Chapter Ten: Putting dust in one’s hair
It is stated in Sunan al Tirmidhi, Volume 5 page 657:
Salma narrated: ‘I witnessed Umm Salma in a weeping state. I asked her as to what made her weep. Salma replied: ‘I have seen the prophet in such a state – in a dream- that his head and his beard were stained with dust. I said, ‘Oh Apostle of God, what made you like this?’. He replied: ‘I witnessed the killing of Husayn”’.
A similar dream was also witnessed by Ibn Abbas as recorded in al-Mustadrak, Volume 4 page 439:
Ammar said that Ibn Abbas said: ‘One afternoon I dreamt of Holy Prophet (s) standing with his hair disturbed and with dust tangled in them and he was holding a phial filled with blood. I said to the Prophet: ‘O Allah’s prophet, What are you holding?’ The Prophet (s) replied: ‘This is the blood of Hussain and his companions that I have been collecting all the day long”. They did calculation and found out that he (Hussain) was killed a day before it (the day of dream)
Both Imam Hakim and Imam Dhahabi stated: ‘Sahih according to Muslim’s standards’. Albaani also authenticated this in his book Mishkat al-Masabih, Volume 3 page 347
There is anotrher version of this tradition which has been recorded by Imam Ahmed in his Musnad, Volume 1 page 424:
Ammar said that Ibn Abbas said: ‘One afternoon I dreamt of Holy Prophet (s) standing with his hair disturbed and with dust tangled in them and he was holding a phial filled with blood. I said to the Prophet: “O Allah’s messenger. What are you holding?” The Prophet (s) replied: “This is the blood of Hussain and his companions that I have been collecting all the day long.”
Ammar said: ‘I remembered that day, I came to know that it was the same day which he (Hussain) was killed’.
Shaykh Shu’aib al-Arnaoot in the margin of this Hadith said: ‘The chain is strong according to Muslim’s standards’. Shaykh Ahmad Muhammad Shakir in his Tahqiq of Musnad Ahmad, Volume 2 page 551 Hadith 2165 and in Volume 3 page 155 Hadith 2553 stated: ‘Its chain is Sahih’. Al-Haythami also recorded it and stated: ‘Ahmad and al-Tabarani have recorded it and the narrators of Ahmad are narrators of Sahih.’ (Majma’ al-Zawaid, Volume 9 page 194). Ibn Kathir in Al-Bidayah wal-Nihayah, Volume 8 page 242 stated: ‘The chain is strong’.
Ibn Hajar Makki al-Haythami has recorded both of these incidents i.e. one narrated by Umm Salama and of Ibn Abbas which can be read in:
Sawaiq al Muhirqah, page 642-643 published in Faisalabad
If Nawasib argue that the words of Rasulullah (s) in a dream are not authentic then we suggest to them to consider these words:
Abu Huraira narrates: The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever has seen me in a dream has in fact seen me, for Satan does not appear in my form”
Sahih Muslim, Volume 4 page 1225 Number 5635
Whilst doubt can be entertained for a person who in this day and age would never be honoured to see the Prophet (s), this can’t apply to her. There is no doubt that Salma [r] wife of the Prophet could recognise him.
Putting dust in head in calamities is the Sunnah of Umar
We read in Hilayah tul Awliyaa, volume 2, page 51:
The narrator says that the Prophet divorced Hafsa, the daughter of Umar. When this news reached Umar he put dust in his head and said ‘now Umar has no respect in the Justice of Allah’.
We read in Ma’arij un Nubuwwa Part 4, chapter 5:
Hafsa had a reputation for her bad temper amongst the wives of the Prophet and this often shocked the Prophet (s). He divorced her and when Umar came to know this he wept and put dust in his head.
Divorce of a daughter is certainly a calamity for a father but the ethnic cleansing of Ahl’ul bayt (as) is a calamity that affected the entire Ummah. There is no objection to one’s weeping on the divorce of his daughter and putting dust in his head. But objections are raised when Shias mourn and put dust in heads while hearing of the dead bodies of Ahle Bayt being trampled by the feet of horses, burning of their tents and captivity of their women.
Was Umar ignorant of the voices of ‘patience’ in the Qur’an? Can Nasibi cite any other father who has reacted in the same manner on divorce of his daughter? If they can’t then why did their leader commit this act in such an extreme manner?
When Shi’a do this Mu’awiya’s followers throw all manner of abuse at them and accuse them of violating the Shari’ah. Why do they remain silent when Umar performs the same act? When it comes to mourning Imam Husayn (as) these Mullah’s will immediately declare gathering as illegitimate for being in contravention to Islamic regulations on patience, They utter whatever comes from their dirty mouths and at the same time they claim that they love Ahl’ul bayt (as).
Is it not funny that these Nasibi forget all the Qur’anic verses on patience when the kind, merciful and benevolent Prophet (s) divorces an ill tempered lady and Umar responds by weeping and placing dust over his head. But they have no shame issuing Fatwas against the Shi’a who weep, mourn and cast dust over their heads when grieving the grandson of the Prophet (s).