المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

The Fourth Gathering, of the Night of Ashura
The Calamity of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)
in al-Husayn (peace be upon him)
Sheikh al-Mufid, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from Abdullah ibn Sinan, from Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them), that he said concerning the slaughter of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) and his household: Their slaughter weighs heavily upon the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and had he been alive in this world on that day, he (peace be upon him and his family) would have been the one consoled over them (1).

And may God have mercy on Mansur al-Numayri, when he says concerning the grief of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) over his grandson and his sweet basil, al-Husayn (peace be upon him):

And al-Sharif al-Radi, may God's mercy be upon him, said:

And Sheikh Kazim al-Azri, may God's mercy be upon him, said:

Sheikh al-Saduq, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from Ibn Abbas, from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), in a tradition in which he said: As for al-Husayn, he is from me, and he is my son and my child, and the best of creation after his brother. He is the Imam of the Muslims, the master of the believers, the vicegerent of the Lord of the Worlds, the aid of those who seek aid, the refuge of those who seek shelter, and God's proof over all His creation. He is the master of the youth of Paradise, and the gate of salvation for the nation. His command is my command, and obedience to him is obedience to me. Whoever follows him is from me, and whoever disobeys him is not from me. When I saw him, I remembered what will be done to him after me. It is as though I see him having sought refuge in my sanctuary and my grave, yet finding no refuge. So I embrace him in his sleep to my chest, and I command him to depart from the land of my migration, and I give him glad tidings of martyrdom. So he departs from it to the land of his slaughter and the place of his fall — a land of grief and tribulation, of killing and annihilation. A band of Muslims will support him; those are among the foremost martyrs of my nation on the Day of Resurrection. It is as though I look upon him, struck by an arrow, falling slain from his horse. Then he is slaughtered as a ram is slaughtered, wronged. Then the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) wept, and those around him wept, and their voices rose in lamentation. Then he (peace be upon him and his family) rose, saying: O God, I complain to You of what my household will face after me. Then he entered his dwelling (1).

And it is narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) that he said: Between me and the slayer of al-Husayn there is a dispute on the Day of Resurrection. I shall take hold of the leg of the Throne with my hand, and Ali shall take hold of my waist, and Fatima shall take hold of Ali's waist, and with her a shirt. Then I shall say: O Lord, grant me justice against the slayers of al-Husayn (2).

And it is narrated that Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) said to Yazid ibn Mu'awiya: Woe to you, O Yazid! If only you knew what you have done, and what you have committed against my father, my household, my brother, and my uncles, you would have fled into the mountains, spread out ashes, and called out in woe and ruin — that the head of my father al-Husayn, son of Fatima and Ali (peace be upon them), should be set up upon the gate of your city, when he is

the trust of the Messenger of God among you. So await disgrace and remorse tomorrow, when the people are gathered for a Day in which there is no doubt (1).

And it is narrated that when Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him) was brought before Yazid along with the women and children, shackled and bound with ropes, he (peace be upon him) said: By God, if the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) saw us shackled, he would love to free us from the shackles. He said: You speak truly — so free them from the shackles (2).

And from the words of Lady Zainab (peace be upon her) in her sermon in the assembly of Yazid ibn Mu'awiya, she said, addressing Yazid — may God curse him: By God, you have not cut anything but your own skin, nor sliced anything but your own flesh. And you shall surely come before the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) bearing the burden of the blood you spilled of his progeny, and the sanctities you violated among his kin and his flesh — when God gathers their assembly, mends their scattered ones, and takes their due: "And do not think of those who are killed in the way of God as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for." And sufficient for you is God as judge, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) as adversary, and Gabriel as supporter (3).

And it is narrated from Yazid ibn Abi Ziyad, who said: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) came out from the house of Aisha and passed by Fatima (peace be upon her), and he heard al-Husayn (peace be upon him) weeping. So he said: Do you not know that his weeping grieves me? (4).

