Chapter Ten

From the Farewell to the Throne of Tears

Steadfast Until the Final Moment

“They advanced to fight against you, yet you remained steadfast before the blows of swords and spears.

You pressed forward through the clouds of dust upon the battlefield,

enduring every hardship and affliction,

until the angels of heaven stood in awe of your patience.

When no helper remained by your side,

you entrusted your affair to Allah,

remained steadfast,

and defended your women and children.”

— A passage from Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah

The Night of Farewell and the Morning of Separation

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا

وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“O you who believe!

Be patient, encourage one another to patience,

remain steadfast, and be mindful of Allah,

so that you may attain success.”

Jalāʾ al-ʿUyūn describes Imam Hussein’s (p) farewell to the members of his Household:

“He called for the ladies of the sanctuary of purity.

He embraced his daughters and sisters one by one,

comforting each of them with the rewards that Allah, the Exalted, had prepared for the patient.

Then the cries of lamentation arose from the tents of the Household,

while the voices of:

‘Farewell! Farewell!’

and:

‘Separation! Separation!’

ascended from the earth to the heavens.”

And a sister stood watching...

She knew this was the final night.

Every glance she received from her brother,

she treasured within her heart like a priceless jewel,

to become the provision for the difficult days that lay ahead.

Then came the words:

عَلَيْكُنَّ مِنِّي السَّلَامُ

“My farewell greetings be upon you...”

With those words, repeated again and again,

the hearts of the women of the Household were torn with grief,

until they heard from the blessed lips of their Imam...

Lady Zaynab (p) Runs Toward Her Brother

And the noble Lady,

watching from the height,

could bear it no longer.

She cried out:

“Hussein!”

and ran toward the battlefield.

From the tent to the place of martyrdom,

Zaynab (p) called out the name of Hussein.

The noble Lady entered the battlefield...

How could a heart so burdened with sorrow,

and a soul so consumed by grief,

endure the sight of her brother?

Then it happened once more...

This time,

it was the anguished cry of his sister

that stirred her Imam back to consciousness.

“My Zaynab...

my sister...

return to the tents...”

Again he lost consciousness.

Then, once more:

“My beloved Zaynab...

return, my sister...

Go back before these accursed ones enter the battlefield.

No stranger has ever beheld even your shadow...”

The Final Glance

قَدْ رَشَحَ لِلْمَوْتِ جَبِينُكَ،

وَاخْتَلَفَتْ بِالانْقِبَاضِ وَالانْبِسَاطِ شِمَالُكَ وَيَمِينُكَ،

تُدِيرُ طَرْفًا خَفِيًّا إِلَى رَحْلِكَ وَبَيْتِكَ،

وَقَدْ شُغِلْتَ بِنَفْسِكَ عَنْ وَلَدِكَ وَأَهَالِيكَ

“The sweat of death appeared upon your blessed brow.

You turned your sacred body from side to side,

gathering your limbs and then stretching them again.

Out of the corner of your eye,

you looked toward the tents and your sacred Household.

The calamities that had befallen you

kept your thoughts fixed upon your children and your family.”

— A passage from Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah

The Final Glance

Alas for that moment in the depths of the battlefield,

when Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ, Imam Hussein (p),

cast one final glance toward the tents,

and his heart was overcome.

After me there is no Abbas,

nor is there an Ali al-Akbar

remaining among the tents...

And in those final moments,

what was passing through the heart of Zaynab?

“Mahlan, mahlan, yā Ibn al-Zahrāʾ!

My Hussein...

my brother...”

What anguish must have filled the heart of the Imam—

the embodiment of protective honor.

He was a father and a brother...

He had to face the battle before him,

yet at the same time safeguard the tents.

But how could he?

Such was the turmoil within his blessed heart:

one eye remained fixed upon the tents

while the other watched the battlefield...

Yet even then,

the protective shadow of the Master still rested over them.

The Riderless Horse

“When the women saw the horse returning riderless

and beheld its overturned saddle,

they came forth from the tents,

their hair disheveled over their faces,

striking their unveiled cheeks,

and raising their voices in loud lamentation.”

— A passage from Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah

But...

alas for that hour when the silence grew long

and nothing could be heard except the clash of swords...

Then suddenly,

the sound of Dhul-Janāḥ’s hoofbeats was heard...

They rushed out from the tents...

Perhaps he had come for one final farewell...

He had come...

yes...

but without his rider...

Covered in blood,

pierced with arrows,

his head lowered in shame...

The daughters and the women,

striking themselves in mourning,

rushed toward the horse...

السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكِ يَا مُمْتَحَنَةُ

فِي تَحَمُّلِ الْمَصَائِبِ كَالْحُسَيْنِ الْمَظْلُومِ

وَرَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ

“Peace be upon you,

O you who were tried in patiently enduring afflictions

just as the Oppressed Hussein (p).

