المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

Sheikh al-Sadiq, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated from Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman, from his father, from Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him) who said: While I, Fatima, Hasan, and Husayn were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), he turned to us and wept. I asked, "What makes you cry, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "I weep for what will happen to you after me." I asked, "And what is that, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "I weep for your being struck on the head, for Fatima's cheek being slapped, for the stab in Hasan's thigh, the poison he will be given to drink, and for the killing of Husayn." At this, the entire family wept. I then asked, "O Messenger of Allah! Were we created by our Lord for nothing but suffering?" He replied, "Rejoice, O Ali, for Allah the Almighty has assured me that only a believer will love you, and only a hypocrite will hate you."

And indeed, blessed is the noble infant, may Allah have mercy on him, when he said:

This is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) who mourned and lamented over him a day before his martyrdom. How would it have been if he were present on the tenth of Muharram? If he were present, he himself would be the one consoled for him. May Allah strengthen his heart in the calamity he endured with Hussein (peace be upon him). Some of his wives and companions saw him in a dream after Hussein's martyrdom, and they saw him weeping, with a sorrowful heart, disheveled and covered in dust over Hussein's calamity. It is narrated that Salma said: I entered upon Umm Salama while she was crying, and I asked: What makes you cry? She said: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) — meaning in a dream — with dust on his head and beard. I said: What is wrong with you, O Messenger of Allah?

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "I have just witnessed the killing of Al-Husayn."

Amr bin Abi Amr narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) in a dream during the midday, disheveled and dusty, holding a vial containing blood. I said, 'May my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Messenger of Allah, what is this?' He (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'This is the blood of Hussain and his companions, which I have been gathering since this morning.' So, the day was counted, and it was found to be the same day they were martyred."

It is narrated by Amir ibn Saad al-Bajali who said: When Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) was killed, I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his family) in a dream, and he said: "If you see al-Baraa ibn Azib, convey my greetings to him and inform him that the killers of Hussein ibn Ali are in Hellfire, and that Allah intended to spare the people of the earth from a painful punishment because of him." He said: I went to al-Baraa and informed him, and he said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and his family) spoke the truth. The Messenger of Allah said: "Whoever sees me in a dream has indeed seen me, for the devil cannot imitate me."

It is narrated that Ibn al-Hababiriyeh, the poet, passed through Karbala and began to weep for Hussein and his family (peace be upon them) and recited poetry.

He slept in his place and saw the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) in a dream. The Prophet said to him: "O so-and-so, may Allah reward you on my behalf with goodness. Rejoice, for Allah has recorded you among those who will strive alongside my son, Al-Husayn (peace be upon him)."

And the pious person, may God have mercy on him, used to say:

The Fourth Gathering, from the First Day: The Mourning of Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) and His Grief for His Father Imam Hussein (peace be upon him)

It is mentioned in some of the visits to the Imams (peace be upon them): Oh my masters, if you could see the sight of the Prophet witnessing the arrows of the nation piercing your hearts, and their spears aimed at your throats, and their swords soaked in your blood, satisfying the wrath of the sinful against your piety, and the rage of disbelief against your faith. You are either slain in prayer niches with swords splitting your skulls, or martyred above funeral biers wrapped in shrouds punctured by arrows, or slain in the wilderness with heads raised on spears, or imprisoned and chained with bodies crushed by iron, or poisoned with entrails severed by the poison's effect.

Indeed, we are Allah's and to Him we return, and there is no power nor strength except with Allah, the Most High, the Almighty.

When Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) returned from captivity and intended to enter Medina, he sent a messenger ahead to announce the passing of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him). As a result, no one remained in the city...

None of the women were veiled, nor did they remain hidden. They emerged, weeping, wailing, and beating their chests. The city of Medina had not seen a more sorrowful day than that. They asked him, "Who are you?" He replied, "I am Bishr bin Hadhlam. Ali bin Al-Husayn sent me, and he is currently at such and such a place with Al-Husayn's family and women." They left me in my place and rushed ahead. I spurred my horse until I returned to them. I found people had filled the roads and places. I dismounted my horse and walked over the necks of people until I approached the entrance of the pavilion.

