المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

He turned to them and praised Allah, then said: "As for what follows, O people, if you fear Allah and acknowledge the rights due to their rightful owners, it will be more pleasing to Allah regarding you. We, the household of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), are more deserving of this authority over you than these claimants who assert what is not theirs and who treat you with injustice and hostility. If you insist on aversion towards us and ignorance of our rights, and if your current opinion differs from what your letters and emissaries brought to me, then I shall turn away from you."

The man said to Al-Hurr: "By God, I do not know anything about these letters and messengers that you mention." Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) then said to one of his companions, "O Uqbah bin Siman, bring out the two bags in which their letters to me are kept." So, he brought out two bags filled with papers, which were scattered before him. Al-Hurr said, "We are not among those who wrote to you, and we have been ordered that when we meet you, we should not leave you until we take you to Kufa to 'Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad."

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "Death is closer to you than that." Then he said to his companions: "Stand up and mount." They mounted, and he waited until the women had also mounted. He then said to his companions: "Withdraw." But as they were about to withdraw, the opposing forces stopped them, preventing their departure.

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) then said to al-Hurr: "May your mother be bereaved of you; what do you want?" Al-Hurr replied: "Were it not for the situation you find yourself in, I would not have mentioned your mother in this manner, no matter who you were among the Arabs. However, by Allah, I have no means to speak of your mother except in the best way possible."

Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) said to him: "What do you want?" He replied: "I want to take you to the governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad." Imam Hussain said: "By God, I will not follow you." He replied: "By God, I will not leave you." They exchanged words three times. When the conversation extended, Al-Hurr said to him: "I have not been ordered to fight you. I was ordered not to part with you until I take you to Kufa. So if you refuse, take a path that neither leads you into Kufa nor returns you to Medina, so that it is midway between us, until I write to the governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad. Perhaps God will grant me relief from being tested with your matter, so take this path."

Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) traveled via Al-Adheeb and Al-Qadisiyah. Al-Hurr, one of his companions, accompanied him and said, “O Hussein, I remind you of Allah in regard to your soul, for I testify that if you fight, you will surely be killed.” To this, Hussein (peace be upon him) replied, “Do you threaten me with death? Could there be any greater disaster than killing me? I will say as the brother of Aws once said, as he sought to support the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): When Ibn Amma threatened him and said, ‘Where are you going, for you are going to be killed?’ he replied:

He said: Then Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) turned to his companions and said: "Is there anyone among you who knows the way off the beaten path?" Tarammah replied: "Yes, O son of the Messenger of Allah, I know the way." Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "Lead us on the path ahead of us." So Tarammah led the way, and Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions followed him. Tarammah began to chant and recite:

May God grant him a long life.

Sheikh Al-Mufid, may he rest in peace, said: "When Al-Hurr heard that, he withdrew from him and began to journey."

As his companions were in one area, and Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) in another, they reached the place called 'Adheeb al-Hijaanat. Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) then continued until he arrived at the palace of Bani Maqatil, where he camped. There, he noticed a tent that had been set up. He asked, "Whose tent is this?" He was told, "It belongs to 'Ubaydullah ibn al-Hurr al-Ju'fi." Al-Hussein said, "Invite him to me." When the messenger came to 'Ubaydullah and informed him, he said, "Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return. By God, I left Kufa only because I did not want to be there when Al-Hussein entered, nor do I want to see him or have him see me."

The messenger came to him and relayed the message. Upon hearing this, Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) stood up and went to him, entering and greeting him before sitting down. He then invited him to join his cause. Ubayd Allah ibn al-Hurr repeated his previous words and sought to be excused from the invitation.

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: "If you do not support us, then fear God and do not be among those who fight against us. By God, no one hears our call but does not support us, except that they are destroyed." Ubayd Allah responded: "As for this, it shall never happen, God willing."

Then al-Husayn (peace be upon him) stood up from his place until he entered his tent. At the end of the night, he ordered his young men to fetch water. Then he commanded the departure, and they set out from Qasr Bani Maqatil.

