Mukhtar a Biograghy

Chapter 6 - Kumayl Meets Yazeed Kumayl enters the Syrian border and proceeds directly to Damascus city, and rents a room belonging to a shopkeeper.

In view of the political climate at the time, no Shia would show himself up, so Kumayl had to tread carefully about the purpose of his visit.

He goes past Yazeed's palace daily in the hope of somehow getting in, but is refused entry by the guards; this goes on for eighteen days; he goes daily to the local mosque for prayers, and asks of his fellow Namazee to pray to Allah for the granting of his wish without specifying any details.

On the eighteenth day, the local mosque prayer leader, Imam-ul-jamaat, (other sources say it was the shopkeeper from whom he had a rented a room) asks Kumayl the purpose of his visit as for the last eighteen days he has been trying to get into Yazeed's palace.

Kumayl is very apprehensive and only after establishing that the person was sympathetic to the Shias, does he say that he has a personal message for Yazeed from Abdulla Omar regarding Mukhtar in Kufa.

The prayer leader says he will show Kumayl of a way to get into Yazeed's palace since the visit is to help avenge the killers of Imam Husein (as); he also says that he would have told this to Kumayl earlier had Kumayl confided in him.

The prayer leader tells Kumayl - in Yazeed's palace, there is a household help, who is a Shia, whom you have to see in order to meet Yazeed; since Kerbala, this helper is always dressed completely in black, is in mourning at all time and does not take subsistence from Yazeed but from his own income of knitting; you need to see this person for Yazeed promised to grant him one wish in his life which he has not as yet asked for, and if your wish is concerning Imam Husein (as) then this person will ask of it from Yazeed.

Question: why would Yazeed allow such an obvious Shia to remain with him? - Shahr Banoo, the first wife of Imam Husein (as) was a princess brought from Iran after a war victory there; she came with her maids, and one of these was Hinda; during Shahr Banoo lifetime, Hinda stayed with her, but after Shahr Banoo's death, Imam Husein (as) allowed all Shahr Banoo's maids to go, except for one who was looking after Imam Zainul Abideen (as) (who was just under two years old at the time).

Hinda was extremely pretty and beautiful, and Yazeed was deeply infatuated with her, despite knowing her loath for him; Yazeed wants to marry her but she adamantly refuses; she is forced into marriage with Yazeed; (it is this same Hinda who visits the Kerbala survivors in Damascus prison, to discover that they are the Ahlal-bayt, and not ordinary rebels as maintained by Yazeed).

Now, Hinda had her servants/helpers and one of them was this person who Kumayl was to meet in Yazeed's palace; Yazeed kept this helper (of Hinda) and granted him the privilege of any single wish to be honoured, out of Yazeed's love for Hinda.

So Kumayl was to see this person in Yazeed's palace and the prayer leader explains to Kumayl the way to get to meet this helper in Yazeed's palace. Kumayl was to pass through the various security barriers with

confidence and act as if he is a frequent visitor to the palace and knows his way around.

The prayer leader tells Kumayl to:

dress yourself completely and fully in white, as this is the uniform of the authorised people to gain entry into the palace do not hesitate at all at the main gate (other sources say it was the tradesman side entrance) but just walk straight through as if you know your way and are a frequent visitor

1st courtyard - there will be about a thousand cavalry; walk through confidently and do not answer any questions from the guards, as authorised personnel do not answer back

2nd courtyard - there will be more cavalry; walk through confidently

3rd courtyard - there will be even more cavalry: walk through confidently

4th courtyard - five mounted soldiers will be guarding the entrance to Yazeed's inner court; walk through confidently

5th hall - there will be more soldiers; walk through confidently

6th hall: this will be an office full of people busy in their administration works; walk through confidently

7th hall - gallery on both sides, marble and gold floor, glasses of gems and jewels filled with liquor, three people on either gallery lounging leisurely; these six people are called "Tashtiya" (tear bearers) for they personally carried the tray containing Imam Husein's (as) head finally to Yazeed, and so Yazeed allows them to lounge all the time as their reward; walk through confidently

8th hall - again, two galleries on either side, hall more decorous than the 7th, where all things are decorated with gems, gold and jewels; there will be nobody there; do not pause to admire the beauty, for anyone pausing is surely a first time visitor, and will be questioned by security guards who are watching from hidden positions; walk through confidently

9th hall - empty and completely stripped of any decoration; this is to provide a complete contrast to the previous decorated halls; do not stop to wonder why the sudden contrast as this again is a trap for the first time visitors; just walk straight through without any pause

10th hall - you will meet a person fully dressed in black; he is the one (Hinda's help) whom you have to meet

Next day Kumayl goes to Yazeed's palace and follows the instructions of the prayer leader; he passes through all the nine halls and to the tenth to meet the person dressed in black; this person greets Kumayl by name saying he has been waiting for eighteen days to meet Kumayl; Kumayl is immediately apprehensive thinking that it is a trap and his identity is discovered; Kumayl enquires how this person knew of his name and that he was in town for eighteen days.

This person says - eighteen nights ago, Imam Husein (as) came to my dreams saying that a Maalim named Kumayl from Kufa will come with a request which I should honour as it involves the avenging of the perpetrators of Kerbala; Imam Husein (as) also came to my dreams last night to tell me that you will come today, and to convey his thanks to you and to myself for the work undertaken.

Just then, about a hundred people pass through with an aroma of various perfumery and incense to fragrant the air on the way to the bathroom where Yazeed is scheduled for a bath; they are followed by a number of pages (young children) all dressed in golden clothes; the pages are followed by personal bodyguards of Yazeed; Yazeed then follows pompously, wearing a golden crown, carrying a golden stick and wearing golden shoes decorated with gems.

Hinda's help goes to Yazeed to tell him that the time has come for the granting of his one request: to meet the person from Kufa who has a got a message from Abdulla Omar in Medina; Kumayl hands over the letter and

the wallet containing Safiya's lock of hair; Yazeed asks Kumayl - who are you? are you a Shia? do you have any animosity to the killers of Imam Husein (as)?; Kumayl is frightened, but Hinda's help intercedes saying that all these questions are irrelevant to his one wish.

Yazeed orders for pen and paper and writes to Ubaydallah Ziyad in Kufa a decree to release Mukhtar immediately on receipt of the order; Yazeed's letter is given to Kumayl; Yazeed says to Hinda's help - alas, I would have willingly given you any amount of money if it were your wish, but for my promise to you for the love of Hinda, together with Abdulla Omar's threat of destabilising my kingdom, I have had to issue this decree knowing it will cause my downfall.

Kumayl rushes back to his rented room, collects his belongings and goes straight to Medina to Abdulla Omar; Kumayl informs him of the decree but Abdulla Omar does not tell Safiya, least Mukhtar is not freed by Ubaydallah Ziyad and she gets disappointed.