MUSJIDUL HAQ

Download The Entire Series in PDF: ahle-bayt-and-karbala-the-most-detailed-and-authentic-thesis-on-the-event-of-karbala

Sadness for Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –

 

We notice that when someone famous person dies, people sometimes mourn for nearly forty days. The entire neighbourhood is also in mourning. When a head of state dies, the entire country is in deep mourning only for a couple of weeks. But look at the greatness of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – that hundreds of years have passed by and people are still mourning his demise. Even at the moment of his passing, the entire heavens and earth also displayed their sadness.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas – may Allah be pleased with them – narrates that on the 10^th of Muharram, exactly at the moment when Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was killed, he was sleeping in Mecca Shareef when he saw the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – in a dream and the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – was crying. He became very disturbed when he saw this and awoke from his dream.

 

At the same time, in Madina Shareef, Sayyidah Umme Salmah – may Allah be pleased with her – saw Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – in a dream and his hair and beard was full of dust. Sayyidah Umme Salmah – may Allah be pleased with her – then asked him what had happened. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – replied, “I am coming from the place where Husain has been killed.” She then reports that when she noticed the sand which had been given to her many years ago, this sand had turned to blood. (Mishkaat Shareef)

 

In Baihaqi Shareef and in Abu Naeem it is reported that when Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was killed, blood came from the heavens and all the containers were filled with blood. In other words, it rained blood.

 

Imam Zuhri narrates that on the day that Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was killed, whatever stone was picked up in the Baitul Muqaddas, blood could be seen underneath them.

 

Umme Habban narrates that on the day that Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was killed, the sky turned dark for three days. In fact, it was so dark that people were afraid that perhaps the Day of Judgement had arrived.

 

In the Baihaqi Shareef, it is reported by a person named Jameel bin Marra that when the forces of Yazeed slaughtered a camel to feast, the entire meat turned bad.

 

Another report in Baihaqi Shareef also explains that people actually saw blood in the sky for a few days. Some report that this appeared for seven days. The effects of this was also seen on the walls and the buildings. (Tahzeeb Al Tahzeeb, As Sawaaiqu Al Muharriqah, Taarikh Al Khulafah, Sawaaneh Karbala, Khasaais Kubra, Tadkirah Al Khawaas)

 

Some people report that major events were seen in the heavens. The edges of sky remained red for nearly six months. The animals, birds and different creatures in the heavens and earth became disturbed and their actions displayed the discomfort they were in.

 

Bear in mind that there is no harm to cry for someone who has passed away. In fact, this is also a form of Divine Mercy. If one is genuine, one will receive reward for this. Some people are under the false impression that when ones cries at the loss of anyone than one is robbed of reward. This is incorrect. Yes, one will rob oneself of reward if one starts to display grief like how the Shia display grief, such as beating oneself, tearing one’s clothes, pulling one’s hair, etc. All these acts are considered as completely forbidden in Islam and were displayed by the disbelievers in the days of ignorance.

 

There are many Prophets who displayed grief and wept such as Nabi Daud ‘Alayhis Salaam and Nabi Adam ‘Alayhis Salaam. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – cried when his son Ebrahim – may Allah be pleased with him – passed away. He also mentioned that crying is a Divine Mercy of Allah Almighty. It is reported that the actual name of Nuh ‘Alayhis Salaam was “Abdul Ghaffar” but due to his continuous weeping, he became famous by his title “Nuh”. Nabi Yaqub ‘Alayhis Salaam also wept for Nabi Yusuf ‘Alayhis Salaam. In like manner, if we shed tears on the occasion of Muharram remembering Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – there is no harm in this.

 

Once, Shah Abdul Aziz – may Allah be pleased with him – was asked, “What do the learned ‘Ulama have to say about the following issue that people read the ‘Shahaadat Nama’ in a gathering in the month of Muharram and also describe the events which occurred with Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. Is this permissible or not?”

 

He replied, “There is no doubt that the event surrounding the martyrdom of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – is such that even if everything in creation such as the maidens in Jannah, the Angels, man and Jinn, the trees and other inanimate objects had to weep on this occasion, then too, it would be very less. At the same time, to beat oneself is showing enmity (towards Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –).” In fact, Shah Abdul Aziz – may Allah be pleased with him – used to also arrange the remembrance of the Shahaadat of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – every year and at the end of the function he used to also read the Salaam. (Fatawah Azeezi, 1/104,105)

 

The weeping of the Jinn

 

Sayyidah Umme Salmah – may Allah be pleased with her – narrates that after the passing away of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – she never heard the Jinns weeping even after nearly fifty years. However, on the day that Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was martyred the Jinns were heard weeping on the streets of Madina Shareef.

 

It is also mentioned that when this entire caravan left Karbala towards Damascus, they suddenly saw a message on a wall which read, “Do those people who have killed Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – have any hope in the intercession of the grandfather of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – on the Day of Judgement?”

