المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

By God, is there anyone among you who has a brother like my brother Ja'far, adorned with wings in paradise, flying therein wherever he wishes, besides me? They said: By God, no. He said: I ask you, is there anyone among you who has an uncle like my uncle Hamza, the Lion of God and His Messenger, and the Master of Martyrs, besides me? They said: By God, no.

Abdulrahman bin Bakeer narrated from Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) who said: On the leg of the Throne, it is written: Hamza is the Lion of Allah and the Lion of His Messenger and the Master of Martyrs.

And Salman narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to Fatima (peace be upon her): Our martyr is the Master of Martyrs, and he is Hamza bin Abdul-Muttalib, who is your father's uncle. She asked: O Messenger of Allah! Is he the master of the martyrs who were killed with you? He replied: No, rather he is the Master of the Martyrs among the first and the last, except for the prophets and the guardians, and Ja'far bin Abi Talib, the one with two wings who flies in paradise with the angels.

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: On the Day of Judgment, a large number of people will be seen beside the path (Sirat), whose number only Allah knows. They are those who loved Hamza, and many of them are people of sins and transgressions. A barrier will be placed between them and crossing the Sirat to enter Paradise. They will call out: "Oh Hamza! You see our predicament."

Hamza will then speak to the Messenger of Allah and to Ali ibn Abi Talib, saying, "You see that my friends are calling for my help." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) will say to Ali, the Friend of Allah, "O Ali! Help your uncle assist his friends and save them from the Fire." Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) will then approach the spear that Hamza used to fight the enemies of Allah in this world and will hand it to him, saying: "O Uncle of the Messenger of Allah, and O Uncle of the Best of Messengers (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), fend off the Hellfire from your friends with your spear, just as you used to fend off the enemies of Allah from His friends in the world."

Hamza takes the spear in his hand, placing its edge against the barriers of fire that stand between his friends and crossing over to Paradise on the Sirat. He pushes it with a force that drives it away by a distance of five hundred years, then he says to his allies and loved ones who were loyal to him in the world: "Cross over," and they cross the Sirat peacefully and safely, having been shielded from the fires, and the terrors have been distanced from them. Thus, they enter Paradise victorious and successful.

Ishmael ibn Jabr, from Zurara, reported that Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) buried his uncle Hamza in his clothes soaked with the blood in which he was martyred. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) covered him with his cloak, but it was not sufficient to cover his feet, so he (the Messenger) requested some leaves of idhkhir and placed them over him. He then prayed for him seventy times and said "Allahu Akbar" seventy times.

Regarding al-Sadiq, from his father, from his grandfather (peace be upon them), it is mentioned that Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon them) argued with Muawiyah by saying: Among those who responded to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) were his uncle Hamza and his cousin Ja'far. They were martyred — may Allah be pleased with them — in battles that involved many of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Allah, the Exalted, made Hamza the leader of the martyrs among them and granted Ja'far two wings with which he flies with the angels as he wishes, distinguishing them from among the others due to their status with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and their proximity to him (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prayed for Hamza seventy times among the martyrs who were martyred with him.

From Habib ibn Abi Thabit, from Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) who said: No protective zeal will enter Paradise except the zeal of Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, and that was when he embraced Islam out of anger for the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in the incident of the intestines being thrown upon the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family).

Ibn Abbas narrated: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said to me, "In a dream, I saw my uncle Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib and my brother Ja'far ibn Abi Talib. In front of them was a plate of sidr fruits, which they ate for a while. Then it turned into ripe dates, and they ate for another while. I approached them and said, 'May my parents be your ransom, which deeds have you found to be the best?' They said, 'May our fathers and mothers be your ransom, we found the best deeds to be sending blessings upon you, providing water, and the love of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).'"

It is narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) passed by the houses of the Ansar, from the tribe of Banu Abd.

Al-Ashhal heard the crying and lamentation for their slain, so his eyes filled with tears, and he wept. Then he said, "But Hamza has no mourner." When Saad ibn Muadh and Usayd ibn Hudayr returned to the houses of Banu Abd al-Ashhal, they instructed their women to go and mourn for the uncle of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) heard their mourning for Hamza, he came out to them while they were at the door of the mosque, weeping. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said to them, "Return, may God have mercy on you, for you have consoled yourselves."

According to one narration, when the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) returned from the Battle of Uhud to Medina, he heard lamentation and crying from every house where someone had been killed, except for the house of his uncle Hamza. He said (peace be upon him and his family), "But Hamza has no mourner." So the people of Medina vowed that they would not mourn for any deceased or weep for them before first mourning and weeping for Hamza, and they continue to do so to this day.