I say: If the weeping of al-Husayn (peace be upon him) as a small child grieved him, then how would it be had he heard his moaning on the day of Karbala, and seen him riddled with wounds — thirsty and given no water, wounded and untreated? Ibn al-Jawzi said: The moaning of al-Abbas while he was a captive at Badr deprived the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) of sleep, so how would it be with the moaning of al-Husayn (peace be upon him)? And when Wahshi, the slayer of 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 love to look upon the slayer of loved ones. This, though Islam erases what came before it. So how would it be for his heart (peace be upon him and his family) to see the one who slaughtered al-Husayn (peace be upon him), commanded his killing, and carried his family upon

the bare backs of the camels? (1).

And it is narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who said: We never saw the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) weep more intensely than his weeping over Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib when he was killed (2). So how would it be then had he looked upon his grandson al-Husayn (peace be upon him), a torn corpse, riddled by the spear-points? Had he seen him, it would have been, without doubt, more severe upon him (peace be upon him and his family) than the day of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib (peace be upon him). As the poet said:

And al-Shafhini, may God's mercy be upon him, says:

The First Gathering, of the Day of Ashura
The Household (peace be upon them) and the Day of Ashura
So for the pure ones from the household of Muhammad and Ali — may God's blessings be upon them and their families — let the weepers weep, and for them let the mourners lament, and for the like of them let tears be shed, and let the criers cry out, and the clamorers clamor, and the wailers wail. Where is al-Hasan, and where is al-Husayn? Where are the sons of al-Husayn — righteous one after righteous one, truthful one after truthful one? Where is the path after the path? Where is the chosen one after the chosen one? Where are the rising suns? Where are the shining moons? Where are the radiant stars? Where are the banners of the faith and the foundations of knowledge? (1).

Al-Sayyid Ibn Tawus, may God's mercy be upon him, said concerning the Day of Ashura: When you resolve upon what is unavoidable of food and drink, after the time of the calamity has passed, say what means: O God, You have said: "And do not think of those who are killed in the way of God as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for" (2). So al-Husayn — God's blessings be upon him and his companions — are now with You, eating and drinking. So in this food and drink we follow their example (3).

And al-Sayyid, may God's mercy be upon him, said in al-Iqbal: When it is the last part of the day of Ashura, stand and greet the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and our master the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), and our master al-Hasan ibn Ali, and our lady Fatima al-Zahra and their pure progeny (peace be upon them), and console them over these calamities with a grieving heart, a weeping eye, and a tongue humbled by adversities. Then beg pardon of

God, exalted is His Majesty, and of them, for any shortcoming in what is due to them from you, and that they overlook what you failed to do of what you knew, as one does with whomever is dear to him. For it is unlikely that you can rise to this terrible calamity in accordance with the gravity of the affliction that befell. And make all that comes of motions and stillness in your grief over him a service to God, exalted is His Majesty, drawing near to Him thereby. And ask of God, exalted is His Majesty, and of them, what they wish you to ask of them, and what you are in need of — even if you do not know it and your hope has not reached it — for they are more worthy to give you according to their capacity, and to deal with you with kindness beyond what your asking could reach.

Perhaps someone may say: Should not the grief they observe from the beginning of the first ten days of Muharram, before the killing took place, rather be observed after the day of Ashura on account of the killing having freshly occurred?

So I say: At the start of the ten days, the grief was out of fear over what the situation was leading toward. But when he — God's blessings be upon him and his family — was killed, he entered under the saying of God Most High: "And do not think of those who are killed in the way of God as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, being provided for, rejoicing in what God has given them of His bounty, and receiving good tidings concerning those who have not yet joined them but are left behind — that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve" (1). So when they became rejoicing in the happiness of martyrdom, it became obligatory to share with them in that joy after the killing, so that we may attain happiness alongside them.

If it be said: Then why do you renew the recitation of the account of the slaughter and the grief every year? I say: Because reciting it is the presentation of the story of the killing before the justice of God, exalted is His Majesty, so that He may take its vengeance, as He has promised of justice. As for the renewal of grief every ten days, when the martyrs have become rejoicing, it is because it is a sharing of their sorrow during the ten days in which they were tested. So every year it behooves the people of loyalty to be grieving in the time of grief, and rejoicing in the time of joy (2).

