Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

On the Prophet's Life

Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported many things about the affairs of the Prophet's life. The following are some of them:

1. The Prophet borrowed Weapons from Safwan

Al-Tabari reported on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, who said: “Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, decided to advance against Hozan to fight with them. He was told that Safwan b. Umayya, who was a polytheist then, had breast-plates and weapons. So, he sent for him. Then, he said to him: ‘O Abu Umayya, lend me these weapon of yours to meet my enemy with them tomorrow.’ Safwan asked: ‘Mohammed, do you want to take them by force?’ ‘Rather, a gratuitous loan,’ replied the Prophet. ‘There is no harm in this,’ said Safwan. So, Safwan gave the Prophet a hundred breast-plates with equivalent weapons.”They (the narrators) claimed that Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, asked Safwan to carry them for him. So, the latter did that.

Imam Abu Ja‘far said: “One year passed. However, the loan was guaranteed.”[1] The Imam concluded a jurisprudential rule from this. That is the loan should be guaranteed when it is misused. So, whoever borrows a thing, he should guarantee the thing till he returns it to its owner.

2. Khalid marched to Bani Judhayma

Ibn Hisham reported on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, who said: “When Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, conquered Mecca, he sent Khalid b. al-Walïd to bani (the sons of) Judhayma. He sent him to summon them to believe in Allah, not to fight with them. However, Khalid attacked them. They were afraid of him, so they carried their weapons. When Khalid saw that, he said to them: ‘Lay down your weapons.’ The people trusted him, so they did that. However, Khalid betrayed them. He ordered them to be tied. Then, he killed some of them. When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family heard of that, he was full of sadness. Then, he raised his hands to supplicate, saying:

“O Allah, I disown what Khalid has done!

“Then, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, summoned Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, and said to him: Go to those people. Solve their problem. Put under your feet the order of those who lived before Islam.’ Thus, ‘Ali went to them. He had money with him. He paid blood money. He recompensed them for their damaged properties to the container in which the dog licked. Still, he had some money with him. Then, he asked them: ‘Is there any rest of blood money or property not paid to you?’ ‘No’, they replied. However, he gave them the rest of money, and then he came back to Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family. He told him about that. So, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, said to him: ‘You are right.’ Then, Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, stood in the direction of the Kaaba, raising his hands and saying: ‘O Allah, I disown what Khalid has done.’ He repeated that three times.”[2]

The Life of Imam ‘Ali

In many of his traditions, Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, talked about the life of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, the pioneer of fairness and justice. The following is one of his traditions:

Zarara b. A‘yun reported on the authority of his father, on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, who said: “When ‘Ali, peace be on him, performed the morning prayer, he went on praying till the sun rose. When the sun rose, the poor, the needy, and other people gathered about him. Then, he taught them Islamic jurisprudence and the Koran. He appointed a time to end that assembly of his. One day, he ended his assembly and passed by a man. The man hurt his feelings with a rude word. Thus, the Imam came back (to the mosque). He went up on the pulpit. He ordered the prayer to be general. When the people gathered, he thanked Allah and praised Him, blessed His Apostle, and then he said: ‘O People, there is nothing more hateful and more harmful with Allah than the ignorance and foolishness of an Imam. He who has no preacher of his own self, Allah will not protect him. Whoever is just of his own accord, his life will increase nothing but glory. Indeed, humbleness for obeying Allah is nearer to Him than haughtiness for disobeying Him.’ Then he asked: ‘Where is the one who has already spoken?’ He (the man) was unable to deny that. Then, he said: ‘Here I am, Commander of the Faithful. If you wanted (to punish me), you would. If you forgave and pardoned (me), then you were worthy of that.’ ‘I have forgiven and pardoned (you),’ replied the Imam.”[3]

The Commander of the Faithful predicted the Murder of al-Husayn

Many traditions were reported on the authority of the Commander of the Faithful concerning the murder of his son, Imam Husayn, peace on him. Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported one of those traditions. He, peace be on him, said: “‘Ali, peace be on him, delivered a sermon in Kufa. He said: ‘ Question me before you lose me. By Allah, if you question me about the group (of people) that will misguide a hundred (persons) and guide a hundred (persons), I will tell you about its caller and its leader.’ Then a man rose and said: ‘Tell me the number of the hair in my head and in my beard.’ Thus, ‘Ali said: ‘By Allah, my friend (i. e., Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family) told me that there was in every hair in your head an angel cursing you, that there was in every hair in your beard a Satan deluding you, that there was in your house a lamb (baby) who would kill the grandson of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, whose name would be Sinan b. Anas al-Nakha‘i.’”[4]

Then, this prediction of the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, occurred. That was when this wicked person, Sinan b. Anas, was among those who killed the grandson of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family.

The Characteristics of the Commander of the Faithful

Ishaq b. ‘Abd Allah b. Abu Farwah asked Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, about the characteristics of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him. So, he, peace be on him, replied: “He was a man with intense brownness, great eyes, and a big abdomen. He was bald. He was nearer to shortness.”[5]

The Events of Siffïn

Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported many events about the (Battle of) Siffïn. Nasr b. Muzahim, al-Tabari, b. Abu al-Haddïd, and other historians reported these events on his authority. The following are some of them:

Raising the Siege from the Water

Mu‘awiya had taken his fighters and headed for Siffïn before the Imam's army went there. He decided to occupy the Euphrates. He surrounded it with many fighters to prevent the Imam's fighters from drinking water. When the Imam's fighters came, they saw Mu‘awiya's fighters occupying the Euphrates. Thus, they were unable to reach it. Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported the way how the fighters of the Imam, peace be on him, could raise the siege from the Euphrates. He, peace be on him, said: “Al-Ash‘ath called ‘Amru b. al-‘As. He said to him: ‘O Bin al-‘As, woe unto you! Let us drink water. By Allah, if you do not do that, we will fight with you.’ ‘By Allah, we will not leave the river till we fight against you. Then, our Lord will know today who is more patient.’ So, al-Ash‘ath, al-Ashter, the wise companions of Imam ‘Ali, peace be on him, along with twelve thousand fighters dismounted from their horses. They attacked ‘Amru, Abu al-A‘war, and the Syrians who were with them. They removed them from the river to the extent that the horses of ‘Ali's fighters entered the water.”[6]

Worth mentioning, when ‘Ali's fighters recaptured the river, they wanted to prevent the Syrians from drinking water. However, the Imam did not permit them to do that. Rather, he treated the Syrians kindly and let them drink water.

Mu‘awiya and ‘Amru b. al-‘As

Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, narrated a talk that took place between Mu‘awiya and ‘Amru b. al-‘As. He, peace be on him, said: “Mu‘awiya asked ‘Amru b. al-‘As to prepare the ranks of the Syrians. Then, ‘Amru said to him: ‘I must rule when Allah kills b. Abï Talib and the country yields to you.’ ‘Are you not the ruler of Egypt?’ asked Mu‘awiya. ‘Will Egypt be a recompense for the garden? Will the murder of b. Abï Talib be the recompense for the ever lasting torment or the fire?’ asked ‘Amru. ‘Abu ‘Abd Allah, you shall have your rule when (‘Ali) b. Abï Talib is killed. Speak slowly. Do not let the people hear your words,’ replied Mu‘awiya. So, ‘Amru said to the Syrians: ‘Arrange your ranks. Lend Your Lord your skulls. Ask Allah, your Lord, for the help. Fight against the enemy of Allah and your enemy. Kill them. May Allah kill and destroy them. And be patient. Indeed the earth belongs to Allah. He causes such of

His servants to inherit it as He pleases. And the final result will be for the pious.’”[7]

With deception and error Mu‘awiya was able to fight with Imam ‘Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, the pioneer of wisdom and justice in the earth.

Imam ‘Ali delivered a Sermon at Siffïn

Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported the sermon which his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, delivered at Siffïn. In the sermon, Imam ‘Ali, peace be on him, talked about the high moral standards of the great Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, and the heavy loss that inflicted mankind when he, may Allah bless him and his family, died. In the sermon, the Imam also talked about his rank and position with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. Then, in it, he summoned the Moslems to wage holy war against his enemy, Mu‘awiya b. Abï Sufyan. The following is the text of the sermon:

“Praise belongs to Allah for His overabundant blessings for all His creatures whether they are righteous or the sinners, and for His strong proofs over his creatures whether they are obedient or disobedient. If He has mercy (on them), then it is out of His bounty and favor. If He tortures (them), that is out of what their hands earn. Indeed, Allah does not wrong the servants. I thank Him for the good tribulation and the manifest blessings. I ask Him to help us with what has befallen us from the affairs of here and the hereafter. I believe in Him and trust in Him. Allah is sufficient as a protector. I bear witness that there is no god apart from Allah, Who is unique and without partners. I also bear witness that Mohammed is His servant and His Apostle. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth. He settled him for that. He (the Prophet) was worthy of that. He chose him over all the creatures to convey His message. He made him as a mercy from Him over His creatures. He (the Prophet) was, as His knowledge of him, compassionate and merciful. He was the noblest of all the creatures of Allah in lineage, the most handsome of them in sight, the most generous of them in the soul, the most obedient of them to the parents, the most clinging of them to blood relations, the best of them in knowledge, the heaviest of them in clemency, the most faithful of them (in fulfilling) the promise and the most honest of them in agreement. Neither a Moslem nor an unbeliever had a complaint against him. Rather he was wronged, and he forgave. He was powerful, and he pardoned and forgave till he, may Allah bless him and his family, passed away. He was obedient to Allah. He was patient toward what had inflicted him. He struggled for Allah as His is due till certitude came to him. Thus, his departure was the greatest disaster that befell all the people of the earth, whether they were righteous or sinners. Then he left among you Allah's Book that enjoins you to obey Allah and prohibits you from disobeying him. Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, made a covenant for me. So, I will not deviate from the covenant. Now, you are present before your enemies. You know that their leader is a hypocrite, the son of a hypocrite. He leads them to the fire. The cousin of your Prophet is with you and among you. He guides you to the garden and summons you to obey your Lord. He has put into effect the sunna (practices) of your Prophet. He

who prays before every praise (of Allah) is not equal. No one preceded me in prayer with Allah's Apostle. I am from the people who took part (at the Battle) of Badr. Mu‘awiya is a released prisoner (of war), the son of a released prisoner. By Allah you are right, and they are wrong. The people have gathered for their falsehood. Do not separate yourselves from your right. So, their falsehood will overcome your right. ‘Fight them. Allah will punish them by your hands.’ If you do not do that, Allah will punish them by the hands of other than you. So, his companions answered him, saying: ‘O Commander of the Faithful, lead us to our enemy and your enemy, if you want that. By Allah, we want no one other than you. We will die with you and live with you.’ So, he (Imam ‘Ali) said to them: ‘By Him in whose hand is my soul, Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, looked at me before I hit (the enemies) with my sword. So, he said: ‘There is no sword but Dhu al-Faqar. There is no youngman but ‘Ali.’ Then, he said: ‘O ‘Ali, your position to me is as Aaron had with Moses, except that there will be no Prophet after me. O ‘Ali, your life and your death will be with me.’ ‘By Allah, I have never told lies nor (anyone) has accused me of lying. I have never gone astray (nor anyone) has misled me. I have never forgotten what he has entrusted to me. I say it word by word. I know my Lord clearly. For I follow the clear path.’”[8]

The Day of al-Harrïr

The Day of al-Harrïr was the greatest of all the days of (the Battle of) Siffïn, and the most critical of them in the situation. The historians have called it the Greatest Day. For the fire of war burnt, and its heat became intense on that day. So, fright and death spread over the people. Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, talked about that day, saying: “When the Greatest Day came, Mu‘awiya's companions said: ‘By Allah, we will not leave the field till we die or Allah grants us victory.’ And the companions of ‘Ali, peace be on him, said: ‘We will not leave the field till we die or Allah grants us victory.’ So, they started fighting early in the morning on a day. It was a long hot day. They threw arrows at each other to the extent that there were no more arrows. They stabbed each other to the extent that the spears were broken. Then the people dismounted their horses. They advanced against each other. Then they hit each other to the extent that the swords were broken. Then the knights fought against each other with swords and iron bars. So, the listeners heard nothing except the mumble of the people, the clashing of the swords at the field, and the biting of the mouths. Then, the sun was eclipsed. The fighting was intense. The standards and banners got lost. The time of four prayers passed. No on prostrated himself in worship to Allah, except saying ‘Allah is Great’. So, during those critical moments, the old men shouted: ‘O People of Arabia, fear Allah regarding the women and the girls.’”

When Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reached these words, he wept.[9] For those painful memories, whose awe melted the hearts, moved him. He remembered the disaster of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful, peace be on him, when he was afflicted by that traitorous group of people who spared no effort to eradicate Islam, to remove its achievements, and to renew the pre-Islamic practices in the earth.

Among the ugliest tricks in human history was that of ‘Amru b. al-‘As, who raised copies of the Koran. Rawahost Milar regard it as the ugliest and the worst trick in human history.[10] Imam ‘Ali's army was about to win a victory. Mu‘awiya's army suffered from heavy causalities, so Mu‘awiya was about to escape. However, he asked the advice of ‘Amru b. al-‘As. The latter advised the former to raise copies of the Koran. Al-Ash‘ath b. Qays, who was a wicked cunning person in the army of Imam ‘Ali, cooperated with ‘Amru b. al-‘As to weave this trick.

Imam Abu Ja‘far talked about the number of the copies of the Koran. He, peace be on him, said: “They received ‘Ali carrying a hundred copies (of the Koran). Each wing (of their army) carried two hundred copies. So, all the copies were five hundred.”

Moreover, a group of Mu‘awiya's army called at the Iraqi camp: “O People of Arabia, keep Allah in view in respect of the women, the girls, and the children. Tomorrow, beware of the Romans, the Turkish, and the Persians when you perish. Keep Allah in view in regard of your religion. This is Allah's Book between you and us.”Imam ‘Ali was displeased with that trick. So, he said: “O Allah, You know that they do not want the Book. So, judge between us and them. Indeed, You are the manifest true judge.”[11]

This trickery aborted the victory which Imam ‘Ali's army won. Furthermore, it led the Imam's army to discords. For example, al-Ash‘ath b. Qays was about to mutiny against the government of the Imam. However, the realized that critical situation. Thus, he showed matchless slowness and patience. Accordingly, he unwillingly commanded his fighters to stop fighting. In the mean time, he commanded Malik al-Ashtar, the leader of his military forces, to withdraw from the battle field, while he was about to win the final victory.

