The Eighteenth Narration: He was marching with ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu towards Siffin and when we reached Nineveh, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu cried in a loud voice, “O Abu ‘Abdullah! Be patient. O Abu ‘Abdullah! Be patient beside the River Euphrates.”…..

The Eighteenth Narration

‘Abdullah ibn Nujayy narrates from his father who said:

أنه سار مع علي رضي الله عنه ، وكان صاحب مطهرته ، فلما حاذى نينوى وهو منطلق إلى صفين ، فنادى علي رضي الله عنه : اصبر أبا عبد الله ، اصبر أبا عبد الله ، بشط الفرات ، قلت : وماذا ؟ قال : دخلت على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات يوم وعيناه تفيضان ، قلت : يا نبي الله ، أغضبك أحد ، ما شأن عينيك تفيضان ؟ قال : ” بل قام من عندي جبريل قبل ، فحدثني أن الحسين يقتل بشط الفرات ” ، قال : فقال : ” هل لك إلى أن أشمك من تربته ؟ ” ، قال : قلت : نعم ، فمد يده ، فقبض قبضة من تراب ، فأعطانيها ، فلم أملك عيني أن فاضتا

He was marching with ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu towards Siffin and when we reached Nineveh, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu cried in a loud voice, “O Abu ‘Abdullah! Be patient. O Abu ‘Abdullah! Be patient beside the River Euphrates.”

I asked him, “For what?”

He said, “Once when I went to the Prophet, I saw tears in his eyes and asked him, ‘O Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who has made you upset? Why are your eyes moist with tears?’”

He said, “A while ago [the Archangel] Jibril left. He has informed me that indeed Hussain will be killed beside the River Euphrates.”

Then he said, “Do you like to smell part of his soil [where Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu will be killed].”

I said, “Yes.”

He stretched his hand and taking a fistful of soil gave it to me. As a result, tears started rolling down uncontrollably from my eyes.[1]

Commentary and Lessons Learnt from this Narration:

This narration holds great virtue for Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu as Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam cried on his behalf. An indication to him being killed in cold blood.
Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu was killed at Karbala’ in Iraq.
This narration is a sign of the prophethood of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam being true. He prophesised the incident of Karbala’ exactly as it happened.
The prophecy of conquering Iraq was also fulfilled. Another sign of the true prophethood of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam.
The loss of this grandson of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was truly a day of darkness in Islamic history. However, doing anything more than what Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had done—shedding some tears—is an unacceptable form of mourning. Screaming, hitting, hating, and rendering Muslims apostate who do not involve themselves in such senseless activities are all acts of disobedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.
Our reaction to any such loss as Muslims should be those dictated to us by the Qur’an and Sunnah. Exercising patience, engaging in salah, and reciting the Sunnah supplications. Imam Ahmed and others have recorded the following narration on the authority of Fatimah bint al Hussain—who was with her father when he was martyred— from her father:

ما من مسلم ولا مسلمة يصاب بمصيبة فيذكرها وإن طال عهدها فيحدث لذلك استرجاعا ، إلا جدد الله تبارك وتعالى له عند ذلك فأعطاه مثل أجرها يوم أصيب بها

Any Muslim, male or female, who suffers a loss and thereafter upon remembering it, be it after a long while recites We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return will receive the same reward from Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala as received on the day of the loss.[2]

The following narration has been recorded by Imam Muslim:

ما من مسلم تصيبه مصيبة ، فيقول ما أمره الله : إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ، اللهم أجرني في مصيبتي وأخلف لي خيرا منها ، إلا أخلف الله له خيرا منها

When a Muslim suffers from a calamity and utters, ‘We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. O Allah! Compensate me in my affliction, recompense my loss, and give me something better in exchange for it,’ then Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala surely compensates him with reward and better substitute.[3]

Hereunder is the narration of Ibn ‘Abbas’s radiya Llahu ‘anhuma reaction to a loss he suffered:

نعى إلى ابن عباس ابن له، وهو في سفر، فقال : إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ، ثم نزل فصلى ركعتين، ثم قال : فعلنا ما أمر الله به، وتلا هذه الآية {واستعينوا بالصبر والصلاة}

Ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhuma when given the news of the passing of his son he recited, We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return, dismounted from his conveyance read salah, and said, “We have done what Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has commanded us to do.” He then recited the verse:

وَاسْتَعِيْنُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ

And seek help through patience and prayer.[4]

“Do you like to smell part of his soil?” Smelling of this soil, is not in the literal sense. Presenting the soil was meant, as established through other narrations.

Smelling the soil has not been established by any narration, expect one narrated by al Tabarani with a weak chain of narrators. Even if this narration was accepted as true, it would not give virtue to the soil of Karbala’ as the same narration has Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam criticising it.