In a narration by Sheikh As-Saduq, may Allah have mercy on him, found in Al-Amali, it is mentioned that he met him in Al-Qatqataniya. May Allah have mercy on him: When Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) stopped at Al-Qatqataniya during his journey to Kufa, he invited Ubaydullah ibn al-Hurr al-Ju'fi to support him. Ubaydullah refused to respond, and he offered his horse to Al-Hussein (peace be upon him). Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) replied: "We have no need for you or your horse, for we do not take misguided people as supporters."

It is narrated that Ubaydullah ibn al-Hurr regretted deeply after the martyrdom of Hussain (peace be upon him) and he was filled with remorse and sorrow for not supporting Hussain (peace be upon him), and he said:

Uqba ibn Sam'an said: We traveled with him for a while, when he (peace be upon him) nodded off a bit while on his horse. Then he awoke, saying, "Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return, and praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds." He did this two or three times. Then, his son Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) approached him and asked, "Why did you praise Allah and recite the verse of return?" He replied, "My son, I nodded off and in my sleep I saw a rider saying, 'The people are moving, but death is approaching them.' So I understood that our souls have been announced to us." His son said, "O father, may Allah not show you anything unpleasant. Are we not on the path of truth?" He replied, "Indeed, by Allah, to whom the servants will return." His son said, "Then we do not mind if we die on the path of truth." To which al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said, "May Allah reward you, my dear son, with the best reward a father can receive from his child."

When morning came, they set out, and he led them in the dawn prayer. Then they hastened to mount their rides, and I began walking quickly with my companions, aiming to separate them until the messenger from Ibn Ziyad would come to me, forcing him and his companions to return. Whenever they were driven back forcefully towards Kufa, they resisted until they moved up. They continued in this manner until they reached Nineveh—the place where Hussein (peace be upon him) had camped. And there came a rider on a camel, fully armed, wearing a disguise, with a bow, coming from Kufa. They all stopped, waiting for him. When he reached them, he greeted Al-Hurr and his companions but did not greet Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions, and handed Al-Hurr a letter from...

Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, may God curse him, said: As for what follows, confine Al-Husayn when this letter reaches you and my messenger arrives to you. Do not let him settle anywhere but in open ground, without greenery and without water. I have instructed my messenger to stay close to you and not leave you until he brings me confirmation of your compliance with my orders. Peace be upon you.

When al-Hurr read the letter, he said to his men: "This is a letter from Prince Ubaydallah, ordering me to make you halt at the place specified in his letter. And here is his messenger who has commanded him not to leave until I carry out his order concerning you." Yazid ibn al-Muhajir al-Kindi, who was with al-Husayn (peace be upon him), looked at the messenger of Ibn Ziyad and recognized him. He said to him: "May your mother be bereft of you. What did you come for?" The messenger replied: "I obeyed my leader and fulfilled my pledge of allegiance." Ibn al-Muhajir said to him: "Rather, you disobeyed your Lord and obeyed your leader at the expense of your soul, earning disgrace and hellfire. What a terrible leader you have. Allah Almighty has said: 'And We made them leaders inviting to the Fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped'" (Quranic reference). "Your leader is one of them."

Al-Hurr insisted on making them camp at a place with neither water nor a village. Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said to him: "Let us, woe unto you, settle in this village or this—referring to Nineveh and Al-Ghadiriyya—or this—referring to Shafiyya." Al-Hurr replied: "No, by Allah, I cannot do that. This man has sent an observer over me." Zuhair ibn al-Qayn said to him: "By Allah, I do not see anything after what you see that is easier than what you see. O son of the Messenger of Allah, I think fighting these people now is easier for us than fighting those who will come after them. By my life, those who will come after them will be something we are not equipped to handle." Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said: "I will not start fighting them." They dismounted on that day, which was Thursday, the second day of Muharram, in the year sixty-one.

