Maqtal al-Husayn
The Question of Marching With the Family
Al-Husayn (‘a) transported his family [from Medina] to Iraq knowing
that he and all those in his company would be killed. Why? He knew
beforehand that his murder would be in vain if no eloquent tongues and
determined persons acquainted the nation with the misguidance of
Maysun's son and with the oppression of Marjana's son who attacked the
pure progeny of the Prophet (S), and without the refutation of the
bid’as which they had introduced in the sacred Shari’a.
The Father of the Oppressed realized that the theologians were
apprehensive of pretending to denounce the oppressive authority to which
they surrendered. He was also informed of the imprisonment of many of
them.
He concluded that even the greatest among them would not be able to
expose the horror of what such authority was committing. What happened
to Ibn ‘Afif al-Azdi underscores this reality which any clear conscience
supports.
The Father of the Oppressed also knew that the ladies who were born in
the Message were used to persevere during the time of calamity and when
facing hardships, and difficulties, with hearts more firm than the
mountains. They did not neglect, even under the most adverse of
situations, to expose to the public the lies and falsehood resulting
from what those misleading rulers were promoting as well as their
ultimate goal of undermining the creed.
They rose with their Imam who sacrificed himself for the sake of the
right creed only to bring the Shari’a of his grandfather, the Prophet
(S), back to life.
Even while their hearts were on fire on account of the tragedy, and
even when calamities plunged them into the deepest depression, the wise
ladies belonging to the family of the Prophet (S) were largely prepared
for revenge and for defending the sanctity of the creed.
Among them is [Zainab] the wise lady and daughter of the Commander of
the Faithful (‘a), peace of Allah be upon her, who was not deterred by
captivity or by the humiliation of exile, or by losing dear ones, or
even by her enemy rejoicing at her misfortune, or by the wailing of the
widows, the cries of the children, the moaning of the sick.
She often spoke out her mind to those ruffians even when she was between their claws and fangs, without stuttering a bit, hurling words like thunderbolts at their assembly. She, for example, stood before Marjana's son, the ill-begotten tyrant, the defenseless lady that she was, having none with her to protect her nor any of her family's men except the Imam's wali [Zain al-’Abidin] who was exhausted by sickness, in addition to women seeking refuge in her shadow, complaining, weeping, and children filled with the pain of thirst, and young ladies severely beset, while the severed head of the Imam (‘a) and those of his supporters and kinsfolk were all in front of her as the limbs were left in the desert for the sun to incinerate.
Even a single one of such calamities would overpower and shatter the
mind of anyone.
Yet the daughter of Hayder (‘a) maintained a great deal of
self-restraint and self-composure, so she delivered her speech as though
she had been her father, a speech which was more forceful than the
fiercest arrow, rendering the son of Marjana speechless as she said,
“These are people whom Allah decreed to be killed; so they came out
welcoming their destiny. Allah will gather you and them, and arguments
will be lodged against you, and you will be disputed; so, see whose lot
will be the crack of the fire, may your mother lose you, O son of
Marjana.”
She made it clear for those who were unaware of his malice and meanness
that he would never be able to wash away the shame and infamy of what he
had committed. She baffled the minds and amazed everyone when she
delivered another speech at Kufa's cemetery where people were confused,
weeping, not knowing what to do.
Said she, “How can the shame and infamy of their killing the son of the
Prophet, the substance of the Message, and the Master of the Youths of
Paradise, ever be washed away from them? May their endeavour be rendered
futile! May their hands perish! May their bargain be a loss, and may
they be exposed to shame in the hereafter! Surely Allah's retribution is
greater, had they only known.”
Having finished her speech, she was succeeded by [her younger niece]
Fatima daughter of al-Husayn (‘a) who spoke eloquently while remaining
unruffled, calm [the child that she was]. Her speech acted like spears
that pierced the hearts.
People could not help raising their voice as they wept, and they came to
realize the extent of the tragedy and the pain it inflicted. They said
to her, “Suffices you what you have said, O daughter of the pure ones,
for you have certainly burnt our hearts and slit our throats!”
She hardly finished when Umm Kulthum, Zainab daughter of ‘Ali Ibn Abu
Talib (‘a), spoke [again]. Zainab described the horror which those
misled people had committed, whereupon everyone present wailed and
cried, and nobody had ever witnessed more crying and weeping.[^1]
One wonders whether anyone can deliver a speech under such a most grave
situation, when one is surrounded by the swords of the oppressors, no
matter how strong his tribe may be. Yet who else besides the daughters
of the Commander of the Faithful (‘a) could publicly expose the sins
committed by the son of Hind and the son of Marjana?
Heavy burdens were placed on the tongues, and fear filled everyone's
heart.
Yet all of this is looked upon as abominable had its benefits only been
worldly and its motives the doing of one's insinuating self. But if it
benefits the religion, such as clearing the faith introduced by the
Messenger of Allah (S) from any falsehood that those adversaries had
attached to it, there will be no ugliness in it according to reason and
custom, and it is supported by the Shari’a.
Allah has exempted women from waging jihad and confronting the
enemies, and Allah Almighty has required them to stay at home.
Yet such is the case when a confrontation like this is undertaken by the
men. But when such an obligation is removed from them in a
confrontational way from which they should refrain, the foundations of
the Shari’a will be undermined, and the sacrifice of those elite ones
will be cleared from any falsehood, women will then be required to do
just that.
It is for this reason that the Head of the Women of the World, Fatima
al-Zahra’, peace be upon her, stood to defend Allah's supreme caliphate
after the oath of allegiance had been sworn to someone else other than
to the master of wasis [her husband, Imam ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib (‘a), who
was thus forcibly distanced from the political process], so she
delivered a speech at the Mosque of the Prophet (S) which was very
eloquent and which was witnessed by a large crowd of the Muhajirun and
the Ansar.
But al-Husayn (‘a) had already been informed by his grandfather,
al-Amin (S), that those folks, although they would have attained their
goal, and although they would go to extremes in their villainy, they
would not harm the women.
This is clear from a statement made by al-Husayn (‘a) in which he said to those women at the final farewell hour, “Put on your outer mantles and get ready for the test, and be informed that Allah will protect and safeguard you, and that He will save you from the evil of your adversaries and render the outcome of your cause righteousness.
He will torment your adversaries with all norms of torture, and He will compensate you for going through such a calamity with numerous types of blessings and graces. So, do not complain, and do not utter that which may demean your status.”
We can say all of this even if the master of the martyrs (‘a) had not
been the Imam. But in the case of submitting to the encompassing
knowledge of the Imam, the knowledge of what was and of what will be,
and his marching as directed by the best realistic interests, and his
being infallible in everything he says and does, and it is the truth
which cannot be refuted that we are bound to submit that all the divine
wisdom he undertook and the divine interests are beyond any doubt..., we
have to do nothing but to believe in all his actions without being bound
by reason to know the interests served thereby. The same can be said
about anything with which adults are obligated.
The servants of Allah are not required except to submit and surrender to their Lord without knowing the underlying motives behind what He orders them to do. The same case is applicable to the slaves with their masters. Reason does not require a slave to do anything more than obeying his master whenever the latter bids or forbids him.
[^1]: Read the text of these three speeches in a later part of this book where the subject of martyrdom is discussed.