 

The Divine Anger of Allah Almighty

 

It is reported that Allah Almighty sent a special message to His beloved Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –, “As punishment (for the killing of) Yahya bin Zakariyyah, 70,000 of these people (who were guilty of this crime) were killed by their enemies. O My beloved! For the sake of your grandson, 140,000 of these Yazeedis will be destroyed.”

 

Why did this event occur?

 

It must be remembered that on many occasions Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – had made Du’a, “O Allah Almighty I wish that I am killed in Your path and then brought alive and then killed in Your path and then brought alive.” This was mentioned on a few occasions. When Allah Almighty does not allow an ordinary person to go empty-handed when he makes Du’a, how will He refute the sincere Du’a of His beloved Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –? In fact, on many occasions, even before the blessed hands of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – was raised, his Du’a was accepted. The changing of the direction of the Qiblah is one such example. This was merely a thought in the blessed heart of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – and it was immediately accepted. A’la Hadrat – may Allah be pleased with him – explains this in a very beautiful manner in one of his Na’ats. He says, “Acceptance bowed and embraced his shoulders. Great indeed is the Du’a of Muhammad – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –”.

 

Now, let us look carefully at how Allah Almighty accepted the above Du’a of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. If Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – had passed away as any ordinary martyr on the battlefield, there would have been a chance that his blessed body would also have been disrespected. If this happened, the Kuffar today would have the opportunity of saying look at what happened to the Prophet of Islam. Allah Almighty certainly did not want this type of comment to be made about His beloved Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –.

 

We know that the family of every person continues through the son. Obviously, since there will be no Prophets after the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –, the blessed sons of the Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – passed away at a young age. Therefore, as a special quality of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –, his blood line runs through his daughter Sayyidah Fathima – may Allah be pleased with her –. At the same time, we must also remember that there are two types of Shahaadat or martyrdom. One is a Sirri (silent or invisible) and the other is Jahri (visible and public). Both of these were displayed in his blessed grandchildren.

 

In like manner, we get those Salaah in which the Qirah is silent or Sirri and we get those Salaah in which the Qirah is Jahri or audible. Both of these were displayed in his family blood line. Imam Hasan – may Allah be pleased with him – was poisoned silently and Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was martyred publicly. In other words, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – was blessed with both through his grandchildren.

 

At the same time, both of these types of shahaadat were given in the most supreme of manner to both Imam Hasan – may Allah be pleased with him – and Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. In fact, it is said that the poison given to Imam Hasan – may Allah be pleased with him – was so potent that his internal organs were cut into pieces. What can be a greater display of Shahaadat-e-Sirri? As for the public or apparent martyrdom of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – that has become clear and apparent. Therefore, this was Shahaadat-e-Jahri in its highest form.

 

In this way, the Divine Promise of Allah Almighty that He would certainly protect Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – from people was fulfilled and his actual martyrdom was displayed through his grandsons. At the same time, we have also seen reports that both of them resembled Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – has also stated that, “I am from Husain and Husain is from me.” (In other words, all the greatness of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – is to be found in me and Husain will also become a mirror of my greatness as well.)

 

Such was this apparent or Jahri martyrdom that until the present day people speak about it and will continue to speak about it.

 

The blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – on a spear

 

It is mentioned that the blessed heads of the martyrs of Karbala were distributed among many tribes in the region. Twenty blessed heads were given to the Hawaazin. Thirteen were given to the Bani Ash’as. Six were given to the Bani Sa’ad. Fourteen were given to the Bani Tameem and five were given to the Kandah tribe. The rest of the blessed heads were distributed among various tribes.

 

As for the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – it was carried along on a spear. It is also mentioned that on the Day of Judgement when Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – will arise, he will also arise reading the Tasbeeh which one reads in Sajdah. In the Hadith Shareef it is mentioned that a person will arise in the manner in which he passed away. Once a blessed companion passed away during Hajj while reading the Talbiyah. The Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – said that on the Day of Judgement, he will rise in this state as well.

 

The manner in which they were displaying the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was actually the biggest joke on these people. Although they tried to lower his blessed head and make it bow down to them and had failed in doing so, without realising it, his blessed head was still being lifted about the rest of the people after his martyrdom and that too, at the instructions of Ibn Ziyad. This is what is meant that when the Imaan of someone leaves them, the intellect of that person also leaves him.

 

In the Holy Qur’an, we are clearly instructed that we should not say a person who has passed away in the Path of Allah Almighty as dead. In fact they are alive, but we are unable to see it. In another verse, we are informed that we should not even think that those who have passed away in the Path of Allah Almighty are dead. In fact they are alive and are receiving their sustenance with their Creator Almighty.

