Sainthood Zaynab (God bless her) and Imam’s (God bless him) household and bringing them to Kufa

Book:  A review on the story of Imam Hussein’s (God bless him) martyrdom

Writer:  Ayatullah Professor Hussein Ansarian

The heart rending adventure of Ahle Bait’s (God bless them) bondage has been narrated by Sheik Mofid,[1] Allame Majlesy,[2] Syed Ibn Tavoos[3] and Ibn Gholoviye Alqomi[4] thus: Omar-e-Saad commanded to mounting Ahle Bait (God bless them) on the camels which hadn’t any litter or the camels which litters was broken. Imam Sajjad (God bless him) was mounted on a naked camel and they fasten his leg under the stomach of camel and put some heavy fetter on his neck, as Imam Sajjad (God bless him) said “they dealt with us in a way as if we were captives of Deylam and Khazar.

Ibn Gholoviye has narrated from Imam Sajjad (God bless him): that day in Karbala, the doors of grief and pain and hardship were opened for us. I saw my father was killed and bleeding on the ground. I saw my brothers and cousins and the children of my fathers who were martyred and slain and I saw my sisters and the women as if they were the captives of Turk and Rome. These tragedies and calamities were so unbearable for me that my heart got crashed and I was close to dying.

When my aunt saw me in this condition she said “O the memento of my ancestor and father and brothers! Why you are playing with death” I said to my aunt “how can’t be I grieving? Why shouldn’t I cry? I am looking that my sir, my brothers, my uncles, the children of my uncles and my household have been colored with their blood and have been fallen down on earth, their bodies have placed on the scorching desert, no one compassionate to them and don’t close to these bodies.” My aunt consoled me and informed me from the prosperous of the Karbala in future.[5]

Then the crossed Ahle Bait (God bless them) with a piteous condition from the near of martyrs and brought them to Kufa and passed them with that heart rending condition among the crowded of people and placed them at the lanes and bazaar and exposed the cut off heads in front of the viewers and spectators eyes and men and women came to see that cut off heads and the captives.

Syed-Ibn-Tavoos has narrated that a Kufi woman shouted from a roof “what captives you are?” Ahle Bait (God bless them) answered “we are the captives of Mohammad’s (peace be upon him) descendants.” She came down from the roof and gave them scarf and cloth so that they cover their holy and celestial faces and their daughters and children’s faces.[6]

Allame writes that Muslim who was a plasterer said “I was plastering the wall of Daro Alemareh that I heard sounds of wailing and shouting have been raised from around of Kufa. I told to worker who was near me “what has happened that people of kufa are shouting? He said “they are bringing the head of someone who had risen against Yazid.” I said “who is that person?” he said “Hussein-Ibn-Ali (God bless him)” I came out from Daro Alemareh and hurt to my face so badly that I feared my eyes have been blinded. Then I washed my hands and clean the plasters from hands and came in the town. I saw that people are waiting for captives’ arrival.

Suddenly I saw that forty broken litters have been carrying on the forty camels and the descendants and women of Fatima (God bless her) were placed in them. Suddenly I saw Imam Sajjad who was on a camel which hadn’t any litter and his neck vessels were bleeding. People of Kufa started to give bread and date and walnut to captive children; but Ome Kulsume shouted “O people of Kufa! Alms are taboo for us.” She took those breads and dates and discarded them. People started to cry by looking at these scenes.[7]

Zeyd-Ibn-Argham says “I heard the sound of holy Quran from the two saintly lips of Imam Hussein (God bless him) that was reciting “Do you think that the people of the Cave and the Inscription (the news or the names of the people of the Cave) were a wonder among Our Signs?”[8] I said “your story is more wonder than the people of the Cave.[9]

Plasterer Muslim says that when Ome Kulsume heard the sound of people’s crying brought out her head from litter and said “O the people of Kufa! Be quiet, your men killed our men and your women are crying for us, God will judge between us and you in hereafter.” Suddenly they brought the cut off heads which were on the lances. Imam Hussein’s (God bless him) head was in front of all heads, a head that was shiny and emitting light like the moon and had the most similar face to Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) with bloody beard that lance keeper moved it to left and right.

Sainthood Zaynab (God bless her) saw his brother cut off head on the lance so she hurt her head against the wood of litter. I saw that blood poured down from the head of sainthood Zaynab (God bless her). She beckoned to the head with a burning heart and shouted with crying “O the moon that became full like Badr! Suddenly lunar eclipse despoiled him and went down. O dear! I didn’t think that this could be our destiny, but this was predestined and fated. O my brother! Talk with your little daughter Fatima, her heart is going to melt because the intensity of separation and grief and sadness.[10]