Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

Lesson 23: Ijtihad, Taqlid & Ihtiyat

1. Introduction

As mentioned in the previous lessons, a Muslim must follow the shari’a in every aspect of his or her life. If Islam is a religion which is to stay till the end of time, then there must always be some people who can guide the Muslims in the changing circumstances of time and of place.

After the Prophet of Islam, the most ideal persons to guide the Muslims were the Imams of Ahlu 1-bayt.

However, the Present Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi (a.s.) has gone into the Occulation and will re-appear when Allah wishes him to appear. So what is to be done in the meantime? Are the Shi’as to suspend the shari’a? No, of course not! Islam is the religion for all times and places.

2. Ijtihad

The Imams of Ahlu 1-bayt had foreseen the time of the Occulation and had prepared their followers for the situation in which they will not be in direct contact with their Imam.

This preparation was done by training the Shi’as in the science of Islamic laws, or in other words, in ijtihad. (Ijtihad means “the process of deriving the laws of the shari’a from its sources.”) Ijtihad is an essential phenomenon for the survival of the Islamic shari’a during the Occultation of the Imam (a.s.).

Without the system of ijtihad, we would not be able to apply Islamic laws in the rapidly changing circumstances of human society.

Ijtihad is not only permissible, but essential from the Islamic point of view. It is an obligation in Islam to study everything that is necessary for the spiritual development and material wellbeing of the Muslim community.

However, this obligation is of the category which is known as wajib kifa’i.21 In the present instance, for example, Islamic society needs experts in the medical sciences, in physics and chemistry, in engineering, education; and as long as there is a lack of expertise in these areas, it is an obligation on the community as a whole to acquire it. This means that a group of Muslims must devote themselves to research so as to benefit the Muslim community.

Similarly, an Islamic society without experts in the shari’a cannot properly consider itself Islamic, and so it is an obligation for a group of persons from this society to devote themselves to the study of the religious sciences to provide proper guidance to all Muslims.

This is such an important obligation that Allah has exempted those who go to seek religious knowledge from the duty of jihad. He says:

“It is not (right) for the believers to go forth all together (for Jihad). So why should not a party from every section of them (i.e., the believers) go forth to become learned in the religion, and to ivarn their people when they return to them-so that haply they may beware.” (9:122)

It is clear from many narrations that the Imams of Ahlu ‘1-bayt (a.s.) used to be pleased whenever any of their companions taught religion or gave legal rulings (fatwa) to others. There are several documented cases of Shi’as who lived far from Medina asking the Imam of their time to appoint someone in their area to adjudicate between them in religious problems:

Zakariyyah ibn Adam al- Qummi and Yunus bin ‘Abdu ‘r-Rahman, for example, were named by Imam ‘Ali ar-Riza, to solve disputes in their own districts.

In a famous hadlth, ‘Umar ibn Hanzalah asked Imam Ja’far as- Sadiq (a.s.) about the legality of two Shi’as seeking a verdict from an illegitimate ruler in a dispute over a debt or a legacy. The Imam’s answer was that it was absolutely forbidden to do so.

Then Ibn Hanzalah asked what the two should do, and the Imam replied:

“They must seek out one of your own who narrates our traditions, who is versed in what is permissible and what is forbidden, who is well-acquainted with our laws and ordinances, and accept him as judge and arbiter, for I appoint him as judge over you...”

Besides these ahadith, we have quite a few sayings of the Imams that tell us what to do if we come across two ahadith which are contradictory or semi-contradictory-and solving the contradictory ahadith is one of the functions of ijtihad.

These types of ahadith are known as al-akhbdr al-’ilajiyyah, the ahadith which solve the problems in the studying of the hadith.

In conclusion, we can say that one way of following the shari’a is to study the science of shari’a, learn the process of ijtihad and become a mujtahid.

3. Taqlid

Although we have mentioned ijtihad as the first of the possible ways of following the shari’a, it is not something which every person can do.

To become a mujtahid means spending the major part of your life in studying the Islamic sciences in general and the Islamic legal system in particular. A person must, first of all, study the Arabic language (especially classical Arabic) since all the sources of the sharifa are in classical Arabic.

Then he must study and gain expertise in Usulu ‘1-Fiqh (the Principles of Jurisprudence) which involves the methodology of defining and using the sources of the shari’a.

One also has to study the Qur’anic verses on laws, the hadith literature, and also the conclusions reached by the past mujtahids. In studying the hadith literature, one has to also study ‘ilmu ‘r-rijal which deals with the narrators of hadith- otherwise he will not be able to distinguish the authentic hadith from the inauthentic ones. In short, ijtihad is not everyone’s cup of tea.

The social life of human beings is based on mutual cooperation: each one of us takes the duty of fulfilling one of the needs of the society, and, in return, each one of us expects to benefit from the expertise of the others.

Just as not everyone can become his or her own doctor, in an Islamic society, not everyone can become a mujtahid. Those who are not mujtahid will follow the shari’a by doing taqlid-following the opinions of a highranking and pious mujtahid.

(A) Is Taqlid Reasonable?

First of all, taqlid is not “blind following,” it is based on an informed decision taken by the individual Shi’a man or woman. Before you start following the opinions of a mujtahid in the shari’a laws, you have to ascertain that he has the required expertise and that he is of upright character.

Secondly, it is not always unreasonable to follow others and to hold uncritical faith in them. We can logically distinguish four possible forms of imitation:

1. an ignorant person imitating another ignorant person;

2. a more learned person imitating a less learned person;

3. a less learned person imitating an ignorant person;

4. a less learned person imitating a more learned person.

It is quite clear that the first three forms of imitations are unreasonable and can serve no purpose. However, the fourth kind of imitation is obviously not only reasonable, but also necessary and a matter of common sense;

in our everyday life we follow and imitate others in many things; we like to take the advice of experts in matters outside our own knowledge.

Someone who wishes to build a house, explains the basic idea of what he wants to the builder and then submits to his advice as to how he should go about the actual construction.

The patient follows the treatment advised by the doctor; a litigant consults a lawyer when drawing up his case for a court. The examples are abundant;

in most cases the advice is taken voluntarily, but sometimes the citizen may be required by law to seek expert advice and act upon it, before, for example, he is allowed to take some particularly dangerous drug. The clearest example is obviously a case of a legal dispute between two parties, when they are required to take their grievances before a judge and abide by his decision if they cannot settle their dispute amicably.

The practice of taqlid is an example of the same kind: the person who is not an expert in Islamic jurisprudence is legally required to follow the instructions of the expert, that is, the mujtahid.

(B) Support from the Qur’an & Sunnah

This sensible practice of following the mujtahid in shari’a laws has been endorsed by Islam.

As mentioned in a verse quoted earlier, the Qur’an strongly exhorts at least a group of Muslims to devote their time and energy in studying religion.

This obligation is of such importance that Allah has exempted such persons from the duty of jihad. More interesting is the reason and purpose of their knowledge: “...to warn their people...” (9:122) This verse divides the people into two groups: those who are learned in religious sciences and those who are not.

It is the duty of the learned to “warn” (a broad term which implies advice and guidance) the common people, and it is expected of the common people to “beware” (take heed of the learned persons’ advice and follow).

In shari’a matters, this process of guiding the common people is technically known as “ijtihad,” and the process of following the guidance by the common people is technically known as “taqlid”.

The Imams of Ahlu ‘1-bayt (a.s.) have endorsed this system in theory as well as in practice:

In Theory: In a famous hadith quoted earlier, ‘Umar ibn Hanzalah asked Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.) about the legality of two Shi’as seeking a judgment from an illegitimate ruler or a judge appointed by such a ruler in a dispute over a debt or inheritance.

The Imam’s answer was that it was absolutely forbidden to do so; and then he read the following verse:“...(Yet in a dispute) they desire to summon one another to the judgment of the tdghut though they were commanded to reject and disbelieve in him.” (4:60)

Then ‘Umar ibn Hanzalah asked, “What should the two (Shi’as) do then?” The Imam replied, “They must seek out one of your own who narrates our traditions, who is versed in what is permissible and what is forbidden, who is well-acquainted with our laws and ordinances, and accept him as judge and arbiter for I appoint him as judge over you. If the ruling which he based on our laws is rejected, then this rejection will be tantamount to ignoring the order of Allah and rejecting us, and rejecting us is the same as rejecting Allah, and this is the same as polytheism.”

In another hadith, Abi Khadijah relates that Imam Ja’far as- Sadiq (a.s.) sent him to his companions with the following message: “If a dispute or a difference occurs among you about a property then take care not to seek judgment from those illegitimate [judges]; instead, you must seek a person who knows what is permissible and what, is forbidden by us, for I appoint him as a judge over you. And take care that you do not seek judgment against one another with an unjust ruler.”

The least that these two narrations prove is that Shi’as are not allowed to refer to unauthorized jurists for solutions to their problems instead they are advised to seek the guidance of those who are well-versed in the teachings of the Ahlu 1-bayt. In these ahadith, the practice of seeking the advice of experts in shari’a laws is taken for granted.

In Practice: There are several documented cases of Shi’as who asked the Imams of their time to appoint someone to adjudicate between them in religious problems. Such questions were raised by those who lived far from Medina or those who could not gain access to their Imam in Medina itself.

4.1htiyat

If a person is not a mujtahid and does not even want to do taqlid of any mujtahid, then according to the laws of shari’a he must do ihtiydt.

Doing ihtiydt means taking precaution. In the context of our present discussion, it means that one must adopt a line of precautionary action by which he or she can be sure of fulfilling the requirements of God’s commandment.

In practical terms, ihtiydt means that a person, in each and every problem, will have to study the views of mujtahids on that issue and act on the most precautionary of all views.

For example, if one mujtahid says that “it is disliked to smoke” and another says that “it is haram to smoke,” then one has to follow the second view. Or if one mujtahid says that “you must shave your head during the first pilgrimage to Mecca” while another says “you have a choice between shaving or just cutting a little of your hair,” then one has to follow the first view. This has to be done in each and every issue.

* * *

In short, during the Occultation (ghaybat) of the Present Imam (a.s.), there are three ways of following the sharī‘a: ijtihād, taqlīd and ihtiyāt.

This lesson is based on An Introduction to the Sharī‘a by Sayyid M. Rizvi

Question Paper on Lesson 23

Question 1: [15 points]

True or False:

(a) Ijtihād enables us to apply Islamic laws in the rapidly changing circumstances of human society.

(b) A Muslim society cannot be truly Islamic unless it also has mujtahids in its midst.

(c) Taqlīd of a mujtahid by a non-Mujtahid is unreasonable and illogical.

(d) Ihtiyāt is the easiest way of following the sharī‘a.

(e) A person can follow the sharī‘a by doing ijtihād, taqlīd or ihtiyāt.

Question 2: [20 points]

Explain what you understood from the hadith of ‘Umar ibn Hanzalah mentioned in this lesson.

Question 3: [15 points]

How would you defend the practice of taqlīd in the present time?

Lesson 24: More About The Shari‘a

The purpose of human life in this world is to successfully go through the trials and tribulations in order to achieve salvation in the hereafter. In the hereafter, life will have no end. God did not leave us without any means of guidance.

He sent prophets, messengers and books to guide mankind towards the right path. The last prophet and messenger was the Prophet of Islam, and the final revelation was the Qur’an.

Islam is the ultimate means of guidance for mankind through the tests and trials of this world. The Prophet was sent “to convey the revelation; to purify spiritually and to teach the Qur’an and wisdom.”

Islam seeks to guide its followers by the legal system known as “shari’a”. No aspect of our life is outside the jurisdiction of the shari’a: legal and moral, personal and social, economic and politics, all issues are directly or indirectly covered by the shari’a.

In this lesson you will learn more about the Islamic laws from different perspectives.

1. The Roots & Branches of Religion

To differentiate between the matters of belief and the laws of shari’a, the Shi’a scholars have coined two interesting terms: The matter of beliefs (monotheism justice of God, prophethood, imamat and resurrection) are described as “the Roots of Religion - Usul ad-Din” because they form the foundation of our faith. The Shi’a scholars have also coined the term “the Branches of Religion - Furu’ ad-Din” for the shari’a laws.

These terminologies actually reflect the connection between “belief and “practice”. If the roots are strong, they will generate healthy branches, green leaves, colourful flowers and delicious fruits; but if the roots are weak, the tree will be considered useless.

Similarly, if a Muslim’s beliefs are strong, then it should show in the practical life of that person. A non-practicing Muslim betrays the weakness in his religious roots which are in need of further nurturing through intellectual stimulation and spiritual guidance.

The items normally listed as “the Branches of Religion” are as follows:

1. Prayers (salat).

2. Fasting in Ramadhan (sawm).

3. Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).

4. Tax on Wealth (zakdt).

5. Tax on Money (khums).

6. Spiritual as well as Physical Struggle for sake of Allah (jihad).

7. Promoting good in the family and society (amr bil ma’ruf).

8. Preventing evil in the family and society (nahi ‘anil munkar).

9. Loving and following the Prophet & his family (tawalla).

10. Disassociating from the enemies of the Prophet & his family (tabarra). These ten teachings reflect the main framework of the Islamic shari’a; otherwise, the entire corpus of Islamic shari’a falls under the term ‘branches of religion’.

2. The Classification of Shari’a Laws

All the issues covered by the shari’a are traditionally classified into four main groups. The classification was put in the final form by one of the great Shi’a mujtahids of the 7th Islamic century, al- Muhaqqiq al-Hilli (d. 676 AH).

His famous work of jurisprudence, Sharaya’u ‘l-Islam, is still one of the main reference books for the scholars of Islamic laws. Al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli classified the laws into the following groups:

1. ‘Ibadat - the Acts of Worship like prayers, fasting, hajj, etc.

2. ‘Uqud - Mutual Contracts like business transaction, partnership, trusts, power of attorney issues, and marriage.

3. lyqa’at - Unilateral Instigations like divorce, confessions in legal matters, vows, etc.

4. Ahkam - Miscellaneous: anything which does not fit in the three groups above like rules of eating and drinking, agriculture, arbitration, testimony, etc.

Here I would like to present a modern classification of shari’a issues done by the late Sayyid Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr. Ayatullah as-Sadr of Najaf was a rising star among the new generation of mujtahids; unfortunately the Shi’a world was deprived of his knowledge and leadership when he was tortured and killed by Saddam’s regime in 1981.

