المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

They said: He (peace be upon him) stood resting for a moment, having grown too weak to fight. While he was standing there, a stone came and struck him on the forehead. He took the cloth to wipe the blood from his face, when a sharpened, poisoned, three-pronged arrow came and lodged in his chest—and in some narrations, on his heart. Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: In the name of God, and by God, and upon the religion of the Messenger of God. He raised his head to the heavens and said: My God! You know that they are killing a man who has no equal upon the face of the earth as the son of a prophet besides him. Then he took the arrow and pulled it out from the back of his neck, and the blood gushed forth like a spout. He placed his hand on the wound, and when it filled, he flung the blood toward the sky—and not a single drop of that blood fell back. And no redness was known in the sky until al-Hussein (peace be upon him) cast his blood toward it. Then he placed his hand a second time, and when it filled, he smeared his head and beard with it, saying: Thus shall I be until I meet my grandfather, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), while I am dyed in my own blood, and I will say: O Messenger of God! So-and-so and so-and-so killed me.

Then he grew too weak to fight and stood still, and whenever a man came and reached him, he turned away from him—until a man from Kindah named Malik ibn al-Nusr came, cursed al-Hussein (peace be upon him), and struck him on the head with his sword. He was wearing a hooded cloak that filled with blood. Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: May you neither eat nor drink with this hand, and may God gather you with the wrongdoers. Then he cast off the cloak and put on a cap, wrapping a turban over it,

and he was already exhausted. The man from Kindah came and took the cloak, which was of silk. When he returned home after the battle, he began to wash the blood from it, and his wife said to him: Do you enter my house with the plunder of the son of the Messenger of God? Get out of my sight—may God fill your grave with fire! And he remained ever after poor and in the worst of conditions, and his hands withered: in winter they would ooze blood, and in summer they would become dry as two sticks.

Sheikh al-Mufid and Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon them, said: They paused for a moment, then returned to him and surrounded him. So Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon them)—a boy not yet of age—rushed out from among the women until he stood by the side of al-Hussein (peace be upon him). Zainab, daughter of Ali (peace be upon him), came after him to hold him back, and al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: Restrain him, my sister! But he refused and resisted fiercely, saying: No, by God, I will not leave my uncle. Abjar ibn Ka'b—and it is said Harmalah ibn Kahil—lunged at al-Hussein (peace be upon him) with his sword. The boy said to him: Woe to you, son of the wicked woman! Would you kill my uncle? So he struck with the sword, and the boy shielded himself with his hand, which it severed to the skin so that it hung dangling. The boy cried out: O mother! Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) took him and clasped him to himself, saying: My nephew! Be patient with what has befallen you, and count it among the good, for God will join you with your righteous forefathers. The Sayyid said: Then Harmalah ibn Kahil shot him with an arrow and slaughtered him while he was in the lap of his uncle, al-Hussein (peace be upon him) (1).

Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon him, said: Then Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan charged the tent of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and pierced it with his spear, then said: Bring me fire so I may burn it over those within it! Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said to him: O son of Dhi al-Jawshan! You are the one calling for fire to burn over my family? May God burn you with fire! And Shabath came and rebuked him, so he felt ashamed and turned away.

The narrator said: When he (peace be upon him) was overwhelmed with wounds and remained like a hedgehog, Salih ibn Wahb al-Muzani thrust him in his flank with a spear-blow, and he (peace be upon him) fell from his horse to the ground upon his right cheek. Then

he rose, the blessings of God be upon him.

And how excellent are the words of Sayyid Haydar al-Hilli, may mercy be upon him, when he says:

And he says in another splendid piece:

He said: Zainab came out of the tent crying: O my brother! O my master! O my family! Would that the sky had collapsed upon the earth, and would that the mountains had crumbled down upon the plain.

