Martyrdom of the great Imam
Those savage criminals surrounded the plant of the sweet basil of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, stabbing him with their swords and spears and hitting him with stones. Bleeding sapped his strength, so the wicked criminal, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan hurried to behead him. The narrators said: "On the lips of Ima`m al-Husayn, there was the smile of pleasure and of immortal victory which he gained."
Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, sacrificed his life to establish the state of Truth in the regions of this East, to destroy oppression and injustice, to divide the bounties of Allah among the deprived and the persecuted, and to save the community from the government of the Umayyads who denied human rights and turned the Muslim countries into a farm and took from it whatever they wanted.
Setting the Tents to Fire
The rude and roguish Umayyads set fire to the tents of Ima`m al-Husayn, peace be on him, paying no attention to the Prophet's womenfolk and children who were in them. They carried firebrands in their hands and cried out: "Set fire to the houses of the oppressors!"
These people thought that the tents of al-Husayn were the houses of oppression while the houses of the Umayyads and of their agents were the houses of justice. They forgot that the Umayyads had drowned the Muslim countries in oppression and tyranny.
When they set the tents to fire, the women of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, escaped to the desert while the fire was following them. As for the orphans, they cried and ran away towards the desert asking the people for help, but nobody helped or aided them. That was the most tragic sight which Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin saw. He did not forget it throughout his lifetime. After the martyrdom of his father, he always said:
"By Allah, when I look at my aunts and my sisters, tears choke me because I remember the day of al-Taff when they escaped from tent to tent and the caller of the people was calling: 'Set fire to the houses of the oppressors!
The Attack against Imam Zayn al-Abidin(A.S.)
The rude unbelievers attacked Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin whose strength was sapped by illness, and whose heart was torn by the terrible tragedies. The wicked criminal, Shimr b. Dhi al-Jawshan wanted to kill him, but Hameed b. Muslim scolded him, saying: "Glory belongs to Allah! Do you really kill children? He is only a sick lad!"
But Shimr paid no attention to Hameed, so his aunt, the wise lady Zaynab, hurried to him and cling to him, saying: "You will not kill him before killing me first.(Al-Qarmani, Tarikh, p. 108). So, the mean ones left him alone
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin(A.S.) became Impatient
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin felt greatly grieved and worried. He wished that he left life. This is because he witnessed the horrible tragedies which befell the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , peace be on them. He was about to die when he saw the corpse of his father, the corpses of the male members of the House (ahl al-Bayt) , and of his companions exposed to the wind. When his aunt, the wise lady Zaynab, saw him, she consoled him, saying:
"Why do I see you pleading for death, O the legacy of my grandfather, of my father and brothers? By Allah, this is something which Allah had divulged to your grandfather and to your father. Allah took a covenant from the people whom you do not know, the mighty ones on this land, and who are known to the people of the heavens, that they would gather these severed parts and wounded corpses and bury them, then shall they set up on his Taff a banner for the grave of your father, the lord of martyrs, the traces of which shall never be obliterated, nor shall it ever be wiped out so long as there is day and night. The leaders of apostasy and the promoters of misguidance shall try their best to obliterate and efface it, yet it shall become more and more lofty instead.(Kamil al-Ziyarat, p. 261).
His Burying the Pure Corpses
The rude and mean ones from among the Kufa`ns buried the corpses of their dead and left on the hot sand of Karbala`' the corpse of the plant of the sweet basil of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, (i.e., al-Husayn), the corpses of the male members of his family, and of their companions. So some of the Banu Asad, who did not take part in the battle, dug graves for those pure corpses. They were perplexed because they could not identify the corpses especially since the killers had separated the heads from the bodies.
While they were perplexed, Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, according to the Shi'ite sources, came and informed them of the names of the martyrs from among the male members of the House, and of their companions. The Ima`m himself carried the corpse of his father and buried it in its final resting place while he was shedding bitter tears and saying:
"Congratulations to the land that contains your pure body, for the world after you is dark whereas the hereafter in your light shall shine. As for the night, it is the harbinger of sleep, while grief remains forever, for Allah shall choose for the members of your House your abode wherein you shall abide. From me to you is greeting, O son of the Apostle of Allah, and the mercy of Allah and his blessings."
On the holy grave he wrote these words: "This is the grave of al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Abi Ta`lib, the one whom they killed even as he was a thirsty stranger. Beside the legs of Ima`m al-Husayn, he buried his son 'Ali al-Akkbar. He buried the martyrs from among the Ha`shimites and other than them in one grave. Then he went with the Banu Asad to the river of al-'Alqami, where he ordered a grave to be dug and in it he buried Qamar Banu Ha`shim (the Moon of the Ha`shimites), Abu` al-Fadl al-'Abba`s b. 'Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him. Then he burst into bitter tears and said: "May the world after you be obliterated, O Moon of Banu Ha`shim, and greetings from me to you, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.(Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, pp. 324 - 325).