Sadr also divides the shari’a laws into four groups but his classification makes the issues more clear for the modern man unused to classical texts.

1. ‘Ibadat - the Acts of Worship like prayers, fasting and hajj. 2. Financial Laws:

(a) On Social Level: issues like Islamic taxes of various kinds.

(b) On Individual Level:

i. the laws pertaining to the means of possessions.

ii. the laws pertaining to the utilization of one’s possessions.

3. Personal Laws: issues like marriage and divorce, eating and drinking, vows and oaths, hunting and slaughtering, bidding good and forbidding evil, etc.

4. Social Laws: issues like the political system, judiciary, penal code, jihad, etc.

3. The Five Types of Decrees

All Islamic injunctions fall within the five main categories of laws: wajib, mustahab, ja’iz, makruh, and haram. There are other sub-divisions within these five decrees.

1. Wajib: means obligatory, necessary, incumbent. An act which must be performed. One will be punished for neglecting a wajib act, e.g., the daily prayers.

Ihtiyat wajib: Sometimes you might see the term “ihtiyat wajib” in the decrees of the mujtahids. It means “precautionarily obligatory and its significance is the same as that of the wajib with one difference: wherever the mujtahid says that “it is precautionarily obligatory,” you have the option of leaving his opinion in that particular problem and following the opinion of the second best mujtahid provided the second mujtahid has a different opinion.

Wajib is also divided into two: ‘ayni and kifa’i:

Wajib ‘ayni means an obligation which is imposed on individual Muslims, e.g., the daily prayers. No one can do this duty for someone else.

Whereas wajib kifa’i means an obligation which is imposed on the Muslim community as a whole; and if it is fulfilled by one or more individuals, then the rest of the community is no longer required to do that.

For example, a dead Muslim must be buried in the proper Islamic way. This is a duty imposed on the Muslim community collectively; if some people do that, then others are not responsible; but if no one does that, then the entire community is answerable to God.

2. Mustahab, also known as sunnat, means recommended, desirable, better. It refers to the acts which are recommended but not wajib. If one neglects them, he will not be punished; however, if one performs them, he will be rewarded.

3. Ja’iz means permitted, allowed, lawful. An act which is permitted and lawful; there is no reward for performing it nor any punishment for neglecting it, e.g., drinking tea.

Halal & Mubah: There are other words which reflect the same meaning as ja’iz but with a different connotation: “Halal” also means permissible acts or things, but it is used mostly for permissible things rather than actions.

For example, the term “halal meat” is used for the meat whose consumption is permissible in Islam. Similarly, “mubah” means permissible, but it is exclusively used for things which are lawfully yours or under your control as opposed to “ghasbi- usurped”.

4. Makruh means reprehensible, disliked, discouraged. An act which is disliked by Islam but not haram. If one does a makruh act, he will not be punished; however, if he refrains from it, then he will be rewarded.

5. Haram means forbidden, prohibited. An act from which one must abstain. If someone performs a haram act, he will be punished either by the Islamic court or in the hereafter or both.

* * *

This lesson has been written by Sayyid M. Rizvi.

Some parts have been adopted from his An Introduction to the Islamic Sharī‘a.

Question Paper on Lesson 24

Question 1: [20 points]

Fill in the blanks by writing appropriate terms of the shari`ah:

(a) Salāt is a wājib _________ act.

(b) Drinking alcohol is a ________ act.

(c) _____________ means a recommended act in Islam.

(d) A usurped property is known as _________ .

(e) Drinking tea is _________ .

(f) ___________ means something that is lawfully yours.

(g) Sunnat act is also known as ______________ .

(h) Permissible acts and things are known as ____________ .

(i) A duty imposed upon the entire community is known as ________________________ .

(j) ___________________ means precautionarily obligatory.

Question 2: [10 points]

True or False:

(a) Shari`ah only deals with spiritual training.

(b) The book “Sharāya’u ’l-Islām” was written by al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli.

(c) ‘Uqūd means the acts of worship.

(d) Furū‘ ad-Dīn means the Roots of Religion.

(e) Ayatullah S. M. Bāqir as-Sadr lived in Najaf, Iraq.

Question 3: [20 points]

Explain in your own words the relationship between “beliefs” and “laws”.

Lesson 25: Islam’s Spirtual Program (1)

1. Introduction

Islam is concerned about the physical wellbeing of its followers as well as the spiritual wellbeing.

Spiritual training is an essential part of our life. While describing the mission of the Prophet of Islam, Allah says: “He is the one who has raised among the ignorant [Arabs] a messenger from among themselves who[1.] recites to them His revelations, [2.] purifies them, and [3.] teaches them the Book and wisdom.” (62:2) The second purpose for sending the Prophet is “spiritual purification”.

Spiritual purification or training is very strongly linked to the purpose of our creation.

2. Purpose of Creation

Allah is the Creator of human beings and the entire universe. In His capacity as the Creator, only He has the right to define the purpose of creation. He says in the Qur’an:

“...He is the one who has created death and life so that He may test you to see who among you does good deeds.” (67:2) “And I have not created the jinn and the humans except so that they may serve Me.” (51:56)

When you study these two verses (and many others on this subject), you will realize that according to Allah the purpose of life is: to successfully go through the trials and tribulations in this world in order to achieve salvation in the hereafter.

Unlike this worldly life, the life in the hereafter will have no end. The trials and tribulations can also be expressed as follows: to enter into the servitude of Allah by our own will and choice.

In order to understand the concept of trial and tribulation, it is important to understand the human being:

A human being is a very delicate creature. He has a physical aspect as well as a spiritual dimension. Our whole being revolves around two main powers: the soul and the emotions. 1. The soul (ruh) or the spirit is the king of our being.

The untainted intellect and the pure conscience are various aspects of our spiritual dimension. 2. The emotions and other physical faculties are also integral parts of our being. These emotions and faculties can be broadly classified under ‘anger’ and ‘passion’.

Our entire adult life is an arena of struggle between the soul and the emotions. And herein lies the trial and tribulation of mankind. A Muslim is expected to use the soul to control the emotions.

Islam does not promote the complete suppression of emotions and desires; it only wants the Muslims to use their reason to restrain their desires by fulfilling them within the dictates of the Divine laws.

Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) has beautifully described this concept as follows:

Allah has blessed the angels with the power of reasoning but has deprived them of any desires; and He has blessed the animals with natural desires but has deprived them of the power of reasoning; and He has blessed the human beings with both the power of reasoning and also the desires.

Therefore, one who restrains his desires by the power of reasoning, he is superior to the angels (who do not have to deal with any desires and emotions).

But one who lets his desires control his reason, he is inferior to the animals (who have not been blessed with the power of reasoning).

In conclusion, we can say that the purpose of creation is to live in such a way that our soul, reason and conscience control and restrain our emotions and desires. If we can live such a life, then we have succeeded in the trials and tribulations of this world, and hope for the salvation in the hereafter.

3. Program for Spiritual Training

Islam seeks to train a person in such a way that he can be a balanced human being in the spiritual sense of the world. A morally healthy person is he who can use his reason to restrain his emotions.

Allah did not only send prophets, messengers, divine books and Imams to guide us spiritually, He has also placed certain rituals in the Islamic laws which serve as spiritual programs for Muslims. There are two main programs for spiritual training: 1. An intensive program on an annual basis. 2. A regular program on a daily basis.

(A) THE ANNUAL SPIRITUAL TRAINING

Fasting during the month of Ramadhan22 is the annual spiritual program for strengthening the soul and keeping the desires/emotions within the dictates of Divine laws. Allah has described the purpose of fasting as follows:

O You who believe! Fasting has been prescribed for you as it had been prescribed for the nations before you - so that you may become God-fearing. (2:183)

God-fearing means taqwa. Taqwa, normally translated as “fearing God”, means the mind-set in which a person fears God’s displeasure because of the love that he has for God. In other words, taqwa is a frame of mind which prevents the person from committing sins that cause God’s displeasure with him.

How does fasting in Ramadhan help in acquiring such a mindset of taqwa? Fasting is a ritual which begins at dawn and ends at sunset; and during that entire time, a Muslim is expected to refrain from ten things as follows:

1. Food. 2. Drink. 3. Inhaling smoke or dust. 4. Vomiting intentionally. 5. Submerging the head into a body of water. 6. Liquid enema.

7. Sexual intercourse. 8. Masturbation. 9. Staying till dawn in the state of impurity caused by sexual discharge.

10. To ascribe a statement wrongfully to God or His divine representatives.

The above list includes the two strongest desires of a human being: food and sex. By abstaining from them during the daytime for the whole month of Ramadhan, a Muslim is trained to strengthen his willpower and control his desires. By the end of Ramadhan, a Muslim is expected to be a spiritually stronger person than what he was before Ramadhan.

A Muslim who goes through this annual spiritual training is expected to maintain the domination of his soul over his desires and emotions.

However, this is not always easy for everyone. The spiritual power is not a static commodity; it has the potential of increasing and decreasing. The more you protect it, the more it will protect you; but if you neglect it, soon the desires will gain control of your life.

Generally, people go through a cycle of spiritual strength and weakness. As the distance in time increases between the Muslim and the month of Ramadhan, the soul starts to lose its strength in the face of material temptations.

That is why Allah has legislated the fasting on an annual basis so that we may get the opportunity to re-energize our soul and spirit at least once every year.

One way of maintaining the domination of soul over desires is by fasting after the month of Ramadhan on the days which are highly recommended in our shari’a. These days are:

• first and last Thursdays of every lunar month;

• first Wednesday after the 10th of every lunar month;

• 13th, 14th and 15th of each lunar month;

• the entire month of Rajab and Sha’ban;

• 4th to 9th of Shawwal; 25th and 29th of Dhul Qa’dah;

• 1st to 9th of Dhul Hijja; 18th of Dhul Hijja; 24th of Dhul Hijja;

• 1st, 3rd and 7th of Muharram;

• 17th of Rabi al-Awwal; 15th of Jamadi al-Ula; 27th of Rajab.

Fasting on these days (especially the first three in the list) will surely help in maintaining the strength of the spiritual power and will go a long way in keeping the desires under control.

In short, the ritual of fasting is actually a spiritual training to strengthen the soul and control the desires - the very nature of the trial and tribulation faced by us in this life.

This lesson has been written by Sayyid M. Rizvi.

Question Paper on Lesson 25

Question 1: [20 points]

True or False:

(a) The created beings can define the purpose of their own creation.

(b) God created us to serve Him by submitting ourselves to His laws voluntarily.

(c) Islam expects its followers to completely suppress their desires.

(d) Ramadhān is the first month of the Muslim calendar.

(e) Spiritual purification was part of the mission of the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.).

(f) Fasting was prescribed by God for dieting.

(g) A spiritually balanced person is superior than the angels.

(h) Imam ‘Ali said that one who lets his desires control his reason is equal to the animals.

(i) Fasting helps us in strengthening our willpower and controlling our desires.

(j) Taqwa is a reflection of man's love for God.

Question 2: [15 points]

Explain the concept of trial and tribulation that we face in this life.

Question 3: [15 points]

How does fasting help one in going through the trials of this life?

Lesson 26: Islam’s Spirtual Program (2)

(B) THE DAILY SPIRITUAL TRAINING

Islam has also provided its followers with a program for spiritual training on a daily basis. This program is known as salat. Salat is not a “prayer” in the sense of talking to God whenever, wherever and however you like.

Salat is an act of worship which must be done in a prescribed manner. Whenever we use the words “ritual prayer” it refers to salat and not to “prayer” in the sense explained above.

In appearance, salat is just an act of worship; but with further insight into the philosophy of salat, you will realize that it is also a program which trains the Muslims to spiritually strengthen themselves and to become the masters of their own lives rather than be slaves of their desires.

It is this aspect of salat which has made it the pillar of Islam. The Prophet says: “The salat is the pillar of religion.”

While describing the effect which salat should have on the lives of Muslims, Allah says: “Establish the salat; surely the salat prevents [the doer] from the indecencies and the forbidden facts].

And surely the remembrance of Allah is great.” (29:45) This verse clearly says that a true salat would help the doer in staying away from sins. It is in the light of this verse that the Prophet of Islam (s.a.w.) said, “The first deed to be checked [on the Day of Judgment] will be the salat: if it is accepted, then other deeds will also be accepted; but if it is rejected, then other deeds will also be rejected.”

What the Prophet meant was that the salat plays a pivotal role in the life of a Muslim: if his salat was a true salat and had affected his behaviour then there is a great chance that his other deeds will also be good; but if his salat was just a ritual without any impact on his life, then there is a lesser chance that his other deeds would be good.

The five daily prayers, provided done with understanding, will not just be rituals but a program for spiritual upliftment of the Muslim. The salat will constantly remind him to keep the purpose of life in focus and work towards it.

That is why the Prophet once asked his companions, “If there is a stream outside your house and you wash yourself in it five time every day, then would any dirt remain on your body?” When the answer was negative, the Prophet said, “Indeed the example of salat is like that flowing stream - whenever one performs a salat, the sins between the two prayers are washed away.”23

In this lesson, we will look at just three aspects of salat which can help us in spiritual training.

(i) Wuzu: Reminder of Spiritual Purity

Every Muslim is required to do ritual ablution (wuzu) before salat. Even this simple ablution is a way of reminding us about spiritual purification. When we study the two verses of the Qur’an about ablutions, we see that there are two planes of purification: physical and spiritual.

Although wuzu and ghusl (the major ablution) are related to physical purification, there is a more sublime reason underlying these two ablutions - they serve as a reminder to and gateway of spiritual purification.

In the chapter al-Baqarah, after talking about one of the major ablutions, the Qur’an says:

“Surely Allah loves those who oftenly turn to Him, and He also loves those who cleanse themselves.” (2:222) In another verse, after talking about wuzu, the Qur’an says:

“Allah does not desire to make any impediment for you; but He desires to cleanse you, & that He may complete His blessings upon you;

haply you may be grateful” (5:6)

We find two different themes in these verses: First: Allah loves those who cleanse themselves, and that He desires to cleanse us. Second: He wants to complete His blessings upon us, and that He loves those who oftenly turn towards Him. The first theme is related to the physical cleanliness, while the second theme is related to the spiritual purity.