And upon you be the mercy and blessings of Allah.”

The Zaynabi Model of Mourning

Lady Zaynab al-Kubrā (p),

the noble Lady of the Sanctuary,

made use of every opportunity—

from the moment of the martyrdom of Imam Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (p)

until the final moments of her blessed life—

to proclaim the truth

and to keep alive the mourning of Imam Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (p).

Among the most heart-rending moments that weighed heavily upon Lady ʿAqīlah Zaynab (p),

the noble ladies,

and the women of Banī Hāshim,

was the moment when Lady Zaynab al-Kubrā (p)

and the other women of the Household

saw the Imam’s riderless horse returning from the battlefield

toward the tents of Hussein,

with its saddle overturned

and without its beloved rider.

They all rushed out from the tents,

and, weeping and lamenting,

made their way toward the battlefield,

striking their faces in grief.

This heartrending scene was immortalized by Hazrat Baqiyyatallāh al-Aʿẓam

(may our souls be sacrificed for him)

in Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah.

In this way,

Lady ʿAqīlah of Banī Hāshim (p)

and the noble women of the Household

mourned Imam Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (p).

Their manner of mourning itself became the Zaynabi model

for commemorating the martyrdom of Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ (p),

a model presented to all noble ladies and believing women.

The Patient Heart of Zaynab (p)

Then, in a voice filled with sorrow,

she proclaimed the oppression against Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ (p),

and recited these verses:

يَا نَفْسُ صَبْرًا عَلَى الدُّنْيَا وَمِحْنَتِهَا

هَذَا الْحُسَيْنُ قَتِيلٌ بِالْعَرَاءِ عَارِ

“O my soul,

be patient with this world,

its trials and its sorrows.

This is Hussein,

ascending to his Lord in the heavens.”

سَلَامٌ عَلَى قَلْبِ زَيْنَبَ الصَّبُورِ

“Peace be upon the patient heart of Zaynab.”

Lady Zaynab al-Kubrā (p),

the noble Lady of the Sanctuary,

the Mother of Calamities,

despite the immensity of the afflictions that befell her,

gave true meaning to patience in bearing trials

before which even mountains would have crumbled.

Her every thought and every effort

was devoted to exposing those accursed oppressors

and bringing them to disgrace.

The Final Moments of Imam Hussein (p)

وَالشِّمْرُ جَالِسٌ عَلَى صَدْرِكَ،

وَمُولِغٌ سَيْفَهُ عَلَى نَحْرِكَ،

قَابِضٌ عَلَى شَيْبَتِكَ بِيَدِهِ،

ذَابِحٌ لَكَ بِمُهَنَّدِهِ،

قَدْ سَكَنَتْ حَوَاسُّكَ،

وَخَفِيَتْ أَنْفَاسُكَ،

وَرُفِعَ عَلَى الْقَنَاةِ رَأْسُكَ

“While Shimr (may Allah’s curse be upon him)

sat upon your chest

and drove his sword into your blessed throat,

seizing your beard in his hand,

he severed your head with his sharp blade.

At that moment,

your movements came to a halt

and your breaths became still,

and your blessed head was raised upon a spear.”

— A passage from Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah

A Sister and Her Brother

And then...

a sister and her brother...

These two covenants can never be separated...

At that moment when Zaynab,

standing upon the hill,

saw her very soul lying in the battlefield...

she fulfilled her covenant.

And at that very moment,

Hussein (p),

lying in the battlefield,

through his half-closed eyes,

beheld his very soul standing upon the hill as well...

Thus,

a matchless covenant with the Lord was fulfilled,

and a new covenant was entrusted to Zaynab (p)

at the moment when

a lady,

her back bent and her hair turned white,

stepped into the battlefield

and kissed the severed vein of her brother...

Then came her brother’s voice in his final farewell,

gently comforting that weary soul:

“My Zaynab!

From this day forward,

you are the bearer of Karbala’s message...

I entrust to you my Sajjad,

my daughters,

and the noble ladies of the Household...”

Alas for that moment

when no sound could be heard

except the clashing of swords...

Ah, Zaynab...

Alas for Zaynab...

The Prostration of a Sister

She ran

and did not pause for even a moment...

Her cloak slipped beneath her feet,

and she became another Zahra for Ali

in the streets of Madinah...

She fell to the ground

and became another Abbas for Hussein...

She cried out:

“Ya Hussein!”

and became a sister for Hussein...

Then she reached the top of the hill...

the dagger and the chest...

The ring and the plunder...

the head and the spear...

and Zaynab and...

The beloved aunt,

bowing as she descended from the hill,

made her way to Hussein...

