المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

It met him with its chests, wounded him with its hooves, and trampled him until he died.

When the dust cleared, there was Hussein (peace be upon him) standing over the youth, who was thrashing his legs. Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "By God, it is hard upon your uncle that you should call him and he not answer you, or that he answer you but cannot help you, or help you but it avails you nothing. Away with a people who have killed you!" Then he carried him—and it is as though I am still gazing at the youth's legs trailing along the ground, while Hussein had laid the boy's chest against his own. I said to myself: What will he do with him? He came and laid him among the slain of his own household.

Then he said: "O God, count them in number, kill them scattered, leave not one of them, and never forgive them. Patience, O sons of my uncles! Patience, O my household! May you never see humiliation after this day!" (1).

In another narration, also from Humayd ibn Muslim, he said: Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "Away with a people who killed you—their adversary concerning you on the Day of Resurrection will be the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)." Then he said: "It is hard upon your uncle that you should call him and he not answer you, or that he answer you yet his answer avail you nothing, on a day when his slain are many and his helpers few." Then he carried him upon his chest—and it is as though I am still gazing at the youth's legs trailing along the ground—until he laid him beside his own son, Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon him). I asked about the youth, and they said: He is al-Qasim ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, may the blessings of God be upon them all (2).

It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that he said: Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them both) used to lay his slain one upon another, then say: "Our slain are the slain of the prophets and the family of the prophets" (3).

How excellent were the words of Sheikh Abd al-Karim al-Faraj, may God Almighty have mercy on him, when he said:

The Second Gathering of the Eighth Day
The Martyrs from the Sons of Imam al-Hasan al-Zaki (peace be upon him)

Sheikh al-Mufid, may God's mercy be upon him, said in al-Irshad, regarding the number of the children of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (peace be upon him), that they were fifteen, male and female: Zayd ibn al-Hasan, and his two sisters Umm al-Hasan and Umm al-Hussein—their mother was Umm Bashir bint Abi Mas'ud ibn Uqba ibn Amr ibn Tha'laba al-Khazrajiyya; al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan, whose mother was Khawla bint Manzur al-Fazariyya; Amr ibn al-Hasan and his two brothers al-Qasim and Abdullah, the sons of al-Hasan, whose mother was a freed slave-woman (umm walad); Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hasan, whose mother was a freed slave-woman; al-Hussein ibn al-Hasan, surnamed al-Athram, and his brother Talha ibn al-Hasan, and their sister Fatima bint al-Hasan—their mother was Umm Ishaq bint Talha ibn Ubaydullah al-Taymi; and Umm Abdullah, Fatima the younger, Umm Salama, and Ruqayya, the daughters of al-Hasan, by various mothers (1).

As for Abd al-Rahman, he went out with his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) on the pilgrimage and died at al-Abwa' while in the state of ihram. As for al-Hussein ibn al-Hasan, known as al-Athram, he possessed virtue and devotion, and left no progeny. Talha ibn al-Hasan was generous, abundant in giving and charity. As for Amr ibn al-Hasan, he was with Hussein at Karbala and was martyred.

As for al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him), he was with his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) at Karbala, and fought beside him with the struggle of a valiant lion, and bore with him the descending calamity to the utmost, until he was riddled with wounds and lay motionless, unable to stir, until his uncle Hussein was killed. When the enemies of God came to finish off the wounded, they found al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan lying among the slain with breath still in him, and they wished to finish him off. But Asma' ibn Kharija recognized him—for there was kinship between him and Khawla—and prevented them, saying: "By God, I will never let you finish off the son of Khawla!"

The mother of al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him) was Khawla al-Fazariyya, whose mother was Mulayka, the sister of Asma' ibn Kharija. So Umar ibn Sa'd said: "Leave him to Abu Hassan, his sister's son." So he was left, and Asma' ibn Kharija took him and carried him to his home, where he stayed treating his wounds until he recovered and returned to Medina.

Al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him) was a man of high standing, virtuous, pious, and learned. He administered the charitable endowments of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) by the leave of Ali ibn al-Hussein Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him). He has a story with al-Hajjaj, narrated by al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar, who said: Al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan was the administrator of the charitable endowments of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in his time.

