In the eve preceding Thursday, on Muharram 9, 61 A.H/October 12, 680 A.D., Ibn Sa'd stood up and called upon his army to attack al-Husain ('a) who was sitting in front of his tent leaning on his sword. Heaviness descended upon him and he saw, by way of a fleeting vision, the Messenger of Allah (S) saying, "Shortly you will join us!" Zainab, his sister, heard the men's voices, so she said to her brother, "The enemy is getting close to us." Al-Husain ('a) said to his brother al-'Abbas, "Ride, may I be your sacrifice[521], so that you may meet them. Ask them about the reason why they had come and about what they want."
Al-'Abbas set out escorted by twenty men, including Zuhayr and Habib, on horseback. He asked them, and their answer was: "An order from the Amir (governor) came that we should make you an offer either to surrender to his authority or we shall fight you." Al-'Abbas ('a) went back to inform al-Husain ('a) as his escorting party stood to admonish those folks. Habib Ibn Muzahir said to them, "By Allah! The worst people in the sight of Allah tomorrow [in the hereafter] are those who come to Him after having killed the offspring of His Prophet, his Progeny, his Ahl al-Bayt ('a), the worshippers of this land who offer tahajjud in the pre-dawn and remember Allah quite often." 'Izrah Ibn Qays said to him, "You can keep on lauding yourself as long as you like."
Zuhayr said to him, "O 'Izrah! Allah has already lauded and guided my soul! So, fear Allah, O 'Izrah, for I am only admonishing you. I plead to you in the Name of Allah, O 'Izrah, not to be among those who support the people of misguidance in killing the pure souls."
'Izrah then said, "O Zuhayr! You are not in our regard as one of the Shi'as of Ahl al-Bayt but a man who thought the opposite of their thinking." Zuhayr said, "Do you not conclude, having seen where I stand with their regard, that I am one of such Shi'as? By Allah! I never wrote him a letter, nor sent him a messenger, nor promised to support him, but a meeting with him on a highway tied me to him; so, when I saw his face, I remembered the Messenger of Allah (S) and his status with him and came to know what a crime his enemy wants to commit. It was then that I decided to support him, to be in his party, and to defend him with my life because you yourselves have discarded your duty to the Messenger of Allah (S)."
Al-'Abbas informed his brother Abu 'Abdullah of what those folks were up to. Al-Husain ('a) said, "Go back to them and ask them to give us this evening as a respite till tomorrow so that we may pray to our Lord, supplicate to Him, and seek His forgiveness, for He knows how much I love prayers, the recitation of His Book, the abundance of invocations, and the seeking of His forgiveness."
Al-'Abbas went back and negotiated an evening's respite. Ibn Sa'd stood up and asked his companions what they thought. 'Amr Ibn al-Hajjaj said, "Glory to Allah! Even if they had been from Daylam and made such a request, you ought to have granted it to them." Qays Ibn al-Ash'ath said, "Grant them what they ask, for by my life, he [al-Husain] shall fight you tomorrow." Ibn Sa'd said, "By Allah! If I am sure that he will do so tomorrow, I will not then postpone the fighting till tomorrow!" Then he sent the following message to al-Husain ('a): "We have postponed fighting you till tomorrow. If you surrender, we shall send you to the governor ['Ubaydullah] Ibn Ziyad, but if you refuse, we shall not leave you alone.