How beautiful is the prostration of a sister

upon the soil of her brother’s severed throat...

The world has never witnessed

such a congregational prayer.

The lips of a sister

upon the veins of her brother...

أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ،

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ،

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ حُسَيْنَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ قَتَلُوهُ عَطْشَانًا

“I bear witness that there is no god but Allah,

alone, without partner.

And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.

And I bear witness that Hussein ibn Ali was killed while thirsty.”

And what must have passed through the heart of the Master

at that moment when,

beneath the hands of that accursed one,

his gaze remained fixed upon Zaynab,

who stood watching...

It was as though Zaynab still could not believe...

on the chest of the Imam...

let the rest remain untold...

The shirt that Fatimah had sewn with tears

was amid the crowd...

let the rest remain untold...

As soon as they had finished with Hussein,

they turned their thoughts toward the tents...

let the rest remain untold...

“Is There Not Even One Muslim Among You?”

وَيْحَكَ يَا عُمَرُ!

أَيُقْتَلُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ

وَأَنْتَ تَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ؟!

“Woe to you, O Umar!

Is Aba Abdillah (p) being killed

while you stand by and watch?!”

These words of the noble Lady reflect the height of her majesty and dignity,

while at the same time revealing the utter disgrace of the one she addressed.

Turning toward the accursed men in the army of Umar ibn Saʿd,

may Allah’s curse be upon them all,

she cried out:

وَيْحَكُمْ!

أَمَا فِيكُمْ مُسْلِمٌ؟!

فَلَمْ يُجِبْهَا أَحَدٌ

“Is there not even a single Muslim among you?!”

By using these words,

the noble Lady declared explicitly

that she did not regard them as belonging to Islam at all,

for had even one of them truly been a Muslim,

such a crime could never have been committed.

Lady Zaynab al-Kubrā (p),

while standing in the depths of the battlefield,

uttered words that exposed the enormity of this tragedy.

The noble Lady declared with unmistakable clarity:

“Know that with the killing of Aba Abdillah (p),

the Messenger of Allah,

Amir al-Mu'minin,

and Fatimah al-Zahra (p)

have been slain.”

Thus,

through these words of exposure and condemnation,

the noble Lady raised the cry of mourning and lamentation:

“Today Muhammad al-Mustafa has died...”

In doing so,

she likened this day

to the day of the passing of the Messenger of Allah,

and to the days of the martyrdom of Amir al-Mu'minin

and Lady Fatimah al-Zahra (p).

The Mourning of the Heavens

وَاخْتَلَفَتْ جُنُودُ الْمَلَائِكَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ،

تُعَزِّي أَبَاكَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ،

وَأُقِيمَتْ لَكَ الْمَآتِمُ فِي أَعْلَى عِلِّيِّينَ،

وَلَطَمَتْ عَلَيْكَ الْحُورُ الْعِينُ،

وَبَكَتِ السَّمَاءُ وَسُكَّانُهَا

“The angels brought near to Allah

came in groups to offer their condolences

to your noble father, Amir al-Mu'minin (p).

In the highest ranks of Paradise,

assemblies of mourning were held for you.

The maidens of Paradise struck their faces in grief

over your martyrdom,

and the heavens and all who dwell within them

wept in your mourning.”

— A passage from Ziyarat al-Nāḥiyah al-Muqaddasah

The Weeping of the Angels

The angel who brought the news of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (p)

to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hp)

was Jibra'il.

He came carrying with him the sacred soil of Karbala,

from which a fragrant scent arose.

Spreading his wings,

he wept and lamented.

All the angels of the heavens and the earth,

Riḍwān,

Mālik,

and the bearers of the Divine Throne

wept for him.

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

“The angels who are beside his grave are weeping,

and because of their weeping,

all the angels of the heavens and the skies weep.”

Ṣafwān al-Jammāl relates:

I once saw Imam al-Sadiq (p)

on one of the roads leading out of Madinah

while we were on our way to Makkah.

I said:

“O son of the Messenger of Allah,

I see you sorrowful,

distressed,

and heartbroken.”

The Imam replied:

“If you could hear what I hear,

you would never have asked me this question.”

I said:

“What is it that you hear?”

He replied:

“The curses of the angels

upon the killers of Amir al-Mu'minin (p)

and upon the killers of Hussein ibn Ali (p);

the weeping of the jinn and the angels,

and the intensity of their grief and lamentation.

Who, in such a state,

could have any desire for food,

drink,

or sleep?”

Four Thousand Angels

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

Four thousand angels came to aid Sayyid al-Shuhadāʾ (p),

but the Imam did not grant them permission.

Until the Day of Resurrection,

they remain beside his grave,

weeping and covered with dust,

and their leader is an angel named “Manṣūr.”

