The Ima`m with al-Minha`l
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, met al-Minha`l b. 'Amr and he asked him: "How have you received the evening, O son of the Apostle of Allah?"
The Ima`m looked at him and said to him: "We received the evening like the Israelites among the people of Pharaoh: they kill their sons and take their women captive. The Arabs brag before the non-Arabs saying that Mohammed was one of them, while Quraysh boasts before the rest of the Arabs of Mohammed belonging to it. We, his Household, are now homeless; so, to Allah we belong and to Him is our return.
2"
The greatest Prophet was the original source for the honor of the Arab community. It was he who planned the honorable life for it and established for it the strongest state in the world, but Quraysh, who boasted before the rest of the Arabs of Mohammed belonging to it, killed his children and took his womenfolk as captives.
The Tyrannical apologizes to the Ima`m
When the Syrians became indignant with Yazid because of his killing the plant of sweet basil of Allah's Apostle, he (Yazid) summoned Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, apologized to him, and regarded b. Marja`na ('Ubayd Allah b. Ziya`d) responsible for killing al-Husayn, saying: "May Allah curse b. Marja`na! By Allah, if I had been with him (al-Husayn), he would never have asked me for a
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1. Jawharat al-Kamal fi Maddh al-Sada al-'Alam, p. 128.
2. Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn. vol. 3, p. 291.
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favor without me granting him it; I would have protected him from death with all my power even through destroying some of my sons. But Allah has decreed what you have seen. My little son, write to me and everything that you need is yours.
1 Affairs will occur among your people, so do not take part in them.
2"
However, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin turned away from him and said nothing to him, for he knew that the reason for his apology was an escape from the crime he committed.
A Scholar asks about the Ima`m
A Jewish scholar was in the assembly of Yazid. He admired Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, so he asked Yazid: "Who is that lad?"
"'Ali b. al-Husayn," replied Yazid.
"Who is al-Husayn?" asked the Jewish scholar.
"Son of 'Ali b. Abi Ta`lib," answered Yazid.
"Who is his mother?" asked the Jewish scholar.
"Mohammed's daughter," replied Yazid.
"Glory belongs to Allah," explained the Jewish scholar, "this is the son of the daughter of your Prophet, (why did) you kill him? You opposed him by doing evil to his blood relations. By Allah, if our Prophet, Mu`sa` b. 'Umra`n, had left a grandson among us, we would have worshipped him instead of Allah. Your Prophet left you yesterday; nevertheless you revolted against his grandson and killed him. How bad a community you are!"
The tyrannical one, Yazid, became angry and ordered the Jewish scholar to be hit on the mouth, still the Jewish scholar said: "Kill me if you want to. I have found in the Torah that whoever kills the progeny of a prophet will be cursed as long as he remains (living). When he dies, Allah will cause him to enter the fire of Hell.
3"
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1. Ibn al-Athir, Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 300.
2. Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, vol. 1, p. 157.
3. Al-Hada'iq al-Wardiya, vol. 1, p. 131. Al-Futuh, vol. 5, p. 246.
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The Ima`m with Yazid
The tyrannical one, Yazid, met Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin and asked him to ask his needs, so the Ima`m, peace be on him, said: "I want you to show me my father's face, and bring back to the women what had been taken from them, for among it is the inheritances of fathers and mothers. If you want to kill me, send with the family someone to guide them to Medina."
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, asked Yazid to show him his father's head to bid the final farewell to it or to bury it with the holy corpse, but the tyrannical one (Yazid) refused to give him the head because he intended to show it around the country to spread fear among the people and to be a lesson for those who might revolt against him.
He also asked him to bring back what was taken from the women on Muharram 10th. With this the Ima`m did not mean the ornaments, rather he meant the dear things he inherited from his grandfather, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, such as his turban, his breastplate, and his sword.
Yazid, the tyrannical, bowed his head. He thought about the Ima`m's requests. Then he raised his head and said: "As for the face of your father, you will never see it. As for what was taken from you, it will be brought back to you. As for the women, no one will repatriate them except you. As for you, I will not kill you.
1"
The Journey to Medina
Yazid ordered al-Nu'ma`n b. Bashir to escort the womenfolk of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and to send them back to Medina.
2 He ordered him to take them out at night because he feared dissension and repercussions.
3 The caravan walked and began
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1. Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 414.
