المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

In the fourth session of the fifth day, regarding the grave of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and the land of Karbala:

Narrated by Amr ibn Thabit, from his father, from Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him), who said: Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, created the land of Karbala twenty-four thousand years before He created the Kaaba. He sanctified and blessed it, and so it has remained sanctified and blessed even before Allah created creation. It will continue to be so until Allah makes it the best land in Paradise and the best dwelling and residence in which He will settle His saints in Paradise.

Abu Al-Jarood narrated that Ali ibn Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "God has designated the land of Karbala as a sacred, safe, and blessed sanctuary, twenty-four thousand years before He created the land of the Kaaba and made it a sanctuary. When God Almighty shakes the earth and sends it forth, the soil of Karbala will be lifted as a luminous, pure substance and will be placed in the best meadow of Paradise, the finest dwelling in Heaven, inhabited only by the prophets and messengers, or the resolute among the messengers. Its brilliance will shine among the meadows of Paradise as a radiant star shines among the stars for the inhabitants of the earth. Its light will cast over the eyes of all the residents of Paradise, and it will declare: 'I am God's sacred, pure, and blessed land, encompassing the Master of Martyrs and the Master of the Youth of Paradise.'"

He said: It is narrated that Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) said: Al-Ghadiriyah is the land where Allah spoke to Moses son of Amran, and where He communicated with Noah. It is the most honored land in the sight of Allah. If not for this...

I entrust God with His friends and the children of His Prophet, so visit our graves in Ghaderiyeh.

From Hammad ibn Ayyub, from Abu Abdullah, from his father, from his forefathers, from the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon them all) who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said: "My son will be buried in a land called Karbala. It is the piece of land where there once was the dome of Islam, and where God saved the believers who were with Noah from the flood."

He said, narrated by Ibn Yahya from his father, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) who said: Visit Karbala and do not abandon it, for the best of the children of the prophets is buried there. And indeed, the angels have visited Karbala a thousand years before my grandfather Hussain (peace be upon him) resided in it. There is not a night that passes without Gabriel and Michael visiting it, so strive, O Yahya, not to be absent from that site.

Ishaq bin Ammar said: I heard Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) say: "Indeed, the site of the grave of Al-Husayn bin Ali (peace be upon them) has a known sanctity. Whoever knows it and seeks refuge through it is granted refuge." I said, "Describe its location for me, may I be your sacrifice." He said, "Measure from the location of his grave today, measure twenty-five cubits from the region of his feet, and twenty-five cubits from behind him, and twenty-five cubits from where his face is, and twenty-five cubits from the region of his head. The site of his grave from the day it was buried is a meadow from the meadows of Paradise, and with each day the deeds of its visitors ascend to heaven. There isn’t a kingdom nor a prophet in the heavens who doesn’t ask Allah to permit them to visit the grave of Al-Husayn (peace be upon him), so a group descends and a group ascends." In another narration, he (peace be upon him) said: "The location of Al-Husayn’s grave is a pathway from the pathways of Paradise."

Regarding Mansour bin Al-Abbas, raised to Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), he said: "The sanctity of a grave..."

Al-Hussain (peace be upon him) is five parasangs away from the four sides of the grave.

Narrated by Abu Hashim al-Ja'fari: I visited Abu al-Hasan Ali bin Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he was feverish on a summer night. He said to me, "O Abu Hashim, send a man from our followers to the shrine to pray to God for me." So I left him and met Ali bin Bilal, informing him of what he had said to me and asking him who should be the person to go. He said, "I hear and obey, but I say that he is better than the shrine if he is equal to those at the shrine, and his prayer for himself is better than someone else's prayer for him at the shrine."

I informed Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) of what he said, and he told me, "Tell him: The Messenger of God (may Allah bless him and his family) was better than the House and the Black Stone, yet he used to circumambulate the House and touch the Stone. Indeed, Allah Almighty has certain places where He loves to be invoked, and He responds to those who call upon Him. The shrine is one of these places."

In a narration it is said (peace be upon him): "Why didn’t you tell him that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to circumambulate the Kaaba and kiss the Black Stone, and that the sanctity of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the believer is greater than the sanctity of the House? Allah commanded him to stand at Arafat. These are places where Allah loves to be remembered, so I love to be invoked where Allah loves to be invoked." And the sanctuary is one of those places.

