المجالس العاشورية في المآتم الحسينية

this very hour, dust-covered and terrified, and I asked him about his condition. He said: My son al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his household were killed today, and I buried them, and only just now have I finished burying them.

She said: So I rose and went into the house, scarcely aware of myself, and I looked, and there was the soil of al-Hussein that Gabriel had brought from Karbala. He had said: When this soil turns to blood, then your son has been killed. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) had given it to me and said: Place this soil in a glass — or he said in a flask — and keep it with you. When it turns into fresh blood, then al-Hussein has been killed. And I now saw the flask, and it had turned into fresh blood, boiling.

He said: So Umm Salamah took some of that blood and smeared her face with it, and she made that day a day of mourning and lamentation for al-Hussein (peace be upon him). Then the riders came with the news that he had been killed on that very day.

Ibn Abbas said, in the narration of Sa'id ibn Jubayr from him: When the following night came, I saw the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in my dream, dust-covered and dishevelled. I mentioned that to him and asked him about his condition, and he said to me: Do you not know that I have finished burying al-Hussein and his companions (1).

The eminent al-Majlisi, may mercy be upon him, mentioned, from one of the books of virtues, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Ja'far al-Qatifi, with the chain on the authority of Ammar, that Ibn Abbas saw the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) in his dream one day at midday, dishevelled and dust-covered, with a flask in his hand containing blood. He said: O Messenger of God, what is this blood? He said: The blood of al-Hussein — I have not ceased gathering it since today. So that day was reckoned, and it was found that he had been killed on that very day (2).

Al-Sharif al-Radi, may mercy be upon him, said:

The Second Gathering, of the eleventh night
The events and occurrences after the killing of al-Hussein (peace be upon him)
The stripping of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), the trampling of his pure body, and the burning of the tents
The narrator said, concerning what happened after the killing of Imam al-Hussein (peace be upon him): Then they turned to stripping al-Hussein (peace be upon him). Ishaq ibn Huwayya al-Hadrami took his shirt and wore it, and became leprous, and his hair fell out. It is narrated that there were found in his shirt some one hundred and ten marks, between arrow-shots, stabs, and blows (2). Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said: Found upon al-Hussein (peace be upon him) were thirty-three stabs and forty-four blows (3).

In a narration from Imam al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), he said: Found upon al-Hussein (peace be upon him) were over seventy stabs and over seventy blows with the sword (4).

In a narration from al-Baqir (peace be upon him), there were found upon him three hundred and some twenty wounds (5), and it is narrated and said to be more, and it is said one thousand nine hundred wounds. And the arrows were in

his armor like the spines on the skin of a hedgehog (1).

Al-Haj Hashim al-Ka'bi, may mercy be upon him, says:

And al-Sayyid Haydar al-Hilli, may mercy be upon him, says:

The narrator said: His trousers were taken by Abjar ibn Ka'b al-Taymi, and it is narrated that he became crippled and lame in both his legs. His turban was taken by Akhnas ibn Marthad ibn Alqama al-Hadrami — and it is said: Jabir ibn Yazid al-Awdi — who wound it around his head and became insane. In a narration other than al-Sayyid's: he became leprous. His armor was taken by Malik ibn Bishr al-Kindi, and he became insane.

Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon him, said: His sandals were taken by al-Aswad ibn Khalid, and his ring was taken by Bajdal ibn Sulaym al-Kalbi, who severed his finger (peace be upon him) along with the ring.

And this one — meaning Bajdal — al-Mukhtar seized him and cut off his hands and feet, and left him writhing in his blood until he perished, may God curse him.