2. Jawhart al-Kamal fi Maddh al-Sada al-'Alam, p. 128.
3. Tafsir al-Matalib fi Amali Abi Talib, p. 93. Al-Hada'iq al-Wardiya, vol. 1, p.
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covering the desert. The Alid women asked al-Nu'ma`n b. Bashir to take them to Karbala`' to renew their covenant with the grave of the Lord of martyrs, peace be on him. Having reached Karbala`', the Alid women hurried to the grave of Ima`m Abi 'Abd Allah, peace be on him, weeping and wailing. They stayed there mourning al-Husayn for three days to the extent that their voices became hoarse and their hearts became broken. Some sources mentioned that Ja`bir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansa`ri, a great companion of the Prophet, visited the grave of al-Husayn, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, met him and told him about the tragedies which the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them, faced, and then they left Karbala`' and headed for Medina.
Bishr announced the Death of Ima`m
al-Husayn
When Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, came close to Medina, he alighted, set up a tent where he lodged his aunts and his sisters, turned to Bishr b. Hadhlam and said to him: "O Bishr, may Allah have mercy on your father, who was a poet! Can you compose any of it at all?" "Yes, O son of Allah's Apostle," replied Bishr. So the Ima`m ordered him to enter Medina and to announce the death of Ima`m al-Husayn among its people. Hence, Bishr set off towards Medina. When he came near the Mosque of the Prophet, he cried loudly and recited these verses:
O people of Yathrib! May you never stay
therein!
Al-Husayn was killed, so my tears now rain,
His body is in Karbala`' covered with blood
While his head is on spear displayed.
The people went in a hurry to the Mosque of the Prophet
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133.
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weeping loudly for the Ima`m, peace be on him. They gathered around Bishr, who was weeping, asking him for more information of al-Husayn, so he said to them: "Here is 'Ali b. al-Husayn accompanied by his aunts and sisters; they have all returned to you. I am his messenger to you to inform you of his place.
1"
The people went out to receive Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin all weeping and wailing. The historians said that that day was like the day when Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, passed away.
2 They surrounded the Ima`m to offer him their condolences.
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin delivers a Speech
The Ima`m, peace be on him, thought that he had to tell the people about the tragedies which they were subjected to. The Ima`m was unable to stand up to deliver a speech, for he was sapped by illness and overcome by grief, so a chair was brought for him. He sat in the chair and said: "Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, the King of the Day of Judgment, Creator of all creation, Who is the Exalted in the high heavens, Who is so near, He hears even the silent speech. We praise Him on the grave events, on time's tragedies, on the pain inflicted by such tragedies, on the crushing of calamities, on the greatness of our catastrophe, on our great, monstrous, magnanimous and afflicting hardships.
"O People, Allah, the Most Exalted One, praise belong to Him, has tried us with great trials and tribulations, with a tremendous loss suffered by the religion of Islam. Abu` 'Abd Allah, al-Husayn, and his family have been killed, and his womenfolk and children taken captives. They displayed his head in every land from the top of a spear. Such is the catastrophe similar to which there is none at all.
"O people, which men among you are happy after him, or which
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1. Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, p. 423.
2. Al-Luhuf, p. 116.
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heart is not grieved on his account? Which eye among you withholds its tears and is too miser with its tears? The seven great heavens wept over his killing; the seas wept with their waves, and so did the heavens with their corners and the earth with its expanse; so did the trees with their branches and the fish in the depths of the seas. So did the angels who are close to their Lord. So did all those in the heavens.
"O People, which heart is not grieved with his killing? Which heart does not yearn for him? Which hearing hears such a calamity that has befallen Islam without becoming deaf.
"O people, we have become homeless, exiles, outcasts, shunned, distanced from all countries as though we were the offspring of the Turks or of Kabul without having committed a crime, nor an abomination, nor afflicted a calamity on Islam! Never did we ever hear such a thing from our fathers of old. This is something new. By Allah, had the Prophet required them to fight us just as he had required them to be good to us, they would not have done to us any more than what they already have. So we belong to Allah and to Him is our return from this calamity, and what a great, painful, hard, cruel, and catastrophic calamity it is! To Allah do we complain from what has happened to us, from the sufferings we have endured, for He is the Omnipotent, the Vengeful."
Sa'sa'a, an invalid who could barely walk on his feet, stood up and apologized to the Ima`m for not rushing to help his family due to his handicap. Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, responded to him by accepting his excuse, telling him that he thought well of him, thanked him and asked Allah to have mercy on his father. Then the Ima`m walked accompanied by his aunts and sisters. The people surrounded him weeping and wailing until they reached the Mosque of the Prophet. There Zaynab, the wise lady of the family of Abi Ta`lib, took both knobs of the door of the mosque and cried out and addressed her grandfather, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, saying: "O my grandfather, I mourn to you my brother al-Husayn!
