المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

It is related that after Rabab returned to Medina, the nobles of Quraysh sought to marry her, but she said: "By God, I shall have no in-law after the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)." She lived one year after Hussein (peace be upon him), then died of grief over Hussein (peace be upon him), having never sheltered beneath any roof after him.(2)

Al-Qarmani said: When she returned to Medina, she remained there, knowing no rest by night or day from weeping over Hussein (peace be upon him), and she never sheltered beneath a roof until she died of grief after his slaying, in the year sixty-two of the Hijra.(3)

The people of Medina wept for Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and lamented him for three years. It is related from Imam Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq, from his father (peace be upon them), who said: Hussein ibn Ali was lamented for three years, and on the very day he was killed, Wa'ila ibn al-Asma', Marwan ibn al-Hakam, Miswar ibn Makhrama, and that company of elders among the Companions of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) would come veiled to listen to the lamentation of the jinn, and they would weep.(4)

Ibn Hamdun said in al-Tadhkira: When Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them) was killed, he was lamented in Medina in every house for a full year. Then in the second year he was lamented every Friday, and in the third year every month. Marwan ibn al-Hakam and Miswar ibn Makhrama would enter to them veiled and weep most bitterly until the lamentation came to its end.(5)

Hisham ibn al-Kalbi said: Some of our companions related to me, from Amr ibn Abi al-Miqdam, who said: Amr ibn Ikrima related to me, saying: We awoke on the morning after Hussein (peace be upon him) was killed in Medina, and behold, a freedwoman of ours spoke to us, saying: "Last night I heard a caller crying out, and he was saying:

When news of the slaying of Hussein (peace be upon him) reached the people of Medina, the daughter of Aqil ibn Abi Talib went out with her women, her head uncovered, wringing her garment, and she was saying:

As for the weeping and lamentation of Umm al-Banin (peace be upon her), she wept until even the enemy was moved to pity and wept at her weeping. May God grant her a goodly recompense for the calamity that befell her in her four sons, whom she lost in a single hour.

Among the words of Umm al-Banin (peace be upon her) in her elegy for Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas and the rest of her sons (peace be upon them):

She also says:

Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani said: Umm al-Banin—the mother of these four slain brothers—would go out to al-Baqi' and lament her sons with the most heart-rending and burning lamentation. The people would gather around her to listen, and Marwan would come among those who came for this, and he would not cease to listen to her lamentation and weep. This was reported by Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Hamza, from al-Nawfali, from Hammad ibn Isa al-Juhani, from Mu'awiya ibn Ammar, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon him).(1)

Abu al-Hasan al-Akhfash said in his commentary on al-Kamil: She used to go out to al-Baqi' every day to lament him, carrying his son Abdullah, and the people of Medina would gather to hear her elegy—among them Marwan ibn al-Hakam—and they would weep at the anguish of the lamentation.(2)

Among the things related concerning the rank of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (peace be upon him) and his standing with the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) is what the learned al-Darbandi, may God have mercy upon him, mentioned in Asrar al-Shahada, citing some of the books of the maqatil. He said: On the Day of Resurrection, when the matter presses hard upon the people, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) will send the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) to Fatima (peace be upon her) to attend the station of intercession. The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) will say: "O Fatima, what means of intercession have you, and what have you stored up for this Day in which is the Greatest Terror?" Fatima (peace be upon her) will say: "O Commander of the Faithful, for this station the two severed hands of my son Abbas suffice us."(3)

Also in Asrar al-Shahada, the learned al-Darbandi, may God have mercy upon him, said: A number of trustworthy persons of this present age informed me that one of the believers of this era—who is alive even now—used to visit Hussein (peace be upon him) three times every day, but would only visit Abbas once a week. He saw in a dream the Pure Veracious Lady (peace be upon her) and greeted her, but she turned away from him. He said: "May my father and mother be your ransom—for what failing do you turn away from me?" She said: "For your neglect of visiting my son." He said: "But I visit your son every day." She said: "You visit my son Hussein (peace be upon him), but you visit my son Abbas only seldom."(1)