He said: And Shimr cried out: What are you waiting for with this man? So they charged him from every side. Zur'ah ibn Shareek struck him on the shoulder, and al-Hussein struck Zur'ah and felled him. Another struck him with a sword on his sacred shoulder, a blow from which he (peace be upon him) pitched forward on his face, for he was already exhausted. He (peace be upon him) kept stumbling and pitching forward, when Sinan ibn Anas al-Nakha'i thrust him in his collarbone, then withdrew the spear and thrust him in the breastbone of his chest. Then Sinan also shot him with an arrow that lodged in his throat. He (peace be upon him) fell and sat upright, pulled the arrow from his throat, and joined his two palms together. Whenever they filled with his blood, he smeared his head and beard with them, saying: Thus shall I be until I meet God dyed in my blood, my right usurped from me. (1)

Humayd ibn Muslim said: Zainab, daughter of Ali (peace be upon him), came out crying: Would that the sky had collapsed upon the earth! O Umar ibn Sa'd! Is Abu Abdullah to be killed while you look on? And Umar's tears were flowing down his cheeks and beard while he turned his face away from her. Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was sitting, wearing a robe of silk, and the people had drawn back from him. Then Shimr called out: Woe to you! What are you waiting for with him? The wounds and arrows have already overwhelmed him—kill him, may your mothers be bereft of you! So they charged him from every side. The narrator said: He kept pitching down once and rising again. In that state, Sinan charged him and thrust him with the spear and felled him. In one narration, he (peace be upon him) fell upon his right cheek and said to Khawli ibn Yazid: Sever his head! But Khawli weakened and his hand trembled. Sinan said to him: May God shatter your arm and sever your hand! Then Shimr, God curse him, came down to him—and the cursed one was afflicted with leprosy—and kicked him with his foot, throwing him onto his back. Then he seized his beard, and al-Hussein (peace be upon him) said: You are the spotted one I saw in my dream. He said: Do you liken me to dogs? Then he began to strike the throat of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) with his sword.

And it is narrated in al-Manaqib, by his chain of transmission, from Muhammad ibn Amr ibn al-Hasan, who said: We were with al-Hussein at the river of Karbala, and he looked at Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan—who was afflicted with leprosy—and said: God is greatest! God is greatest! God and His Messenger spoke truly. The Messenger of God said: It is as though I see a spotted dog lapping in the blood of my family.

And it is said: Shimr and Sinan ibn Anas came to him while al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was at his last breath, his tongue working in his mouth from thirst as he sought water. Shimr—God curse him—kicked him with his foot and said: O son of Abu Turab! Do you not claim that your father is at the Pool of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), giving drink to those who love him? Then be patient until you take water from his hand. Then he said to Sinan: Sever his head from the back. Sinan said: By God, I will not do it, lest his grandfather Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) be my adversary.

So Shimr—God curse him—grew angry, sat upon the chest of al-Hussein, seized his beard, and was about to kill him. Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) laughed, and said to him: Would you kill me without knowing who I am? He said: I know you with full

knowledge: your mother is Fatima al-Zahra, your father is Ali al-Murtada, and your grandfather is Muhammad al-Mustafa. I will kill you and not care. Then he struck him with his sword twelve blows, then severed his head—the blessings and peace of God be upon him—and may God curse his killer, and those who fought him, and all who marched against him with their hordes.

Ibn Shahr Ashub, may mercy be upon him, said: Abu Mikhnaf narrated, on the authority of al-Juludi, that when al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was struck down, his horse began to defend him, leaping upon any rider and throwing him from his saddle and trampling him—until the horse had killed forty men. Then it rolled in the blood of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and headed toward the tent, neighing loudly and striking the earth with its hoof.

And the Sayyid, may God be pleased with him, said: When he—the blessings of God be upon him—was slain, there rose up in the sky at that moment a heavy, black, dark dust, within which was a red wind, in which no eye nor trace could be seen, until the people thought that the torment had come upon them. They remained thus for an hour, then it cleared away from them.

Hilal ibn Nafi' narrated, saying: I was standing with the companions of Umar ibn Sa'd when a crier called out: Rejoice, O Commander, for this is Shimr who has killed al-Hussein! He said: So I went out between the two ranks and stood over him while he was breathing his last. By God, I never saw a slain man drenched in his blood more beautiful than him, nor more radiant of face. The light of his face and the splendor of his awe distracted me from thinking about his killing. In that state he asked for water to drink, and I heard a man say: You shall not taste water until you come to the blazing Fire and drink of its scalding water. I heard him say: Shall I come to the blazing Fire and drink of its scalding water? Rather, I shall come to my grandfather, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and dwell with him in his abode, in a seat of truth near a Sovereign, Omnipotent, and drink of water that does not spoil, and complain to him of what you have inflicted upon me and done to me. He said:

Then they all grew enraged, as though God had not placed any mercy in the heart of a single one of them. They severed his head while he was still speaking to them, and I marveled at the lack of mercy in them, and I said: By God, I will never join you in any matter ever again (1).