The words of the first theme are very clear; they refer to cleanliness. But what do the words of the second theme mean? What is the meaning of “oftenly turning to Allah?” Turning to Allah implies that the person had turned away from Allah. What does this mean? These are the questions which I will discuss below.

In the Islamic value system, the human soul is like a light bulb. If the bulb is protected from dust and dirt, it will enlighten the area around it; but if dust and dirt is allowed to accumulate on the bulb, then it will not be able to illuminate the area as much as before.

Similarly, the human soul has to be protected from spiritual ‘dirt’ and uncleanliness, otherwise it will not be able to guide the person as rightly as before.

After swearing by the most majestic signs of His creation, Allah says in chapter 91, verses 1-10 that the pure human soul has the ability to understand what is right and what is wrong provided it is purified and uncorrupted.

He makes it clear that the soul, just like the body, is capable of becoming spiritually impure and unclean. Imam ‘Ali (a.s.) has said, “The human soul is a precious jewel; whoever protects it, enhances its (effectiveness), and whosoever degrades it, decreases its (effectiveness).”

The impurities that can corrupt a human soul are collectively known as “sins”. Accumulation of sins can indeed render the human soul spiritually ineffective and, in Qur’anic expression, ‘seize the heart’.

Allah says, “Whatever (sins) they have committed has seized their heart.” (83:14) By committing sins, not only is the soul of a Muslim seized but he also spiritually turns away from Allah. Sins create a distance between God and man.

Can a person rescue his soul from the seizing of the sins? Can a sinner spiritually get closer to God? Yes, indeed, a sinful person can spiritually return to Allah. Returning to Allah means repenting and asking forgiveness for your sins. Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (a.s.) has explained this phenomenon as follows: “Each believer has a bright soul.

When he commits a sin, a dark dot appears on his bright soul. If he repents, the dark dot will disappear. But if he persists in his sins, the darkness will increase until it covers the entire soul-then the person would never return towards goodness.”24

Just as our bodies can become impure by the physical things, our souls can become impure by sins. To rid our bodies of the physical dirt, we use water; similarly, to rid our souls of the spiritual impurities, we use tawbah (repentance). In short, the human soul is corruptible; it is corrupted by sins; the corrupted soul can be purified by tawbah.

After talking about ritual ablutions which are done by water, Allah says that “He loves those who do tawbah”. By this He is drawing our attention to the spiritual purification. So with this insight into the Qur’anic verses, whenever a Muslim does the ritual ablution, he also remembers the spiritual purification which is even more important than the physical purification.

(ii) Salat Helps in Spiritual Training

The five daily prayers have different” numbers of cycles known as rak’ah. Each rak’ah consists of the act of standing while reciting two short chapters from the Qur’an, the act of bowing and two prostrations.

The fajr (dawn) prayer consists of 2 cycles.

The zu.hr (noon) prayer consists of 4 cycles.

The ‘asr (afternoon) prayer consists of 4 cycles.

The maghrib (evening) prayer consists of 3 cycles.

The ‘isha (night) prayer consists of 4 cycles. -

One wonders why Islam prescribed a different number of cycles for these prayers? Why could not they be the same for all ritual prayers?

Many people have attempted to explain it in different ways, but I have also looked at this question and came to the conclusion that there is no particular reason for this variety in the number of cycles. It seems that this difference in the number of cycles was introduced by Islam in order to create a sense of discipline among the Muslims and to create the spirit of absolute obedience to the Divine laws.

A Muslim is someone who voluntarily submits himself to Allah. This is not always easy keeping in mind the trials and tribulations which we are going through. Praying on a daily basis and following the number of cycles prescribed by the shari’a without questioning its merit is a way of instilling in us the spirit of obedience to the laws of Islam.

You must pray in the prescribed manner even if you do not understand the merit of some of its rules; you should pray with the thought in your mind that this is how Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, wants you to pray.

This will indeed help you in harnessing the power of desires and emotions within yourself, and help you in getting closer to the purpose of life - to totally submit ourselves to the will of Allah.

(iii) Sajdah: Daily Reminder of the Purpose of Life

Sajdah is the last part in each cycle of salat; it is the part where you prostrate in such a way that your forehead, both palms, both knees and the big toes of both feet are touching the ground. Sajdah is to be done twice in each cycle: one should go into the first sajdah, then sit upright for a moment, and then go into the second sajdah.

Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s.) was once asked why we have two sajdahs in each cycle of salat. The reply that the Imam gave shows that sajdah (like many other parts of the ritual prayer) has a symbolic meaning also.

He said, “While you are in the first sajdah, you are saying [to God] ‘From it [the earth] You have created me.’

While getting up from the first sajdah, you are saying ‘From it You have taken me out.’

When you go into the second sajdah, you are saying To it You will return me.’

While getting up from the second sajdah, you are saying, ‘From it You will take me out again.”’

In this hadith, the holy Imam has actually applied the following verse to the sajdah: “From it We have created you, and to it We shall return you, and from it We shall take you out again.” (20:55) If you study this hadith carefully, you will realize that:

1. You have been created from the earth. Remembering your origin will not allow you to be arrogant and proud on the basis of race or wealth.

2. Getting up from the first sajdah is like our birth, going down into the second sajdah is like death and getting up from the second sajdah is like resurrection. This symbolic meaning will never let us forget the day of judgment and the life hereafter.

3. It also shows that this worldly life is symbolically nothing more than a few moments that you sit between the two sajdahs. This insight into the philosophy of sajdah will surely transform your salat from a mere ritual to a practical reminder about your origin, the transient nature of this world and your ultimate destination in the hereafter.

* * *

What you have read above are just three examples from the rules related to salāt which help the Muslims in focusing on the purpose of life and strengthening themselves spiritually. We thank Allah, subhanahu wa ta`ala, for providing such means of spiritual training in the daily rituals of an Islamic life.

This lesson has been written by Sayyid M. Rizvi.

Some sections have been summarized from his The Ritual & Spiritual Purity.

Question Paper on Lesson 26

Question 1: [20 points]

Fill in the blanks:

(a) Salāt is a __________ spiritual program.

(b) The Prophet (s.a.w.) said: “Salāt is the _________ of religion.”

(c) Muslims are required to say ________ ritual prayers in a day.

(d) Physical dirt can be cleansed by water; spiritual sins can be washed away by ___________ .

(e) The dawn prayer is known as __________ .

(f) The human heart can be ‘seized’ spiritually by _________ .

(g) There are ______ cycles in maghrib prayer.

(h) All cycles of the daily salāt have _____ sajdahs.

(i) In the light of Imam ‘Ali's saying, the sajdah is a symbolic reflection of verse ___:___ of the Qur'an.

(j) According to the Qur'an, the salāt prevents the doer from the ______________ and the ____________ acts.

Question 2: [15 points]

Expain how the salāt promotes the spirit of obedience in a Muslim.

Question 3: [15 points]

How does sajdah help us in focusing on the purpose of life?

IMAM HUSAIN GAVE COMFORT TO HIS SISTER ZAINEB

In the evening, Imam Husain was reciting some sad poetry when his sister Zaineb heard him. She came out of her tent, and said, “O I wish that I were not alive today, so that I would not have to see this day.” Imam Husain said to his sister, “What are you saying? Where is your patience? Be afraid of Allah Most High, and believe in his commands and thank Allah Most High. My mother, Fatima, who was the daughter of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) has passed away. My father, Ali, has also passed away. My brother, Hasan, has gone as well. And all the people who are on this earth will one day have to die and even the angels will have to die. And there is no doubt that one day will come when everything will be destroyed, and there will be only Allah Most High. My father was better than me, my mother was better than me, my brother was better than me. We all have to obey our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam). If the people who were better than us have gone then who are we to think we will not? We will have to go one day. O my sister, if I were to die tomorrow then I do not want you to pull your hair or beat your chest or cry loudly. Be patient because Allah is pleased with those who are patient.” When she heard this, she became very quite and went inside her tent.

Imam Husain called his people and said, “Tighten all the ropes which are connected to each tent, and dig a trench around the tents and set fire in them, so when the enemy come to attack us in the morning they will not be able to reach the tents.” After doing this, they went and prayed until Fajar. Imam Husain led the Fajar prayer for his followers, and Umar bin Sa’d lead the prayer for his men. It was Friday the 10th of Muharram 61 AH.

IMAM HUSAIN’S HISTORICAL SERMON

When Imam Husain saw that both sides were ready to go to war, he mounted a camel and faced the opposition and made the following speech:

“O people do not rush to kill me as I am the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam), I have not come here of my own accord but have been called by you people. At this time, there is not a man on earth who is the grandson of a prophet apart from me. Pause to think for a while who am I ? If you want to know about me, go and ask the Prophet’s companions who are still alive. Go and ask Jaffer bin Abdullah, Abu Sa'id, Suhail bin Sa’d, Zaid bin Arkam and Anas bin Malik. They will tell you how the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) used to love us. Tell me is it right for you to receive me with un-sheathed swords? Tell me, for what crime do you want to kill me? Have I killed anyone that you want to punish me for his or her murder? Or have I taken anybody’s property? O people listen to me, did you not write letters asking me to come? Once again I say, I have come here because you have invited me. But since I have come here, you do not recognise me and you do not want to support me.” He then finished his sermon and dismounted the camel.

EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN ZUHAIR AND SHIMAR

Zuhair bin Qayn, one of the supporters of Imam Husain, said, "O people of Kufa! We are all brothers, and we have not yet started to fight. On one side is the grandson of our Prophet and on the other side is Ibn Ziyad. You should leave that evil man and come and join Imam Husain‘s group. Those who contribute to the killing of the grandson of the Prophet will be in utter loss on the Day of Judgement because the Prophet will not intercede on their behalf. Victory lies with Imam Husain; with King Yazid and the governor there is nothing but shame.” Shimar responded that Zuhair bin Qayn his group would all be punished and killed. Zuhair replied, "You should not interrupt us. We are honest supporters of Imam Husain, and for that reason we will be granted Paradise." Zouhair wanted to continue with this verbal battle, but Imam Husain told him to go back to his tent.

SEPARATION OF HUR BIN YAZID FROM THE ARMY OF UMAR BIN SA’D

When Umar bin Sa’d decided to attack, Hur came before him and asked him if they were going to fight with Imam Husain. And if they had not accepted his proposals.Umar bin Sa’d said that he wanted to accept one of those proposals but Ibn Ziyad had not agreed to any of those conditions. After listening to this Hur started to move closer and closer towards Imam Husain and his followers with thirty of his men. One person said, “Hur, why are your legs shaking? Hur answered “I am trying to decide whether to go to Paradise or to Hell.” Before they knew it, he and his men were beside Imam Husain. He said “I am the person who made you encamp here and stopped you from going back to Makkah. I swear by Allah Most High I did not realise that the situation would escalate to such a degree that they would want to kill you. Whatever I have done was wrong. Can you tell me, if I ask for forgiveness, will Allah Most High forgive me? Imam Husain said, “Of course, Allah Most High will forgive you and I will make Dua for you that Allah Most High forgives you for your past sins.”

In this way Hur joined Imam Husain and left Umar bin Sa’d‘s army. Hur then addressed Umar bin Sa’d‘s army:

“O people, why did you not accept any of the terms offered by Imam Husain? Do you think that Allah Most High will allow you to succeed and defeat the grandson of his beloved Prophet (pbuh)? Do you think that by killing Imam Husain you will gain salvation? O residents of Kufa! you called Imam Husain and have now left him alone. How sad it is that you have surrounded him in a place where he cannot go anywhere. And how pathetic it is that you have blocked the river (Euphrates) so that no person from his followers can have water. The Jews, Christians, Fire worshipers, dogs, pigs and other animals are drinking water but Imam Husain cannot have water. Is he not even worthy of drinking our water? O people, if you do not repent from this and give Imam Husain water, on the Day of Judgement Allah Most High will also not let you drink water from the river Kauther.”

While Hur was making his speech the people started throwing arrows at him and he went inside the camp.

BEGINNING OF THE WAR

On 10th of Muharram Umar bin Sa’d got his bow and arrows ready and started to fire them towards Imam Husain and his followers. He said “O people, be my witness that I was the first one to shoot my arrows towards Imam Husain.” When his people saw this they also started to shoot their arrows towards them. Afterwards Yassar the slave of Ziyad, and Salam, the slave of UbayduLlah came from Umar bin Sa'd’s army and challenged Imam Husain and said, “Send two of your champions and we shall fight them.” From Imam Husain’s side, Abdullah bin Omair Kalbi came out to fight. He killed Yassar. Salam tried to kill Abdullah and struck a blow with which Abdullah lost the fingers of one of his hands. Then Abdullah struck a blow on Salam and killed him too. Nearby was his wife who came running towards him and said, “I am proud of you for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alhi wasallam) and I am also with you.” Abdullah said to her, “You should go back to where Imam Husain is.” Then Abdullah went towards Umar bin Sa'ds army and started to fight with them. They all attacked him and martyred him. (May Allah grant him Paradise, Ameen)

END OF IBN JOZAH

Ibn Jozah was from the army of Umar bin Sa’d. He left his post and started to say to Imam Husain and his followers, “Where is Imam Husain? Which one of you is Imam Husain?” The third time he asked this, one of the people from the crowd said, “He is with us. What would you like to say to him?” Ibn Jozah said “O Imam Husain I have come to tell you that you are shortly going to enter the Hell fire.” Imam Husain said, “You are a lair, after my death I am going to meet Allah Most High, who is the most Merciful and most Kind. Who are you?” Ibn Jozah told his name. Imam Husain then made a supplication (Dua) “O Allah Most High send him to the Hell Fire.” Upon hearing this Ibn Jozah became angry when he heard this and tried to ride his horse towards Imam Husain at high speed. But his horse became frightened and tossed him over, whereby his foot got caught in the stirrup and he was left hanging to the ground. The horse started to gallop very fast and he was dragged along the floor. It got to the point that there was no flesh left on his face and he died. One of Ibn Jozah’s friends said, “I am not going to fight with Imam Husain as his supplications are accepted immediately.”