How excellent are the words of one of the poets, when he speaks on the tongue of Hussein (peace be upon him) when Abbas (peace be upon him) was struck down:

The proof of Islam, Sheikh Hasan Ali al-Badr al-Qatifi, may God have mercy upon him, says, speaking on the tongue of Hussein (peace be upon him):

The Fifth Gathering, of the Seventh Day
Fatima's Plea on the Day of Gathering
and Her Sight of Hussein (peace be upon him)
It is related from Ja'far al-Ahmar, from Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Ali al-Baqir (peace be upon him), who said: I heard Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari say: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, my daughter Fatima will advance upon a she-camel of the camels of Paradise, its two sides adorned, its halter of moist pearl, its legs of green emerald, its tail of the most fragrant musk, its eyes two red rubies. Upon it is a dome of light whose outside is seen from within and whose inside is seen from without; within it is God's pardon, and without it is God's mercy. Upon her head is a crown of light; the crown has seventy corners, each corner studded with pearls and rubies, glittering as the brilliant star glitters on the horizon of the sky. On her right are seventy thousand angels, and on her left seventy thousand angels, and Gabriel holds the halter of the she-camel, crying out at the top of his voice: "Lower your eyes until Fatima the daughter of Muhammad passes!" On that day there will remain no prophet, no messenger, no veracious one, and no martyr but they lower their eyes until Fatima passes.

She proceeds until she draws level with the Throne of her Lord, exalted is His majesty. She dismounts from her she-camel and says: "My God and my Master, judge between me and the one who wronged me. O God, judge between me and the one who killed my son." Then comes the call from God, exalted is His majesty: "O My beloved and daughter of My beloved, ask and you shall be given, intercede and your intercession shall be accepted. By My might and My majesty, no wrongdoer's wrong shall pass My judgment." She says: "My God and my Master—my offspring, and my Shia, and the Shia of my offspring, and those who love me, and those who love my offspring."

Then comes the call from God, exalted is His majesty: "Where are the offspring of Fatima, her Shia, those who love her, and those who love her offspring?" They come forth, surrounded by the angels of mercy, and Fatima (peace be upon her) goes before them until she brings them into Paradise.(1)

From Abu Ahmad ibn Sulayman al-Ta'i, from Ali ibn Musa al-Rida, from his forefathers (peace be upon them), who said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: On the Day of Resurrection my daughter Fatima (peace be upon her) will be raised, and with her are garments stained with blood. She will cling to one of the pillars of the Throne, saying: "O Just One, judge between me and the killer of my son." Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: And God will judge for my daughter, by the Lord of the Ka'ba.

It is related from al-Rida, from his forefathers (peace be upon them), who said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: On the Day of Resurrection my daughter Fatima will be raised, and with her are garments stained with blood. She will cling to one of the pillars of the Throne and say: "O Just One, judge between me and the killer of my son." The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: And He will judge for my daughter, by the Lord of the Ka'ba. Indeed, God, mighty and majestic, becomes angry at Fatima's anger and is pleased at her pleasure.

From Muhammad ibn Sinan, from one of his companions, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, a dome of light will be set up for Fatima (peace be upon her), and Hussein (peace be upon him) will advance, his head in his hand. When she sees him she will give a cry such that there remains in the assembly no angel brought near, no messenger prophet, and no believing servant but weeps for her. Then God, mighty and majestic, will represent for her a man in the most

beautiful form, contending with his killers while himself headless. God will gather his killers, those who finished him off, and all who took part in his slaying, and he will kill them down to the last of them. Then they will be resurrected, and the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) will kill them. Then they will be resurrected, and al-Hasan (peace be upon him) will kill them. Then they will be resurrected, and al-Hussein (peace be upon him) will kill them. Then they will be resurrected, and there will remain none of our offspring but he will kill them a killing. At that, God will dispel the rage and cause the grief to be forgotten.

Then Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said: May God have mercy upon our Shia. Our Shia, by God, are the true believers, for by God they have shared with us in the calamity through the length of their grief and sorrow.