And it has come in the noble Ziyarat al-Nahiyah: Until they cast you down from your steed, and you fell to the ground wounded; the horses trampled you with their hooves, and the tyrants towered over you with their cutting blades. Your brow had broken out with the sweat of death, and your left and right hands alternated in clenching and unclenching. You cast a faint glance toward your encampment and your tent, occupied with your own self away from your children and family. Your horse hastened off in flight, heading toward your tents, whinnying and weeping. When the women saw your steed in disgrace and beheld its saddle turned upon it, they came forth from behind the veils, their hair unbound over their cheeks, striking their faces, unveiled, crying out in wailing, abased after honor, rushing toward the place of your fall. And Shimr was sitting upon your chest, plunging his sword into your throat, gripping your gray hair with his hand, slaughtering you with his blade. Your senses had stilled, your breaths had faded, and your head was raised upon the spear.

Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Razi narrated, on the authority of Abu Ja'far the Second (peace be upon him), who said: I said to him: May I be made your ransom, what do you say concerning fasting? For it has been narrated that they are not granted success to fast. He said: Indeed, the supplication of the angel against them has been answered. He said: I said: How is that, may I be made your ransom? He said: When the people killed al-Hussein, the blessings of God be upon him, God, blessed and exalted, commanded an angel to call out: O wrongdoing nation, killers of the offspring of your Prophet! May God never grant you success in fasting nor in breaking fast (2).

And it is narrated from Razin, who said: Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said: When al-Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon them) was struck with the sword and his head fell, and they moved to cut off his head, a caller called out from the innermost depths of the Throne:

O bewildered nation, gone astray after your Prophet! May God never grant you success for the Feast of Sacrifice nor for the breaking of the fast. He said: Then Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) said: So inevitably, by God, they have not been granted success, nor will they be granted it, until the avenger of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) rises to take revenge. And how excellent are the words of the learned authority Sheikh Ali al-Jishshi, may mercy be upon him, when he says:

And he also says:

The Ninth Gathering, of the Day of Ashura
The forbidding by the Family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) of fasting on the Day of Ashura
and the display by the Umayyads of joy and gladness upon it
It has come in the Ziyarat Ashura: O God! Indeed this is a day in which the Umayyads, and the son of the liver-eating woman—the accursed son of the accursed upon Your tongue and the tongue of Your Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), in every place and station where Your Prophet stood—took blessing. And it has also come in it: And this is a day in which the House of Ziyad and the House of Marwan rejoiced at their killing of al-Hussein, the blessings of God be upon them. O God! Multiply upon them the curse and the torment. O God! I draw near to You on this day, and in this station of mine, and throughout the days of my life, by disavowing them and cursing them, and by loyalty to Your Prophet and the Family of Your Prophet, peace be upon him and upon them (3).

Indeed, the Umayyads established for the people the custom of rejoicing on the Day of Ashura and ordered the people to fast on it, and took it as a day of joy and gladness. Concerning this, one of the poets says:

For fasting is only for thanksgiving, and there is no fasting on the Day of Ashura, because it is a day of calamity—a day deemed ill-omened by the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), as has come in the narration. Yet the Umayyads ordered the people to fast on Ashura out of joy at the killing of al-Hussein (peace be upon him). The Family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) made explicit mention of this in their words and noble counsels, and alerted their companions and followers to it.

Among this is what is narrated from Ja'far ibn Isa, who said: I asked al-Rida (peace be upon him) about fasting on Ashura and what the people say about it. He said: Is it about the fast of Ibn Marjanah (1) that you ask me? That is a day fasted by the impostors of the House of Ziyad over the killing of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), and it is a day deemed ill-omened by the Family of Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and deemed ill-omened by the people of Islam—and the day deemed ill-omened by the people of Islam is not to be fasted nor blessed. And Monday is a day of misfortune, on which God, mighty and exalted, took the soul of His Prophet, and no affliction befell the Family of Muhammad except on a Monday; so we deemed it ill-omened, while our enemy blessed it. And on the Day of Ashura al-Hussein, the blessings of God be upon him, was killed, and Ibn Marjanah blessed it while the Family of Muhammad, may God bless them, deemed it ill-omened. So whoever fasts on these two days or blesses them will meet God, blessed and exalted, with a deformed heart, and his resurrection will be with those who established the fasting and the blessing of them (2).

