How Islam Immortalized Imam Hussein (a.s.) :
The Blessed Infant
On the third of the blessed month of Sha'ban, the fourth year after Hijrah and a year after the birth of Imam Hassan (a.s.), the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) was given news of the birth of Imam Hussein (a.s.). He hurried to the house of Imam Ali and Fatimah al-Zahra' (a.s.).
"O Asma'," he ordered Asma', the daughter of Umays, "bring me my son."
She took the newborn to him. The infant was wrapped in a piece of cloth. The face of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) lit up upon seeing his grandson. He took him in his arms. He recited the call to prayer (adan) into his right ear, and read the shorter version (iqamah) in his left ear. He, then, placed the baby in his lap and wept.
"May my father and mother be your sacrifice," Asma' asked him, "why are you crying?"
"Because of my son," he replied.
"He is a newborn baby," she said.
"O Asma'," he said," After me, the transgressing party will kill him. May Allah never grant them my intercession."
Then he said: "Asma', don't tell Fatimah about this, for she has just given birth to him." 1
Then the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) turned to Imam Ali (a.s.) and asked him: "What name have you chosen for him?"
"I would never precede you in naming him, O Messenger of Allah," he replied.
At that moment, the revelation descended on the beloved Messenger, Muhammad (s.a.w.), with the name of the infant. Having received the divine order, the Messenger (s.a.w.) looked at Imam Ali (a.s.) and said:
"name him Hussein."
Seven days later, the Prophet (s.a.w.) hastened to the house of al-Zahra' (a.s.). He slaughtered a lamb as an offering to Allah and ordered the infant's head shaved, its weight in silver to be given to the poor. Thus, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) applied the very same Islamic rites he had earlier performed for his brother, Imam Hassan (a.s.). 2
The Status of Imam Hussein (a.s.)
The status of Imam Hussein (Abu-Abdullah) (a.s.) is unparalleled, except by that of his father, mother, brother, and the Imams of his offspring, on all of them be the peace and blessings of Allah. Should a historian make a good research, collecting the stories and traditions concerning Imam Hussein (a.s.), he would certainly end up with the Imam (a.s.) as the top example among the Muslims. He would write a voluminous, great work covering this Imam.
As much as we can, we will delve into the key points which portray the great position of Imam Hussein (a.s.) according to Islamic criteria.
The Glorious Qur'an, the supreme divine document, which falsehood can never reach from before or behind it, expresses in many verses the lofty position Imam Hussein (a.s.) achieved in the sight of Allah, the Exalted. Following are some of these verses:
1. Verse of Purification (Tathir)
"Allah only wishes to keep away uncleanness from you (Household of the Prophet) and purify you thoroughly." Holy Qur'an (33:33)
Traditionists say, regarding the reason this verse was revealed, that the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) called for a shawl. With it he covered Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hussein (a.s.). "O my Lord," he said, "these are the members of my family. Remove uncleanness from them and purely purify them." 3 and so this noble verse was revealed on this occasion. It is a testimony by Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, on the purity of the Prophetic house (Ahlul Bait (a.s.)) and their great stature.
2. Verse of Malediction (Mubahala):
"If anyone disputes with you about it (your prophethood) after the knowledge has come to you, say, 'Come, let us bring our sons and your sons and our women and your women and ourselves and yourselves and pray to Allah to curse the lying party." Holy Qur'an (3:61)
The Qur'anic exegesists and scholars say that this noble verse was revealed when the Christians of the city of Najran agreed with the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) to pray to Allah to destroy the party which stuck to falsehood. As agreed, and on time, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) went out to the place chosen for the contest. He carried Imam Hussein (a.s.) and took Imam Hassan (a.s.) by the hand. Fatimah followed behind while Imam Ali walked in their wake. "Say 'Amen' at the end of my prayer," the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) told them. But, upon seeing those brilliant faces filled with piety and grandeur, the Christians stopped short of entering the contest. They recognized the Prophet's authority, and paid the tribute. 4
The noble verse called Hassan and Hussein "our sons," mentioned the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.), and referred to Ali as "ourselves" and Fatimah as "our women." She symbolizes the whole of womankind in this verse. Had there been other people who had higher status than these people, the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) certainly would have brought them along with him.
