Hussein the Saiviour of Islam

The Situation Worsens and the Atmosphere Gets Totally Darkened

TFIE PEOPLE FOUND infidelity and godlessness spreading all around them, and its intensity being ever on the increase and getting more and more aggressive. There was no security for the faith and the faithful. Religion aetting horribly adulterated with counterfeit traditions coined in favour of the grossly anti- religious elements. The practice of the faith laid down by the Holy Prophet strictly on the Qur'anic lines, was recasted into the wrong moulds of infidelity. The situation had become openly hostile to the House of the Holy Prophet, the love or faithfulness to the members of which was under the command ofthe Lord, decreed incumbent on ever muslim with a definite ordinance of the Holy Qur'an on it had become a mercilessly punishable crime:-

" Say thou (O' Our Apostlc Muhammad!) I ask ye naught in return for it (the apostleship) save the lovc for my relatives." 42:23 Thosc who professed faithfulness to the House of the Holy Prophet indentifying themselves as the Shias of Ali were persecuted, plundered, mercilessly crucified and brutally murdered and their properties were confiscated. People faithful to the Holy House had either to be killed or to go underground under the cover of 'Taqiah' (hiding the faith); they were even then chased, spied and hunted and when found out, were condemned to death.

The situation actually needed a Muhammad to brave the devilish forces and deliver the people from the clutches of the satanic sway over the people and the cruel authority of the crown as was sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from the clutches of Pharaoh. But the prayer of the people for another apostle or prophet would be only in vain for the Last Apostle had come and gone and there was no other prophet or apostle after him to come .The only way to salvation for the faith and the people was to appeal to Husain, the Holy Imam of the age, who was the Vicegerent of God in the place of the Holy Prophet, to come to their rescue.

The authority to rule over the destiny of the people in the various parts of the state was distributed by nepotism. Merits of personal righteousness and the sense of justice had lost their recognition and had no worth or value in the eyes of the administrators of the matters of the state.

Womanhood was once again subjected to a shameful subjugation to satisfy the brutal lust of the drunkard debauchees with the beastly lust to devour the chastity of women. Marriage had lost its sanctity and protection to married women. Deceitful measures were employed to force a husband to divorce his wife if she was wanted for the sexual lust of the ruling authority.

Human rights were deliberately denied and the rites of religion were openly defied and religious ordinances were violated with extreme impunity. There was no security of life or property. Plunder, pillage and persecution was freely practised to realise the political ends of the state.

People at last sent messengers with the written request to Husain, the Hoiy Imam,to come to the rescue of the faith and the faithful, with a note of threat that should Husain fearing death and destruction not come out and save the religion of God from getting lost and the faithful religionists from getting astray? any longer, on the Day of Judgment the people wopldcomplain to God and His Holy Prophet against him. The deputation from the people of Kufa signed by a multitude of them approached Husain at Mecca.

The call now was without any taint, purely for the rescue of the faith and the faithful. Husain now could not but respond. The Holy Imam knew that it was the destined and the awaited call. He offered prayers and looked to the heavens and decided to act, to fulfil his covenant with his Lord.

Husain at Mecca and the Dcputation from Kufa

HUSAIN ARRIVED IN Mecca on 3rd Shahan 6o A.H. for the pilgrimage and thereafter to decide for his future step. He could not stay in Madina without paying 'Bait' to Yazid or getting killed in return for his refusal to pay the allegiance. Allegiance meant recognising the Devil in the place of God which Husain could never do. His murder at Madina would have caused the clash of the Madinitcs, particularly the Hashimites with the Yazidian forces ,resulting in the destruction of the poor citizens and the ruin of the holy city of his Grandfather for which he did not like to be rcsponsible. Besides, if he had stayed there in Madina with death facing him, the world would have questioned his stay there and not taking shelter somewhere out of it. He came to Mecca and here he received the deputation from Kufa with the persistent implorations to go and guide them on the right path of the faith against the straying away from the faith forced on them with the infidelity and aodlessncss spread all over the country.

Husain could neither blindly accept the call from Kufa, for the Kufees who were known for their unstable character and unsettled conduct, if later turn treacherous, the world would question . Husain's ready response to their call without the necessary caution. Therefore Husain decided to send a deputy of his to Kufa to write to him after studying the sincerity in the invitation.

