Excerpt from Martyrdom of Our Master Husayn

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Thursday, November 7, 2013

Excerpt from Martyrdom of Our Master Husayn

Ihsanica allows fair use republication for non-profit (like Last Prophet) educational purposes. LastProphet strongly recommends that those who are interested in this subject read the full article from Ihsanica.

On Husayn's Status

The Messenger of Allah (Sal Allahu alayhi wa Salaam, or Allah's Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) said, “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn. May Allah love the one who loves Husayn. Husayn is a special grandchild among the grandchildren.”¹

Once when Amr b. al-As was resting in the shade of the Kaaba, he beheld Husayn (Allah enoble his face) and proclaimed, “Today this man is the most beloved person in the sight of the inhabitants of the heaven and earth!”²

Ubayd b. Hunayn reported: “Al-Husayn b. Ali related to me, ‘I went to Umar [b. al-Khattab] as he was standing on the pulpit and delivering a sermon. I climbed atop it and said, “Descend from my father’s pulpit and go to that of your father!” Umar replied, “My father did not have a pulpit.” Umar then took hold of me and sat me at his side and I was playing with some pebbles in my hand. After he descended from the pulpit, he took me to his home and asked, “Who taught you that?” I replied, “By Allah, no one taught me that.” Umar said, “May my father be sacrificed! You should come see us more often.” Sometime later I went to see him and he was at his door having a private conversation with Ibn Umar and Muawiya. As Ibn Umar left I went along with him and met with Umar later. Upon finally meeting Umar he said to me, “I haven’t seen you.” I replied, “By Allah, O Leader of the Believers, I came to see you but you were having a private conversation with Muawiya, so I went back with Ibn Umar.” Umar replied, “You have more right than Ibn Umar! The gray hairs you see on our heads are from Allah and then you!”’”³

Imam al-Nawawi stated: Mus'ab b. 'Umayr reported, “Husayn performed Hajj on foot twenty-five times.” Those of his time used to say, “Husayn was virtuous, frequent in his prayers, fasting, Hajj, charity, and given to myriad good works.” He was killed on a Friday (although some say it was actually a Saturday) on the day of Ashura' in the year 61 AH [After Hijra] at Karbala, [Iraq] and his grave is well known and visited, and blessings are sought from it.⁴

Husayn would say, “Be assiduous in love for us, the Prophetic Household (Ahl al-Bayt), for whoever meets Allah having loved us will enjoy our intercession (shafaat).” Imam al-Shafi'i said, “A son of Husayn died but there were no signs of grief on Husayn’s face. He was taken to task for this, but he replied, ‘We are of the Prophetic Household: we ask Allah and He gives us, and when He wills something that we dislike, but which He loves, we display contentment.’”⁵

Husayn’s Martyrdom

Regarding the events surrounding Husayn’s glorious martyrdom, it is reported from Aisha (radhi Allahu anha, or may Allah be pleased with her) -- or Umm Salama (rAa) -- that the Messenger of Allah said to her, “An angel came to see me in my home, although he had never approached me before that. He informed me: ‘Husayn is to be killed, and if you like I can show you the area wherein he is to be slain. . .’”

Sa'id b. Jumhan reported: “Jibril came to the Prophet with some dust from the area wherein Husayn was to be slain—it is said that the name of the region is Karbala—so the Prophet said, ‘Distress and tribulation.’”⁶

It is reported that Ali (karam Allahu wajhahu, or may Allah enoble his face) said, “Husayn will undoubtedly be killed, and I know for certain the stretch of land upon which he will be slain.”

'Ammar al-Duhani related that Ka'ab [b. Malik] passed by 'Ali and said, “A son belonging to this man shall certainly be killed among a group, the sweat of their horses will not dry until they return to Muhammad (peace be upon him).” When Hasan passed by, Ka'ab was asked, “Is it this one?” He said, “No,” and when Husayn passed by he was asked, “Is it this one?” and he said, “Yes.”

Abdullah b. Naja reported that his father travelled with 'Ali as the latter’s water carrier. As they were on their way to Siffin and approaching Nineveh, Ali called out to him: “O Abu Abdillah! Be patient at the banks of the Euphrates.” Abu Abdillah inquired, “What is wrong?” Ali replied, “I went to see the Prophet one day and his eyes were welling up with tears. He said, ‘Jibril just left me and informed me that Husayn will be killed.’ He asked me, ‘Do you allow me to present the ground on which he is to be slain, for you to smell its scent?’ I replied, ‘Yes,’ and he outstretched his hand and took a handful of the earth and gave it to me, and thus I am unable to control my eyes [from welling up with tears].’”⁷

Ibn Abbas reported: “Allah revealed to Muhammad (PBUH), ‘I killed seventy thousand people in retribution for the killing of Yahya son of Zakariyya, and I shall certainly kill twice that number in retribution for the killing of your grandson.’”⁸

The martyrdom of Husayn illustrates more than anything else the paltriness of the material world in the sight of Allah, and shows truly how it does not equal even a gnat’s wing in His estimation. The world is ephemeral and swiftly fading; there is no delight in it that remains, and no punishment in it that lasts, and so for this reason, Allah is not pleased with the world for His saints and beloveds [as a reward]. Therefore in compensation, Allah has granted them an everlasting and endless bliss: “Indeed, the abode of the Hereafter, that is the real [eternal] life, if they but knew.” (Quran 29:64)

Footnotes for the above excerpt

Imam al-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-asma wa al-lughat, 1:163.

Imam al-Dhahabi, Siyar a'lam al-nubala, 3:285.

Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Isaba fi tamyiz al-Sahaba, 1:332.

Imam al-Nawawi, Tahdhib al-asma wa al-lughat, 1:163.

al-Kawakib al-duriyya, 1:149

The subtlety of this phrase is lost in translation. When the Prophet said "Distress and tribulation," he used the Arabic words karb and bala', which taken together sound out the name of the land of Karbala.

Imam al-Dhahabi, Siyar alam al-nubala, 3:288–290.

al-Kawakib al-duriyya, 1:148.

Excerpted from a longer article by Muhammad Khalid Thabit, which can be found at Ihsanica

Hadith of The Day

عن أبي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه قَالَ:
قَبَّلَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْحَسَنَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ وَعِنْدَهُ الأَقْرَعُ بْنُ حَابِسٍ التَّمِيمِيُّ جَالِسًا‏.‏ فَقَالَ الأَقْرَعُ إِنَّ لِي عَشَرَةً مِنَ الْوَلَدِ مَا قَبَّلْتُ مِنْهُمْ أَحَدًا‏.‏ فَنَظَرَ إِلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ قَالَ ‏"‏ مَنْ لاَ يَرْحَمُ لاَ يُرْحَمُ ‏"‏‏

God's Messenger kissed Al-Hasan bin Ali (his grandchild) while Al-Aqra' bin Habis At-Tamim was sitting beside him. Al-Aqra said, "I have ten children and I have never kissed anyone of them", God's Messenger cast a look at him and said, "Whoever is not merciful to others will not be treated mercifully." (Bukhari, Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab), 18)