The Document of the Arbitration

Imam ‘Ali, peace be on him, was forced to accept the arbitration that saved the government of Mu‘awiya and toppled the government of Imam ‘Ali, peace be on him. The leaders of the discord in the army of Imam ‘Ali competed with the Syrians to write the conditions to end the battle for a time so that the two arbitrators would meet. Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, reported the text of the document. Then the historians reported it on his authority. The following is the text of the document:

“In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. ‘Ali b. Abï Talib, Mu‘awiya b. Abï Sufyan, the judge of ‘Ali b. Abï Talib over the Iraqis, those who are with him from his followers (Shi‘ites) from among the believers and the Moslems, the judge of Mu‘awiya b. Abï Sufyan over the Syrians, and those who are with him from his followers (Shi‘ites) from among the believers and the Moslems have agreed on this:

“We have yielded to the decree of Allah, the Exalted, and His Book. Nothing brings us together but He. Indeed, the Book of Allah, the Glorified and Exalted, is among us, from its beginning to its end. We enliven what the Koran enlivens and deaden what the Koran deadens. If the two arbitrators find that in the Book of Allah, they should follow it. If they do not find it (in the Koran), they should follow the unified just Sunna. The two arbitrators are ‘Abd Allah b. Qays and ‘Amru b. al-‘As. The two arbitrators will

impose a commitment on ‘Ali, Mu‘awiya, and the two armies that they (the two arbitrators) must be two custodians over their souls, and their properties. The community must support them.”[12]

The two parties signed this document that did not prevent Mu‘awiya from requesting the blood of ‘Uthman, which he used as means to mutiny and aggress against the government of Imam ‘Ali. Surely, Mu‘awiya was indifferent to ‘Uthman. For ‘Uthman asked Mu‘awiya for help when the revolutionists besieged his house. However, Mu‘awiya kept silent till ‘Uthman was killed. When the latter was killed, the former used his murder as means to achieve his ambitions.

With this, we will end our talk about the narrations of Imam Abu Ja‘far regarding the events (of the Battle of), that made the Moslems liable to great disasters and misfortunes and threw them into great evil.

The Tragedy of Imam Husayn

The Moslems were very afraid of the tragedy of Imam Husayn, peace be on him. For, through this tragedy, the members of the Umayyad Army violated the sacredness of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, when they killed his grandsons and attacked his family. They intended to eradicate the family of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family. They committed the ugliest crimes against them. People have never seen such crimes throughout the stages of this life.

Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, was a young man when he attended the Battle of Karbala'. Thus, he saw those great disasters that befell the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. The Umayyads drew the events of that tragedy into his inner self. So, he and his father, Imam Zayn al-‘Abidïn, remembered them throughout their lives.

The Moslem scholars and narrators came to Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him. They questioned him about the tragedy of Karbala'. So, he, peace be on him, supplied them with all details about it and they wrote them down.

Thus, the scholars at that time wrote about sixty thousand books on his authority. All the books have the title (Maqtal al-Husayn).

The Narration of ‘Ammar al-Dihni

Al-Tabari reported that ‘Ammar al-Dihni came to Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, to question him about the murder of al-Husayn and he, peace be on him, answered him. Al-Tabari reported the narration in a disorderly manner. However, we have organised the paragraphs of the narration. We have mentioned some ideas about it at the end. The following is the text of the narration:

[Zakariya b. Yahya al-Darir informed me. He said: Ahmed b. Janab al-Musaysi, who was given the kunna of Abu al-Walïd, informed us. He said: Khalid b. Yazïd b. Asad b. ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri informed us. He said: ‘Ammar al-Dihni informed me. He said: I (i. e., ‘Ammar al-Dihni) said to Abu Ja‘far: Tell me about the murder of al-Husayn as if I had been present with him.]

He (i. e., Abu Ja‘far), peace be on him, said: “Mu‘awiya died. Al-Walïd b. ‘Uttba b. Abï Sufyan was (a governor) over Medina. He sent for al

Husayn b. ‘Ali. He (al-Husayn) said to him: ‘Delay me and be kind (to me).’ So, he delayed him. Then he (al-Husayn) went to Mecca. Then, the Kufans came to him. They said to him: ‘We will sacrifice our souls for you. We will not attend the Friday (prayer) with the governor. So, come to us.’ Al-Nu‘man b. Bashir al-Ansari was (the governor) of Kufa. Al-Husayn sent for his cousin, Moslem b. ‘Aqïl b. Abï Talib, and said to him: ‘Go to Kufa and think about what they have written to me. If it was true, I would go to them.’ So, Moslem walked on till he arrived in Medina. He took two guides there. They led him through the desert. They were so thirsty that one of the guides died. So, Moslem wrote to al-Husayn to ask permission to return. Thus, al-Husayn wrote to him: ‘Go to Kufa.’ Then, Moslem walked on till he arrived in Kufa. There he stopped at a man called b. ‘Awsaja.[13] When the Kufans heard of his coming, they went to him to pledge allegiance to him. Then twelve thousand persons pledged allegiance to him. A man from those who were inclined to Yazïd b. Mu‘awiya rose and said to al-Nu‘man b. al-Munzir: ‘You are weak.’ So, al-Nu‘man said to him: ‘To be weak and to obey Allah is more lovable with me than to be strong and disobey Allah.’

“So, the man wrote to Yazïd about the words of al-Nu‘man. Thus, Yazïd summoned a retainer of his called Sargon. Yazïd used to seek his advice. He told him about the story. Thus, Sargon said to: ‘Would you accept (the advice) from Mu‘awiya if he was alive?’ ‘Yes,’ replied Yazïd. ‘Then, accept (it) from me. No one can (govern) Kufa except ‘Ubayd Allah b. Zyyad. So, appoint him over it,’ advised Sargon. Yazïd was indignant with ‘Ubayd Allah. He tried to remove him from Basrah. So, he wrote to him to please him. Then, he appointed him governor over Kufa and Basrah. Then, he wrote to him to look for Moslem b. ‘Aqïl to kill him if he found him.

“‘Ubayd Allah and the prominent figures from Basrah came to Kufa. He was veiled. When he passed by an assembly of the Kufans, he said: ‘Peace be on you.’ ‘And on you be peace, son of the daughter of the Apostle of Allah,’ they said. They thought that he was al-Husayn b. ‘Ali, peace be on them. When he stopped at the palace, he summoned a retainer of his. He gave him three hundred thousand (dirhams) and said to him: ‘Go and look for this person to whom the Kufans are pledging allegiance. Tell him that you are from Hams and that you have come for this affair and that you give him this sum of money to be strong.’ So, the retainer looked for Moslem b. ‘Aqïl. At last he met an old man from Kufa, who supported the pledge of allegiance (to Moslem). He asked the old man about Moslem. So, the old man said to him: ‘Your meeting with me has pleased me and it has displeased me. As for that which has pleased me from that, it is what Allah has guided you to. As for that which has displeased me, it is that our affair has not become strong yet. Then the old man led the retainer to Moslem. Thus, the retainer handed the sum of money to Moslem and pledged allegiance to him. Then he came back to ‘Ubayd Allah and told him about that.

“When ‘Ubayd Allah b. Zyyad came, Moslem left the house where he was and moved to the house of Hani b. ‘Urwa al-Muradi. Then, Moslem wrote to al-Husayn b. ‘Ali, peace be on him. He told him that twelve thousand persons from Kufa had pledged allegiance to him. Besides he

ordered him to come (to Kufa). ‘Ubayd Allah said to the notables from the Kufa: ‘Why did Hani b. ‘Urwa not come with those who came to me?’ So, Mohammed b. al-Ash‘ath and a group of his people went to Hani. While Hani was standing at the door of his house, they came and said to him: ‘The Emir has mentioned you and found you slow. So, set off to him.’ They insisted on him till he rode with them. He walked till he came to ‘Ubayd Allah. Shurayh, the judge, was with ‘Ubayd Allah. When ‘Ubayd Allah looked at Hani, he said to Shurayh: ‘The fool's legs have brought him to you.’ Hani greeted ‘Ubayd Allah. However, ‘Ubayd Allah asked him: ‘O Hani, where is Moslem?’ ‘I do not know,’ replied Hani. So, ‘Ubayd Allah ordered his retainer, who handed the dirhams (to Moslem), to come out. When the retainer saw Hani, he affirmed him. So, Hani said: ‘May Allah make the Emir righteous. By Allah, I did not invite him to come to my house. However, he came and stopped at me.’ ‘Bring him,’ commanded ‘Ubayd Allah. ‘By Allah, if he was under my own feet, I would not raise them from him,’ answered Hani. ‘Bring him nearer to me,' commanded ‘Ubayd Allah. So, he was brought nearer to him. Then, ‘Ubayd Allah hit him on the eyebrow and split it. Hani tried to draw the sword of a police-man. However, he was prevented from that. ‘Allah has made your blood lawful,' said ‘Ubayd Allah. Then he ordered him to be imprisoned by the palace.”[14]

After this al-Tabari reported a speech regarding the details of the event. Then he mentioned the speech of Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, who said: “While Hani was in prison, Madhhaj (the tribe of Hani) heard of that. Suddenly, ‘Ubayd Allah heard noise at the gate of the palace. ‘What is this?' he asked. ‘Madhhaj,' they answered. So, ‘Ubayd Allah said to Shurayh: ‘Go out to them and tell them that he has imprisoned him to question him.' Then he sent a spy after Shurayh to hear his words. Shurayh passed by Hani. So, Hani said to him: ‘O Shurayh, fear Allah. ‘Ubayd Allah will kill me. ' However, Shurayh walked on till he stopped at the gate of the palace and said to (Madhhaj): 'There is no harm on Hani. The Emir (‘Ubayd Allah) has imprisoned him to question him. ' So, Madhhaj said: ‘He is truthful. There is no harm on your leader. ' Thus, they scattered. Then Moslem heard of that. So, he declared his slogan. Thus, four thousand Kufans gathered around him. Then he placed his vanguard at the head and mobilized the right and the left wings (of his fighters). He was in the middle. Then he marched to ‘Ubayd Allah. For this reason ‘Ubayd Allah sent for leading Kufans. He gathered them around him in the palace. When Moslem arrived at the gate of the palace, the leading Kufans spoke to their tribes and held them back. Then Moslem's companions slipped away. Thus, only five hundred of them remained with him. When it got dark, they slipped away too.

“When Moslem found himself alone, he frequented in the streets. He saw a door. He knocked the door. A woman came out. He said to the woman: ‘Give me water.' She gave him water. She entered and remained for awhile, and then she came out. She saw Moslem sitting at the door. She said to him: ‘O Servant of Allah, indeed your sitting is doubtful. Stand up.' ‘I am Moslem b. ‘Aqïl. Have you a shelter?' asked Moslem. ‘Yes,' she replied. Her son was the retainer of Mohammed b. al-Ash‘ath. So, he went to

Mohammed and told him. Then Mohammed went to ‘Ubayd Allah and told him. So, ‘Ubayd Allah commanded ‘Ubayd Allah b. Hurayth al-Makhzumi, the commander of the police, and ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Mohammed b. al-Ash‘ath to arrest Moslem. Unexpectedly, they surrounded Moslem in the house. When Moslem knew of that, he went out drawing his sword. He fought them. Then ‘Abd al-Rahman gave him security. He took him by the hand and brought him to ‘Ubayd Allah. ‘Ubayd Allah ordered Moslem to be taken to the top of the Palace. There Moslem was beheaded and his body was thrown down to the people. Then ‘Ubayd Allah ordered Hani to be taken to al-Kanasa. Hani was hanged there. In this connection their poet said:

“If you do not know what death is,

then look at Hani and (Moslem) b. ‘Aqïl in the market- place.

The command of the governor struck them (down).

and they became legends for those who travel on every road.

Is Asma' riding in safety a mount which moves at walking place

while Madhhajj urged him to seek vengeance?”[15]

Then al-Tabari mentioned other narrations on the authority of Abï Mukhnif and the like regarding the details of the events. After that, he said: [Khalid b. Yazïd b. ‘Abd Allah al-Qasri in formed us. He said: ‘Ammar al-Dihni in formed us. He said: I (i. e., ‘Ammar al-Dihni) to Abu Ja‘far tell me about the murder al-Husayn as if I had attended it. He (Abu Ja‘far) said:]

“Then al-Husayn b. ‘Ali came according to the letter which Moslem b. ‘Aqïl sent to him. When there were three miles between him and al-Qadisiyah (a city in Iraq), al-Hur b. Yazïd al-Timimi met him and asked him: ‘Where do you want to go?' ‘I want to go to that city,' replied al-Husayn. ‘Go back. I have left behind me nothing good for you,' said al-Hur. Al-Husayn tried to return. The brothers of Moslem b. ‘Aqïl were with him. So, they said: ‘By Allah, we will not return till we have taken vengeance or we are killed.' ‘There is no good in life after you,' said al-Husayn. Then al-Husayn marched, so the foremost horses of ‘Ubayd Allah met him. When he saw that, he went to Karbala'. He dismounted and camped at a land full of reeds to face (his enemy) in one direction. His companions were forty-five knights and a hundred men. ‘Ubayd Allah b. Zyyad had appointed ‘Umar b. Sa‘d b. Abï Waqqas a governor over Ray. He said to him: ‘I want you to fight this man on behalf of me.' ‘Leave me,' said ‘Umar b. Sa‘d. However, ‘Ubayd Allah refused to leave him. ‘Give time for this night,' said ‘Umar b. Sa‘d. Thus, ‘Ubayd Allah delayed him. Then, ‘Umar thought of his order. When he entered upon the morning, he went to ‘Ubayd Allah. He was satisfied with what he had been ordered. So, ‘Umar b. Sa‘d headed for al-Husayn. When he came to al-Husayn, al-Husayn said to him: ‘Choose one of three: either you leave me, then I will go where I came from or you leave me, so I will go to Yazïd or you leave, so I will go to the border cities. ‘Umar accepted that. Then ‘Ubayd Allah wrote to him: ‘No, he must put his hand in mine.' Al-Husayn said to him: ‘Ten young men from my family (have been killed).' Then an arrow came and hit his son who was on his lap. He began rubbing the blood from him and saying ‘O Allah, judge between us and the people who summoned us to support us and then they killed us.'