From Sharik, who traces it back, said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, Fatima (peace be upon her) will come in a company of her women, and it will be said to her: "Enter Paradise." She will say: "I will not enter until I know what was done to my son after me." It will be said to her: "Look into the heart of the Resurrection." She will look and see Hussein (peace be upon him) standing with no head, and she will give a scream, and I will scream at her scream, and the angels will scream at our screaming. At that God, mighty and majestic, will become angry for us, and He will command a fire called Habhab, which has been kindled for a thousand years until it has turned black—no coolness ever enters it, and no anguish ever leaves it—and it will be said to it: "Snatch up the killers of Hussein (peace be upon him) and the bearers of the Qur'an." It will snatch them up, and when they are within its belly it will roar and they will roar with it, it will shriek and they will shriek with it, it will groan and they will groan with it. They will speak with sharp, eloquent tongues: "Our Lord, why have You made the Fire obligatory upon us before the idol-worshippers?" The answer will come from God, mighty and majestic: "The one who knew is not like the one who did not know."(1)

From Abu Khayr, from Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: The head of Hussein (peace be upon him) will be presented before Fatima (peace be upon her), and the people of the Resurrection will be called: "May God slay the killer of your son, O Fatima." He said: And God, mighty and majestic, will say: "That I shall do to him and to his Shia, his loved ones, and his followers." And on that day Fatima (peace be upon her) will be upon a she-camel of the camels of Paradise, its two sides adorned, its cheeks radiant, its eyes deep dark, its head of pure gold, its neck of musk and amber, its halter

of green chrysolite, its saddle of pearl plated with jewels. Upon the she-camel is a litter whose covering is of the light of God and whose stuffing is of the mercy of God; its halter is a parasang of the parasangs of the world. Around its litter seventy thousand angels surround her with glorification, praise, declaration of God's oneness, magnification, and exaltation of the Lord of the worlds. Then a caller will cry out from the depths of the Throne: "O people of the Resurrection, lower your eyes, for this is Fatima the daughter of Muhammad the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) passing over the Bridge." Fatima (peace be upon her) and her Shia will pass over the Bridge like the dazzling flash of lightning. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) said: And her enemies and the enemies of her offspring will be cast into Hellfire.(1)

From Sheikh al-Saduq, may God have mercy upon him, from Aban ibn Uthman, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: When the Day of Resurrection comes, God will gather the first and the last upon a single plain, and a caller will cry out: "Lower your eyes and bow your heads until Fatima the daughter of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) crosses the Bridge." He said: The creatures will lower their eyes, and Fatima (peace be upon her) will come upon a noble steed of the steeds of Paradise, escorted by seventy thousand angels. She will halt at a noble station among the stations of the Resurrection, then dismount from her steed and take in her hand the shirt of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), drenched in his blood, and she will say: "My Lord, this is the shirt of my son, and You know what was done to him." The call will come to her from God, mighty and majestic: "O Fatima, you have My pleasure." She will say: "My Lord, avenge me upon his killer." Then God, exalted is He, will command a column of fire to come forth from Hell, and it will snatch up the killers of Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him) as a bird snatches up grain. Then the column will return them to the Fire, where they will be tormented with every kind of torment. Then Fatima (peace be upon her) will mount her steed and enter Paradise, with the angels escorting her, her offspring before her, and their loved ones among the people on her right and her left.(2)

From Ibn Abbas, who said: I heard the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), say:

One day the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) entered upon Fatima (peace be upon her) while she was sad, and he said to her: "What grieves you, my little daughter?" She said: "O Father, I remembered the Day of Gathering, and the people standing naked on the Day of Resurrection." He said: "My little daughter, it is indeed a tremendous day. But Gabriel has informed me from God, mighty and majestic, that He said: The first one for whom the earth will split open on the Day of Resurrection is I, then my father Abraham, then your husband Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him).