It is narrated that al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan asked his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) for the hand of one of his two daughters. Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: "Choose whichever you wish." Al-Hasan grew shy and gave no answer. So Hussein said to him: "My son, I have chosen for you my daughter Fatima, for she most resembles my mother Fatima bint Muhammad." And he married him to her. Al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan died at the age of thirty-five. When he died, may God have mercy on him, Fatima bint al-Hussein (peace be upon him) pitched a tent and recited the Qur'an by his grave, fasting by day and standing in prayer by night.

As for Zayd ibn al-Hasan, he was with his uncle Hussein at Karbala. He was young, not yet of age, and did not fight. He was taken captive among the prisoners and brought along with Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon them) and the rest of the women and children to Syria, where they were brought before Yazid in the most wretched state and condition.

It is narrated that one day he was sitting before Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, whose son Khalid was sitting with him. Yazid said to Zayd ibn al-Hasan (peace be upon him): "Will you wrestle my son Khalid?" He replied: "No, but give him a knife and give me a knife, and I will fight him." Yazid ibn Mu'awiya said: "A trait I know well from Akhzam—does the serpent beget anything but a serpent?" He meant that the boy intended to kill his son in his presence.

Then Zayd returned to Medina with Ali ibn al-Hussein and the womenfolk of Hussein and settled there. Zayd was of high rank, generous of nature, refined of soul, abundant in good works. He administered the charitable endowments of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). The poets praised him, and people sought him out from distant lands to seek his bounty. Zayd lived to the age of ninety (1).

Abdullah ibn al-Hasan was with his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him). He was young, not yet of age, eleven years old. When the supporters of Hussein (peace be upon him) had perished and he resolved to meet the enemy himself, he came to bid farewell to his women. Abdullah heard his uncle Hussein's farewell and his last counsel, and when Hussein left the tent, Abdullah followed him. Hussein called out to the women: "Hold him back!" So the women came out to bring him back.

He said: "Leave me! By God, I will not part from my uncle, or I will die before him." He broke free from the women's hands and caught up with his uncle. Abdullah saw Murra ibn Munqidh al-Azdi bearing down upon Hussein (peace be upon him) with his sword, and he cried out: "O son of the adulteress, would you kill my uncle?" Murra turned to him and struck him with his sword. The boy shielded himself with his hand, and it was severed at the forearm. Abdullah cried: "O uncle, help me!" So Hussein swooped down upon him as the falcon swoops upon its prey. He came to him and killed Murra. Then he (peace be upon him) stood over the boy, who was thrashing his legs, and said: "It is hard upon your uncle that you should call him and he not answer you, or answer you and avail you nothing. By God, this is a voice whose slain are many and whose helpers few. But what eases the burden of all that has befallen me is that it is before the eye of God" (1).

In the narration of Sheikh al-Mufid and Sayyid ibn Tawus, may God's mercy be upon them, they said: Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon them)—a boy not yet of age—came running out from among the women until he stood beside Hussein (peace be upon him). Zaynab bint Ali (peace be upon her) caught up with him to hold him back, and Hussein (peace be upon him) said: "Hold him back, my sister." But the boy refused and resisted fiercely, saying: "No, by God, I will not part from my uncle." Abjar ibn Ka'b—and it is said: Harmala ibn Kahil—aimed at Hussein (peace be upon him) with the sword, and the boy said to him: "Woe to you, O son of the wicked woman, would you kill my uncle?" He struck with the sword, and the boy shielded himself with his hand, and it was severed down to the skin, left hanging. The boy cried: "O mother!" So Hussein (peace be upon him) took him and clasped him to himself and said: "O son of my brother, be patient with what has befallen you, and reckon in that the

good, for God will join you to your righteous forefathers." Sayyid ibn Tawus, may God's mercy be upon him, said: Then Harmala ibn Kahil shot him with an arrow and slew him while he was in the lap of his uncle Hussein (peace be upon him) (1).