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

When the event of Ashura took place,

the angels cried out and lamented before Allah, saying:

“O Lord,

is this how they treat Hussein (p),

Your Chosen One

and the son of Your Prophet?!”

A call came:

“My angels,

remain calm.

By My Might and Majesty,

I shall take vengeance upon them.”

Then Allah, the Exalted,

showed them the Imams

from among the descendants of Hussein (p),

and the angels rejoiced.

At that moment,

they saw one of those noble figures standing in prayer.

Allah, the Exalted, said:

“I shall take vengeance upon them

through this Master who is standing.”

In another narration,

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

The angels of the day and night

shake hands with the angels

of the sacred shrine of Hussein,

but the angels of the sacred shrine,

because of the intensity of their weeping,

are unable to respond to them.

They wait until the break of dawn;

only then do they respond to them

and ask about the affairs of the heavens.

Between these two times,

they neither speak

nor grow weary in their weeping and supplication.

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

“The angels wept for Hussein ibn Ali (p)

for forty days.”

The Weeping of the Birds and the Wild Beasts

The birds of the sky wept for him.

The cry of the birds at the time of the martyrdom

of Imam Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (p) was:

أَلَا قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ بِكَرْبَلَاءَ،

أَلَا ذُبِحَ الْحُسَيْنُ بِكَرْبَلَاءَ

“Behold!

Hussein has been slain in Karbala.

Behold!

Hussein has been beheaded in Karbala.”

The birds that were in Karbala,

or that passed through Karbala,

covered themselves with the blood of the martyrs,

spread their wings,

flew in every direction,

and raised their voices in lamentation and mourning.

Imam al-Sadiq (p) said:

“The owl fasts throughout the day,

and from the time it breaks its fast until dawn,

it weeps for Hussein ibn Ali (p).”

Imam al-Rida (p) said:

During the time of my grandfather,

the Messenger of Allah (pbuh&hp),

owls nested in homes and palaces.

When Imam Hussein (p) was martyred,

they departed from inhabited places

for ruins and mountains,

saying:

‘Know this!

We are no longer safe among you,

for you have killed the son of your Prophet.’”

The wild beasts of the desert wept for him

until tears flowed from their eyes.

Amir al-Mu'minin (p),

speaking about the martyrdom of his beloved son Imam Hussein (p),

said:

“It is as though I can see the various wild beasts

stretching their necks over his grave

and weeping and mourning for him

throughout the night until dawn.”

Imam Hasan (p) said to his brother Imam Hussein (p):

“After your martyrdom,

all things—

even the wild beasts of the desert—

will weep for you.”

Following the Imam of the Time (p)

O Sayyedi and Mawlāi,

when you mourn morning and evening,

when you weep and shed tears,

we are united with you...

شِيعَتُنَا مِنَّا،

خُلِقُوا مِنْ فَاضِلِ طِينَتِنَا،

وَعُجِنُوا بِمَاءِ وِلَايَتِنَا

“Our Shiʿah are from us.

They were created from the remainder of our clay

and were kneaded with the water of our Wilāyah.”

We feel that grief within our own hearts,

and we burn with sorrow alongside you.

We have followed your example

in establishing the mourning of your noble grandfather,

O Ṣāḥib al-Zamān,

may our souls be sacrificed for him.

From Darkness Into Light

In following your example,

we remain connected to you.

You sigh,

and we burn with sorrow...

Through this connection in weeping,

tears,

grief,

and heartfelt anguish:

يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ

“He brings them out of darkness into the light.”

Our souls will be purified from every darkness,

until our entire being becomes light

and pure tawḥīd...

The Day the Entire World Mourns for Hussein (p)

O Qāʾim al-Muntaẓar!

O promised justice...

The day when all of creation will weep

for your lonely grandfather, Hussein (p),

that day will truly become Ashura...

And when the entire world mourns for Hussein (p),

يَبْكِي عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ جَمِيعُ الْخَلَائِقِ

all of creation will weep for Imam Hussein (p).

Then the Reappearance will come,

and:

يَمْلَأُ الْأَرْضَ قِسْطًا وَعَدْلًا

“He will fill the earth with justice and equity.”

Thus the dead earth will be brought back to life:

يُحْيِي الْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا

“He will revive the earth after its death.”

And all the people of the world

will become the audience of your proclamation:

أَلَا يَا أَهْلَ الْعَالَمِ،

إِنَّ جَدِّيَ الْحُسَيْنَ قَتَلُوهُ عَطْشَانًا

“O people of the world!

Indeed,

my grandfather Hussein was killed while thirsty.”

And from that moment,

true knowledge of Hussein (p)

will begin...