 

When it is revealed that through the Barakah of Hadrat Sayyiduna Owais Qarani – may Allah be pleased with him – the same amount of people would be pardoned as the amount of hair which is found in the sheep belonging to the Bani Kalb, there is no doubt that if the kurta of ‘Ali Asghar – may Allah be pleased with him – was presented in the form of a Du’a, every person in Kufa would have died. However, this was not done. The question is, why? Even though the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was on a spear, he is also the one who sat on the blessed shoulders of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. Therefore, if one’s head has to be on a spear to prove the truth of this religion, then Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – proved that this is what will be done. In other words, his every action in life was a walking symbol of the truth of Islam.

 

By this blessed action of his, Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – is showing us that in the world, people abandon their Ibadah for small reasons and start to complain. But in spite of what he is going through in Karbala, he is still reciting the Tasbeeh. This action of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – is also proving that even though there was no limit to the oppression of the Yazeedi forces, in like manner, there was no limit to his Sabr and the Sabr of the Ahle Bayt.

 

At the same time, there is no Book like the Holy Qur’an and even when his head is on a spear, he will continue to read the Holy Qur’an. In other words, he is proving that all the previous Divine Books were changed, altered and destroyed, but the Holy Qur’an is a Book which will never be destroyed or changed. Every letter in the Holy Qur’an will remain the same until the Day of Judgement.

 

Both were rewarded as per their wishes, the Yazeedi forces and Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. They received something after beheading Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – received his reward after he was beheaded. The forces of Yazeed received a reward from Yazeed, while Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – received his reward from Allah Almighty. His head was removed, but he saved and protected the religion of Islam.

 

The caravan continues it journey

 

Ibn Sa’ad then commanded that all of Imam Husain’s – may Allah be pleased with him – people be imprisoned and those who were killed among their forces, they were to force the villagers to bury their dead. Ibn Sa’ad then brought some ink and ordered Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – to admit in writing that his father had committed treason against the Islamic government and had created strife and upheaval. Therefore, it was permissible to have him killed.

 

However, Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – replied, “You are thinking that since I am unwell, I am an orphan. I have been made a prisoner and you can make me admit anything due to this. Listen carefully, I am the grandson of the Lion of Allah Almighty. Whatever we say while in power, we say the same when we are ordinary citizens as well. You seem to forget that it was my blessed father who had clearly admitted that if he had come to fight, he would not have brought a little baby. At the same time, I have in my possession hundreds of letters from you people. We did not come on our own, we were called to this place. Therefore, never think that I will ever change my stance and my opinion.”

 

When Shimr heard these words, he was clearly upset. Shimr then put Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – in between the camels and gave him the spear on which was the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. This delegation of the oppressed and the oppressors then began their journey.

 

Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – was also carefully placing his feet as he walked along. His blessed aunt, Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her -, advised him, “My beloved son! Step carefully.” He replied, “My beloved aunt, how careful can I be? When I look up, I can see the blessed head of my father and below me are the bodies of my blessed family. When I look behind me, I can see the women of this blessed family who are prisoners.”

 

When night appeared, the caravan stopped to prepare for the night. One of the forty camels belonging to the Ahle Bayt was then slaughtered. A very special meal was then prepared and all the soldiers were asked to come forward to collect their meal. However, as each one placed their food in their container, the food turned black. A foul stench also emanated from the food. The soldiers became extremely upset by this and called Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him –. The soldiers were also extremely hungry. They told him that if the camel was sick, why did he not informe them about this from the beginning. They accused him of wasting their time and effort in preparing this meal.

 

However, Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – replied that none of their camels were sick. Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – then asked them which camel was slaughtered and they replied that it was the fifth camel in the line. He told them that this was the camel on which ‘Ali Akbar – may Allah be pleased with him – had ridden from Madina Shareef. They then asked Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – if that was the case, how could this have spoiled the meal. Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – replied, “Whatever has happened has happened. Perhaps Allah Almighty did not want the clean animal which belonged to ‘Ali Akbar to become a meal for those who are unclean.”

 

Shimr then shouted at Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – to refrain from saying such things. Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – replied that if he was asked these types of questions, he would continue to speak the truth. They were also not people that change their word and speech because of time and place.

 

Imam Zainul Aabideen’s – may Allah be pleased with him – blessed aunt also instructed him to calm himself and that he was left with them for a specific purpose. He was also told to take care of their camels so that the Yazeedi forces do not use it for their own personal benefit.

 

It is mentioned that seven hundred soldiers were allocated to guard the Ahle Bayt. They were split in half on the both sides of this caravan.

 

The story of the Christian Monk

 

In the evening, the caravan again came to a halt and they decided to rest for the night. The reason that the caravan stopped at this spot was because there was a monastery or synagogue nearby. They also felt that it was safe to camp there because the people there were not Muslims and therefore would have no interest in the head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – and would have no interest in stealing the blessed head.

