Water
Banned
At night Obaidullah's order reached
that if the fight had not started as yet the water sources must be captured and
prohibited for Husain bin Ali رضي الله عنه
and his companions immediately after the receipt of the order. If the army had
come under Shimr's command, the latter should comply with it.
Amr bin Sad, immediately after
receiving the order, assigned five hundred horsemen to Amr bin Al-Hajjaj and
stationed him near the Euphrates. Imam Husain's companions had not brought
water for themselves that day and all their containers were empty. When they
went to fill them up with water, they realized the enemy had occupied the
territory by the river. Imam Husain رضي الله عنه
sent his brother Abbas bin Ali رضي الله عنه
along with fifty men to get water by force. However, the tyrants did not let
them take it. Now the agony caused by the intensity of thirst started
increasing. That agony was more excruciating than arrows and swords could
cause. Imam Husain's young son Ali bin Husain (Zain al-Abedeen) was lying ill
in a tent when he and his sister Umm Kulthum, saw that the enemies would attack
them in the morning and all their present relatives would be killed and martyred,
they began to cry. Hearing them cry, Imam Husain رضي
الله عنه entered the tent and told them that their enemies were camping
nearby and would be pleased to hear them cry and the companions would feel
discouraged and that they should not lament. He silenced them only after a
great effort and came out and said that he was surely wrong in bringing
children and women with him and that they should not have been brought. Then he
called all his companions to him and said, "You may leave and go wherever
you think best. No one will hurt you because the enemies are concerned with me.
Your leaving would be a benefit for them. I allow you to save your lives."
His companions said, "We will never part with you. We will sacrifice our
lives for you and as long as we breathe, we will not let any harm come to you."
Later that same night, a man named
Tarmah bin Adi who was visiting the vicinity and had heard about Imam Husain's
plight said to him, "Please come along with alone. I shall take you along
such a route that no one will know you have left, I shall then take you to the
Tribe of Tai and give you five thousand soldiers from my tribe. You may use
them as you like." Imam Husain رضي الله عنه said,
"I have just told them to leave me alone and go. They did not accept it.
How is it possible now to leave them alone and depart and save my life?"
His companions said, "As you have just said, they will not hurt us because
they are your enemies. For this reason, you must depart and save your life.
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه said, I shall never go
to save my life without you." He therefore sent off that man with thanks.
The next morning Shimr and Amr bin
Sad came onto the field after the marshalling of the troops in battle array.
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه also issued the
necessary instructions to his companions and assigned them their positions.
Shimr called Obaidullah, Jafar, Uthman and Abbas onto the field and said to
them, "Amr Ibn Zeyad has given you protection." They said,
"Allah's protection is better than that of Zeyad's." Shimr was left
looking pathetic. According to some traditions at the time when the battle
started on the morning of Muharram 10, 61 A. H. seventy-two people were present
on the side of Imam Husain رضي الله عنه.
Yet, other traditions fix them at one hundred and forty and another at two
hundred and forty. If we accept the maximum number, two hundred and forty, even
then Imam Husain's companions were only a handful compared to the thousands of
strong and well-armed soldiers of their enemies.
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه set his companions in proper positions,
gave them the necessary instructions and mounted on a camel and went to the
troops of Kufa alone. He addressed them loudly and made a speech to them,
"O people of Kufa! I know quite
well that this speech will not yield any results at this time and whatever you
have to do, you will not desist from doing it. But I think it necessary to end
by a plea to all for Allah's sake and my excuse should also be made clear to
you." He had hardly uttered these words when he heard the cries of women
and children rising from his tents. He was very sorry to hear them. He
interrupted his speech and said 'La haul ...' (There is no power except with
Allah). He said, "Abdollah bin Abbas was justified in asking me not to
take women and children with me. I committed a mistake when I did not agree
with him." Then he went back and shouted to his brothers and sons to stop
the women from crying and tell them to keep silent now and weep to their hearts
content tomorrow. They pacified them and the women and children stopped crying.
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه again resumed his
speech to the soldiers of Kufa thus:
"O people! Let it be known to
you who know me and also to those of you who do not know me that I am the
grandson of Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
and the son of Ali bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه.
