The Battle of Karbala

  

Martyrdom of Hadhrat Zaid bin ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat Zaid bin ‘Ali sought permission to enter the battlefield.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  You don’t sadden your mother.  Except you, she doesn’t have any other child.  The mother said:  Imam!  Permit my son.  What will we do after you are gone?

 

Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) embraced him and reluctantly granted permission.  Hadhrat Zaid bin ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) displayed his martial prowess and got martyred.

 

Martyrdom of Hadhrat Ja’afar bin ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Then Hadhrat Ja’afar bin ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) sought permission to enter the battle.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  There should be some man in the house.  You don’t do this.  In reply, Hadhrat Ja’afar (May Allah be well pleased with him) recited a couplet:

 

Translation:       My life is waste without you.

 

                        Of what use is my living without you?

 

Persuaded by his insistence, Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) permitted him as well.  He also displayed his ancestral martial prowess and eventually got martyred.

 

Martyrdom of Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Now Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) requested permission:  Uncle!  Permit me as well.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  My brother, Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) asked me to be affectionate with you.  How shall I show my face to your father tomorrow?  Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Affection is that you don’t leave me alone and take me into paradise with you.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) granted permission with tearful eyes. When he was granted permission, it was if a hurricane swept over the battlefield.  Innumerable Yazidis were flung into hell.

 

After this, Arzaq, who was a great champion, sent his sons to fight with Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Each one fought bravely but didn’t stand a chance before Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Both of them suffered terrible deaths.  Now Arzaq lost all control.  Mad with anger, he himself came to fight Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Here, Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was supplicating:  O Lord of all worlds!  My Qasim is fighting an experienced enemy.  You please help my Qasim.

 

The duel between Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) and Arzaq started.  Each one of them displayed great courage.  Whatever move Arzaq would make, Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) would expertly forestall it.  At this moment, Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) remembered the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) that it is permissible to deceive an enemy in the battlefield.  Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) told Arzaq:  O Arzaq!  O champion of many fights!  Look!  The stirrup of your horse has loosened.  Very soon, you will land on the ground.  He worriedly peered down.  Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) struck him with his sword.  Arzaq couldn’t block this attack.  His head, severed from the body, fell to the ground.  Even the enemies murmured their admiration on the agility of Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

Now, the whole army attacked at once from all sides.  Wherever Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) would turn, they would give way before him as goats give away before a tiger.  At least, arrows were being rained from all sides.  At last, Hadhrat Qasim (May Allah be well pleased with him) too fell to the ground, martyred.

 

After this, Imam Hussain’s (May Allah be well pleased with him) nephews ‘Aun and Ja’afar (May Allah be well pleased with them) also demonstrated their bravery and passed into paradise.

 

Martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him) couldn’t bear to see Hadhrat Sukaina writhing in agony because of thirst.  He cut a path to the River Euphrates through the horde.  He himself got the thought to drink water, but didn’t do so.  He thought:  Sukaina is thirsty and how can I drink water.  He was returning with the waterskin when a wretch cut off his arm.  He transferred the waterskin to the other arm.  When that arm was cut off, he held the waterskin with his teeth.  He had not gone even a few paces when the wretches shot the waterskin full of arrows and martyred Hadhrat ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Water couldn’t reach the tents.  Hadhrat Sukaina (May Allah be well pleased with him) was crying: Alas! For the sake of water, I have lost my uncle.

 

Martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar

 

Again the battlefield is in uproar that a tiger is entering it.  Who is it?  There is an uproar that the exact replica of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is coming.  All others have gone.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) stepped forward and requested:  All others have sacrificed themselves.  Only this slave is left.  I can’t see your loneliness.  Permit me as well.

 

Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Son!  Will you squander away 18 years of efforts in the plain of Karbala?  Go to Madina.

 

Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  I will not remain in this world even a moment without you.  Will you leave me in the hands of those oppressors?

 

When the requests and insistence of Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) increased beyond limits, then Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) himself handed him weapons and granted him permission.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) took his leave and entered the battlefield.  The exact replica of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is coming.  Whenever anybody was reminded of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), they would see Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) and listen to his talk.  Thus, Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) entered the battlefield.

 

‘Abdullah bin Zyad told a person to ask Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) to unveil his face.  There is a great desire to see the beauty of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) unveiled his face.  The whole army of Yazid started crying on seeing his face.  Wailing was heard from every corner.  Shimar, the accursed, angrily said:  If you had so much affection for him, why did you choose to do this task and why did you kill so many members of his family.  He ordered his army to get ready and gave the command for attack.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) too showed such ancestral martial prowess that he cut down 200 wretches and came back to Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and said:  Father!  The thirst is very severe.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) let him suck his tongue.

 

He again entered the battlefield and demanded an opponent (for duel).  Nobody dared come forward.  He himself fell on the army.  It was a bolt of thunder that struck them.  Wherever he turned, cries of “Save us” would be heard.  Dead bodies piled up all around.  He again turned back and said:  Father!  This thirst is killing me.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) let him suck the ring of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  The thirst abated a bit.  He again returned to the battlefield.

 

The commander of the army told Tariq that if he martyrs this son of Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), he will make him the governor of Mosul.  He took oaths and gave his ring to him.  Only then, out of desire for the governorship of Mosul, did Tariq step forward to fight Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  He struck with his spear.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) parried his thrust and speared him with such agility that his spear pierced Tariq’s chest and stuck out of his back.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) spurred on his horse.  Tariq was still stuck to the spear.  In this gallop, Tariq was reduced to shreds and ribbons.