Then God will send to you Gabriel with seventy thousand angels, and he will pitch over your grave seven domes of light. Then Israfil will come to you with three robes of light, and he will stand at your head and call to you: 'O Fatima, daughter of Muhammad! Rise to your gathering-place.' You will rise, your fright stilled and your nakedness covered, and Israfil will hand you the robes, which you will put on. Then Zawqa'il will come to you with a noble she-steed of light, its rein of moist pearl, upon it a saddle-litter of gold, and you will mount it, and Zawqa'il will lead it by its rein. Before you will be seventy thousand angels, in their hands the banners of glorification. When your journey is fully under way, seventy thousand houris will meet you, rejoicing to behold you, each one of them holding a censer of light from which wafts the scent of aloeswood without any fire, wearing garlands of jewels studded with green chrysolite, and they will proceed on your right.

When you have proceeded as you did from your grave until they meet you, Mary the daughter of Imran will meet you, in the like of the houris who are with you. She will greet you, and she and those with her will proceed on your left.

Then your mother Khadija the daughter of Khuwaylid, the first of the women to believe in God and His Messenger, will meet you, and with her seventy thousand angels bearing in their hands the banners of magnification. When you draw near the assembly, Eve will meet you among seventy thousand houris, and with her Asiya the daughter of Muzahim, and she and those with her will proceed with you.

When you reach the midst of the assembly—and that is when God gathers the creatures upon a single plain, so that all stand level upon their feet—a caller will cry out from beneath the Throne, heard by all creatures: 'Lower your eyes until Fatima the Veracious, daughter of Muhammad, and those with her pass by.' On that day none will look upon you save Abraham the Friend of

the Merciful (peace be upon him) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). Adam (peace be upon him) will seek Eve and find her with your mother Khadija before you.

Then a pulpit of light will be set up for you, with seven steps, and between each step are ranks of angels bearing in their hands the banners of light. The wide-eyed houris will line up on the right of the pulpit and on its left, and the nearest of the women to you on your left are Eve and Asiya. When you reach the top of the pulpit, Gabriel (peace be upon him) will come to you and say: 'O Fatima, ask your need.' You will say: 'My Lord, show me al-Hasan and al-Hussein.' They will come to you, the veins of Hussein gushing blood, and he saying: 'My Lord, take for me this day my right from the one who wronged me.' At that the Majestic One will become angry, and at His anger Hell and all the angels will become angry, and Hell at that will give a roar. Then a host will come forth from the Fire and snatch up the killers of Hussein and their sons and the sons of their sons, and they will say: 'My Lord, we were not present at Hussein's slaying.' God will say to the keepers of Hell: 'Seize them by their marks—the blueness of their eyes and the blackness of their faces—take them by their forelocks and cast them into the lowest depth of the Fire, for they were harsher upon the loved ones of Hussein than their forefathers who fought Hussein and killed him.'

Then Gabriel (peace be upon him) will say: 'O Fatima, ask your need.' You will say: 'My Lord, my Shia.' God, mighty and majestic, will say: 'I have forgiven them.' You will say: 'My Lord, the Shia of my offspring.' God will say: 'I have forgiven them.' You will say: 'My Lord, the Shia of my Shia.' God will say: 'Go forth, for whoever has held fast to you is with you in Paradise.' At that, the creatures will wish that they had been Fatimids. You will proceed, and with you your Shia, the Shia of your offspring, and the Shia of the Commander of the Faithful—their frights stilled, their nakedness covered, the hardships gone from them, the watering-places made easy for them. The people will be in fear while they are not afraid; the people will thirst while they do not thirst."(1)

How excellent are the words of the proof of Islam, Sheikh Faraj al-Omran, may God have mercy upon him, when he says:

The First Gathering, of the Eighth Day
al-Qasim (peace be upon him), His Support of Hussein (peace be upon him), and His Death
In the noble Ziyarat al-Nahiya, addressing the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him): "Then knowledge compelled you to denounce wrong, and it became incumbent upon you to wage struggle against the sinners. So you set out with your children and your family, your Shia and your loyal followers, and you proclaimed the truth and the clear proof, and you called to God with wisdom and goodly exhortation. You commanded the establishment of the prescribed bounds and obedience to the Worshipped One, and you forbade vile deeds and tyranny. They confronted you with injustice and aggression, so you struggled against them after exhorting them and confirming the proof upon them. They broke their covenant and their pledge to you, and they angered your Lord and your grandfather. They began the war against you, so you stood firm against the thrust and the blow, you ground down the armies of the sinners, and you plunged into the thick of the dust, fighting with Dhu al-Fiqar as though you were Ali the Chosen.