I say: It was hard upon the master of the youths of Paradise (peace be upon him) to see his household and these young men, the sons of his brother Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him), felled and stained with their own blood, though they had not yet reached maturity. How excellent were the words of Sheikh Salih al-Kawwaz al-Hilli, may God's mercy be upon him, when he said:

The Third Gathering of the Eighth Day
The Death of al-Qasim, Son of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him)
It is related in the book Shajarat Tuba: It is narrated in some books that when al-Rashid's wrath against the Alawites grew severe, he began to cut off the hands of the children of Fatima (peace be upon her), to gouge out eyes, and to wall them up alive within pillars, until he scattered them throughout the lands. Among them was al-Qasim, son of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far. He took to the eastern side, knowing that there lay the grave of his grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), and he began

to walk along the bank of the Euphrates, when suddenly he came upon two young girls playing in the dirt. One was saying to the other: "No, by the right of the Commander—the master of the pledge of allegiance on the Day of Ghadir—it was not so and so," excusing herself before the other. When he heard the sweetness of her speech, he said to her: "Whom do you mean by these words?" She said: "I mean the one who struck with two swords and thrust with two spears, the father of al-Hasan and al-Hussein, Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him)." He said to her: "My little one, can you guide me to the chief of this clan?" She said: "Yes, my father is their elder." So she walked, and al-Qasim walked behind her until she came to their home. Al-Qasim stayed three days in honor and respect. On the fourth day, al-Qasim approached the elder and said to him: "O elder, I heard from one who heard from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) that a guest is owed three days, and whatever exceeds that, what he eats is charity. I dislike to eat charity, so I wish you to choose me some work to occupy myself with, lest what I eat be charity."

The elder said: "Choose for yourself some work." Al-Qasim said to him: "Let me carry water in your gathering." Al-Qasim remained at this until, one night, the elder went out in the middle of the night to relieve himself, and saw al-Qasim with his feet planted together—standing, sitting, bowing, and prostrating. He grew great in his esteem, and God placed love for al-Qasim in the heart of the elder. When morning came, he gathered his kinsfolk and said to them: "I wish to marry my daughter to this righteous servant. What do you say?" They said: "What an excellent view you have!" So he married him to his daughter. Al-Qasim remained with them for a time until God granted him a daughter by her, and she reached the age of three years. Then al-Qasim fell gravely ill until his appointed end drew near and his days came to a close. The elder sat at his head, asking him about his lineage, and said: "My son, perhaps you are of Hashim?" He said to him: "Yes, I am the son of Imam Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him)." The elder began to strike his head, saying: "Oh, my shame before your father Musa ibn Ja'far (peace be upon him)!" He said to him: "No blame upon you, O uncle, for you honored me, and you shall be with us in Paradise. O uncle, when I die, wash me, embalm me, shroud me, and bury me. And when the season of pilgrimage comes, make the Hajj—you and your daughter and this daughter of mine. And when you

have completed the rites of the Hajj, make your way to Medina. When you reach Medina, set down my daughter at its gate and she will toddle and walk. Then you and my wife walk behind her until she stops at the door of a lofty house—that house is our house. Enter it, and there will be none in it but women, all of them widows."

Then he (peace be upon him) breathed his last. The elder washed him, embalmed him, shrouded him, and buried him. How excellent were the words of the proof of Islam, Sheikh Ali al-Jishi, may God's mercy be upon him, when he said:

He said: When the time of pilgrimage came, the elder made the Hajj along with his daughter and al-Qasim's daughter. When they had completed their rites, they made their way to Medina. When they reached Medina, they set the girl down at its gate upon the ground, and she began to toddle while the elder walked behind her until she reached the door of the house and entered. The elder and his daughter remained standing behind the door, and the women came out to her and gathered around her, saying: "Who are you? Whose daughter are you?" When the women said to her, "Whose daughter are you?" she answered them only with weeping and sobbing. At that, the mother of al-Qasim came out, and when she gazed upon her features

she began to weep and cry out: "O my child! O my Qasim! By God, this is the orphan of my son al-Qasim!" They said to her: "How do you know she is al-Qasim's daughter?" She said: "I looked at her features, for they resemble the features of my son al-Qasim." Then the girl informed them that her grandfather and her mother were standing at the door. And it is said that the mother fell ill when she learned of her son's death, and remained no more than three days before she died.