It is narrated from Abdullah ibn al-Fadl, who said: I said to al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): O son of the Messenger of God, how

did the common people name the day of Ashura a day of blessing? So he (peace be upon him) wept, then said: When al-Husayn (peace be upon him) was killed, the people in Syria sought to draw near to Yazid, so they fabricated traditions for him and received rewards of wealth for them. Among what they fabricated for him was the matter of this day, and that it is a day of blessing, so that people might turn on it from anguish, weeping, calamity, and grief toward joy, gladness, seeking blessing, and making provisions. God judges between us and them.

And it is narrated from Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Faddal, from his father, from Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him), who said: Whoever abandons the pursuit of his needs on the day of Ashura, God will fulfill for him the needs of this world and the Hereafter. And whoever makes the day of Ashura his day of calamity, grief, and weeping, God, Mighty and Majestic, will make the Day of Resurrection his day of joy and gladness, and his eye will be delighted by us in the Gardens. And whoever names the day of Ashura a day of blessing and stores up something for his household on it, no blessing will be in what he stored, and he will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection with Yazid, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, and Umar ibn Sa'd — may God curse them — in the lowest depth of the Fire (1).

And Jabir al-Ju'fi, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated, saying: I came to Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them) on the day of Ashura, and he said to me: These are the visitors of God, and it is a duty upon the visited to honor the visitor. Whoever spends the night at the grave of al-Husayn (peace be upon him) on the night of Ashura will meet God on the Day of Resurrection smeared with his blood, as though he had been killed with him on his plain. And he said: Whoever visits the grave of al-Husayn (peace be upon him) on the day of Ashura and spends the night there is like one who was martyred before him (2).

And it is narrated from Harith, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: Whoever visits al-Husayn (peace be upon him) on the day of Ashura, Paradise becomes obligatory for him. And from Zayd al-Shahham, from Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: Whoever visits the grave of al-Husayn ibn Ali (peace be upon them) on the day of Ashura, recognizing his right, is like one who visited God upon His Throne. And from Muhammad ibn Jumhur al-Ammi, from one whom he mentioned, from them (peace be upon them), who said: Whoever visits the grave of al-Husayn (peace be upon him)

on the day of Ashura is like one who was drenched in his blood before him. And Muhammad ibn Abi Sayyar al-Mada'ini narrated with his chain, saying: Whoever gives water on the day of Ashura at the grave of al-Husayn (peace be upon them) is like one who gave water to the army of al-Husayn (peace be upon him) and was present with him.

And it is narrated from Zayd al-Shahham, from Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them), who said: Whoever visits al-Husayn (peace be upon him) on the night of the middle of Sha'ban, God will forgive him his past and future sins. And whoever visits him on the day of Arafa, God will record for him the reward of a thousand accepted pilgrimages and a thousand accepted lesser pilgrimages. And whoever visits him on the day of Ashura, it is as though he visited God above His Throne (1).

And Sheikh al-Saduq, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from al-Mufaddal ibn Umar, from al-Sadiq Ja'far ibn Muhammad, from his father, from his grandfather (peace be upon them): That al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him) entered one day upon al-Hasan (peace be upon him), and when he looked at him, he wept. So he said to him: What makes you weep, O Abu Abdullah? He said: I weep for what will be done to you. So al-Hasan (peace be upon him) said to him: What will come to me is poison that will be slipped to me, by which I shall be killed. But there is no day like your day, O Abu Abdullah. Thirty thousand men will draw near to you, claiming to be from the nation of our grandfather Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family and grant them peace), and professing the religion of Islam, then gathering to kill you, shed your blood, violate your sanctity, take captive your offspring and women, and plunder your baggage. At that point the curse shall descend upon the Umayyads, the sky shall rain ash and blood, and everything shall weep over you — even the wild beasts in the deserts and the fish in the seas (2).

And it is narrated from Zayn al-Abidin Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon them), who said: There is no day like the day of al-Husayn (peace be upon him). Thirty thousand men drew near to him, alleging that they were from this nation, each seeking to draw near to God, Mighty and Majestic, with his blood — while he was reminding them of God, yet they took no heed — until they killed him out of tyranny, injustice, and aggression (3).