Muslim the Holy Imam's Deputy to Kufa

THE HOLY IMAM commanded his cousin Muslim, son of Aqeel, to proceed to Kufa and to report from there, after studying the honafide of thc call from the people of the place On 14th Ramadhan 6o A.H. Muslim left Mecca with two guides of the route. Muslim took two young sons of his, along with him. The party lost their way and both the guides perished in the desert. Muslim taking the death of the guides as an inauspicious omen and reaching a halting place called 'Muzeeq min Batne Jannat' wrote to the Holy Imam informing him of the fate of the guides and requesting him to spare him and depute someone in his stead. The Holy Imam wrote back to Muslim saying:-

" This is from Husain son of Ameerul Momineen Ali ibne Abi Taleb, to cousin Muslim son of Aqeel. Verily I have heard my Grandfather, the Holy Prophet, saying that we Ahlul- Bait take not omens from events extraordinary. The moment thou receivest this letter, proceed thou as I have commanded thee.

Peace and the blessings of God be with thee."

Muslim receiving the reply continued his journey and somehow reached Kufa.

Muslim in Kufa

THE KUFEES GAVE Muslim a very warm reception and thousands of them paid their 'Bait' to the Holy Imam on the hands of Muslim. Poor Muslim, impressed with and guided by the enthusiasm of the deceitful Kufees and not knowing what would befall him the very next day, wrote a letter to Husain to go over to Kufa. When the letter inviting the Holy Imam had gone with a favourable report about the situation at Kufa, Muslim learnt of the treachery, i.e., the turn of the tide of the situation. Yazid, having learnt of Muslim's arrival at Kufa as the Deputy of the Holy Imam and the Kufees having paid their homage to the Holy Imam, as their religious head, sent Ibne Zaid to handle the situation in his favour. In a day or two, almost all the leaders of the town were bribed and strong threats from Yazid's deputy the Governor of Kufa, made the people of the town as a whole, desert poor Muslim.

Under the strict ordinances issued against those who gave even shelter to him, Muslim was left all alone in Kufa. None in Kufa would now even speak to Muslim and he was left actually homeless, wandering in the streets with everyone in town, now hostile to him. None would allow him even to rest for a while in the shade of his housc. At every door he stood, he was being driven away, not even a cup of water he could have from anyone in the town. Hungry and thirsty, the helpless Deputy of the Holy Imam actually wandered in the streets of Kufa with his two innocent children, in the hope of help from some one, but none took pity on him, and not even on the innocent young children. The helpless father and his two young children were being driven away from place to place, nowhere to rest even for a while.

Hani ibne Orvah, the good-hearted Kufee who offered hospitality to Muslim was mercilessly butchered. All those miseries and persecution did never upset Muslim in the least but the one and only worry he felt, and which grieved him the most of which he frequently shed tears, was that he had written to the son of Fatema, the Holy Imam, in favour of such a treacherous people and had invited him to go over to a place where only death and destruction waited for him. He could not leave the town for he was not allowed to do it, nor could he send any note to the Holy Imam to intimate the treacherous change in the situation.

Muslim sends out His Children with His Message to the Holy Imam

AT LAST MUSLIM somehow managed to send his two young children out of Kufa with his message to the Holy Imam, a counter to his previous communication to him, requesting Husain never to think of Kufa anymore. The two innocents of the House of the Holy Prophet with the divine gift of bravery and courage against the odds and the miserses in the way of the Lord, walked through the desert during nights, hiding themselves from the sight of the people and during day time hid themselves in some bush or on the top of some date palms, hungry and thirsty as naturally they would but be in the desert. But nothing daunted them from their mission. The one and the only only concern of the two young souls, was to somehow reach the Holy Imam with the message. The two young innocent fugitives were passing through a dreadful and mortal atmosphere. They were passing through the Valley of Death. Whenever they happened to meet snyone they wuld not disclosc their identity and if any one took pity on their age and their plight, and offered any hospitality, they accepted it, otherwise they contented themselves with their lot but always mindful of the Lord and prayerful to Him.

