Monk between the path of Kufa and Shaam

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

Writer:  Ayatullah Professor Hussein Ansarian

The massive incident of arrival to the Kufa has been narrated by Syed Ibn Tavoos,[1] Allame Majlesy[2] and Sheikh Abbas Qomi that here is a summary of caravan’s incidents:

They moved Ahle Bait (God bless them) from Kufa to Shaam by a path that most of people who lived in the towns between these two towns weren’t Muslim and the towns were decorated and adorned by the order of their governors before the arrival of Ahle Bait (God bless them). They encourage people to come and watch the captives and encourage children to play there.[3]

One of the strange incidents which happened in the way of Kufa to Shaam was the incident of monk’s monastery. It has been narrated that: one night the corps arrived to the monastery of monk and dismounted. They put the holy head in a box and started to drinking wine and eating food near that box; but suddenly they heard that a harbinger is saying “Are the people who killed Imam Hussein (God bless him) hoping for the intercession of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) in hereafter? God resented to them, they have disagreed God and didn’t fear from hereafter, God’s curse be upon Bani Ziyad and accommodate them in hell and torture them.”

This night was frightening for that group and they slept with fear and horror. The monk felt a kind of thunder sound at the midnight and a clamor arrived to his ear. When he paid attention, he got that this is the sound of God’s parsing and veneration. He stood up and brought out his head from monastery, he saw a box near a wall that a great light way emitting from it. The light was rising to sky as if it is touching the sky and angels are saying in front of that box group by group “Peace be upon you O the son of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), peace be upon you O Aba Abdellah-al-Hussein, Peace be upon you and God bless you.”

The monk feared very much, he wondered, he waited so that sun rises. Then he came out from his monastery and shouted “who is the chief of this corps?” they answered “Kholi” he went to Kholi and said “what is in this box?” he answered “here is the head of a man who risen up against Yazid’s government and Ibn Ziyad has killed him in the earth of Iraq.

The monk asked “what’s his name?” he answered “Hussein-Ibn-Ali-Ibn-Abi Taleb (God bless him).” The monk asked “what’s his mother name?” Kholi answered “Fatima Zahra (God bless her) the daughter of Mohammad-e-Mustafa (peace be upon him).” The monk said “death to you from the work which you have done.”

Our Christian predecessors said truly that when this grand person would be killed, sky rains fresh blood and it doesn’t happen except by killing of a messenger or his substitute, if it is possible for you to give this head to me for a while. Kholi said “we don’t bring out the head from this box until we give it to Yazid and take our prize from him. The monk said “which prize?” Kholi said “a pouch containing ten thousands Dirham.”

The monk said “I will give you this amount, give me the head.” Kholi said “prepare it now.” The monk brought the money and took the cut off head and brought it to his monastery and washed it with musk and camphor and put that near himself and said mournfully “by God! It is difficult for me that I wasn’t in Karbala along with you so that I could sacrifice myself for you.

 When you visit your ancestor Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), testify the thing that I’m testifying near you “I testify that there is no God but Allah who is one and who hasn’t any partner and I testify that Mohammad is his messenger and I testify that Ali is God’s supervisor, I accepted Islam by your hand.” I accepted Islam by your hand and I’m your servant. Then the cut off head talked to monk and accepted his intercession in hereafter and promised to save him in hereafter.[4]