And Abdullah ibn Sinan narrated, saying: I entered upon my master Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them) on the day of Ashura, and I found him with a pallid face, his grief evident, and his tears streaming from his eyes like scattered pearls. So I said: O son of the Messenger of God!

What is the cause of your weeping? May God not make your eyes weep. So he said to me: Are you in heedlessness? Do you not know that al-Husayn ibn Ali was afflicted on a day like this? (1).

And it is narrated that Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said to Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Basri concerning the calamity of al-Husayn (peace be upon him): For he is a stranger in a strange land. He who visits him weeps for him, he who has not visited him grieves for him, he who has not witnessed him burns with sorrow for him, and he who looks upon the grave of his son at his feet has mercy upon him — in a barren land with no close kin near him and no relative. Then he was denied his right, and the people of apostasy banded together against him, until they killed him, abandoned him, and exposed him to the wild beasts, and denied him a drink of the water of the Euphrates, which the dogs drink. They neglected the right of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family and grant them peace) and his charge concerning him and his household. So he came to rest forsaken in his grave, slain among his kin and his followers, beneath layers of dust. His grave was made desolate in solitude and distance from his grandfather — the dwelling that none reaches but one whose heart God has tested for faith and to whom He has made known our right. Until he (peace be upon him) said: My father told me that since he was killed, his place has not been empty of one praying over him — from among the angels, or the jinn, or mankind, or the wild beasts. And there is nothing but that it envies his visitor and seeks blessing from him, hoping by looking upon him for the good of having looked upon his grave.

Then he said: It has reached me that a people come to him from the regions of Kufa, and others besides them, and women who mourn for him, and that is in the middle of Sha'ban. Among them is one who recites, one who narrates, one who mourns, and one who recites elegies. So I said to him: Yes, may I be made your ransom, I have witnessed some of what you describe. So he said: Praise be to God, who has placed among the people those who come to us, praise us, and mourn for us, and who has made our enemy those who revile them, from our kin and others, belittling them and reviling what

they do (1).

And from al-Rayyan ibn Shabib, who said: I entered upon al-Rida (peace be upon him) on the first day of Muharram, and he related the tradition from Imam al-Rida (peace be upon him) until he said: O son of Shabib, Muharram is the month in which the people of the Age of Ignorance in times past would forbid oppression and fighting on account of its sanctity. Yet this nation recognized neither the sanctity of its month nor the sanctity of its Prophet. In this month they killed his progeny, took captive his women, and plundered his baggage — may God never forgive them for that. O son of Shabib, if you must weep over anything, then weep for al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon them), for he was slaughtered as a ram is slaughtered, and there were killed with him eighteen men of his household who had no equal upon the earth. The seven heavens and the earths wept for his killing, and four thousand angels descended to the earth to support him, but they found him already killed. So they are at his grave, disheveled and dust-covered, until the Qa'im arises, when they will be among his supporters, and their watchword will be: O avengers of al-Husayn!

O son of Shabib, my father told me, from his father, from his grandfather, that when my grandfather al-Husayn was killed, the sky rained blood and red dust — until he (peace be upon him) said: O son of Shabib, if it pleases you to dwell in the lofty chambers built in Paradise with the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family and grant them peace), then curse the slayers of al-Husayn.

O son of Shabib, if it pleases you to have a reward like that of one who was martyred with al-Husayn, then say whenever you remember him: Would that I had been with them, that I might attain a great triumph. O son of Shabib, if it pleases you to be with us in the highest ranks of the Gardens, then grieve for our grief and rejoice for our joy, and hold fast to our guardianship. For if a man were to give his allegiance to a stone, God would gather him with it on the Day of Resurrection (2).

And in the Ziyara of al-Nahiya, al-Hujja — may God hasten his noble relief — says: For even if the ages have delayed me, and what was decreed has prevented me from supporting you, and I was not among those who fought against you, nor among those who

raised enmity against you, yet I shall surely mourn you morning and evening, and I shall weep over you, blood in place of tears, in anguish over you, in sorrow over what befell you, and in grief, until I die from the agony of the calamity and the choking of dejection (1).

