The Epic of Karbala’
The Messenger of Allah (S) has said, “The killing of al-Husayn (‘a) has left in the heart of the faithful a fire that will never die down.”
This tradition is recorded on p. 217, Vol. 2, ofMustadrak al-Wasa'il
. Numerous poems have been and will be composed eulogizing the greatest epic of heroism in the history of mankind; here are some of them.
Muharram has Come
Muharram has come, so welcome it with takbir,
And scatter your tears on the earth
See in it the crescent as it manifests itself,
See how it is forlorn, contemplating, mourning.
Take off the mantle of patience and place it:
A yellow robe on one who with grief clothed you,
For with the robes of grief do I meet it,
Taking off what cheerful red robes decorated me.
It is a month destiny in it decreed
That the vilest of black dogs would deal
With the Lion of the valiant ones.
Allah! What a calamity he had to behold!
The heavens for it wept crimson blood.
A great misfortune, indeed, afflicted the creed,
For it did the Mother Town drape in black:
Can't you see how the sacredHaram
sighs?
How his sighs would light the timber?
From its depths does Abu Qubays yearn
A yearning that reaches Hira’.
Al-Hatim knew of it, so it is grief-crushed,
Al-Safa knew of it, so it is serene no more,
And its mash’ars sensed the calamity,
And passion struck its Muhassir, so it sighed,
For Husayn is killed: what a tragedy!
On its account Islam became defenseless.
The Month of Muharram
Muharram is when joy is taboo,
When grief is a must, weeping is unavoidable.
A month wherein the seat of faith is in ruin.
Its crescent is a bow
That shot the heart of guidance, the creed,
With the arrow of death and destiny.
Infidels and Muslims considered
Fighting in it a great sin.
Yet Harb's family in it fought the Lord of the heavens,
Permitting the spilling of the inviolable blood.
They violated the sanctity of theHaram
's masters,
Committing that which caused the sky to rain blood.
O family of Harb! May you never see peace,
May none spare you from his censuring tongue!
On earth and in the heavens are you cursed,
By the mass of the living.
Be forewarned with woes and destruction,
And with torture on the Day the trumpet is blown.
How many free women of the Chosen Prophet
Did you rip apart?
How much blood of his offspring did you spill?
O nation of betrayal and disbelief!
O gang of misguidance, O fiends!
How will you look his grandfather in the eye
Having done what you did after him?
Like butchers you slaughtered his progeny,
Like slaves you herded his family.
You forgot the kindness bestowed upon you
On Mecca's Victory Day, when you were forgiven.
Had it not been for the moon-faced sons of Hashim,
A secret lost in the chest you would have been.
Through them did you ascend the pulpit,
And rose to the heights of eminence.
Yazid, Son of Mu’awiyah
When Mu’awiyah died in Damascus on Rajab 15, 60 A.H/April 24, 680 A.D., his son Yazid was in Hawran [Auranitis in Latin]. His shrouds were taken by al-Dahhak Ibn Qays who ascended the pulpit. Having praised and glorified Allah, he said, “Mu’awiyah used to be the Arab's bulwark, their supporter and great one.
Through him did Allah end dissensions, granting him authority over His servants, conquering the lands through him. He has died, and these are his shrouds. In them shall we wrap him, and in his grave shall we place him, then shall we leave him and his deeds, and so shall the barzakh be till the Day of Judgment. Whoever among you wishes to view it, he may proceed.”
He offered the funeral prayers for him then buried him at the cemetery of Bab al-Sagheer (the Small Gate). He sent a letter to Yazid consoling him on the death of his father and advising him to go there as fast as he could in order to secure the renewal of the oath of allegiance to him
.
He added a note at the bottom of the letter containing the following verses of poetry:
Alone did Abu Sufyan go,
Leaving you behind, so
Consider what you will after him do.
Follow the right order with us for you
Are our resort whenever we fret.
Having read it, Yazid said the following lines of poetry in response:
A carrier with a letter came trotting,
Casting fear in the heart, frightening,
So we said: Woe unto you! What is the news?
Said he: The caliph became heavy, in pain:
The earth swayed, almost shaken,
As if uprooted were its every foundation.