MARTYRDOM OF IBN KHUZAIR

Yazid bin Ma‘qil came from the other side to challenge Imam Husain’s companions to single combat. Ibn Khuzair came out from Imam Husain’s side and said, “You people are liars and cheats. You should repent because you came to fight with Imam Husain.” They started to fight and Ibn Khuzair killed Yazid bin Ma‘qil. When his people saw this, they rushed over to attack Ibn Khuzair and K‘ab bin Jabir martyred him. K‘ab’s wife was on Imam Husain’s side. When she saw that her husband had killed Ibn Khuzair, she came over and said to him, “How can you kill a person who was the best amongst us in reading the Holy Qur'an, and was known as Sayyidul Qurah. I do not want anything to do with you. I am asking for a divorce from you as we have nothing in common.”

MARTYRDOM OF UMAR BIN QURZAH

One of Imam Husain’s followers Umar bin Qurzah came to help Ibn Khuzair and fought til he was also martyred. One of his brothers was in the army of Umar bin Sa’d. He shouted in a loud voice, “O Husain, you are a liar and your father was a lair also, and you brain-washed my brother so that he became your follower and was killed for you.” Imam Husain answered, “I did not mislead your brother but Allah Most High guided him on the straight path. You are being misled.” Upon hearing this Umar got angry and started to attack Imam Husain’s side and said, “There will be either me or you left; only one of us will survive this battle.” In the mean time, Nafi' bin Hilal from Imam Husain’s side shot an arrow at him and injured him badly and then pulled his sword out ready to go and cut off his head. Just as he was about to do some people from the other side came and took him back, thus he survived.

After this two other people, Muzahim bin Harees and Yazid bin Sufyan came out to fight. They challenged anyone, asking who wanted to confront them. Nafi' bin Hilal and Hur came out for the single combat. It was the saem Hur who had deserted Umar bin Sa’d’s army and had repented. They both went out to fight these two people and Allah Most High gave them victory over both of them. The losses suffered by Umar’s army greatly worried Amar bin Hujjaj, so he suggested that rather than meeting Imam Husain’s supporters in single combat,a general attack should be launched.Umar bin Sa’d agreed with his plan.

When Imam Husain heard this he said, “O Umar bin Hajjaj how can you turn the people against us. If you were to die in this position, in your heart you know who is speaking the truth and who is telling lies. Which of the two groups is on the straight path and which one is not.” Hajjaj could not bear to listen to the truth so he attacked Imam Husain’s side with the entire right-wing of the army under him. The attack was resisted by Imam Husain’s companions but Muslim bin ‘Awsaja was left on the ground of the battlefield. Imam Husain came to him and comforted him saying, “May Allah Most High be Merciful to you.” Habib bin Muzahar, who was close-by, said, “May Allah Most High grant you Paradise.” Muslim bin ‘Awsaja opened his eyes and said, “Whatever happens, until you are alive do not leave Imam Husain’s side as he is on the straight path.” Thus ‘Awsaja passed away.

RAIN OF ARROWS ON IMAM HUSAIN’S FOLLOWERS

The rival force decided to launch their attack at once, and simultaneously began to fire arrows at Imam Husain and his followers. Some of Imam Husain’s followers and their horses sustained injuries. Even Hur’s horse was injured, and many of the horses were no longer capable of being used in the battle. But the brave soldiers began fighting on foot and the fight dragged until the afternoon. By mid-afternoon the battle was in full force. Umar bin Sa'd and his followers saw that they were losing the battle and lost the courage to continue fighting. Eventually, Shimar and Umar bin Sa'd ordered the others to begin throwing fireballs on the tents of Imam Husain and his followers. When Imam Husain realised what they were planning to do, he came out of his tent and shouted, "Have you got no shame? There are children and women in these tents, how are they going to protect themselves if they get burnt?" He turned to Shimar and asked him, "Are you not ashamed to throw fireballs on my tent when my wife and children are inside it?" Shimar replied, "It does not matter to me that by burning down these tents I will go to Hell, I will burn them down anyway." Eventually, two men Humaid bin Muslim and Shabath bin Rib‘i, told him that it was wrong to be attack the tents in this way, and they stopped throwing the fireballs at them.

MARTYRDOM OF HABIB BIN MUZAHAR AND HUR BIN YAZID

As people from Imam Husain's side were martyred during the course of the battle, his group of followers began to look very small in number. In contrast, when members of the opposition lost their lives it made no difference to their strength. In the mean time the hour for the Friday prayer arrived. Abu Thumama Sa‘idi suggested to Imam Husain that they should ask the rival force to allow them to offer the Friday prayer, and if the enemy decided to kill them during the prayer then it will still be a great honour to die in the state of prayer. Imam Husain told him to ask Shimar if they were permitted to say the prayer.

He went to ask Shimar to stop the battle so that they could pray. Haseen bin Numair emerged from the ranks of the army saying, “what is the point of saying prayers when your prayers are not accepted.” Habib bin Muzahar from Imam Husain’s side said, “O dog of the world, do you think your prayers are accepted? How can you say that the prayers of the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) are not accepted? Are you not ashamed by saying this?” Haseen got angry and got on his horse and came very quickly towards Habib. Habib got his sword and waved it at him and hit him so hard that he fell off his horse and was badly injured. His companions ran to his rescue and took his body away and started to fight with Habib. Habib fought with them with great courage. Habib also killed Badeel bin Suream. Another person attacked Habib from behind and as he turned round to confront him Haseen came again and martyred Habib. When Imam Husain saw this he was deeply saddened by the fact that such a courageous man has been martyred.

Hur asked Imam Husain to allow him to sacrifice himself and take revenge for the death of Habib. Hur used his sword very effectively in the battlefield and killed amny men. This inspired such awe in the hearts of Umar bin S’ad’s men that they began shooting arrows at him. Eventually, it was Abu Thamama who martyred him.

MARTYRDOM OF NAFI’ BIN HILAL

Nafi’ bin Hilal, one of Imam Husain‘s friends, was a very courageous person; he killed twelve of Umar bin Sa'd’s soldiers. Eventually, he was injured so severly that they captured him and took him to Umar bin Sa’d. Umar bin Sa’d looked at Nafi' bin Hilal and said, “Look what we have done to you.” Nafi' said, “I have killed twelve of your men and sent them to Hell Fire. If I had any more strength in my arms I would kill you and send you to the Hell Fire as well. But I am glad that I am fighting for Imam Husain and am going to be martyred by people who are on the wrong path. After saying this he breathed his last and joined many others in martyrdom.

SOME OTHER MARTYRS

The fighting continued and people would come to Imam Husain and ask him to be allowed to sacrifice themselves. Abdullah and Abdur’rahman who were from the Gafari tribe came to Imam Husain and asked for his permission to fight. Permission was granted and while fighting with Umar bin Sa'd’s men they were martyred. Similarly, Saif and Malik came and begged for his leave. When they went in the battlefield, they told the rival force, “Leave the wrong path and join us on the straight path. How will you explain yourselves to Allah Most High on the Day of Judgement?” When they heard this Umar bin Sa'd’s men attacked and martyred them. Similarly, Shawdhb bin Abdullah and Ibn Abi Shabib Shakri’s servant, Shuzab, came to Imam Hussian to ask his permission to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving the valuable principles of Islamic political system. They too achieved martyred. This pattern of events was repeated again and again and may people were martyrdom in this way.

MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAIN’S FAMILY

When all his close friends and the followers who came with him had been martyred, the only people left were members of Imam Husain’s immediate family: his young sons, his brother and himself. One of Imam Husain’s sons, Ali Akbar, came to request Imam Husain to permit him to sacrifice himself in the cause of the Truth. Permission was granted and as he entered the battlefield, he killed many of Umar bin Sa'd’s men but they were too great in number and he suffered repeated attacks at their hands. Murah bin Munqad Abdi attacked Ali Akbar from behind with a spear which made him fall to the ground. When the people saw him falling to the ground, they ran to him and attacked him with swords and martyred him. Oun, Abdur’rahman, and Jaffer went with Imam Husain to bring Ali Akbar’s body back to the tent.

Abdullah bin Muslim then went to fight and was injured by Umar bin Subeah Saydani’s arrow. He was on the ground. Umar saw his chance and shot another arrow and martyred Abdullah. The enemy were slowly surrounding them and Abdullah bin Qutbah Ta‘i martyred Oun bin Abdullah bin Jaffer. Uthman bin Kahlid and Bisher bin Shawoth martyred Abdur’rahman bin Aqeel. Abdullah bin Urah Kashee martyred Jaffer bin Aqeel.

Qasim bin Hasan, Imam Husain’s nephew, went to fight and as soon as he entered the battlefield, Umar bin Sa’d bin Nafaill Azdi attacked him viciously from behind. Qasim fell to the ground and shouted “O my uncle, O my uncle.” When Imam Husain heard this he quickly went to his assistance and attacked Umar. Umar tried to save himself but his hand got injured and as he fell he shouted to his friends. His friends came in such a disordly fashion that a great commotion was caused by the galloping of so many horses and Umar was crushed to death by them.

Imam Husain stood by Qasim and said “How evil is this group, how bad are these people who have martyred you? Tomorrow on the Day of Judgement I will present you in front of Allah Most High and He will decide their fate. I have been forced into such a weak position that even when my nephew calls out to me for help I cannot help him. I have never before faced such helplessness, and I swear by Allah Most High that my enemies are great in number and my companions are few.” While Imam Husain was talking to Qasim, he slowly passed away. Imam Husain carried his body on his back and brought him to where the bodies of Ali Akbar and other relatives had been kept. Abu Bakr bin Hasn was also attacked and martyred.

MARTYRDOM OF ABDULLAH BIN HUSAIN

For a short period of time the battle was less intense, Imam Husain walked out of the tent. After a while he sat down with his son, Abdullah bin Husain, in his lap. Abdullah bin Husain was four or five year old at that time. A person from Bani Asad shot an arrow which penetrated Abdullah’s neck, and he was also martyred. Imam Husain looked up towards the sky and said “O Allah Most High, if you do not help us we will be killed one by one, take revenge on these tyrant people.”

IMAM HUSAIN’S BROTHERS WERE MARTYRED

Abbas bin Ali, Imam Husain’s brother called his two other brothers, Abdullah and Jaffer, and said, “Let us fight the enemy who are against Allah Most High and his Prophet, even if we have to be martyred.” They fought with their all hearts, until Hani bin Sabet martyred Abdullah bin Ali and Jaffer bin Ali. A person from the tribe of Bani, Abban bin Daram, attacked Uthman bin Ali and knocked him down. Then he got on top of his chest, cut off his head and martyred him. Another person from the same tribe martyred Muhammad bin Ali. Abu Bakr bin Ali was also martyred.

IMAM HUSAIN WAS LEFT ALONE

Imam Husain’s sons, nephews, brothers, relatives, friends and supporters – all had been martyred. Imam Husain was left alone. Imam Husain was thirsty and tired due to all the fighting. He started to go towards the river Euphrates so that he may have a drink. When he was close enough to have a drink, Haseen bin Numair shot an arrow that hit Imam Husain in the face. Imam Husain pulled the arrow out of his face and as he was wiping the blood, he kept saying; “O Allah Most High punish those who are doing these evil things to the grandson of your beloved Prophet. Punish those who are using force against me.” Later, Shimar got ten of his men and went towards Imam Husain’s tent. Imam Husain admonished them saying, “Don’t you have any shame? Are you not afraid of the Hereafter? Have you lost all sense of humanity? Tell your men not to harm the women and children.” When noone answered him, Imam Husain picked up his sword and started to fight. Shimar had with him Abdur Rahman bin Jofee, Qasam bin Nazeed Jofee, Sahleh bin Wahhab, Sinan bin Ans Nakhee, Khowlah bin Yazid Asbahee, and he shouted to them to surround Imam Husain, and kill him.

When they tried to surround Imam Husain, he attacked them and they all fell to the ground. In the end they all attacked him simultaneously. Even then Imam Husain fought them off. While this was happening, Sayyiduna Zaineb (Imam Husain's sister) came out of her tent to see what all the commotion was about. When she saw that her brother was being attacked, she looked up towards the sky saying, "O sky, why don't you fall down on the earth when they are attacking Imam Husain?" She saw Umar bin Sa'd and said to him, "Ibn Sa'd, my brother Husain will be martyred before your very eyes. Do you not have any shame?" Upon hearing this Umar bin Sa'd's eyes filled with tears and they rolled down into his beard. He had nothing to say in his defence and turned away from Sayyiduna Zaineb. Imam Husain continued fighting, determined not to surrender to those who had marked the beginning of Monarchism in Islam.He said to them, "You are hungry for my blood. I swear by Allah Most High that Allah Most High will not be pleased with you. Allah Most High will punish you for my death and he will take revenge before you even realise that He has done it. And I swear by Allah Most High that if you kill me the doors of bloodshed will be opened on you, and there will be many killings amongst your people. Why? Because you are trying to kill an innocent person, and that is not permissible in Islam." When Imam Husain told them this, not one person answered him. Meanwhile, Imam Husain was still protecting himself in the fight. In the back of their minds all of the soldiers had the thought that they should not be the one to actually kill him. In their hearts they knew that he was the grandson of the Prophet (Sallal laho alhi wasallam) and nobody wanted to be the person remembered and cursed until the Day of Judgement for killing Imam Husain.

MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAIN

Shimar shouted to his men, “How cowardly you all are? You cannot even kill an injured person. There are so many of you that if all of you were to throw one stone at a time he would be killed and buried. So what are you doing? Attack him at once and kill him instantly.” When Imam Husain heard that Shimar was urging the people to attack him, he said, “The prophecy of the Prophet has come true. The Prophet had said that he was looking at a white dog that was sniffing at the blood of his family.” The reason Imam Husain said this was because Shimar had leprosy.

When they heard this they started to attack. Some of them started to shoot arrows at Imam Husain. Zurah bin Sahreek Tamimi attacked Imam Husain on his right shoulder, causing him deep and serious wounds. After that Sinan bin Anas Nakhee threw a spear at Imam Husain. The sheer force made Imam Husain fall to the ground, and Khowla bin Yazid Asbahi came forward with the intention of cutting off Imam Husain’s head. At that time Imam Husain’s whole body was shaking. Sanan said to Khowla, “You get back, I will cut his head off.” He came forward and cut Imam Husain’s head and separated it from his body. They started to divide Imam Husain’s belongings amongst themselves. Baher bin Ka’b took Imam Husain’s shirt, Qais took Imam Husain’s shoes and Aswad Azdee took his sword. There were spear wounds , and forty-three sword wounds on Imam Husain’s body.Umar bin Sa’d ordered ten horsemen to ride over Imam Husain’s body at such a speed that the meat would be separated from the bones.