And Sheikh al-Saduq, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from Ibrahim ibn Abi Mahmud, who said: al-Rida (peace be upon him) said: Muharram is a month in which the people of the Age of Ignorance would forbid fighting, yet in it our blood was made lawful, our sanctity violated, our offspring and women taken captive, the fires kindled in our tents, and our baggage plundered. No sanctity was observed for the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family and grant them peace) in our affair. The day of al-Husayn has wounded our eyelids, made our tears flow, humiliated our honored one in the land of grief and tribulation, and bequeathed to us grief and tribulation until the Day of the End. So for the like of al-Husayn let the weepers weep, for weeping over him removes the gravest sins.

Then he (peace be upon him) said: When the month of Muharram entered, my father would not be seen laughing, and melancholy would overcome him until ten days had passed. When it was the tenth day, that day was his day of calamity, grief, and weeping, and he would say: It is the day on which al-Husayn — God's blessings be upon him — was killed (2).

And from the book al-Nawadir of Ali ibn Asbat, may God's mercy be upon him, narrated from one of the companions of the Imams (peace be upon them), who said: Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) said: My father was suffering from a stomach ailment on the day his father (peace be upon him) was killed, and he was in the tent. I would see how our supporters fought alongside him, bringing him water, charging upon the right flank once, the left flank once, and the center once. They killed him in a manner the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) had forbidden even for the killing of dogs. He was killed with the sword, the spear-point, with stones, with wood, and with the staff, and afterward they trampled him with horses (3).

And al-Biruni said: They did to al-Husayn (peace be upon him) what was never done among all the nations to the worst of creatures — killing with the sword, the spear, the stones, and the running of horses over him (1).

And how excellent are the words of Sheikh Abd al-Husayn Shukr, may God's mercy be upon him, when he says:

The Second Gathering, of the Day of Ashura
The Sermon of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) on the Day of Ashura
It is stated in some of the noble visitations of Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him): I bear witness that your blood settled in the eternal abode, and the shades of the Throne shuddered for it, and all creatures wept for it, and the seven heavens and the seven earths wept for it, and all that is in them and between them, and whoever moves about in Paradise and the Fire among our Lord's creation, and what is seen and what is not seen. I bear witness that you are God's proof and the son of His proof. And I bear witness that you are God's slain one and the son of His slain one. And I bear witness that you are God's avenged one and the son of His avenged one. And I bear witness that you are the unavenged of God in the heavens and the earth. And I bear witness that you have conveyed and counseled, fulfilled and kept faith,

and striven in the way of God, and passed on upon that which you held — a martyr and one seeking martyrdom, a witness and one witnessed (1).

Some of the narrators said: al-Husayn (peace be upon him) arose in the morning and arranged his companions after the dawn prayer. With him were thirty-two horsemen and forty footmen. And al-Sayyid Ibn Tawus, may God's mercy be upon him, said: It is narrated from al-Baqir (peace be upon him) that they were forty-five horsemen and one hundred footmen, and likewise said Ibn Nama.

Sheikh al-Mufid, may God's mercy be upon him, said: He placed Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn on the right flank of his companions, and Habib ibn Mazahir on the left flank, and gave his banner to his brother al-Abbas. They placed the tents behind them, and he commanded that firewood and reeds, which were behind the tents, be put into a trench that had been dug there and set alight with fire, for fear that they would come at them from behind.

And Umar ibn Sa'd arose on that day — which was Friday, and it is said Saturday — and arranged his companions, and went out with those who were with him toward al-Husayn (peace be upon him). On his right flank was Amr ibn al-Hajjaj, on his left flank Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan, over the cavalry Urwa ibn Qays, and over the infantry Shabath ibn Rib'i. He gave the banner to his servant Durayd. Muhammad ibn Abi Talib said: They numbered somewhat over twenty-two thousand. And in a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him): thirty thousand.

