In this, the forty-second episode of our series, we look at how the Christian community of some towns and villages of Syria greeted the Omayyad soldiers as they journeyed toward Damascus along with the severed heads of martyrs and the noble captives of the household of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) following the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS).
The caravan of captives, particularly the children and womenfolk of the Prophet’s Household, and chief among the Prophet’s noble granddaughter, Hazrat Zainab (SA), were instrumental in conveying to the world the message of the uprising and movement of Imam Husain (AS). Without them that message would not have got through to the world. The Omayyad soldiers, armed with swords and spears, were under strict orders not to allow members of the Imam’s household to express their grief and sorrow publicly. They, the Omayyad soldiers, were also ordered to publicize what they considered victory of the Godless self-styled caliph, Yazid, as they passed through towns and villages, and they were ordered to present an upside-down picture of what had happened in Karbala. They wanted to “hide the truth”, and present their version of what had happened in Karbala. But their strategy didn’t work, and the extremely moving and revealing speeches of Hazrat Zainab (SA), effectively denied the Omayyads the chance to present an upside-down picture of the events of Karbala. Her eloquent speeches caused a reversal of public feeling towards the Godless tyrant, Yazid, and the public mood turned decisively against the Omayyads.
In most towns and villages, the local people were hostile towards the Omayyad soldiers, and they did not want those who had murdered the grandson of the Messenger of God, and his family and companions, to enter their town or village. Even more remarkable is that the local population in some of these towns and villages were actually Christians, who were not all that familiar with the teachings of Islam. As the caravan of captives and Omayyad soldiers reached Syria, they passed through a number of predominantly Christian towns and villages. In one of these towns, the people were initially celebrating when from afar they saw the caravan of captives approaching with the blessed heads of the martyrs of Karbala mounted on lances. The people asked: “Whose heads are these which have been cut off and mounted on lances?”
One of the Omayyad soldiers pointed to the blessed severed head of Imam Husain (AS) and said: “He was a ‘foreign’ man who rose up against Yazid, the Caliph. Obaidullah Ibn Ziyad, the Governor of Iraq sent an army and killed him, and now the severed heads of that man and other members of his group are being sent to Yazid in Damascus.”
But, one of the local Christians, who had been informed of the tragedy of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Husain (AS), among whose martyred companions was the young Christian warrior, Wahb Kalby, said the Muslims have killed the grandson of their own Prophet, and are now savagely parading the severed heads of the martyrs. The townspeople were shocked at the barbarity and faithlessness of these so-called Muslims. They cried with one voice, although we are not Muslims, we will never allow the killers of the grandson of their own Prophet to enter our town. The severed head of Imam Husain (AS) was likened to that of Prophet Yahya or John the Baptist who was martyred by Herod the Jew, and the Christians said: come what may, we will never allow these Omayyad savages and the severed heads of the martyrs to enter our town.
source : irib