By God, Sheikh Muhammad Saeed Al-Mansouri says:

Ibn al-Jawzi said: When Wahshi, who had killed Hamza, embraced Islam, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said to him: "Keep your face away from me, for I do not want to see the killer of my loved ones." He said this while Islam erases all that came before it. So, how then could his heart (peace be upon him and his family) bear to see the one who slaughtered Hussein (peace be upon him), ordered his killing, and carried his family on the saddles of camels?

It is narrated from Abdullah bin Mas'ud who said: We never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) weep more intensely than he did for Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib when he was killed.

So what would it have been like if he had seen his grandson, Hussain (peace be upon him), cut into pieces, his body pierced by spears? Surely, his sorrow would have been more profound than it was on the day Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib was killed, as the poet said:

Session twenty-three on what befell the Alawites during the days of Al-Mansur, Al-Rashid, and Al-Mutawakkil in terms of killing and persecution.

Asmaa bint Umays, may Allah be pleased with her, protested against this nation that spilled...

Tears burst forth from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):

And another said:

Abu Ata said to Ibn Yassar Al-Sindi:

Yahya ibn Aktham said: Al-Ma'mun summoned Du'bel, may God have mercy on him, and granted him safety for his life. When he was brought before him—and I was sitting in the presence of Al-Ma'mun—Al-Ma'mun said to him, "Recite to me your rhymed poem." Du'bel denied knowing it and claimed ignorance of it. Al-Ma'mun assured him, "You are safe regarding it, just as I have granted you safety for your life." So, Du'bel recited his poem, which includes his lament about the injustice towards the people of the household (peace be upon them).

He said: Al-Ma'mun struck his turban on the ground and said: "You have spoken the truth, by God, O Dabel."

Abu Firas al-Hamdani said:

One day, Al-Mansur said to his courtiers following the killing of Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Al-Hasan (known as Al-Nafs Al-Zakiyya) and his brother Ibrahim: "By God, I have not seen anyone more loyal to the Umayyads than Al-Hajjaj." Then, Al-Musayyab ibn Zuhayr Al-Dabbi stood up and said: "O Commander of the Faithful! There was nothing Al-Hajjaj preceded us in that we did not follow. By God, there is no creature on God's good earth dearer to us than our Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), and you commanded us to kill his descendants, so we obeyed you and did that. Have we not advised you well?" Al-Mansur replied: "Sit down, may you never sit again."

The era of Al-Mansur was filled with injustice, characterized by terror and tyranny. At that time, no one dared to associate with anyone from the Alawites. Doing so would expose oneself to the risk of imprisonment, if not death, as simply associating with them was a sufficient reason for punishment under Al-Mansur’s oppressive rule. When Ibrahim ibn Haritha, a contemporary of Al-Mansur, entered the city, an Alawite man approached him and greeted him. Ibrahim responded, "Stay away from me, do not jeopardize my life."

In the book of Al-Ma'mun Al-Abbasi, which he sent to the Abbasids, after mentioning the good governance of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him), with the descendants of Al-Abbas, he said: "Until God decreed the matter to us, and we intimidated them, oppressed them, and killed them more than the Umayyads killed them. Woe to you, the Umayyad family killed those who drew their swords, whereas we, the Abbasids, killed them en masse..."

Al-Jaloudi, who was ordered by Al-Rashid to raid the houses of the family of Abu Talib when Al-Ma'mun appointed Al-Rida, peace be upon him, as his successor, said: "I seek refuge with God, O Commander of the Faithful, from you handing over this matter which God has given to you and distinguished you with, into the hands of your enemies, those whose forefathers were killed and dispersed throughout the lands by your ancestors."

Al-Rashid ordered his governor in Medina to ensure that the Alawites guarantee each other.

The revered Sheikh Al-Saduq, may he rest in peace, narrated: Abu Mansur Al-Matarrazi mentioned that he heard Al-Hakim Abu Ahmad Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Ishaq Al-Anmāti Al-Nisaburi say, with an unbroken chain of narration, that when Al-Mansur built the structures in Baghdad, he sought out the Alawites intensely. Anyone captured from them would be placed inside hollow columns made of plaster and bricks. One day, he captured a handsome-faced boy from them with black hair, who was a descendant of Al-Hasan bin Ali bin Abi Talib (peace be upon him). He handed the boy over to the builder who was constructing the buildings and instructed him to place the boy inside the core of a column and build over him. He appointed one of his trusted men to oversee this, ensuring that the boy was put inside the column in his presence.

The builder did place the boy inside the column, but he felt compassion and mercy for him. Consequently, he left a small opening in the column through which air could pass and told the boy, "Fear not; be patient, for I will retrieve you from inside this column when night falls."

When night fell, the builder came in its darkness and brought that high-born individual out from the cylinder's hollow. He said to him, "Fear God regarding my blood and the blood of the workers with me. Disappear with yourself, for I have brought you out in the darkness of this night from the hollow of this cylinder because I feared if I left you within it, your grandfather, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), would be my opponent before God Almighty on the Day of Resurrection."

Then he tied his hair with the tools of the plasterers as best as he could and said to him, "Vanish with yourself, and do not return to your mother." The boy said, "If this is the case, inform my mother that I have survived and escaped, so her heart may be at ease, and her anxiety and crying may lessen if I have no way of returning to her."

The boy fled, and it is unknown where he went in God’s vast land or to what city he landed. The builder recounted that the boy had informed him of his mother's location and had given him a lock of his hair as a token. I made my way to the place the boy had mentioned, whereupon I heard a sound, like the hum of bees, coming from the crying. I knew it was his mother. I approached her, informed her of her son's news, gave her his lock of hair, and then departed.

It is narrated about the events that befell the Alawites from the family of Al-Hassan (peace be upon him) during the time of Al-Mansur that they were captured and shackled in chains. They were then transported in open carriers with no padding, and were made to stand in the prayer area so that people would insult them. However, the people refrained from doing so and felt pity for them due to the state they were in. They were then taken to be stopped at the gate of the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), which is known as Gabriel's Gate. Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) saw them from there, with their clothing laid on the ground, and then he looked out from the mosque door and said three times, "May Allah curse you, O people of Ansar, for you did not swear allegiance to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) on this." Then he got up, took one of his shoes and put it on his foot, while the other was in his hand, and most of his cloak was dragging on the ground. He then entered his house and fell ill for twenty nights, continuously weeping day and night until he was feared for his health.

It is narrated that when the people rose to embark on the caravans, Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) stood up from the mosque, then...

He approached the litter in which Abdullah bin Al-Hassan was seated, intending to speak with him, but was strongly prevented. A guard went towards him and pushed him away, saying, "Stay away from this, for God will suffice you and others." Then they led them into the alley, and Abu Abdullah returned to his home. They had not yet reached Al-Baqi when the guard met with a severe misfortune: his camel kicked him, breaking his hip, and he died.

Al-Tabari narrated in his history, saying: Abu Ya'qub ibn Sulayman mentioned, saying: Jamra al-Attarah, the perfumer of Abu Ja'far, told me: When Al-Mansur decided to perform the pilgrimage, he called for Rita, the daughter of Abu al-Abbas, the wife of Al-Mahdi. At that time, Al-Mahdi was in Rayy before Abu Ja'far's departure. Al-Mansur instructed her on what he intended, left her with strict commands, and handed her the keys to the storerooms. He made her swear an oath and reinforced the oaths that she would not open some of those storerooms or show them to anyone except Al-Mahdi unless it was verified that he had died. If his death was confirmed, she was to meet with Al-Mahdi with no third party present until they could open the storeroom. When Al-Mahdi returned from Rayy to the City of Peace, she handed him the keys and informed him that Al-Mansur had instructed her to keep it sealed and not to show it to anyone until his death was confirmed.

When Al-Mahdi learned of Al-Mansur's death and assumed the caliphate, he opened the storeroom gate with Rita present. Inside was a large chamber, filled with the bodies of several murdered members of the Alawite family. In their ears were tags with their genealogies. There were children, young men, and numerous elders among them. When Al-Mahdi saw this, he was horrified by what he saw, and he ordered a pit to be dug for them, where they were buried, and a platform was erected over them.

The honorable Sheikh, may he rest in peace, narrated from Ubaidullah Al-Bazzaz Al-Naysaburi, who was an elderly man, saying: There was a business relationship between me and Humayd ibn Qahtaba Al-Ta'i Al-Tusi. On one occasion, I traveled to meet him, and news of my arrival reached him. He summoned me immediately while I was still in my travel attire.

I changed it, and that was during the month of Ramadan, specifically for the Dhuhr (noon) prayer. When I entered his house, I saw water flowing inside it. I greeted him and sat down, and then a basin and a pitcher were brought so he could wash his hands. He then instructed me to wash my hands, and the table was set. I forgot that I was fasting and that it was the month of Ramadan. I started to reach for the food but then remembered and withdrew my hand.

Hamid asked me, "Why aren't you eating?" I replied, "O Emir! This is the month of Ramadan. I am neither sick nor have any excuse that would justify breaking my fast. Perhaps you have a reason or a condition that permits you to do so?" He responded, "I have no reason to break my fast, and I am in good health."

Then his eyes filled with tears and he wept. After he finished his meal, I asked him, "What makes you cry, O Prince?" He said, "Harun al-Rashid summoned me while I was in Tus, late at night, and asked me to come. When I entered, I saw a candle burning before him and a bright green sword drawn, with a servant standing by his side. When I stood before him, he raised his head toward me and asked, 'How do you show your obedience to the Commander of the Faithful?' I replied, 'With my life and wealth.' He nodded, then permitted me to leave.

I had not been in my house for long before the messenger returned and said, 'The Commander of the Faithful requests your presence.' I said to myself, 'To God we belong; I fear he has decided to kill me, and when he saw me, he was embarrassed.' I returned to his presence, he raised his head toward me and asked again, 'How do you show your obedience to the Commander of the Faithful?' I replied, 'With my life, wealth, family, and children.' He smiled, then allowed me to leave.

When I returned home, I was scarcely settled when the messenger came again and said, 'The Commander of the Faithful requests your presence.' So, I appeared before him as before. He raised his head and asked, 'How do you show your obedience to the Commander of the Faithful?' I replied, 'With my life, wealth, family, children, and faith.' He laughed and then said to me, 'Take this sword and carry out what this servant commands you to do with it.'"

He said: The servant took the sword and handed it to me, then brought me to a house with a closed door. He opened it, and inside there was a well in the middle, and three rooms with closed doors. He opened the door to one of the rooms, and inside there was...

Twenty souls, all of them with feelings and locks of hair, elders, middle-aged men, and young ones, all bound. He said to me: "The Commander of the Faithful orders you to kill these." They were all Alawites from the descendants of Ali and Fatima (peace be upon them). So, I brought them out to me one by one, and I struck their necks until I had finished with the last of them. Then, he threw their bodies and heads into that well.

Then he opened the door of another house, where there were also twenty Alawite people, descendants of Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them), bound. He said to me, "The Commander of the Faithful commands you to kill these as well." So, he brought them out to me one by one, and I would behead each one and throw him into that well, until I came to the last of them.

Then he opened the door of the third house, and there were likewise twenty bound people, descendants of Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them), with hair and braids. He said to me, "The Commander of the Faithful commands you to kill these as well." So, he brought them out to me one by one, and I would behead each one and throw him into that well, until I had come to nineteen of them.

One old man remained, with hair, and he said to me: "Woe to you, O accursed one! What excuse will you have on the Day of Judgment when you stand before our grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), after having killed sixty of his descendants, born from Ali and Fatimah (peace be upon them)?" My hands trembled, and my body shook with fear.

The servant looked at me angrily and reprimanded me. So, I went to that old man as well, killed him, and threw him into that well. If I acted in this way and killed sixty of the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), what benefit will my fasting and prayers have? I do not doubt that I am doomed to hell eternally.

The same was also true for the Alawites during the time of the Abbasid caliph Al-Mutawakkil, known for his opposition and hostility towards the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them). Abu al-Faraj said: Al-Mutawakkil appointed Umar ibn al-Faraj al-Rukhji as governor over Medina and Mecca, and he prevented people from extending kindness to the descendants of Abu Talib. Whenever he learned that someone had shown even the slightest kindness to any of them, he would punish them severely and impose heavy fines.

The dress was among a group of Alawite women who prayed in it one after the other. Then they would mend it and sit at their spinning wheels, uncovered. Until the time when Al-Mutawakkil was killed, Al-Muntasir showed kindness to them and treated them well, sending aid to them. He preferred to oppose his father in all his actions and contradict his beliefs, in defiance of him and in support of his actions.

"To the revered Mr. Haider al-Hilli, may he rest in peace, who said:"

The twenty-fourth session: The marriage of Khadijah (peace be upon her) to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and a glimpse of her virtue and honorable life.

Sheikh Al-Kulaini, may mercy be upon him, narrated from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him): When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to marry Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid, Abu Talib came with his family and a group from Quraysh until they went to Waraka ibn Nawfal, Khadijah's uncle. Abu Talib began speaking and said: "Praise be to the Lord of this House, who made us from the planting of Abraham and the descendants of Ishmael, and settled us in a secure sanctuary, making us rulers over people, and blessed us in the land in which we are. This nephew of mine — referring to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) — is someone who outweighs any man of Quraysh in worth, is unmatched by any man in greatness, and there is none equal to him among creation, even if he has little in wealth. Wealth is but transient support and a fading shadow. He desires Khadijah and she desires him. We have come to ask her hand from you with her consent and command, and the dowry, immediate and deferred, is on me, according to what you ask. By the Lord of this House, he has great fortune, a widespread faith, and a perfect opinion."