 

The blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was then given to a person named Abul Khunuq Kufi while the rest of the caravan rested for the night. When the monk awoke in the middle of the night, he noticed the blessed head next to his monastery. He rushed to Abul Khunuq, the guard, to ask him about this head and to whom did it belong. At first Abul Khunuq refused to say anything but after being bribed by the monk he said that that this was the head of someone who had gone against the state.

 

The monk mentioned that even though he told him that this was the head of someone who had gone against the state, but to him it looked like the head of someone who was a worshipper in the Mosque of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – in Madina Shareef. The monk then asked the guard to reveal the actual identity of this person. Finally, Abul Khunuq revealed that this was the head of Husain. The monk asked him who Husain was. He replied that this was the head of that Husain who was the son of ‘Ali, the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. The monk asked whether this was the same Prophet whose Kalimah was read by the guard and he replied that he read the same Kalimah.

 

The monk told him, “You are such unfortunate and unlucky people. If Nabi ‘Isa ‘Alayhis Salaam had a son, we would have surely carried him on our eyes.”  The monk then told Abul Khunuq that since half the night was already finished, he would like to keep the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – with him for the rest of the night if he accepted a thousand Dirhams.

 

Abul Khunuq then went to Shimr and informed him about the request of the monk. Shimr agreed to this but also asked the guard as to what interest this monk had in the head. The monk replied, “I have read the Bible my entire life, yet I never saw Nur appear as I can see appearing from this blessed head and that too, it is a head which has been beheaded.”

 

In the book Hayaat-e-Khafi, it is mentioned that when this spear was placed on the side of the wall, this monk saw immense Nur appear from the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – towards the heavens. The head was also reciting the Tasbeeh and Tahleel. Someone was also greeting the head in the following words, “As Salaamo Alayka Ya Aba Abdallah Husain”. When the monk saw this, he was extremely amazed.

 

The above then followed as we have mentioned. The guard then gave him the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – and accepted the bribe the monk gave him. The monk then took the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – into one of his private rooms and began to clean the blessed head with a piece of silk cloth. He then placed some fragrance on the blessed head and kept it on one side with utmost respect.

 

In the morning, addressing the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –, the monk declared, “I am not the owner of anything except my own being. I also bear witness that besides Allah, there is none worthy of worship and I also bear witness that your grandfather is the true Prophet. I also swear that I am your servant.”

 

The monk then returned the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – to the guard. It is reported that after this incident, he retired to the mountain and continued worshipping Allah Almighty and died in a state of Imaan.

 

Another report says that this monk took the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – inside with him and then placed in on a wooden sandal box. He began to clean the hair of the blessed Imam. The entire night, instead of doing anything, he kept looking at the blessed head. In the morning, at the time of Sehri, he was shocked to see the blessed lips of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – moving. He then went near to listen what was been said. It was the same words which Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – had uttered at the moment of his martyrdom, which were “Subhana Rabbi al ‘Ala”. The monk then wiped his eyes thinking that he was perhaps seeing a dream. He again went closer to the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – and again he heard the same words recited. He thought to himself that there is nothing which can keep this head alive and yet it is clearly alive and reading the Tasbeeh of Allah Almighty. Besides the truth, it can be nothing else.

 

The monk then took his book and placed it on one side. Addressing the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –, he declared, “O Husain, I am a Christian and I did not see your grandfather. Yet, after hearing you recite the Tasbeeh and if I do not accept the truth of Islam, then there will no one more unlucky and unfortunate than me. Please bear witness that I am now reading the Kalimah and I also make you a witness that from today I will never accept the Bible. The only Book in my life now would be the Holy Holy Qur’an.” He continued looking at the blessed head for a very long time. In the morning, he wrapped the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – in a new piece of silk.

 

The guards were also shocked that this was someone who was a Christian during the night and suddenly became a Muslim in the morning. They said that they had read the Kalimah and beheaded the Imam but this monk accepted the Kalimah after looking at someone who had been beheaded.

 

He replied, “O despicable people! What can I tell you what I saw? I saw the one wrapped in his shawl. If you people are blind, it does not mean that everyone else in the world is blind. From this blessed head, I had seen the proof of Prophethood, the light of truth and a testimony of the Divine Oneness of Allah Almighty. When I saw the blessed head, I realized that the perhaps Allah Almighty had commanded all the Nur from the heavens to descend upon this blessed head. All this is part of destiny. You people have read the Kalimah and become heretics by beheading the great Imam and I have read the Kalimah and become a beloved servant of Allah Almighty.”

 

When these soldiers took these coins and walked a little further, all of these coins become ordinary pieces of metal and on each side was written different verses of the Holy Qur’an:

وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللہَ غٰفِلًا عَمَّا یَعْمَلُ الظّٰلِمُوۡنَ ۬

And never consider Allah unaware of the deeds of the unjust.