Mr. Ibn Tawus, may God have mercy on him, said: Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) stood to deliver a sermon to his companions. He praised God and extolled Him, then said: "Indeed, the situation has unfolded as you see, the world has changed and turned away, its goodness has receded, leaving only the remnants like the dregs of a pot and a worthless life."

Like a deadly pasture, do you not see that truth is not acted upon, and falsehood is not abandoned? Let the believer earnestly yearn to meet their Lord. Truly, truly, for I see death only as happiness, and life with oppressors only as weariness.

Then Zuhair bin Qain stood up and said: "We have heard your words—may God guide you, O son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)—and even if this world were eternal and we were to live forever in it, we would still prefer to rise with you rather than remain in it."

He said: "Hilal bin Nafi' al-Bajali stood up and said: By Allah, we do not dislike meeting our Lord, and we are on our intentions and insights. We ally with those who are loyal to you and oppose those who oppose you."

He said: Qamber bin Khudair stood up and said: "By God, O son of the Messenger of Allah, God has favored us by allowing us to fight by your side, so that our limbs may be cut for you, and then your grandfather will be our intercessor on the Day of Resurrection."

He said: Then Husayn (peace be upon him) rose, mounted his horse, and set out on his journey. Whenever he intended to proceed, they would sometimes prevent him and at other times accompany him, until he reached Karbala. This was on the second day of Muharram.

In the book "Al-Manaqib," Zohair said to Hussain: "Let us proceed until we reach Karbala, for it is by the bank of the Euphrates. We shall be there, and if they fight us, we shall fight them and seek God's assistance against them." At this, tears filled the eyes of Hussain (peace be upon him), and he said, "O Allah, I seek refuge in You from distress and tribulation." Subsequently, Hussain (peace be upon him) settled at that place, and the army of Ibn Ziyad positioned itself opposite him with a thousand horsemen. Hussain (peace be upon him) asked for ink and paper, and he wrote to the leaders of Kufa whom he believed to be supportive of his cause: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Hussain, son of Ali, to Sulayman ibn Surad, Al-Musayyab ibn Najba, Rifa'a ibn Shaddad, Abdullah ibn Wa'al, and the group of believers."

As for what follows, you are aware that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said during his lifetime: Whoever sees a tyrannical ruler, violating the sacred laws of Allah, breaking the covenant of Allah, opposing the tradition of the Messenger of Allah, and acting unjustly towards the servants of Allah...

Through deceit and aggression, they did not change in word or deed. It was surely incumbent upon Allah to admit them into His domain. And you know that these people adhered to the obedience of Satan, turned away from the obedience of the Merciful, spread corruption, neglected the divine ordinances, monopolized the spoils, made what Allah prohibited permissible, and prohibited what Allah made permissible. I am more deserving of this leadership due to my close relationship with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). Your letters have come to me, and your messengers have confirmed your pledge of allegiance to me, stating that you will not betray or abandon me.

If you uphold your pledge to me, then you have achieved your fortune and guidance. My life is with yours, and my family and my children are with your families and your children. Thus, I will be an example for you. But if you do not uphold it and break your pledges and remove your allegiance, then, by my life, this is not surprising from you, for you did the same to my father, my brother, and my cousin. The deceived is the one who is deluded by you. You have missed your fortune and wasted your share. Whoever breaks his pledge will only harm himself, and Allah will soon make me independent of you.

Peace be upon you.

He sealed the letter and handed it to Qais bin Musahir al-Saydawi, then recounted the event multiple times, and said: When the news of Qais's death reached Hussein (peace be upon him), he was overcome with sadness and cried. Then he said: "O Allah, grant us and our followers a noble position with You, and unite us with them in a place of Your mercy, for indeed, You are capable of all things."

He said: A man from his followers, named Hilal ibn Nafi' al-Bajali, jumped up towards Hussein (peace be upon him) and said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah, you know that your grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), could not convince people to remain sincere to him or return to their cause as he desired. Among them were hypocrites who promised victory but secretly plotted betrayal. They greeted him with words sweeter than honey and then went back on them more bitter than colocynth, until Allah took him unto Himself. Similarly, your father Ali, may Allah have mercy on him, faced such circumstances. There were those determined to support him and they fought with him against the oath breakers, the unjust, and the deviators until his fate approached, and he departed to Allah’s mercy and satisfaction. Today, you are with us facing the same situation. So, whoever breaks his pledge and withdraws his allegiance will only harm himself, and Allah will spare you from him. So go forth with our blessings.”