1"
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1. Al-Muqrim, Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 472.
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The wise ladies who were born and grew up in the lap of the Prophet held a mourning ceremony for the Lord of the martyrs. They put on the most coarse clothes and shrouded themselves in black and continued weeping and wailing.
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin's Grief
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, kept weeping day and night over his father and the members of his Household. Ima`m al-Sa`diq, peace be on him, said: "My grandfather, 'Ali b. al-Husayn, wept over his father for twenty years. When food was put before him, he wept.
1" One of his retainers blamed him, saying: "I fear for you lest you should perish."
So the Ima`m kindly said to him: "I only convey my complaints and my grief to Allah, and I know from Allah what you all do not know. Ya'qu`b (Jacob) was a prophet from whom Allah caused one of his sons to be separated. He had twelve sons, and he knew that his son (Joseph) was still alive, he wept over him till he lost his eye sight. I looked at my father, my brothers, my uncles, and my companions (and saw them) slain all around me, so how can my grief end? Whenever I remember how Fa`tima's children were slaughtered, tears choke me. Whenever I look at my aunts and sisters, I remember how they were fleeing from one tent to another.
2"
When the Ima`m looked at water, his weeping increased, and his pain doubled. This is because water reminded him of the thirst of his father and the members of his Household. The narrators said: "When he took some water to drink, he wept. So he was asked about that, and he answered: 'How do I not weep (while) my father was prevented from drinking the water which was free for beasts and wild animals?'
3"
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1. Ahmed Fahmi, al-Imam Zayn al-Abidin. p. 31.
2. Al-Muqrim, Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 47. A narration similar to this has been reported in Hulyat al-Awliya', vol. 3, p. 138.
3. Al-Majjlisi, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 46. p. 108.
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The Ima`m always wept over his father, and it was said to him: "You always weep, even if you kill yourself, you will increase (nothing) with this." So he said: "I have killed my soul, and over it I weep.
1"
A group of his retainers and the members of his Household felt pity for him because of his abundant weeping, so one of them asked him: "Has n't your grief end yet?"
The Ima`m answered him, saying: "Woe unto you! Ya'qu`b (Jacob) was a prophet from whom Allah caused one of his sons to be separated. He had twelve sons, and he knew that his son (Joseph) was still alive in the world, he wept over him till he lost his eye sight. I looked at my father, my brother, my uncle, and seventeen (persons) from the members of my Household (and saw them) slain all around me, so how can my grief end?
2"
His heart melt with pity for his father, his Household, and his friends whose heads the swords of aggression severed in a cruel manner.
His Paying the Debts which his Father owed
Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, was indebted to a group of people for more than seventy thousand dinars, so Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, took great care of paying them to the extent that he prevented himself from having food and water. When he prepared this sum (of money), he hurried to pay every debt to the person to whom it was owed, and thus he could free his father from such an obligation.
3
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1. Ibid, p. 109.
2. Ibid, p. 108.
3. Sir al-Silsila al-'Alawiya, p. 32.
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His Kindness to the Family of 'Aqil
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, was very kind to the Family of 'Aqil. He preferred them to his cousins and the members of his family, for they had an outstanding attitude during the Battle of Karbala`'. That was when the sons and the honorable grandsons of 'Aqil sacrificed their souls for Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, while they were still young. They competed with each other for martyrdom, so they were all killed at that battle, and thus they sacrificed their lives for the religion of Allah.
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, had mercy on them and preferred them to the surviving members of his family. He was asked about that, and he, peace be on him, replied: "I remember their day with Abu 'Abd Allah (al-Husayn), so I feel pity for them.
1" An example of his kindness to the family of 'Aqil was that al-Mukhta`r b. Yousif, a great revolutionist, gave him a lot of money, and he built with it houses for them, but the Umayyad government ordered the houses to be demolished.
2
His Staying in Medina
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, stayed in Medina and did not leave it except for performing the hajj to the Sacred House of Allah. The narrators said: "He traveled to Iraq to visit the grave of Ima`m ('Ali) the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him.
3" It is certain that he visited the grave of his father, Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him. With this we will end our talk about the tragedies of Karbala`', and the oppression and persecution to which Imam` al-Husayn was subjected.
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1. Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 107.
2. Ghayat al-Ikhtisar, p. 160.
3. Ibid.