Ali bin Al-Husayn was inside. He came out with a cloth in his hand, wiping his tears, while a servant accompanied him with a chair. He placed it down and sat, overcome by grief. The people offered their condolences. He gestured for them to be silent, and their uproar quieted. He then said (peace be upon him):

"Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, Master of the Day of Judgment, Creator of all creation. He is exalted and elevated in the highest heavens, yet He is near and witnesses the secrets. We praise Him for the great deeds, the calamities of time, the severe trials, and the mighty misfortunes."

O people, indeed, praise be to Allah. We have been afflicted with a great calamity and a significant wound in Islam: Abu Abdullah and his family have been killed, his women and children have been captured, and his head has been paraded around in different lands on the tip of a high spear.

O people, which of your men would rejoice after his death? Or which of your eyes would hold back its tears and be miserly with their streaming? For indeed, the fierce lions have wept for his killing, as have the seas, the heavens, the earth, the trees, the fish, the close angels, and all the inhabitants of the heavens together.

O people, is there any heart that does not break over his death? Or is there any soul that does not yearn for him? Or is there any ear that hears this void created in Islam?

O people, we have become outcasts, displaced, driven away far from the cities, as if we are the children of Turk or Kabul, without any crime we have committed or any wrongdoing we have engaged in, as we have never heard...

This is only a fabrication concerning our forefathers. By God, if the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had approached them in fighting us as he did in enjoining them to support us, they would not have done more than they did. Surely, we belong to God, and to Him, we shall return.

It is narrated by the hadith scholars that Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) wept for his father, Hussein (peace be upon him), for twenty years. He would cry whenever food was placed in front of him until a servant said to him, "O son of the Messenger of Allah, has the time not come for your grief to end?" He replied, "Woe to you! Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him) had twelve sons, and Allah made one of them disappear, causing his eyes to turn white from excessive weeping, his head to turn gray from sorrow, and his back to bend from grief, yet his son was alive in the world. As for me, I saw my father, brother, uncle, and seventeen members of my family killed around me, so how can my grief end?"

It is narrated from Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) who said: Ali ibn Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) wept for twenty years, and whenever food was placed before him, he would cry. Until one of his servants said to him, "May I be your ransom, O son of the Messenger of God, I fear you may be among those who perish." He replied, "I only complain of my confession and distress to God, and I know from God what you do not know. Whenever I remember the tragedy of the sons of Fatimah, tears choke me."

It is said that he wept until there was fear for his eyes. When he (peace be upon him) took a vessel to drink water, he would cry until he filled it with tears. He was asked about this, and he replied, "How can I not cry when my father was denied the water that was freely available to the beasts and wild animals?" He was told, "Even if you weep for an eternity, you would not be lacking in sorrow. So why increase it with these actions?" He responded, "It is my soul that I have killed, and for it, I weep."

It is narrated from Muhammad bin Sahal Al-Bahrani, with an account reaching back to Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: "The weepers are five: Adam, Jacob, Joseph, Fatimah daughter of Muhammad, and Ali bin Al-Hussain (peace be upon them).

As for Adam, he wept for Paradise until there were like valleys on his cheeks. As for Jacob, he wept for Joseph until he lost his sight, and until he was told, 'By Allah, you will not cease remembering Joseph until you become fatally ill or become one of the perishing.'

As for Joseph, he wept for Jacob until the inmates of the prison were troubled by him and said, 'You either weep by day and write by night, or you weep by night and write by day,' so he agreed with them on one of them.

As for Fatimah daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), she wept over the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) until the people of Medina were troubled by her weeping, and they said to her, 'You have troubled us with your abundant weeping.' So she would go out to the cemeteries, the graves of the martyrs, and weep until she fulfilled her mourning and then she would return.

As for Ali bin Al-Hussain (peace be upon them), he wept for Al-Hussein for twenty or forty years, and whenever food was placed before him, he would weep, until one of his servants said to him, 'May I be your ransom, O son of the Messenger of Allah, I fear for you that you may be among the perishing.' He said, 'I only express my grief and sorrow to Allah, and I know from Allah what you do not know. Whenever I remember the martyrdom of the son of Fatimah, tears choke me.'"