During the course of the battle 72 people had been killed from the opposite side, and 88 people had been martyred from Imam Husain’s side. Umar bin Sa’d led the funeral prayer for his deceased and buried them and left Imam Husain and his followers as they were.

According to the Islamic calendar, it was the time of the Friday prayer on the 10th of Muharram in 61 Hijrah when Imam Husain was martyred.

EVENTS AFTER MARTYRDOM

THE TENTS WERE ROBBED

After Imam Husain was martyred, the enemy took all of his belongings, and captured his injured horse. They went towards his tents on their camels and entered the tents of Imam Husain’s wife and the rest of the women and started to take whatever they could find. They even took the blankets, which were on Imam Husain’s wife, sister and daughters. Shimar bin Zil Jawshan saw that Ali bin Husain, the son of Imam Husain, who was sick at the time, was in the tent He looked much younger in appearance than he actually was. When Shimar saw him he said, “Kill him also.” Humaid bin Muslim stopped him and said “Are you trying to kill little children as well?” When he heard this he stopped himself from killing Ali. This is the same Ali who is well known as Zain-ul- 'Abidin. Zain-ul- 'Abidin and all the women were taken into custody.

Imam Husain’s wife, Rubab, her servants Uqba bin Saman and Murkah bin Samama Asdi were still alive. Zain-ul- 'Abidin, Imam Husain’s sister and his daughter were also alive, as servants were not killed at the time of war Shimar got Imam Husain’s head and called Khowla bin Yazid and Humaid bin Muslim Asdee and said, “Take this head and go to Kufa and inform Ibn Ziyad that we have cut off Imam Husain’s head as he had wished.” Night had already fallen when these reached Kufa, the house of the governor was locked.

Khowla took Imam Husain’s head to his house for the night. When he reached his house he told his wife that he had brought the head of Imam Husain. His wife said, “People bring back bags of money when they go away, and you have brought into our house the head of the grandson of our Prophet (sallal la ho alihi wasallam)? For this reason I am not going to speak to you” He then went into another part of the house and went to sleep. His wife reported that in the morning she saw a light (noor) flickering towards the sky from the tub where Imam Husain’s head had been placed, and fluttering white birds were surrounding it.

In the morning Khowla took the head of Imam Husain to Governor Ibn Ziyad and presented it to him on a platter. The governor had a small stick in his hand and he tapped it on the teeth of Imam Husain. Zaid bin al-‘Arqam, a companion of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), was present at the governor‘s house. He said to Ibn Ziyad, “Do not tap your stick on those teeth. I have seen those teeth being kissed by our Prophet (sallalaho alihi wasallam) many times. Today you are hitting your stick on those same teeth” Ibn Ziyad said, “May Allah Most High curse you. If you were not an old man I would have your head cut off as well.” Zaid bin Al’Arqam stood up and said “How evil you are, you have martyred the grandson of Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).” Then he turned to the crowd and said “What kind of governor have you appointed that he is killing righteous people, curse on you all and on you Ibn Ziyad that you have made such a big mistake and you are not even ashamed of it.”

IMAM HUSAIN’S FAMILY TAKEN TO KUFA

The next day Shimar, who had captured all the women and Zain-ul- ‘Abidin and the two slaves, started to move them towards Kufa to bring them in front of Ibn Ziyad. When the women came out of their tents they could see in the distance that in the battlefield all the bodies were covered in blood and some were badly mutilated. They all screamed together and Sayyiduna Zaineb shouted “Ya Muhammad Ya Muhammad (O Muhammad O Muhammad), they have mutilated Imam Husain and he is lying there covered in blood.” She repeated the same words again and said, “Your daughters are shackled and prisoned. Your children have been martyred and their bodies are covered in dust.” When Sayyiduna Zaineb said this, even the enemy had tears in their eyes.

They were taken to the governor’s house in Kufa. Ibn Ziyad pointed towards Sayyiduna Zaineb and asked, “Who is she?” as he did not know who Sayyiduna Zaineb was. He asked two or three times. Someone answered and said, “This is Zaineb, Sayyiduna Fatimah’s daughter, the granddaughter of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).” Ibn Ziyad said to Zaineb “I thank Allah Most High that your brother, who was a liar, has been punished.” Zaineb said “I thank Allah Most High for giving us birth in the house of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and for revealing the Holy Qur'an in our house. This world is only for a few days and you are wrong to think that we should be ashamed or embarrassed because in the Hereafter we will be the respected ones, and Allah Most High will punish those who are evil.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Did you not see how I killed all your relatives, and how I mutilated their bodies.” Zainab could not hold back the tears as she had witnessed these events before her own eyes and she began to weep.

Ibn Ziyad then looked at Zain-ul- ‘Abidin and and asked him who he was. He replied, “My name is Ali bin Husain.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Has not Allah Most High had Ali bin Husain killed yet?” When no reply came he said, “Why don’t you answer me, I heard that Ali bin Husain had been killed.” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said “I had a brother called Ali Akbar and the people at Karbala martyred him.” Ibn Ziyad started to laugh and said, “Yes Allah Most High had him killed.” No one responded to this, so Ibn Ziyad said again, “Why don’t you speak?” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said, “Allah Most High has said everyone must die no matter who they are.” Ibn Ziyad replied, “Are you from amongst them too?” Then he turned to one of his men and said, “He has grown up now so why don’t you kill him.” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said, “If you kill me, look at all these women, who are they going to go to Madina with? They have no Mehram other than me who will go with them.” Sayyiduna Zainab could not hold her self back and started to cry again and hugged Zain-ul-Abidin and said, “Have your desires not been fulfilled yet? Why do you want to kill my last nephew as well? Do you not want to see any man alive? If you want to kill him then you have to kill me first. If you have any shame then do not kill him as he will go with us as a guardian to Madina.” Ibn Ziyad said, “I feel sorry for you but if I had really wanted to kill Zain-ul’Ahbedeen, I would kill both of you.”

MARTYR OF ABDULLAH BIN AFEEF

After this Ibn Ziyad ordered that all the people should be gathered together. One person stood up and called all the people and they gathered in the Mosque. Ibn Ziyad stood on the pulpit and gave a speech. In the speech he abused Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, and abused Imam Husain. Abdullah bin Afeef Azdee Waleabee was one of the companions of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). He was a person who spent much of his time in the Mosque. When he heard this speech and the abuse that Ibn Ziyad was directing towards Sayyiduna Ali, he could not take it and said, “ O liar, your father was a liar too, how can you say such evil lies about Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him. May Allah Most High send His wrath upon you. You have martyred the grandson of the Prophet, and you are talking like you have done a good deed.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Bring him to me.” Some of his men tried to bring him to Ibn Ziyad and there was a struggle. He ordered more of his men to arrest Abdullah. In the end Ziyad crucified Abdullah in the Mosque and he was also martyred.

PRISONER’S JOURNEY TO SYRIA

After the speech, ibn Ziyad ordered that the heads of Imam Husain, and some of the people who were martyred should be placed on top of long spears and taken around the streets of Kufa so everybody could see what had happened to the people who turned against the government. The next day he called all the women, Zain-ul-'Abidin and the two slaves and asked them to mount the camel’s bare backs and shackled everyone. He even made the women remove the veils from their faces so that the people could see them, and sent them all to King Yazid. Before they all arrived there Ibn Ziyad had sent the head of Imam Husain, so that the King could see for himself that he had obeyed his commands.

ZUHAIR BIN QAIS WENT TO YAZID

They were still on their way to Yazid when Zuhair went ahead to meet Yazid. Yazid asked him how he was. He replied, “I have come to you with some good news, Allah Most High has given us victory. Imam Husain and 18 of his close relatives and 60 of his friends and followers came towards Kufa. When we heard this we went to them as we thought they would create trouble; and we told them that either they swear allegiance to Yazid or we would have to go to war with them. They preferred to fight with us rather than compromise, so we had to get ready for war. When the sun came out we surrounded them from all sides. We attacked them with our swords, arrows and spears. They tried to save their lives by running here and there, in the trees, mountains and behind rocks; like pigeons would run if they saw a vulture. I swear by Allah Most High that their running and hiding did not make any difference and did not help them at all. Our sharp swords killed them and their bodies are lying there in the field with no clothes, or shade as we speak. If they have any shade it is the sun’s rays and if they have any clothes it is the soil, and the strong winds of the desert are throwing their bodies around. The only people who are looking on them and feeling sorry for them are the wild animals.”(1)

When Yazid heard this, his eyes filled with tears and he said, "I would have been pleased with you even had you not killed Imam Husain. May Allah's Most High wrath be upon Ibn Zaid who has done this to him. I swear by Allah Most High that if I were you I would have forgiven Imam Husain, may Allah Most High send his blessings on him." After saying this he became very quiet, and instead of giving him a gift, as it was customary to give the bearer of good news, he turned him away.

Move footnote to here

THE FAMILY OF IMAM HUSAIN REACHED SYRIA

Meanwhile the prisoners including the women, Zain-ul‘Abidin and the two slaves reached Syria and were taken beforeYazid. Imam Husain’s head, which was still on a spear, and all the other heads which were on platters were brought before Yazid. There were a lot of people with Yazid. When Fatimah and Sakeena, the daughters of Imam Husain, saw their father’s head they could not hold back and screamed out and cried. After a little while when they had calmed down, they said to Yazid, “Is it fair to make the relatives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) prisoners?” Yazid said, “Go and look in my house. The women in my house are mourning in exactly the same way that you are mourning.” Siyyidia Zainab, Fatima, and Sakeena and the other women went in the palace and saw that all the women were crying and mourning

___________________________________________________________

(1) I ask how Zuhair bin Qais claimed that he had good news for the King when Yazid himself cursed Ibn Ziyad who did all these bad things. And also at a later time Ibn Ziyad admitted that he had done a very bad thing. Zohar hid Imam Husain’s bravery and did not mention how courageous he and his followers were. Moreover, he did not mention anything about the three requests Imam Husain had asked for. May Allah Most High have his wrath upon him.

Zain-ul‘Abidin said, “If the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) saw us would he not release us?” Yazid said “yes he would,” Yazid then looked towards the people who were present and said to them, “Take off the shackles.” When they were all bought in front of Yazid, a person called Nu'man bin Bashir Ansar said, “Can you imagine what our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would have said if he had seen them like this as prisoners?” Yazid said, “You have spoken the truth. He would have been very unhappy.” He freed them all and had tents set up for them and gave them clothes and other necessary provisions.

THE FAMILY’S JOURNEY BACK TO MADINA

After a few days they started to make plans to leave for Madina. When they were departing for Madina, Nu'man bin Bashir appointed a pious person and said, “You go with the caravan and guide them in the journey making sure that they do not come to any harm.” Yazid compensated them for what had been taken from them and sent them on their way. As they were about to leave Yazid came up to Zain-ul ‘Abidin and said, “May Allah Most High’s wrath be upon UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, if I were there in his place I would have accepted the requests that your father mentioned, and I would have helped him as much as I could. But what Allah Most High wanted to happen has happened. If you ever require my help, write to me and I will try to fulfil your request.(1)

(1) Yazid was telling Zain-ul ‘Abidin and Sayyiduna Zaineb how sorry he was, but it was all a show and a false Sa'dness. At least he could have removed Ibn Ziyad from his post as governor, and the people who had helped martyr Imam Husain and his followers could have been punished. But he did not do any such thing.

Yazid then turned to the people who were travelling with them and said they must not be harmed or be given any trouble on the way. Zain-ul ‘Abidin, his aunt, his mother, his sisters and the rest of the crowd left for Madina. The guides and the helpers looked after them with respect and fulfilled their every need. They were looking after them so well not only because Yazid ordered them to do so, but also because they knew that these were the relatives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). In this way the caravan reached Madina and they began to live in Madina in peace.

NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE MARTYRED IN KARBALA

Sulaiman reports that when Imam Husain was martyred his head and other people's heads were carried on spears towards Ibn Ziyad. The following people were martyred at Karbala, May Allah be pleased with all of them.

Abbas, Jaffer, Abdullah, Uthman, Muhammad, Abu Bak’r, Abdullah, Husain bin Ali, Abu Bak’r, Qasim, Hasan bin Ali, Oun, Muhammad, Jaffer Abdur Rahman, Abdullah, Abdullah bin Muslim, Muhammad bin Abee Sa'id. These are the close relatives i.e. son, brother, and nephews of Imam Husain who were martyred in Karbala.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER KARBALA?

Yazid changed the governor of Madina from Waleed bin Utbah, to Uthman bin Muhammad. When Uthman bin Muhammad reached Madina, he asked a small number of respected people to go to meet Yazid in Syria. Amongst the people were Abdullah bin Hanzalah, Abdullah bin Abee Amar, Munzeer bin Zubear. When they reached syria, Yazid respected them as a guest is supposed to be respected. He gave Abdullah bin Hanzalah a gift of 100,000 Dirhams, and gave the rest of them 10,000 Dirhams. When this caravan came back to Madina, the people of Madina asked Abdullah bin Hanzalah about the character of Yazid. He replied, “We come from a person who does not practice religion. He drinks alcohol and listens to music.” If there were any pious people there, they would gather the people and overthrow him. The people said, “We have heard that Yazid respected you and has rewarded you for your alleginace to him.” Abdullah said, “Yes he has, and I have taken the money so that I can buy weapons to fight against him.”

Because of this news, the people of Madina removed Uthman bin Muhammad from his post and his officials were prisoned. Abdullah bin Muti was appointed as the new governor. Uthman bin Muhammad wrote a letter to Yazid explaining everything. Upon reading the letter, Yazid prepared an army of 12,000 people and said to them “The people of Madina have broken their allegiance to me and have chosen a new governor, Abdullah bin Muti'. I want you to go there and bring Madina under my kingdom again.” He tried to make Umar bin Sa'id, the commander of these 12,000 men but he refused to be in charge. Then he asked UbayduLlah bin Ziyad. His repley was “In the beginning I listened to you and martyred Imam Husain but I do not want to make the same mistake again. I do not want to fight with the people of Madina or become a bad person in the sight of Allah Most High.(1)

___________________________________________________________

(1) The people who say that it was right to kill Imam Husain should read these words very carefully. Why would the person who had martyred Imam Husain say that he had committed a great error. The enemies of Imam Husain should really think hard at this point before saying or making these false accusations and claiming that Ibn Ziyad or Yazid acted lawfully under the Shari‘ah.