Muslim Arrested and Martyred

HAVING DESPATCHED HIS sons, Muslim, discarded by one and all in Kufa and hunted by the men of Ibne Ziad, wandered in Kufa, as a homeless destitute without any shelter or shade to lay his head or even to rest awhi1e against the scorching sun. None dared to give him even a cup of water. Passing through a street Muslim halted at the door of a godly lady Tau'a who asked him, not recognising him, who actually he was:-

"O' man why dost thou not returnt home and rest?"

Muslim replied :-

"Where to go? I have no home here !"

The good lady looked at Muslim and asked:-

"Who art thou?"

Muslim replied:-

" I am Muslim, sin, of Aqeel, the Depuly of Husain the Holy ! Imam! hunted by the Amir."

Tau'a, immediately as she learnt about the identity of Muslim and the name of the Holy Imam, told him to get into her house No sooner had Muslim taken shelter in Tau'a s house, the son of the lady, an incorrigible delinquent, returned home and Tau'a advised the lad repeatedly not to let any one know about the whereabouts of Muslim. Early next morning, the lad informed the state authorities. Muslim heard the appfoach of the soldiers to Tau'a's house and apprehending that if he stays any longer in the house, the house of the poor lady will be ruined, rushed out and after a wonderful resistance, was arrested by the contingent and carried to the court of the Amir. Muslim entered the court without the usual salutation to the Amir. When questioned why he avoided the usual courtesy of the salutation to the Amir, Muslim replied:-

"Who is the Amir? a drunkard and dcbanchee? My Amir is Husain the Holy Imam!"

The Amir retorted:-

" Dost thou know thy fate? Salutation or no salutation from thee, thou shalt beheaded."

Muslim replied:-

"Threaten thou with death and destruction the dogs who hunt after this world and not any one of the House of the Apostle of God! Ibne Ziad called his men and commanded Muslim to be taken on the roof of a building to be beheaded and his body to be thrown down from the top, to the ground.

Hearing the verdict of the Amir about him, Muslim replied:-

"Ready I am to pass on in the way of tile Lord " and then turning to the audience in the court asked, if there was any Qoreishite among them there to hear his last desire in this world and execute it. Omar ibne Sa'd, a Qoreishite, replied:-

" Yes! I am here! Say thou what thou hast to say!"

Muslim said:-

"Look O' son of Sa'd! The first thing I request you to do is to write to the Holy Imam or send a message at once to him never to think of coming over to Kufa!" Secondly, I owe seven hundred dirhams to the people here in Kufa. Here is my horse and my armour. Sell thou these two things and disburse the dues.

Thou art a Qoreishite! Bury thou my body out of my own money raised by the sale of my belongings without any obligation from any one of the Kufees".

Omar replied we will act as deemed desirable by us. The people seated around in the court wept but none spoke a word against the brutal behaviour against Muslim.

Muslim when taken on the top of a building, asked respite of the executioners to offer his last prayer to the Lord. After the prayer he turned toward Mecca and cried:-

"Pardon me O' Holy Imam, for I was misled. But think thou not of coming over to Kufa !"

No sooner Muslim had finished his prayer, and his cry to the Holy Imam, fell the stroke of the sword from the executioner. His head was taken and the body was thrown down on the ground.

The heads of Hani ibne Orwah and Muslim ibne Aqeel were despatched to Yazid as a token of the faithful execution of his orders by his Deputy Ibne Ziad.

The bodies of Muslim and Hani, with a rope tied in the legs, were dragged into the streets of Kufa, as an active and visual warning to the people against their loyalty to the House of the Holy Prophet and particularly to Husain the Holy Imam. At last the body of Muslim and Hani were hung at the gateway of the City and remained there hanging for days together. None of the last desires of Muslim was executed and immediately orders were issued to comb the city and its surroundings and find out the children of Muslim. A tempting prize was announced on the heads of the innocents.

Children of Muslim Martyrcd

THE TWO YOUNG souls in their concealed march from Kufa, travelling during nights, lost their way in the desert. Once they were arrested and imprisoned but the pitiful guard of the prison, allowed them to escape and at last they were found by the goodhearted lady, the wife of Harith, who was already in search of the innocents to win the rich reward. The good-hearted lady hid the children in her house and Harith returned late in the night complaining to his wife saying that day and night, he was in search of the children of Muslim hut could not find them. The lady asked Harith:-

"What will you gain after shedding the blood of the innocents of the House of the Holy Prophet ?"