Fatima bint Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
was my mother and Jafar bin Abi Talib رضي الله عنه
was my uncle. Besides this genealogical pride, I have also another pride to my
credit: that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
called me the chief of the Youths of Paradise. If you do not believe me, you
may have it confirmed by a number of the Prophet's صلى
الله عليه وسلم companions who are still living. I never broke a promise, I
never missed a Salat, I neither killed a Muslim nor did harm to any one. If
Jesus' donkey was still alive, the whole of Christendom would be busy feeding
and taking care of it until the Day of Judgement. What sort of Muslims and
followers are you who want to kill the grandson of your Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم? You have neither the fear of Allah nor
are you ashamed on behalf of the Prophet صلى الله عليه
وسلم. As I did not kill anybody in my life, I do not deserve to be
subjected to retaliation. Tell me how have you concluded shedding my blood to
be lawful. Having retired from worldly pursuits and disputes, I was staying in
Madinah at the feet of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم
but you did not let me live even there. I was then engaged in Allah's worship
in the House of Allah in Makkah. You people of Kufa did not let me take rest
there and continued sending letters to me stating that you think me the
rightful claimant to the Imamate (leadership), and want to take ba'it for my
caliphate. When I responded to your call and came here, you revolted against
me. If you want to help me even now, I want that you should not kill me and let
me alone so that I may go to Makkah or Madinah and become absorbed in prayer
and Allah will judge in this very world who was right and who was wrong."
All kept silent on hearing the
speech and no one answered. After waiting some time Imam Husain رضي الله عنه said,
"Thank Allah I have pleaded
with you and you could not offer any response."
Then he called some of them by name,
Shabt bin Rabiya, Hajjaj bin Al-Hasan, Qais bin Al-Ashas, Hur bin Yazid Tamimi,
and others! Did you not write letters to me and call me insistently to this
place and now when I have arrived here, you are adamant on killing me."
When they heard that, they told him
that they had neither written letters to him nor called him. Imam Husain رضي الله عنه took out their letters and read them each
separately, telling them these were their letters. They replied that whether
they wrote him letters or not, now they were sick of him. After hearing that
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه got off his camel and
got ready for the battle. Someone came out of the troops from Kufa and onto the
battlefield for single combat however, his horse became so frightened that the
fighter fell off and died. Seeing that Hur bin Yazid Tamimi, posing as if he
were attacking, put his shield before him and came running on his horse to Imam
Husain رضي الله عنه and threw away his
shield. When asked to explain the purpose of his coming in this way, he said,
"I am the man who kept you surrounded and prevented your return and forced
you to camp in this field. Now, in order to expiate my fault, I shall fight
against the soldiers of Kufa in your support. Please make a du'a (prayer) for
my forgiveness, Imam Husain رضي الله عنه
was highly pleased and made a du'a, for him.
Shimr said to Amr bin Sad, "Why
do you delay now?" The latter at once put an arrow into his bow and shot
it towards Imam Husain's رضي الله عنه
troops and said, "Bear witness that I have shot the first arrow."
Then two Kufan soldiers moved forward for single combat. From Imam Husain's رضي الله عنه side a brave man came out and killed both
of them. In this way, the combat continued and many of the soldiers from Kufa
were killed. Then from Imam Husain's side the men one after another moved
forward and started attacking their enemies and many lost their lives. Imam
Husain's رضي الله عنه companions did not
let the descendents of Abi Talib come onto the battlefield until they all had
died one by one. Finally, Muslim bin Aquil's son was the first of the
descendents of Abi Talib to advance. Then Imam Husain's son Ali Akbar attacked
the enemy heroically and after killing many of them he fell martyred. His
martyrdom was too much for Imam Husain رضي الله عنه
and he began to weep. After that his brothers Obaidullah bin Ali bin Abi Talib,
Mohammad bin Ali bin Abi Talib, Jafar bin Ali bin Abi Talib and Uthman bin Ali
bin Abi Talib attacked the enemies and after killing many they fell dead. In
the end, Imam Husain's young son Mohammad Qasim attacked them but he also met
the same fate. In short, for Imam Husain رضي الله عنه
his own martyrdom and the other disasters at Karbala were not so great as his
watching, with his own eyes, his brothers and sons being martyred and his
daughters and sisters looking at such a gory and soul shattering sight. Imam
Husain's companions and members of his family presented exemplary valor and
displayed unprecedented loyalty and self sacrifice. None of them showed
weakness or cowardice nor stood accused of disloyalty or of being hesitant.
Imam Husain رضي الله عنه at the end was left
alone. Besides the women, the only one left in the tent was Zain al-Abedeen who
was only a child at that time. Obaidullah bin Zeyad, the tyrant had sent orders
that Imam Husain's head be chopped off and his body be trampled by horses until
all the limbs were completely broken.
No comments:
Post a Comment