.”

Imam Husain (a.s) wrote

back,

“You have offered me

asylum and protection. In

Allah is the best asylum

and refuge. He does not

give refuge in the hereafter

to those who do not fear

Him in this world. We pray

that we may fear and abide

by Him in this world so that

we may hope for and find

His refuge on the Dooms-

day. May Allah reward you

for your offer to be kind

and good to me.”

Realizing that Imam Husain

(a.s) was ready to sacrifice

himself for his cause, Abdullah

ibn Ja’far left his two teen-

aged sons Oun and Muham-

mad as his representatives to

fight against evil. Then,

Abdullah ibn Ja’far and Yahya

bin Sa’eed returned to Medi-

na.

Mohammed bin Abu Talib

Musavi writes that when al-

Waleed bin Utba, the gover-


17

nor of Medina learnt that

Imam Husain (s) was pro-

ceeding towards Iraq, he (al-

Waleed) who knew the cruel

nature of Ubaidullah ibn

Ziyad, the recently appointed

Governor of Basra and Kufa,

wrote to ibn Ziyad as follows:

“Al-Husain is coming towards

Iraq. He is the son of Fatima

who is the only child of the

messenger of Allah. See that

no harm comes to him nor

should his family members be

harassed in any manner. If

any irreversible damage is

caused by you, the world will

never forgive or forget you.”

Ibn Ziyad read the letter but

he did not heed the advice.

Imam Husain’s caravan

stopped at a place called al-

Abtah where Yazid ibn Thabit

al-Basri met Imam Husain

(a.s) and learnt about the

reasons of the Imam’s migra-

tion. The caravan halted for a

short while at some place

where Imam Husain (a.s)

purchased food and other

stock from a caravan that

brought goods from Yemen.

At a junction of roads called

Thatul Araq, Imam Husain

(a.s) met Bishr bin Ghalib who

was coming from Iraq. When

Imam Husain (a.s) enquired,

Bishr said, “Their (the people

of Kufa) hearts are with you,

but their swords are against

you.” According to ath-

Thahabi, at Thatul Araq,

Imam Husain (a.s) met the

famous poet al-Farazdaq who

was going with his mother to

Mecca to perform the Hajj.

According to some authors,

their meeting took place at

Mecca near the Kaaba. Yet,

others report that their

meeting took place at a place

called al-Sifah. Al-Farazdaq

tried unsuccessfully to dis-

suade Imam Husain (a.s)

from going to Kufa. When

Imam Husain (a.s) resumed

the journey towards Kufa, he

found that all crossroads were

manned by ibn Ziyad’s military

and check-posts were set up

barring all roads except the

one leading to Kufa. Hussayn

bin Numeir was in charge of

these operations. By doing so,


18

ibn Ziyad ensured that Imam

Husain (a.s) had no other

option but to take only the

road to Kufa. Imam Husain

(a.s) and his caravan reached

a place called Tha’labiyyah

where he met Abu Hurrah to

whom Imam Husain (a.s)

explained why he had to leave

Mecca.

As there was no fresh news

from Muslim, Imam Husain

(a.s) sent, according to some

historians, Qais bin Musahhir

as-Saidawi, and according to

some others, Abdullah bin

Yaqtur, to go speedily in

advance and get news about

Muslim ibn Aqeel. It is quite

probable that Imam Husain

(a.s) sent both Qais bin

Musahhir and Abdullah bin

Yaqtur, one after another

within a short span of time.

At a place known as Qadisiy-

ya, Qais bin Musahhir was

intercepted by Hussayn bin

Numeir. Before he could be

searched, Qais destroyed the

letter written by Imam Husain

(a.s) to the people of Kufa.

Hussayn bin Numeir arrested

and sent Qais bin Musahhir to

Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad in Kufa.

Ubaidullah asked Qais to

curse Imam Husain (a.s) from

the pulpit. Qais ascended the

pulpit and praised the Ahlul

Bayt (a.s) and cursed

Mu’awiya, Yazid and

Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad, who

ordered Qais to be thrown

from above the roof of the

palace and later beheaded.

At a place called Wadi al-Aqiq,

Abdullah ibn Ja’far’s two sons

Oun and Muhammad brought

and delivered a letter from

their father addressed to

Imam Husain (a.s). They told

the Imam that Abdullah

himself had gone to meet Amr

bin Sa’eed, the Governor of

Mecca, to persuade him to

provide all comforts to Imam

Husain (a.s) when he would

arrive in Mecca. Later, Abdul-

lah ibn Ja’far himself met

Imam Husain (a.s) and left his

two sons to serve him as his

representatives.

The next day, Imam Husain’s

caravan reached Waqisa,

which was turned into a


19

garrison of Yazid’s Syrian

soldiers. A short distance from

Imam Husain’s caravan,

another caravan was following

and pitching its tents. Imam

Husain (a.s) sent his men to

inquire who the members of

the other caravan were and

what their intention in follow-

ing his caravan was. They

found that the caravan

belonged to Zohair bin al-Qain

al-Bajali of the Nukheilah tribe

and that they were following

Imam Husain’s caravan from

Mecca, and out of the fear of

the Umayyad soldiers, they

were pitching their tents at a

distance. When they heard

the invitation of Imam Husain

(a.s), they hung their heads

and dared not visit him for

fear of persecution by the

Umayyad army that was

posted all along the route

taken by the caravans. When

their women folk saw this,

they blamed them for their

meekness. Zohair ibn al-Qain

then went to Imam Husain

(a.s) and after a short conver-

sation, he returned and asked

his men to pitch their tents

near Imam Husain’s caravan.

Thus, Zohair’s men joined the

small band of Imam Husain’s

followers and their women

joined the company of Lady

Zainab (s.a).

On the next day, Imam

Husain (a.s) halted at a place

called al-Khuzaimiah. He

found a man hurrying past his

tents. He sent Abdullah bin

Sulaiman and Munthir bin

Isma’il to find out who the

rider was. The rider informed

Sulaiman and Munthir that he

was Bakr from the Bani Asad

tribe and that he was coming

from Kufa where he had

witnessed the torture and

beheading of Hani ibn Urwa

and Muslim bin Aqeel. They

narrated the details of the

incidents leading to the

martyrdom of Muslim ibn

Aqeel and Hani ibn Urwa.

When questioned about

Abdullah bin Yaqtur, he said,

“Abdullah was captured by

Hussayn bin Numair who

searched his bags and found

letters addressed by Imam


20

Husain (a.s) to some nobles

of Kufa. Abdullah bin Yaqtur

snatched and tore the letters

into small bits and scattered

them into the wind. Being

Enraged, Hussayn sent bin

Yaqtur to Ubaidullah ibn

Ziyad, who in turn, tortured

and threatened to kill him if

he failed to either disclose the

names of persons to whom

Imam Husain (s) had ad-

dressed letters or alternatively

to curse Imam Husain (a.s)

from the pulpit of the mosque

of Kufa. Bin Yaqtur chose the

second alternative. When

being brought before the

congregation in the mosque,

bin Yaqtur ascended the

pulpit and instead of cursing

Imam Husain (a.s), he praised

his noble qualities and he

cursed Mu’awiya, Yazid, Ibn

Ziyad and the Banu Umayya,

and exposed their cunning,

lawlessness, cruelty and evil

intentions to retain the power

illegally grabbed by them. The

enraged ibn Ziyad killed bin

Yaqtur by throwing him down

from the highest building.”

On hearing this, both Abdullah

bin Sulaiman and Munthir bin

Isma’il were so much grieved

that they did not disclose the

sorrowful incidents to Imam

Husain (a.s) except after two

days. When the caravan

halted at Zobala, they narrat-

ed the incidents related to

them by Bakr at al-

Khuzaimiah. Meanwhile, Hilal

bin Nafi’ and Uthman bin

Khalid brought the news

confirming Bakr’s narration

gathered through others.

When being told about

Muslim’s martyrdom, Imam

Husain (a.s) called Muslim’s

teenaged daughter Ruqayyah

and placed his hand on her

head. The young girl realized

that her uncle was treating

her as if she was an orphan.

Imam Husain (a.s) said,

“My daughter, from today I

am your guardian in place

of your father.”

The next morning, a resident

of Kufa called Abu Harrah

came to Imam Husain (a.s)

and said, “In these awful


21

times, what made you leave

the safe precincts of your

grandfather and the Holy

Kaaba?” The Imam (a.s)

replied,

“O Abu Harrah, I showed

restraint when the Banu

Umayya usurped my prop-

erties. I showed restraint

when they spread false-

hood and they cursed me

and the Ahlul Bayt openly.

Now they have sworn to

kill me. I have no other

option but to migrate since

it is obligatory on me to

avoid bloodshed as far as

possible.”

Wherever Imam Husain (a.s)

made a halt, people joined his

caravan, hoping that he was

going to Kufa to remove the

tyrant governor and that there

would be a war resulting in

acquiring territory and treas-

ury. They had no other desire

but to take a share in the

spoils of a possible war. By

the time, Imam Husain’s

caravan reached a place

called Zobala, the number of

persons accompanying had

swelled into several thou-

sands.

According to some historians,

it was at Zobala that the

Imam (a.s) received the

details of the martyrdom of

Muslim ibn Aqeel, Hani Ibn

Urwa and Abdullah ibn

Yaqtur, through the messen-

gers sent by Mohammed bin

al-Ash’ath and Umar ibn Sa’d,

as the last wish of Muslim ibn

Aqeel. Some other historians

say that this happened at

Tha’labiyya. Some historians

record that it was at

Tha’labiyya that a Christian

man met Imam Husain (a.s),

became a Muslim and joined

the caravan and was martyred

at Karbala.

Realizing the materialistic

objective of several persons

who joined his company,

Imam Husain (a.s) called

together all of them and said,

“You are aware of the griev-

ous murder of Hani, Muslim,

bin Yaqtur and other support-

ers of the Ahlul Bayt. We are

betrayed by the very people


22

who wrote letters welcoming

us to Kufa. Yazid is only

demanding me to give my

allegiance to him and recog-

nize him as the leader of all

Muslims. He seeks only to

punish me if I did not comply.