He then turned to Muslim bin ‘Uqbah Murri and said, “Do you want to become a leader of the army?” He agreed and said that he would, and if need be, fight with the people of Madina. They prepared to leave for Madina. Yazid went with them for a while giving guidance on what to do. Burning with rage, Yazid said, “When you reach Madina, tell the people that you will give them three days to re-instate the governor of Madina Make sure you obtain allegiance from them. And remember do not harm Ali bin Husain (who is known as Zain-ul ‘Abdin), because he has not taken any step against our government.”

ALL THE ROADS INTO MADINA WERE BLOCKED

When Muslim bin Uqbah reached Madina, he blocked all the entrances into the city and camped outside, so that noone could come to help the people of Madina. He then sent a messenger to Abdullah bin Muti' and the people of Madina telling them that if within three days they had not agreeed to the terms of the King, he was prepared to go to war with them, and he would take all their possessions.

WAR BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF MADINA AND THE SYRIAN ARMY

When Abdullah bin Muti' and the people of Madina received the message they replied that they were prepared to go to war. Upon hearing the response of the people of Madina, Muslim bin 'Uqbah attacked Madina with his army and martyred many people. He killed Abdullah bin Muti'’s seven sons in front of him and then killed Abdullah bin Muti'. Many people fled the town and went into the hills and others hid in their houses. He ordered his men to take all the possessions the people of Madina. They raped over a 1000 women. A group of the companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) were also martyred. They tied their horses in the Mosque (Masjid Nabawi) and allowed them to urinate and defecate inside it. For three days there was no call for prayers and congregational prayers were not said inside the mosque.(1)

___________________________________________________________

(1) Imam Darmi writes that Sa'id bin Musaib, who was a great student of the companions, reported that when he was in the mosque he did not know about the time of the prayers until from the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) he heard the call for the prayer.

Darmi chapter Fasaeilun-Nabi (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Hafiz Ibn Taymiah writes that like Sa'id bin Musaib heard the call for prayer there are other people who heard the answer of their sallams from the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).Kitab Iqtida us Siratal Mustaqeem page 373 by Hafiz Ibn Taimiya

Muslim bin 'Uqbah Murri made everyone pledge allegiance to Yazid. If anyone declined he would have them killed. This tragic event took place during 63 Hijra.

(1)

__________________________________________________

(1) Hafiz Ibn Katheer writes that our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said that the person who fights with the people of Madina will melt like salt does in water, and the person who scares the people of Madina, Allah Most High will make them scared. And Allah Most High and his angels and the people’s curse be upon him. As in this Hadith it mention any one who causes a war with the people of Madina. Some scholars agree that it is permissible to send curse on Yazid. Imam Ibnul Jozee has written a whole book on this and has explained that to send the curse is permissible. But some scholars say people should not, as then some people would send curse on the companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Tareek Ibn Katheer chapter on Karbala. This Hadith of Hafiz Ibn Katheer is in Bukahri, and Muslim in the chapter of Hajj.

After the ravage of the popel of, Muslim bin ‘Uqbah advanced towards Makkah, as guided by Yazid.

IMAM HUSAIN GAVE COMFORT TO HIS SISTER ZAINEB

In the evening, Imam Husain was reciting some sad poetry when his sister Zaineb heard him. She came out of her tent, and said, “O I wish that I were not alive today, so that I would not have to see this day.” Imam Husain said to his sister, “What are you saying? Where is your patience? Be afraid of Allah Most High, and believe in his commands and thank Allah Most High. My mother, Fatima, who was the daughter of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) has passed away. My father, Ali, has also passed away. My brother, Hasan, has gone as well. And all the people who are on this earth will one day have to die and even the angels will have to die. And there is no doubt that one day will come when everything will be destroyed, and there will be only Allah Most High. My father was better than me, my mother was better than me, my brother was better than me. We all have to obey our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam). If the people who were better than us have gone then who are we to think we will not? We will have to go one day. O my sister, if I were to die tomorrow then I do not want you to pull your hair or beat your chest or cry loudly. Be patient because Allah is pleased with those who are patient.” When she heard this, she became very quite and went inside her tent.

Imam Husain called his people and said, “Tighten all the ropes which are connected to each tent, and dig a trench around the tents and set fire in them, so when the enemy come to attack us in the morning they will not be able to reach the tents.” After doing this, they went and prayed until Fajar. Imam Husain led the Fajar prayer for his followers, and Umar bin Sa’d lead the prayer for his men. It was Friday the 10th of Muharram 61 AH.

IMAM HUSAIN’S HISTORICAL SERMON

When Imam Husain saw that both sides were ready to go to war, he mounted a camel and faced the opposition and made the following speech:

“O people do not rush to kill me as I am the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam), I have not come here of my own accord but have been called by you people. At this time, there is not a man on earth who is the grandson of a prophet apart from me. Pause to think for a while who am I ? If you want to know about me, go and ask the Prophet’s companions who are still alive. Go and ask Jaffer bin Abdullah, Abu Sa'id, Suhail bin Sa’d, Zaid bin Arkam and Anas bin Malik. They will tell you how the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) used to love us. Tell me is it right for you to receive me with un-sheathed swords? Tell me, for what crime do you want to kill me? Have I killed anyone that you want to punish me for his or her murder? Or have I taken anybody’s property? O people listen to me, did you not write letters asking me to come? Once again I say, I have come here because you have invited me. But since I have come here, you do not recognise me and you do not want to support me.” He then finished his sermon and dismounted the camel.

EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN ZUHAIR AND SHIMAR

Zuhair bin Qayn, one of the supporters of Imam Husain, said, "O people of Kufa! We are all brothers, and we have not yet started to fight. On one side is the grandson of our Prophet and on the other side is Ibn Ziyad. You should leave that evil man and come and join Imam Husain‘s group. Those who contribute to the killing of the grandson of the Prophet will be in utter loss on the Day of Judgement because the Prophet will not intercede on their behalf. Victory lies with Imam Husain; with King Yazid and the governor there is nothing but shame.” Shimar responded that Zuhair bin Qayn his group would all be punished and killed. Zuhair replied, "You should not interrupt us. We are honest supporters of Imam Husain, and for that reason we will be granted Paradise." Zouhair wanted to continue with this verbal battle, but Imam Husain told him to go back to his tent.

SEPARATION OF HUR BIN YAZID FROM THE ARMY OF UMAR BIN SA’D

When Umar bin Sa’d decided to attack, Hur came before him and asked him if they were going to fight with Imam Husain. And if they had not accepted his proposals.Umar bin Sa’d said that he wanted to accept one of those proposals but Ibn Ziyad had not agreed to any of those conditions. After listening to this Hur started to move closer and closer towards Imam Husain and his followers with thirty of his men. One person said, “Hur, why are your legs shaking? Hur answered “I am trying to decide whether to go to Paradise or to Hell.” Before they knew it, he and his men were beside Imam Husain. He said “I am the person who made you encamp here and stopped you from going back to Makkah. I swear by Allah Most High I did not realise that the situation would escalate to such a degree that they would want to kill you. Whatever I have done was wrong. Can you tell me, if I ask for forgiveness, will Allah Most High forgive me? Imam Husain said, “Of course, Allah Most High will forgive you and I will make Dua for you that Allah Most High forgives you for your past sins.”

In this way Hur joined Imam Husain and left Umar bin Sa’d‘s army. Hur then addressed Umar bin Sa’d‘s army:

“O people, why did you not accept any of the terms offered by Imam Husain? Do you think that Allah Most High will allow you to succeed and defeat the grandson of his beloved Prophet (pbuh)? Do you think that by killing Imam Husain you will gain salvation? O residents of Kufa! you called Imam Husain and have now left him alone. How sad it is that you have surrounded him in a place where he cannot go anywhere. And how pathetic it is that you have blocked the river (Euphrates) so that no person from his followers can have water. The Jews, Christians, Fire worshipers, dogs, pigs and other animals are drinking water but Imam Husain cannot have water. Is he not even worthy of drinking our water? O people, if you do not repent from this and give Imam Husain water, on the Day of Judgement Allah Most High will also not let you drink water from the river Kauther.”

While Hur was making his speech the people started throwing arrows at him and he went inside the camp.

BEGINNING OF THE WAR

On 10th of Muharram Umar bin Sa’d got his bow and arrows ready and started to fire them towards Imam Husain and his followers. He said “O people, be my witness that I was the first one to shoot my arrows towards Imam Husain.” When his people saw this they also started to shoot their arrows towards them. Afterwards Yassar the slave of Ziyad, and Salam, the slave of UbayduLlah came from Umar bin Sa'd’s army and challenged Imam Husain and said, “Send two of your champions and we shall fight them.” From Imam Husain’s side, Abdullah bin Omair Kalbi came out to fight. He killed Yassar. Salam tried to kill Abdullah and struck a blow with which Abdullah lost the fingers of one of his hands. Then Abdullah struck a blow on Salam and killed him too. Nearby was his wife who came running towards him and said, “I am proud of you for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alhi wasallam) and I am also with you.” Abdullah said to her, “You should go back to where Imam Husain is.” Then Abdullah went towards Umar bin Sa'ds army and started to fight with them. They all attacked him and martyred him. (May Allah grant him Paradise, Ameen)

END OF IBN JOZAH

Ibn Jozah was from the army of Umar bin Sa’d. He left his post and started to say to Imam Husain and his followers, “Where is Imam Husain? Which one of you is Imam Husain?” The third time he asked this, one of the people from the crowd said, “He is with us. What would you like to say to him?” Ibn Jozah said “O Imam Husain I have come to tell you that you are shortly going to enter the Hell fire.” Imam Husain said, “You are a lair, after my death I am going to meet Allah Most High, who is the most Merciful and most Kind. Who are you?” Ibn Jozah told his name. Imam Husain then made a supplication (Dua) “O Allah Most High send him to the Hell Fire.” Upon hearing this Ibn Jozah became angry when he heard this and tried to ride his horse towards Imam Husain at high speed. But his horse became frightened and tossed him over, whereby his foot got caught in the stirrup and he was left hanging to the ground. The horse started to gallop very fast and he was dragged along the floor. It got to the point that there was no flesh left on his face and he died. One of Ibn Jozah’s friends said, “I am not going to fight with Imam Husain as his supplications are accepted immediately.”

MARTYRDOM OF IBN KHUZAIR

Yazid bin Ma‘qil came from the other side to challenge Imam Husain’s companions to single combat. Ibn Khuzair came out from Imam Husain’s side and said, “You people are liars and cheats. You should repent because you came to fight with Imam Husain.” They started to fight and Ibn Khuzair killed Yazid bin Ma‘qil. When his people saw this, they rushed over to attack Ibn Khuzair and K‘ab bin Jabir martyred him. K‘ab’s wife was on Imam Husain’s side. When she saw that her husband had killed Ibn Khuzair, she came over and said to him, “How can you kill a person who was the best amongst us in reading the Holy Qur'an, and was known as Sayyidul Qurah. I do not want anything to do with you. I am asking for a divorce from you as we have nothing in common.”

MARTYRDOM OF UMAR BIN QURZAH

One of Imam Husain’s followers Umar bin Qurzah came to help Ibn Khuzair and fought til he was also martyred. One of his brothers was in the army of Umar bin Sa’d. He shouted in a loud voice, “O Husain, you are a liar and your father was a lair also, and you brain-washed my brother so that he became your follower and was killed for you.” Imam Husain answered, “I did not mislead your brother but Allah Most High guided him on the straight path. You are being misled.” Upon hearing this Umar got angry and started to attack Imam Husain’s side and said, “There will be either me or you left; only one of us will survive this battle.” In the mean time, Nafi' bin Hilal from Imam Husain’s side shot an arrow at him and injured him badly and then pulled his sword out ready to go and cut off his head. Just as he was about to do some people from the other side came and took him back, thus he survived.

After this two other people, Muzahim bin Harees and Yazid bin Sufyan came out to fight. They challenged anyone, asking who wanted to confront them. Nafi' bin Hilal and Hur came out for the single combat. It was the saem Hur who had deserted Umar bin Sa’d’s army and had repented. They both went out to fight these two people and Allah Most High gave them victory over both of them. The losses suffered by Umar’s army greatly worried Amar bin Hujjaj, so he suggested that rather than meeting Imam Husain’s supporters in single combat,a general attack should be launched.Umar bin Sa’d agreed with his plan.

When Imam Husain heard this he said, “O Umar bin Hajjaj how can you turn the people against us. If you were to die in this position, in your heart you know who is speaking the truth and who is telling lies. Which of the two groups is on the straight path and which one is not.” Hajjaj could not bear to listen to the truth so he attacked Imam Husain’s side with the entire right-wing of the army under him. The attack was resisted by Imam Husain’s companions but Muslim bin ‘Awsaja was left on the ground of the battlefield. Imam Husain came to him and comforted him saying, “May Allah Most High be Merciful to you.” Habib bin Muzahar, who was close-by, said, “May Allah Most High grant you Paradise.” Muslim bin ‘Awsaja opened his eyes and said, “Whatever happens, until you are alive do not leave Imam Husain’s side as he is on the straight path.” Thus ‘Awsaja passed away.

RAIN OF ARROWS ON IMAM HUSAIN’S FOLLOWERS

The rival force decided to launch their attack at once, and simultaneously began to fire arrows at Imam Husain and his followers. Some of Imam Husain’s followers and their horses sustained injuries. Even Hur’s horse was injured, and many of the horses were no longer capable of being used in the battle. But the brave soldiers began fighting on foot and the fight dragged until the afternoon. By mid-afternoon the battle was in full force. Umar bin Sa'd and his followers saw that they were losing the battle and lost the courage to continue fighting. Eventually, Shimar and Umar bin Sa'd ordered the others to begin throwing fireballs on the tents of Imam Husain and his followers. When Imam Husain realised what they were planning to do, he came out of his tent and shouted, "Have you got no shame? There are children and women in these tents, how are they going to protect themselves if they get burnt?" He turned to Shimar and asked him, "Are you not ashamed to throw fireballs on my tent when my wife and children are inside it?" Shimar replied, "It does not matter to me that by burning down these tents I will go to Hell, I will burn them down anyway." Eventually, two men Humaid bin Muslim and Shabath bin Rib‘i, told him that it was wrong to be attack the tents in this way, and they stopped throwing the fireballs at them.