3. Verse of Affection (Mawada):
"... say: 'I do not ask you f or any payment f or my preaching to you, except the love f or my relatives ...'" Holy Qur'an (42:23)
The Qur'anic exegesists state that this verse was revealed concerning Ali, Fatimah, Hassan and Hussein (a.s.).
Jabir bin Abdullah is reported to have said: "A bedouin came to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.) and said, 'O Muhammad! introduce me to Islam.'
"'You should bear witness,' replied the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) 'that there is no god but Allah, Who is the only God, Who has no partner whatsoever, and that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.'
"'Do you ask for recompense in return?' asked the bedouin.
"'No,' said the Prophet (s.a.w.), 'except that you should love the relatives.'
"'Mine or yours?' inquired the man.
"'Mine,' said the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.).
"'Hold out your hand,' said the bedouin. 'I give you my pledge of allegiance. My Allah curse whoever doesn't love you or your kindred.'
"'Amen,' said the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)." 5
It is reported in the Musnad (Book of traditions) of Ahmad bin Hanbal, the two Sahihs (Authentic books of traditions), and the exegesis of al-Tha'alibi and al-Tabarsi, that Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, was quoted as saying, "when the verse (say: I do not ask you for any payment for my preaching to you except the love for my relatives) was revealed, Muslims asked the Prophet (s.a.w.), 'O Messenger of Allah! Who are your kinsfolk whom we should love?! 'Ali, Fatimah and their two sons,' answered the Prophet (a.s.)."
Next to the verses of the Glorious Qur'an, we quote certain statements, from the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) as additional evidence expressing the lofty position occupied by Imam Hussein (a.s.) in the world of Islam and the Muslim ummah.
1. In the Sahih of al-Tirmidhi, Ya'la bin Murrah is quoted to have said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said,
'Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein. Allah loves whoever loves Hussein. Hussein is a disciple of the disciples." 6
2. Salman al-Farsi is reported to have said, "I heard the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) saying, 'Hassan and Hussein are my two sons. Whoever loves them then he loves me. And whoever dislikes them then he dislikes me. And whoever dislikes me then Allah dislikes him. And whomever Allah dislikes, He will throw him into hell f ace downward."' 7
3. Al-Bara' bin Azib is quoted to have said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) carrying Hussein bin Ali (a.s.) on his shoulder. He was saying, 'O Lord! I do love him so love him.'" 8
4. Abdullah bin Mas'ood is reported to have said, "The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) said, concerning Hassan and Hussein, 'These are my two sons, whoever loves them then he loves me. And whoever dislikes them he dislikes me,"'
5. Ali bin Hussein (a.s.) said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of his grandfather (a.s.), 'The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) took the arms of Hassan and Hussein and said, 'Whoever loves me and loves these two and their father, he will certainly be with me on the Day of Judgement.'" 9
In our latest booklet 10 we referred to the fact that the characters of both Imams Hassan and Hussein (a.s.) have many traits in common. Both of them received their initial stage of training before shouldering the heavy task of propagating and defending the da'wah. Both of them had one and the same education, indoctrination, and spiritual and ideological teachings, under the supervision of their grandfather (s.a.w.), their father and their mother (a.s.).
As a result, the aspects of their characters fused together personifying the message of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, in thought, action and conduct.
In our booklet on Imam Hassan (a.s.), we cited some examples which put his character into perspective. Here, we do the same regarding Imam Hussein (a.s.).
1. His Relationship With Allah
We can better understand the depth of Imam Hussein's (a.s.) relationship with Allah, the Most High, if we don't lose sight of the fact that the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself taught him the ideology of Islam and brought him up spiritually as he had done with his father, Imam Ali, his mother, al-Zahra', and his brother, Imam Hassan (a.s.). By so doing, his path was defined and his character was formed.
One day he was asked, "How great is your fear of your Lord?"
"No one would be secure on the Day of Judgement except those who feared Allah in this life," he replied. 11
His face would turn pale, and he would tremble at the time of doing his ablution. He was asked about this and answered,
"Whoever stands in the presence of the Almighty Allah is not to blame if his color turns pale and his limbs shake."
On the night before the tenth of the month of Muharram, Imam Hussein (a.s.) asked the Ummayyad army to delay the battle till the following morning. He said, "This night we want to offer our prayers to our Lord, and we want to ask His forgiveness. He knows that I love to offer my prayer to Him, recite His Book, and pray much asking f or His forgiveness."
During the most critical and horrifying hours of the last day of his earthly life, he realized that it was midday and he had to perform his prayer. The battle of Karbala' was in full swing. He asked the enemies to stop fighting so as to let him and his followers offer their prayer. No better testimony than this can reflect the depth and strength of his relationship with Allah and his love for Him.
He used to recite this supplication, "O Lord! Grant me the desire for the other world, till I realize that it is a real thing in my heart, through my apathy to this world. O Lord! Grant me perception with regard to the other world so much that I will seek the divine reward with acute longing, and flee from the bad deeds out of fearing You, O Lord ...". 12
We Will address this plea more elaborately when we cover the uprising of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his heroic, and matchless sacrifice for the sake of Allah, the Most High.
2. His Relationship With People
A look at the ethical side of Imam Hussein's (a.s.) character would be enough to shed light on the vividness of his relations with the ummah, for he was the most perfect and exemplary leader during his time. We don't mean that Imam Hussein (a.s.) was different from the other Imams in this respect. The nature of the relationship between the Imam and the ummah is actually outlined by the Divine Message. Imams represent it, as personified in their daily life.
Following are some examples of that great, high and brilliant relationship.
____________
1. Al-Tabrasi, I'lam al-Wara bi A'lam al-Huda (Acquainting the People to the Leaders of Guidance), p. 217.
2. Ashi'a min Hayat al-lmam al-Hassan bin Ali (a.s.) (Glimpses of the Life of Imam Hassan bin Ali (a.s.), (Tehran: Al-Balagh Foundation).
3. Sahih Muslim (The Authentic Book of Tradtions Compiled by Muslim) Merits of the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), Sahih al-Tirmidhi, vol. 2, Musnad Ibn Hanbal, Mustadrak al-Sahihain (The Book Which Collects the Traditions Left Out by the Two Authentic Books of Tradition), Majma' al-Bayan (Collector of Eloquence), etc.
4. Fadha'il al-Khmasah min al-Sihah al-Sittah (Merits of the Five in the Six Authentic Books of Traditions), vol. 1, p.244. It refers to the great books which confirm this narrative. Among them are: Tafsir al-Zamakhsahri (Qur'anic Exgesis by al-Zamakhshari), Sahih Muslim, Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al-Durr al-Manthoor (The Scattered Pearls), by al-Suyooti, al-Fakhr al-Razi, and al-Tirmidhi.
5. Fadha'il al-Khamsah, vol. 1, p. 259, quoted from Hilyat al-Awliya' (Ornament of the Saints), vol. 3, p.201, and from al-Durral-Manthoor, by al-Suyooti, Usd al-Ghabah (Lions of the Jungle), Mustadrak al-Sahihain, Tafsir Ibn Jabrir al-Tabari (Qur'anic Exegesis by al-Tabari with differences in words and narratives.
6. Fadha'il al-Khamsah, vol. 3, pp. 263.
7 I'lam al-Wara (Merits of the Two Grandsons of the Prophet (s.a.w.)), al-Tabrasi, p. 219.
8. Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah (The Important Chapters), Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki.
9. Tathkirat al-Khawas (Admonishing the Prominent People), The Prophet of Allah's love for Hassan and Hussein (a.s.).
10. Ashi'a min Hayat al-Imam al-Hassan bin Ali (a.s.), Al-Balagh Foundation,
11. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah (Bright Memorial Services), Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin.
12. Kashf al-Gummah fi Ma'rifat al-A'immah (Removing the Grief by Knowing the Imams), Scholar al-Arabali, vol. 2, p.274.