If you choose to continue to

follow me, you will be ex-

posed to severe torture before

losing your life. Whoever

wants to leave may do so

now. It will not be a sin to

leave me now nor shall I have

any complaint against those

who wish to leave now.”

A majority of the people who

accompanied Imam Husain

(a.s.) in the hope of acquiring

the spoils of war, departed,

leaving only a small contin-

gent of a few hundred people.

Throughout his journey,

Imam Husain (a.s) frequently

gave such sermons and

advised the people to leave

him. As a result, at every

stage the number of followers

dwindled, so much so that

only those accompanying him

from Medina or a few more of

persons who joined him

remained with him, in the

ranks of those who were later

martyred at Karbala.

Imam Husain (a.s) left Zobala

after a few days. When the

caravan passed a place called

Batnul Aqabah, an old man

called Amr bin Louthan from

the tribe of Bani Ikrima told

Imam Husain (a.s), “I see

nothing but the tips of lances

and the glint of swords as far

as the eye could see in Kufa.

The very people, who had

written letters requesting you

to come, have now turned

against you. They will not

stop short in killing you.

Please turn back and to any

place except Kufa.”

Imam Husain (a.s) replied, “I

am aware of the situation, but

I cannot act against the Will

of God. By God, these people

will surely slay me.”

A short distance from Batnul

Aqabah, the caravan came

across an oasis in a place

called Shiraf with many wells

and ponds. Here, Imam

Husain (a.s) halted the


23

caravan and asked his men to

fill all leather bags and every

utensil they had with water.

This move perplexed his

companions as so much water

added to the weight and

slowed down the journey.

Hussayn bin Numair was

given charge of sealing all the

roads except the one leading

to Kufa. Al-Hurr ibn Yazid ar-

Riyahi was sent by Ubaidullah

ibn Ziyad with a thousand

horsemen as an advance

force to intercept, surround

and prevent Imam Husain

(a.s) from going anywhere

else except Kufa, where

Yazid’s forces had already

assembled in great numbers

and strength.

After a short journey in the

midst of barren and arid

desert, a cavalry of al-Hurr’s

one thousand tired and thirsty

horsemen approached Imam

Husain’s caravan. Several of

them fainted due to dehydra-

tion and their horses were

stumbling due to the severe

thirst under the scorching sun

of the desert. The contingent

was headed by al-Hurr bin

Yazid ar-Riyahi, who said that

before he could utter anything

he and his men and horses

needed water to quench the

thirst that was nigh killing

them. Imam Husain (a.s)

ordered his men to supply

water to all of them including

their horses.

Ali Bin at-Ta’aan al-Muharibi

says, “On that day, I was

present as one of the soldiers

in al-Hurr’s cavalry. I was so

thirsty and weak that I could

hardly drink the water offered

by al-Husain’s men. Al-Husain

helped me in drinking the

water. When all the men and

horses of al-Hurr were satiat-

ed and it was time for the

noon prayer, al-Husain asked

al-Hajjaj bin Masruq to call

out the Azan for prayers.

When men from al-Husain’s

camp and the cavalry of al-

Hurr had assembled for

prayers, al-Husain (a.s)

addressed them as follows:

‘I have not come to you of

my own accord, but only in

response to your written


24

requests and personal

pleadings in which you

stated that you are without

an Imam. You expressed

the desire that I should

guide you in religious

matters and you had cove-

nanted and bound yourself

to abide by my religious

guidance. Tell me clearly if

you are firm, even now, in

your covenant to take and

abide by my guidance in

religion, so that I may be

assured once again about

the genuineness of your

need and your promise. On

the other hand, if you do

not intend to keep your

covenant made to me or if

you do not want my pres-

ence, I shall return to

where I have come from’.

When nobody gave any reply,

al-Husain (a.s) asked al-Hajjaj

Bin Masruq to call out the

Eqamah. Then al-Husain

asked al-Hurr if he wished to

separately offer the prayer

along with his men or wished

to pray under al-Husain’s

Imamate. Al-Hurr replied that

he and his men would offer

the prayer under the leader-

ship (imamate) of al-Husain,

and then we rested until

evening.”

Ali Bin at-Ta’aan al-Muharibi

continues, “When the time for

the Evening Prayer came, al-

Husain asked the Azan be

called out. Once again, when

all the men from both camps

assembled, they requested al-

Husain to lead the prayers…

After offering the prayer, al-

Husain addressed the men as

follows:

“Fear God and do justice

by giving the rightful per-

son his due. We the Ahlul

Bayt have the rightful and

superior claim, and we

deserve to be the succes-

sors of the messenger of

Allah instead of those who

have now usurped the seat

of Caliphate. The usurpers

are oppressing you and are

indulging in excesses. But

in spite of your numerous

letters and representations,

if you now choose to deny

my rights and if you do not


25

wish to welcome me

amidst you, I will return

back to whence I have

come.’’

Al-Hurr replied, ‘I know

nothing about the letters of

which you speak’.

Thereupon, Imam Husain

(a.s) called Uqba bin Sam’an

who brought the bag contain-

ing the letters. On seeing

thousands of letters written

by the people of Kufa, al-Hurr

said, ‘We did not write these

letters. We are bound by the

orders to surround and bring

you to Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad in

Kufa’. Then al-Hurr read out a

letter sent by Ubaidullah ibn

Ziyad under orders of Yazid,

with specific instructions

directing the cavalry headed

by al-Hurr to surround Imam

Husain’s caravan and lead it

straight to Kufa. Imam Husain

(a.s) said,

‘Your death will overtake

you before you could

accomplish that task’.

Imam Husain (a.s) asked his

men to prepare for the

journey back to Medina. When

they were about to proceed,

al-Hurr’s forces obstructed the

way. Imam Husain (a.s)

rebuked al-Hurr for obstruct-

ing the passage. Al-Hurr told

Imam Husain (a.s) that he

had no personal ill will against

Imam Husain (a.s) and that

he was constrained to obey

Ibn Ziyad’s order; otherwise,

Ibn Ziyad would carry out the

threat to confiscate all his

properties and kill him and all

his children and family mem-

bers for disobedience. Al-Hurr

said that since Imam Husain

(a.s) did intend to go to Kufa,

he would also not be allowed

to go to Medina. Al-Hurr

suggested that Imam Husain

(a.s.) might take any road

except the road to Medina or

Kufa. On hearing this, Imam

Husain’s caravan turned right

and proceeded towards al-

Uthayb and al-Qadisiyya.

On the way, the caravan

halted at al-Badiyah. Al-Hurr

and his one-thousand-man

army were closely following

Imam Husain (a.s), and were


26

praying behind him. At-Tabari

reports from Abu Makhnaf

that Uqba bin Abul Khirad has

narrated a lengthy sermon of

Imam Husain (a.s) addressed

to his followers and to al-Hurr

and his men at al-Badiyah.

The sermon is as follows:

“God will punish those who

do not oppose, by word

and deed, a tyrant who

legitimizes what is forbid-

den, transgresses the limits

prescribed by God, breaks

his covenant and flouts the

traditions of the messenger

of Allah (s) and terrorizes

and tyrannizes his subjects

and leads a sinful life. The

Banu Umayya have be-

come the disciples of Satan

and forsaken God. They

have forbidden what is

lawful and made lawful

what is forbidden by God.

They have appropriated

the public treasuries as if

they are their personal

properties. I am the first

one to oppose and protest

against their evil deeds.

You wrote letters to me

and your representatives

came to me. I am told that

you have made a covenant

that you will not betray me

to my enemies nor will you

desert me in times of need.

It is but just that you

should abide by your cove-

nant. I am Husain son of

Ali and Fatima the only

child and daughter of the

Messenger of God (s). I am

with you and my family is

with your family. We are

not those who misappro-

priate public funds. We are

those who do not touch or

use public funds. We lead

our lives as any common

man, so that you may

emulate us by leading a

simple life bereft of waste-

ful pomp. On the contrary,

if you choose to ignore and

break your pledge and

wish to absolve yourself

from the promised obliga-

tions, it will not surprise

me, for you have broken

your covenants made with

my father Ali, my brother

Hasan and my cousin


27

Muslim ibn Aqeel. Only a

conceited and inexperi-

enced person will be misled

by your vain promises.

Whoever makes a pledge

and then breaks it is in-

deed at a great loss.”

Imam Husain’s caravan halted

at a place that was the

pasture of an-No’man bin al-

Munthir’s horses. It was near

the border between the

Arabia, Iraq and Persia. Here,

Thur-Rimma bin Adi, Nafi’ bin

Hilal, Majm’a bin Abdullah and

Umar bin Khalid met Imam

Husain (a.s). Thur-Rimma was

an expert guide of the desert

roads. Thur-Rimma recited a

poem eulogizing Imam Husain

(s) and his noble cause and

cursing the Banu Umayya and

their evil deeds. All the four

men pledged their support to

Imam Husain (a.s). Al-Hurr

said that since they were from

Kufa, they should be sent

back to Kufa or in the alterna-

tive, they should remain in al-

Hurr’s army. Imam Husain

(a.s) told al-Hurr that they

were his sincere followers and

they should remain with him

and be considered among

those who had accompanied

him from Medina.

Thur-Rimma informed Imam

Husain (a.s) that many of the

people of Kufa, under mortal

fear of being killed by ibn

Ziyad, and several others

having succumbed to his

bribery were ready to take up

arms against Imam Husain

(a.s). When asked about Qais

bin Musahhir, the messenger

sent by Imam Husain (a.s) to

Kufa, they replied that he too,

like Abdullah Bin Yaqtur, was

killed when he refused to

curse the Ahlul Bayt (a.s) and

to praise Yazid from the pulpit

in the mosque of Kufa. Thur-

Rimma told Imam Husain

(a.s) that ibn Ziyad has filled

up the open lands of Kufa

with a great number of

soldiers from Syria and other

places, with orders to inter-

cept and immediately kill

Imam Husain (a.s).

