Martyrdom of Rushayd al Hajari (May Allah sanctify his spirit)

Hajar is one of the cities, which is the governor's seat of Bahrayn or is its district. The commander of the faithful Imam Ali (a.s) gave him the name of Rushayd al Balaya (Rushayd of Trials) and trained him in the Science of trials and death (Ilmul Balaya wal Manaya). Thus he predicted how a person would die or how a such and such person would be killed, and whatev‌er he said came out to be the truth. In the episode of Maytham we have related how he predicted regarding (the Martyrdom of) Habeeb bin Muzhaahir. I recollect from the Ta'leeqah of Shaikh Bahai that Shaikh Kaf'ami has included Rushayd among the porters of Imams (a.s). It has been related in Ikhtisas, that when Ziyad (the father of Ubaydullah), was in pursuit of Rushayd, he went underground. One day he came to Abu Arakah, who was sitting on the door of his house with some of his friends, and entered therein. Abu Arakah was alarmed and followed him in fright. Then he told Rushayd, "Woe be to you! You have killed me and orphaned my children while spreading ruination." Rushayd asked him as to why he said that. Abu Arakah replied, "These people are in search of you and you come to my house, when the people present here see you"? Rushayd said, "None of them have seen me." Abu Arakah said, "Are you jocking with me"? Then he caught hold of him, tied his hands, locked him in a room and closed the door and came out to his friends and said, "I sense that now an old man entered my house." They replied that they had not seen anyone entering therein. He

repeated his question and they replied in the negative and hence he became silent. Then he feared lest someone else might have seen him, and hence went to the court of Ziyad to investigate whether they discussed Rushayd or no, and if they were aware (that Rushayd is in his house), he would hand him over to them. Thus he went and saluted Ziyad and sat near him. There was a cool atmostphere therein when suddenly he saw Rushayd, seated on a mule, coming towards Ziyad. As soon as he saw him, the colour of his face changed and was bewildered and was sure of his death. Rushayd entered therein and saluted Ziyad. On seeing him Ziyad arose and embraced and kissed him. Then he welcomed him and asked him as to how he was and inquired about his family and strock his beard affectionately. Rushyad sat there for sometime and then arose and left. Abu Arakah asked Ziyad, "May your Lord reconcile you! Who was this nobleman"? He replied that the man was among his Syrian friends, who came to visit him. Hearing this Abu Arakah arose and rushed towards his house. He entered therein and saw Rushayd in the manner he had left him. Abu Arakah said, "Now when you possess this art that I have just witnessed, do as you wish and come to my house as and when you desire."[1] [1] Ziyad was the son of a loose woman named Sumayyah, who in slavery bore Ziyad to a Greek Retainer of the tribe Saqeef named Ubaid. This fact was not generally known, and Ziyad's parentage was generally supposed to be uncertain, whence he was called "his father's son" (Ibne Abeeh). When Mu'awiyah became a candidate for the Caliphate and required help, he endea‌voured to enroll among his adherents a number of the most sagacious of the Arabs. Among these was Ziyad, whom he determined to adopt. He therefore obtained an affidavit from a wine-dealer of Taif named Abu Maryam Saluli, to the effect that Abu Sufyan had come to his tavern and demanded a prosti‌tute, that Sumayyah had been brought by him to Abu Sufyan, and that she in consequence gave birth to Ziyad. The best historians disbelieve this story, which they suppose to have been the fabrication of Mu'awiyah got up with the intention of securing the services of Ziyad, an intention which was realised. Ziyad in consequence came to be called son of Abu Sufyan, after having been called son of Sumayyah or his father's son. (History of Islamic Civilization: Umayyads and Abbasids - Jurji Zaydan). Mu'awiyah appointed him as the governor of Iraq and Fars. Ziyad made a minute search of the Shi'ah of Imam Ali (a.s) and having seized them, amputated their hands and feet, blinded them, hanged them on the branches of date-palm trees, exiled them and killed them so that eventually the distinguished Shi'ah of Iraq were eliminated. Thus he killed Rushayd Hajari, Umro bin Humaq, Juwayrah bin Mushir Abdi etc. and instigated the murder of Hujr bin Adi. It has been related by prominent narrators (as quoted in this book) that one of the disgraces which befell Kufa was including Ziyad (the illegitimate) among the Bani Umayyah. Similar was his son Ubaydullah (born to a prostitute Marjanah) who equated him with regard to despotism and bloodshed. He was the chief instigator of the mass slaughter of the Prophet (s.a.w.s.)'s family at Karbala. Yazid, following