Concerning this, al-Sayyid Rida al-Hindi, may God's mercy be upon him, says:

And another said:

Sheikh al-Mufid, may God's mercy be upon him, said: It is narrated from Ali ibn al-Husayn (peace be upon him) that he said: When the cavalry came advancing upon al-Husayn (peace be upon him), he raised his hands and said: O God, You are my trust in every distress, and my hope in every hardship. You are for me, in every matter that befalls me, a trust and a resource. How many a distress that weakens the heart, in which the stratagem grows few, in which the friend forsakes, and in which the enemy gloats — I have laid before You and complained of to You, in my desire toward You away from all besides You, and You have relieved it and removed it. For You are the Guardian of every blessing, the Master of every good, and the ultimate object of every desire.

He said: Then the people began to circle around the tent of al-Husayn (peace be upon him), and they saw the trench at their backs, and the fire blazing in the firewood and reeds that had been cast into it. So Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan called out at the top of his voice: O Husayn! Have you hastened to the fire before the Day of Resurrection? So al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said: Who is this? It is as though it is Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan. They said: Yes. So he said to him: O son of the goat-herding woman! You are more worthy of roasting in it.

And Muslim ibn Awsaja sought to shoot him with an arrow, but al-Husayn (peace be upon him) prevented him from that. So he said to him: Let me shoot him, for the corrupt one is among the enemies of God and the great tyrants, and God has given me power over him. So al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said to him: Do not shoot him, for I dislike to be the one to begin against them with fighting (1).

And Muhammad ibn Abi Talib said: The companions of Umar ibn Sa'd mounted. al-Husayn's (peace be upon him) horse was brought to him, and he settled upon it, and advanced toward the people with a group of his companions, and before him was Burayr ibn Khudayr. So al-Husayn (peace be upon him) said to him: Speak to the people. So Burayr advanced and said: O people! Fear God, for the trust of Muhammad has come to be among you. These are his progeny, his kin, his daughters, and his womenfolk. So bring forth what you have, and what is it you intend to do with them? They said: We intend to deliver them up to

the commander, Ibn Ziyad, so that he may give his view concerning them. So Burayr said to them: Will you not accept from them that they return to the place from which they came? Woe to you, O people of Kufa! Have you forgotten your letters and your covenants which you gave and made God witness over? Woe to you! Did you not summon the household of your Prophet, and claim that you would lay down your lives in their defense, until, when they came to you, you delivered them up to Ibn Ziyad, and barred them from the water of the Euphrates? Evil is the way you have succeeded your Prophet concerning his progeny. What is wrong with you? May God not give you water on the Day of Resurrection. Evil indeed is the people you are.

So a group of them said to him: O you! We do not understand what you are saying. So Burayr said: Praise be to God, who has increased me in insight concerning you. O God, I disavow before You the deeds of these people. O God, cast their might among themselves, that they may meet You while You are angry with them. So the people began to shoot him with arrows, and Burayr withdrew behind them.

And al-Husayn (peace be upon him) advanced until he stood facing the people. He began to look at their ranks, as though they were a flood, and he looked at Ibn Sa'd standing among the chiefs of Kufa. So he said: Praise be to God, who created the world and made it an abode of perishing and passing away, shifting its people from one state to another. The deluded one is he whom it has deluded, and the wretched one is he whom it has tempted. So let not this world delude you, for it cuts off the hope of whoever leans upon it, and disappoints the greed of whoever covets it. I see that you have gathered upon a matter by which you have angered God against you, turned His noble face away from you, brought His vengeance down upon you, and removed yourselves from His mercy. How excellent is our Lord, and how evil are you as servants! You acknowledged obedience and believed in the Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), then you marched upon his progeny and his kin, intending to kill them. Satan has overcome you and made you forget the remembrance of God the Magnificent. So perish you and what you intend! Indeed, we belong to God, and to Him we shall return. These are a people who disbelieved after their faith, so away with the wrongdoing people.

So Umar said: Woe to you! Speak to him, for he is the son of his father. By God, were he to stand among you thus for a whole new day, he would not falter nor be at a loss for words. So speak to him. So Shimr — may God curse him — advanced and said: O Husayn! What is this