(Ibrahim 14, Verse 42)

سَیَعْلَمُ الَّذِیۡنَ ظَلَمُوۡۤا اَیَّ مُنۡقَلَبٍ یَّنۡقَلِبُوۡنَ ﴿۲۲۷﴾٪

now the unjust will soon know as to which side they shall return.

(Al-Shu’ara 26, Verse 227)

The caravan continues.

 

 

Caravan arrives in Kufa

 

Before this caravan arrived in Kufa, Ibn Ziyad instructed everyone to come out in their hundreds. Children should climb on the necks of their mothers and all the men must also stand outside the city to welcome this caravan of soldiers. They should also celebrate and make sure that they also supported Ibn Ziyad and Yazeed in this task. At the same time, they also instructed the crowd that they should give the Ahle Bayt a dirty look and make it clear that they are also angry with the Ahle Bayt.

 

When the Ahle Bayt entered the government building, a female approached Bibi Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – and said to her, “I have been sent by Ibn Ziyad to ask whether you needed anything.”

 

However, the pious lady replied, “May Allah Almighty never give us a tongue which asks anything from you people. Inform him that we are people who will drink from the Fountain of Kauther and have no need for his food and drink. If he wishes to do anything, then tell him to loosen the rope around the hands of Imam Zainul Aabideen and also allow me to stay in the same prison where my beloved nephew is so that I can give him solace at this time of great trial.”

 

The speech of Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her –

 

As the Ahle Bayt were walking on the streets of Kufa, people began to look closely at them. This is when Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – began to scold the crowd. She mentioned, “Are you people not aware that the blessed family of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – is walking, therefore, you should lower your gaze.”

 

Everyone remained silent and lowered their gaze. Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – then sat on a camel and addressed the people of Kufa.

 

Bear in mind that this was that blessed lady who used to conduct Holy Qur’an classes for other females when her blessed father was the Khalifah and based in this city. Now, she is delivering a speech while she is a prisoner. As she began to speak, the beautiful and powerful manner of delivering a speech which her blessed father was famous for also made people remember those days. It was as if the Lion of Allah Almighty was delivering a speech himself. There was complete silence everywhere.

 

After praising Allah Almighty and His beloved Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –, she said, “O people of Kufa who have broken your promise! You have gone against your word. You who have forgotten what you said. You are those who people whose weeping and lamentation will never end. You are the symbol of that lady who spins cotton and then allows it to wither away. Can you actually say there is anyone among you who is trustworthy? Is there any among you who is not similar to a fox and always plots and plans evil. Remember that whatever you have sent forward for yourselves is indeed very bad. On you people is the Divine Wrath of Allah Almighty and His Divine Curse.

 

“O people of Kufa who are false in their claim! You are screaming and crying and weeping loudly because of the death of my brother. Yes, you should weep and you will continue to weep and lament loudly and you will laugh very little. No matter how much you weep, you will never eliminate the Divine Curse upon you and wash away the stench of your hypocrisy and deception. How will you wipe away the stench of having murdered the children of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –? How can you wipe away the fact that in your deception, you killed the leader of the young people of Jannah? He was your protector, your salvation and he was symbol of the truth of your religion. What a bad thing you have sent for yourself in the Hereafter. This is something which will always keep you away from Jannah. All your efforts to enter Jannah will prove futile. This act of deception has disfigured your faces. You have become a target for the Divine Wrath of Allah Almighty.

 

“O people of Kufa! Are you aware who the person is whom you have killed through your deception? Are you aware of who the mother of this blessed person is? Bear in mind that the punishment which has been kept for you in the Hereafter still awaits you. You will continue to lament, yet, it would be of no value to you except to increase your punishment in the Hereafter.”

 

It is mentioned that when people heard the eloquence of this speech, they were completely stunned. Even the enemies of the Ahle Bayt had to admit that they had never heard such an eloquent speech before.

 

Mazlan bin Katheer who was considered one of the authorities in classical Arabic poetry could only weep. He then raised his hands towards the heavens and declared, “May my parents be sacrificed for you, the pious among you are the most pious. The young among you are the best among the young. The women among you are the best among females. The family lineage which you possess is the best of family lineage. Your greatness knows no boundaries. You are those who do not cower in front of evil and you are those who do not lower your heads in front of evil or lies.”

 

Basheer bin Khuzain Asadi mentions that during this speech, the entire crowd was silent. One could not even hear people breathing. The speech was such that it sounded like it was Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – speaking.

 

The conversation between ibn Ziyad and Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her –

 

When Ibn Ziyad heard this speech he was furious and also embarrassed. He knew that this was delivered from the government house itself. He turned to Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – and told her that this was the reason why her family had been slaughtered. He also told her a few things which were meant to insult her.