Ibn Qulawayh, may God have mercy on him, narrated from Ismail ibn Mansur, from some companions, who said: One of the servants of Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them) approached him while he was in a booth, bowing and weeping. He said to him: "O Ali ibn al-Husayn, hasn't the time come for your grief to end?" He raised his head and replied: "Woe to you, may your mother be bereaved of you. By God, Jacob complained to his Lord about the most minor thing I have seen, when he said, 'Oh my sorrow for Joseph,' yet he had lost only one son. I witnessed my father and a group of my family being slaughtered around me."

He said: Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) inclined towards the children of Aqil. He was asked: Why do you favor these cousins over the descendants of Ja'far? He replied: I remember their day with Abu Abdullah al-Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him) and I feel compassion for them.

Sayyid Ibn Tawus, may he rest in peace, related that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: "Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) mourned for his father for forty years, fasting during the day and standing in prayer at night. When it was time to break his fast, his servant would bring him food and drink and place it before him, saying: 'Eat, my master.' He would then say: 'The son of the Messenger of Allah was killed while hungry, the son of the Messenger of Allah was killed while thirsty.' He would keep repeating this and weeping until his tears moistened his food, and then he would mix his drink with his tears. He continued in this manner until he joined with Allah, the Almighty."

It is narrated about Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) that he...

Narrated from Abdullah bin Dinar, from Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him), he said: "O Abdullah, there is no ‘Eid al-Adha or ‘Eid al-Fitr for Muslims except that it renews grief for the family of Muhammad. I asked: Why is that? He said: Because they see their rightful position in the hands of others."

The narrators agree that Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) was among the most tearful and sorrowful members of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) over Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), as he witnessed the events of Karbala firsthand and saw what befell his aunts and sisters in terms of assault and captivity.

And some of them said: Whenever a group gathered around him, or a delegation from distant lands visited him, he would recount to them that tragedy and narrate its events to them. He would sometimes go to the market, and if he saw a butcher about to slaughter a sheep or another animal, he would approach and ask, "Did you give it water?" The butcher would reply, "Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah, we do not slaughter an animal until we have given it at least a little water." At that point, he would cry and say, "Abu Abdullah was slaughtered thirsty."

The poet Haj Muhammad Ali Al-Kamona, may he rest in peace, says about that:

It is narrated that Abu Hamza Thumali, may Allah be pleased with him, once entered upon Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) and found him sad and distressed. He said, "My master, what is this crying and sorrow? Was not your uncle Hamza killed? Was not your grandfather Ali (peace be upon him) killed by the sword? Indeed, killing is a custom for you, and martyrdom from Allah is an honor for you." The Imam replied, "May Allah reward you for your efforts, Abu Hamza. As you mentioned, killing is a custom for us and martyrdom is our honor from Allah. But, Abu Hamza, have your ears ever heard or have your eyes ever seen that a woman from us was taken captive or violated before the day of Ashura? By Allah, Abu Hamza, whenever I look at my aunts and sisters, I remember their flight in the wilderness from one tent to another and from one dwelling to another."

The flag is raised, and the caller calls out, "Burn the houses of the oppressors."

To the poetry of Mr. Haider Al-Hilli, may mercy be upon him, who says:

It is narrated that one day he (peace be upon him) heard a man crying out in the market: "O people, have mercy on me, I am a stranger." Imam (peace be upon him) approached him and said: "If it were decreed for you to die in this town, would there remain a place for your burial?" The man exclaimed: "God is the greatest! How could there not be a place for my burial when I am a Muslim and among a Muslim nation?" Imam Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) wept and said: "Oh, what a sorrow for you, my father, that you remained unburied for three days, and you are the son of the daughter of the Messenger of God (may God bless him and his family)."