And it is narrated that a man with no hands and no feet, and blind, was saying: O Lord, deliver me from the Fire. He was told: No punishment is left for you, yet with all this you still ask for deliverance from the Fire? He said: I was among those who killed al-Hussein (peace be upon him) at Karbala. When he was killed, I saw upon him trousers and a fine waistband, after the people had stripped him. I wanted to take the waistband from him, so he raised his right hand and placed it upon the waistband, and I could not push it away, so I cut off his right hand. Then I set about taking the waistband, but he raised his left hand and placed it upon his waistband,

so I cut off his left hand. Then I set about pulling the waistband from the trousers, and I heard a quaking, so I grew afraid and left him. God cast sleep upon me, and I slept among the slain, and I saw as if Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) had come, and with him Ali and Fatima. They took the head of al-Hussein, and Fatima kissed it, then said: O my son, they have killed you — may God kill them! Who did this to you? And he would say: Shimr killed me, and my two hands were cut off by this sleeping one — and he pointed to me. So Fatima said to me: May God cut off your hands and your feet, and blind your sight, and admit you into the Fire. I awoke, and I could see nothing, and my hands and feet fell off, and nothing of her supplication remained except the Fire (1).

Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon him, said: A cloak of his (peace be upon him), made of fine silk, was taken by Qays ibn al-Ash'ath. His double-layered coat of mail was taken by Umar ibn Sa'd, and when Umar ibn Sa'd was killed, al-Mukhtar gave it to Abu Amra, his slayer. His sword was taken by Jami' ibn al-Khalq al-Azdi — and it is said: a man from Banu Tamim named al-Aswad ibn Hanzala. In the narration of Ibn Sa'd: his sword was taken by al-Qalafis al-Nahshali, and Muhammad ibn Zakariyya added that it later came into the possession of the daughter of Habib ibn Budayl. This plundered sword was not Dhu al-Fiqar, for that was kept and preserved, along with its like among the treasures of prophethood and imamate.

He said: A maidservant came from the direction of al-Hussein's tent (peace be upon him), and a man said to her: O servant of God, your master has been killed. The maidservant said: I hurried to my mistress, crying out, and they rose up before me and screamed. He said: The people raced one another to plunder the homes of the family of the Messenger, and the delight of the eye of al-Zahra al-Batul, until they began to tear the wrapping garment off a woman's back. The daughters of the Messenger (peace be upon him and his family) and his household came out, supporting one another in weeping, lamenting the separation from their defenders and beloved ones.

And how excellent are the words of al-Haj Hasan al-Qayyim (may God have mercy upon him) when he says:

And Humayd ibn Muslim narrated, saying: I saw a woman of Bakr ibn Wa'il who was with her husband among the companions of Umar ibn Sa'd. When she saw the people storming the tents of the women of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and plundering them, she took a sword and came toward the tent, saying: O family of Bakr ibn Wa'il, are the daughters of the Messenger of God to be plundered? There is no rule but God's! O for the avenging of the Messenger of God! Then her husband seized her and brought her back to his tent.

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

It is reported in some of the accounts, on the authority of Abu Mikhnaf, who said: When the cries of the women rose, Ibn Sa'd shouted: Woe to you! Pull the tents down upon them and set them ablaze with fire! So they burned the tents and those within them. A man among them said: Woe to you, O son of Sa'd! Was the killing of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his household and his supporters not enough for you, that you would burn his children and his women? It is as though you wish God to make the earth swallow us up! So they rushed to plunder the pure women (2).

Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon him, said: Then they drove the women out of the tent and set fire to it, and they came out bare-headed, stripped, barefoot, weeping, walking as captives in

the bondage of humiliation. They said: By the right of God, do nothing but pass with us by the place where al-Hussein fell. When the women looked upon the slain, they screamed and struck their faces. He said: By God, I shall never forget Zainab, daughter of Ali (peace be upon him), as she lamented al-Hussein, calling out in a grieving voice and with a sorrowful heart: O Muhammad! May the Sovereign of heaven bless you — this is al-Hussein, drenched in blood, his limbs severed, and your daughters captives! To God is the complaint, and to Muhammad the Chosen, and to Ali the well-pleasing, and to Hamza the master of martyrs! O Muhammad! This is al-Hussein, in the open, the east wind blowing dust over him, slain by the offspring of harlots! O grief! O anguish! Today my grandfather, the Messenger of God, has died! O companions of Muhammad! These are the descendants of the Chosen One, driven as captives are driven.