In a narration by Abu Hashim Al-Ja'fari, he said: I entered with Muhammad bin Hamzah to visit him while he was ill. He told us, “Send some people to Al-Hayr with money from me.” When we left his presence, Muhammad bin Hamzah said to me, “Isn't it enough for us to be dispatched to Al-Hayr while he is as in the place of Al-Hayr?” I returned to him and informed him, and he said to me: “It is not like that. Indeed, God has places where He loves to be worshipped, and the sanctuary of Hussain (peace be upon him) is among those places.”

It is narrated from Imam Al-Ridha, from his forefathers (peace be upon them) that Ali ibn Al-Hussain (peace be upon them) said:

It is as if I see palaces erected around the tomb of Hussein (peace be upon him), and as if markets are established near his grave. Days and nights will not pass until people journey to him from all regions, and this will happen when the rule of the Banu Umayyad comes to an end.

And for the late Islamic scholar Sheikh Faraj Al-Omran, may he rest in peace, who said:

And from Hisham bin Salim, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) in a lengthy narration, he said: I asked him: What is the reward for someone who stays near him, meaning Al-Hussein (peace be upon him)? He said: Each day is equivalent to a thousand months. I asked: And what about the one who spends in going to him and the one who spends while staying with him? He said: One dirham is equivalent to a thousand dirhams.

Qudamah bin Zaidah narrated from his father, from Ali ibn Al-Hussein (peace be upon him), from Zainab bint Ali (peace be upon her), from Umm Ayman, who related a lengthy hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) saying: Gabriel came and pointed to Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and said, "This grandson of yours will be killed by a group from your progeny and family, and the best of your community, by the banks of the Euphrates, in a land called Karbala. Because of it, anguish and trial will increase for your enemies and the enemies of your progeny on a day whose anguish will never cease and whose sorrow will never vanish. It is the purest of land and the most sacred, and it is from the plains of Paradise."

Muhammad bin Sinan narrated from someone who relayed from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) that he said: "The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) went out traveling with the people, and when he was about a mile or two from Karbala, he went ahead of them. When he reached the place of the martyrs, he said: 'Two hundred prophets and two hundred...'".

A will, and as soon as he captured, with their followers as martyrs. He rode around on his mule, his legs hanging out of the stirrup, reciting: "A place of rest for heroes and the graves of martyrs. None before them has surpassed them, nor will anyone after them be their equal."

Abdullah ibn Sinan said: I heard Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) say: "The grave of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) is twenty by twenty cubits, a garden from the gardens of Paradise, with a ladder to the heavens. There is no angel brought near nor messenger sent except that he asks God to visit him, and groups descend therein and groups ascend."

Abu Al-Jarud reported: Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) said to me: "How far is it between you and the grave of Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him)?" I said, "A day and some distance." He replied, "If it were for us similar to what you have, we would have taken it as a place of migration."

Indeed, well spoken is the poet who said:

Among the narrations about the virtue of visiting the grave of Hussein (peace be upon him) is what is reported from Imam Al-Ridha, from his father (peace be upon them), who said: Imam Al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) was asked about visiting the grave of Hussein (peace be upon him). He replied: My father (peace be upon him) informed me that whoever visits the grave of Hussein (peace be upon him) with full recognition of his rights, Allah will write his name in Illiyun (the highest ranks in heaven). Then he said: Around the grave of Hussein (peace be upon him) are seventy thousand angels, disheveled and dusty, weeping for him until the Day of Judgment.

Ibn Qulawayh, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated from Husayn ibn Thuwair ibn Abi Fakhita that Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said: "O Husayn, whoever sets out from his house intending to visit the grave of Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him), if he goes on foot, a good deed is recorded for him with every step, and a sin is erased from him, until he reaches..."

May Allah write him among the successful and the triumphant. Once he completes his rites, may Allah write him among the winners. When he intends to depart, an angel comes to him and says: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) sends you greetings of peace and tells you: Resume your work, for what has passed has been forgiven."

It is narrated from Abdullah ibn al-Tumhan, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) who said: I heard him saying, "There is no one on the Day of Judgment who will not wish to have been a visitor of Hussain ibn Ali (peace be upon him) due to what they will see of the honor that those who visited Hussain will receive from God."

From Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Basri, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said to me: "Indeed, you have near you a virtue that no one else has been granted the like of, and I do not believe you appreciate it as it should be appreciated, nor do you preserve it or uphold its value. It has special people assigned to it who have been named for it, and they have been given it without any power or strength of their own, except by what Allah has provided for them through His making, and by His blessing and mercy and advancement."

I said: "May I be your ransom. What is this that you described and did not name?" He replied: "The visitation of my grandfather, Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), for he is a stranger in a strange land. Whoever visits him weeps for him, and those who do not visit him grieve for him, and those who do not witness him burn for him. Mercy is upon those who look upon his grave beside his son, at his feet, in a deserted land. There is no close friend near him, nor any kin. Then the truth became distant, and the people of apostasy united against him until they killed him, neglected him, exposed him to the beasts, and prevented him from drinking the water of the Euphrates, which even the dogs drink. They neglected the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and his testament regarding him and his household. So he was left forsaken in his grave, slain among his relatives and followers, beneath the layers of sand, isolated from his grandfather, in a place approached only by those whose hearts Allah has tested with faith and who have been made aware of our rights."

I said to him: "May I be your ransom. I used to visit him until I became afflicted by the authorities and the preservation of their wealth, and I am well-known to them. So, out of precaution, I stopped visiting him, although I am aware of the goodness in visiting them." He said: "Did...?"

Did you know what is better than having what those whom God has granted abundant blessings have? I replied: No. He said: As for the virtue, it is boasted about by the angels of heaven, and as for what they have with us, it is commended with compassion every morning and evening. My father told me that they never had a dream from the time they were killed where anyone prayed for them from among the angels, or from the jinn, or from humans, or from beasts, and there is nothing but that it wishes to visit them, touch them, and hope for goodness by gazing at their grave.

Then he said: "I have heard that some people come from the regions around Kufa and others from different places, and women lamenting, and this takes place in the middle of Sha'ban. Among them are those who recite, storytellers, mourners, and those who recite elegies." I said to him, "Yes, may I be your ransom, I have witnessed some of what you describe." He replied: "Praise be to Allah, who has made among the people those who come to us, praise us, and mourn for us, and made our enemies, both from our kin and others, who criticize them, ridicule what they do, and disparage them."

In "Al-Amali," Muhammad ibn Muslim reported: I heard Abu Ja'far and Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them) saying: Allah, the Exalted, compensated Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) for his martyrdom by granting the Imamate to his descendants, healing through his soil, acceptance of prayers at his grave, and the days of his visitors are not counted whether going or returning. Muhammad ibn Muslim said: I asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him): These are the privileges granted to Husayn (peace be upon him), but what did he receive for himself? He replied: Allah, the Exalted, placed him alongside the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) at his rank and position. Then Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) recited the verse: "And those who believe and whose offspring follow them in faith, We will join them to their offspring" (Quran 52:21).

And to the great Abn al-Arandis, may mercy be upon him, who said:

And another said, may Allah have mercy on him:

The Fifth Council, on the Fifth Day: The Generosity of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and His Noble Morals and the Virtue of Visiting Him

It is mentioned in Ziyarat al-Nahiyah, narrated from the awaited savior, may Allah hasten his reappearance: "Even if the ages have delayed my journey and circumstances have prevented me from aiding you, and I was not among those who fought you in battle, nor was I among those who showed enmity towards you, I shall surely mourn for you morning and night, and I shall weep tears of blood for you. Out of sorrow for you, regretting what has befallen you, and yearning, until I die from grief."

The affliction and agony of depression...

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To the deceased Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Ya'qoubi, may mercy be upon him, as he speaks in the invocation for the emergence of Imam Al-Mahdi (peace be upon him):

It is mentioned in the book "Salāmah al-Majālīs" that Al-Farazdaq came to Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) when Marwan expelled him from Medina, and Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) gave him four hundred dinars. It is also narrated that a Bedouin came to Medina and asked about the most generous people there, and he was directed to Al-Husayn (peace be upon him). He entered the mosque and found him praying, so he stood beside him and began to recite:

He said: Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) greeted and said, "O Qanbar, is there anything left from the wealth of Hijaz?" Qanbar replied, "Yes, four thousand dinars." Hussein said, "Bring them here. There is someone who deserves them more than we do." Then he removed his bracelet, wrapped the dinars in it, extended his hand halfway through the door out of shyness from the Bedouin, and began to recite:

He said: The Bedouin took it and cried, saying: "Perhaps you thought little of what we gave you." The Bedouin replied, "No, but how could generosity like yours be buried in the ground?"

I say: What would the Arab know about what happened to Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) in the plains of Karbala? And how would he react if he saw him lying lifeless without a head, his body mutilated by swords, face smeared with dust, stripped of his garments? Truly, one of the poets spoke rightly when he said:

Shu'ayb ibn Abdulrahman al-Khuza'i said: On the day of al-Taff, marks were found on the back of al-Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon him). When they asked Zain al-Abidin (peace be upon him) about them, he replied: "These are from carrying sacks on his back to the homes of widows, orphans, and the needy."

It is said that when Abdul Rahman Al-Sulami taught Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) the chapter Al-Fatiha, and when he recited it to his father, his father gave him a thousand dinars, a thousand robes, and filled his mouth with pearls. When asked about this generosity, he said: "And where does this fall from his generosity, meaning [in comparison to] his teaching?" Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) then recited a poem:

One day, as Imam Ali (peace be upon him) passed by some impoverished people who were eating pieces of bread spread on a cloth, he greeted them. They invited him to join their meal, so he sat with them and said, "If it were not charity, I would have eaten with you." Then he said, "Come to my house." He fed them, clothed them, and gave them money.

It is narrated from Al-Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon them) that he said: "The saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) has been confirmed for me: The best deeds after prayer are bringing joy to the heart of a believer, as long as it involves no sin. For I saw a young boy eating with a dog, and I asked him about it. He said: 'O son of the Messenger of Allah, I am distressed and seek joy through his joy, because my master is a Jew, and I wish to part with him.' Al-Husayn then went to his master with two hundred dinars as a price for him. The Jew said: 'The boy is a ransom for injury caused to you, and this garden is his, and I have returned the money to you.' Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said: 'And I have donated the money.' The Jew replied: 'I have accepted the money and gifted it to the boy.' Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said: 'I have freed the boy and given everything to him entirely.' The Jew's wife then said: 'I have converted to Islam and gifted my dowry to my husband.' The Jew said: 'I have also converted to Islam and given her this house.'"

Anas said: I was with Husayn (peace be upon him) when a servant girl entered and greeted him with a bunch of basil. He said to her, "You are free for the sake of God." I asked, "A bunch of basil of no significant value comes to you, and you set her free?" He replied, "This is how God has taught us." God says: "When you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it or return it [in kind]." And the act better than that was to set her free.

Amr bin Dinar narrated: Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) visited Osama bin Zaid while he was ill, and he was saying: "Oh, my distress." Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: "What distresses you, my brother?" He replied: "My debt."

Its value is one thousand dirhams, so Hussein said: "I will cover it." The man said: "I fear that I might die." Hussein (peace be upon him) replied: "You will not die until I have paid it off for you." And he indeed settled it before the man's death.

A boy committed an offense that required punishment, so he was ordered to be beaten. He said, "My lord, 'Those who restrain anger.'" The master replied, "Release him." The boy then said, "My lord, 'And who pardon others.'" The master said, "I have pardoned you." The boy continued, "My lord, 'And God loves the doers of good.'" The master responded, "You are free for the sake of God, and you shall receive twice what I used to give you."

In the narrations of Khwarazmi in his book about the martyrdom of the family of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), it is recounted that a Bedouin came to Al-Hussein bin Ali (peace be upon them) and said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah, I have guaranteed a full compensation and am unable to fulfill it. I thought to myself: I will ask the most generous of people. I have not seen anyone more generous than the family of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family)." Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) replied: "O brother of the Arabs, I will ask you three questions. If you answer one, I will give you a third of the wealth; if you answer two, I will give you two-thirds of the wealth; and if you answer all, I will give you all of it."

The Bedouin said: "O son of the Messenger of Allah, will someone like you question someone like me, and you are from the family of knowledge and honor?" Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "Indeed, I heard my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), say: 'Kindness is measured by knowledge.'" The Bedouin replied: "Ask whatever you wish, for if I answer, well and good, and if not, I can learn from you, and there is no power except with Allah."

Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) asked, "What is the best of deeds?" The Bedouin replied, "Faith in God." Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) then asked, "What leads to salvation from destruction?" The Bedouin replied, "Trust in God." Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) asked, "What adorns a man?" The Bedouin said, "Knowledge accompanied by patience." Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) asked, "What if he lacks that?" The Bedouin replied, "Wealth with dignity." Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) asked, "What if he lacks that?" The Bedouin said, "Poverty with patience." Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) asked, "What if he lacks that?" The Bedouin replied, "A thunderbolt should strike from the sky and burn him, for he is truly deserving of it."

Al-Husayn (peace be upon him) laughed and threw his pouch to him, which contained a thousand dinars, and gave him his ring, which had a gem worth two hundred dirhams. He said: "O Bedouin, give the gold to your creditors and use the ring for your expenses." The Bedouin took it and said, "Allah knows best where to place His message."

Among the narrations regarding the virtue of visiting Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) is what was narrated by Ibn Qulawayh, may Allah have mercy on him, from Muawiya bin Wahb. He said: I sought permission to enter upon Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), and I was told: Enter. I went in and found him in his house praying in his place. I sat until he finished his prayer, and I heard him speaking secretly to his Lord, saying:

"O Allah, the One who has honored us with distinction, promised us intercession, entrusted us with His will, granted us knowledge of past and future matters, and made the hearts of people inclined towards us. Forgive me and my brothers and the visitors of the grave of my father Abu Abdullah Al-Hussain, those who spent their wealth and exposed their bodies out of desire for our connection, hoping for what You have with us, bringing joy to Your Prophet, obeying our command, and causing anger to our enemy. They seek Your pleasure through this, so reward them on our behalf with Your satisfaction. Guard them day and night, compensate their families and children left behind with the best compensation, accompany them, and protect them from the evil of every tyrant and defiant one, every weak and strong creature, and the evil of the devils of humans and jinn. Grant them the best of what they hope from You during their exile from their homelands and what they have prioritized us over their children, families, and relatives."

O Allah, our enemies have mocked them for coming out to support us, yet this did not deter them from setting out to us in opposition to those who oppose us. Have mercy on these faces that the sun has altered, have mercy on these cheeks that turn on the grave of Abu Abdullah al-Hussein (peace be upon him). Have mercy on these eyes that shed tears out of compassion for us, have mercy on the hearts that grieve and burn for us, and have mercy on the cries that were uttered for us. O Allah, I entrust to You those bodies and those...

The souls, until they meet them.

To the late Sheikh Muhammad Ali Al-Yaqubi, may he rest in peace, who said:

The first council, on the sixth day, the arrival of the horses and men to Karbala, and Habib's invitation to Banu Asad

It is mentioned in the Book of Mazar by Mashhadi, may he be blessed, in some of the visitations: O my lords, O family of the Messenger of God, I draw near to God Almighty through you, opposing those who betrayed you, broke their pledge to you, denied your guidance, rejected your stature, and abandoned your allegiance. They forsook the bonds of your devotion and turned to their tyrants with disavowal from you, avoiding you, and preventing you from establishing justice, eradicating disbelief, mending schisms, uniting the fragmented, repairing shortcomings, straightening the deviant paths, enforcing punishments, purifying Islam, quashing sins. They stirred up storms of wars and seditions against you, directed the swords of malice at you, tore down your sanctity, traded you for wine and merchandise, and diverted the alms of the destitute to...

The jesters and satirists

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May God have mercy on the late Mr. Muhammad Hussein Al-Qazwini, as he calls for the awakening of Imam Al-Mahdi, may God hasten his reappearance.

The narrator said: Ibn Ziyad, may Allah curse him, wrote to Husayn, peace be upon him: "After invoking the name of Allah, O Husayn, it has come to my attention that you have settled in Karbala. The Commander of the Faithful, Yazid, has instructed me not to rest on a comfortable bed nor to be satisfied with fine bread until I send you to meet the Compassionate and All-Knowing Creator, or until you submit to my rule and the rule of Yazid ibn Muawiya. And peace be upon you."

When the letter reached Husayn (peace be upon him) and he read it, he threw it aside and said: "They have perished those who sought the satisfaction of the creature with the displeasure of the Creator." The messenger asked him: "What is the reply to the letter, Abu..."