She heard of her son's death and fell ill and breathed her last. So what then of Ramla when she gazed upon her son, his head split open, hacked to pieces by the swords, limb from limb (2)? May God strengthen her heart as she saw him stained with his blood, the sword having cleft his head. And it is hard upon the master of the youths of Paradise (peace be upon him) to see these young men felled upon the bare earth, laid low, while he remained after them alone, with no helper and no supporter. How excellent were the words of Sayyid Ja'far al-Hilli, may God's mercy be upon him, when he said:

The Fourth Gathering of the Eighth Day
What Befell the Progeny of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) of Killing,
Exile, and Persecution at the Hands of the Tyrant Rulers
It is found in one of the visitation-prayers to the Imams of the Household (peace be upon them): O my masters, were al-Mustafa to behold you, with the arrows of the nation buried deep in your livers, their spears leveled at your throats, their swords steeped in your blood—the sons of harlots slaking the thirst of their depravity at your piety, and the rage of unbelief at your faith—while you are: one slain in the prayer-niche, the sword having cleft his skull; one martyred upon the bier, his shroud pierced through with arrows; one slain in the open, his head raised aloft upon a spear; one shackled in prison, his limbs crushed with iron; one poisoned, his bowels torn apart by the draughts of poison. "Indeed, to God we belong, and to Him we return," and there is no power and no strength save in God, the Most High, the Most Great.

Al-Mustafa (peace be upon him and his family) enjoined this nation to preserve his progeny and his household (peace be upon them), but

this nation did not honor the right of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in his progeny. So behold what they did to them, and what befell them of killing, of the shedding of their blood, of their exile from their homelands, of imprisoning them in dungeons, and of other forms of torment inflicted upon them by the tyrant and oppressor rulers. They forgot all the counsels of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), as though they had never heard anything of that concerning his progeny and his pure sons (peace be upon them). How excellent were the words of Sheikh Abd al-Husayn al-Amili, may God's mercy be upon him, when he said:

Abu al-Hasan Dawud al-Bakri said: I heard Ali ibn Di'bil ibn Ali al-Khuza'i relate from his father that he saw him in a dream and said to him: I met the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), upon whom were white garments and a white cap, and he said to me: "Are you Di'bil?" I said: "Yes, O Messenger of God." He said: "Recite to me your verse concerning my children." So I recited to him my verse:

He said: Then he said to me: "Well done," and he interceded for me, and gave me his garments—and here they are"—and he pointed to the garments upon his body (2).

It is related from Ibn Abbas (may God be pleased with him), concerning the words of God Almighty: "And their father had been righteous" (3), that he said:

They were preserved for the righteousness of their father, though no righteousness of their own was mentioned (1).

It is narrated from Ibn Abbas, Jabir, and Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) that God, through the righteousness of a man, sets right his child and his child's child, and preserves him in his progeny—and it was the seventh of their forefathers (2).

Al-Maqrizi said: If it is established that God Almighty preserved two boys for the righteousness of their father, then He has preserved descendants through the merit of their forebears, however long the ages stretch. Of this is what is related in tradition: that the doves of the Sanctuary descend from two doves that nested at the mouth of the cave in which the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) had hidden (3); and for this the doves of the Sanctuary were made inviolable. And if that be so, then Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is the more deserving, the more fitting, the worthier, and the more entitled that God Almighty should preserve his progeny—for he is the imam of the righteous, and God set right no corruption among His creation save through him (4).

It is narrated from Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) that he said to one of the Khawarij: "By what did God preserve the wealth of the two boys?" He said: "By the righteousness of their father." He said: "Then my father and my grandfather are better than he!!" (5). And it is narrated from Imam Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon them): "Indeed, God mentioned certain peoples by their fathers, and so preserved the sons for the sake of the fathers. God Almighty said: 'And their father had been righteous.' My father related to me, from his forefathers, that he was the ninth of his descendants. And we are the progeny of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)—preserve it for the sake of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family)" (6).