Some have used this narration to somehow try to prove the blessed nature of the sand of Karbala’ calling it al Turbah al Hussainiyyah (The soil of Hussain). However, this does not prove its blessedness by any measure. Consider the following:

a. The narration only specifies the handling of the soil, a point of emphasis not virtue.

b. There is absolutely no mention of Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam having sought blessings by it, reading salah on it, or seeking a cure through it.

c. If this soil held such prominence, Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have surely expressed it to the Ahlul Bayt and the ummah. If not, he would not have fulfilled his responsibility which is unthinkable.

d. There is no sound narration that depicts the Ahlul Bayt respecting the soil.

e. Besides, the narration mentions the soil of a specific area which until known renders the entire theory irrelevant.

Question: Why didn’t the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum prevent the martyrdom of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu even though they were present?

Answer: The Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum that were in Makkah, such as Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhuma had warned Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu not to go to Iraq. They tried their utmost in discouraging him but he carried on to Iraq. On the other hand, the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum that were in Iraq such as, Anas and Zaid ibn Arqam radiya Llahu ‘anhuma only came to know of the atrocities carried out against him when his head lay in front of ‘Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad. They were beside themselves in agony when they saw this scene of oppression.

Furthermore, the tyranny of ‘Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad is well known. He murdered many of the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum and Tabi’in. No one, not even the Ahlul Bayt, were able to prevent him from the craze of tyranny that had gripped him.

Question: Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam knew that of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu would be martyred as is established from the hadith. Why did he then not supplicate for him to be saved from such?

Answer: Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala has predestined matters for the creation fifty thousand years before he created them. When he wishes for a matter to occur, no one is able to prevent it. The martyrdom of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu is a glaring example of this. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala had predestined his martyrdom at a particular time and place which was not to be brought forth nor postponed by a moment. This objection is therefore one that objects against the sovereignty of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala.

One’s intelligence would rather search for the wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala in such instead of objecting against it. Amongst these wisdoms is the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala tests his close servants so their status may be raised and their rewards may be great. Since death is inevitable, death as a martyr is the best end one could hope for. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala says:

وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِيْنَ آمَنُوْا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنْكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِيْنَ

So that Allah may make evident those who believe and [may] take to Himself from among you martyrs – and Allah does not like the wrongdoers –[5]

Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, the best of creation, did not seek to alter the destiny of his grandchild nor did he utter a word of displeasure after coming to know of it. This stance adopted by Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam is a clear indication that the martyrdom of Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu was a foregone concluded matter that had no possibility of change. Since Rasulullah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not object and neither did Amir al Mu’minin ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu object, it would therefore be nothing short of folly for those after them to raise such absurd objections.

Ibn Taymiyyah writes:

أما الحسين فلا ريب أنه قتل مظلومًا شهيدًا كما قتل أشباهه من المظلومين الشهداء، ولم يكن قصده ابتداء أن يقاتل، وقتل الحسين معصية لله ورسوله ممن قتله أو أعان على قتله أو رضي بذلك، وهو مصيبة أصيب بها المسلمون من أهله وغير أهله. وهو في حقه شهادة له ورفع درجة وعلو منزلة، فإنه وأخاه سبقت لهما من الله السعادة التي لا تُنال إلا بشيء من البلاء ولم يكن لهما من السوابق ما لأهل بيتهما فإنهما تربيا في حجر الإسلام في عز وأمان فهذا مات مسمومًا وهذا مقتولاً لينالا بذلك منازل السعداء وعيش الشهداء

Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu is no doubt a martyr who was murdered in cold blood. He did not intend fighting, his killers, those who assisted and those who are pleased with it are all sinners. His martyrdom was a blow to his family and the ummah. Him and his brother are the princes of the youth in paradise and grew up when Islam was flourishing. They did not experience the early persecutions, jihad, and hijrah which the other Ahlul Bayt experienced. Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala honoured them with martyrdom as a means of completing their honour and raising their status.[6]

The patience of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu can perhaps be understood from this narration. He carried within his heart the grief of the knowledge of his son’s martyrdom throughout his life.

Those that stay close to the great scholars—especially those of the Ahlul Bayt—are granted blessings in their knowledge and happen upon the finer points of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

NEXT⇒ The Nineteenth Narration

[1] Musnad Imam Ahmed, Hadith: 633.

[2] Musnad Imam Ahmed, Hadith: 1736.

[3] Sahih Muslim, Hadith: 1531

[4] Ta’zim Qadr al Salah, Hadith: 201.

[5] Surah Al ‘Imran: 140.

[6] Minhaj al Sunnah vol. 2 pg. 355.

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