 

Tariq’s son entered the battlefield and angrily clutched at Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar’s (May Allah be well pleased with him) garments.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) cleanly lifted him off his saddle and slammed him onto the ground.  There was an uproar in the army.  Out of fear, nobody dared come forward.

 

The commander pushed forward Misraa’a.  He also used a spear.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) parried it with his sword with such skill that the spear splintered.  Misraa’a tried to grab the sword, but before he could pull, Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) struck with such skill that along with his saddle, he was cut into two.

 

Now no one could step forward.  2000 mounted soldiers were ordered to attack all at once.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) seemed like a hungry tiger attacking a herd of goats.  He cut his way to the center of the army.  He again turned back to Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and complained of thirst.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Son!  No worry.  In a few moments you will reach the Houz-e-Kauthar and quench your thirst.

 

He again entered the battlefield and was attacking all around when Ibn Khumair tricked him and struck him with a spear.  Munqidh, the accursed, struck him with a sword.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) fell from the horse, injured and called out to his father.

 

Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) picked him up, brought him inside and laid his head in his lap.  He called him:  The solace of my heart!  Talk to your father.  Hadhrat ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him) opened his eyes.  He saw that he was lying in the lap of his father.  His mother and sisters were all standing around crying.  He said:  Father!  The doors of the heavens are open.  The damsels of paradise are standing with chalices of sherbet in their hands.  He was saying this and his blessed soul left for paradise.

 

Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  Son!  You have also gone to other world to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).

 

Martyrdom of Hadhrat ‘Ali Asghar (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

For Hadhrat ‘Ali Asghar (May Allah be well pleased with him), 3 days had passed without any milk or water.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) thought that the wretches would at least have mercy on the innocent baby.  He took Hadhrat ‘Ali Asghar (May Allah be well pleased with him) to the army.  The mother said:  Don’t lose him like you lost ‘Ali Akbar (May Allah be well pleased with him).  Hadhrat Sukaina (May Allah be well pleased with her) said:  Father!  Bring my brother soon.  Let me drink the water left over by Asghar.

 

Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) entered the battlefield with the infant in his arms and said:  People!  What crime did this innocent one commit?  This thirst is killing him.  Give him at least a drop of water.  Some wretch shot an arrow which pierced his throat.

 

The Imam brought Hadhrat ‘Ali Asghar (May Allah be well pleased with him) back to the tents in the same condition.  His mother asked:  Did you get him water to drink?  The Imam replied:  Yes, I have let him drink from the Houz-e-Kauthar.

 

The martyrdom of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him)

 

Hadhrat Shahrbano (May Allah be well pleased with her) told Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him):  Tonight I saw a dream that Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) had secured her clothing and was sweeping the plain of Karbala and is removing the stones, pebbles, etc. from there.  I asked her:  What are you doing?  She said:  My son Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) will be martyred tomorrow and will fall on this ground.  I am removing the stones, etc. so that they don’t prick my child.

 

Hadhrat Shahrbano (May Allah be well pleased with her) then said:  O Imam (May Allah be well pleased with him)!  You are going to the battlefield but this dream is suggesting something entirely different.

 

Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) held his peace.

 

Friends!  Look at the women of Egypt.  In the love of a creation they were unaware that they had cut their hands neither did they feel any pain.

 

What say you about those who are immersed in the love of the Creator?  At that time Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was absorbed in divine love.  He had been tested with fear, hunger, loss of wealth, loss of produce, everything.  Now he will be tested with his life.  He has already been martyred in the Greater Jihad (Jihad Akbar).  Now he will be martyred in the Lesser Jihad (Jihad Asghar).  Everyone is sad, but Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) is happy that since so long he has been suffering from separation, now he will be united (with his Ultimate Beloved).

 

All his associates have been martyred.  Now there is no one even to hold the reins of the horse.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) comes to the tents and takes his leave.  His youngest daughter, Hadhrat Sukaina (May Allah be well pleased with her) asks:  Father!  Where are you going?  All brothers, uncles have gone and died.  You will also go and die.  What pleasure is there in dying, father?  Why is everybody going and dying?

 

Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) didn’t reply and came to the battlefield.  Yazid’s army said:  You start the battle.  Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  I feel shy before my grandfather.  If my grandfather asks me tomorrow on the Day of Judgment:  Why did you raise your sword on my Ummah, what reply shall I give Him?  First you strike, then I will be forced to fight back.  Those wretches didn’t value this character also.  This was the character of the Prophet’s Family.

 

All alone, the Imam (May Allah be well pleased with him) fought with thousands of soldiers.  Arrows, spears and swords are raining from all around.  Only on his face, he got 72 wounds.

 

At last, he fell down from his horse.  Immediately, Shimar, the accursed, sat on his chest.  The Imam asked him:  What is the time?  That accursed wretch answered:  Today is Friday.  The Imam is giving the sermon.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said: The Imam is standing on the pulpit and giving the sermon of my grandfather and you are perched on the chest of His grandson, don’t you have any shame?

 

Shimar wanted to behead the Imam as soon as possible.  He couldn’t cut even a hair.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) said:  How can you cut my throat.  My grandfather has kissed it, it cannot be cut.  Move over, I will offer Salaat and the Imam started offering Salaat.  When Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) prostrated in the course of the Salaat, Shimar cut off his blessed head and Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) left for paradise.

[Excerpted from Shahaadatnama of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan]