Imam Hussain saves the Sanctity of the Great Sanctuary The Holy Kaaba, 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 anyone else would be left thereafter; the Holy Kaaba would cease to be a Sanctuary. The next day was the day of the pilgrimage and Imam Hussain 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 ‘Umra’ instead of the full pilgrimage ‘Hajj’, which could be done only the next day, when every Muslim rushes to the place and covets to be there. Imam Hussain left Makkah on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, 60 of Hijrah preceded towards Kufa. His cousin Abdullah son of Abbas asked him to wait, and warned him, “You might be killed, and the people of Iraq are not reliable. At least go some other place, such as Yemen, where your father had followers.” The Imam replied, “O my cousin! I know that you are sincere, but I have decided on this journey.” Son of Abbas said, “Then, do not take your children and your family, I am afraid if you take them, they may see you die.” Imam Hussain replied, “By God, they are not going to leave me. If they leave me, they are going to be victims of someone who would not have mercy on them.” He wanted the family to be united, and whatever happens would happen to them together. And, if he leaves them, they would not be under anyone’s protection. Although he knew before hand the ultimate destiny he was to face. But he believed that the true victory of God’s message would be realized through his martyrdom, since there was no one else to stand up for the oppression. He knew that the nation would not wake up except by such a great shock. Therefore, let this shock be his martyrdom, along with his family who went all the way with him. Important stops on Imam Journey and complete Route All--Siiffah:: Here, a man was on his way to Makkah for the Hajj pilgrimage. The man came closer and asked someone, “Whose caravan is this?” And he was informed that it was the camp of Imam Hussain. To himself, he thought that he should pay his greeting of peace to the Grandson of Messenger of God. The Imam asked him, “Who are you?” He replied, “I am al-Farazdaq, son of Ghalib.” The Imam greeted the famous poet kindly, then after some time, he asked him, “What do you know about the attitude of the people?” Al-Farazdaq answered, “Their hearts are with you, but their swords are with the Umayyads, and the destination comes from heaven.” Imam said, “You spoke the truth, and everything is up to God. He does what He wishes, and we ask help only from Him.” Imam (pbuh) also learnt that every road leading into Kufa was blocked and guarded by enemy troops. All--Hajjiir:: Here, the Imam set camp. He wrote a letter to Muslim son of Aqeel and gave it to Qays son of Mashar Al-Saydawi to take to Kufa. In it he wrote, “O people of Kufa! I have received the letter of Muslim son of Aqeel stating that you have gathered to help us and ask for our rights. I ask Almighty God to reward you for this action. For this reason, I left Makkah on Thursday the 8th of Dhu al-Hijja. When my messenger arrives, be united until I reach Kufa in a few days.” Meanwhile, for some time, Imam stayed at the water of Abdullah Ibn Muti? Who tried to convince the Imam not to go to Iraq, but the Imam refused. When Qays son of Mashar Al-Saydawi reached Al-Qudisiyyah, Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad’s army captured him. When they tried to search him, he tore the letter apart. He was brought to the governor’s Castle in Kufa, and Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad asked him, “Why did you tear the letter?” Qays replied, “So you will not know what was in it.” Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad said, “You have to tell me what was in it!” Qays refused. Then Ibn Ziyad said, “You have to go on the pulpit and curse Hussain, his brother, and his father. Otherwise, I am going to cut you into pieces!” Qays went on the pulpit and blessed Amir Al-Mu’minin Imam Ali, Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain, and cursed Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad and his father and the Umayyads. Then he said, “O people! I am the messenger of Hussain to you!” He told them where he left the Imam and said, “Go help him!” Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad ordered for him to be thrown from the top of the Castle. He fell and died. Zurood:: And a large number of the people thinking that if Imam Hussain, the Grandson of the Apostle of God stands against Yazid, the Muslim World as a whole would support the Holy Imam and those who support Imam Hussain’s cause will certainly get the share of the booty accompanied him. At every step Imam Hussain warned them saying their imagination, was totally wrong and will never be realized. However, the crowd accompanied Imam Hussain until when the news of the fate of Imam Hussain’s Deputy, Muslim son of Aqeel, reached him. At this stop, the news of the martyrdom of Hani son of Urwa and Muslim son of Aqeel reached the Imam. The Imam was deeply upset and many times said, “God bless them.” He and other people cried with the sad news, the ladies wailed, and the whole camp was in mourning. Then, two of his companions stood and said, “O Grandson of the Prophet of God! Please change your decision and do not go to Kufa.” Others disagreed and said, “We have to continue and die the same way as Hani and Muslim died for the cause.” The Imam listened to each conversation and looked deeply into their faces and then said, “There is no goodness in life after these two (Hani and Muslim).” And the crowd began deserting Imam Hussain in large numbers. Sharaff:: Here, the Imam set camp and asked his children to re-supply with water and carry more water than they needed. When he heard one of his followers saying “Allahu Akbar (God is great),” the Imam asked him, “Why did you say that?” He answered, “I see palm trees in the far distance.” All the people around him said, “There are no palm trees around here in this desert?” When they looked carefully, they saw spears and horses. The Imam agreed and said, “That must be it.” Then he asked, “Is there any