And to Sheikh Abdul-Hussein Al-Asam, may mercy be upon him, who says:

Sayyid Ibn Tawus al-Hasani, may Allah have mercy on him, said: I saw in the book of Al-Masabih with its chain of narrators to Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon him) who said: Abu Muhammad ibn Ali told me: I asked my father Ali ibn al-Husayn about how Yazid treated him, and he said: He made me ride on a bare camel, and the head of Husayn (peace be upon him) was on a spear, and our women were behind us on mules, and the guards surrounded us with lances. If one of us shed a tear, his head was struck with a lance. When we entered Damascus, a caller cried out: O people of Sham, these are the captives of the family of the Prophet.

In a narration, Al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said: I asked my father, Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him), about how they were presented before Yazid, may Allah curse him. He said: They first made us stand at one of the palace gates for three hours to seek permission from Yazid. Then, they brought us before him, and we were tied with a single rope like sheep. The rope was around my neck, and the necks of my aunt Zainab, Umm Kulthum, and the other women and young girls. Whenever we slowed in walking, they would hit us until they brought us before Yazid, may Allah curse him.

May Allah have mercy on Ibn al-Arandas for saying.

And the other said:

The Fifth Session, from the First Day of Dhu al-Hijjah: Dhu al-Khuza'i's Visit to Imam Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon him) during the Days of Ashura

It is narrated from Abdul Salam ibn Saleh al-Harawi who said: Dhu al-Khuza'i, son of Ali, visited Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon them) in Merv and said to him: "O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), I have composed a poem about you, and I have made a vow to myself not to recite it to anyone before you." Upon hearing this, he (peace be upon him) replied, "Go ahead," and he recited:

When he reached where he said:

Abu Al-Hasan Al-Rida (peace be upon him) wept and said: "You are right, Khuzai," and when he reached his saying:

Imam Abul Hasan (peace be upon him) began to chant in a soft recitation, saying: "Verily, Allah is the clearest of truths," and when he reached his statement...

Imam al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said: "May Allah protect you on the Day of the Great Panic," and when he reached his statement:

Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said, "Shall I add to this spot two lines that complete your poem?" He replied, "Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah." So he (peace be upon him) said:

Dibil said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah, whose grave is this in Tus?"

Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) said: "My grave, and the days and nights will not pass until Tus becomes a place frequented by my followers and visitors. Whoever visits me in my solitude in Tus will be with me at my rank on the Day of Judgment, forgiven."

After Dhi'bal finished reciting the poem, Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) rose and instructed Dhi'bal not to move from his place. He entered the house, and after some time, a servant came out to him with a hundred gold dinars from Al-Ridha, saying, "My master says to you: use this for your expenses." Dhi'bal replied, "By God, I did not come for this, nor did I recite this poem hoping for anything to reach me." He returned the pouch and asked for a garment of Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) to be blessed and honored with it. Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) sent him a fine silk robe along with the pouch and told the servant, "Tell him: take this pouch, for you will need it, and do not argue with me about it." Dhi'bal took the pouch and robe and departed, traveling from Merv in a caravan. When they reached Miankuh, they were attacked by thieves who seized the entire caravan and tied up its people, including Dhi'bal. The thieves took control of the caravan and began dividing it among themselves, when a man from the group recited

In his poem, Al-Fiq says:

He asked the keeper, "Whose house is this?" The keeper replied, "It belongs to a man from the tribe of Khuza'a, named Dibil bin Ali." The man then said, "I am Dibil, the author of the poem that includes this house." The man jumped up and went to their leader, who was bald and a follower of the Shia sect. He informed him, and the leader himself came over to Dibil and asked, "Are you Dibil?" Dibil replied, "Yes." The leader then said, "Recite the poem for me," and Dibil did so. The leader then freed the hands of both Dibil and his entire caravan, returning all that was taken from them out of respect for Dibil.

Dibil continued his journey until he reached Qom. The people of Qom asked him to recite the poem for them, and he asked them to gather at the main mosque. When they assembled, he ascended the pulpit and recited the poem for them. The people rewarded him generously with money and fine garments. News of the cloak reached them, and they offered to buy it for a thousand dinars, but he refused. They then asked if they could buy a part of it for a thousand dinars, but he refused them as well and left Qom.