THOSE WHOSE CONSCIENCE IS FREE
One night before his martyrdom2, al-H. usain (.) went to his companions to say:
I glorify All~h in the best of glorification and praise Him for both ease and adversity. Lord! I praise You for having honoured us with Prophethood, taught us the Qur'~n, made us faq§hs in the creed, made for us the hearing, the vision, and the understanding, and You did not let us be among the polytheists. I know no companions more worthy, nor better, than mine, nor any members of a family more joining of the ties of kinship than my Ahl al-Bayt (.); so, may All~h reward all of you on my behalf.3 My grandfather, the Messenger of All~h (.), told me that I would be taken to Iraq and settle in a land called `}mãra and Kerbal~' where I would be martyred. That very time has come quite close.4 I think that our day of confronting these enemies shall be tomorrow, and I have given you permission, all of you, to freely go. You are not obligated henceforth to stay with me. The night has already covered you, so ride it as a camel, and let each man among you take with him one man from my Ahl al-Bayt (.); so, may All~h reward you all! Disperse to your cities and villages, for these folks are after me, and if they get hold of me, they will not seek others. The Im~m's brothers, sons, nephews and the sons of `Abdull~h ibn Ja`fer said, "And why should we do that? Just to survive you? May All~h never permit us to see that day." The first to speak from among them to make this statement was al-`Abb~s ibn Ali ibn Abu T. ~lib (.) followed by the offspring of H~shim. Al-H. usain (.) turned to `Aq§l's sons and said, "Suffices you of the loss the killing of Muslim. Go, for I have permitted you to leave." They all said, "What would people, in that case, say about us, and what can we say to them? Shall we tell them that we left our mentor, master, and the son of the best of our uncles without having shot an arrow or stabbed with a lance or dealt a sword blow in his defense, and that we do not know what they did? No, by All~h! We shall never do anything like that! Rather, we shall sacrifice our lives, wealth and families for you, and we shall fight on your side till we meet your fate. We loathe life after you." Muslim ibn `Awsajah said, "Are we the type of people that would abandon you?! And what excuse shall we produce before All~h for not having carried out our responsibilities towards you?! By All~h! I shall never part with you till I stab their chests with my lance and strike them with my sword so long as my hand can hold it. And even if I have no weapon to fight them, I shall hurl stones at them till I die with you."
Sa`§d ibn `Abdull~h al-H. anafi said, "By All~h! We shall never abandon you till All~h ascertains that we safeguarded our word to His Messenger in his absence with regard to you. By All~h! Had I come to know that I shall be killed, then I die, then I shall be burnt alive, then my ashes will be strewn, and this will be done to me seventy times, I shall still refuse to part with you till I meet my death defending you. And why should I not do so since it is only one time's killing followed by eternal bliss?!" Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn said, "By All~h! I wish I will be killed, then brought back to life, then killed again, and so on for thousands of times, and that All~h, the most Exalted, the Great, will let such fighting keep you and these youths from among your Ahl al-Bayt (.) alive." The rest of the companions made similar statements, so al-H. usain (.) invoked All~h to reward them well.3
Meanwhile, someone said to Muh.ammed ibn Bash§r al-H.ad. rami, "Your son has been captured in the outskirts of Rey." He said, "I do not like him to be arrested while I survive him." Al-H. usain (.) said to him, "You are relieved from your oath of allegiance to me; so, go and secure the release of your son." "No, by All~h," said he, "I shall never do so; may the wild beasts devour me should I ever part with you!" The Im~m (.) said to him, "Then give your [other] son these five outfits so that he would utilize them in securing his brother's release," and their value was estimated at one thousand dinars. of fate. Said he, "Tomorrow, I shall be killed and so shall you, and none of you will survive,2 not even al-Q~sim, nor `Abdull~h, my infant son, with the exception of my son Ali Zayn al-`}bid§n, for All~h will not permit my family line to discontinue should he be killed, and he shall be the father of eight Im~ms."3 They all said, "All praise is due to All~h Who has granted us the blessing of being your supporters and honoured us with dying with you! Should we refuse to be in your degree [of divine bliss], O son of the Messenger of All~h (.)?!" The Im~m (.), therefore, wished them well4 then unveiled from their vision what
All~h has in store for them of the bliss in Paradise, showing them their mansions therein.5 This is not too much to expect in his regard due to the Divine Will of the most Exalted One, nor was it a strange conduct coming from an Im~m. When they believed in Moses (.) and Pharaoh was about to kill them, Moses the prophet showed them their places in Paradise.6
In a statement, Im~m Abu Ja`fer, al-B~qir, peace be upon him, said to his companions, "Good news for you about your entering Paradise! By All~h! We shall stay as long as All~h wills after whatever happens to us, then All~h will bring us and you back to life when our Q~'im reappears, so he will seek revenge against the oppressors. I and you shall witness them chained and shackled and suffering from various types of pain." He was asked, "Who is your Q~'im, O son of the Messenger of All~h?" "He is the seventh from among the offspring of my son, [Im~m] Muh.ammed ibn Ali al-B~qir (.); he is al-H.ujjah son of al-H. asan ibn Ali ibn Muh. ammed ibn
Ali ibn Mãsa ibn Ja`fer ibn Muh. ammed son of my son Ali; he is the one who will remain in occultation for along time then shall he reappear and fill the world with justice and equity just as it had been filled with injustice and inequity."7
The Night Preceeding Ashura
The night that preceded 'Ashura was the hardest on the hearts of the family that descended from the Messenger of Allah (S). It was filled with unpleasant things and with calamities. It followed evil and was filled with presentiments of imminent dangers. The very hard time Banu Umayyah had cut them off from any necessities of life. Women were wailing; children were crying on account of the acute thirst, and dark agony was looming in the air.