 

However, the great lady immediately replied, “All Praise is due to Allah Almighty. He Who has bestowed upon us respect through Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. He has also purified us from all types of impurity. There is no doubt that those who are Faasiqs, they will certainly suffer disgrace. We praise Allah Almighty that we are not among these people.”

 

Ibn Ziyad then said, “Look at how Allah Almighty has treated your family.”

 

Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – replied, “Besides the Divine Grace and Blessing of Allah Almighty we have see nothing else. As for those who have been martyred among us, this is something which has been destined by Allah Almighty. This is the reason that they arrived where they were meant to be killed. Very soon Allah Almighty will gather everyone and everyone will have to present their story.”

 

When ibn Ziyad heard this brave reply of Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – he became even more enraged. He stepped forward with the intention of slapping her but someone named Amar bin Hareeth stepped in front and said to him, “This is a female and a female cannot be held accountable.” (Hayaat Khafi) In fact, it is mentioned that someone even insulted ibn Ziyad by saying that he had become weak since he wanted to attack a female.

 

The blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – was then taken by a person named Khouli to his house. The reason is because he had a secret mission. The previous year when his wife had gone for Hajj, she had mentioned to him about a strange person she had seen in the Haram Shareef. She said that as they were making the Tawaaf, someone announced that Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – had arrived. Everyone forgot about the Hajre Aswad and began to kiss Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. Someone complained to them that their Hajj would be spoiled because of this action, but they replied that this was certainly not the case. They mentioned that the only reason they are kissing the Hajre Aswad is because this was a Sunnah of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – but this person, Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him -, was such a blessed person whom Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – had kissed for nearly seven years. The other reason that they are kissing him is because he is also a flower of Jannah.

 

This was not something unusual. It is mentioned that even before the Wudu water could fall on the floor, the blessed Ashaab used to grab this and rub it over their faces. As for those who could not manage to get any of this blessed water, they used to rub their hands on the faces of others who managed to get this water and then rub their faces. They treated everything which belonged to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – in like manner.

 

This person Khouli then brought the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – in his house to impress his wife and also to make sure that she is able to see the same person who people rushed towards on the occasion of Hajj. He kept blessed head in a container without any respect at all. He then covered it with a piece of cloth. Khouli then woke up his wife and after eating, he went to sleep.

 

His wife was someone who also used to perform the Tahajjud Salaah. When she went to fetch some water to make Wudu she passed this box and saw a strange light coming from this box. When she opened this box, she was shocked to see the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – inside the box. She then rushed to wake her husband and began to scold him for this act of great disrespect. Then followed a long argument between husband and wife and she made it clear that she now considered him a Murtad for being part of those people who had created such oppression upon the Ahle Bayt. She also made it clear that she was leaving and would not wait for him to give her Talaaq because since he was Murtad in her eyes, the laws of Islam were no longer applicable on him.

 

The history books do not reveal what happened to this lady. Some say that she continued to walk towards Karbala with the purpose of travelling to Madina Shareef so that she could personally present her apology in the blessed court of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –.

 

 

Khouli then approached ibn Ziyad and told him what happened in his house for keeping the head kept there. Khouli told him that his house had now been destroyed. Ibn Ziyad told him that is the reason why he had told him to leave the head in the government house. Khouli told ibn Ziyad that they should leave this place as quickly as possible so that other people do not become aware of what they had actually done. He also admitted to ibn Ziyad that they had not done something ordinary, but had killed someone who was the beloved of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –.

 

Once a person from Kufa approached Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with them – to ask him about the issue of killing a mosquito while in a state of Ihraam. Hadrat Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn ‘Umar – may Allah be pleased with them – was so upset by this question that he replied, “These dogs did not ask the same question when they were killing the beloved grandson of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – and they are worried about a mosquito?”

 

The other Prophets also visit the blessed head

 

Abul Khunuk Kufi also narrates that on the night when it was his turn to guard the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –, he heard a sound like a loud thunder and it seemed like the heavens had opened. Suddenly, a tall person appeared in front of the blessed head and kissed it. He then wanted to take the blessed head away from this person and keep it back in the box when someone scolded him and told him to stay back. He was also informed that this was Nabi Adam ‘Alayhis Salaam.

 

In this way, all the Prophets appeared to kiss the blessed head. Finally, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – also appeared surrounded by his four blessed companions. They were also accompanied by Imam Hasan, Ameer Hamza, Jafer Tayyar – may Allah be pleased with them –, etc. All of them then kissed the blessed head.

 

Suddenly a chair of Nur appeared and the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – sat on this chair. He continues, “At the same time an Angel appeared who had a whip of fire in his hand. He then held my hand and began to beat me with this whip. I then called out to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – to help and assist me and that I was a Muslim. However, the Angel then slapped me, and because of this my lips became black. He then released me so that in the morning I could reveal this story to you people.”