Then he ordered a garment to be brought to him. He tore the garment and wore it. Then he went out with his sword. He, peace be on him, fought till he was killed. A man from Madhhajj killed him. The man cut off his head and sent it to ‘Ubayd Allah, saying:

“Fill my stirrup with silver or gold,

for I have killed the veiled king.

I have killed the best of all people in father and mother,

and the best in lineage.

“Then ‘Ubayd Allah ordered the man to send the head to Yazïd. Abu Barza al-Aslami was with Yazïd. When the head was put before Yazïd, he began hitting the head on the mouth with his cane, and reciting.

“We will split the skull of proud men (who came) against us; they were very disobedient and oppressive.

“So, Abu Barza said to him: ‘Raise your cane. By Allah, I saw Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, kiss him on the mouth.’ Then ‘Umar b. Sa‘d sent to ‘Ubayd Allah al-Husayn's womenfolk and children. No one of the family of al-Husayn b. ‘Ali, peace be on him, remained alive except his womenfolk and an ill boy. Thus, ‘Ubayd Allah ordered the boy to be killed. So, Zaynab threw herself on him and said: ‘By Allah, you will not kill him till you kill me.’ Thus, ‘Ubayd Allah felt pity for her, and then he left the boy.

“Then ‘Ubayd Allah prepared them and sent them to Yazïd. So, Yazïd gathered his Syrian followers. They entered and congratulated him on the victory. Then a man of them called Azraq Ahmar looked at a female servant of their womenfolk and said: ‘O Commander of the Faithful, give me this (female servant).' So, Zaynab said: ‘No, by Allah, you have no dignity nor him till he comes out of the religion of Allah.' Al-Azraq repeated that again. Thus, Yazïd said to him: ‘Then Yazïd prepared them and sent them to Medina. When they entered Medina, a woman from the family of ‘Abd al-Mutalib received them. The woman was weeping and saying:

“What would you say if the Prophet asked you: ‘What have you,

the last of the (religious) communities, done

with my offspring and my family after my departure from them?

They are prisoners and slain and have been stained with their own blood.

What sort of reward is this for my advice, that you

should oppose me by doing evil to my blood relations?’”[16]

With this the narration of ‘Ammar al-Dihni about the tragedy of Karbala' on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, has come to an end.

Criticisms

This narration has faced many criticisms. The following are some of them:

1. ‘Ammar al-Dihni asked Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, to tell him in detail about the murder of Imam Husayn, peace be on him, as if he been present with him. As for the answer, it is brief. Many events have not been mentioned. Most stages of that tragedy have been summarized. Thus, this answer does not match the question which Ammar asked to get detailed information.

2. In this narration, it has been mentioned that Imam Husayn, peace be on him, asked ‘Umar b. Sa‘d for three affairs when he met him. He asked him:

A. to let him go back to Medina (Yathrib).

B. to let him go to Yazïd.

C. to let him go to the border cities.

Certainly, the last two requests are incorrect. For, if Imam Husayn, peace be on him, had mentioned them, the Umayyad Army would not have fought against him. ‘Aqba b. Sam‘an accompanied the Imam from Medina to Mecca, and then to Iraq. He was with him till he was killed. Concerning the fabrication of this narration, he said:

“I accompanied al-Husayn from Medina to Mecca, and then to Iraq. I did not separate myself from him till he was killed. I heard all his words. I did not hear from him what the people hand down. He did not say that he wanted to put his hand in Yazïd's hand nor did he say that he wanted to go to the border cities. He did not say that in Medina nor in Mecca nor in Iraq nor at his camp. He never said that till he was killed. Yes, I heard him say: ‘I will go to this wide land to wait for what the people reach.'”[17]

As this narration has these items, then we cannot attribute it to Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him. It is possible that some items have been added to this narration and some were omitted from it. Thus, it is disorderly. Therefore no one can rely on it.

With this we end our talk about the traditions reported on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far concerning the Prophet's life and all the events that occurred at the early time of Islam.

Imam al-Baqir's Valuable Commandments

Many commandments were reported on the authority of Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him. Some of them were to his children; some of them were to his companions. They are full of noble values and high ideals. They are rich in rules of conduct and good guidance that protects man from bad practices and deviation from the truth. The following are his commandments:

His Commandments to his Son al-Sadiq

Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him, supplied his son al-Sadiq with a group of valuable commandments. The following are some of them:

1. He, peace be on him, said: “O My little son, indeed, Allah has hidden three things in three things. He has hidden his pleasure in His obedience. So, do not scorn anything of obedience. Perhaps His pleasure is in it. He has hidden His wrath in His disobedience. So, do not scorn anything of disobedience. Perhaps His wrath is in it. And He has hidden His friends among His creatures. So, do not scorn anyone. Perhaps he is a friend.”[18]

These commandments are full of high moral standards. They urge people to obey Allah. They warn them intensely from disobeying Him. Moreover, they urge them to respect each other.

2. Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him, related to Sufyan al-Thawri some of his father's commandments. He said to him: “O Sufyan, my father ordered me (to do) three, and prevented me (from doing) three. Among what he said to me is: ‘O My little son, he who makes friends with a bad friend is not

safe. Whoever enters into evil affairs is accused. He who does not restrain his tongue is regretful. Then he recited to me:

(If you) habituate your tongue to good words,

you will have a high rank with it.

It is authorized to take the good and the bad

(things) you have established for it.

So, think of the way to habituate it.'”[19]

These commandments are among the most wonderful maxims, and among the best commandments of the righteous to their children. For they have all the necessities of the rules of conduct and virtues.

His Commandments to one of his Children

Imam al-Baqir gave commandments to one of his children. They are as follows: “O My little son, when Allah bestows a blessing on you, say: praise belongs to Allah. When an intense affair befalls you, then say: There is neither power nor might but through Allah. When your daily bread is slow (in coming) for you, then say: I seek Allah's forgiveness.”[20]

His Commandments to ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Azïz

When ‘Umar b. ‘Abd al-‘Azïz became caliph, he asked Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, to give him useful commandments to manage his government. So, the Imam, peace be on him, said: “I advise you to fear Allah, and to regard the young one of the Moslems as your son, the middle one of them as your brother, and the old one of them as your father. So, have mercy on your son, treat your brother kindly, and obey your father. When you do a favor, then go on (doing) it.”[21]

‘Umar admired this maxim, saying: “By Allah, you have gathered things. If we put these things into effect and Allah helps us with them, good will continue for us, Allah willing.”[22]

These valuable words have brought together just political affairs. When the head of the state rules his subjects with justice and fairness and regard them as the members of his family, then the government and the people are happy and good continues for them.

His Commandments to Jabir al-Ju‘fi

Imam Abu Ja‘far, peace be on him, supplied his knowledgeable student, Jabir b. Yazïd al-Ju‘fi, with immortal commandments full of high moral standards and ideals through which man becomes sublime when he puts them into effect. The following are some of them:

“I commend you to (follow) five (commandments): When (people) wrong you, then do not wrong them. When they betray you, then do not betray them. When they accuse you of lying, then do not be angry. When they praise you, then do not be happy. When they dispraise you, then be patient. Think of what they say against you. If you know that what they say against you is in yourself, then do not be angry out of the truth. For to become low with Allah, the Great and Almighty, is more disastrous than to become low with the people. If you are contrary to what they say against you, then you obtain a reward while your body is not tired.

“Know that you are not our friend when you become sad when all the people of your city say that you are an evil man. If they say that you are a righteous man, that should not delight you. However, you should compare yourself with Allah's Book. If you follow its way, refrain from its prohibition, wish for its arousal of an interest, and afraid of its frightening, then be steadfast and cheerful. For what (people) say against you does not harm you. If you are dissenting to the Koran, then noting of your self should deceive you. Indeed the believer should take care of himself to overcome its caprice. For he sometimes straightens its crookedness and opposes its caprice out of the love for Allah. His soul sometimes overcomes him. Then he follows his caprice. So, Allah refreshes him, and he becomes refreshed. Allah abolishes his stumble, so he remembers and resorts to repentance and fear. So, he increases in insight and knowledge, for the fright in him is increased. That is because Allah says: ‘Surely those who guard (against evil), when a visitation from the Satan afflicts them, they become mindful, then lo! they see.'[23]

“O Jabir, regard as much the little livelihood from Allah to be loyal to gratefulness. Regard as little your obedience to Allah to belittle yourself and to ask (Allah's forgiveness). Drive away the present evil from yourself through the present knowledge. Put into effect the present knowledge sincerely. Guard against the great heedlessness during the sincere act through the intense watchfulness. Bring the intense watchfulness through the truthful fear. Be careful of the hidden adornment through the present life and beware of the rashness of caprice through the guidance of reason. Stop during the overcome of caprice through seeking knowledge. Save the good deeds for Judgment Day. Take the field of satisfaction through avoiding greediness. Remove the great greediness through preferring satisfaction (to it). Bring the sweetness of asceticism through the shortness of hope. Sever the means of greediness through the coolness of despair. Close up the way of conceit through knowing the soul. Get to the rest of the soul through soundness of the authorization. Seek the rest of the body through giving rest to the soul. Come to the rest of the soul through making few mistakes. Seek the mercy of the heart through praising (Allah) very much in private. Bring the light of the soul through the continuity of sadness. Remain wary of Iblis through the truthful fear (of Allah). Beware of the false hope, for it throws into the truthful fear. Adorn yourself for Allah, the Great and Almighty, through honesty in acts. Show love to him through the quick change. Be careful of postponement, for it is a sea in which the perished drown. Be cautious of heedlessness, for the cruelty of the heart is in it. Remain wary of slowness in what you have no excuse, for the regretful resort to it (the excuse). Recall the past sins through the intense regret and asking (Allah's) forgiveness very much. Seek Allah's mercy and forgiveness through the good repetition (of the past sins). Seek the help (of Allah) against the good repetition through the sincere supplication and whispered prayer in the darkness. Reach the great gratefulness through regarding the little livelihood as much and regarding obedience as little. Bring the increase of blessings through the great gratefulness. Make use of the great gratefulness through fearing the vanishing of blessings. Seek the continuity of glory through

deadening greediness. Push away the abasement of greediness through the glory of despair. Bring the honor of despair through aspiration. Supply yourself with (provisions) from this world through the shortness of hope. Hasten to seize the purpose during the possibility of the opportunity. There is no possibility like the past days with the soundness of the bodies. Be careful not to trust the dishonest, for evil has violence as the violence of food.

“Know that there is no knowledge like seeking safety, no safety like the safety of the heart, no reason like opposing the desire, no fear like the protective fear, no hope like the helping hope, no poverty like the poverty of the heart, no riches like the riches of the soul, no power like the victory over caprice, no light like the light of certitude, no certitude like your belittling the world, no knowledge like your knowledge of yourself, no blessing like health, no health like the assistance of success, no honor like aspiration, no asceticism like the shortness of hope, no desire like the competition for the ranks, no justice like equity, no aggression like injustice, no injustice like following caprice, no obedience like performing the obligations, no fear like sadness, no disaster like the lack of reason, no lack of reason like the littleness of certitude, no littleness of certitude like the loss of fear (of Allah), no loss of fear like the littleness of sadness for the loss of fear, no disaster like your disdaining the sin and your satisfaction with the condition in which you are, no virtue like jihad, no jihad like striving against caprice, no power like restraining anger, no offense is like the love of eternity, and no abasement like the abasement of greediness. Beware of negligence during the possibility of the opportunity, for it is the field that brings about loss to its people.”[24]

These wonderful commandments full of valuable maxims are proofs for the Imamate of Imam Abu Ja‘far (al-Baqir), peace be on him. They have illuminated a great part of his talents and genius. If he had nothing except these commandments, they would be sufficient evidence for his greatness and his limitless scientific abilities. For the Imam considered carefully the depth of the soul, understood it thoroughly, and analyzed its dimensions. Thus, he knew the psychological diseases and catastrophes that afflict man. Indeed man has been afflicted by ignorance, conceit, haughtiness, greediness, avarice, long hope, and the like. Surely, all these diseases urges man to sink into offenses and sins. So, he deviates from the right path and straight behavior. The Imam, peace be on him, studied these diseases and prescribed decisive remedies for them. If man puts into effect these commandments, he will be ideal and educated. Moreover, he will protect his soul and cling to his Creator to Whom he will return. Were it not for lengthiness, we would explain these commandments in detail and indicate the maxims and secrets in them.

His Commandments to a Moslem

A Moslem came to Imam al-Baqir. The Moslem asked the Imam to give him some commandments to follow. So, the Imam, peace be on him, advised him, saying: “Prepare your necessary things, offer your provisions, and be a custodian over your soul.”[25]

Surely, the Imam led the Moslem to what approached him to Allah and secured safety for him in the immortal abode. If man prepares his necessary things, he will secure his religion and the hereafter.

His Commandments to one of his Companions

One of the companions of the Imam, peace be on him, wanted to travel. So, the Imam, peace be on him, supplied him with these valuable commandments. He said to him:

“Do not walk bare-footed. Do not dismount from your horse at night to relieve nature unless your feet are in the sandals. Do not urinate into a crack. Do not taste or smell a plant unless you know what it is. Do not drink out of a water skin unless you know what it is in it. Be careful of the one whom you know. Do not accompany the one whom you do not know.”[26]

The Imam, peace be on him, advised his companion to follow health methods and moral lessons that secured for him health and safety.

As for the Imam's commandments concerning health and prevention from diseases, they are as follows:

1. The Imam advised the Moslem not to walk bare-footed. For walking without sandals makes man liable to germs that may enter his body through the pores of his feet, such as the germs that bring about Bilharzia.

2. He advised him not to dismount his horse and walk bare-footed at night to relieve nature. For he might be liable to the stings and bitings of the creatures that had hidden them selves in the earth. So, they would come and sting or bite him while he did not know.