Healthy and bright when you wish, and when you wish for it to be darkened, for by God, we do not fear God's decree, nor do we despise meeting our Lord. We maintain our intentions and clarity, befriending who befriends You, and opposing who opposes You.

Then Burayr Ibn Khudayr Al-Hamdani approached him and said, "By God, O son of the Messenger of God, God has honored us by allowing us to fight by your side, where our limbs may be cut. Then your grandfather will be our intercessor on the Day of Resurrection before us. Woe to a people who have neglected the son of the daughter of their Prophet! Woe to them for what they will encounter tomorrow, calling out in anguish and despair in the fire of Hell."

He said: So al-Husayn (peace be upon him) gathered his children, brothers, and family members, then looked at them and wept for a while. Then he said: O Allah, we are the family of Your prophet Muhammad, and we have been cast out, expelled, and driven away from our sacred sanctuary. The sons of Umayyad have transgressed against us. O Allah, grant us our rights and help us against the unjust people.

He arrived at his location until he reached Karbala on Wednesday or Thursday, on the second of Muharram in the year sixty-one.

Then he turned to his companions and said: "People are slaves to the world, and religion is merely a phrase on their tongues; they uphold it as long as life is comfortable. Yet, when they are tested by adversity, true adherents become few." He then asked, "Is this Karbala?" They replied, "Yes, O son of the Messenger of God." He said, "This is the place of distress and tribulation; here is where our camel will kneel, where our misfortune will befall us, where our men will be slain, and our blood will be spilled."

He said: "The people descended, and Al-Hurr [Ibn Yazid Al-Riyahi] approached until he alighted near Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) with a thousand horsemen, then wrote to Ibn Ziyad informing him of Al-Hussein's arrival in Karbala."

In another narration: Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "What is the name of this place?" They replied: "Karbala." He said: "A place of distress and calamity. My father passed by this place on his way to Siffin while I was with him. He stopped and inquired about the location; he was informed of its name, and he said: 'Here is where their mounts will halt, and here their blood will be shed.'"

Their blood was shed, and when asked about that, he said: "It is a burden for the family of Muhammad, they lay it down here."

He took a handful of the soil, smelled it, and said: "By God, this is the land which Gabriel informed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) where I will be martyred. Umm Salama told me yesterday."

In a narration by Abu Mikhnaf in his account of the martyrdom, with his chain of narration from Al-Kalbi, he said: They all proceeded until they reached the land of Karbala, and it was on a Wednesday. The horse of Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) stopped beneath him, and he dismounted and mounted another horse, but it did not move even a single step forward. He continued to mount one horse after another until he had ridden seven horses, all in the same situation. When the imam observed this strange occurrence, he (peace be upon him) asked: What is the name of this land? They replied: It is the land of Al-Ghadiriyya. He asked: Does it have another name? They replied: It is called Ninawa. He asked: Does it have another name? They replied: It is called the bank of the Euphrates. He asked: Does it have another name? They replied: It is called Karbala.

He took a deep breath and said: "A land of grief and tribulation." Then he added: "Stay and do not leave, for here is where our caravan will rest, by God, here is where our blood will be shed, our sanctities violated, our men killed, and our children slaughtered. Here, indeed, will lie our graves. This is the soil my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), promised me, and his word is never false."

By Allah, the honorable Sheikh Ali Al-Jeshi, may he rest in peace, says:

And the late Sheikh Al-Furtousi eloquently said:

Council Three, from the fifth day passing of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) in Karbala and his weeping over Hussein (peace be upon him)

It is mentioned in some of the visits (Ziyarahs) of the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them): "O my masters, if you could observe the Prophet, with the arrows of the nation piercing your livers, their spears pointed at your throats, and their swords drenched in your blood, the illegitimate children quenching the thirst of vice with your piety, and their spite..."