Those pure graves have become a symbol for the dignity of humanity, for every sacrifice stands on honor, justice, and the truth. They have become the holiest center for worship in Islam.
The Captives of the Household taken to Ku`fa
The wise ladies of Revelation and the Message were taken prisoners to Ku`fa, so the Umayyad army blew its trumpets and raised its banners to show its victory over the plant of the sweet basil of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and lord of the youths of the heaven. Muslim al-Jassa`s described that sight, saying: "Ibn Ziya`d summoned me to repair the House of the Governor in Ku`fa. While I was plastering the doors, I heard cries coming from everywhere in Ku`fa, so I went to the servant of the palace and asked him: "Why is Ku`fa noisy?"
"This hour, they will bring the head of a rebel (kha`rijite) who revolted against Yazid," answered the servant.
"Who is this rebel?" I asked.
"Al-Husayn b. 'Ali," was the answer.
He (Muslim al-Jassa`s) said: "So I left the servant, struck at my face to the extent that I feared that I would become blind, washed my hands from plaster, left the palace, and went to al-Kana`s. While I was with the people waiting for the arrival of the captives and the heads, forty camels came carrying women and children, and 'Ali b. al-Husayn came riding a camel without saddle. Both sides of his neck were bleeding. He was weeping and repeating these verses:
O community of evil, may your region be not watered,
O community that never respected in our regard our grandfather,
on bare camels of burden have you transported us as if we never put up a creed for you !(Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn, vol. 3, pp. 333).
Jadhlam b. Bashir said: "When I came to Ku`fa in the year 61 A. H., 'Ali b. al-Husayn along with the womenfolk came from Karbala`' to Ku`fa surrounded by soldiers. The were (riding) bare camels. The people came out to look at them, so the women of Ku`fa wept and lamented over them. I saw that 'Ali b. al-Husayn was sapped by illness, chains were placed on his neck and he was handcuffed.(Shaykh al-Mufeed, al-Amali, p. 143).
He was saying with a weak voice: 'They are weeping and lamenting over us! So who has killed us?'
Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin(A.S.) delivers a Speech
The Kufa`ns surrounded Ima`m Zayn al-'Abidin, peace be on him, so he thought that he had to address them to make them know the sin of what they committed against themselves and the community. He, peace be on him, lauded and praised Allah, and then he said:
"O men, whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not, let me tell him that I am 'Ali b. al-Husayn b. 'Ali b. Abi Ta`lib. I am the son of the man whose sanctity has been violated, whose wealth has been plundered, whose children have been seized. I am the son of the one who has been slaughtered by the Euphrates neither on blood revenge nor on account of inheritance. I am the son of the one killed in the worst manner. This suffices me to be proud.
"O men, I plead to you in the Name of Allah: Do you not know that you wrote my father then deceived him? Did you not grant him your covenant, your promise, and your allegiance, then you fought him? May you be ruined for what you have committed against your own souls, and out of your corrupt views! Through what eyes will you look at the Messenger of Allah when he says to you: 'You killed my progeny, violated my sanctity, so you do not belong to my community'?"
Those slaves who blackened the face of history wept loudly and lamented, and they said to each other: "You have perished, yet you are not aware of it."
The Ima`m continued his speech, saying: "May Allah have mercy on anyone who acts upon my advice, who safeguards my legacy with regard to Allah, His Apostle, and his Household, for we have in the Apostle of Allah a good example of conduct to emulate."
So they all said with one tongue: "We, son of the Apostle of Allah, listen and obey, and we shall safeguard your trust. We shall not turn away from you, nor shall we disobey you; so, order us, may Allah have mercy on you, for we shall fight when you fight, and we shall make peace when you do so; we dissociate ourselves from whoever oppressed you and dealt unjustly with you."
In response to this false obedience, the Ima`m said: "Far, far away it is from you to do so, people of treachery and conniving! You are separated from what you desire. Do you want to come to me as you did to my father? No, by the Lord of those (angels) that ascend and descend, the wound is yet to heal.
My father was killed only yesterday, and so were his Household, and the loss inflicted upon the Apostle of Allah, upon my father, and upon my family is yet to be forgotten. Its pain, by Allah, is between both of these (sides) and its bitterness is between my throat and palate. Its choke is resting in my very chest.
Then the Ima`m refrained from speech, turning away from those treacherous conniving people who were the mark of disgrace against mankind. It was they who killed the plant of the sweet basil of Allah's Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, (I. e., al-Husayn), who came to free them and to save them from the oppression and tyranny of the Umayyads. After that, they repented and wept over him.