One whose soul remains in apprehension
Almost brings about that which he does fear.
I found the mansion gate closed when I came near,
Ramla's voice wrecked my heart,
She did, indeed, rend it apart.
He set out to Damascus, reaching it three days after Mu’awiyah had already been buried.
Flanked by a group of prominent personalities, al-Dahhak went out to welcome him. When Yazid reached them, al-Dahhak took him first to the site of Mu’awiyah's grave. Yazid prayed there then entered the city. Having ascended the pulpit, he said,
“O people! Mu’awiyah was one of Allah's servants. Allah bestowed His favours upon him then took his soul away. He is higher in status than those who succeeded him and lower than those who preceded him. I do not augment him for Allah, since He knows him better than me.
If He forgives him, it is only due to His mercy, and if He punishes him, it is on account of his own sins. I have been granted authority after him, and I do not feel sorry for anything that I sought, nor do I apologize for anything which I have forfeited.
When Allah decrees something, it comes to pass. Mu’awiyah used to transport you in the sea to invade, but I am not transporting any Muslim in the sea. And he used to let you spend your winter in the land of the Romans, but I am letting none of you spend his winter in any Roman land. He used to give you a third of what you collect, but I shall let you keep it all”.
Nobody approached him to offer condolences before ‘Abdullah Ibn Humam al-Saluli came forward and said, “O commander of the faithful!
May Allah compensate you for your loss; may He bless you for what you have given us, and may He assist you in ruling your subjects. You have surely suffered a great calamity and have been granted something great; so, you should thank Allah for what you have been granted and be patient about that wherein you have been tested, for you have lost the viceregent of Allah and been given the caliphate of Allah.
You have bidden farewell to a great man and been given something great indeed. Mu’awiyah has died and you have become our leader and the reigns of government have been placed in your hands. May Allah bring him to the sources of happiness, and may He enable you to do what is best.” Then he composed the following lines of poetry:
Be patient, O Yazid, you have parted with a great man,
And thank the One Who put you in charge.
No calamity has befallen the people, they know,
Your calamity is theirs; no issue is better than you.
You have dawned the custodian of all those
Who do uphold the creed,
So look after them as Allah looks after you.
The surviving Mu’awiyah did to us succeed
As you are consoled, while none is mourning you.
This opened the avenue for other speakers to speak.
A man from Thaqif said to him,“Peace on you, O commander of the faithful, and Allah's mercy and blessings! You have been grieved by the loss of the best of fathers, and you have been given all things; so, be patient with regard to your tragedy, and praise Allah for granting you such a beautiful
gift, for none has been given as you have, nor has anyone been grieved as you have
.”
People came to him to congratulate him and to offer their condolences. Yazid said, “We are the supporters of righteousness and the promoters of the creed. Rejoice, O people of Syria, for goodness has always been with you, and there will be a tragic epic between myself and the people of Iraq!
I have seen in my vision three nights ago that a river stood between me and the people of Iraq tumultuously flowing with blood, and I tried hard to cross it, but I could not till ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad crossed it before me as I looked at him!”
The Syrians shouted,“Take us wherever you wish, for our swords, with which the people of Iraq are familiar since the Battle of Siffin, are on your side.”
He thanked them and distributed to them a lot of money.
He then wrote the governors of various countries informing them of the death of his father and keeping them in their jobs. He dispatched to Iraq ‘Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad according to the advice of Serjun [Sargon], slave of his father Mu’awiyah He wrote the following letter to al-Walid Ibn ‘Utbah, governor of Medina:
“Mu’awiyah was one of Allah's servants. Allah bestowed upon him generously and preferred him and granted him authority over others. Then He took him to the world of the souls and to fragrance, to His mercy and punishment. He lived according to destiny, and he died according to a term, and he had enjoined me to beware of the descendants of Abu Turab due to their courage in killing.
I have come to know, O Walid, that Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, will seek revenge for ‘Uthman through the descendants of Abu Sufyan because they are the supporters of justice and the seekers of equity. So, when you receive this letter, take the oath of allegiance from the people of Medina.”