Disbelief emerges from your faith, while you find yourselves amidst one fallen in the prayer niche, struck by a sword that split his head open; a martyr placed upon a bier, his shroud pierced by arrows; a slain soul in the wilderness, his head raised aloft on a spear; one shackled in prison, his limbs crushed by iron, and another poisoned, his intestines severed by the venom. Truly, to God we belong and to Him we shall return. There is no power or strength except with God, the Most High, the Almighty. As Sheikh Abd al-Hussein al-Hayawi rightfully says:

Sheikh al-Saduq, may he rest in peace, narrated from Ibn Abbas, who said: We were with the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) on his journey to Siffin. When he arrived at Nineveh by the Euphrates, he called out loudly: "O Ibn Abbas, do you recognize this place?" I replied to him: "I do not recognize it, O Commander of the Faithful." He then said (peace be upon him): "If you knew it as I know it, you would not pass by it without weeping as I do."

He said: Then he wept for a long time until his beard was soaked, and tears flowed onto his chest, and we cried together as he said: Oh, oh, what is this with the family of Abu Sufyan? What is this with the family of Harb, the party of Satan and the allies of disbelief? Be patient, O Abu Abdullah, for your father has met with what you are now encountering from them.

Then he called for water, performed ablution as one does for prayer, and prayed as much as Allah willed. After finishing his prayer, he mentioned something similar to his previous words, except that he became drowsy after his prayer and his speech for a while. Then he awoke and said, "O Ibn Abbas," to which I replied, "Here I am." He said, "Shall I tell you what I saw in my dream just now during my sleep?" I said, "May your eyes be blessed with rest and may you have seen good, O Commander of the Faithful."

He said: "I saw in a dream that men descended from the sky, carrying white flags, and they wore them proudly."

Their swords were gleaming white, and they had drawn a plan around this land. Then it seemed to me as if these palm trees were striking the ground with their branches, agitated with white tears. As if I could see Hussein, my offspring and treasure, drowning there, calling for help but not being assisted. It was as if the bright men had descended from the sky, calling out to him and saying: "Be patient, O family of the Messenger, for you shall be killed by the worst of people, and Paradise, O Aba Abdullah, is eagerly awaiting you." Then they comfort me, saying: "O Aba al-Hassan, rejoice, for God has gladdened your eyes on the Day when people shall stand before the Lord of the Worlds."

Then I became aware, and by Him in whose hand my soul lies, the trustworthy and truthful Abul Qasim (peace be upon him and his family) has told me that I will see her during my journey against those who rebel against us. This is the land of Karbala, where Hussain (peace be upon him) and seventeen men from our descendants and the descendants of Fatima (peace be upon her) will be buried. It is recognized in the heavens, remembered as Karbala, just as the sanctity of the two holy mosques and the precincts of the Holy House are remembered.

Then he said to me: "Oh Ibn Abbas, look for the dung of the gazelles around it, for by Allah, I have not lied nor was I lied to, and it is yellow, the color of saffron." Ibn Abbas said: "So I searched for it and found it gathered, and I called to him: 'O Commander of the Faithful, I have found it as you described to me.' Then Ali (peace be upon him) said: 'Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) have spoken the truth.'"

Then he (peace be upon him) hurried to her, carried her, and smelled her, saying: "It's her, it's her indeed. Do you know, O Ibn Abbas, what these tears are? They were smelled by Jesus son of Mary, as he passed by here with the disciples. He saw gazelles gathered here, weeping, so Jesus sat down and the disciples sat with him; he wept and the disciples wept too, though they did not know for what or why he was weeping. They asked: 'O Spirit of God and His Word, what makes you weep?' He replied: 'Do you know what land this is?' They said: 'No.' He said: 'This is the land where the offspring of the Messenger Ahmad (peace be upon him and his family), the offspring of the pure chaste Batul, resembling my mother, will be slain and buried. The soil here is more fragrant than musk, for it is the soil of the martyred offspring.'"