When they saw you steadfast of heart, neither fearful nor dreading, they set up against you the snares of their treachery, and they fought you with their cunning and their evil. The accursed one commanded his troops, and they barred you from the water and from reaching it. They hastened to do battle with you and rushed upon you in combat, pelting you with arrows and shafts, stretching out toward you the hands of annihilation, observing for you no covenant and heeding in your case no sin—in their slaying of your loved ones and their plundering of your baggage. You pressed forward amid the clouds of dust, bearing the harms, and the angels of the heavens marveled at your patience. They encircled you from every side and wore you down with wounds, and they came between you and

departure. No helper remained to you, while you were patient, seeking your reward, defending your women and your children.(1)

Abu Hamza al-Thumali related, saying: I heard Ali ibn al-Hussein Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) say: On the day in which my father (peace be upon him) was martyred, he gathered his family and companions on the night before that day, and he said to them: "O my family and my Shia, take this night as a steed, and make your escape with yourselves, for I alone am the one sought. Were they to kill me, they would give no thought to you. So save yourselves, may God have mercy upon you—you are released and at liberty from my pledge and the covenant you swore to me."

His brothers, his family, and his supporters said with one voice: "By God, our master, O Abu Abdullah, we will never forsake you. By God, the people shall not say that we abandoned our imam, our elder, our master, alone until he was killed. We will lay no excuse before God between us and Him, and we will not leave you—rather we will be killed before you." He (peace be upon him) said to them: "O my people, tomorrow I shall be killed, and you shall all be killed with me, and not one of you shall remain." They said: "Praise be to God who has honored us with helping you and ennobled us with being killed alongside you. Shall we not be content to be with you in your rank, O son of the Messenger of God?" He said: "May God reward you well," and he prayed for them with goodness. So morning came, and he was killed, and they were all killed with him.

Then al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him) said to him: "And am I among those who will be killed?" Hussein felt tenderness for him and said to him: "My son, how is death to you?" He said: "O uncle, sweeter than honey." He said: "Yes, by God, may your uncle be your ransom. Indeed you are one of those of the men who will be killed with me, after you are tried with a great trial—and my son Abdullah as well."

He said: "O uncle, and will they reach the women, until Abdullah is killed while he is a suckling infant?" He said: "May your uncle be your ransom. Abdullah will be killed when my soul has dried up from thirst, and I will come to our tent and seek water and milk but find none at all. I will say: 'Bring me my son that I may drink from his mouth.' They will bring him to me and place him upon my hand, and I will lift him to bring him near my mouth, and a wicked man—may God curse him—will strike him with an arrow and slit his throat while he babbles, and his blood will pour into my palm. I will raise it to the sky and say: 'O God, patience and seeking reward

in You.' The spearheads of them will hasten upon me, and the fire will be blazing in the trench behind the tents. I will charge upon them in the bitterest of times in the world, and what God wills shall come to pass." Then he wept, and we wept, and weeping and screaming rose from the daughters of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in the tents. Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn and Habib ibn Mazahir will ask about me, and they will say: "O our master, our master Ali (peace be upon him)"—pointing to me—"what will become of his state?" And I will say, with tears: "God would not cut off my line from the world. How then can they reach him, when he is the father of eight imams (peace be upon them)?"(1)

The pilgrim Ahmad al-Awwa, may God Almighty have mercy upon him, says concerning the cub of Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him):