3. He advised him not to urinate into a crack. For some deadly animals might hide themselves in the crack. Thus, they would come out and kill him.

4. He advised him not to eat any plant in the desert. For some plants might be poisonous. So, if he had eaten them, they would have poisoned him or made him ill.

5. He advised him not to drink out of the water skin unless he knew what was in it. For it might have some bad drink. So, if he had drunk it, it would have killed him or made him sick.

As for the moral lessons, they are as follows:

1. He advised him to be careful of the unknown people. He advised him not to reveal his secrets for them. He advised him to accompany them well out of fear of them. Traveling usually discovers the true nature of a person and reveals his hidden secrets. Many friends travel together. They love each other. When they come back, they curse each other. So, during traveling, the righteous person must remain wary of those whom he knows and those whom he does not know.

2. He advised him not to travel with those whom he did not know. For such a journey might cause many difficulties for him or it might cause his death. Many times, that befell travelers who traveled with those whom they did not know.

Second Sermon: 'Ashura - History and Popular Legend

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and the Maker of all creation, and may Peace and benedictions be upon His servant and messenger, His beloved and elect, our master, our prophet, and our sire, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his pure, immaculate, and infallible Progeny.

I seek the refuge of Allah from the accursed Satan:

“So for their breaking their compact We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they would pervert the words from their meanings, and they forgot a portion of what they were reminded of.” (5:13)

We said that the event of 'Ashura' has been subject to tahrif and it has occurred both in its outward form as well as its inner content. A consequence of these distortions has been that this great historic document and this great educative source has become ineffectual or less potent, in our lives, leaving, at times, even an opposite effect.

All of us have the duty to purge it of the distortions that have polluted this sacred document. Tonight we will discuss the general factors responsible for tahrif. Thereafter our discussion will focus on tahrif in the content and significance of this event.

The Factors of Tahrif

These factors are of two kinds, one of which is of a general nature. That is, there are in general certain factors that lead to the corruption of histories and these are not limited to the event of 'Ashura' alone. For instance, the enemy's motives are themselves a factor that distort an event. In order to achieve their purposes, the enemies bring about alterations in historical texts or misinterpret them. There are many examples of it which I do not wish to mention here.

All that I would say is that this kind of tahrif did play a role in distorting the facts of Karbala', and the enemies did take resort in misrepresenting the uprising of Imam Husayn. As usually happens, the enemies accuse sacred movements of causing conflict and division and of disrupting social harmony and peace. The Umayyad regime also made much effort to give such a hue to the Husayni uprising.

Such propaganda began from the very first day. When Muslim arrived in Kufah, Yazid, while sending an order appointing Ibn Ziyad to the governership of Kufah, wrote: “Muslim, son of 'Aqil, has gone to Kufah and his aim is to disrupt peace and to create social discord and disunity in the Muslim community. Go and suppress him.”

When Muslim was captured and brought to the dar al-imarah, the governor's residency, Ibn Ziyad said to Muslim: “Son of 'Aqil! What was it that brought you to this city? The people here lived in satisfaction and peace.

You came and disrupted their peace, causing disunity and conflict amongst Muslims.” Muslim answered in a manly manner and said: “Firstly, I did not come to this city on my own account. It was the people of this city who invited us.

They wrote a great number of letters, which are in our possession. In those letters they wrote that your father, Ziyad, who ruled this city for years, had killed its virtuous men and imposed its scoundrels over the virtuous, subjecting them to various forms of tyranny and injustice. They appealed to us to help them establish justice. We have come to establish justice!”

The Umayyad regime did wage much propaganda of this kind, but their misrepresentations did not affect the history of Islam. You will not find a single competent historian in the world who might have said that Husayn ibn 'Ali, naudhubillah, made an unlawful uprising that he rose to cause conflict and disunity among the people. No.

The enemy could not bring about any misrepresentation in [the history of] the event of Karbala'. Most regrettably, whatever tahrif has occurred in the event of Karbala' has been at the hands of the friends.

The Second Factor

The second factor is the human tendency towards myth-making and for turning facts into legends. This tendency has been at work in all the world's historical traditions. There is a tendency in men for hero worship which induces the people to fabricate myths and legends about national and religious heroes.1

The best evidence of it are the legends that the people have invented around the figures of some geniuses such as Ibn Sina and Shaykh Baha'i. Ibn Sina, undoubtedly, was a genius and was gifted with extraordinary physical and intellectual powers. But these very gifts have led the people to weave out legends about him.

For instance, it is said that once Ibn Sina saw a man from a distance of one parasang and remarked that the man was eating bread made with oil. They asked him how he could know that the man was eating bread and that it was made with oil.

He replied that he saw flies circling the bread, which had made him conclude that there was oil in the bread. Obviously, this is a legend. Someone who can see flies from the distance of one parasang will see bread made with oil much sooner than he would see flies!

Or it is said that once during the time that Ibn Sina was studying at Isfahan he complained that when he gets up in the middle of the night to study, he was disturbed by the noise of the hammering of the coppersmiths of Kashan.

They went and made a test. One night they told the coppersmiths of Kashan not to use their hammers. That night, said Ibn Sina, he had slept peacefully and was undisturbed in his study. Obviously this is a legend.

Many such legends have been made about Shaykh Bahi'i as well. Such things are not confined to the event of 'Ashura. However, let the people say what they would about Ibn Sina. What harm does it do?

None! But in respect of individuals who are guides of mankind and whose words and deeds and whose stands and uprisings serve as a model and authority, there should not be any tahrif whatsoever in their statements, in their personality, and history.

How many legends have been fabricated by us Shi'is about Amir al Mu'minin 'Ali, many Peace be upon him! There is no doubt that 'Ali ('a) was an extraordinary man. No one has doubts about 'Ali's courage which was superior to that of any ordinary human being. 'Ali did not encounter any contestant in battle without felling him to the ground.

But does that satisfy the myth makers? Never! For instance, there is the legend about 'Ali's encounter with Marhab in the battle of Khaybar with all the curious details about the physique of Marhab. The historians have also written that 'Ali's sword cut him into two from the middle (I don't know whether the two halves were perfectly equal!).

But here they found the opportunity to weave out fables which are harmful for the faith. It is said that God commanded Gabriel to go immediately to the earth lest 'Ali's sword when it comes down on Marhab should cut the earth into two halves, reaching right down to the Cow and the Fish.

Gabriel was told to shield the blow with his wings. Gabriel went and when 'Ali struck the blow with his sword, it slashed Marhab into two halves which had they been put in a balance would have turned out to be exactly equal.

However, one of Gabriel's wings suffered injury and he could not ascend to the heaven for forty days. When at last he arrived in heaven, God asked him as to where he had been all these days. He replied, “O Lord! I was on the earth. You had given me an assignment to go there.” He was asked why he had taken so much time to return.

Gabriel said, “O God, the blow of 'Ali's sword wounded my wings and I was busy bandaging and healing them all these forty days!” According to another legend 'Ali's sword flew so swiftly and slickly through Marhab's forehead cutting all the way to the saddle that when 'Ali pulled away his sword Marhab himself did not know what had happened (he thought the blow had gone amiss).

He jeered at 'Ali, “Was that all of your swordsmanship?!” 'Ali' said to him, “Just move yourself a bit and see.” As soon as Marhab made a movement, one half of his body fell on one side of the horse and the other on the other side!

Hajji Nuri, this great man, in his book Lu'lu wa marjan, while condemning the practice of fabricating of such legends, writes about legends that some people have put into circulation concerning the valor of Hadrat Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas.

According to one of them, in the Battle of Siffin (in which, basically, it is not known whether he had participated, and even if he did he must have been a boy of fifteen years) he threw a man into the air, then another, and so on up to eighty men, and by the time the last one was thrown up the first one had not yet reached the ground. Then when the first one came down, he cut him into two halves, then the second and so on to the last man!

A part of the interpolations in the narratives of the event of Karbala have resulted from the myth-making tendency. The Europeans assert that one finds many exaggerations in accounts pertaining to the history of the East, and there is some truth in what they say.

Mulla Darbandi writes in his book Asrar al-shahadah that the cavalry of the army of 'Umar ibn Sa'd consisted of six hundred thousand horsemen and twenty million infantrymen - in all a force of one million and six hundred thousand plus all the people of Kufah! Now how large was Kufah?

Kufah was a recently founded city and not more than thirty-five years old, as it was built during the time of 'Umar ibn Khattab. It was built at 'Umar's orders as a military outpost for Muslim warriors near the borders of Iran. It is not certain whether the entire population of Kufah during that time was even a hundred thousand.

That a force of one million and six hundred thousand could have been assembled on that day and that Husayn ibn 'Ali' should have killed three hundred thousand of them is not at all reasonable. Such figures cast a shadow on the whole event.

It is said that someone once made exaggerated claims about the largeness of the city of Herat in former days. He said, 'Herat was a very big city at one time.' 'How big? he was asked. He said, 'At one time there were in Herat twenty thousand one-eyed cooks named Ahmad selling head and totters stew. Now imagine how many men there must be in a city, and how many named Ahmad, and how many one-eyed Ahmads, to have twenty-one thousand one-eyed Ahmads selling head and totters stew!

This myth-making tendency has always been very active; but we must not leave a sacred document to the mercy of myth-makers.

There is amongst us, the Ahl al-Bayt, in every generation reformers who purge the faith of the perversions of the extremists, of the false beliefs of the falsifiers, and of the misinterpretations of the ignorant.2

We have a duty here. Now let anyone say anything he likes about Herat. But is it right that such legends as these should find way into the history of the event of Ashura', an event concerning which our duty is to keep it alive and revive its memory every year?

The Third Factor

The third factor is of a particular nature. The two factors that we have discussed above, that is, the hostile ends of the enemies and the human tendency for conjuring legends and myths, apply to all histories of the world, but there is also a factor which is specific to the event of Ashura' that has led to fabrication of stories.

The leaders of the faith, from the time of the Noble Messenger and the Pure Imams, have commanded in clear and emphatic terms that the memory of Husayn ibn 'Ali must be kept alive and that his martyrdom and ordeals should be commemorated every year. Why? What is the reason underlying this Islamic ordinance? Why is there so much encouragement for and emphasis on visiting the shrine of Husayn ibn 'Ali?

We should reflect over these questions. Some might say that it is for the sake of condoling with Hadrat Zahra' and offering her consolation! But is it not ridiculous to imagine that Hadrat Zahra' should still need consolation after fourteen hundred years, whereas, in accordance with the explicit statements of Imam Husayn and according to our creed, since his martyrdom Imam Husayn and Hadrat Zahra have been together in heaven?

What a thing to say! Is it correct to think of Hadrat Zahra as a little child that goes on weeping, even after fourteen centuries, and whom we have to go and console? Such kind of belief is destructive for religion. Imam Husayn ('a) established the practical ideology of Islam and he is the practical model for Islamic movements.

They (that is the Prophet and Imams) wanted Imam Husayn's ideology to be kept alive. They wanted Husayn should reappear every year with those sweet, sublime and heroic summons of his and declare”

Don't you see that what is right and true is not acted upon, and what is wrong and false is not forbidden? [In such conditions] the man of faith should long to meet his true Lord!3

They wanted the words:

Death is better than a life saddled with indignity,4

To be kept alive forever, and so also the words:

To me death is nothing but felicity, and life with oppressors is nothing but disgrace,5

They wanted such other saying of Imam Husayn to be kept alive:

The children of Adam carry the mark of death like necklaces that adorn the neck of damsels!6

Far from us is disgrace and indignity!7

They wanted to keep alive the memory of such scenes as that of Imam Husayn's confronting a force of thirty thousand men, in a state when he and his family are faced with a great ordeal and declaring in a manly manner - and the world has never seen such a manly personage!

Indeed, that baseborn son of a baseborn father has left me only two alternatives to choose from: the sword or disgrace. And far from us is disgrace! It is disdainful to God, His Messenger and the faithful that we should yield to anything of that kind, and those born of chaste mothers and high-minded fathers and possessing a lofty sense of honor disdain that submission to vile men should be preferred to honorable death!8

They wanted to keep alive the formative school of Imam Husayn so that the rays of the Husayni spirit may breathe life into this community. Its objective is quite clear.

Do not allow the event of 'Ashura' to be consigned to oblivion! Your life, your humanity, and your dignity depend on this event!

You can keep Islam alive only by its means! That is why they have encouraged us to keep alive the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn, and very rightly! The institution of mourning Husayn ibn 'Ali has a correct philosophy underlying it, a philosophy which is also extremely sublime.

It is fitting that we should do all that we can to endeavor for the sake of this cause, provided we understand its purpose and goal. Unfortunately some people have not understood it.

Without making the people understand the philosophy of Imam Husayn's uprising and without making them understand the station of Imam Husayn, they imagine that if they just came and sat in mourning assemblies and shed tears, without knowledge and understanding, it would atone their sins.

Marhum Hajji Nuri mentions a point in the book, Lu'lu' wa marjan. That point is the belief of some people that the reward (thawab) for mourning Imam Husayn is so great that it is justifiable to employ any means whatsoever for this end. Nowadays a group which subscribes to the views of Machiavilli in political thought says that ends justify the means. If the end is a good one, it does not matter what means are used to achieve it.

Now these people also say that we have a sacred and exalted goal, which is mourning Imam Husayn and it does not matter what means are used for this end. As the end is a sacred one, it does not matter what the means are: Is it correct to perform ta'ziyahs - even ta'ziyahs which are vulgar - for this purpose? They ask, 'Do they make the people cry?

If they do, there is so problem with such ta'ziyahs.' So also there is no problem if we blow trumpets, beat drums, commit sinful acts, make men dress as women, conjure a wedding for Qasim, or fabricate and forge episodes. Such things do not matter in the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn, which is something exclusive.

Here lying is forgiven, forgery and fabrication are forgivable, making pictures, and dressing men as women is pardonable. Here any kind of sinful conduct is forgivable as the end is most sacred! As a consequence of such thinking, some persons have resorted to such tahrif and misrepresentation that are stunning.

