By: Zahra Bukhari

 Zahra is fifteen years old and she currently lives in Stow.  She attends Nashoba Regional High School and is in the tenth grade.

 During the month of Muharram I normally pay a lot of attention to the younger children of our Imambarah. Mashallah we are so fortunate to have such exuberant children who are so full of life. In seeing how joyous the next generation of our Imambarah is we normally do not notice when a child is playing or talking during a majalis. The constant mind-set is that they are probably too young to understand how deep the month of Muharram is. Well, when one thinks like that it is hard to imagine how an infant of 6 months could understand, but I am here tonight to talk about one who did.

By Zuhr time, on the tragic day of Ashoora, all the men on Imam Husayn (A.S.) side had been martyred except for his two sons and himself. He called out to the soldiers of Yazeed’s side and asked them who would help him? Who would help their Holy Prophet’s (SAW) grandson? He asked this in hopes to steer the traitors away from a destiny in hell. The reply, which he had then received, was a cry of a woman from his tents.  Upon entering, he found his beloved sister Bibi Zainab (A.S.) weeping. He asked Bibi Zainab (AS) why she was crying and she informed him that once he had called out for help his 6-month-old son, Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.), fell out of his crib.

Imam Husayn (AS) knew this was his young sons’ way of begging to do Jihad. Lying in his mother, Umme Rubab’s (AS) lap, his father picked him up and brought him out to the battlefield. Yazeed’s entire army curiously watched the Imam as he walked out with what they thought was a Qur’an cradled in his arms. The Imam (AS) then showed his weakened son, deprived of food and water, to the armies and asked them, what had his son done to them? What could a 6-month-old infant possibly do to an army of thousands? No one had an answer. Imam Husayn (AS) placed his young infant, who had not received milk from his mother in 3 days, on the scolding sand of Karbala and told his son that he had no sword or spear like every other man, but to still do his Jihad. The young hero of Karbala stuck out his parched tongue and ran it along his lips. This sword of Hazrat Ali Asghar’s (AS) pierced through any decent heart left, and many soldiers began weeping realizing their barbaric sins. On seeing the power of the Imam’s (AS) youngest son, Ibne S’aad, the leader of Yazeed’s army sent Hurmullah, his best archer, to stop what was going on. The fear which 6-month-old Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.) put into Ibne S’aad caused him not to use an arrow with one head, not an arrow with two heads, but a three headed arrow.

 Hurmullah placed this three-pronged arrow into his bow and shot it straight through the neck of Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.) and into the arm of his father. No one can fathom the amount of pain a father can feel as he pulls a three-pronged arrow from his newborns neck. When he had dislodged the arrow, Hazrat Ali Asghar’s (AS) blood started to seep, when a voice came from the ground. The voice told the Imam (AS) not to let the young child’s blood touch the ground or no crops will ever grow. Looking up to the sky, a voice told the Imam (AS), do not let young Ali Asghar’s blood reach the sky or no rain shall ever fall. In complete shock, Imam Husayn (AS) was only left to rub the blood of his son into his own beard and then sadly headed back towards his camp.

Walking back to the tent Imam Husayn’s (AS) eyes met with Umme Rubab’s (AS), not knowing how he would be able to gather himself to return her martyred infant. He could detect the anguish, the anxiety, and the fear in the young mother’s eyes. He could not keep walking towards her with their dead son in his arms.

He then took seven steps back saying, “INNA LILLA-HI WA INNA ILAY-HI RAJEEOON.” Realizing it was his duty to return Umme Rubab (AS) her valiant soldier, he took those 7 steps back once again saying, “INNA LILLA-HI WA INNA ILAY-HI RAJEEOON.” The distressed father repeated this act 7 more times, and in the end returned Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.) to his mother.

An important lesson which Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.) taught us is there is no age set on Jihad and loving our religion. It is our duty not only as children or teenagers, but as everyone to devout ourselves to Islam at all times. Mashallah we have been given an Imambarah to commemorate the Ahlul Bayt of the Prophet (SAW). If a 6-month-old infant would have felt so strong about Islam that he would give his life, then we can Inshallah, every year give two hours during the 10 days of Muharram. We must always remember to conduct ourselves in a way in which Hazrat Ali Asghar (A.S.) can Inshallah proudly say, “I gave my life for these Muslims.”