Thur-Rimma then came near

Imam Husain (a.s) and

whispered, “I have seen a


28

great army in Kufa gathered

by Yazid and Ubaidullah ibn

Ziyad in order to surround and

kill you. I like that you avoid

Kufa at all cost. You have

such a small group of men

that even al-Hurr’s thousand

horsemen can overpower and

kill you all. If you want, I can

show a safe place in the

mountains of Aja’. It is a safe

valley surrounded by moun-

tains where my tribe lives in a

fortification that is safe from

marauders and neighboring

kings. From there, you can

write to the tribe of Tay who

inhabit the mountains and

within ten days, their warriors

will come to guard you. I

promise you that as long as

we, the tribe of Tay, live no

harm will come to you.”

Imam Husain (a.s) thanked

and blessed Thur-Rimma for

his offer and said that he was

under a binding promise that

he would not betray al-Hurr

by leaving with Thur-Rimma.

Thur-Rimma said that though

he wished to join Imam

Husain’s caravan and sacrifice

his life along with him, he had

to bring essential goods to his

people on whose behalf he

was acting as a trustee and

also that the yearly suste-

nance of his large family was

with him to be delivered to

them. Thur-Rimma promised

that as soon as he had

discharged his trust, he

intended to rush back to

Imam Husain (a.s) to sacrifice

his life for him. Imam Husain

(a.s) bade farewell to Thur-

Rimma.

According to Jamil bin Marsad,

Thur-Rimma narrated that

after discharging his trust, he

(Thur-Rimma) made his last

will and bade farewell to his

family, saying that Imam

Husain (a.s) was in need of

assistance and that he had to

hurry to sacrifice his life for

the Imam (a.s). When Thur-

Rimma was on his way, he

met Samat bin Badr near the

place called Uthayb al-Hijanat.

Samat bin Badr informed

Thur-Rimma that Imam

Husain (a.s) was already

martyred. Thur-Rimma


29

returned to his people to

narrate the above incidents.

Another weak report relates

that Thur-Rimma was present

with Imam Husain (a.s) in the

battle of Karbala and suffered

several wounds due to which

he fainted and was later

rescued by some people.

When the caravan pitched the

tents at some place on its

way, Imam Husain (a.s)

gathered his small group of

companions and spoke to

them saying,

“You see what matter has

happened. The world has

changed its colours; virtue

has almost vanished. This

is the age of Wrong and

the followers of Right have

passed away. A time has

come when a true believer

has to separate himself

from the mischievous

mutineers and turn to-

wards his Creator. Do you

not see that the Divine

Commands are neglected

and what is forbidden is

practiced with relish? Life

under tyrants is hard to live

and I consider death a

great honor.”

Imam Husain (a.s) then tried

to dissuade his companions

from accompanying him, as

he wanted to face the situa-

tion alone. He did not want to

expose his companions to any

harm. Hearing this, Bilal bin

Nafi’, Burair bin Khudhair and

other companions of Imam

Husain (a.s) protested saying

that if they would be slain,

then revived to be slain again

a hundred times, they would

not leave him, for he was

fighting against an evil tyrant,

and therefore would attain

martyrdom and they too have

chosen to fight against evil

and attain martyrdom. Thus,

the companions, despite

Imam Husain’s entreaties,

refused to leave him. Zuhair

ibnul Qayn got up and said,

“Even if life in this world

becomes everlasting, we

would prefer to leave [give up

our lives] this world behind to

follow and serve you.”

This situation is unique and

exceptional in the history of


30

humankind. It is natural for

anybody facing imminent

threat to his life to assemble

as many of his supporters as

possible to defend himself.

Here, we find Imam Husain

(a.s) dissuading his compan-

ions from accompanying him.

This is not the conduct of one

who desires to wage war.

Imam Husain’s companions

were also unique in that they

knew that they were few in

number and would be annihi-

lated by the huge army that

had gathered, and yet they

willingly chose to stand

against tyranny along with

Imam Husain (a.s).

In stark contrast is the case of

Ubaidullah ibn al-Hurr al-Ju’fi

who was a sympathizer of the

third Caliph Uthman. He had

fought in the war of Siffin as a

supporter of Mu’awiya against

Imam Ali (a.s). When Imam

Husain’s caravan made a

short halt at Qasr Bani

Muqatil, they found Ubaidullah

ibn al-Hurr Ju’fi in a tent.

When Imam Husain (a.s) met

him, he said that he had left

Kufa as it was filled and

fortified with the military of

Yazid with instructions to kill

Imam Husain (a.s) and his

family members even if it

were to be in the premises of

the Kaaba. Imam Husain (a.s)

said,

“All of you have led a sinful

life. Here is an opportunity

to be absolved of your sins.

If you support me, my

grandfather the messenger

of Allah (s) will intercede

for you.”

Ubaidullah replied, “I know

that what you say is true, but

I have seen Yazid’s forces in

such great numbers that it is

impossible for me to fight

them, and I do not want to

lose my life. Anyway, I offer

you my horse. He is a fast

steed and he has always

brought me safe from my

pursuing enemy.”

Imam Husain (a.s) replied, “I

am in no need of your horse.

I advise you to go so far away

that when I call out, my voice

would not reach you, for then


31

if you hear me and do not

come to my aid, you will be a

transgressor who will surely

be thrown into hell.”

Al-Hurr and his cavalry was

following Imam Husain’s

caravan at some distance and

some times, he purposefully

halted for long time so that

there was great distance

between the two caravans.

When Imam Husain (a.s) and

his small caravan reached a

placed called Nineveh, a rider

came from Kufa and gave a

letter in which Ibn Ziyad

directed al-Hurr to surround

Imam Husain’s caravan and

take it to a parched, arid open

land away from any source of

water. On hearing this, a

follower of Imam Husain (a.s)

called Yazid bin Ziyad bin

Muhajir Abu Sha’tha al-Kindi

and an-Nahdi asked the

messenger: “Are you not

Malik bin Nusair al-Beddi?”

The man replied affirmatively.

Then, Yazid bin Ziyad bin

Muhajir said, “You are indeed

an evil messenger.” Malik

said, “I have been sincere to

my leader and I did what he

bade me.”

Yazid said, “Indeed, you have

chosen an evil leader; for the

Qur’an reveals that such

leaders will be deemed to be

the ones who invite people to

the fire of Hell and they shall

not receive any help [on the

Day of Judgement].”

It has been the shameful

conduct of the infidels and the

hypocrites to deny water. In

the same way, Mu’awiya had

denied water to Imam Ali

(a.s) and his men before. Ibn

Ziyad denied water to be

given to Muslim ibn Aqeel too.

Thus surrounded, Imam

Husain’s caravan reached a

place that was about forty

miles from Kufa and three

miles from the bank of the

Euphrates. Here, Imam

Husain’s horse stopped and all

efforts to goad him to go

forward having failed. Imam

Husain (a.s) took the unprec-

edented step of using his

whip, which the Ahlul Bayt

(a.s) never did as they loved


32

their animals and always

treated them kindly. Imam

Husain (a.s) then changed

several horses but to no avail.

Then, camels were brought in

and they too did not move

from their place. At last,

Imam Husain (a.s) asked

some villagers about the

name of the place, and some

said it was al-Jazeerah, some

others said Nineveh, and

others said the Land of Taff.

Yet, another said it was

known as as-Saqiya, but

Imam Husain (a.s) kept on

inquiring. An old man, who

had seen over a hundred

summers said, “This place, I

heard from my elders, was

called Karbala in ancient times

and that every Prophet (s)

who passed by this place was

afflicted with severe grief.”

Imam Husain (a.s) said,

“Verily, Karbala is composed

of two words Karb (sorrow)

and Bala (affliction).”

In the Old Testament, Deu-

teronomy 1:19 says that the

Prophet Moses (a.s.) lost his

way and wandered for forty

years around a place called

‘the Terrible Wilderness’ near

Kadesh Barnea which later

came to be known as Qadisi-

ya. It was also the place

foretold for sacrifice near the

river Euphrates [Jeremiah 46,

9]. According to the Prophetic

traditions, Noah’s ark was

caught in a whirlpool and

Jesus Christ suffered and

cried at Karbala. Imam Husain

(a.s) then ordered the tents to

be pitched. It is unanimously

agreed by all historians that it

was Thursday, the second day

of Muharram of the year 61

A.H. Imam Husain (a.s) sent

his men to call the residents

of the village inhabited by the

Banu Asad, who owned the

lands where he had pitched

his tents. He offered to pay

60,000 dirhams and purchase

the land. The tribesmen

remonstrated saying that the

accursed land was fallow and

never did anything grow in it,

and therefore no useful

purpose would be served in

buying it. Imam Husain (a.s)

replied,


33

“This land will become

fertile with my blood and

the blood of my kin and

companions, and people

will soon inhabit it and my

Shia will visit it as a place

of pilgrimage.”

Imam Husain (a.s) purchased

the land for 60,000 dirhams

and a purchase was made in

the name of Ali al-Akbar bin

al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib

(a.s). Imam Husain (a.s)

asked Ali al-Akbar to immedi-

ately entrust the land back to

the owners by declaring, “I

donate this land back to you

and make you its custodians

so that you may keep the

visitors of our graves as

guests for three days.”

Then, Imam Husain (a.s)

called all the men, women

and children of the tribe of

Banu Asad. He addressed

their men saying,

“My grandfather the mes-

senger of Allah (s) has told

me that after my martyr-

dom, Yazid’s army would

severe the heads of the

martyrs and leave the

bodies on the open plains

of Karbala. It is my desire

that you should arrange to

bury our bodies.”

Imam Husain (a.s) turned to

the women and told them,

“If, out of fear of reprisal

by Yazid’s men, your men

fail to bury our bodies,

please try to do so under

the cover of night.”

Imam Husain (a.s) then

addressed the children of

Banu Asad,

“Oh children, if your men

and women fail to bury our

bodies, I entrust the re-

sponsibility to you to play-

fully come and throw a

little soil to cover our

headless bodies.”