As he departed from the countryside of the town, a group of young Arabs caught up with him and took the cloak from him.

Dibbel returned to Qom and asked them for the cloak, but the young men refused to hand it over and disobeyed the elders in this matter. They told Dibbel, "You cannot have the cloak, so take its value of a thousand dinars," but he refused their offer. When he lost hope of getting the cloak back, he asked them to give him a part of it. They agreed to this, gave him a portion of it, and paid him a thousand dinars for the remainder.

Dhubul returned to his homeland and found that thieves had taken everything from his house. He sold the hundred dinars that Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) had gifted him; he sold each dinar to the Shia for a hundred dirhams, thereby acquiring ten thousand dirhams. He recalled Imam Al-Ridha's statement, "You will need the dinars." He had a maid who developed a severe ailment in her eyes. When he called in doctors, they examined her and said, "As for the right eye, we have no remedy."

She is gone, but as for the left hand, we are treating it and doing our best, hoping that it will heal.

He became deeply sorrowful and greatly distressed over her. Then he remembered the piece of the cloak they had with them. He applied it to the girl's eyes and wrapped them with a portion of it in the evening, and by morning her eyes were healthier than they had been before, by the blessing of Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha (peace be upon him).

In a narration by Abdul Salam bin Saleh al-Harawi, it is said: I heard Dabel bin Ali al-Khuzai say: When I recited my poem to my master Al-Ridha (peace be upon him), which begins with:

"When I finished saying:"

Imam Al-Ridha (peace be upon him) wept intensely, then he raised his head toward me and said: "O Khuzai, the Holy Spirit has spoken through you with these two verses. Do you know who this Imam is, and when he will rise?" I replied: "No, my master, except that I have heard of the emergence of an Imam from you who will purify the earth of corruption and fill it with justice." He said: "O Dhu'bail, the Imam after me is my son Muhammad, and after Muhammad is his son Ali, and after Ali is his son Hasan, and after Hasan is his son, the Awaited Hujjah, who will rise during his concealment and be obeyed upon his appearance. If there were only one day left in the world, Allah would prolong that day until he emerges and fills it with justice as it was filled with tyranny and oppression. As for the timing, speaking about it is difficult. My father narrated to me from his father, from his forefathers, from Ali (peace be upon him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was asked: 'O Messenger of Allah, when will the Qa'im from your progeny appear?' He said: 'His example is like the Hour, "None can reveal its time but He. It weighs heavily upon the heavens and the earth. It will not come upon you except suddenly."'"

(2)

The esteemed scholar, Al-Majlisi, may Allah have mercy on him, stated: "I read in some of the works of the later scholars where it was mentioned that Dibil al-Khuza'i narrated: I entered upon my master and lord, Ali ibn Musa al-Ridha (peace be upon him) during these days. I saw him sitting in the posture of a sorrowful and distressed person, with his companions surrounding him. When he saw me approaching, he said to me: 'Welcome, O Dibil, welcome, O supporter of us with your hand and tongue.' Then he made room for me in his seating area and seated me beside him.

He then said to me: 'O Dibil, I would like you to recite poetry for me, for these are days of mourning for us, the Ahl al-Bayt, and days of joy for our enemies, especially the Umayyads. O Dibil, whoever weeps and makes others weep over our afflictions, even if one person, his reward is with Allah. O Dibil, whoever sheds tears for our misfortunes and weeps for what befell us at the hands of our enemies, Allah will resurrect him with us in our community. O Dibil, whoever weeps over the affliction of my grandfather, Husayn, Allah will forgive all his sins.'

Then he (peace be upon him) stood and drew a curtain between us and his household, seating the members of his family behind the curtain to mourn for the affliction of their grandfather, Husayn (peace be upon him). Then he turned to me and said: 'O Dibil, lament for Husayn, for you are our supporter and our eulogizer as long as you are alive. Do not shy away from supporting us as much as you can.'

Dibil said: 'I was overcome with emotion, and tears began to flow from my eyes as I began to recite...'"