And it is reported in some of the narrations that she (peace be upon her) said: O Muhammad! Your daughters are captives, and your descendants slain, the east wind blowing dust over them, and this is al-Hussein, his head severed from behind the neck, stripped of turban and cloak! For my father is the one whose camp was plundered on a Monday! For my father is the one whose tent had its cords cut! For my father is the one who is neither absent that he might be hoped for, nor wounded that he might be healed! For my father, for whom I would give my soul! For my father, the grief-stricken until he passed away! For my father, the thirsty until he departed! For my father, whose grey hair drips with blood! For my father, whose grandfather is the messenger of the God of heaven! For my father, who is the grandson of the Prophet of guidance! For my father, Muhammad the Chosen! For my father, Khadija the Great! For my father, Ali the well-pleasing! For my father, Fatima al-Zahra, mistress of women! For my father, the one for whom the sun was returned until he prayed! He said: By God, she made every enemy and friend weep. And how excellent are the words of Sheikh Salih al-Kawwaz al-Hilli, may mercy be upon him, when he says:

Al-Sayyid ibn Tawus, may mercy be upon him, said: Then Sukayna embraced the body of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), and a number of the Bedouins gathered until they dragged her away from him. He said: Then Umar ibn Sa'd called out among his companions: Who will volunteer for al-Hussein, to trample his back with the horses? So ten of them volunteered, and they were: Ishaq ibn Huwayya, who had stripped al-Hussein (peace be upon him) of his shirt; Akhnas ibn Marthad; Hakim ibn al-Tufayl al-Sinbisi; Amr ibn Sabih al-Saydawi; Raja' ibn Munqidh al-Abdi; Salim ibn Khaythama al-Ju'fi; Wahiz ibn Na'im; Salih ibn Wahb al-Ju'fi; Hani' ibn Thubayt al-Hadrami; and Asid ibn Malik. They trampled al-Hussein (peace be upon him) with the hooves of their horses until they crushed his back and his chest. Indeed, to God we belong and to Him we shall return.

The narrator said: These ten came and stood before Ibn Ziyad, and Asid ibn Malik, one of the ten, said:

Ibn Ziyad said: Who are you? They said: We are those who trampled the back of al-Hussein with our horses until

we ground the bones of his chest. So he ordered a paltry reward for them.

Abu Amr al-Zahid said: We looked into these ten and found them all to be sons of fornication. These were the ones whom al-Mukhtar seized, and he bound their hands and feet with iron pegs and had the horses trample their backs until they perished (1).

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

The Third Gathering, of the eleventh night
The steed of Imam al-Hussein (peace be upon him), the plundering of the women,
and the people's entering upon Imam Zayn al-Abidin (peace be upon him)
The author of al-Manaqib and Muhammad ibn Abi Talib said: Al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was killed, by the agreement of the narrations, on the Day of Ashura, the tenth of Muharram, in the year sixty-one, and he was fifty-four years and six and a half months of age. They said: The steed of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) came, having raced from among them

so that it would not be caught. It placed its forelock in the blood of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), then came galloping toward the tent of the women, neighing and striking the ground with its head by the tent, until it died.

And some of the narrators said: The steed came circling around him (peace be upon him), smearing its forelock with his blood. Ibn Sa'd shouted: Take the horse, for it is one of the noble steeds of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family). So the horsemen surrounded it, and it began to kick with its legs until it killed forty men and ten horses. Ibn Sa'd said: Leave it, that we may see what it does. When it was safe from pursuit, it came toward al-Hussein (peace be upon him), rolling its forelock in his blood, smelling him, and neighing loudly. Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (peace be upon him) said: It would say: Injustice! Injustice! against a nation that killed the son of the daughter of their Prophet. And it turned toward the encampment with that neighing. When the women looked upon the steed in disgrace, with its saddle twisted upon it, they came out of their chambers with hair unbound, striking their cheeks, faces uncovered, calling out in lamentation, brought low after honor, hastening toward the place where al-Hussein (peace be upon him) had fallen.