The entire night of the second

day of Muharram was spent

by Imam Husain (a.s), his

family and companions in

offering prayers and glorifying

God.

��


34

The French author Victor

Hugo said, “The principles of

Hussain’s revolution became

an approach to every rebel

who wants to take his rights

from his oppressors”.

Imam Hussain’s life and status

in the Islamic history are

formidable. Indeed, it is not of

secrecy but because of the

vitality and the significance of

his contributions.

Imam Hussain (a.s.) was one

of two sons of Imam Ali (a.s.)

and Hazrat Fatimah (s.a.), the

daughter of the Holy Prophet

(S). His father, Imam Ali,

needs no introduction. The

least known of him as to be

acknowledged by the far and

near and by his foes and

fanatics. He was openly

declared by the Prophet (S) as

the Commander of the

faithful’s. Needless to mention

his knowledge, bravery,

steadfastness, brotherhood to

the Prophet, justice and piety.

Imam Hussain (a.s.) was

brought up in the Prophetic

guidance where he received

the direct concern of the

Prophet. The ideal atmos-

phere where he had grown up

with his grandfather, father,

mother and elder brother was

the highest level ever at-

tained. Thus he acquired

wisdom, generosity, bravery,

and piety. He occupied

outstanding posts during his

father’s reign in the Islamic

State. During the terror and

corruption which swept the

Muslim World at the hands of

the Umayyads, he was the

sole hope of the Muslims to

restore the establishment of

the Islamic laws which would

bring them prosperity and

peace. He never failed the

Muslims, but acted as ex-

pected of a great ideological

leader and discharged his

duty to the best.

Imam Hussain (a.s.) did what

no other would do; he gave

Imam Hussain’s Revolution for Humanity

By: Marwa Osman (A Lecturer at Lebanese International University)


35

up his home, family, safety,

own life, and entire family for

a message. What is this

significant message that

deserves the sacrifice of the

head of one of the Prophet's

dear grandsons?

It is the message of humanity,

peace, justice; the message of

Islam and of God. It is the

message that inspired all of

humanity with divinity. Imam

Hussain’s revolution was

aimed at saving the people

from corruption, humiliation,

mortification and ignorance.

Describing the outcomes of

the Revolution led by Imam

Husain bin Ali, Ayatollah

Sayyed Ali Khamenei states:

“The struggle of Imam

Hussain (a.s) has two dimen-

sions, therefor it can have two

outcomes, both of which

would be good. One outcome

was that Imam Hussain (as)

would be able to overcome

Yazid by taking power out of

the hands that suppressed the

people and ruined their lives,

then putting it back on the

right path where it should

have been. If this was

achieved, the course of

history would've changed. The

other dimension is that if

Imam Hussain (a.s.) did not

achieve a political and military

victory, for any reason, then

at this point Imam Hussain

(a.s.) would promote his

words of truth like a perpetual

and non-stop stream through-

out history, not through a

physical tongue but through

the language of sacrificing his

blood and being oppressed-

the language that the history

would never ever forget it,

and Imam Hussain (a.s.) did

so.”

One might ask: How did the

revolution of Imam Hussain

and his sacrifice in Karbala

change the course of history?

Imam Husain believed that if

Yazid was to rule the society,

the school of his grandfather,

Prophet Muhammad (S),

would be disintegrated and

the Islamic tenets would be

mutated and introduced

wrongly to the next genera-

tion.


36

Feeling the threat posed to

Islamic tenets by the Yazid’s

regime, Imam Husain depart-

ed to Kufa but was stopped

by Yazid’s men in Karbala. He

was said to pledge loyalty or

would be killed there. Imam

Husain (a.s.) was along with

his family and companions

who accompanied their Imam

to depict a heroic revolution

and color it with the blood of

close members of his family

and devoted men and women.

His sister accompanied him to

pronounce his epic revolution

to the world and make sure

that the heroic battle he led in

Karbala lives on in the heart

of history every year around

the globe to send the mes-

sage of freedom and bravery.

In Karbala, Imam Husain

(a.s.) obviously denied to

accept the cruel regime and

resorted to sword despite

knowing that he would be

killed since thousands of

people stood against his small

caravan.

The reason behind Imam

Hussain’s revolution as stated

by him, was to revive the

Islamic Sharia (law) and

Prophet’s Sunnah (tradition).

He led the revolution to

uphold the rights and dignity

of mankind and revitalize the

ethical code which was

waning. He was aware of the

fact that if he shook hands

with Yazid, he would be

condemned by the history and

if he denied it, his revolution

would teach the lesson of

humanity, heroism, and liberty

to the world.

Liberty is the key word here.

The state’s structure was built

on an un-Islamic basis.

Quraish was born to rule,

other Arabs were second-class

citizens, and non-Arabs

constituted the base of the

society’s pyramid. That was

the general social picture of

the Muslim world under the

Umayyad’s dynasty. Freedom

of thought and expression

were denied, when one dared

to express an opinion contrary

to that of the Umayyad’s,

prison became his home, his

property was robbed, and


37

even his life was at stake,

thus Karbala took the life of

Imam Hussain (a.s.) only to

bring about liberty to the

Islamic world.

The way Imam Hussain (a.s.)

and his Companions (r.a.)

fought was a glorious record

of bravery and nobility. They

were only seventy (70)

fighting men against thou-

sands of the Umayyad’s Army.

Even with this imbalance of

fighting power, the Umayyad’s

Army used the most vicious

and dishonorable methods in

fighting this tiny army of men,

women and children.

The Umayyad’s Army went to

the extent of preventing them

drinking water and kept them

for three days tortured in the

burning heat of the desert.

However, the firm faith of

Imam Hussain (a.s.) and his

followers in their cause was

never shaken. Thus they set

an ever-shining torch of

resistance against deviation

from Islamic conduct and

destroyed the myth of the

Umayyads of keeping alle-

giance to rogue regimes.

After all these centuries, the

sacrifice of Imam Hussain

(a.s.) and his family and

companions only continues to

shine through the darkness of

oppressive regimes and

corrupt elites. Imam Hussain

(a.s.) made sure to teach the

world that Ashura is not just

a tragic event and that

Karbala is not just a geo-

graphical location, they are

both an eternal message from

the brave men who gave their

lives for the sake of preserv-

ing the true Islam.

The battle of Karbala which is

a battle like no other in

history made today possible.

The battle of Karbala and the

sacrifice of Imam Hussain

(a.s.) will never be forgotten.

The blood spilled in Karbala

will always be the spark in the

heart of every free man to

raise his voice against cruelty,

to accentuate integrity and to

prioritize humanity.

��


38

The ruling of the holy Prophet

(S) had this feature in that it

laid its foundation on justice

rather than oppression.

Rather than paganism and

thought discord among

humans it relied on monothe-

ism and centered on worship

of one God. It relied on

knowledge and wisdom as

opposed to ignorance. It

relied on love, communica-

tion, friendship and compati-

bleness, rather than resent-

ment; such is a government

glorified inside out.

One who grows within such a

government, would be a

pious, chaste, knowledgeable,

active, dynamic and vigorous

person moving towards

perfection. After fifty years

things changed. The religion

was still called “Islam”, the

name was there; however,

there was no Islam within.

Rather than Justice, oppres-

sion came to rule again.

Rather than equality and

brotherhood, discrimination,

discord and a gap between

different social classes were

established. Rather than

wisdom, ignorance began to

rule. During these fifty years,

as we reflect on these sub-

jects we come across hun-

dreds of examples and further

evidence that researchers

should elaborate on, issues

for the young and explorative

minds.

Imamate turned into monar-

chy! The nature of Imamate

contradicts, differs from and

refutes the monarchy. These

two controvert each other.

Imamate means spiritual and

transcendent leadership, an

emotional and faith based

connection with the public.

However, monarchy means

the rule of force, power and

deception with no spiritual,

emotional or faithful connec-

tion at all. These two are the

exact opposite of each other.

Imamate is moving among

Imam Hussain (A.S.) And the

Tragedy of Karbala

By: The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei


39

the nation, for the nation, and

towards boon. Monarchy is an

authoritarian rule against

what benefits the people and

for a privileged class; aimed

at accumulating wealth and

the covetousness of the ruling

class.

What we observe from the

time when Imam Hussain (as)

rose up, is of the second type

not the first one. That is to

say, the Yazid which had

come to power neither had

connections with the people,

nor did he have great features

like knowledge, wisdom,

piety, chastity or devotion;

nor did he have any record of

struggle for the sake of God;

nor did he have absolute faith

in Islam and its spiritualities;

nor were his manners those of

a believing man; nor was he a

wise man. Nothing in him

resembled the prophet (S).

With such conditions, for a

man like Hussain Ibn Ali (as)--

who is the Imam, who was to

be the successor of the

Prophet (S)--an opportunity

came forth and he rose up.

If we take a look at the

apparent analysis of this

event, this uprising is an

uprising against the corrupt

and anti-democratic govern-

ment of Yazid; however,

looking deep inside it is an

uprising for the [revival of]

Islamic values, for wisdom

and for faith and dignity. It is

aimed at saving the people

from corruption, humiliation,

mortification and ignorance.

Hence, when he initially left

Medina, he wrote in a mes-

sage to his brother Muham-

mad Ibn Hanfiyeh--in fact a

message to history, that said,

“I have not risen up out of

arrogance, conceit, boasting

in greed and thirsty for

power; I see that the situation

among the nation of the

prophet has gone through a

transformation; it's the wrong

type of transformation,

moving towards deviation; it

is contrary to the direction

that Islam seeks and the

prophet (S) brought up. I

have risen up to fight against

such things.”


40

The struggle of Imam Hussain

(as) has two dimensions,

therefor it can have two

outcomes, both of which

would be good.

One outcome was that Imam

Hussain (as) would be able to

overcome Yazid by taking

power out of the hands that

suppressed the people and

ruined their lives, then putting

it back on the right path

where it should have been. If

this was achieved, the course

of history would've changed.

The other dimension is that if

Imam Hussain (as) did not

achieve a political and military

victory, for any reason, then

at this point Imam Hussain

(as) would promote his words

of truth like a perpetual and

non-stop stream throughout

history, not through a physical

tongue but through the

language of sacrificing his

blood and being oppressed-

the language that the history

would never ever forget it,

and Imam Hussain (as) did

so.

How did Imam Hussain

(as) react to the martyr-

dom of his African com-

panion?

Imam Hussain (as)--the man

who resisted, on his own, a

world of opposition and a

large population of wolf-likes

and feared not a bit--was so

moved in the face of emo-

tional issues in a manner that

would amaze us.

For instance, when John, the

Ethiopian companion of Imam

Hussain (as) was wounded

during the battle and col-

lapsed, Imam rushed to him.

This brave African man was

one of the sincerest adherents

of the Ahlul Bayt, so he joined

the companions of Imam

Hussain (as). He might have

been considered a very typical

person in terms of his finan-

cial and social status, particu-

larly among Arabs of that

time, and not one of these

well-known individuals.

Imam (as) rushed to him and

sat by his side, in his time of

need. John had no acquaint-


41

ances, no children. No one

was awaiting him, he had no

one to weep and mourn over

him. Hussain Ibn Ali (as) was

so moved by John’s martyr-

dom, in the same manner he

was moved by the martyrdom

of his son, Ali Akbar. He sat

by him. Imam held John’s

head—covered in blood—on

his lap, but his heart wouldn’t

sooth. Then everyone saw

Imam Hussain (as) holding

John’s face to his own face.

During the battle of Karbala

many warriors were martyred.

Great figures of Kufa like

Habib Ibn Madhahir, Zuhair Ib

Yaqin, others who were

among the noble and well-

known men of Kufa were

martyred while supporting

Imam Hussain (as). However,

Imam Hussain (as) did not

react to the martyrdom of

these outstanding figures of

Kufa, not even Habib Ibn

Madhahir or Moslim Ibn

Awsaja, the way he reacted to

the martyrdom of his coura-

geous African companion,

John.

The martyrdom of Hazrat

Abulfadhl (a.s.):

Hazrat Abulfadhl Al-Abbas’s

loyalty was most clearly

manifested when he went to

the Euphrates River but

abstained from drinking

water. The well-known

narration of the event, which

is widely related to by the

people, is that Imam Hussain

(as) sent Hazrat Abulfadhl to

fetch water. However, what I

have read in authentic ver-

sions of the narration—like

those of “Irshad” by Mufid

and “Lohoof” by Ibn

Tawous—is slightly different

from the common narration,

probably highlighting the

significance of the event. In

these authentic books it has

been narrated that in the last

moments, rather in the last

hour, while thirst had com-

pelled the little children so

much--little girls and others in

the camps--that Imam

Hussain (as) and Abulfadhl

(as) took it upon themselves

and left together to fetch

water. Hazrat Abulfadhl did


42

not go alone, in other words;

Imam Hussain (as) accompa-

nied Abulfadhl towards the

Euphrates River—a branch of

the Euphrates which flowed

through that region—in hopes

of obtaining water for the

camp site.

These two courageous and

strong brothers fought while

backing each other on the

battle field. Imam Hussain

(as) was about sixty years old,

but he was among famous

unique men in terms of his

power and courage. His

brother Abulfadhl al-Abbas

was in his 30's with all these

outstanding features known to

everyone. These two brothers

would fight side by side, and

back to back, in the midst of

the enemy’s army, moving

into the waves of enemy lines,

breaking them. They did so in

order to reach to the Euphra-

tes in hopes they could get

some water. It was in the

midst of this challenging

battle that Imam Hussain

realized, suddenly, that the

enemy had created a gap

between him and his brother

Abulfadhl Al-Abbas. It was

also in the midst of those

tough moments that Abulfadhl

got closer to water and

reached the Euphrates. As it

has been narrated, he filled

the water pouch to take it

back to the camp. Anyone

would agree he had the right

to drink a fistful of water to

sooth his own thirst, but he

demonstrated his loyalty in

that moment.

When Abulfadhl Al-Abbas was

filling his palms with water,

when he looked at the water,

he remembered Imam

Hussain’s lips, dry from thirst;

maybe he remembered the

little girls and other children

screaming out for thirst.

Maybe he remembered Ali

Asghar crying out for thirst

and he could not allow himself

to drink water. He poured the

fresh water onto his hands, it

seeped out and back into the

river before he left. It was

when he was leaving the river

that the enemy targeted him,

and all those horrible events


43

unraveled. Suddenly Imam

Hussain (as) heard his brother

from the midst of the enemy’s

army calling out to him: “O’

Brother! Help your brother!”

The martyrdom of the man

most similar to Prophet

Muhammad (S)

A young man approached his

father. It has been narrated

that Ali Akbar (as) was

between 18 to 25 years old;

that is to say he was at least

eighteen and at most twenty-

five. Ali Akbar walked out of

Imam Hussain’s (as) camp to

fight. It has also been narrat-

ed that he was one of the

best-looking young men in the

world; he was handsome, tall

and courageous. He asked his

father for permission to fight

on the battle field. Imam

Hussain granted him the

permission right away.

When Qasim, Imam Hassan’s

son came to ask for permis-

sion, Imam Hussain initially

wouldn’t allow it, since he was

Imam Hassan’s son. There-

fore, he had to beg for

permission until he would

allow him to join them on the

battle field. But when Ali

Akbar asked for permission,

he granted him the permis-

sion promptly, since he was

his own son.

He then looked downheartedly

at his son who was going to

the battle field and would not

return. He let his eyes release

the tears they held, and he

cried.

This is one of the emotional

features among the world of

Islam; shedding tears in the

face of emotional incidents

and phenomena. You see

Imam Hussain (as) would cry

on several occasions in

Karbala. This release of tears

is not out of despondency;

this is due to very strong

emotions, as Islam nourishes

emotions in a human.

Imam Hussain (as) began to

cry. Then he said—and

everyone heard him—“O’ God

please witness, a young man

is going to battle these

enemies, whereas he is the


44

most similar to Prophet

Muhammad (S) in appear-

ance, character and thought.”

There is a point I have to

make here. Imam Hussain

(a.s.) was loved by the

Prophet (S) when he was a

child. He loved the prophet

back so dearly. Imam Hussain

(a.s.) was about six or seven

years old when the Prophet

(S) passed away. The image

of the Prophet (S) was in

Imam Hussain’s mind as an

everlasting memory and his

heart held the love of the

prophet (S).

Then God blessed Imam

Hussain (a.s.) with Ali Akbar.

By the time young Ali Akbar

grew to adolescence, he

looked exactly like the proph-

et (S); it was the face he

loved so dearly, he adored so

affectionately. Now his son

looked so much like his own

grandfather. When he spoke

his voice resembled the voice

of the prophet (S). His

character and manners were

the most similar to the

prophet (S): equally magnan-

imous, equally generous and

equally gracious.

Then he said, “Whenever we

missed the prophet, we would

look at Ali Akbar.” So, as this

chivalrous young man left to

the battle field, Imam Hussain

(a.s.) called out, “O Son of

Sa’d! May God leave you

without progeny as you have

left me without.” Hazrat Ali

Akbar went to the battle field;

he fought courageously,

knocking out many enemies;

he then returned and said, “I

am thirsty”. Then he returned

to the battle field.

When he expressed that he

was thirsty, Imam Hussain

(a.s.) told him: “My dear!

Continue to fight for a bit little

longer; and it won’t be too

long until you are nourished

by the hands of your grandfa-

ther, Prophet Muhammad

(S).” When Imam Hussain

(a.s.) said this to Ali Akbar, Ali

Akbar raised his voice in the

last moment of his life and

said, “O’ father, farewell! This

is my grandfather the Mes-

senger of God who is sending


45

you greetings and calls on to

you to join us.”

The martyrdom of Hazrat

Ali Asghar (as):

If a home’s electricity goes

out for 2-3 hours during the

summer time, parents won’t

be concerned about them-

selves getting heat-sick; they

won’t be distraught by their

own sweat and frustration

with the heat. But when a

mother sees her child restless,

finding it difficult to sleep due

to the extreme heat, her heart

burns in despair.

Now imagine the events on

the afternoon of Ashura in the

camps of Imam Hussain (as),

his family and companions,

under the scorching heat, all

so thirsty. For this little infant

some abstained from drinking

out of the remaining water

supply, in that scorching heat.

Certainly they weren’t thinking

about themselves when they

watched little Ali Asghar.

I assume the main reason

Imam Hussain (as) brought

Ali Asghar to the enemy’s

army, to ask for water in

order to nourish the infant—

while there was very little

hope that these lupine ene-

mies would have sympathy

and give the baby water-- was

that Imam Hussain (as) had

no other option and there was

nothing he could do to help.

When the Imam (as) moved

about the tents, he noticed

the air was filled with anguish

and much commotion, this

small infant’s thirst, hunger

and distress had moved

everyone. Hussain Ibn Ali (as)

had to take the baby in his

arms—although there was

very little chance the enemy

would give the baby a cup of

water to sooth his thirst.

Nevertheless, Hussain Ibn Ali

(as) held the infant, then

lifted him up for all to see.

The baby’s conditions were so

heart-rending that he would

certainly move anyone—no

matter how cold hearted—to

feel sadness for him.

Imam Hussain (as) sought

mercy purposely. It has been

narrated correctly that he


46

said, “even if you don’t have

mercy towards me, have

mercy towards this little

baby.” A father would do so

for his little baby at a time of

distress. Hussain Ibn Ali’s (as)

fatherly instincts allowed him

to ask the enemy for water in

order to save the life of this

little infant. At that moment

Hussain Ibn Ali (as)—probably

in agony, gloom, and dis-

tress—raised the baby in his

hands and was talking to the

enemy when he felt some-

thing strange! He noticed his

baby, who was drooping and

still, due to thirst and hunger,

could no longer hold his head,

his head hung to one side.

Suddenly he started flounder-

ing in his father’s hands.

Imam Hussain (as) looked at

him; he saw the enemy’s

arrow had stricken the baby in

the throat and blood was

flowing from Ali Asghar’s

throat. May God curse the

oppressors!

The afternoon of Ashura:

As the enemies had the body

of Imam Hussain (as) sur-

rounded, each took their turn

stabbing his pure defenseless

body, laid out on the ground;

thus, while viciousness,

revengefulness, and feral

behavior swept through the

battle field, in the camps of

Imam Hussain (as) the spirit

of remembrance in God, the

human quality of tenderness,

and intense emotions pre-

vailed.

All women and children—no

one but women and children

were left in the camps, with

the exception of the only

surviving male Ali Ibn Hussain

(as) who was ill—were

worried about Hussain Ibn Ali

(as) and what would transpire

next. They came out of their

tents, and proceeded to the

area where they believed

Hussain Ibn Ali’s (as) body

was seized; it has been

narrated that the women

departed from the camp. You

have probably seen or heard

how Arab women weep and

mourn: it is still common

among Arab women to mourn

painfully upon the death of


47

their loved ones; they beat

their own faces, and pull at

their hair; they mourn in such

an intense manner. Well,

these women had lost a loved

one, a man like Hussain Ibn

Ali (as).

Hazrat Zainab was heading

the women towards the sight

of his martyrdom. When she

arrived, she spotted the body

of her beloved brother on the

blistering grounds of Karbala.

Instead of revealing some sort

of reaction, or grievance, she

went to the corpse of her

beloved Hussain (a.s.), and

called on her grandfather (S).

She said, “O’ the Messenger

of God, peace be upon you!

Take a look at your Hussain

who is covered in blood, with

his body hacked up.” O’ my

dear grandfather! O’ Great

Prophet! Look towards the hot

desert of Karbala. This is your

Hussain who is now covered

in blood and dust.

Then, as it has been narrated,

Zainab (as) reached her

hands beneath the body of

Hussain Ibn Ali (as) and called

out, “O’ God! Please accept

this sacrifice from the progeny

of Muhammad (saww)!”

Imam Sajjad (a.s.) ex-

hausted and then defeated

the enemy:

The oppressed, silenced and

passive image they have

fabricated of Imam Sajjad

(as) absolutely contradicts the

reality of his character. The

real image of Imam Sajjad

(as) is the image of a tireless,

assertive and perseverant

hero, who knows the ways

very precisely, choosing the

right one and moves through

them to obtain his goals. He

does not become fatigued, he

fatigues the enemy. That was

the outcome: the enemy was

finally defeated.

When the Umayyid felt

helpless, they poisoned Imam

Sajjad (as) to death. The

noble Imam, after a blessed

life of sacred endeavor and

struggle full of divine light,

departed this world and flew

to the Lord, into the divine

world of the Heavens.

��


48

1. The Heat of Hussaini

Love: The Holy Prophet (S)

said: Surely, there exists in

the hearts of the Momineen,

with respect to the martyrdom

of Hussain (A.S.), a heat that

never subsides.

2. Ashura A Day of Grief:

Imam Reza (A.S.) said: The

one for whom the day of

Ashura is a day of tragedy,

grief and weeping, Allah The

Mighty, The Glorious, shall

make the Day of Judgment, a

day of joy and happiness for

him.

3. Muharram, the Month of

Mourning: Imam Reza (A.S.)

said: With the advent of the

month of Muharram, my

father Imam Kadhim (A.S.)

would never be seen laugh-

ing; gloom and sadness would

overcome him for (the first)

ten days of the month; and

when the tenth day of the

month would dawn, it would

be a day of tragedy, grief and

weeping for him.

4. Laughing Eyes: The Holy

Prophet (S) said: O' Fatimah!

Every eye shall be weeping on

the Day of Judgment except

the eye which has shed tears

over the tragedy of Hussain

(A.S.) for surely, that eye

shall be laughing and shall be

given the glad tidings of the

bounties and comforts of

Paradise.

5. Reward of the Martyred

Companions: Imam Reza

(A.S.) said (to one of his

companions): If you desire

that for you be the reward

equivalent to that of those

martyred along with Hussain

(A.S.), then whenever you

remember him say: ' Oh!

Would that I had been with

them! A great achievement

would I have achieved'.

6. The Customary Mourn-

ing: Abu Haroon al Makfoof

said: I presented myself

before Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

whereupon he said to me:

"Recite for me a poetry" and

Forty Traditions on Azadari

Courtesy: www.imamreza.net


49

so I recited for him. He said

"Not in this manner. Recite for

me as you recite poems and

elegies over the grave of

Hussain (A.S.)" and so I

recited for him (again).

7. Reward for Reciting

Poetry about Hussain

(A.S.): Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: There is none who

recites poetry about Hussain

(A.S.) and weeps and makes

others weep by means of it,

except that Allah makes

Paradise incumbent upon him

and forgives his sins.

8. People of Eulogies and

Elegies: Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: All praise is for Allah,

who has placed amongst the

people, those who arrive in

our presence, eulogizing us

and reciting elegies about us.

9. Poetry Recitation for

Imam Hussain (A.S.)

During the Period of

Mourning: Imam Raza (A.S.)

said (to De'bil (a poet sincere-

ly devoted to the Ahlul Bayt):

I desire that you recite for me

poetry, for surely, these days

(of the month of Muharram)

are the days of grief and

sorrow, which have passed

over us, Ahlulbait.

10. Shiites, the Compan-

ions and Associates: Imam

'Ali (A.S.) said: Surely, Allah

has chosen for us followers

(Shiites), who assist us and

are happy at our happiness

and are sad in our sadness.

11. Paradise, The Recom-

pense of Azadari: Imam 'Ali

Ibn al Hussain (A.S.) used to

say: Every Momin, whose

eyes shed tears upon the

killing of Hussain Ibn 'Ali

(A.S.) and his companions,

such that the tears roll down

his cheeks, Allah shall ac-

commodate him in the

elevated rooms of Paradise.

12. In Remembrance of

Children of Fatimah (A.S.):

Imam Sajjad (A.S.) said:

Surely, I have never brought

to mind the martyrdom of the

children of Fatimah (A.S.)

except that I have been

choked with tears due to it.

13. Mourning in the Hous-

es: For those unable to go for


50

the Ziarat of Imam Hussain

(A.S.) on the day of Ashura,

Imam Baqir (A.S.) mentions

the manner of performing

Azadari as follows:

He should mourn over

Hussain (A.S.), weep for him

and instruct the members of

the house to weep for him. He

should establish the mourning

ceremony in the house by

exhibiting lamentations and

grief over him; the people

should meet one another in

their homes and offer condo-

lences and consolation to

each other over the calamities

which befell him.

14. 'Ali (A.S.) Weeps While

Grieving the Martyrs of

Karbala’: Imam Baqir (A.S.)

said: Amirul Momineen (A.S.),

along with two of his compan-

ions, happened to pass by

Karbala’ and as he did so,

tears filled his eyes. He said

(to them), "This is the resting

place of their animals; and

this is where their luggage

shall be laid down; and it is

here that their blood shall be

shed. Blessed are you O'

Earth, that the blood of the

beloved shall be spilled upon

you."

15. Tears, Barrier of Hell:

Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: He

who remembers us, or in

whose presence, we are

remembered, and (as a

result) tears flow from his

eyes, even though they may

be in the measure of a wing

of a mosquito, Allah shall

construct for him a house in

paradise and make the tears a

barrier between him and the

fire (of hell).

16. Twenty Years of

Weeping: Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: Às for Ali Ibn al

Hussain (A.S.), he cried over

Hussain (A.S.) for twenty

years (after the tragedy of

Karbala’); never would any

food be placed before him

except that he would begin to

weep.

17. The Etiquette of

Mourning

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: When

Ibrahim, the son of the Holy

Prophet (S) died, tears filled


51

the eyes of the Holy Prophet

(S.A.W), whereupon he said,

“The eyes are tearful and the

heart is anguished (but) we

shall not say anything which

shall anger the Lord. Surely

we, O' Ibrahim, are grief

stricken for you."

18. Tearful Eyes: Imam

Sadiq (A.S.) said: He in whose

presence we (and our miser-

ies) are mentioned and, as a

result, his eyes pour out tears,

Allah shall make his face

forbidden upon the fire of

hell.

19. Hussaini Gatherings:

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said to

Fudhail: Do you sit together,

talk and discuss amongst

yourselves? Fudhail replied:

Yes. The Imam then said: I

approve of these sittings. So

keep our ìssue' (Imamate)

alive. May Allah exhibit mercy

on those who revive our issue

and mission!

20. Invaluable Tears:

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said (to

Masma', one of those who

mourned over Imam Hussain

(A.S.)): May Allah have mercy

upon your tears! Do know

that you are regarded as

being of those who are deeply

concerned about us and of

those who are happy at our

happiness and aggrieved at

our sorrow. Do know that you

shall witness the presence of

my fathers near you at the

time of your death.

21. Scalded Hearts: Imam

Sadiq (A.S.) (while sitting on

the prayer mat prayed for the

mourners and those going for

the Ziarat of the Ahlul Bayt

(A.S.) as follows): O' Lord,

have mercy upon those eyes,

which have shed tears in

compassion for us; and upon

those hearts, which have

been restless and blistered for

us; and upon those wailings,

which have been for us.

22. Tears over the Op-

pressed State of the

Shiites: Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: He whose eyes shed

tears for our blood which has

been shed, or for our rights

which have been usurped, or

for the humiliation meted out

to us or to one of our Shiites,


52

Allah shall accommodate him

in paradise for a long time.

23. Weeping of the Sky:

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: O'

Zurarah! The sky had cried for

forty days over (the martyr-

dom of) Hussain (A.S.).

24. The Holy Prophet and

Weeping over the Martyrs:

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: After

the news of the martyrdom of

Ja'far Ibn Abi Talib (A.S.) and

Zaid Ibn Harithah reached the

Holy Prophet (S), whenever

he entered his house, he

would weep profusely for

them and say: " They used to

converse with me and were

intimate with me and (now)

both of them have departed

together".

25. Sympathy for

Ahlulbait: Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: The breath of one who is

aggrieved upon the injustice

and oppression subjected to

us, is tasbeeh (glorification of

Allah), and his grief for us, is

i'badat (worship of Allah) and

his concealing our secrets, is

jihad in the path of Allah.

The Imam (A.S.) then added:

This tradition ought to be

written in gold.

26. Mourning Angels:

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: Allah

has appointed to the grave of

Imam Hussain (A.S.), four

thousand anguished and grief

stricken angels, who weep

over him (and shall continue

to do so) up to the Day of

Judgment.

27. Weeping over Hussain

(A.S.): Imam Reza (A.S.) said

(to Rayyan Ibn Shabib): O'

Son of Shabib! If you have to

cry over something, then do

so over Hussain Ibn 'Ali (A.S.)

for surely, he was slaughtered

in the manner in which a ram

is slaughtered.

28. Gatherings in Remem-

brance of the Imams:

Imam Reza (A.S.) said: He

who sits in a gathering in

which our affairs (and our

path and aims) are discussed

and revived, his heart shall

not die on the day (Day of

Judgment) when hearts shall

die (of fear).


53

29. Benefits of Weeping

over Hussain (A.S.): Imam

Reza (A.S.) said: Those who

weep should weep over the

likes of Hussain (A.S.) for

surely, weeping over him does

away with one's great sins.

30. Forgiveness of Sins:

Imam Reza (A.S.) said: O' Son

of Shabib! Should you weep

for Hussain (A.S.) in the

measure that tears roll down

your cheeks, Allah would

forgive all the sins committed

by you, whether they be the

great sins or the small sins

and whether they be meagre

or immense.

31. Intimacy with the

Progeny: Imam Reza (A.S.)

said (to Ibn Shabib): O' Son

of Shabib! If it makes you

happy (and you desire) to be

with us in the elevated ranks

of paradise, then be sad in

our grief and happy at our

happiness.

32. Day of Ashura: Imam

Reza (A.S.) said: One who

refrains from seeking his

(worldly) desires on the day

of Ashura, Allah shall grant

him his desires of this world

and the hereafter.

33. Pilgrim of Hussain

(A.S.): Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: The zaair (pilgrim) of

Imam Hussain (A.S.) turns

back (from his pilgrimage)

such that not a single sin

remains upon him.

34. Hussain (A.S.) Seeks

Forgiveness for his Pil-

grims: (Regarding someone

who goes for pilgrimage to

the shrine of Imam Hussain

(A.S.)), Imam Sadiq (A.S.)

said: One who weeps for

Imam Hussain (A.S.), surely,

the Imam (A.S.) observes him

and seeks forgiveness for him

and requests his holy fathers

to (also) seek forgiveness for

him.

35. Intercession on the

Day of Judgment: The Holy

Prophet (S) (said to H.

Fatimah (A.S.)): On the Day

of Judgment, you shall

intercede for the ladies and I

shall intercede for the men;

every person who has wept


54

over the tragedy of Hussain

(A.S.), we shall take him by

the hand and lead him into

Paradise.

36. Imam Sadiq (A.S.) on

Day of Ashura: Abdullah Ibn

Sinaan says: I arrived in the

presence of my master, Imam

Sadiq (A.S.) on the day of

Ashura and found him pale

and grief stricken, with tears

streaming from his eyes like

falling pearls.

37. Neither Angels nor

Prophets: The Holy Prophet

(S) said: (On the Day of

Judgment, a group would be

seen in the most excellent and

honourable of states. They

would be asked if they were

of the Angels or of the

Prophets. In reply they would

state): "We are neither Angels

nor Prophets but of the

indigent ones from the

ummah of Muhammad (S)".

They would then be asked:

"How then did you achieve

this lofty and honourable

status?" They would reply:

"We did not perform very

many good deeds nor did we

pass all the days in a state of

fasting or all the nights in a

state of worship but yes, we

used to offer our (daily)

prayers (regularly) and

whenever we used to hear the

mention of Muhammad (S),

tears would roll down our

cheeks".

38. Visiting the Shrine of

Imam Hussain (A.S.):

Imam Sadiq (A.S.) said: He

(Imam Hussain) sees those,

who come to his shrine and

he knows them by their

names, their father's names

and their ranks in the eyes of

Allah, The Mighty, The

Glorious, better than you

know your own children!

39. Isa (A.S.) Weeps: Imam

Ali (A.S.) said to Ibn Abbas:

(Once when he happened to

pass by Karbala’), Isa (A.S.)

sat down and began to weep.

His disciples who were

observing him, followed suit

and began weeping too, but

not comprehending the

reason for this behaviour,

they asked him: "O' Spirit of

God! What is it that makes


55

you weep?" Isa (A.S.) said:

"Do you know what land this

is?" The disciples replied:

"No." He then said: "This is

the land on, which the son of

the Prophet Ahmad (S) shall

be killed.

40. All Creatures Weep

over Imam Hussain (A.S.):

Abu Baseer narrates that

Imam Baqir (A.S.) said: The

humans, the jinn, the birds

and the wild beasts (all)

mourned and wept over (the

tragedy which befell) Hussain

Ibne Ali (A.S.).

��

Beautiful Sayings of Imam Hussain (A.S.)

• If you don't believe in any

religion and don't fear the

Resurrection Day, at least be

free in this world.

• Those who are silent when

others are oppressed are

guilty of oppression them-

selves.

• Avoid oppressing the one

who does not have any sup-

porter against you, other

than the Almighty God.

• You deserve the Paradise;

don't sell yourself for any-

thing less. Whoever is con-

tent to the worldly pleas-

ures, has sufficed to some-

thing base and low.

• The most merciful person is

the one who forgives when

he is able to revenge.

• Whoever sorts out the

difficulty of a believer God

will sort out his difficulties in

this world and in the hereaf-

ter.

• Tolerance is man's orna-

ment, keeping promises is a

sign of nobility, and bonding

with others is a grace.

• Avoid embarking on a task

that is beyond your toler-

ance.

• In your friend's absence,

speak of him the way that

you like him to speak of you

in your absence.

• Do not try to find fault with

others instead, when some-

one makes a small blunder,

try to cover up for him and

justify his mistake.

��


56

Question: Is this state-

ment "Every day is Ashura

and every place is Karba-

la" a hadith? How reliable

is its chain of narrators?

Answer: We weren’t able to

find such a hadith[1] saying:

“Every day is Ashura and

every place is Karbala”.[2]

Yet, this sentence is a correct

conclusion obtained from the

incident of Karbala and the

line of movement of our

imams and contains some

valuable and instructive

points; because although

another Ashura will never take

place, but oppression and

tyranny will always continue,

until Imam Mahdi (as) reap-

pears and roots out and

eliminates all of it. The culture

of Ashura will go on forever

and Karbala will remain the

symbol of resistance and

fighting against injustice and

oppression. Our religious

leaders have taught us to

stand up against tyranny, and

would do so themselves.

Therefore, it isn’t true that

Ashura was an incident that

took place in a certain time

and place and is to be forgot-

ten afterwards.

The sentence “Every day is

Ashura and every place is

Karbala” signifies that the

battle between good and evil

is to go on and isn’t limited to

any time or place, and that

this battle is linked to the

ones before, forming a single

chain. The incident of Ashura

and Karbala is one of the

clearest links of this very long

chain. Good and evil are

always face to face, and

libertarians are responsible for

the guardianship of the good

and fighting the evil, thus,

being careless regarding this

battle is considered turning

away from religion.

Imam Khomeini, who was the

establisher of the Islamic

Republic, a true follower of

Imam Hussain (as) and fought

Every day is Ashura & every place is Karbala

By: Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Tehrani


57

against the oppressors of his

time, refers to this statement

(Every day is Ashura and…) as

“The Great Statement” and

stresses on keeping the

message of Ashura alive and

putting it into practice saying:

“This statement is a great

one… our nation must always

pay attention to the fact that

even today is Ashura and that

we must stand up against

oppression and that we are

currently in Karbala and must

act according to it, Karbala

isn’t limited to a specific land.

The incident of Karbala isn’t

limited to a group of seventy-

something people in the land

of Karbala, all lands must play

the same role as Karbala did.”

This statement brings forth a

responsibility for us, while

bringing about good news as

well. The responsibility is that

the oppressed, no matter how

little in number, must stand

up like Imam Hussain (as)

against their oppressors,

regardless of their number,

how armed they might be and

the evil power they might

possess. The good news being

that this statement has

considered our martyrs (who

stand up as a result of follow-

ing Imam Hussain [as]) as

part of the martyrs of Karbala.

During the imposed war on

Iran, the great leader of the

revolution stated: “Although

the battle of Ashura was the

shortest one time wise (half a

day), it is the longest battle

between good and evil as far

as length goes , therefore,

whenever one wishes that

he/she were one of the

companions of the imam (as)

and one of the martyrs of

Karbala, the battle of Karbala

is still going on and the clash

of Ashura is continuous (so

there still is hope to be able to

reach such a rank).”

One writer says: “We are

certain that if Imam Hussain

(as) were to be alive today, he

would create another Karbala

out of Quds, southern Leba-

non, and most Islamic regions,

holding the same grounds he

held against Yazid.”

��


58

Dear Trump,

After hearing your speech on

US foreign policy today, I felt

the urge to pen down my

ramblings with reference to

Pakistan. Even otherwise

when silence burdens ones

conscience, it's time to break

it.

You said: "We have been

paying Pakistan billions and

billions of dollars" Please note

that Pakistan has spent

$123.13 billion, in direct and

indirect cost due to its war on

terrorism in the last 16 years,

whereas US aid to Pakistan

during the same period has

not been more than US $ 30

billion. Moreover, there has

been a 73 percent decline in

US security assistance to

Pakistan since 2011, and 53

percent decrease in economic

assistance, as per the statis-

tics released by the Congres-

sional Research Service (CRS).