About ten or fifteen years ago when I was on a visit to Isfahan, I met a great man, marhum Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Najafabadi, may God elevate his station. I recounted to him a rawdah that I had heard recently somewhere. It was something which I had never heard until that time. Incidentally, this man who had delivered that rawdah, an opium addict, had made the people weep profusely with that rawdah of his.

In it he recounted the story of an old woman during the reign of Mutawakkil (the 'Abbasid caliph who persecuted the Shi'ah). The woman had set out with the purpose of making a pilgrimage to the tomb of Imam Husayn, which was forbidden at that time and they would cut off the hands of the pilgrims. He went on with the narrative until the point when the old woman is taken and thrown into the river. In that state she cries out for help, calling out, “O Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas!”

As she is about to drown a horseman appears and tells her to catch hold of his stirrup. The woman takes hold of the stirrups but she says, “Why don't you give me your hand?' The horseman says, “I haven't any hands!” At this point the people wept a lot.

Marhum Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan recounted for me the history of this legend. In a place near the bazaar, in the near abouts of Madrasah Sadr, there used to be held a majlis which was one of the major majalis of Isfahan and which even the marhum Hajj Mulla Isma'il Khwaju'i used to attend. One day there had occurred there an incident.

(It had taken place earlier and he had heard its account from reliable persons.) It involved a well-known wa'iz; who himself had recounted it in these words: “One day mine was the last turn to speak from the minbar.

Other speakers had come and each one of them had exerted his skills to make the people weep. Everyone that came would try to surpass his predecessor and having delivered his rawdah would descend from the minbar to sit among the audience and watch the art of the succeeding rawdeh-khwan. This continued until the time of noon.

I saw that everyone had tried his prowess and together they had drawn out all the tears that the people could shed. What should I do? I thought for a while, and then and there I made up this story.

When my turn came, I went up and related the story, leaving all of them behind. In the afternoon, the same day, while attending another majlis in the Char-suq locality, I saw that the one who took to the minbar before me related this same story. Gradually it came to be written in books and appeared in print.”

The false and wrong notion that the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn is an exception to all norms, that it is justified to use any means to make the people weep, has been a major factor leading to fabrication of legends and tahrif.

Marhum Hajji Nuri, that saintly man and teacher of marhum Hajj Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi, who as confessed by Hajj Shaykh 'Abbas himself as well as others was superior to his pupils, was an extraordinarily learned and pious man. In his book he makes the point that if it is a correct notion that the end justifies the means, then one may also justify the following line of reasoning.

One of the Islamic precepts is that bringing delight to the heart of a believer and to do something to make him happy is a greatly commendable act. Such being the case, according to this reasoning, it is justifiable to do backbiting in his presence, as he loves listening to backbiting. And should someone say that it is sinful to do so, the answer will be,” No! The purpose is a sacred one and the backbiting is being done to make a believer pleased and happy!”

Marhum Hajji Nuri gives another example. A man embraces a non-mahram woman, which is an unlawful act. We ask him why did you do that?He replies, “I have done it for a believer's delight.” The same reasoning can be applied to such unlawful acts as adultery, drinking wine, and sodomy. Isn't this an absurd reasoning?

Wouldn't such a notion destroy the Shari'ah? By God, to think that it is permissible to use any kind of means for making people cry in mourning Imam Husayn is a notion that contradicts everything that Imam Husayn stands for. Imam Husayn was martyred to uplift Islam, as we confess while reciting his ziyarah:

I bear witness that you established the prayer, gave zakat commanded what is right and forbade what is wrong, and did such jihad in the way of God as ought to be done.9

Imam Husayn was killed in order to revive Islamic traditions, Islamic laws and regulations, not in order to create an excuse for the violation of Islamic norms. Na'udhubillah, we have changed Imam Husayn into a destroyer of Islam: the Imam Husayn that we have conjured in our imagination is a destroyer of Islam.

In his book Hajji Nuri mentions a story that was related to him by one of the students in Najaf, who originally came from Yazd. “One day,” he said, “in my youth I made a journey on foot to Khorasan, going by the road that passes through the desert (kawr). In one of the villages of Nayshabur I went to a mosque, as I did not have any place to stay.

The imam of the mosque came and led the prayers. Afterwards he went on the minbar to make a rawdah I was amazed to see the mosque attendant bring a pile of stones which he handed over to the imam. When the rawdah started, he ordered the lamps to be put out. When the lamps had been put out, he pelted the stones at the audience and there arose cries from the people. When the lamps were lighted, I saw bleeding heads.

Their eyes were tearful as they walked out of the mosque. I approached the imam and asked him why he had done such a thing. He said, 'I have tested these people. There is no rawdah in the world that will make them weep. As weeping for the sake of Imam Husayn has a great reward and thawab, I have found that the only way to make them cry is to throw stones on their heads.

This is how I make them weep.' “ He believed that the end justifies the means. The end was to mourn Imam Husayn though it should involve emptying a pile of stones on the people's heads.

Accordingly, this is a particular factor which is specific to this historic event and it has led to much fabrication and tahrif.

When one studies history one finds what they have done to this event. By God, Hajji Nuri is right when he says that if we were to weep for Imam Husayn today, we should mourn for him on account of these falsehoods, fabrications and tahrif!

There is a well-known book called Rawdat al-shuhada'. whose author was Mulla Husayn Kashifi. According to Hajji Nuri, he was the first to write in his book the stories of Za'far the Jinn and the one about Qasim's wedding. I have read this book.

I used to imagine that it contained only one or two of such cases. But afterwards when I read it I saw that the matter was very much different. This book, which is in Persian, was compiled about five-hundred years ago.

Mulla Husayn Kashifi was a scholar and learned man. He has authored several books including the Anwar suhayli. His biographical accounts do not indicate whether he was a Shi'i or a Sunni. Basically he was a Chameleon: among the Shi'ah he would pose as an outright Shi'i, while amongst the Sunnis he would pass as a Hanafi.

He was a native of Sabzawar, a Shi'i centre whose people were staunch Shi'is. In Sabzawar he would act as an out and out Shi'i, and at times when he would go to Herat ('Abd al-Rahman Jami was the husband of his sister or sister-in-law) he would give sermons for the Sunnis in the Sunni style. But in Sabzawar he narrated the tragedies of Karbala'.

His death occurred around 910/1504, that is, either at the end of the 9th or the beginning of the 10th century. This was the first book, compiled about five hundred years ago, to be written as an elegiac narrative (marthiyah).

Earlier the people used to refer to the primary sources. Shaykh Mufid, may God be pleased with him, wrote the Irshad and how sound is his narration! If we were to refer to the Irshad of Shaykh Mufid we would not stand in need of any other source.

Tabari, among Sunni authors, has also written about it. Ya'qubi, Ibn 'Asakir and Khwarazmi have also written. I don't know what this unjust man has done! When I read this book I saw that even the names are spurious. He mentions names among Imam Husayn's companions that never existed. He mentions names of the enemy's men which are also spurious. He has turned the factual accounts of the event into fables.

As this was the first book to be written in Persian, the orators in mourning assemblies, who were mostly illiterate and could not use the Arabic texts, would take this book and read from it in the mourning sessions.

That is why the gatherings that are held nowadays to mourn Imam Husayn are called rawdeh-khwani. Rawdeh-khwani was not in vogue during the time of Imam Sadiq or Imam Hasan 'Askari, nor it was prevalent during the times of Sayyid Murtada [d 436/1044] or even Khwajah Nasir al-Din al-Tusi [d. 672/1273].

Rawdeh-khwani came into vogue since the last five hundred years and it came to be called as such. Rawdeh-khwani meant reading from the book Rawdat al-shuhada', a pack of lies. From the time that this book fell into the hands of the people, no one has bothered to study the actual history of Imam Husayn.

Then, about sixty or seventy years ago, there appeared another man, the marhum Mulla Darbandi. He took all the contents of the Rawdat al-shahuda' and compiled them together with other material, collecting it all in a book called Asrar al-shahadah. The contents of this book make one lament for the fate of Islam.

Hajji Nuri writes, “We used to attend the lectures of Hajj Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn Tehrani (who was a very saintly man) and benefited from his teaching. A sayyid from Hillah, who was a rawdeh-khwan, came to meet him and he showed him a book written about the events of Imam Husayn's martyrdom (maqtal, plural: maqatil) to see whether its contents were reliable.

This book did not have any beginning or end. Only at one place in it was mentioned the name of a certain mulla of Jabl al-'Amil who was among the pupils of the author of the Ma'alim al-usul. Marhum Hajj Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn took the book to examine it.

First he studied the biographical accounts of that scholar and found that such a book had not been attributed to him. Then he read the book itself and found it to be full of falsehoods. He said to that sayyid, 'This book is a pack of lies.

Don't circulate this book and don't quote anything from it, for it is unlawful to do so. Basically this book has not been written by that scholar and its contents are spurious.' “ Hajji Nuri says that the same book fell into the hands of the author of Asrar al-shahadah and he copied all its contents into his book, from the beginning to the end!”

Hajji Nuri relates another episode, which is rather touching. Once a man came to author of the Maqami'10 and said to him, “Last night I saw a horrible dream.” “What was it?” he asked him. He said, “I saw that I am biting away flesh from the body of Imam Husayn.” The scholar trembled on hearing these words.

He lowered his head and thought for a while. Then he said, “Perhaps you are a marthiyeh-khwan?”. “Yes, I am,” he replied. He said, “Hereafter, either abandon marthiyeh-khwani altogether or draw your material from reliable books. You are tearing away the flesh Imam Husayn, with these lies of yours. It was God's grace that He showed this to you in a dream.”

If one studies the history of 'Ashura' one will find that it is the most vivid and well-documented of histories with plenty of sources. The marhum Akhund Khurasani used to say, “Those who are ever after 'new' rawdahs should go and read the true accounts, for no one has ever heard them”

One should study the addresses of Imam Husayn ('a) delivered in Makkah - in the Hijaz as a whole - at Karbala', during his journey, as well as the sermons addressed to his companions, the questions and answers that took place between him and others, the letters that were exchanged between him and other people, the letters that were exchanged between the enemies themselves, in addition to the accounts of those (from among the friends as well the enemies) who were present on the occasion of 'Ashura'.

There were three or four persons from among Imam Husayn's companions who survived, including a slave named 'Uqbah ibn Sam'an, who had accompanied the Imam from Makkah and lived to write the accounts pertaining to the Imam's troops.

He was captured on the day of 'Ashura' but was released when he told them that he was a slave. Humayd ibn Muslim was another chronicler who accompanied the army of 'Umar ibn Sa'd. Of those present on the occasion was Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) himself who has recounted all the events. There is no blind spot in the history of Imam Husayn ('a).

Hajji Nuri refers to a spurious story that relates to Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a). According to it when there remained no companion with Hadrat Abu 'Abd Allah ('a), the Hadrat went into the tent of Imam Zayn al- 'Abidin ('a) to bid him good-bye. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) asked him, “Father! How did things come about between you and these people? (that is, Imam Zayn al-'Abidin was unaware of what was happening until that time).

The Imam said to him, “Son, this matter has ultimately led to a battle.” 'What happened to Habib ibn Mazahir?, asked Imam Zayn al-'Abidin. “He was killed,” replied the Imam. “How about Zuhayr ibn Qayn?”

“He was also killed,” replied the Imam. “What happened to Burayr ibn Hudayr?” “He was killed,” said Imam Husayn ('a). Imam Zayn al-'Abidin continued naming each of his father's companions one after another and the Imam's reply was the same.

Then he asked concerning the men of Banu Hashim. “What happened to Qasim ibn Hasan?” What happened to my brother 'Ali Akbar?” “What happened to my uncle Abu al-Fadl The answer was the same: “He has been killed.” This is a fabrication and a lie. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, na'udhubillah, was not so sick and unconscious as not to know what was going on.

Historians have written that even in that state of illness he rose from his bed and said to Zaynab, “Aunt, bring me my staff and give me a sword.” In any case, Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) was one of those who were present on the scene and related the accounts of events.

Truly, we should be penitent for these crimes and treacheries that we are guilty of in respect of Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn ('a), his companions, comrades and members of his family, and for effacing all their achievements. He should do penance and then make effort to derive benefit from this most educative source.

Is there any inadequacy in the life of 'Abbas ibn 'Ali as recounted in the reliable maqatil (accounts of martyrdom)? The single point that there was no danger to his own life is enough to be a matter of pride for him. Imam Husayn had also told him, “They are only after me, and if they kill me, they will not have anything again anyone else.”

At Kufah, when Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan was departing for Karbala', one of those who were present said to Ibn Ziyad that some of his relatives on the mother's side were with Husayn ibn 'Ali. He requested Ibn Ziyad to write a letter granting them amnesty, and Ibn Ziyad wrote it. Shimr belonged to a clan that had remote ties with the tribe of Umm al-Banin (the mother of Abu al-Fadl). Shimr personally brought this letter of amnesty on the night following the ninth day of Muharram.

This wretch approached the camp of Husayn ibn 'Ali and shouted, “Where are my nephews!” (ayna banu ukhtina?!).11 Abu al-Fadl, along with his full brothers, was sitting with Hadrat Abu 'Abd Allah ('a). He remained silent and did not reply, until the Imam said to him, “Answer him, though he be an evil man (ajibuhu in kana fasiqa). At the Imam's leave, he answered Shimr, saying, “What do you want?” (Ma taqul?). Shimr said, “I have come with some good news for you.

I have brought a letter of amnesty for you from the emir, 'Ubayd Allah. You are now free, and you will be safe if you leave now.” Abu al-Fadl said to him, “May God damn you and your emir, as well as the letter that you bring. Do you think we will abandon our Imam and brother for the sake of our own safety?”

On the night of 'Ashura', the first person to declare his loyalty towards Abu 'Abd Allah was his brother Abu al-Fadl. Aside from the foolish exaggerations that are often made, that which is confirmed by history is that Abu al-Fadl was a very wise person, valiant and courageous, tall and most handsome. He had been nicknamed 'The Moon of the Hashimis.'12 These things are true. To be sure, he had inherited Ali's courage.

The story is also true regarding his mother, that Ali' had asked 'Aqil, his brother, to propose a woman born of a heroic descent (waladatha al-fuhulah)13 who might give birth to son who would be a warrior and man of valour (li-talidani farisan shuja'ah).14 'Aqil had suggested Umm al-Banin. So much of it is true. 'Ali's wish was fulfilled in Abu al-Fadl.