Then he attached a small piece of scroll wherein he wrote:“Be tough with al-Husayn, ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar [Ibn al-Khattab, son of the second caliph], ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn Abu Bakr [son of the first caliph], and ‘Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr [a cousin of ‘Ayesha, wife of the Prophet, later on ruler of Hijaz] when you require them to swear the oath of allegiance [to me]. Whoever refuses, kill him and send his severed head to me.”
The governor carried his instructions out. At mid-night, he called for al-Husayn (‘a) and [‘Abdullah] Ibn al-Zubayr in the hope that he would secure their oath of allegiance before everyone else. His messenger, ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn ‘Amr Ibn [son of the third caliph] ‘Uthman Ibn Affan
located them at the Prophet's Mosque.
Ibn al-Zubayr became apprehensive of such an invitation which came not at the time when the governor used to hold his open public meetings
, but theHujjah
of his time, al-Husayn (‘a) of reform, acquainted him with a piece of news from the unknown, telling him that Mu’awiyah had died, and that they were being sought to swear the oath of allegiance for and to support Yazid due to a vision which he had seen wherein he saw Mu’awiyah's house burning and his pulpit turned upside down.
The son of Maysun desired to steer the creed,
Played havoc with Allah's religion his every evil deed.
So to succor theShari’a
, the cub of the clement and the grand
Who, with his saber's blood, caused its very foundations to stand.
Surrounded he was once he tested the folks
A group whose virtues aspired to reach the peaks.
Who is more brave than one brought up by Hayder
And brought in the birds' towns by his grandfather?
A group for the religion is always ready to sacrifice
Though few in number, yet in will unflinching.
Till they all fell in defense of theShari’a
As lions defend their den.
Hind's son wanted, but he did fail
To see Husayn's will with oppression bent.
But the father of deeply rooted honour
Refused to wear the robe of humiliation
So long as the sword was his companion.
How could he bend to the evil band
To the sons of Sumayya and Maysun,
While the sword in his hand did stand?
So he charged like an angry lion
At them as he was sought by his foe
Who with his sword wanted to deal a blow.
In their necks did he let his polished sword
Issue without an appeal its judgment and word,
Till he brought the faith anew
With the blood of the Prophet's issue.
His grandson was needed by his creed
To water its thirsty and drying field.
Husayn's decision with regard to meeting the governor at that time became clear to Ibn al-Zubayr, so he suggested to him not to do so for fear of being assassinated. Al-Husayn (‘a) explained to him his ability to avoid it.
Thirty of al-Husayn's slaves, followers and family members
were instructed to raise their arms as they stood at the door and to rush to his rescue should they hear him raising his voice; he himself was armed with the Prophet's staff. When the meeting started with the presence of Abu ‘Abdullah, Imam al-Husayn (‘a), al-Walid informed him of Mu’awiyah's death and asked him to swear the oath of allegiance to Yazid.
He (‘a) said,“A man like me does not swear fealty away from people's eyes. When you invite people to swear it, invite us, too. This way it will be one single matter.”
Al-Walid was convinced, but Marwan immediately interfered saying, “Should he part with you now without swearing it, you will never be able to secure it from him again till many of your people are killed, but confine the man till he either swears the oath of allegiance, or you kill him.”
Al-Husayn (‘a) said,“You son of the blue woman [prostitute]!
Will you kill me, or will he?! You have surely lied and sinned.”
Then he directed his attention to al-Walid as he said, “O Amir! We are members of the household of the Prophet, the substance of the [Divine] Message, and the ones visited by the angels. Allah initiates by us, and so does he conclude.
Yazid is a wine drinker, a killer of the prohibitive soul, a man who commits sins in the open. A man like me does not swear the oath of allegiance to a man like him, but we will
see the morning, and so will you; we shall see and so will you as to who among us is more worthy of the caliphate.”
It was then that al-Walid started using rough language with the Imam (‘a), whereupon nineteen men with unsheathed daggers assaulted and forcibly snatched al-Husayn (‘a) out and brought him home.