In the narration of al-Manaqib and Muhammad ibn Abi Talib, they said: When the sisters of al-Hussein, his daughters, and his household looked upon the steed with no one upon it, they raised their voices in weeping and wailing. Umm Kulthum placed her hand upon the crown of her head and cried out: O Muhammad! O grandfather! O Prophet! O Abu al-Qasim! O Ali! O Ja'far! O Hamza! O Hasan! This is al-Hussein in the open, slain at Karbala, his head severed from behind the neck, stripped of turban and cloak! Then she swooned.

Then the enemies of God, may God curse them, came until they surrounded the tent, and with them was Shimr. He said: Enter and strip them of their garments. So the people, may God curse them, entered and took what was in the tent, until they came to

an earring in the ear of Umm Kulthum, sister of al-Hussein (peace be upon him). They took it and tore her ear, until a woman would struggle over the garment on her back until she was overpowered for it. Qays ibn al-Ash'ath, may God curse him, took the cloak of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), and so was called Qays of the Cloak. His sandals were taken by a man of Banu Awd named al-Aswad. Then the people fell upon the saffron-dyed goods, the jewelry, the fine garments, and the camels, and plundered them.

The eminent al-Majlisi, may mercy be upon him, said: I saw in one of the books that Fatima the Younger said: I was standing at the door of the tent, looking at my father and his companions slaughtered like sacrificial beasts upon the sands, the horses wheeling over their bodies, and I was thinking about what would befall us after my father at the hands of Banu Umayya — would they kill us, or take us captive? Then suddenly there was a man on the back of his steed, driving the women with the butt of his spear, while they sheltered one with another, and he had taken what was upon them of veils and bracelets, and they were crying out: O grandfather! O father! O Ali! O scarcity of any helper! O Hasan! Is there no protector to protect us? Is there no defender to defend us? She said: My heart took flight and my limbs trembled, and I began casting my gaze right and left toward my aunt Umm Kulthum, in fear that he would come at me.

While I was in this state, suddenly he made for me, so I fled, running, thinking I would be safe from him, and suddenly he was following me. I was bewildered in fear of him, and suddenly the butt of the spear was between my shoulders, and I fell upon my face. He tore my ear and took my earring and my head-covering, and left the blood to flow down my cheeks, my head scorched by the sun, and turned back toward the tents while I was unconscious. Then suddenly my aunt was beside me, weeping, saying: Rise, let us go — I do not know what has befallen the girls and your sick brother. So I rose and said: O aunt, is there a cloth with which I may cover my head from the eyes of the onlookers? She said: O my daughter, your aunt is like you. I saw her head uncovered, and her back blackened from the blows. We did not return to the tent except that it had been plundered with all that was in it, and my brother Ali ibn al-Hussein was overturned upon his face, unable to sit from the abundance of hunger, thirst, and ailments. So we began to weep over him, and he wept over us.

And how excellent are the words of the proof, Sheikh Muhammad Al Nimr, may mercy be upon him, when he says:

Sheikh al-Mufid, may mercy be upon him, said: Humayd ibn Muslim said: We came to Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon them), who was stretched out upon a bed, severely ill, and with Shimr was a band of

footmen. They said to him: Shall we not kill this sick one? I said: Glory be to God! Would you kill children? This is but a boy, and he is afflicted as you see. And I did not cease until I had driven them away from him.

In the narration of al-Tabari in al-Muntakhab, he said: Ali ibn al-Hussein the Younger witnessed Karbala with his father, and he was twenty-three years of age. He was sick, lying upon a bed. When al-Hussein (peace be upon him) was killed, Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan said: Kill this one. A man of his companions said to him: Glory be to God! Shall we kill a young lad, sick, who has not fought? Then Umar ibn Sa'd came and said: Do not approach these women, nor this sick one (1).