According to one of two reports, on the day of 'Ashura' Abu al-Fadl came to the Imam and said, “Dear brother, now give me the permission. This breast of mine is suffocated and I can bear it no more. I want to sacrifice my life for your sake.”

I don't know the reason why Imam responded to Hadrat Abu al-Fadl's request in the manner that he did. Abu 'Abd Allah himself knows better. He said, “Brother, now that you want to leave, try to get some water for these children.”

Hadrat Abu al-Fadl had already come to receive the nickname Saqqa (water carrier), as earlier, on one or two occasions, at nights he had been able to pass through the enemy's ranks to fetch water for the children in Abu 'Abd Allah's camp. It was not the case that they had not drunk any water for three days and nights.

Access to water had been closed for three days and nights, but during this time they had been able to get some water on one or two occasions, including the night of 'Ashura', when they had taken bath and washed their bodies. Abu al-Fadl consented.

Now note this majestic scene! What greatness! What valour! What a spirit of understanding and self-sacrifice! A lone warrior, alone by himself, advances against a host. The number of men who guarded the river bank was four thousand. He descends along the river bank and leads his horse into the water (all historians have written this).

First, he fills the waterskin that he has brought and lays it on his shoulder. He is thirsty. The air is hot and has been fighting. But as he sits on the back of his horse and the horse stands in water reaching up to its belly, he lowers his hands into water, takes water into them and raises them somewhat towards his sacred lips.

Those who were watching from a distance report that he hesitated for a while. Then they saw that he threw the water back and came out of the river without drinking any. No one knew why Abu Al-Fadl did not drink water there. But when he came out he recited rajaz verses which were addressed to himself. Now from these verses they understood why he had not drunk water:

O soul of Abu al-Fadl!

My wish is that you live not after Husayn!

Will you have a drink of cold water,

While there stands Husayn, thirsty, near the tents,

And about to drink the cup of death!?

Such is not the way of my faith,

Nor that of one who abides in conviction and truth!15

What would become of manliness? Of honour? Of caring love? And of sharing in the hardship of one's dear ones? Isn't Husayn your Imam, and you his follower?

While Husayn is about to drink the cup of death,

Will you have a drink of cold water?

Never! My faith does not permit me to do that! My loyalty does not allow me to do such a thing! Abu al-Fadl changed his route while returning and now he came through the palm groves. Earlier, he had come by the direct way, but he knew that he now carried a precious trust with him.

So he changed his route and all his concern now was to get the water safely to the camp, for it was possible that a single arrow may pierce the waterskin and fail his task of bringing the water to its destination. In the mean while they heard that Abu al-Fadl had changed his rajaz. It appeared that something had happened. Now he cried out:

By God!

Even if you sever my right arm,

I will persist in defending my faith,

And the Imam, who is the true one, for certain,

the Prophet's grandson, pure and trustworthy!16

That is, by God even if you cut my right arm I will not flinch from defending Husayn. Not much time passed when his rajaz changed again:

O my soul, fear not the faithless,

And receive the good news of Almighty's mercy,

In the company of the Prophet, the Master and the Elect,

Though, insolently, they should slash my left arm!17

These rajaz verses signaled that his left arm too had been severed. They write that with characteristic dexterity he somehow turned the water-skin and bent himself over it. I will not say what happened thereafter as it is most heart rending.

It is a custom to recount the account of the ordeals of this great human being on the night of Tasu'ah (9th Muharram). Let me add that Umm al-Banin, the mother of Hadrat Abu al-Fadl was alive at the time of the event of Karbala', though she was in Madinah at the time. She was given the news that all her four sons were martyred at Karbala'.

This saintly woman would go to the Baqi' cemetery and mourn over her sons. They write that her elegies were so full of pathos that they brought tears to everyone who heard them, even Marwan ibn Hakam, who was the staunchest of the enemies of the Prophet's family.

Sometimes she would remember all her sons and, at times, especially Abu al-Fadl, the eldest of them, who was senior most of the brothers, both in respect of age as well as in respect of spiritual and bodily merits.

I remember one of her two elegies and I will recite them for you. These are the elegiac verses that this grieved mother recited in mourning for her sons (in general, the Arabs recite elegiac verses in a very touching style):

You, who have seen 'Abbas make repeated forays against the base hosts,

And following him were the Lion's sons, each a mighty lion!

I have been told, my son's head was struck when his arms were cut,

Alas for my Lion's cub! Did a club fall on his head?

O 'Abbas! None would have dared to approach it,

Were your sword in your hand!18

That is, 'O observant eye, tell me, you who have been in Karbala' and watched its scenes and observed the moment when Abu al-Fadl, my son of a lion, with my other lion's cubs following him, attacked that cowardly crowd - tell me is it true what I have been told?

They say that when they had cut my son's arms an iron club fell on my dear one's head. Is that true?' Then she says, “Abu al-Fadl! My dear! I know that if you had arms there wasn't a man in the whole world to have the guts to face you! They had the temerity to do that because your arms had been severed from your body.

Notes

1. During the nights of the 'id of Ghadir, Dr. Shari'ati delivered an excellent lecture on this general human tendency for hero-worship and making of myths and legends, turning historic figures into legendary heroes with extraordinary and superhuman characteristics.

2. Al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, “kitab fadl al-'ilm”, p. 32; al-Saffar, Basa'ir al-darajat, p.10

3. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 381; Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; al-Luhuf, 33; al-Khwarazmi's Maqtal al-Husayn, ii, p. 5.

4. Ibn Shahr Ashub, al-Manaqib, iv, p. 110; al-Luhuf, p. 50, Bihar al-anwar, vol. 45, p. 50; al-Irbili, Kashf al-ghummah, ii, p. 32.

5. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 381; Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; al-Luhuf, 33.

6. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 366; al-Luhuf, p. 25.

7. Al-Luhuf, p. 41; Khwarazmi's Maqtal al-Husayn, ii, p. 7; Ibn 'Asakir, Ta'rikh al-Sham, iv, p. 333; al-Muqarrim's Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 287; al-Harrani, Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; Shaykh 'Abbas al-Qummi, Nafs al-mahmum, p. 149, Mulhaqat Ihqaq al-haqq, xi, pp. 624-625.

8. Ibid.

9. Mafatih al-janan, the ziyarah of Imam Husayn ('a) for the nights of 'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Adha.

10. Marhum Aqa Muhammad Ali was the son of marhum Wahid Behbahani and both of them were great men. Marhum Aqa Muhammad Ali migrated to Kirmanshah where he wielded great influence.

11. al-Muqarrim's Maqtal al Husayn, p. 252, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 391, al-Luhuf, p. 37

12. al-Muqarrim's al-Abbas, p. 81; Ibn Shahr Ashub, al-Manaqib, iv, p. 108

13. al-Muqarrim's al-Abbas, p. 69

14. Ibsar al-ayn fi ansar al-Husayn alayh al-salam, p. 26

15. Yanabi al-mawaddah, ii, p. 165; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 41

16. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 40

17. Ibid.

18. Muntaha al-amal, I, p. 386.

'Ashura - Misrepresentations and Distortions part 2

Authors(s): Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari

Translator(s): Ali Quli Qara'i

Publisher(s): al-Tawhid Islamic Journal

Journal: Vol.13, No.4

Second Sermon: 'Ashura - History and Popular Legend

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

All Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and the Maker of all creation, and may Peace and benedictions be upon His servant and messenger, His beloved and elect, our master, our prophet, and our sire, Abu al-Qasim Muhammad, may Allah bless him and his pure, immaculate, and infallible Progeny.

I seek the refuge of Allah from the accursed Satan:

“So for their breaking their compact We cursed them and made their hearts hard; they would pervert the words from their meanings, and they forgot a portion of what they were reminded of.” (5:13)

We said that the event of 'Ashura' has been subject to tahrif and it has occurred both in its outward form as well as its inner content. A consequence of these distortions has been that this great historic document and this great educative source has become ineffectual or less potent, in our lives, leaving, at times, even an opposite effect.

All of us have the duty to purge it of the distortions that have polluted this sacred document. Tonight we will discuss the general factors responsible for tahrif. Thereafter our discussion will focus on tahrif in the content and significance of this event.

The Factors of Tahrif

These factors are of two kinds, one of which is of a general nature. That is, there are in general certain factors that lead to the corruption of histories and these are not limited to the event of 'Ashura' alone. For instance, the enemy's motives are themselves a factor that distort an event. In order to achieve their purposes, the enemies bring about alterations in historical texts or misinterpret them. There are many examples of it which I do not wish to mention here.

All that I would say is that this kind of tahrif did play a role in distorting the facts of Karbala', and the enemies did take resort in misrepresenting the uprising of Imam Husayn. As usually happens, the enemies accuse sacred movements of causing conflict and division and of disrupting social harmony and peace. The Umayyad regime also made much effort to give such a hue to the Husayni uprising.

Such propaganda began from the very first day. When Muslim arrived in Kufah, Yazid, while sending an order appointing Ibn Ziyad to the governership of Kufah, wrote: “Muslim, son of 'Aqil, has gone to Kufah and his aim is to disrupt peace and to create social discord and disunity in the Muslim community. Go and suppress him.”

When Muslim was captured and brought to the dar al-imarah, the governor's residency, Ibn Ziyad said to Muslim: “Son of 'Aqil! What was it that brought you to this city? The people here lived in satisfaction and peace.

You came and disrupted their peace, causing disunity and conflict amongst Muslims.” Muslim answered in a manly manner and said: “Firstly, I did not come to this city on my own account. It was the people of this city who invited us.

They wrote a great number of letters, which are in our possession. In those letters they wrote that your father, Ziyad, who ruled this city for years, had killed its virtuous men and imposed its scoundrels over the virtuous, subjecting them to various forms of tyranny and injustice. They appealed to us to help them establish justice. We have come to establish justice!”

The Umayyad regime did wage much propaganda of this kind, but their misrepresentations did not affect the history of Islam. You will not find a single competent historian in the world who might have said that Husayn ibn 'Ali, naudhubillah, made an unlawful uprising that he rose to cause conflict and disunity among the people. No.

The enemy could not bring about any misrepresentation in [the history of] the event of Karbala'. Most regrettably, whatever tahrif has occurred in the event of Karbala' has been at the hands of the friends.

The Second Factor

The second factor is the human tendency towards myth-making and for turning facts into legends. This tendency has been at work in all the world's historical traditions. There is a tendency in men for hero worship which induces the people to fabricate myths and legends about national and religious heroes.1

The best evidence of it are the legends that the people have invented around the figures of some geniuses such as Ibn Sina and Shaykh Baha'i. Ibn Sina, undoubtedly, was a genius and was gifted with extraordinary physical and intellectual powers. But these very gifts have led the people to weave out legends about him.

For instance, it is said that once Ibn Sina saw a man from a distance of one parasang and remarked that the man was eating bread made with oil. They asked him how he could know that the man was eating bread and that it was made with oil.

He replied that he saw flies circling the bread, which had made him conclude that there was oil in the bread. Obviously, this is a legend. Someone who can see flies from the distance of one parasang will see bread made with oil much sooner than he would see flies!

Or it is said that once during the time that Ibn Sina was studying at Isfahan he complained that when he gets up in the middle of the night to study, he was disturbed by the noise of the hammering of the coppersmiths of Kashan.

They went and made a test. One night they told the coppersmiths of Kashan not to use their hammers. That night, said Ibn Sina, he had slept peacefully and was undisturbed in his study. Obviously this is a legend.

Many such legends have been made about Shaykh Bahi'i as well. Such things are not confined to the event of 'Ashura. However, let the people say what they would about Ibn Sina. What harm does it do?

None! But in respect of individuals who are guides of mankind and whose words and deeds and whose stands and uprisings serve as a model and authority, there should not be any tahrif whatsoever in their statements, in their personality, and history.

How many legends have been fabricated by us Shi'is about Amir al Mu'minin 'Ali, many Peace be upon him! There is no doubt that 'Ali ('a) was an extraordinary man. No one has doubts about 'Ali's courage which was superior to that of any ordinary human being. 'Ali did not encounter any contestant in battle without felling him to the ground.

But does that satisfy the myth makers? Never! For instance, there is the legend about 'Ali's encounter with Marhab in the battle of Khaybar with all the curious details about the physique of Marhab. The historians have also written that 'Ali's sword cut him into two from the middle (I don't know whether the two halves were perfectly equal!).

But here they found the opportunity to weave out fables which are harmful for the faith. It is said that God commanded Gabriel to go immediately to the earth lest 'Ali's sword when it comes down on Marhab should cut the earth into two halves, reaching right down to the Cow and the Fish.

Gabriel was told to shield the blow with his wings. Gabriel went and when 'Ali struck the blow with his sword, it slashed Marhab into two halves which had they been put in a balance would have turned out to be exactly equal.

However, one of Gabriel's wings suffered injury and he could not ascend to the heaven for forty days. When at last he arrived in heaven, God asked him as to where he had been all these days. He replied, “O Lord! I was on the earth. You had given me an assignment to go there.” He was asked why he had taken so much time to return.

Gabriel said, “O God, the blow of 'Ali's sword wounded my wings and I was busy bandaging and healing them all these forty days!” According to another legend 'Ali's sword flew so swiftly and slickly through Marhab's forehead cutting all the way to the saddle that when 'Ali pulled away his sword Marhab himself did not know what had happened (he thought the blow had gone amiss).

He jeered at 'Ali, “Was that all of your swordsmanship?!” 'Ali' said to him, “Just move yourself a bit and see.” As soon as Marhab made a movement, one half of his body fell on one side of the horse and the other on the other side!

Hajji Nuri, this great man, in his book Lu'lu wa marjan, while condemning the practice of fabricating of such legends, writes about legends that some people have put into circulation concerning the valor of Hadrat Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas.

According to one of them, in the Battle of Siffin (in which, basically, it is not known whether he had participated, and even if he did he must have been a boy of fifteen years) he threw a man into the air, then another, and so on up to eighty men, and by the time the last one was thrown up the first one had not yet reached the ground. Then when the first one came down, he cut him into two halves, then the second and so on to the last man!