But what was the condition of the men who sought glory, the companions of Husain ('a), the honourable men who descended from Hashim, with regard to such calamities? Did they leave them any strength at all whereby they could stand on their feet? Did they have any morale to lift them and to empower them to struggle for survival, knowing that the war would most surely take place the next day?
Yes! The valiant ones from Abu Talib's family, as well as the elite from among the Imam's followers, were most ecstatic! They were firmer in their determination to fight to the last drop of their blood than any time before! They were elated on account of the divine bliss and happiness awaiting them! Whenever the bad situation worsened, they even smiled more, teased one another, became happier and more rejuvenated
Burayr joked with 'Abdul-Raman al-Ansari, whereupon the latter said, "Is this the time for indolence?!" Burayr said, "My people know very well that I never liked indolence in any phase of my life, but I am in high spirits on account of what we will be receiving [of Allah's rewards]. By Allah! The only barrier between us and the uris with large lovely eyes is that these folks assault us with their swords! I sincerely wish they do so this very moment!"[538]
Habib Ibn Muzahir came out of his tent wearing a big smile. Yazid Ibn al-Hasin al-Hamadani said to him, "This is not the time to smile about anything." Habib said to him, "On the contrary: what other time is more worthy of smiling?! As soon as these folks attack us with their swords, we will find ourselves embracing the Huris!"[539]
They remained quite energetic, alternating between a deep involvement in acts of adoration and the readying of their weapons for the fight, as if they were bees in a bee-hive in the noise of their commotion! Some were standing in prayers while others were sitting or bowing. One of them, al-Dahhak Ibn 'Abdullah al-Mashriqi, said, "A regiment of cavaliers belonging to Ibn Sa'd passed by us, and one of their men heard al-Husain ('a) reciting the verse saying,
'Let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is better for their souls; We grant them a respite only so that they may add to their sins, and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement. On no account will Allah leave the believers in the condition in which you are till He distinguishes the evil [doers] from [the doers of] good' (Qur'an, 3:178-179).
That man commented saying, 'We, by the Lord of the Ka'ba, are the doers of good; He has distinguished us from you.' Burayr said to him, 'O man of debauchery! Shall Allah really count you among the doers of good?! Come to our camp and repent your great sins, for by Allah, we are the good ones while you are the bad ones.' The man [citing a verse from the Holy Qur'an] said sarcastically to him, 'And I am a witness to that!'"[541]
It is reported that on that same night, as many as thirty-two men defected from the camp of Ibn Sa'd and joined al-Husain's camp[542] after having seen how the latter were supplicating and praying, demonstrating the most sincere devotion and submission to Allah Almighty.
'Ali Ibn al-Husain ('a) has said, "I heard my father on the night preceding the day on which he was killed saying, as he was mending his sword,
He repeated them twice or thrice; therefore, I understood his implication, so I was overcome with tears, yet I remained silent, knowing that fate was near. As for my aunt, Zainab ('a), once she heard those verses, she leaped and went to see him.
She said to him, 'Woe unto me! Shall I survive you?! I wish death had deprived me of life! My mother, Fatima ('a), has just died followed by my father 'Ali ('a) then my brother al-Hasan ('a)![543] O vicar of the past generations and the best remnant of those that remain!' Al-Husain ('a) consoled her and admonished her to persevere, telling her, 'O sister! May Allah console you! Be informed that earthlings die, and that even those who live in the heavens do not live forever. Everything shall perish except His countenance; my consolation, and that of every Muslim, is that the Messenger of Allah (S) is our best example.' She, peace be upon her, said to him, 'Do you force yourself on it? This causes my heart to swell even more, and it surely is harder on my soul.'[544]
The women wept when they saw her weeping, beating their cheeks. Umm Kulthum cried out, 'O Muhammad! O 'Ali ! O mother! O Husain! How lost we are after you!' Al-Husain ('a) said, 'O sister! O Umm Kulthum! O Fatima! O Rubab! Pay attention to me. Once I am killed, you should not tear your pockets nor scotch your cheeks nor utter any verbal abuse.'[545]
Then al-Husain ('a) instructed his sister, Zainab, to refer to 'Ali Ibn al-Husain ('a) with regard to any ahkam and to convey the same to the Shi'as as a measure to protect the new Imam."