Then Abu Talib spoke, and her uncle began to speak as well but hesitated and fell short in responding to Abu Talib (peace be upon him). Exhaustion and agitation overtook him, and he was a man from among the priests. Khadijah then spoke, initiating the conversation: "O uncle! Although you are more deserving than I over myself in this gathering, you are not more deserving than I am over myself. I have married myself to you, O Muhammad, and the dowry is from my wealth. So, command your uncle to slaughter a camel and host a feast, and enter upon your family." Abu Talib said: "Bear witness to her acceptance of Muhammad and her guaranteeing the dowry from her wealth." Some of the Quraysh said: "By Allah! What amazes us is that the dowry is on the women for the men!" Abu Talib became very angry, stood up, and he was someone whom men feared and avoided displeasing.

He became angry and said: "If they were like this nephew of mine, men would be sought after with the highest prices and the greatest dowries. And if they were like you, they would not marry off except with an expensive dowry." Abu Talib then slaughtered a camel, and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) entered with his family. A man from Quraysh, named Abdullah ibn Ghanam, said:

It is mentioned in the book "Shajarat Tuba" that Khadijah (peace be upon her) was one of the most beautiful women, the most intelligent, the most complete in opinion, the most chaste, religious, modest, honorable, and the wealthiest. It is narrated that he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Allah chose four women: Mary, Asiya, Khadijah, and Fatimah. It is also narrated that he (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Paradise longs for four women: Mary, Asiya, Khadijah, and Fatimah bint Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

It is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) that he said: "Many men have attained perfection, but among women, none has attained perfection except Mary, the daughter of Imran; Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh; Khadija, the daughter of Khuwaylid; and Fatimah, the daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)."

Khadijah is the daughter of Khuwaylid bin Asad bin Abdul Uzza bin Qusay bin Kilab. Peace and blessings be upon this noble, esteemed woman, of genuine origin and complete intellect, generous and virtuous, devoted in worship and ascetic in life, determined and steadfast. She was beloved by God, His Messenger, and His chosen one. She was chosen among women, the pure and virtuous, the wife of the Messenger, and the mother of the pure Fatimah. She is the epitome of the chaste and purified women, the best among the Mothers of the Believers, and the most honored of the wives of the trustworthy Messenger of God. She was the first to believe among women.

The foremost in worship of the Lord of the earth and heavens, the Lady of all women, uniquely chosen by the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and encapsulating the essence of faith, the origin of honor and glory, the tree of pride and virtue, the first to embrace Islam and religion in both this world and the Hereafter, our Lady and Mistress, the Mother of Believers, Khadijah the Great. She was the princess of her tribe, the lady of her people, and a sincere supporter of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family).

She (peace be upon her) was born fifteen years before the Year of the Elephant and passed away in the month of Ramadan in the tenth year of the Prophetic mission, on the tenth day, three days after the death of Abu Talib.

Among her notable attributes was that she (peace be upon her) was the first woman to believe in the Messenger of Allah. Allah established His religion with the wealth of Khadija, as the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) reportedly said: "My religion would not have been established nor maintained except by two things: the wealth of Khadija and the sword of Ali ibn Abi Talib."

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas regarding the interpretation of this verse: "And He found you in need, so He enriched you," meaning He found you poor and enriched you with the wealth of Khadijah.

Khadijah (peace be upon her) possessed significant wealth, beauty, and elegance. Among her possessions were a hundred golden basins and an equal number of silver ones, a hundred golden pitchers, and one hundred and sixty slaves and maidservants. She also owned numerous cattle, sheep, camels, jewelry, and other goods as Allah willed. It is said she owned eighty thousand camels and would lease and rent them from country to country. She dedicated all these possessions, slaves, and maidservants to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), such that she and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) would sleep under a single garment, as she had none other.

Among her honors is that God and Gabriel conveyed peace to her. As it is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Upon returning from the heavens, I said, "O Gabriel, do you have any request?" He replied, "My request is that you convey peace from God and me to Khadijah." The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) delivered this message, and she responded, "Indeed, God is peace, and from Him is peace, and to Him peace returns. And peace be upon Gabriel."