It is narrated from Imam al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them) that he said: "Preserve concerning us what the righteous servant preserved concerning the two orphans" (7).

The writer Abd al-Halim al-Jundi said: There is not in all the history of humanity a family that was exiled

and stripped bare, that tasted torment and terror, like the household of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). The history of Islam began its glory with them, and continued in them with its lesson and its grandeur. Their father presented to humanity the means of its salvation through the Book of God and the Sunna of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), and his household offered their very souls for the sake of the values that the Qur'an brought down and the Sunna conveyed. Their lamps were shattered, yet their flame would not be extinguished, so as to immortalize struggle, martyrdom, and guidance—through the lofty ideal that they were, and the light whose spread no obstacle could prevent. In it the sons of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) taught their nation some of their teachings: that martyrdom is life for the martyrs and for the living altogether (1).

And it suffices you, O loyal ones, were you to hear the words of the Household (peace be upon them) concerning what befell them of tyranny and aggression, of injustice and despotism. Here are some of the words that came forth from the breasts of the Household of Revelation (peace be upon them)—from breasts wounded with pain, when the measure overflowed from what they suffered at the hands of the tyrant rulers, filled with anguish and pain—so that they became, within the nation in which the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) had left them, in the position of the Children of Israel among the people of Pharaoh.

Al-Kulayni, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from al-Husayn ibn Mus'ab, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: "I used to pledge allegiance to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in hardship and in ease, in willingness and in reluctance, until Islam grew abundant and dense." He said: And Ali (peace be upon him) took from them the pledge that they would protect Muhammad and his progeny as they protect themselves and their own progeny. "So I took it from them. He was saved who was saved, and he perished who perished" (2).

And from Zayd ibn Ali ibn al-Hussein, from his father, from his grandfather (peace be upon them), who said: Ali (peace be upon him) said: "I was, along with the Ansar, pledged to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) upon hearing and obeying him in what was beloved and what was hateful. When Islam grew strong and its people many, he (peace be upon him and his family) said: 'O Ali, add to it: that you protect

the Messenger of God and his household as you protect yourselves and your own progeny.'" He said: "So I laid it upon the backs of the people. He fulfilled it who fulfilled it, and he perished who perished" (1).

It is narrated that it was said to Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon him): "How have you risen this morning?" He (peace be upon him) said: "We have risen fearful through the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), while all the people of Islam have risen secure through him" (2).

And these noble verses are narrated from him (peace be upon him):

Al-Qunduzi al-Hanafi narrated from the Maqtal of Abu Mikhnaf that when Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) reached Medina from captivity, he addressed the people of Medina and said in his sermon: "O people, we have risen this morning exiled, driven out, banished, far from our homelands, without any crime we committed, nor any wrong we perpetrated, nor any breach we made in Islam, nor any indecency we did. By God, had the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) enjoined them to fight us, they could not have exceeded what they did to us. Indeed, to God we belong, and to Him we return" (4).

Al-Nashi' al-Saghir said, from a poem of his of some ten verses, of which al-Hamawi cited his saying:

Sayyid Salih al-Najafi al-Qazwini, may God's mercy be upon him, said (2):

From al-Minhal ibn Amr, who said: I came in to Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and said: "How have you risen this morning—may God set you aright?" He (peace be upon him) said: "I never thought that an elder of the people of this city such as you would not know how we have risen. But since you do not know or are not aware, I will inform you. We have risen among our people in the position of the Children of Israel among the people of Pharaoh—when they slaughtered their sons and spared their women. And our elder and master has risen as one drawn near to our enemy by his being cursed and reviled upon the pulpits. And Quraysh has risen reckoning that it has merit over the Arabs because Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is of them—reckoning no merit for it save through him—and the Arabs have risen affirming that to them. And the Arabs have risen reckoning that they have merit over the non-Arabs because Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is of them—reckoning no merit for them save through him—and the non-Arabs have risen affirming that to them. So if the Arabs have spoken truly that they have merit over the non-Arabs, and Quraysh has spoken truly that it has merit over the Arabs because Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) is of them, then we, the Household, have merit over Quraysh because Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family)