Ahmad Ibn Ibrahim testifies to the authenticity of the above; he has said,
"I visited Hakima daughter of Muhammad son of [Imam] 'Ali al-Riďa ('a) and sister of [Imam] Abul-Hasan al-'Askari ('a) in 282 A.H (895 A.D.) in Medina, and I spoke to her from behind a curtain. I asked her about her religion, so she named the Imams whom she emulated, naming one of the sons of [Imam] al-Hasan ('a). I asked her whether she was emulating them due to her observation or on account of what is reported on their behalf. She said, "By way of what is transmitted by Abu Muhammad who recorded it for his mother." I asked her, "Should I emulate one who instructs a woman?!" She said, "It is emulating al-Husain Ibn 'Ali in Abu Talib ('a) who instructed his sister Zainab in the open;" so I realized that anything which was being attributed to Zainab was done only to protect the identity of 'Ali Ibn al-Husain ('a). Then she said, "You are people who record what goes on. Have you not reported saying that the ninth from among the offspring of al-Husain ('a) shall distribute his estate during his own lifetime?""
Then the Imam ('a) ordered the tents to be pitched beside one another so that they would be able to face the enemy from one direction. He also ordered a ditch to be dug behind them and to be filled with firewood which was then lit so that the enemy's horses would not attack from that direction. Fighting, hence, would be confined to one front.
He, peace be upon him, went out in the depth of the night outside the tents in order to inspect the hills and plateaus and to find out whether there was anyone lying in ambush for them, or a place from which the cavalry might attack. Then he, peace be upon him, returned holding the hand of Nafi' as he was saying, "This is it, by Allah, a promise which can never be broken." Then he said to him, "Why don't you make your way between both of these mountains and save yourself?" Nafi' fell down kissing the Imam's feet and saying, "May my mother lose me! I bought my sword for a thousand [dinars] and my horse for the same; by Allah Who has blessed me with your company, I shall never abandon you even if they both are exhausted because of my attacks and retreats."
Then al-Husain ('a) entered Zainab's tent as Nafi' remained outside it on guard waiting for al-Husain ('a) to come out. He heard Zainab saying to him, "Have you verified the intentions of your companions? I fear lest they should abandon you once the attack starts." He said to her, "By Allah! I have done so and found them brave and valiant, friends who are more eager to die for me than an infant for his mother's milk."
Nafi' said, "When I heard him say so, I wept and went to see Habib Ibn Muzahir to tell him what I overheard of the dialogue between him [al-Husain] and his sister Zainab."
Habib Ibn Muzahir said, "By Allah! Had I not have to wait for his orders, I would have attacked them this very night. I have left him with his sister, and I think the women are terrified. I shared their feeling of depression; so, could you please gather your companions and say something nice to these ladies?" Habib then stood up and shouted, "O men of zeal! O lions!" They rushed from their tents like fierce lions. To Banu Hashim he said, "Go back to your places; may your eyes never be deprived of sleep." Then he turned to his fellows and narrated to them what he and Nafi' had witnessed and heard. They all said, "By Allah Who has blessed us with such a stand! Had we not been waiting for Husain's orders, we would have hurried this very minute to attack; so, calm yourself and cool your eyes." Al-Husain ('a) supplicated to Allah to reward them with goodness.
Then he said, "Let us all go to see the ladies to comfort them." Habib accompanied him together with his companions. They shouted out, "O honourable ladies of the Messenger of Allah! Here are the swords of your slaves who have vowed never to thrust them except in the necks of anyone who wishes to harm you! Here are the lances of your slaves who have sworn never to plant them except in the chests of whoever terrorizes your quarters!" Hearing them, the women came out crying and wailing and said, "O men of goodness! Please do protect the daughters of the Messenger of Allah and the ladies of the Commander of the Faithful!" Everyone cried, so much so that the earth seemed to get dizzy...
In the predawn of the same night, al-Husain ('a) dozed off for a short while then woke up and informed his companions that he saw in a vision dogs charging at him and mauling him, the most fierce among them being a spotted one, and that the one who would kill him from among those men would be leprous. In another vision he saw the Messenger of Allah (S) accompanied by a group of his companions and was saying to him, "You are this nation's Martyr, and those in the heavens have congratulated each other on account of your martyrdom, and so have those who occupy the High Plane. Let your breakfast be with me, and do not be late, for here is an angel who has descended from the heavens in order to take your blood in a green glass vase."
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