Also note that, in 2016,

Americas largest of its kind

package of military aid

amounting to U.S. $38 billion

was doled out not to Pakistan

but to Israel for the next 10

years.

Dear Trump, day in day out

we wake up to news of terror

attacks killing our innocent

people. Some shopping in the

bazars, some strolling in the

parks, some walking on the

pathways, some countering

the terrorists and even some

studying in schools. We are so

tired of crying that even our

tears have dried up. Alas,

almost 62000 Pakistani men,

women, and children have

lost their lives in our war

against terrorism during the

last fifteen years. They were

as dear to their loved ones as

the 2996 people who were

killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Yet, Pakistan you say is "a

safe haven to agents of

chaos, violence and terror."

Reply to Trump’s Speech on

U.S. Foreign Policy

By: Kanwal Ali


59

No that's not true. Our Army,

police and other members of

the law enforcement agencies

are very successfully and

persistently fighting the

miscreants. As a result a total

of 33711 insurgents/terrorists

have been killed in Pakistan

since 2003.

In the view of the U.S. Human

Rights Network, "Discrimina-

tion in the United States

permeates all aspects of life

and extends to all communi-

ties of color". Surveys by

organizations such as ABC

News have found that, even

recently, large sections of

Americans self-admit to

holding discriminatory view-

points; for example, a 2007

article by the organization

stated that about one in ten

admitted to holding prejudices

against Hispanic and Latino

Americans and about one in

four did so regarding Arab-

Americans. But would it be

justified if America is pro-

nounced as a safe haven for

racists?? No, because America

has been a country that

welcomes and embraces

diversity. Similarly, Pakistan is

no safe haven for the terror-

ists. It's primarily a land of

simple and struggling people

whose sufferings remain

untold.

Dear Trump,

Please don't add to our

sufferings. Please don't widen

the rift between India and

Pakistan. You claim to be a

problem solver so please don't

create problems for us.

Terrorists are losers indeed,

but to make them really lose

we need to unite, not divide.

Trust me Pakistan has nothing

much to lose, but you should

not lose your temper. Well

you also said: "It is time for

Pakistan to demonstrate its

commitment to civilization,

order and to peace."

Yet it is also a time for you to

demonstrate some grace,

humility and good language.

Thank you.

A Pakistani by default

��


60

Acidity or heartburn is a

common problem seen in our

society and almost faced by all

of us at some stage of life.

Stomach acid is needed for

proper digestion of food. It is

neutralized by some hormones

and enzymes excreted by our

body in response to different

dietary products which reaches

gastro-intestinal tract, and thus

it does not harm the body in

routine.

There are several factors which

may disrupt this mechanism

and cause symptoms of heart

burn, they include urban life

style, lack of exercise, in-

creased consumption of tea or

coffee, irregularity in intake of

meals, recreational drugs like

tobacco chewing, alcohol

ingestion or smoking, excessive

intake of oily and spicy foods

etc. Stress also plays a major

role in increasing the stomach’s

acid production. Some dugs like

pain killers including Non-

steroidal anti-inflammatory

drugs, antibiotics etc. may lead

to acidity, causing inflammation

of stomach, especially when

taken on empty stomach or

taken with small quantity of

water.

Patients usually complain of

sour taste in mouth after meal’s

intake, acid reflux, sensation of

burning heart, chest tightness,

belching, bloating, nausea,

vomiting or abdominal discom-

fort. Dry cough for a prolonged

duration which is more prob-

lematic at night or after lying

down, may also be a sign of

stomach acid’s reflux in throat,

which may lead to gastritis

(inflammation of stomach).

Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria,

which may cause gastritis and

reaches stomach via un-

hygienic eating habits.

It is the duty of Doctor to

diagnose the cause and guide

you about elimination of cause

as well as prescribe you needed

medicines.

But changing your lifestyle is

mandatory, regular exercise,

taking proper and balanced diet

on time, stress free life style,

avoidance of intake of recrea-

tional drugs guarantee you a

healthy stomach. Yoga may help

in keeping a mind stress free. ��

Defeat Acidity

By: Dr. Sana Hasnain Nanjiani


61

Kids

Corner

I am Sakina, Today is Ashura and here is

Karbala

Perhaps an hour has passed

noon. I do not know. From

morning to now, for us, it

has seemed like a lifetime;

especially these moments

that father has gone to-

wards the battlefield. It is

hard to gaze at the cloud of

dust rising in the battlefield

and to hear the shrieks of

the enemy, while father is

among them; it is very hard.

The sunshine above us is hot

and the earth beneath, even

hotter. Thirst, thirst, our

mouths are burning from

thirst, our lips have dried up

like parched clay, our

tongues are hard and dry in

our mouths and our faces

have become pale from the

extreme heat. My father

had only seventy-two sol-

diers while Yazid had an

army of tens of thousands.

Since morning, my father's

followers have gone to the

battlefield one by one. They

stood bravely against the

enemy's army, they fought

with courage, they killed

tens of the enemy soldiers

and then they were mar-

tyred. Now, my father is all

alone, surrounded by the

soldiers of the enemy. Oh,

how I wish the distance

between the tents and the

battlefield was not this long.

How I wish I could see

father fighting. How I wish

father had let me go with

him. A father fighting alone

against a vast army and his

restless daughter having no

news about him! The only

thing visible from here is a

haze of dust and dirt and

the only thing hearable is

the uproar of the enemy.


62

When all of my father's

followers became martyred,

my father prepared himself

to go to the battlefield, but

first he gathered all the

women and children and told

them with calmness, "Make

yourselves ready for afflic-

tion and hardship. Be sure

that God is your protector.

He will soon save you from

the enemy and you shall have

a fine destiny. And your

enemies will experience all

kinds of torture and suffer-

ing. Instead of these suf-

ferings, God will give you

many blessings and treat you

with generosity. So do not

say thing that decrease your

dignity."

After this, we were all sure

that father would be mar-

tyred. I said, "Father, have

you surrendered yourself to

death?" Then I burst into

tears and cried and cried. I

did not want to act impa-

tiently, but I no longer had

the power. I was not the

only one that was restless.

Even my aunt, Zainab who

tried to comfort us, was

wiping away her tears.

Father hugged me and said:

"Sweetheart, how can

someone with no allies not

surrender to death?"

I started sobbing again and

said: "Under whose care will

you put us?"

Father wiped my tears with

his hands and lips and after

kissing my wet eyelashes

said, "I put you under the

care of God and His bless-

ings; He who supports you in

this world and the after-

world. Have patience, my

daughter, about the things

that God wants and don't

complain, because this world

will come to an end and but

the afterworld remains."

I did not complain and I was

not ungrateful, but I cried

and cried. How could I not

cry, while my father, the

best father in the world,

was going to the battlefield

all-alone to stand against


63

thousands of men? Father

said farewell to everybody

then he whispered things to

my aunt Zainab that we

could not understand. After

that, he told her to bring

him an old garment. We were

all surprised and asked,

"Why do you want an old

garment?" Father answered:

"The enemy is an unmanly

one. After killing me, they

will take my clothes as

spoils. I want to wear an old

garment under my clothes so

my body will not be bare

after I'm martyred."

It was as if father was going

to a splendid ceremony. He

put on his clothes, fastened

his sword and armor, wiped

the sweat of his forehead

with his turban, then tidied

his gray beard and prepared

to go towards a savage

enemy that was awaiting him

with barbaric shrieks.

None could prevent him

from going and even if he

did not go, the enemy would

come to the tents. No one

could prevent him from

going, because he had

foretold his death before

this day and he had said

that Islam would only

survive if he were martyred.

My aunt Zainab, trembling,

cried out with tearful eyes,

"Not so fast dear brother,

not so fast." Father stood

and for one last time looked

at the crowd of distressed

women and children who

were crying after him. If

anyone other than father

had seen this scene, he

would have surely slowed his

pace; but there was no

change in father's faith and

decision and he did not slow

his pace. He just gave us an

affectionate wave with his

hand, put us under the care

of God, and hurried towards

his horse.

I could not bear it any more.

I, who in a few moments

would lose such a good

father and become an

orphan, stood up involuntari-

ly and without father seeing


64

me, ran towards his horse.

Father was sitting firmly on

his horse and was getting

ready to go. However, the

horse did not move because

I had clasped my hands

tightly around its legs.

Father got off his horse and

held me tight to his chest.

He wiped my tears and said,

"Oh my daughter, my dear

daughter."

I said, "Oh father. When

Moslem was martyred, you

hugged his orphan girl and

patted her head. If you go

and I become an orphan who

is going to pat my head?"

Father's eyes filled with

tears. I could feel his heart

breaking. While fighting

back his tears, he slowly

whispered to me, "Sakina,

my daughter, please do not

cry, because after I go you

will shed many tears. While

I am here, while I am still

alive, do not set my heart

ablaze with your tears.

Oh, best daughter in the

world, truly after I go you

have the most right to cry.

"I knew it was impossible,

but I don't know why I said,

"Father, take us back to

Medina beside the shrine of

our grandfather (s.a.w.w)."

Father turned his innocent

look towards the enemy and

said, "You know it's not

possible my daughter." The

shrieks and screams of the

enemy were becoming louder

and father had to go. Father

set off and I could still feel

the warmth of his dried lips

on my cheeks. Now I can

hear the clanging of swords

and the neighing of horses

and the savage screams of

the enemy. We are standing

beside the tents; we are

holding our breaths and

shivering with fright.

Oh, I think this is my

father's horse coming

towards us without a rider,

its head and mane covered in

blood. Is this the sound of

my cry or Fatima's or

Roqayya's?

��


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Cover Page (Front) - Zahra Academyzahraacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/msg/muharram...Zuhayr ibn Qin and Sa'id ibn 'Abdullah to go before him (as) to say his zuhr prayer. Al-Husayn