MARTYRDOM OF HABIB BIN MUZAHAR AND HUR BIN YAZID

As people from Imam Husain's side were martyred during the course of the battle, his group of followers began to look very small in number. In contrast, when members of the opposition lost their lives it made no difference to their strength. In the mean time the hour for the Friday prayer arrived. Abu Thumama Sa‘idi suggested to Imam Husain that they should ask the rival force to allow them to offer the Friday prayer, and if the enemy decided to kill them during the prayer then it will still be a great honour to die in the state of prayer. Imam Husain told him to ask Shimar if they were permitted to say the prayer.

He went to ask Shimar to stop the battle so that they could pray. Haseen bin Numair emerged from the ranks of the army saying, “what is the point of saying prayers when your prayers are not accepted.” Habib bin Muzahar from Imam Husain’s side said, “O dog of the world, do you think your prayers are accepted? How can you say that the prayers of the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) are not accepted? Are you not ashamed by saying this?” Haseen got angry and got on his horse and came very quickly towards Habib. Habib got his sword and waved it at him and hit him so hard that he fell off his horse and was badly injured. His companions ran to his rescue and took his body away and started to fight with Habib. Habib fought with them with great courage. Habib also killed Badeel bin Suream. Another person attacked Habib from behind and as he turned round to confront him Haseen came again and martyred Habib. When Imam Husain saw this he was deeply saddened by the fact that such a courageous man has been martyred.

Hur asked Imam Husain to allow him to sacrifice himself and take revenge for the death of Habib. Hur used his sword very effectively in the battlefield and killed amny men. This inspired such awe in the hearts of Umar bin S’ad’s men that they began shooting arrows at him. Eventually, it was Abu Thamama who martyred him.

MARTYRDOM OF NAFI’ BIN HILAL

Nafi’ bin Hilal, one of Imam Husain‘s friends, was a very courageous person; he killed twelve of Umar bin Sa'd’s soldiers. Eventually, he was injured so severly that they captured him and took him to Umar bin Sa’d. Umar bin Sa’d looked at Nafi' bin Hilal and said, “Look what we have done to you.” Nafi' said, “I have killed twelve of your men and sent them to Hell Fire. If I had any more strength in my arms I would kill you and send you to the Hell Fire as well. But I am glad that I am fighting for Imam Husain and am going to be martyred by people who are on the wrong path. After saying this he breathed his last and joined many others in martyrdom.

SOME OTHER MARTYRS

The fighting continued and people would come to Imam Husain and ask him to be allowed to sacrifice themselves. Abdullah and Abdur’rahman who were from the Gafari tribe came to Imam Husain and asked for his permission to fight. Permission was granted and while fighting with Umar bin Sa'd’s men they were martyred. Similarly, Saif and Malik came and begged for his leave. When they went in the battlefield, they told the rival force, “Leave the wrong path and join us on the straight path. How will you explain yourselves to Allah Most High on the Day of Judgement?” When they heard this Umar bin Sa'd’s men attacked and martyred them. Similarly, Shawdhb bin Abdullah and Ibn Abi Shabib Shakri’s servant, Shuzab, came to Imam Hussian to ask his permission to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving the valuable principles of Islamic political system. They too achieved martyred. This pattern of events was repeated again and again and may people were martyrdom in this way.

MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAIN’S FAMILY

When all his close friends and the followers who came with him had been martyred, the only people left were members of Imam Husain’s immediate family: his young sons, his brother and himself. One of Imam Husain’s sons, Ali Akbar, came to request Imam Husain to permit him to sacrifice himself in the cause of the Truth. Permission was granted and as he entered the battlefield, he killed many of Umar bin Sa'd’s men but they were too great in number and he suffered repeated attacks at their hands. Murah bin Munqad Abdi attacked Ali Akbar from behind with a spear which made him fall to the ground. When the people saw him falling to the ground, they ran to him and attacked him with swords and martyred him. Oun, Abdur’rahman, and Jaffer went with Imam Husain to bring Ali Akbar’s body back to the tent.

Abdullah bin Muslim then went to fight and was injured by Umar bin Subeah Saydani’s arrow. He was on the ground. Umar saw his chance and shot another arrow and martyred Abdullah. The enemy were slowly surrounding them and Abdullah bin Qutbah Ta‘i martyred Oun bin Abdullah bin Jaffer. Uthman bin Kahlid and Bisher bin Shawoth martyred Abdur’rahman bin Aqeel. Abdullah bin Urah Kashee martyred Jaffer bin Aqeel.

Qasim bin Hasan, Imam Husain’s nephew, went to fight and as soon as he entered the battlefield, Umar bin Sa’d bin Nafaill Azdi attacked him viciously from behind. Qasim fell to the ground and shouted “O my uncle, O my uncle.” When Imam Husain heard this he quickly went to his assistance and attacked Umar. Umar tried to save himself but his hand got injured and as he fell he shouted to his friends. His friends came in such a disordly fashion that a great commotion was caused by the galloping of so many horses and Umar was crushed to death by them.

Imam Husain stood by Qasim and said “How evil is this group, how bad are these people who have martyred you? Tomorrow on the Day of Judgement I will present you in front of Allah Most High and He will decide their fate. I have been forced into such a weak position that even when my nephew calls out to me for help I cannot help him. I have never before faced such helplessness, and I swear by Allah Most High that my enemies are great in number and my companions are few.” While Imam Husain was talking to Qasim, he slowly passed away. Imam Husain carried his body on his back and brought him to where the bodies of Ali Akbar and other relatives had been kept. Abu Bakr bin Hasn was also attacked and martyred.

MARTYRDOM OF ABDULLAH BIN HUSAIN

For a short period of time the battle was less intense, Imam Husain walked out of the tent. After a while he sat down with his son, Abdullah bin Husain, in his lap. Abdullah bin Husain was four or five year old at that time. A person from Bani Asad shot an arrow which penetrated Abdullah’s neck, and he was also martyred. Imam Husain looked up towards the sky and said “O Allah Most High, if you do not help us we will be killed one by one, take revenge on these tyrant people.”

IMAM HUSAIN’S BROTHERS WERE MARTYRED

Abbas bin Ali, Imam Husain’s brother called his two other brothers, Abdullah and Jaffer, and said, “Let us fight the enemy who are against Allah Most High and his Prophet, even if we have to be martyred.” They fought with their all hearts, until Hani bin Sabet martyred Abdullah bin Ali and Jaffer bin Ali. A person from the tribe of Bani, Abban bin Daram, attacked Uthman bin Ali and knocked him down. Then he got on top of his chest, cut off his head and martyred him. Another person from the same tribe martyred Muhammad bin Ali. Abu Bakr bin Ali was also martyred.

IMAM HUSAIN WAS LEFT ALONE

Imam Husain’s sons, nephews, brothers, relatives, friends and supporters – all had been martyred. Imam Husain was left alone. Imam Husain was thirsty and tired due to all the fighting. He started to go towards the river Euphrates so that he may have a drink. When he was close enough to have a drink, Haseen bin Numair shot an arrow that hit Imam Husain in the face. Imam Husain pulled the arrow out of his face and as he was wiping the blood, he kept saying; “O Allah Most High punish those who are doing these evil things to the grandson of your beloved Prophet. Punish those who are using force against me.” Later, Shimar got ten of his men and went towards Imam Husain’s tent. Imam Husain admonished them saying, “Don’t you have any shame? Are you not afraid of the Hereafter? Have you lost all sense of humanity? Tell your men not to harm the women and children.” When noone answered him, Imam Husain picked up his sword and started to fight. Shimar had with him Abdur Rahman bin Jofee, Qasam bin Nazeed Jofee, Sahleh bin Wahhab, Sinan bin Ans Nakhee, Khowlah bin Yazid Asbahee, and he shouted to them to surround Imam Husain, and kill him.

When they tried to surround Imam Husain, he attacked them and they all fell to the ground. In the end they all attacked him simultaneously. Even then Imam Husain fought them off. While this was happening, Sayyiduna Zaineb (Imam Husain's sister) came out of her tent to see what all the commotion was about. When she saw that her brother was being attacked, she looked up towards the sky saying, "O sky, why don't you fall down on the earth when they are attacking Imam Husain?" She saw Umar bin Sa'd and said to him, "Ibn Sa'd, my brother Husain will be martyred before your very eyes. Do you not have any shame?" Upon hearing this Umar bin Sa'd's eyes filled with tears and they rolled down into his beard. He had nothing to say in his defence and turned away from Sayyiduna Zaineb. Imam Husain continued fighting, determined not to surrender to those who had marked the beginning of Monarchism in Islam.He said to them, "You are hungry for my blood. I swear by Allah Most High that Allah Most High will not be pleased with you. Allah Most High will punish you for my death and he will take revenge before you even realise that He has done it. And I swear by Allah Most High that if you kill me the doors of bloodshed will be opened on you, and there will be many killings amongst your people. Why? Because you are trying to kill an innocent person, and that is not permissible in Islam." When Imam Husain told them this, not one person answered him. Meanwhile, Imam Husain was still protecting himself in the fight. In the back of their minds all of the soldiers had the thought that they should not be the one to actually kill him. In their hearts they knew that he was the grandson of the Prophet (Sallal laho alhi wasallam) and nobody wanted to be the person remembered and cursed until the Day of Judgement for killing Imam Husain.

MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAIN

Shimar shouted to his men, “How cowardly you all are? You cannot even kill an injured person. There are so many of you that if all of you were to throw one stone at a time he would be killed and buried. So what are you doing? Attack him at once and kill him instantly.” When Imam Husain heard that Shimar was urging the people to attack him, he said, “The prophecy of the Prophet has come true. The Prophet had said that he was looking at a white dog that was sniffing at the blood of his family.” The reason Imam Husain said this was because Shimar had leprosy.

When they heard this they started to attack. Some of them started to shoot arrows at Imam Husain. Zurah bin Sahreek Tamimi attacked Imam Husain on his right shoulder, causing him deep and serious wounds. After that Sinan bin Anas Nakhee threw a spear at Imam Husain. The sheer force made Imam Husain fall to the ground, and Khowla bin Yazid Asbahi came forward with the intention of cutting off Imam Husain’s head. At that time Imam Husain’s whole body was shaking. Sanan said to Khowla, “You get back, I will cut his head off.” He came forward and cut Imam Husain’s head and separated it from his body. They started to divide Imam Husain’s belongings amongst themselves. Baher bin Ka’b took Imam Husain’s shirt, Qais took Imam Husain’s shoes and Aswad Azdee took his sword. There were spear wounds , and forty-three sword wounds on Imam Husain’s body.Umar bin Sa’d ordered ten horsemen to ride over Imam Husain’s body at such a speed that the meat would be separated from the bones.

During the course of the battle 72 people had been killed from the opposite side, and 88 people had been martyred from Imam Husain’s side. Umar bin Sa’d led the funeral prayer for his deceased and buried them and left Imam Husain and his followers as they were.

According to the Islamic calendar, it was the time of the Friday prayer on the 10th of Muharram in 61 Hijrah when Imam Husain was martyred.

EVENTS AFTER MARTYRDOM

THE TENTS WERE ROBBED

After Imam Husain was martyred, the enemy took all of his belongings, and captured his injured horse. They went towards his tents on their camels and entered the tents of Imam Husain’s wife and the rest of the women and started to take whatever they could find. They even took the blankets, which were on Imam Husain’s wife, sister and daughters. Shimar bin Zil Jawshan saw that Ali bin Husain, the son of Imam Husain, who was sick at the time, was in the tent He looked much younger in appearance than he actually was. When Shimar saw him he said, “Kill him also.” Humaid bin Muslim stopped him and said “Are you trying to kill little children as well?” When he heard this he stopped himself from killing Ali. This is the same Ali who is well known as Zain-ul- 'Abidin. Zain-ul- 'Abidin and all the women were taken into custody.

Imam Husain’s wife, Rubab, her servants Uqba bin Saman and Murkah bin Samama Asdi were still alive. Zain-ul- 'Abidin, Imam Husain’s sister and his daughter were also alive, as servants were not killed at the time of war Shimar got Imam Husain’s head and called Khowla bin Yazid and Humaid bin Muslim Asdee and said, “Take this head and go to Kufa and inform Ibn Ziyad that we have cut off Imam Husain’s head as he had wished.” Night had already fallen when these reached Kufa, the house of the governor was locked.

Khowla took Imam Husain’s head to his house for the night. When he reached his house he told his wife that he had brought the head of Imam Husain. His wife said, “People bring back bags of money when they go away, and you have brought into our house the head of the grandson of our Prophet (sallal la ho alihi wasallam)? For this reason I am not going to speak to you” He then went into another part of the house and went to sleep. His wife reported that in the morning she saw a light (noor) flickering towards the sky from the tub where Imam Husain’s head had been placed, and fluttering white birds were surrounding it.

In the morning Khowla took the head of Imam Husain to Governor Ibn Ziyad and presented it to him on a platter. The governor had a small stick in his hand and he tapped it on the teeth of Imam Husain. Zaid bin al-‘Arqam, a companion of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), was present at the governor‘s house. He said to Ibn Ziyad, “Do not tap your stick on those teeth. I have seen those teeth being kissed by our Prophet (sallalaho alihi wasallam) many times. Today you are hitting your stick on those same teeth” Ibn Ziyad said, “May Allah Most High curse you. If you were not an old man I would have your head cut off as well.” Zaid bin Al’Arqam stood up and said “How evil you are, you have martyred the grandson of Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).” Then he turned to the crowd and said “What kind of governor have you appointed that he is killing righteous people, curse on you all and on you Ibn Ziyad that you have made such a big mistake and you are not even ashamed of it.”

