THE HOUSEHOLD OF MUHAMMAD (SAWW) IN KUFA
As the
captured prisoners entered into Kufa and were being led to the castle of
Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad, people gathered on the streets to see who the
prisoners were. A woman came by and asked,
“Who are you?” They replied,
“We
are the prisoners from the household of Prophet Muhammad (saww).”
Looking at
the plight of small children, people began to sympathise and gave food.
Zaynab (as) and Umm Kulthoom (as), the courageous daughters of ‘Ali bin
Abi Talib (as) took the food from the kids and gave them back saying:
“O
People! We belong to the household of Muhammad. Sadaqah (Alms) are
forbidden upon us.”
When the
caravan of the captives reached a large group of people, Zaynab (as)
stood and pointed to the people to be silent. The strong personality of
the daughter of the lion of God had such an impact on the people that
they all froze in silence. Thereupon, she (as) said,
“All praise is due to Allah and His blessings
be upon our forefather Muhammad! O people of
Kufa; People of treachery and deception! Are you crying? May your crying
never ends. You are like women who untie what
they have woven. You have no one among you but dirty, stubborn, liars,
and you have done what will bring the wrath of God!
May
your crying never end! And may your laughs be
scarce! You carry all the shame that cannot be washed away. You have
killed the descendants of the Prophet, the Lord’s claim (against you) of
your time, and the light of your world. Woe unto you, and you will be
humiliated forever!
O people of
Kufa!
Do you not
know what heart of the Prophet have you cut out?
Do you not
know what honoured women of the Prophet’s house have you enslaved and
dishonoured?
Do you not
know what blood of the Prophet have you shed?
Indeed you
have committed grave error that cannot be rectified!
It will be no
wonder if the sky rains blood! And the punishment of the Hereafter is
the worst punishment.”
Imam
Al-Sajjad (as) noticed some movement among the troops and said to her,
“O my
aunt!
Please be silent. Indeed you are knowledgeable without being taught.”
Then Fatimah, daughter of Imam al-Husayn (as) spoke. Hearing her, people
started crying and yelling.
Umm
Kulthoom (as) said,
“Be silent,
people of Kufa! Your men kill us and your women weep on us. Allah (SWT)
will be the Judge between us on the day of Judgement. People of Kufa!
Woe unto you! What is the matter with you? You kill Husayn, plunder his
wealth, and capture his womenfolk and then cry for him? Do you realize
the catastrophe you have brought upon yourselves? You have killed the
best after the Prophet (saww)! Certainly the party of God is victorious
and the party of Satan is the loser!
People
cried and yelled more. Suddenly, they saw a young man tied in chains and
bleeding come forth. He pointed at them to be silent and they adhered.
He then began,
“All praise is due to God and His blessings
be upon the Prophet (saww). O people! Whoever
knows me knows me, and whoever does not know me then, I am ‘Ali son of
Husayn son ‘Ali bin Abi Talib. I am the son of one whose women are taken
captives. I am the son of one whose wealth was plundered. I am the son
of one whose honour was trampled upon. I am the son of one who was
killed by the Euphrates (thirsty); and that is a great honour for us.
O people! I
ask you by God. Do you know that you wrote to my father and then
deceived him? You promised him and then broke your promise? You fought
against him (and killed him)? Woe unto you! What face will you have when
you meet up with your Prophet and he will ask you: You have killed my
family and trampled upon my honour? You are not from my nation!”
Hearing
this, people of Kufa cried intensely until their beards were drenched in
tears. Imam al-Sajjad (as) said,
“May Allah bless the person
who listens to me and honours my will.” The crowd
answered, “Yes O son of the Prophet
of God! We hear and obey you. We await your command for war or peace. We
reject anyone who dishonours you.”
The Imam
(as) said,
“Haihaat!
Haihaat! (Never again!
Never again!) You, the deceivers! Do you want to do the same to
me what you did to my father? The wound has not healed yet. My father
was killed yesterday and we still hear the cries of the people of the
house.”
Mulla Mujahidali Sheriff
mulla@almahdi.org.uk |