And it is narrated from Zayd al-Narsi, who said: I heard Ubayd ibn Zurarah ask Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) about fasting on the Day of Ashura, and he said: Whoever fasts it, his share of the fasting of that day will be the share of Ibn Marjanah and the House of Ziyad. He said: I said: And what was their share of that day? He said: The Fire—may God protect us

from the Fire and from any deed that brings one near to the Fire (1).

And it is narrated from Abd al-Malik, who said: I asked Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him) about fasting on Tasu'a and Ashura of the month of Muharram. He said: Tasu'a is the day on which al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions, may God be pleased with them, were besieged at Karbala, and the cavalry of the people of Syria gathered against him and encamped upon him; and Ibn Marjanah and Umar ibn Sa'd rejoiced at the abundance of cavalry and its multitude, and deemed al-Hussein, the blessings of God be upon him, and his companions, may God be pleased with them, to be weak on that day, and they were certain that no helper would come to al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and that the people of Iraq would not reinforce him—may my father be the ransom of the oppressed stranger! Then he said: As for the Day of Ashura, it is a day on which al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was struck down, slain among his companions, with his companions slain around him, stripped bare. Is there to be fasting on such a day?! No, by the Lord of the Sacred House, it is not a day of fasting, and it is nothing but a day of grief and calamity that descended upon the people of heaven and the people of earth and all the believers, and a day of joy and gladness for Ibn Marjanah and the House of Ziyad and the people of Syria—may God's wrath be upon them and upon their descendants. It is a day over which all the spots of the earth wept, save the spot of Syria. So whoever fasts it or blesses it, God will resurrect him with the House of Ziyad, deformed of heart, with His wrath upon him. (2)

And it is narrated from al-Hussein ibn Abi Ghundar, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Abu Abdullah (peace be upon him), who said: I asked him about fasting on the Day of Arafah. He said: It is a feast among the feasts of the Muslims, and a day of supplication and entreaty. I said: And fasting on the Day of Ashura? He said: That is a day on which al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was killed; so if you are one who gloats, then fast. Then he said: The House of Umayyah made a vow that if al-Hussein (peace be upon him) were killed, they would take that day as a feast for themselves, fasting on it in thanksgiving and bringing joy to their children. And it became, among the House of Abu Sufyan, a custom to this day. For that reason they fast it and bring joy to their families and households on that day. Then he said: Fasting is not for calamity, and it is only for thanksgiving for safety. And indeed al-Hussein (peace be upon him)

was struck down on the Day of Ashura. If you are among those who were afflicted by him, then do not fast; but if you are a gloater, among those gladdened by the safety of the Umayyads, then fast in thanksgiving to God Almighty (1).

And Abu al-Rayhan al-Biruni says in al-Athar al-Baqiyah, after mentioning what befell al-Hussein (peace be upon him) on the Day of Ashura: As for the Umayyads, they wore new garments on it, adorned themselves, applied kohl, kept it as a feast, held banquets and feasts, and served sweets and delicacies. This custom ran among the common people during the days of their reign and remained among them after its passing from them. As for the Shia, they wail and weep in grief for the killing of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) on it (2).

And al-Maqrizi says, after mentioning that the Egyptian Alids used to take the Day of Ashura as a day of grief, on which the markets would be shut down: When the dynasty passed away, the kings of the House of Ayyub took the Day of Ashura as a day of joy, on which they would be generous to their families, indulge in foods, acquire new vessels, apply kohl, and enter the bathhouse—following the custom of the people of Syria that al-Hajjaj established for them in the days of Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, in order to spite the followers of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), who take the Day of Ashura as a day of mourning and grief for al-Hussein ibn Ali (peace be upon him), because he was killed on it. He said: We have witnessed the remnants of what the House of Ayyub instituted in taking Ashura as a day of joy and indulgence (3).