Marwan said to al-Walid,“You did not listen to me! By Allah! You will never be able to do it again!” “Rebuke someone else
,” al-Walid said,“O Marwan! You chose for me the doing of that which would cause my creed to perish. Should I kill Husayn just for refusing to swear the oath of allegiance?
By Allah! I do not think that the scales of anyone who will be tried on the Day of Judgment for spilling al-Husayn's blood will be anything but light, nor will Allah look upon him, nor will He purify him, and he will have a painful torment!”
Asma’ daughter of ‘Abdul-Rahman Ibn al-Harith Ibn Hisham, al-Walid's wife, reprimanded her husband for the way he treated al-Husayn (‘a), so he sought an excuse by saying that it was al-Husayn (‘a) who started taunting him.“Would you taunt him and his father if he taunts you?”
she asked him.“No,”
said he,“I shall never do that.”
In the same night, al-Husayn (‘a) visited the grave of his grandfather the Messenger of Allah (S). A beam of light emanated from the grave for him.
He, thereupon, said,
Peace be upon you, O Messenger of Allah! I am al-Husayn son of Fatima, your son and the son of your daughter and your grandson whom you appointed to take charge of your nation! Testify against them, O Prophet of Allah, that they betrayed me and did not safeguard my right. This is my complaint to you till I meet you.
He kept bowing and prostrating till morning.
Al-Walid dispatched someone to inquire about the whereabouts of al-Husayn (‘a). Since that messenger did not find the Imam (‘a) at home, he thought that he (‘a) had left Medina, so he praised Allah for not exposing him to a difficult situation on account of al-Husayn (‘a).
In the morning, Marwan met Abu ‘Abdullah (‘a), so he admonished him as he would his own likes to: swear the oath of allegiance to Yazid since in it, he said, “is the goodness of the creed and the life of this world.” Al-Husayn (‘a) said,“Inna lillah wa inna ilayhi raji’oon”
(We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return), adding, “Bid farewell to Islam if the nation is afflicted by a caretaker like Yazid.
I have heard my grandfather the Messenger of Allah (S) say, ‘Sufyan's offspring are prohibited from the caliphate;
so, if you see Mu’awiyah on my pulpit, you must rip his stomach open.' The people of Medina did, indeed, see him on that pulpit, but they did not rip his stomach open; therefore, Allah afflicted them with Yazid, the reprobate.” Their dialogue continued for a long time till Marwan left angrily.
In the second night, al-Husayn (‘a) again visited the grave of his grandfather. He offered prayers then said,“O Allah! This is the grave of Your Prophet Muhammad (S), and I am the son of Your Prophet's daughter, and I am encountering that of which You are fully aware.
O Allah! I love the doing of good, and I hate abomination. I plead to You, O Lord of Glory and Honour, by the status of this grave and by the one inside it to choose for me what best pleases You and Your Messenger,”
then he wept.
Shortly before sunrise, he placed his head on the grave and slept. He saw in his vision the Messenger of Allah, peace of Allah be upon him and his progeny, surrounded by a large crowd of angels on his right and left and in front of him. He hugged al-Husayn (‘a) and kissed his forehead then said,“My loved one, O Husayn! Your father, mother and brother have all come to me, and they are eager to see you.”
Al-Husayn (‘a) then wept and asked his grandfather to take him with him and to let him enter his grave. But the most holy Prophet refused to do so before his grandson was to do that which would earn him his rewards in a way that the Great One, Praise to Him, prefers on the Day of Argument.
He (S) said,“You have to be granted martyrdom so that you will receive the great rewards Allah has allotted for you. You, your father, your uncle, and the uncle of your father will all be gathered on the Day of Judgment in one group till you enter Paradise.”
Al-Husayn (‘a) woke up then narrated his vision to his family whose grief and weeping intensified.
They all realized that time had come to witness what the Messenger of Allah (S) had beforehand promised them to undergo, and due to their concern about thenoor
of Prophethood being veiled from them, so they would then lose the sublime rewards they all aspired to attain. They surrounded al-Husayn (‘a) and asked him to either assent to Yazid's wish or to go far away from that land.
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Author: Abd al Razzaq al-Muqarram
