Imam Husain (a.s)’s sermon on the day of Ashoora

“Now then! Consider my family, and ponder as to who I am and then admonish yourselves. Then do you consider that killing me and plundering my sanctity and respect is lawful for you? Am I not the grandson of your Prophet and the son of his Vicegerent and cousin, who was the foremost in believing and the bearer of witness upon everything that the Prophet had brought from Allah? Was not Hamza, the chief of Martyrs, the uncle of my father? Was not Ja’far, who flies with two wings in Paradise, my Uncle? Did not the Tradition of the Prophet reach you in which he has said about me and my brother that both of us are the chiefs of the youth of Paradise? Then if you agree to what I say, and verily what I have said is nothing but the truth, then it is better, for by Allah, from the time I have realised that Allah dislikes the liars, I have never ever spoken a lie. Then if you do not believe to what I say, there are alive among you the companions of the Prophet. Go to them and ask them and they shall bear testimony to the truthfulness of my speech. Ask Jabir bin Abdullah Ansari, Abu Sa’eed Khu‌dri, Sahl bin Sa’ad Sa’edi, Zayd bin Arqam and Anas bin Malik, they will tell you that they have heard this tradition from the Prophet of Allah regarding me and my brother. Is not this sufficient to refrain you from shedding my blood”? Then Shimr bin Ziljawshan, the accursed said, “I worship Allah (only) by lips (half heartedly), and do not understand what you say.” Hearing this Habeeb bin Muzhaahir said, “I can see that you worship Allah with seventy types of doubts, and I bear testimony that you have spoken the truth and you cannot understand what the Imam says, for Allah has placed a seal (of ignorance) upon your heart.” Imam continued, [1] Surah al Yunus: 71.   [2] Surah al A'araf: 196.

“Then if you doubt this, do you even doubt that I am the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.s)? By Allah! There is no other grandson of the Prophet in the east or the west except myself from among yourselves or anyone else. Woe be to you! Have I killed anyone from among you whose revenge you desire? Or have I usurped the wealth of anyone or hurt anyone whose retribution you desire from me”? When no one answered him, he called out in a loud voice, “O Shabas bin Rab’ee! O Hajjar bin Abjar! O Qays bin al-Aash’as! O Yazeed bin Hurayth! Have you not written let‌ters to me saying that the fruits had ripened and the surrounding earth had blossomed, and to come to a huge army prepared for me”? They replied that they had not written any such letters. Imam said, “Glory be to Allah! Yes by Allah, you had written it.” Then he continued, “O people! Then now if you do not like my arrival, then leave me so that I may go away to a place of refuge.” Qays bin al-Aash’as said, “We do not know what you say. Then submit yourselves to your cousins (Bani Umayyah), they shall deal with you in a manner which you like.” Imam replied, “By Allah! I shall not give my hands in yours like a base man, nor shall I flee away like a slave.” Then he called out in a loud voice, “O servants of Allah! ‘And verily, I take refuge with my Lord and yours, lest you stone me (to death)’ [1] and I take refuge with my Lord and yours, from every arrog‌ant, who does not believe in the day of reckoning.” Then the Imam dismount‌ed from his Camel and commanded Uqbah bin Sam’an to fasten its legs. Zuhair bin Qayn’s address amidst the people of Kufa (Tabari) Azdi says that As’ad Shami related to me from one of his tribes‌man named Kaseer bin Abdullah Sha’abi, who was present in Karbala, that when we laid seige upon Imam Husain (a.s), Zuhayr bin Qayn came towards us riding a horse with a thick tail, and he was well-equipped with arms. He said, “Beware of the wrath of Allah. It is obligatory upon a Muslim to advice his brother Muslim. We are still brothers of one another and follow‌ers of the same Religion. Until the swords have not seperated us, we are of the same creed, thus advicing you is obligatory upon me. But when the swords come in between us, the bond of brotherhood will break off, then we will be another [1] Surah al Dukhan: 20.

nation and you another one. Allah the Almighty has tried us by means of the progeny of Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.s) so that He may be aware as to what you and we do. We now invite you to assist him (Imam Husain) and call upon you to abandon the unruly son of the unruly father Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, from whom you have witnessed and seen nothing except evil. They pierce rods into your eyes, amputate your hands and feet, they hang you upon the gallows and cut off your ears and nose. And they kill the virtuous and the intellectuals among you viz. Hujr bin Adi and his compan‌ions, Hani bin Urwah, and others similar to them.” The narrator says that when they heard this speech, they started abusing Zuhayr and praising Ubaydullah and said, “By Allah! We shall not retreat back from here until we have killed your master and all those who are alongwith him or to des‌patch him alongwith his companions to the commander Ubaydullah in peace.” Then Zuhayr said, “O servants of Allah! The son of Fatemah (a.s) is more worthy for friendship and aid than the son of Sumayyah. If you do not assist him, then by Allah give him refuge and do not kill him. Take him to the presence of his cousin Yazeed. By my life! Yazeed will be pleased with you if you do not kill him.” Hearing this Shimr shot an arrow at him and said, “Be quite, may your voice be subdued! Verily you have exhausted us through your excessive speech.” Zuhayr replied, “O son of a nomad! I am not speaking to you. Verily you are an animal and by Allah! I am of the opinion that you cannot even recite two verses of the Qur’an accurately. Then I give glad tidings to you of the disgrace and irksome wrath on the day of Qiyamah.” Shimr said, “Very soon Allah will kill you and your mas‌ter.” Zuhayr said, “Are you frightening me by death? By Allah! Dying with the Imam is more preferable in my eyes than immortality with you.” Then Zuhayr turned towards the other people and said, “O slaves of Allah! Beware lest these base oppressors and their accomplices may deceive you. By Allah! The intercession of Mohammad (s.a.w.s) shall not reach them, who will spill the blood of his Progeny and his family, and kill those who assist them or defend their sanctity.” Then a person called out to him saying, “Abu Abdullah (Imam Husain) says that by my life O Zuhayr! Return back. Verily you have adviced and admonished like the believer of the people of Fira’un had adviced and admonished his community.”