A part of the interpolations in the narratives of the event of Karbala have resulted from the myth-making tendency. The Europeans assert that one finds many exaggerations in accounts pertaining to the history of the East, and there is some truth in what they say.

Mulla Darbandi writes in his book Asrar al-shahadah that the cavalry of the army of 'Umar ibn Sa'd consisted of six hundred thousand horsemen and twenty million infantrymen - in all a force of one million and six hundred thousand plus all the people of Kufah! Now how large was Kufah?

Kufah was a recently founded city and not more than thirty-five years old, as it was built during the time of 'Umar ibn Khattab. It was built at 'Umar's orders as a military outpost for Muslim warriors near the borders of Iran. It is not certain whether the entire population of Kufah during that time was even a hundred thousand.

That a force of one million and six hundred thousand could have been assembled on that day and that Husayn ibn 'Ali' should have killed three hundred thousand of them is not at all reasonable. Such figures cast a shadow on the whole event.

It is said that someone once made exaggerated claims about the largeness of the city of Herat in former days. He said, 'Herat was a very big city at one time.' 'How big? he was asked. He said, 'At one time there were in Herat twenty thousand one-eyed cooks named Ahmad selling head and totters stew. Now imagine how many men there must be in a city, and how many named Ahmad, and how many one-eyed Ahmads, to have twenty-one thousand one-eyed Ahmads selling head and totters stew!

This myth-making tendency has always been very active; but we must not leave a sacred document to the mercy of myth-makers.

There is amongst us, the Ahl al-Bayt, in every generation reformers who purge the faith of the perversions of the extremists, of the false beliefs of the falsifiers, and of the misinterpretations of the ignorant.2

We have a duty here. Now let anyone say anything he likes about Herat. But is it right that such legends as these should find way into the history of the event of Ashura', an event concerning which our duty is to keep it alive and revive its memory every year?

The Third Factor

The third factor is of a particular nature. The two factors that we have discussed above, that is, the hostile ends of the enemies and the human tendency for conjuring legends and myths, apply to all histories of the world, but there is also a factor which is specific to the event of Ashura' that has led to fabrication of stories.

The leaders of the faith, from the time of the Noble Messenger and the Pure Imams, have commanded in clear and emphatic terms that the memory of Husayn ibn 'Ali must be kept alive and that his martyrdom and ordeals should be commemorated every year. Why? What is the reason underlying this Islamic ordinance? Why is there so much encouragement for and emphasis on visiting the shrine of Husayn ibn 'Ali?

We should reflect over these questions. Some might say that it is for the sake of condoling with Hadrat Zahra' and offering her consolation! But is it not ridiculous to imagine that Hadrat Zahra' should still need consolation after fourteen hundred years, whereas, in accordance with the explicit statements of Imam Husayn and according to our creed, since his martyrdom Imam Husayn and Hadrat Zahra have been together in heaven?

What a thing to say! Is it correct to think of Hadrat Zahra as a little child that goes on weeping, even after fourteen centuries, and whom we have to go and console? Such kind of belief is destructive for religion. Imam Husayn ('a) established the practical ideology of Islam and he is the practical model for Islamic movements.

They (that is the Prophet and Imams) wanted Imam Husayn's ideology to be kept alive. They wanted Husayn should reappear every year with those sweet, sublime and heroic summons of his and declare”

Don't you see that what is right and true is not acted upon, and what is wrong and false is not forbidden? [In such conditions] the man of faith should long to meet his true Lord!3

They wanted the words:

Death is better than a life saddled with indignity,4

To be kept alive forever, and so also the words:

To me death is nothing but felicity, and life with oppressors is nothing but disgrace,5

They wanted such other saying of Imam Husayn to be kept alive:

The children of Adam carry the mark of death like necklaces that adorn the neck of damsels!6

Far from us is disgrace and indignity!7

They wanted to keep alive the memory of such scenes as that of Imam Husayn's confronting a force of thirty thousand men, in a state when he and his family are faced with a great ordeal and declaring in a manly manner - and the world has never seen such a manly personage!

Indeed, that baseborn son of a baseborn father has left me only two alternatives to choose from: the sword or disgrace. And far from us is disgrace! It is disdainful to God, His Messenger and the faithful that we should yield to anything of that kind, and those born of chaste mothers and high-minded fathers and possessing a lofty sense of honor disdain that submission to vile men should be preferred to honorable death!8

They wanted to keep alive the formative school of Imam Husayn so that the rays of the Husayni spirit may breathe life into this community. Its objective is quite clear.

Do not allow the event of 'Ashura' to be consigned to oblivion! Your life, your humanity, and your dignity depend on this event!

You can keep Islam alive only by its means! That is why they have encouraged us to keep alive the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn, and very rightly! The institution of mourning Husayn ibn 'Ali has a correct philosophy underlying it, a philosophy which is also extremely sublime.

It is fitting that we should do all that we can to endeavor for the sake of this cause, provided we understand its purpose and goal. Unfortunately some people have not understood it.

Without making the people understand the philosophy of Imam Husayn's uprising and without making them understand the station of Imam Husayn, they imagine that if they just came and sat in mourning assemblies and shed tears, without knowledge and understanding, it would atone their sins.

Marhum Hajji Nuri mentions a point in the book, Lu'lu' wa marjan. That point is the belief of some people that the reward (thawab) for mourning Imam Husayn is so great that it is justifiable to employ any means whatsoever for this end. Nowadays a group which subscribes to the views of Machiavilli in political thought says that ends justify the means. If the end is a good one, it does not matter what means are used to achieve it.

Now these people also say that we have a sacred and exalted goal, which is mourning Imam Husayn and it does not matter what means are used for this end. As the end is a sacred one, it does not matter what the means are: Is it correct to perform ta'ziyahs - even ta'ziyahs which are vulgar - for this purpose? They ask, 'Do they make the people cry?

If they do, there is so problem with such ta'ziyahs.' So also there is no problem if we blow trumpets, beat drums, commit sinful acts, make men dress as women, conjure a wedding for Qasim, or fabricate and forge episodes. Such things do not matter in the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn, which is something exclusive.

Here lying is forgiven, forgery and fabrication are forgivable, making pictures, and dressing men as women is pardonable. Here any kind of sinful conduct is forgivable as the end is most sacred! As a consequence of such thinking, some persons have resorted to such tahrif and misrepresentation that are stunning.

About ten or fifteen years ago when I was on a visit to Isfahan, I met a great man, marhum Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan Najafabadi, may God elevate his station. I recounted to him a rawdah that I had heard recently somewhere. It was something which I had never heard until that time. Incidentally, this man who had delivered that rawdah, an opium addict, had made the people weep profusely with that rawdah of his.

In it he recounted the story of an old woman during the reign of Mutawakkil (the 'Abbasid caliph who persecuted the Shi'ah). The woman had set out with the purpose of making a pilgrimage to the tomb of Imam Husayn, which was forbidden at that time and they would cut off the hands of the pilgrims. He went on with the narrative until the point when the old woman is taken and thrown into the river. In that state she cries out for help, calling out, “O Abu al-Fadl al-'Abbas!”

As she is about to drown a horseman appears and tells her to catch hold of his stirrup. The woman takes hold of the stirrups but she says, “Why don't you give me your hand?' The horseman says, “I haven't any hands!” At this point the people wept a lot.

Marhum Hajj Shaykh Muhammad Hasan recounted for me the history of this legend. In a place near the bazaar, in the near abouts of Madrasah Sadr, there used to be held a majlis which was one of the major majalis of Isfahan and which even the marhum Hajj Mulla Isma'il Khwaju'i used to attend. One day there had occurred there an incident.

(It had taken place earlier and he had heard its account from reliable persons.) It involved a well-known wa'iz; who himself had recounted it in these words: “One day mine was the last turn to speak from the minbar.

Other speakers had come and each one of them had exerted his skills to make the people weep. Everyone that came would try to surpass his predecessor and having delivered his rawdah would descend from the minbar to sit among the audience and watch the art of the succeeding rawdeh-khwan. This continued until the time of noon.

I saw that everyone had tried his prowess and together they had drawn out all the tears that the people could shed. What should I do? I thought for a while, and then and there I made up this story.

When my turn came, I went up and related the story, leaving all of them behind. In the afternoon, the same day, while attending another majlis in the Char-suq locality, I saw that the one who took to the minbar before me related this same story. Gradually it came to be written in books and appeared in print.”

The false and wrong notion that the tradition of mourning Imam Husayn is an exception to all norms, that it is justified to use any means to make the people weep, has been a major factor leading to fabrication of legends and tahrif.

Marhum Hajji Nuri, that saintly man and teacher of marhum Hajj Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi, who as confessed by Hajj Shaykh 'Abbas himself as well as others was superior to his pupils, was an extraordinarily learned and pious man. In his book he makes the point that if it is a correct notion that the end justifies the means, then one may also justify the following line of reasoning.

One of the Islamic precepts is that bringing delight to the heart of a believer and to do something to make him happy is a greatly commendable act. Such being the case, according to this reasoning, it is justifiable to do backbiting in his presence, as he loves listening to backbiting. And should someone say that it is sinful to do so, the answer will be,” No! The purpose is a sacred one and the backbiting is being done to make a believer pleased and happy!”

Marhum Hajji Nuri gives another example. A man embraces a non-mahram woman, which is an unlawful act. We ask him why did you do that?He replies, “I have done it for a believer's delight.” The same reasoning can be applied to such unlawful acts as adultery, drinking wine, and sodomy. Isn't this an absurd reasoning?

Wouldn't such a notion destroy the Shari'ah? By God, to think that it is permissible to use any kind of means for making people cry in mourning Imam Husayn is a notion that contradicts everything that Imam Husayn stands for. Imam Husayn was martyred to uplift Islam, as we confess while reciting his ziyarah:

I bear witness that you established the prayer, gave zakat commanded what is right and forbade what is wrong, and did such jihad in the way of God as ought to be done.9

Imam Husayn was killed in order to revive Islamic traditions, Islamic laws and regulations, not in order to create an excuse for the violation of Islamic norms. Na'udhubillah, we have changed Imam Husayn into a destroyer of Islam: the Imam Husayn that we have conjured in our imagination is a destroyer of Islam.

In his book Hajji Nuri mentions a story that was related to him by one of the students in Najaf, who originally came from Yazd. “One day,” he said, “in my youth I made a journey on foot to Khorasan, going by the road that passes through the desert (kawr). In one of the villages of Nayshabur I went to a mosque, as I did not have any place to stay.

The imam of the mosque came and led the prayers. Afterwards he went on the minbar to make a rawdah I was amazed to see the mosque attendant bring a pile of stones which he handed over to the imam. When the rawdah started, he ordered the lamps to be put out. When the lamps had been put out, he pelted the stones at the audience and there arose cries from the people. When the lamps were lighted, I saw bleeding heads.

Their eyes were tearful as they walked out of the mosque. I approached the imam and asked him why he had done such a thing. He said, 'I have tested these people. There is no rawdah in the world that will make them weep. As weeping for the sake of Imam Husayn has a great reward and thawab, I have found that the only way to make them cry is to throw stones on their heads.

This is how I make them weep.' “ He believed that the end justifies the means. The end was to mourn Imam Husayn though it should involve emptying a pile of stones on the people's heads.

Accordingly, this is a particular factor which is specific to this historic event and it has led to much fabrication and tahrif.

When one studies history one finds what they have done to this event. By God, Hajji Nuri is right when he says that if we were to weep for Imam Husayn today, we should mourn for him on account of these falsehoods, fabrications and tahrif!

There is a well-known book called Rawdat al-shuhada'. whose author was Mulla Husayn Kashifi. According to Hajji Nuri, he was the first to write in his book the stories of Za'far the Jinn and the one about Qasim's wedding. I have read this book.

I used to imagine that it contained only one or two of such cases. But afterwards when I read it I saw that the matter was very much different. This book, which is in Persian, was compiled about five-hundred years ago.

Mulla Husayn Kashifi was a scholar and learned man. He has authored several books including the Anwar suhayli. His biographical accounts do not indicate whether he was a Shi'i or a Sunni. Basically he was a Chameleon: among the Shi'ah he would pose as an outright Shi'i, while amongst the Sunnis he would pass as a Hanafi.

He was a native of Sabzawar, a Shi'i centre whose people were staunch Shi'is. In Sabzawar he would act as an out and out Shi'i, and at times when he would go to Herat ('Abd al-Rahman Jami was the husband of his sister or sister-in-law) he would give sermons for the Sunnis in the Sunni style. But in Sabzawar he narrated the tragedies of Karbala'.

His death occurred around 910/1504, that is, either at the end of the 9th or the beginning of the 10th century. This was the first book, compiled about five hundred years ago, to be written as an elegiac narrative (marthiyah).

Earlier the people used to refer to the primary sources. Shaykh Mufid, may God be pleased with him, wrote the Irshad and how sound is his narration! If we were to refer to the Irshad of Shaykh Mufid we would not stand in need of any other source.

Tabari, among Sunni authors, has also written about it. Ya'qubi, Ibn 'Asakir and Khwarazmi have also written. I don't know what this unjust man has done! When I read this book I saw that even the names are spurious. He mentions names among Imam Husayn's companions that never existed. He mentions names of the enemy's men which are also spurious. He has turned the factual accounts of the event into fables.

As this was the first book to be written in Persian, the orators in mourning assemblies, who were mostly illiterate and could not use the Arabic texts, would take this book and read from it in the mourning sessions.

That is why the gatherings that are held nowadays to mourn Imam Husayn are called rawdeh-khwani. Rawdeh-khwani was not in vogue during the time of Imam Sadiq or Imam Hasan 'Askari, nor it was prevalent during the times of Sayyid Murtada [d 436/1044] or even Khwajah Nasir al-Din al-Tusi [d. 672/1273].

Rawdeh-khwani came into vogue since the last five hundred years and it came to be called as such. Rawdeh-khwani meant reading from the book Rawdat al-shuhada', a pack of lies. From the time that this book fell into the hands of the people, no one has bothered to study the actual history of Imam Husayn.