IMAM HUSAIN’S FAMILY TAKEN TO KUFA

The next day Shimar, who had captured all the women and Zain-ul- ‘Abidin and the two slaves, started to move them towards Kufa to bring them in front of Ibn Ziyad. When the women came out of their tents they could see in the distance that in the battlefield all the bodies were covered in blood and some were badly mutilated. They all screamed together and Sayyiduna Zaineb shouted “Ya Muhammad Ya Muhammad (O Muhammad O Muhammad), they have mutilated Imam Husain and he is lying there covered in blood.” She repeated the same words again and said, “Your daughters are shackled and prisoned. Your children have been martyred and their bodies are covered in dust.” When Sayyiduna Zaineb said this, even the enemy had tears in their eyes.

They were taken to the governor’s house in Kufa. Ibn Ziyad pointed towards Sayyiduna Zaineb and asked, “Who is she?” as he did not know who Sayyiduna Zaineb was. He asked two or three times. Someone answered and said, “This is Zaineb, Sayyiduna Fatimah’s daughter, the granddaughter of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).” Ibn Ziyad said to Zaineb “I thank Allah Most High that your brother, who was a liar, has been punished.” Zaineb said “I thank Allah Most High for giving us birth in the house of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and for revealing the Holy Qur'an in our house. This world is only for a few days and you are wrong to think that we should be ashamed or embarrassed because in the Hereafter we will be the respected ones, and Allah Most High will punish those who are evil.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Did you not see how I killed all your relatives, and how I mutilated their bodies.” Zainab could not hold back the tears as she had witnessed these events before her own eyes and she began to weep.

Ibn Ziyad then looked at Zain-ul- ‘Abidin and and asked him who he was. He replied, “My name is Ali bin Husain.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Has not Allah Most High had Ali bin Husain killed yet?” When no reply came he said, “Why don’t you answer me, I heard that Ali bin Husain had been killed.” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said “I had a brother called Ali Akbar and the people at Karbala martyred him.” Ibn Ziyad started to laugh and said, “Yes Allah Most High had him killed.” No one responded to this, so Ibn Ziyad said again, “Why don’t you speak?” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said, “Allah Most High has said everyone must die no matter who they are.” Ibn Ziyad replied, “Are you from amongst them too?” Then he turned to one of his men and said, “He has grown up now so why don’t you kill him.” Zain-ul- ‘Abidin said, “If you kill me, look at all these women, who are they going to go to Madina with? They have no Mehram other than me who will go with them.” Sayyiduna Zainab could not hold her self back and started to cry again and hugged Zain-ul-Abidin and said, “Have your desires not been fulfilled yet? Why do you want to kill my last nephew as well? Do you not want to see any man alive? If you want to kill him then you have to kill me first. If you have any shame then do not kill him as he will go with us as a guardian to Madina.” Ibn Ziyad said, “I feel sorry for you but if I had really wanted to kill Zain-ul’Ahbedeen, I would kill both of you.”

MARTYR OF ABDULLAH BIN AFEEF

After this Ibn Ziyad ordered that all the people should be gathered together. One person stood up and called all the people and they gathered in the Mosque. Ibn Ziyad stood on the pulpit and gave a speech. In the speech he abused Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, and abused Imam Husain. Abdullah bin Afeef Azdee Waleabee was one of the companions of our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). He was a person who spent much of his time in the Mosque. When he heard this speech and the abuse that Ibn Ziyad was directing towards Sayyiduna Ali, he could not take it and said, “ O liar, your father was a liar too, how can you say such evil lies about Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him. May Allah Most High send His wrath upon you. You have martyred the grandson of the Prophet, and you are talking like you have done a good deed.” Ibn Ziyad said, “Bring him to me.” Some of his men tried to bring him to Ibn Ziyad and there was a struggle. He ordered more of his men to arrest Abdullah. In the end Ziyad crucified Abdullah in the Mosque and he was also martyred.

PRISONER’S JOURNEY TO SYRIA

After the speech, ibn Ziyad ordered that the heads of Imam Husain, and some of the people who were martyred should be placed on top of long spears and taken around the streets of Kufa so everybody could see what had happened to the people who turned against the government. The next day he called all the women, Zain-ul-'Abidin and the two slaves and asked them to mount the camel’s bare backs and shackled everyone. He even made the women remove the veils from their faces so that the people could see them, and sent them all to King Yazid. Before they all arrived there Ibn Ziyad had sent the head of Imam Husain, so that the King could see for himself that he had obeyed his commands.

ZUHAIR BIN QAIS WENT TO YAZID

They were still on their way to Yazid when Zuhair went ahead to meet Yazid. Yazid asked him how he was. He replied, “I have come to you with some good news, Allah Most High has given us victory. Imam Husain and 18 of his close relatives and 60 of his friends and followers came towards Kufa. When we heard this we went to them as we thought they would create trouble; and we told them that either they swear allegiance to Yazid or we would have to go to war with them. They preferred to fight with us rather than compromise, so we had to get ready for war. When the sun came out we surrounded them from all sides. We attacked them with our swords, arrows and spears. They tried to save their lives by running here and there, in the trees, mountains and behind rocks; like pigeons would run if they saw a vulture. I swear by Allah Most High that their running and hiding did not make any difference and did not help them at all. Our sharp swords killed them and their bodies are lying there in the field with no clothes, or shade as we speak. If they have any shade it is the sun’s rays and if they have any clothes it is the soil, and the strong winds of the desert are throwing their bodies around. The only people who are looking on them and feeling sorry for them are the wild animals.”(1)

When Yazid heard this, his eyes filled with tears and he said, "I would have been pleased with you even had you not killed Imam Husain. May Allah's Most High wrath be upon Ibn Zaid who has done this to him. I swear by Allah Most High that if I were you I would have forgiven Imam Husain, may Allah Most High send his blessings on him." After saying this he became very quiet, and instead of giving him a gift, as it was customary to give the bearer of good news, he turned him away.

Move footnote to here

THE FAMILY OF IMAM HUSAIN REACHED SYRIA

Meanwhile the prisoners including the women, Zain-ul‘Abidin and the two slaves reached Syria and were taken beforeYazid. Imam Husain’s head, which was still on a spear, and all the other heads which were on platters were brought before Yazid. There were a lot of people with Yazid. When Fatimah and Sakeena, the daughters of Imam Husain, saw their father’s head they could not hold back and screamed out and cried. After a little while when they had calmed down, they said to Yazid, “Is it fair to make the relatives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) prisoners?” Yazid said, “Go and look in my house. The women in my house are mourning in exactly the same way that you are mourning.” Siyyidia Zainab, Fatima, and Sakeena and the other women went in the palace and saw that all the women were crying and mourning

___________________________________________________________

(1) I ask how Zuhair bin Qais claimed that he had good news for the King when Yazid himself cursed Ibn Ziyad who did all these bad things. And also at a later time Ibn Ziyad admitted that he had done a very bad thing. Zohar hid Imam Husain’s bravery and did not mention how courageous he and his followers were. Moreover, he did not mention anything about the three requests Imam Husain had asked for. May Allah Most High have his wrath upon him.

Zain-ul‘Abidin said, “If the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) saw us would he not release us?” Yazid said “yes he would,” Yazid then looked towards the people who were present and said to them, “Take off the shackles.” When they were all bought in front of Yazid, a person called Nu'man bin Bashir Ansar said, “Can you imagine what our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) would have said if he had seen them like this as prisoners?” Yazid said, “You have spoken the truth. He would have been very unhappy.” He freed them all and had tents set up for them and gave them clothes and other necessary provisions.

THE FAMILY’S JOURNEY BACK TO MADINA

After a few days they started to make plans to leave for Madina. When they were departing for Madina, Nu'man bin Bashir appointed a pious person and said, “You go with the caravan and guide them in the journey making sure that they do not come to any harm.” Yazid compensated them for what had been taken from them and sent them on their way. As they were about to leave Yazid came up to Zain-ul ‘Abidin and said, “May Allah Most High’s wrath be upon UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, if I were there in his place I would have accepted the requests that your father mentioned, and I would have helped him as much as I could. But what Allah Most High wanted to happen has happened. If you ever require my help, write to me and I will try to fulfil your request.(1)

(1) Yazid was telling Zain-ul ‘Abidin and Sayyiduna Zaineb how sorry he was, but it was all a show and a false Sa'dness. At least he could have removed Ibn Ziyad from his post as governor, and the people who had helped martyr Imam Husain and his followers could have been punished. But he did not do any such thing.

Yazid then turned to the people who were travelling with them and said they must not be harmed or be given any trouble on the way. Zain-ul ‘Abidin, his aunt, his mother, his sisters and the rest of the crowd left for Madina. The guides and the helpers looked after them with respect and fulfilled their every need. They were looking after them so well not only because Yazid ordered them to do so, but also because they knew that these were the relatives of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). In this way the caravan reached Madina and they began to live in Madina in peace.

NAMES OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE MARTYRED IN KARBALA

Sulaiman reports that when Imam Husain was martyred his head and other people's heads were carried on spears towards Ibn Ziyad. The following people were martyred at Karbala, May Allah be pleased with all of them.

Abbas, Jaffer, Abdullah, Uthman, Muhammad, Abu Bak’r, Abdullah, Husain bin Ali, Abu Bak’r, Qasim, Hasan bin Ali, Oun, Muhammad, Jaffer Abdur Rahman, Abdullah, Abdullah bin Muslim, Muhammad bin Abee Sa'id. These are the close relatives i.e. son, brother, and nephews of Imam Husain who were martyred in Karbala.

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER KARBALA?

Yazid changed the governor of Madina from Waleed bin Utbah, to Uthman bin Muhammad. When Uthman bin Muhammad reached Madina, he asked a small number of respected people to go to meet Yazid in Syria. Amongst the people were Abdullah bin Hanzalah, Abdullah bin Abee Amar, Munzeer bin Zubear. When they reached syria, Yazid respected them as a guest is supposed to be respected. He gave Abdullah bin Hanzalah a gift of 100,000 Dirhams, and gave the rest of them 10,000 Dirhams. When this caravan came back to Madina, the people of Madina asked Abdullah bin Hanzalah about the character of Yazid. He replied, “We come from a person who does not practice religion. He drinks alcohol and listens to music.” If there were any pious people there, they would gather the people and overthrow him. The people said, “We have heard that Yazid respected you and has rewarded you for your alleginace to him.” Abdullah said, “Yes he has, and I have taken the money so that I can buy weapons to fight against him.”

Because of this news, the people of Madina removed Uthman bin Muhammad from his post and his officials were prisoned. Abdullah bin Muti was appointed as the new governor. Uthman bin Muhammad wrote a letter to Yazid explaining everything. Upon reading the letter, Yazid prepared an army of 12,000 people and said to them “The people of Madina have broken their allegiance to me and have chosen a new governor, Abdullah bin Muti'. I want you to go there and bring Madina under my kingdom again.” He tried to make Umar bin Sa'id, the commander of these 12,000 men but he refused to be in charge. Then he asked UbayduLlah bin Ziyad. His repley was “In the beginning I listened to you and martyred Imam Husain but I do not want to make the same mistake again. I do not want to fight with the people of Madina or become a bad person in the sight of Allah Most High.(1)

___________________________________________________________

(1) The people who say that it was right to kill Imam Husain should read these words very carefully. Why would the person who had martyred Imam Husain say that he had committed a great error. The enemies of Imam Husain should really think hard at this point before saying or making these false accusations and claiming that Ibn Ziyad or Yazid acted lawfully under the Shari‘ah.

He then turned to Muslim bin ‘Uqbah Murri and said, “Do you want to become a leader of the army?” He agreed and said that he would, and if need be, fight with the people of Madina. They prepared to leave for Madina. Yazid went with them for a while giving guidance on what to do. Burning with rage, Yazid said, “When you reach Madina, tell the people that you will give them three days to re-instate the governor of Madina Make sure you obtain allegiance from them. And remember do not harm Ali bin Husain (who is known as Zain-ul ‘Abdin), because he has not taken any step against our government.”

ALL THE ROADS INTO MADINA WERE BLOCKED

When Muslim bin Uqbah reached Madina, he blocked all the entrances into the city and camped outside, so that noone could come to help the people of Madina. He then sent a messenger to Abdullah bin Muti' and the people of Madina telling them that if within three days they had not agreeed to the terms of the King, he was prepared to go to war with them, and he would take all their possessions.

WAR BETWEEN THE PEOPLE OF MADINA AND THE SYRIAN ARMY

When Abdullah bin Muti' and the people of Madina received the message they replied that they were prepared to go to war. Upon hearing the response of the people of Madina, Muslim bin 'Uqbah attacked Madina with his army and martyred many people. He killed Abdullah bin Muti'’s seven sons in front of him and then killed Abdullah bin Muti'. Many people fled the town and went into the hills and others hid in their houses. He ordered his men to take all the possessions the people of Madina. They raped over a 1000 women. A group of the companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) were also martyred. They tied their horses in the Mosque (Masjid Nabawi) and allowed them to urinate and defecate inside it. For three days there was no call for prayers and congregational prayers were not said inside the mosque.(1)

___________________________________________________________

(1) Imam Darmi writes that Sa'id bin Musaib, who was a great student of the companions, reported that when he was in the mosque he did not know about the time of the prayers until from the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) he heard the call for the prayer.

Darmi chapter Fasaeilun-Nabi (Allah bless him and give him peace)

Hafiz Ibn Taymiah writes that like Sa'id bin Musaib heard the call for prayer there are other people who heard the answer of their sallams from the grave of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).Kitab Iqtida us Siratal Mustaqeem page 373 by Hafiz Ibn Taimiya

Muslim bin 'Uqbah Murri made everyone pledge allegiance to Yazid. If anyone declined he would have them killed. This tragic event took place during 63 Hijra.

(1)

__________________________________________________

(1) Hafiz Ibn Katheer writes that our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said that the person who fights with the people of Madina will melt like salt does in water, and the person who scares the people of Madina, Allah Most High will make them scared. And Allah Most High and his angels and the people’s curse be upon him. As in this Hadith it mention any one who causes a war with the people of Madina. Some scholars agree that it is permissible to send curse on Yazid. Imam Ibnul Jozee has written a whole book on this and has explained that to send the curse is permissible. But some scholars say people should not, as then some people would send curse on the companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Tareek Ibn Katheer chapter on Karbala. This Hadith of Hafiz Ibn Katheer is in Bukahri, and Muslim in the chapter of Hajj.

After the ravage of the popel of, Muslim bin ‘Uqbah advanced towards Makkah, as guided by Yazid.