 

When Abul Khunuk narrated this story, he screamed and suddenly his entire face became black and he fell to the ground and died.

 

From Kufa to Damascus

 

It is mentioned that this caravan then continued on its journey towards Damascus and passed through fifteen or twenty four different areas. There is no reason to believe that the caravan of the Ahle Bayt stopped at each of these places. However, in those days, these were places through which one had to pass through. The normal distance between two areas is about six hundred kilometres. However, the historians admit that they did not go through the normal route which was straight ahead. Hence, the longer route would have been about eight hundred kilometres. We will see the reason for them not adopting the straight route which was a long highway. There are many reasons given for this.

One of the main reasons was to make sure that the Ahle Bayt suffer as much as possible. Such was the evil of these people. At the same time, another reason was to avoid certain tribes on the route which could cause problems for the caravan. They did come across certain communities who did in fact condemn them for their action. We will see shorty. However, least did they realise that even though they escaped from certain tribes, they would never escape from the punishment which lay in wait for them.

 

The difficulty caused to Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him –

 

Again, the great Imam, Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him -, had to carry the blessed head of his father on a spear and continue his journey. At the same time, it was the Divine Intent of Allah Almighty that the world becomes aware of the immense Sabr of Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him –. At the same time, no Divine Punishment came upon the enemies on the route.

 

The ‘Ulama explain that the reason that this did not happen was to display to the entire world the immense Sabr of the Ahle Bayt and that there is no family in the entire world which can be compared to them. Another reason why no immediate punishment came to these despicable people was to show the world the actual scale of Yazeed’s tyranny and to show the world the scale of Sabr which was displayed by the Ahle Bayt.

 

In the events which took place with Abraha, Pharaoh, etc, these were battles between those who read the Kalimah and those who did not read the Kalimah. However, in this incident, both parties were people who had read the Kalimah. Both parties were claiming to perform the same worship. However, Allah Almighty had clearly proved to people coming later in this Ummah that not everyone who reads the Kalimah can be considered a true Muslim. The incident of Karbala came to separate those who read the pure Kalimah and those who read a fake Kalimah. It also came to distinguish once and for all the immense difference between the Ahle Bayt as true believers and others who claimed to be Muslims.

 

When Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – carried the blessed head of his father, surely, there must have been droplets of blood which fell on him. Can history show us such a scale of oppression and such a scale of Sabr? Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – continued to display patience in the face of all of this and his blessed aunt continued to support him as he walked along. She also kept advising him that very soon this test would end.

 

Arrival at a place called “Baladul Hiraan”

 

When one leaves Kufa towards Damascus, the first settlement which one encounters is a small town named “Baladul Hiraan.” It is said that the main street of this town is extremely wide. Some say that it was nearly forty feet in width.

 

Suddenly, Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – had the urge to raise the spear even more. However, there was Divine Wisdom behind this action. On the first floor of one of the buildings that they walked past, there was a Jewish person reading the Taurah. However, as the blessed head went past his window, this Jew heard the blessed head of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – reciting the Holy Qur’an. If someone asks which verse was been read, it could have only been the verse where the Holy Qur’an describes that very soon those who oppress would come to know of their fate.

 

One can imagine the effect it had on this Jew, from the blessed lips of that person whose lips were kissed by the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –.

 

This Jew then closed the Taurah and ran downstairs. He asked Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – whose head this was. Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – told him that the enemies had warned them not to reveal the identity of this person. Imagine the scale of these people’s oppression that they had restricted a son from taking the name of his blessed father!

 

The Jew then approached bn Ziyad and Khouli to inquire further. They said that this was a personal matter and that he should not interfere in this issue. However, this person ran back to Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – and pleaded to him to reveal the identity of this person or else he would kill himself. Finally, the great Imam revealed that this was the blessed head of his father.

 

The Jew then mentioned that he had personally heard the Holy Qur’an being recited by the blessed head and that from today, he had closed the Taurah forever. He also promised that he would never ever recite the Taurah again. He also asked Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – to recite the Kalimah to him so that he could also repeat these words. When Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – asked him his name, he replied that his name was Yahya and that he was considered a rich merchant in that part of the city. The great Imam them made him read the Kalimah. The Jew then told his servant, “Go and call my two wives and my three children.”

 

Before calling the person’s wives and children, the servant asked, “If I call these people at this place, will it not be an insult to you?” The Jew replied, “Leave those things. If the blessed daughter of ‘Ali is present at this place, why would my daughters refuse to come here?”

 

When they arrived, all of them accepted Islam at the blessed hands of Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her –.

 

How fortunate indeed were these people that a person sometimes read the Kalimah in front of a Peer, a Mufti or some other learned person. But these people are reading the Kalimah in front of those blessed people in whose house the Kalimah was revealed.