Thus is the nature of prophets and the children of prophets. These gazelles spoke to me, saying that they graze in this land out of longing for the soil of the blessed nest, and they claimed to be safe in this land. Then he extended his hand to this dung, smelled it, and said: This is gazelle dung from this sweet place because of its grass. O Allah, preserve it forever so that his father may smell it and find solace and comfort.

He said: "I remained alive until this day among the people, and it had turned yellow due to the passage of time. This is a land of anguish and affliction." Then he raised his voice and said: "O Lord of Jesus, son of Mary! Do not bless his killers, nor those who assist against him, nor those who forsake him."

Then he wept for a long time, and we wept with him until he fell on his face and fainted for a long time. Then he recovered, took some sand and wrapped it in his cloak, and instructed me to wrap it likewise. Then he said, "O Ibn Abbas, if you see it exuding fresh blood and tears flowing from it, know that Abu Abdullah has been killed and buried."

Ibn Abbas said: By God, I used to memorize it more keenly than some of what God Almighty had enjoined upon me, and I would not allow it to leave my mouth. While I was sleeping in the house, I woke to find it flowing fresh blood, and my sleeve was filled with fresh blood. I sat crying and said: By God, they have killed Al-Hussein, and by God, Ali never lied to me in any narration he told me, nor did he ever inform me of anything that would happen except that it happened as he said. This is because the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) used to inform him of things he did not tell anyone else. I was alarmed and went out at dawn, and by God, I saw the city as if it were foggy, with no trace of sight visible. Then the sun rose, and it appeared as if it was eclipsed, and it seemed like the city walls were stained with fresh blood. I sat crying and said: By God, Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) has been killed, and I heard a voice from the direction of the house saying:

Then he cried out loudly, and I cried too. I recorded that moment with me, and it was the month of Muharram, the tenth day of Ashura. Ten days had passed, and I found that he was killed on the same day as the news and its date reached us. I narrated this story to those who were with him, and they said: "By God, we heard what you heard while we were in the battle, and we did not know what it was. We thought it was Al-Khidr (peace be upon him)."

And Anjardaa bint Samain, regarding her husband Harthama ibn Abi Muslim, said: We fought alongside Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) in Siffin. When we returned, he stopped at Karbala, performed the dawn prayer there, then picked up some of its soil and smelled it. He said: "Oh, what a feeling for you, O soil. From you shall emerge people who will enter Paradise without reckoning."

He returned to his wife, who was a follower of Ali (peace be upon him), and said: "Shall I tell you about your guardian Abu al-Hasan? He descended to Karbala and prayed, then lifted a handful of its soil and said: 'Ah, you, O soil, surely there will arise from you people who will enter Paradise without being held accountable.'" The man said: "Indeed, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) spoke nothing but the truth."

When Hussain (peace be upon him) arrived, Harthama said, "I was among the troops sent by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad—may God curse them—when I saw the place and the trees, I remembered the narration. I sat on my camel, then went to Hussain (peace be upon him), greeted him, and informed him of what I heard from his father about the place that Hussain camped. He asked, 'Are you with us or against us?' I replied, 'Neither with you nor against you. I have left children behind, fearing for them from Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad.'

He said, 'Go to a place where you will neither witness our deaths nor hear our calls. By the One in whose hand is Hussain's soul, no one who hears our cries today and fails to assist us will avoid being thrown on their face into the depths of Hell.'

It was narrated from Al-Qaddah, from Ja'far bin Muhammad, from his father (peace be upon them both), that he said: Ali passed through Karbala...

Two of his companions, he said: When he passed by there, his eyes welled up with tears, and he said: "This is where their camels rested, and this is where their baggage was laid down, and here their footprints have been erased. Blessed is the ground upon which the footsteps of loved ones have tread."

And to the poet Al-Hadrab bin Al-Arandas, may mercy be upon him, who says: