Abstinence, humility, and worship

As regards his eloquence, virtue, humility and worship, if we go on to relate about it, we will cross the limits of the capacity of this book. Instead we quote the traditions about the love and affection of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) towards him.

Shaikh Mohammad ibne Shahr Ashob in his Manaqib quotes from Ibne Umar, that one day the Prophet (s.a.w.s) was seated on the pulpit delivering a sermon. Suddenly Imam Husain (a.s) came and his legs got entangled in the end of his shirt and he fell down and started weeping. The Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) alighted from the pulpit and lifted him up and said,

"May Allah kill the shaitan! Verily he is a charming child. By Him in whose hands is my life! I do not know as to how I alighted from the pulpit."

In Manaqib, Abus Sa'adat, while praising the Prophet's Household (Ahlul‌bayt) relates from Yazeed bin Ziyad, that one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s)

came out of the house of Ayesha and passed from near the house of Hazrat Fatemah (a.s) when he heard Imam Husain weeping. He said,

"O Fatemah! Do you not know that the weeping of Husain causes me great pain"?

It is quoted in Manaqib from Sunan of Ibne Majah and Faeq of Zamakhshari, that one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) passed through a lane and saw Imam Husain (a.s) playing with some children. The Prophet stretched his hands and tried to catch him, but Imam Husain (s.a.s.) started running from here to there so that he could escape. The Prophet was amused and at last got hold of him. Then he placed one of his hand under the chin and the other on his head, then he lifted him up and kissing him said,

"Husain is from me, and I am from Husain. Allah befriends the one who holds Husain dear. Verily Husain is one of the tribes (of the twelve tribes of Bani Israel)."[1]

In the book Manaqib it is quoted through Abdul Rahman bin Abi Layla, that he says, that one day we were sitting in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) when Imam Husain (a.s) came and started jumping and playing on the back of the Prophet. The Prophet said, "Leave him alone."

In the same book it is quoted from Lays bin Sa'ad, that one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) was leading the congregational Prayers (Namaze Jama'ah), when Imam Husain (a.s), who was an infant, was sitting besides him. When the Prophet went into prostration (sajdah), Husain sat on his back and striking his legs said, "Hil Hil" (a noise by which mounts are galloped). The Prophet brought him down with his hands and made him sit besides him and then stood up. Then again when the Prophet went for the other prostra‌tion this happened, until he ended his Prayers.

It is related from Amali of Hakim that Abu Rafe' says, that one day I was playing a game called "Midhah"[2]with Imam Husain (a.s) who was a small child at that time. When I won, I told him to let me mount upon his back (as was the rule of the game), but he said that would I like to mount upon the back of the one who had mounted the back of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s)? Hence I yielded to it. Then when he won, I said that I too would not allow him to sit on my back as he had done. But then he said that would I not like to

[1] Reg. the twelve tribes of Bani Israel, it is quoted in the Qur'an: "And of Moosa's people is a party, who guide (people) with truth and there‌by do justice. And We divided then into twelve tribes (or) nations" (Surah al A'araf: 159-160).

[2] Midhah - This particular game is played with pebbles which have to be aimed into a pit.

lift up the person who was lifted by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) himself? And here too I yielded.

In the same book it is related through Hafs bin Ghiyas from Imam Ja'far as Sadiq (a.s), that one day the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) prepared to recite the Prayers and Imam Husain (a.s) was standing besides him. The Prophet recited the Takbeer (Allaho Akbar) and Imam could not pronounce it. The Prophet repeated it again but Imam could not do so. The Prophet repeated his Takbeer seven times and on the seventh time Husain recited it correct‌ly. Imam Sadiq (a.s) says that thus reciting Takbeer seven times before starting the Prayers (Salat) is recommended (Sunnat).

In the same book it is quoted from Tafseer of Naqqash from Ibne Abbas that he said, one day I was sitting in the presence of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s) when his son Ibrahim was sitting on his left thigh and Imam Husain on his right one. The Prophet kissed each of them subsequently. Suddenly Jibra'eel descended with the Revelation (Wahy). When the Revela‌tion ended, the Holy Prophet said,

"Jibra'eel came to me from my Lord and informed me that the Almighty Allah sent greetings to me and said that He would not let these two children remain together, let one become a ransom over the other."

The Prophet looked at Ibrahim and started weeping and said,

"His mother is a slave-girl, if he dies no one accept myself will feel pain. But Husain is Fatemah's and my cousin Ali's son and my flesh and blood, if he dies not only Ali and Fatemah but myself too shall feel immense pain. Hence I prefer my personal grief over the grief of Ali and Fatemh.. Hence O Jibra'eel! Let Ibrahim die, for I ransom him over Husain."

Ibne Abbas says that after three days Ibrahim died. After this whenever the Holy Prophet saw Husain, he would kiss him and pull him towards himself and lick his lips. Then he would say,

"May my life be sacrificed on him upon whom I ransomed my son Ibrahim. May my parents be your ransom O Aba Abdillah"!