shelter here?” They told him there is a place called Dhu-Hasm on the left and that is the best place to take shelter. The Imam went there and set his camp. Then, at noon, the command of a famous Commander Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi, with 1,000 soldiers, appeared in front of the Imam, carrying a message from Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad ordering him to prevent the Imam from returning to Medina or capture him and bring him to Kufa. By the time they met Imam Husain’s caravan Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi and his troops had run out of water and were nearly dying of thirst. When the Imam saw that the army of Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi was thirsty, he asked his followers to give them and their horse’s water. They gave all of them and all of their horse’s water except for the last animal. The inexperienced rider of this last Camel came to the Imam, not knowing how to water his animal, and Imam Hussain told him, “Anikh al-Rawiyah.” In the Hijazi Arabic dialect, it means “loosen the ropes around the Camel’s neck (so it can drink),” but in the Kufi Arabic dialect it means “loosen the neck of the water bag.” So, the soldier loosened the knot around the water bag and the water spilled out. Then, Imam Hussain did it himself and showed the soldier how to loosen the ropes and let the Camel drink. Then, after all of the army and their animals were finished drinking, the Imam stood and said, “I did not come here until all of your letters came to me, and the letters say that you do not have any leader and that you need my help as guide. If that is still your demand, give me something that shows that you are truthful in your promises, and if you do not like me, I will return to where I came from.” The soldiers were silent. No one spoke a word. Then, Hajjaj son of Masraq made the call to prayer for the Dhuhr (Noon Prayer). The Imam said to Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi, “You are the chief of your army. You go and pray with your own people.” Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi replied, No. We pray with you. Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi, with all of his troops, prayed behind Imam Hussain. When the Imam finished the prayer, he stood and said, “O people! Fear God and find the truth and follow it. We are the members of the House of the Prophet. We deserve trust more than those who do injustice. If you do not like us or you ignore our rights or you have changed your minds from whatever you have written to us before, then I will leave you.” Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi said, “Written? I do not know what letters you are talking about!” The Imam asked one of his followers to bring two sacks of letters. Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi said, “I am not one of these people.” I have been ordered not to leave you alone until I bring you back to Kufa to Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad. The Imam said, “Death is before that.” He turned and told his followers to get ready to ride their horses, but Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi stopped them from going. Then, for the first time in his life, the Imam spoke an insult, “Your mother sits mourning you.” Then he said, “What do you want from us?” Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi replied, “If anyone beside you had said those words to me, I would have replied the same to him, but I cannot do that to you for your mother Fatima (pbuh). However, take a road between you and Kufa, which does not reach Kufa nor goes to Medina, until I write to Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad and see what his orders are. May God relieve me from this catastrophe.” Then he said to the Imam, “I bear witness that if you fight, you will be killed.” The Imam said, “Are you threatening me with death? Are you going to kill me? Are you helping the Messenger of God?” When Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi heard this, he turned around and left the Imam. He did not want a confrontation with the Imam. The Imam’s caravan continued in an unknown destination, and Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi’s army followed behind. It was a mysterious move divinely guided by the will of the Lord, to fulfill the Great Sacrifice destined to take place in the seed of Abraham. Naiinawa:: When the Imam’s caravan came near this place, they saw a man on a horse coming towards them. He was carrying a message from Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad to Hurr son of Yazid Al- Riyahi. Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi came and read the letter to Imam Hussain, “Be firm with Hussain. When you read my letter, do not let him camp anywhere but in the desert where there is no water and no fortification.” The Imam said, “Then, let us go to Nainawa or Ghadariyyah or Shufayyah.” Hurr son of Yazid Al- Riyahi replied, “I cannot do that because the messenger is a spy on me.” Zuhayr son of al-Qayn said, “O, Grandson of the Messenger of God! To kill these people now is easier than fighting with the reinforcements that will come after them. Let us start fighting and finish them. After these will come people that we will not be able to fight.” The Imam said, “I am not going to start the fighting.” Zuhayr said, “There is a village here on the Euphrates and has a fort and the Euphrates crosses it. Let us go there.” The Imam asked, “What is it called?” He said, “It’s called Aqr in Arabic, means ‘the cutting’.” Imam said, “I seek refuge with God from Aqr.” Then, the Imam asked Hurr to let him go a little bit further. Hurr son of Yazid Al-Riyahi agreed and the Imam’s caravan went with Hurr’s troops following behind until they reached Karbala (Land of distress & disaster). The day, Holy Imam’s caravan reached Karbala was 2nd of Muharram, 61 Hijra. “Those who worship and adore God do not worship others.” Imam Hussain (pbuh)
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 12:25:48 +0000
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