And al-Sayyid Ja'far al-Hilli, may mercy be upon him, says concerning that:

Umar ibn Sa'd came, and the women cried out in his face and wept. He said to his companions: Let none of you enter the homes of these women, and do not approach this sick boy. The women asked him to return what had been taken from them so that they might cover themselves with it, and he said: Whoever has taken anything of their belongings, let him return it. But by God, not one of them returned anything. He then appointed over the tent and the homes of the women and Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon him) a group of those who were with him, and said: Guard them, lest any of them go out, and let none be ill-treated (3).

May God magnify your reward, O believers, and grant you good consolation in the affliction of Imam al-Hussein (peace be upon him). For what was the state of Zainab and the rest of the women of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his household on such a

night? It is the most terrible night that passed over the daughters of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), when they saw — after that lofty honor — their men slain upon the dust of Karbala, while they were stripped, beaten, weeping, lamenting, with no kinsman beside them, and they in the hands of the enemy. And how excellent are the words of Sheikh Salih al-Kawwaz, may mercy be upon him, when he says:

The First Gathering, of the eleventh day
The departure of the captives from Karbala and their passing by the slain
Muhammad ibn Abi Talib, may God Almighty have mercy upon him, said: Then Umar ibn Sa'd dispatched the head of al-Hussein (peace be upon him) on the Day of Ashura with Khawli ibn Yazid al-Asbahi and Humayd ibn Muslim to Ibn

Ziyad. Then he ordered that the heads of the remaining members of his household and his companions be cut off, and he dispatched them with Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan to Kufa. Ibn Sa'd remained that day of his, and the following day until noon, then gathered his slain, prayed over them, and buried them, leaving al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions cast out in the open. When they departed for Kufa, the people of al-Ghadiriyya of Banu Asad came and prayed over them and buried them. Ibn Shahr Ashub said: They would find for most of them graves, and would see white birds (1).

Al-Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin, may mercy be upon him, said in Lawa'ij al-Ashjan: Then he — that is, Ibn Sa'd — called among the people for the departure and headed for Kufa, taking with him the women of al-Hussein (peace be upon him), his daughters, his sisters, and the children who were with him, among them Ali ibn al-Hussein (peace be upon them), worn down by illness, and al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan al-Muthanna... And some narrations indicate the presence of al-Baqir (peace be upon him) among them. They drove them as the captives of the Turks and the Byzantines are driven. The women said: By the right of God, do nothing but pass with us by the place where al-Hussein (peace be upon him) fell. So they passed with them by al-Hussein (peace be upon him) and his companions, who lay slain. When the women looked upon the slain, they screamed and struck their faces. The narrator said: By God, I shall never forget Zainab, daughter of Ali, as she lamented al-Hussein (peace be upon him), calling out in a grieving voice and with a sorrowful heart: O Muhammad! May the Sovereign of heaven bless you — this is your al-Hussein, drenched in blood, his limbs severed, and your daughters captives! To God is the complaint, and to Muhammad the Chosen, and to Ali the well-pleasing, and to Fatima al-Zahra, and to Hamza the master of martyrs! O Muhammad! This is al-Hussein in the open, the east wind blowing dust over him, slain by the offspring of harlots! O grief! O anguish over you, O Abu Abd Allah! Today my grandfather, the Messenger of God, has died! O companions of Muhammad! These are the descendants of the Chosen One, driven as captives are driven.

And in some of the narrations, she (peace be upon her) said: O Muhammad! Your daughters are captives and your descendants slain, the east wind blowing dust over them, and this is al-Hussein, his head severed from behind the neck, stripped of turban and cloak! For my father is the one whose camp came to be plundered on a Monday! For my father is the one whose tent was torn