Sheikh al-Turayhi, may God have mercy upon him, related in al-Muntakhab, saying: It is related that when the affair of Hussein (peace be upon him) came to fighting at Karbala, and all his companions were killed, and the turn fell upon the sons of his brother al-Hasan (peace be upon him), al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon them) came and said: "O uncle, grant me leave to go forth to these infidels." Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: "O son of my brother, you are a token to me from my brother, and I wish for you to remain with me that I may be consoled by you," and he did not grant him leave for combat. So al-Qasim sat down troubled and grieved, his eyes weeping and his heart sorrowful, for Hussein (peace be upon him) had granted his brothers leave for combat but not him. So al-Qasim sat in pain and placed his head upon his knees, and he recalled that his father had tied for him an amulet on his right shoulder and had said to him: "When pain and grief befall you, undo the amulet and read it," so understand its meaning and act according to all you see

written in it. Al-Qasim said to himself: "Years have passed over me and no pain like this has befallen me." So he undid the amulet, unfolded it, and looked at its writing, and behold, in it: "O my son, O Qasim, I charge you that when you see your uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) in Karbala, surrounded by enemies, do not abandon combat and struggle against the enemies of God and the enemies of His Messenger, and do not withhold your soul from him. Whenever he forbids you from combat, return to him that he may grant you leave for combat, so that you may attain eternal felicity."

So al-Qasim arose at once and came to Hussein (peace be upon him), and he presented to his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) what his father al-Hasan (peace be upon him) had written. When Hussein (peace be upon him) read the amulet, he wept bitterly and drew a deep sigh, and said: "O son of my brother, this is the testament to you from your father, and I have with me another testament from him for you, and it must be carried out."

So Hussein (peace be upon him) took al-Qasim by the hand and brought him into the tent and said to the mother of al-Qasim (peace be upon him): "Does al-Qasim not have new garments?" She said: "No." So he said to his sister Zainab: "Bring me the chest." She brought it to him and placed it before him. He opened it and took from it the cloak of al-Hasan (peace be upon him) and dressed al-Qasim in it, and he wound around his head the turban of al-Hasan (peace be upon him).

Until he said: When Hussein (peace be upon him) saw that al-Qasim wished to go forth to combat, he said to him: "My son, do you walk on your own feet to death?" He said: "And how not, O uncle, when you are alone among the enemies, solitary, finding neither protector nor friend? My soul be your soul's ransom, and my self the shield of your self."

Then Hussein (peace be upon him) rent al-Qasim's garments, cut his turban in two, drew it down over his face, then clothed him in his garments in the manner of a shroud, fastened his sword about al-Qasim's waist, and sent him to the battlefield.(1) Concerning this the proof of Islam, Sheikh Ali al-Jishi, may God have mercy upon him, says:

Abu al-Faraj, Muhammad ibn Abi Talib, and others said: Then al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him) came forth, a small youth who had not yet reached maturity. When Hussein (peace be upon him) saw that he had gone out, he embraced him, and the two of them began to weep until they swooned. Then al-Qasim sought leave from Hussein (peace be upon him) to do battle, but Hussein refused to grant it. The youth did not cease kissing his hands and his feet until he granted him leave. So he went forth, his tears flowing down his cheeks, and he was saying:

His face was like a sliver of the moon, and he fought fiercely until, despite his youth, he had killed thirty-five men.

Humayd said: I was in the army of Ibn Sa'd, and I would look at this youth who wore a shirt, a waist-wrapper, and two sandals, the thong of one of which had snapped—I will never forget that it was the left one. Amr ibn Sa'd al-Azdi said: "By God, I shall charge upon him." I said: "Glory be to God! What do you intend by that? By God, even if he struck me I would not stretch out my hand against him. Those whom you see surrounding him are enough for him." He said: "By God, I shall do it." So he charged upon him, and before he turned away he struck his head with the sword, and the youth fell on his face and cried out: "O my uncle!"

He said: Then Hussein (peace be upon him) came like a swooping falcon. He cut through the ranks and charged with the charge of a lion of war, and he struck Amr, his killer, with the sword. Amr warded it off with his hand, and Hussein severed it at the elbow. He cried out, then drew back from him, and the cavalry of the people of Kufa charged to rescue Amr from Hussein (peace be upon him),