Then, about sixty or seventy years ago, there appeared another man, the marhum Mulla Darbandi. He took all the contents of the Rawdat al-shahuda' and compiled them together with other material, collecting it all in a book called Asrar al-shahadah. The contents of this book make one lament for the fate of Islam.

Hajji Nuri writes, “We used to attend the lectures of Hajj Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn Tehrani (who was a very saintly man) and benefited from his teaching. A sayyid from Hillah, who was a rawdeh-khwan, came to meet him and he showed him a book written about the events of Imam Husayn's martyrdom (maqtal, plural: maqatil) to see whether its contents were reliable.

This book did not have any beginning or end. Only at one place in it was mentioned the name of a certain mulla of Jabl al-'Amil who was among the pupils of the author of the Ma'alim al-usul. Marhum Hajj Shaykh 'Abd al-Husayn took the book to examine it.

First he studied the biographical accounts of that scholar and found that such a book had not been attributed to him. Then he read the book itself and found it to be full of falsehoods. He said to that sayyid, 'This book is a pack of lies.

Don't circulate this book and don't quote anything from it, for it is unlawful to do so. Basically this book has not been written by that scholar and its contents are spurious.' “ Hajji Nuri says that the same book fell into the hands of the author of Asrar al-shahadah and he copied all its contents into his book, from the beginning to the end!”

Hajji Nuri relates another episode, which is rather touching. Once a man came to author of the Maqami'10 and said to him, “Last night I saw a horrible dream.” “What was it?” he asked him. He said, “I saw that I am biting away flesh from the body of Imam Husayn.” The scholar trembled on hearing these words.

He lowered his head and thought for a while. Then he said, “Perhaps you are a marthiyeh-khwan?”. “Yes, I am,” he replied. He said, “Hereafter, either abandon marthiyeh-khwani altogether or draw your material from reliable books. You are tearing away the flesh Imam Husayn, with these lies of yours. It was God's grace that He showed this to you in a dream.”

If one studies the history of 'Ashura' one will find that it is the most vivid and well-documented of histories with plenty of sources. The marhum Akhund Khurasani used to say, “Those who are ever after 'new' rawdahs should go and read the true accounts, for no one has ever heard them”

One should study the addresses of Imam Husayn ('a) delivered in Makkah - in the Hijaz as a whole - at Karbala', during his journey, as well as the sermons addressed to his companions, the questions and answers that took place between him and others, the letters that were exchanged between him and other people, the letters that were exchanged between the enemies themselves, in addition to the accounts of those (from among the friends as well the enemies) who were present on the occasion of 'Ashura'.

There were three or four persons from among Imam Husayn's companions who survived, including a slave named 'Uqbah ibn Sam'an, who had accompanied the Imam from Makkah and lived to write the accounts pertaining to the Imam's troops.

He was captured on the day of 'Ashura' but was released when he told them that he was a slave. Humayd ibn Muslim was another chronicler who accompanied the army of 'Umar ibn Sa'd. Of those present on the occasion was Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) himself who has recounted all the events. There is no blind spot in the history of Imam Husayn ('a).

Hajji Nuri refers to a spurious story that relates to Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a). According to it when there remained no companion with Hadrat Abu 'Abd Allah ('a), the Hadrat went into the tent of Imam Zayn al- 'Abidin ('a) to bid him good-bye. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) asked him, “Father! How did things come about between you and these people? (that is, Imam Zayn al-'Abidin was unaware of what was happening until that time).

The Imam said to him, “Son, this matter has ultimately led to a battle.” 'What happened to Habib ibn Mazahir?, asked Imam Zayn al-'Abidin. “He was killed,” replied the Imam. “How about Zuhayr ibn Qayn?”

“He was also killed,” replied the Imam. “What happened to Burayr ibn Hudayr?” “He was killed,” said Imam Husayn ('a). Imam Zayn al-'Abidin continued naming each of his father's companions one after another and the Imam's reply was the same.

Then he asked concerning the men of Banu Hashim. “What happened to Qasim ibn Hasan?” What happened to my brother 'Ali Akbar?” “What happened to my uncle Abu al-Fadl The answer was the same: “He has been killed.” This is a fabrication and a lie. Imam Zayn al-'Abidin, na'udhubillah, was not so sick and unconscious as not to know what was going on.

Historians have written that even in that state of illness he rose from his bed and said to Zaynab, “Aunt, bring me my staff and give me a sword.” In any case, Imam Zayn al-'Abidin ('a) was one of those who were present on the scene and related the accounts of events.

Truly, we should be penitent for these crimes and treacheries that we are guilty of in respect of Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn ('a), his companions, comrades and members of his family, and for effacing all their achievements. He should do penance and then make effort to derive benefit from this most educative source.

Is there any inadequacy in the life of 'Abbas ibn 'Ali as recounted in the reliable maqatil (accounts of martyrdom)? The single point that there was no danger to his own life is enough to be a matter of pride for him. Imam Husayn had also told him, “They are only after me, and if they kill me, they will not have anything again anyone else.”

At Kufah, when Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan was departing for Karbala', one of those who were present said to Ibn Ziyad that some of his relatives on the mother's side were with Husayn ibn 'Ali. He requested Ibn Ziyad to write a letter granting them amnesty, and Ibn Ziyad wrote it. Shimr belonged to a clan that had remote ties with the tribe of Umm al-Banin (the mother of Abu al-Fadl). Shimr personally brought this letter of amnesty on the night following the ninth day of Muharram.

This wretch approached the camp of Husayn ibn 'Ali and shouted, “Where are my nephews!” (ayna banu ukhtina?!).11 Abu al-Fadl, along with his full brothers, was sitting with Hadrat Abu 'Abd Allah ('a). He remained silent and did not reply, until the Imam said to him, “Answer him, though he be an evil man (ajibuhu in kana fasiqa). At the Imam's leave, he answered Shimr, saying, “What do you want?” (Ma taqul?). Shimr said, “I have come with some good news for you.

I have brought a letter of amnesty for you from the emir, 'Ubayd Allah. You are now free, and you will be safe if you leave now.” Abu al-Fadl said to him, “May God damn you and your emir, as well as the letter that you bring. Do you think we will abandon our Imam and brother for the sake of our own safety?”

On the night of 'Ashura', the first person to declare his loyalty towards Abu 'Abd Allah was his brother Abu al-Fadl. Aside from the foolish exaggerations that are often made, that which is confirmed by history is that Abu al-Fadl was a very wise person, valiant and courageous, tall and most handsome. He had been nicknamed 'The Moon of the Hashimis.'12 These things are true. To be sure, he had inherited Ali's courage.

The story is also true regarding his mother, that Ali' had asked 'Aqil, his brother, to propose a woman born of a heroic descent (waladatha al-fuhulah)13 who might give birth to son who would be a warrior and man of valour (li-talidani farisan shuja'ah).14 'Aqil had suggested Umm al-Banin. So much of it is true. 'Ali's wish was fulfilled in Abu al-Fadl.

According to one of two reports, on the day of 'Ashura' Abu al-Fadl came to the Imam and said, “Dear brother, now give me the permission. This breast of mine is suffocated and I can bear it no more. I want to sacrifice my life for your sake.”

I don't know the reason why Imam responded to Hadrat Abu al-Fadl's request in the manner that he did. Abu 'Abd Allah himself knows better. He said, “Brother, now that you want to leave, try to get some water for these children.”

Hadrat Abu al-Fadl had already come to receive the nickname Saqqa (water carrier), as earlier, on one or two occasions, at nights he had been able to pass through the enemy's ranks to fetch water for the children in Abu 'Abd Allah's camp. It was not the case that they had not drunk any water for three days and nights.

Access to water had been closed for three days and nights, but during this time they had been able to get some water on one or two occasions, including the night of 'Ashura', when they had taken bath and washed their bodies. Abu al-Fadl consented.

Now note this majestic scene! What greatness! What valour! What a spirit of understanding and self-sacrifice! A lone warrior, alone by himself, advances against a host. The number of men who guarded the river bank was four thousand. He descends along the river bank and leads his horse into the water (all historians have written this).

First, he fills the waterskin that he has brought and lays it on his shoulder. He is thirsty. The air is hot and has been fighting. But as he sits on the back of his horse and the horse stands in water reaching up to its belly, he lowers his hands into water, takes water into them and raises them somewhat towards his sacred lips.

Those who were watching from a distance report that he hesitated for a while. Then they saw that he threw the water back and came out of the river without drinking any. No one knew why Abu Al-Fadl did not drink water there. But when he came out he recited rajaz verses which were addressed to himself. Now from these verses they understood why he had not drunk water:

O soul of Abu al-Fadl!

My wish is that you live not after Husayn!

Will you have a drink of cold water,

While there stands Husayn, thirsty, near the tents,

And about to drink the cup of death!?

Such is not the way of my faith,

Nor that of one who abides in conviction and truth!15

What would become of manliness? Of honour? Of caring love? And of sharing in the hardship of one's dear ones? Isn't Husayn your Imam, and you his follower?

While Husayn is about to drink the cup of death,

Will you have a drink of cold water?

Never! My faith does not permit me to do that! My loyalty does not allow me to do such a thing! Abu al-Fadl changed his route while returning and now he came through the palm groves. Earlier, he had come by the direct way, but he knew that he now carried a precious trust with him.

So he changed his route and all his concern now was to get the water safely to the camp, for it was possible that a single arrow may pierce the waterskin and fail his task of bringing the water to its destination. In the mean while they heard that Abu al-Fadl had changed his rajaz. It appeared that something had happened. Now he cried out:

By God!

Even if you sever my right arm,

I will persist in defending my faith,

And the Imam, who is the true one, for certain,

the Prophet's grandson, pure and trustworthy!16

That is, by God even if you cut my right arm I will not flinch from defending Husayn. Not much time passed when his rajaz changed again:

O my soul, fear not the faithless,

And receive the good news of Almighty's mercy,

In the company of the Prophet, the Master and the Elect,

Though, insolently, they should slash my left arm!17

These rajaz verses signaled that his left arm too had been severed. They write that with characteristic dexterity he somehow turned the water-skin and bent himself over it. I will not say what happened thereafter as it is most heart rending.

It is a custom to recount the account of the ordeals of this great human being on the night of Tasu'ah (9th Muharram). Let me add that Umm al-Banin, the mother of Hadrat Abu al-Fadl was alive at the time of the event of Karbala', though she was in Madinah at the time. She was given the news that all her four sons were martyred at Karbala'.

This saintly woman would go to the Baqi' cemetery and mourn over her sons. They write that her elegies were so full of pathos that they brought tears to everyone who heard them, even Marwan ibn Hakam, who was the staunchest of the enemies of the Prophet's family.

Sometimes she would remember all her sons and, at times, especially Abu al-Fadl, the eldest of them, who was senior most of the brothers, both in respect of age as well as in respect of spiritual and bodily merits.

I remember one of her two elegies and I will recite them for you. These are the elegiac verses that this grieved mother recited in mourning for her sons (in general, the Arabs recite elegiac verses in a very touching style):

You, who have seen 'Abbas make repeated forays against the base hosts,

And following him were the Lion's sons, each a mighty lion!

I have been told, my son's head was struck when his arms were cut,

Alas for my Lion's cub! Did a club fall on his head?

O 'Abbas! None would have dared to approach it,

Were your sword in your hand!18

That is, 'O observant eye, tell me, you who have been in Karbala' and watched its scenes and observed the moment when Abu al-Fadl, my son of a lion, with my other lion's cubs following him, attacked that cowardly crowd - tell me is it true what I have been told?

They say that when they had cut my son's arms an iron club fell on my dear one's head. Is that true?' Then she says, “Abu al-Fadl! My dear! I know that if you had arms there wasn't a man in the whole world to have the guts to face you! They had the temerity to do that because your arms had been severed from your body.

Notes

1. During the nights of the 'id of Ghadir, Dr. Shari'ati delivered an excellent lecture on this general human tendency for hero-worship and making of myths and legends, turning historic figures into legendary heroes with extraordinary and superhuman characteristics.

2. Al-Kulayni, Usul al-Kafi, “kitab fadl al-'ilm”, p. 32; al-Saffar, Basa'ir al-darajat, p.10

3. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 381; Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; al-Luhuf, 33; al-Khwarazmi's Maqtal al-Husayn, ii, p. 5.

4. Ibn Shahr Ashub, al-Manaqib, iv, p. 110; al-Luhuf, p. 50, Bihar al-anwar, vol. 45, p. 50; al-Irbili, Kashf al-ghummah, ii, p. 32.

5. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 381; Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; al-Luhuf, 33.

6. Bihar al-anwar, vol. 44, p. 366; al-Luhuf, p. 25.

7. Al-Luhuf, p. 41; Khwarazmi's Maqtal al-Husayn, ii, p. 7; Ibn 'Asakir, Ta'rikh al-Sham, iv, p. 333; al-Muqarrim's Maqtal al-Husayn, p. 287; al-Harrani, Tuhaf al-'uqul, p. 176; Shaykh 'Abbas al-Qummi, Nafs al-mahmum, p. 149, Mulhaqat Ihqaq al-haqq, xi, pp. 624-625.

8. Ibid.

9. Mafatih al-janan, the ziyarah of Imam Husayn ('a) for the nights of 'Id al-Fitr and 'Id al-Adha.

10. Marhum Aqa Muhammad Ali was the son of marhum Wahid Behbahani and both of them were great men. Marhum Aqa Muhammad Ali migrated to Kirmanshah where he wielded great influence.

11. al-Muqarrim's Maqtal al Husayn, p. 252, Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 391, al-Luhuf, p. 37

12. al-Muqarrim's al-Abbas, p. 81; Ibn Shahr Ashub, al-Manaqib, iv, p. 108

13. al-Muqarrim's al-Abbas, p. 69

14. Ibsar al-ayn fi ansar al-Husayn alayh al-salam, p. 26

15. Yanabi al-mawaddah, ii, p. 165; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 41

16. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 45, p. 40

17. Ibid.

18. Muntaha al-amal, I, p. 386.

'Ashura - Misrepresentations and Distortions part 2

Authors(s): Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari

Translator(s): Ali Quli Qara'i

Publisher(s): al-Tawhid Islamic Journal

Journal: Vol.13, No.4