And al-Zarandi said—in the course of his speech about the Nawasib and the ignorant who took the Day of Ashura as a day of feast and joy—he said: They took this day as a feast and set about displaying joy and gladness, either because they were among the Nawasib bigoted against al-Hussein and his family (peace be upon them), or among the ignorant... So they displayed adornment, such as dyeing with henna, wearing new clothes, bathing,

expanding their expenditures, cooking foods and grains beyond the ordinary, and they do on it what is done on feasts, claiming that this is from the established practice and the custom—while the established practice is to abandon all of it, for nothing reliable has been transmitted concerning it, nor any sound report to be depended upon and referred to.

And some of the eminent scholars, those looked to in the science of hadith and the science of religions, were asked about what the people do on the Day of Ashura of applying kohl, bathing, henna, wearing new clothes, displaying joy, and the like. He said: No sound hadith has been transmitted concerning that from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), nor from his companions, nor did any of the imams of the Muslims recommend it—neither the Four Imams nor others—and the authors of the reliable books have transmitted nothing of it from the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)... neither sound nor weak.

And as for what has been narrated from some of the later ones concerning that—that whoever applies kohl on the Day of Ashura will not suffer eye disease that year, and whoever bathes on it will not fall ill that year, and whoever is generous to his household on it, God will be generous to him for the rest of his year, and the like of that—all of it is fabricated lies (1).

I say: O you who are loyal to the Family of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), it is your right to weep and grieve on this day over the affliction and calamity of the sweet basil of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and the delight of the eye of al-Zahra, the chaste virgin (peace be upon her). What a grievous affliction, a calamity for which the firm-rooted mountains crack! For this grievous affliction grieved and brought to tears the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and the Commander of the Faithful, and Fatima the Mistress of Women, and al-Hasan the Chosen, and all the imams of the Family of the Prophet (peace be upon them).

It has come in the noble Ziyarat al-Nahiyah, narrated from the Imam, the Awaited Proof—may our souls be his ransom—addressing al-Hussein, the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him): You were a son to the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family), a rescuer for the Quran, a support for the nation, diligent in obedience, a keeper of the covenant and the pledge, turning away from the paths of the transgressors, exerting your utmost effort, long in bowing and prostration, ascetic in this world with the asceticism of one departing from it,

looking upon it with the eye of those who shun it. Your hopes were withheld from it, your aspiration turned away from its adornment, your glances averted from its splendor, and your longing for the Hereafter well known. Until injustice extended its arm, oppression unveiled its face, error called its followers—while you were dwelling in the sanctuary of your grandfather, set apart from the wrongdoers, a companion of the house and the prayer-niche, withdrawn from pleasures and desires, condemning the wrong with your heart and your tongue, to the measure of your capacity and your ability.

Then knowledge demanded of you to condemn it, and it became incumbent upon you to wage struggle against the wicked. So you set out with your children and your family, your followers and your loyal ones, and you spoke plainly with the truth and the clear proof, and you called to God with wisdom and good admonition. You commanded the establishment of the divine limits, and obedience to the Worshipped One, and you forbade the foul deeds and the tyranny. They confronted you with injustice and aggression, and you struggled against them after admonishing them and reinforcing the proof against them. So they violated your protection and your pledge of allegiance, angered your Lord and your grandfather, and began the war against you. You stood firm against the spearing and the striking, and you ground down the armies of the wicked, and you plunged into the clouds of dust, fighting with Dhu al-Faqar as though you were Ali the Chosen. When they saw you steadfast of heart, neither fearing nor dreading, they set up against you the snares of their treachery, and fought you with their guile and their evil. The accursed one commanded his troops, and they barred you from the water and its reaching, and engaged you in combat, and hastened upon you in battle, and showered you with arrows and darts, and stretched out toward you the hands of annihilation. They observed no covenant for you, nor heeded any sin in you—in their killing of your loyal ones and their plundering of your encampment. You were at the forefront amid the assaults, bearing the injuries. The angels of the heavens marveled at your patience. They encircled you from all directions, overwhelmed you with wounds, and stood between you and departure. No helper remained for you, while you were patient, seeking reward, defending your women and your children.