Harith replied:-

"What thou askest me, knowest: thou I will get the rich reward from the Amir?"

The lady kept quiet and Harith went to bed but at midnight the innocents saw their father in a dream telling them:-

"Worry not my dear ones! very soon you will meet me!"

Both the children awoke crying:-

"Father dear! where art thou? We are wandering as helpless fugitives."

Hearing the cry of the innocents, Harith awoke and asked his wife as to whose cry was that, that came from one of the rooms. The good lady could no longer conceal the fact and the moment Harith came to know of the presence of the innocents in his very house, he jumped with joy and getting into the room dragged those two young souls out of their beds saying:-

"I killed myself in your search the whole day for you and you are here in my own house."

The brute kept the innocents tied to a post the whole night and at dawn Harith took them to the bank of the Euphrates and the good lady accompanid them pleading for them. When Harith wanted to behead them, the children cried to the good lady addressing her as 'Mother dear!' The poor lady was already imploring the brute of her husband not to lay his hands on the helpless innocents. But the heartless brute would not listen to the implorations from the lady. When he raised his sword, the lady ran to intervene and strop, the stroke, and got her two hands severed. It is reported that the two innocents prayed to the brute to allow them to offer their last ravers to which the brute consented and no sooner the holy souls had finished their supplication to the Lord, then Harith wanted to behead them. The elder brother implored saying:-

"O'man ! listen to me, behead not my younger brother before me for my mother when we parted from her last, handed him over to me. Oblige me thou by beheading me first."

With a stroke of the sword the head of the elder one of the two innocents fell and Harith threw the body into the river, and then turning to the younger one, he did the same. It is said that when the first body, i.e., of the elder brother was thrown into the river, the younger one cried to it saying:-

" Brother dear! Tarry thou a little, I also come with thee."

It is said that the body of the first innocent floated stationary in the waves of the river until the body of the second one joined it and both floated away together.

No Refuge for the Holy Imam Even in the Holy Ka'ba

NEws HAD REACHED Damascus that Husain had left Madina for Mecca. Yazid hired thirty men to guide themselves as pilgrims (Hajies) with daggers hidden in their pilgrim garbs to murder the Holy Imam even while performing the pilgrimate rites, be he even in the very precincts of the Great Sanctuary of the Holy Ka'ba.

Husain had received the letter from his Deputy Muslim in Kufa to proceed to the place, the letter which Muslim had written before what befell him later. Husain only waited for the pilgrimage to start for Kufa thereafter. But he got intelligence about the plot to kill him even in the Holy Sanctuary.

Husain saves the Sanctity of the Great Sanctuary

THE HOLY KA' BA, a Sanctuary, the Holiest of the Holy Places of Islam, a Sanctuary wherein no creature animate or inanimate could be disturbed wherein even a confirmed convict could not be killed, nor even a plant be plucked out. If the sanctity of the Holiest Shrine of Islam be violated by the shedding of the blood of the Holy Imam which was the very blood of the Holy Prophet himself, no security for any one else would be left thereafter, the Holy Ka'ba would cease to be a Sanctuary.

The next day was the day of the pilgrimage and Husain in the interest of the sanctity of the place could remain there no more. The Holy Imam decided to leave the place with his whole caravan, performing the briefer pilgrimage 'Omra' instead of the full pilgrimage, Haj, which could be done only the next day.

People uninformed of the secret plot of Yazid against the life of the Holy Imam, wondering at the surprising decision of Husain to move out of Mecca on the very eve of the Pilgrimage when every muslim rushes to the place and covets to be there, thronged to the Holy Imam enquiring about his mysterious move. Husain replied:-

"This year's Haj I have , to perform at Karbala."

When the people asked where the animals of sacrifice were, Husain replied:-

"In this Haj I have to offer the sacrifices, not of animals but of my own kith and kin."

Saying this Husain said:-

" Do ye like to see my sacrjfices?"

Husain called his brother Abbas, his eighteen-year--old son Ali (Ali-.e-Akbar), his nephews Qasim, Aun and Muhammad and others. When all these had come and stood before him, Husain said:-

"These are my sacrjfices."

Husain left Mecca for Kufa in response to the implorations of the people of the place.