 

He then ordered his servant to bring some water, some clothing and various other items for the Ahle Bayt. Obviously ibn ZIyad was very angry about the entire incident. However, the Jew told him that this was no longer an issue of an outsider interfering. Since he had now accepted Islam, it was his right to feed these people and that no one had the right to stop him.

 

The incident of Karbala also teaches us not to give your vote to the wrong person. Even if it means that you have to face tests and trials. Yazeed had asked the great Imam – may Allah be pleased with him – to give him his vote and he had refused. In other words, when it comes to the truth, there can be no comprise.

Return to Madina Shareef

 

The blessed family then returned to Madina Shareef in the company of the blessed companion, Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him –. This was that blessed companion who was once the Governor of Kufa. He was also removed from his position because he had sided with the Ahle Bayt and he was replaced by the heretic, ibn Ziyad. When Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him – was asked what type of relationship he had with the Ahle Bayt, he replied that his relationship and respect for them was based on his religious relationship with them. It was also because of this relationship that he was prepared to give up the position of Governor.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him – also mentioned that he was prepared to give up this position and even make Yazeed get angry but he was not prepared to anger Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – and thereby earn the anger of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. He must have already seen that very soon, this government was going to destroy itself.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him – also made it clear that true command belongs to Allah Almighty and He will finally determine who is in power. At the same time, these types of wordily positions were something which was only temporary and those who abused these powers will very soon come to know their fate.

 

When the caravan was returning from Damascus, it also passed through the plains of Karbala once again. Where once a large army stood, this was a place that merely had a few graves scattered here and there. There were also a few corpses which still lay on the ground. They were then buried. There were also many bodies which could not be recognized because some of the body parts were scattered around Karbala. However Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her -, through Inspired Knowledge (‘Ilm-e-Ladduniyah), was able to point out to Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – which part belonged to which person. All of these were then gathered and buried in one grave. Other bodies were buried by people who were living in nearby villages.

 

Bear in mind that when the blessed Ahle Bayt left Madina Shareef, they had with them forty camels in their caravan. When they reached Madina Shareef, there were so few of them that the people of Madina Shareef were shocked and only then realised what had happened to the Blessed Household. Some people began to ask for ‘Ali Akbar – may Allah be pleased with him –, some asked for ‘Ali Asghar – may Allah be pleased with him –, some asked for Aun – may Allah be pleased with him – and Muhammad – may Allah be pleased with him – but they could not be found. In fact, at that moment Madina Shareef was in a state of shock.

 

It is said that such an event had never taken place in Madina Shareef before. All of the surviving Ansaar and Muhaajireen had also gathered. When they saw the blood stained clothing of Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him –, only then did they realise what had actually happened.

 

In the Zahratur Riyaaz, it is said that the people in Madina Shareef were in a state of shock on four previous occasion. The first was after the Battle of Uhud. The second was at the passing of the Holy Prophet – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him –. The third was when the news arrived that Hadrat Sayyiduna ‘Ali – may Allah be pleased with him – had been martyred. The fourth was when Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him – decided to leave Madina Shareef with his entire family and the fifth was on that day when the Blessed Household was returning with only a few surviving members.

 

However, the blessed Ahle Bayt uttered no words of complaint. They also understood that the bigger a person is or the bigger the stature and status, the bigger the test and trial would come to that person. If this blessed family had been blessed with a supreme position in Jannah, it meant that they also had to go through even more tests and trials in this world. In fact, another reason was that no one would be able to say that this blessed family had received this supreme status without earning it. The entire answer to this question was presented in the incident of Karbala.

 

The Ahle Bayt were also so pleased with the service and dedication of the blessed companion, Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him -, who had accompanied them that they decided to reward him. However, they had nothing valuable to give him and so the two blessed sisters decided to remove their ear rings and hand it to him as a reward. They said that they would also certainly intercede for him on the Day of Judgement. But Hadrat Sayyiduna Numan bin Basheer – may Allah be pleased with him – did not accept these gifts and mentioned that their intercession for him was sufficient reward for him.

 

There is no doubt that the people of Madina Shareef felt immense emptiness without the blessed presence of Imam Husain – may Allah be pleased with him –. Everywhere, there was sadness and gloom. Hadrat Sayyidah Umme Kulsum – may Allah be pleased with her – also embraced Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him – and wept. It is said that she retired to one corner and wept and on some occasions actually became unconscious. As for the blessed mother of Imam Zainul Aabideen – may Allah be pleased with him –, she was in such a state of shock that she found it difficult to shed any more tears.

 

Sayyidah Zainab – may Allah be pleased with her – embraced the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Umme Salmah – may Allah be pleased with her – and stated that they had sacrificed everything in Karbala. They also visited the blessed Qabr of the Sayyiduna Rasoolullah – may Allah send peace and blessings upon him – together and this cannot even be explained further.