Until they cast you down from your steed, and you fell to the ground wounded; the horses trampled you with their hooves, and the tyrants towered over you with their cutting blades. Your brow had broken out with the sweat of death, and your left and right hands alternated in clenching and unclenching. You cast a faint glance toward your encampment and your tent, and you were already

occupied with your own self away from your children and family. Your horse hastened off in flight, heading toward your tents, whinnying and weeping. When the women saw your steed in disgrace and beheld its saddle turned upon it, they came forth from behind the veils, their hair unbound over their cheeks, striking their faces, unveiled, crying out in wailing, abased after honor, rushing toward the place of your fall. And Shimr was sitting upon your chest, plunging his sword into your throat, gripping your gray hair with his hand, slaughtering you with his blade. Your senses had stilled, your breaths had faded, and your head was raised upon the spear (1).

The First Gathering of the Eleventh Night
The Calamity of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and his grief at the killing of al-Hussein (peace be upon him)
It has come in the noble Ziyarat al-Nahiyah: By killing you they killed Islam, and disrupted prayer and fasting, and broke the established practices and the rulings, and demolished the foundations of faith, and distorted the verses of the Quran, and rushed headlong into transgression and aggression. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) became one wronged of his blood, and the Book of God, mighty and exalted, became forsaken, and truth was abandoned when it was overpowered, vanquished. With your loss were lost the proclamation of God's greatness, the declaration of His oneness, the forbidding and the permitting, the revelation and the interpretation; and after you appeared alteration and substitution, godlessness and abolition, whims and misguidings, trials and falsehoods.

Then your announcer stood at the grave of your grandfather the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and announced your death to him with pouring tears, saying: O Messenger of God, your grandson and your young man have been killed, your family and your sanctuary have been violated, your offspring taken captive after you, and disaster has befallen your kin and your loved ones. So the Messenger was distressed, and his terrified heart wept, and the angels and the prophets consoled him over you. Your mother al-Zahra was stricken with anguish over you, and the troops of the angels brought near came in succession to console your father, the Commander of the Faithful. And mourning assemblies were held for you in the highest of the high heavens, and the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise struck their faces over you. And the heaven and its inhabitants wept, and the gardens and their keepers, and the hills and their regions, and the earth and its regions, and the seas and their fish, and Mecca and its buildings, and the gardens and their children, and the House and the Station, and the Sacred Place of ritual, and the unconsecrated state and the consecration (1).

Sheikh al-Tusi, may mercy be upon him, narrated by his chain of transmission from the Imam al-Sadiq, Ja'far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon them), who said: One morning Umm Salamah, may God be pleased with her, awoke weeping, and she was asked: What is the cause of your weeping? She said: My son al-Hussein was killed tonight, for I had not seen the Messenger of God since

he passed away until tonight, and I saw him pale and grief-stricken. She said: I said: Why do I see you, O Messenger of God, pale and grief-stricken? He said: I have spent the night digging the graves for al-Hussein and his companions, peace be upon him and upon them (1).

And it is narrated that Salma al-Madaniyah said: The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) handed to Umm Salamah a flask containing sand from al-Taff, and said to her: When this turns into fresh blood, then al-Hussein will be killed. Salma said: A cry rose up from the chamber of Umm Salamah, and I was the first to come to her. I said: What has befallen you, O Mother of the Believers? She said: I saw the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in a dream with dust upon his head. I said: What ails you? He said: The people leapt upon my son and killed him, and I have just now witnessed him slain. My skin shuddered, and I sprang to the flask and found it boiling with blood. Salma said: And I saw it set before her.

And Zirr ibn Hubaysh narrated, on the authority of Salma, who said: I came in upon Umm Salamah while she was weeping, and I said to her: What makes you weep? She said: I saw the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in a dream, and upon his head and beard was the trace of dust. I said: What ails you, O Messenger of God, that you are covered in dust? He said: I have just witnessed the killing of al-Hussein (2).

And Sheikh al-Tusi, may mercy be upon him, narrated on the authority of Ibn Abbas, who said: While I was asleep in my dwelling, I heard a great, loud cry from the house of Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family). So I went out, my guide leading me toward her dwelling, and the people of Medina came to her, the men and the women. When I reached her, I said: O Mother of the Believers, why are you crying out and calling for help? She did not answer me, but turned to the Hashimite women and said: O daughters of Abd al-Muttalib, aid me and weep with me, for by God your master and the master of the youth of the people of Paradise has been killed! By God, the grandson of the Messenger of God and his sweet basil, al-Hussein, has been killed! So I said: O Mother of the Believers, how did you come to know that? She said: I saw the Messenger of God in a dream