The tribulations of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

Comparison of the grief of Hadhrat Adam (May peace be upon him) for Habil (Abel) and the grief of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) for Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

Hadhrat Adam (May peace be upon him) only had to taste the tree of love that he had to face a host of difficulties.  Of all the Prophets, the status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the highest, so He had to face the most number of hardships, and the status of the Prophet’s Family is the highest among the kinsfolk of all Prophets.  For this reason, their hardships are also the toughest.

 

Once, Hadhrat Adam (May peace be upon him) saw in a dream that Habil was calling out to him: Father!  Help me!  I am being killed.  On seeing this dream, he got up worried and saw Jibreel (May peace be upon him) standing near his bed.  He asked him: Brother! Do you have news of my son Habil?  Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: May Allah Most High give you a great reward.  Habil was killed by Qabil (Cain).  He kept calling out.  No one came to his aid. 

 

Prophet Adam (May peace be upon him) started crying and said: Brother Jibreel (May peace be upon him)!  Show me his grave.  He opened his grave and saw him, head cut and the whole body soaked in blood.  He would rub his face on Habil's face and say: Alas son! What has become of you now!

 

Sorrow is not as great on receiving news after it happens, as it is on receiving the news before it happens.

 

Once Hadhrat Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came in the appearance of Hadhrat Wahiya Kalbi (May Allah be well pleased with him) and sat before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Meanwhile, the Imams, Hadhrat Hasan and Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them), small children, also came there.  They took Hadhrat Jibreel (May peace be upon him) for Wahiya Kalbi and sat in his lap and started putting their hands in his pockets, etc.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) wanted to separate the children.  Hadhrat Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) please let it be.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Jibreel!  They don’t know your status and are disrespecting you.  Hadhrat Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! Many times it has happened that Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with him) would sleep after offering Salaat Ul Tahajjud and Hadhrat Hussain would be in the cradle.  He would want to cry.  Allah Most High would order: Jibreel, go fast!  The sleep of our Fatima should not be spoiled.  Go and cradle Hussain and don’t let him cry.  There is no problem if they sit in the lap of the one who cradles them.  What are they searching in my pockets!

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: You are in the appearance of Wahiya Kalbi.  Wahiya Kalbi would bring fruit for them.  They take you for Wahiya Kalbi and are searching for fruit.  Jibreel (May peace be upon him) brought fruits for them from paradise.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was looking at the children with love.  Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: Some people from your Ummah will bathe this beloved of yours in blood.  This is the sand of the place where he will be martyred.

 

Whenever Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) would come before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), He must have been reminded of the incident.

 

Hadhrat Adam (May peace be upon him) must have forgotten it, but the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) must have remembered this lifelong. 

 

Alas!  Hadhrat Adam (May peace be upon him) cried so much for one person.  Here, the whole house is wiped out.  Should the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cry for this one or for the other?

 

Comparison of the punishment of the murderer of Habil and the murderer of Imam Hussain

 

Orders came: O Adam! Be patient.  There is boundless reward for those who are patient.  The murderer of Habil will be given half of the punishment of hell.

 

Friends!  This is a moment of reflection.  The punishment of the murder of Habil is half of the punishment of hell.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), the son and beloved of the Holy Prophet, the chief of all Prophets, is greater than Habil, then what will be the punishment for the one who martyred Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him)?

 

Hadhrat Ali Moosa (May Allah be well pleased with him) narrates: The murderer of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was shut in a casket of fire and handcuffs and manacles of fire were put on his hands and feet.  Such a foul smell comes out of this casket that the people of hell call out for protection against it.

 

Why should it not be? The one who slit his throat with a serrated sword, the one who scraped with a dagger the spot which the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) used to kiss, whatever punishment is given to that person falls short.

 

Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him) was troubled in many ways.  Then he was given an ark (a big ship) through which he was saved.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was also given an ark, as He has said:

 

Translation:  My Family is like the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him).

 

Comparison of the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him) with the ark of Prophet’s Family

 

The ark of Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him) was saved, but the ark of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was drowned in Karbala.  Did Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him) ever face such a difficulty?  The news of the safety of the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (May peace be upon him) was brought by a crow and the news of the drowning of the boat of the Prophets’ Family was also brought by a crow.

 

This is how it was.  Everybody went to Karbala, but 1 daughter of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was left back because of illness.  One day, she saw a crow soaked in blood sitting on the wall of the house.  What do you think her state was!

 

She started crying out: O Father!  O Hussain!  O what kind of hardship is this!

 

Everybody asked: O girl! What has happened to you?  She gestured towards the crow and said:

 

People!  The news of the safety of the ark of Prophet Nooh (May peace be upon him) was brought by a crow.  Now, the news of the drowning of the ark of the Prophet’s Family is also brought by a crow.

 

At this moment, everybody was reminded of the above mentioned Hadith.

 

On this, Hadhrat Ummul Momineen Hadhrat Umme Salama (May Allah be well pleased with her) said: Daughter, please wait! I have the sand of Karbala given to me by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had said that on the day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), this sand will turn to blood.  This sand was seen and indeed it had turned to fresh blood.

 

Now the crying of the girl, "Father, you have left me alone", was rending the hearts of one and all.

 

The difference between the hardship of Hadhrat Ibrahim (May peace be upon him) and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

 

Hadhrat Ibrahim (May peace be upon him) was ordered to slay his son in a dream.  In a waking state, he does it, but his son Hadhrat Ismail is saved from slaughter.  By the order of Allah Most High, in his place, a ram from paradise is sacrificed.

 

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is given the news of the slaying of Imam while awake and Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) is not even saved from it.  From this we can understand whether the hardship of Hadhrat Ibrahim (May peace be upon him) is greater or of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).