9th Muharram
(HAZRAT ALI AKBAR
(AS))
Bismillahir
Rahmanir Raheem
Tonight is
the night of 9th Moharram.
It is the
second night without water.
It is very
hot in Karbala. Children cannot sleep.
How can they?
They are very thirsty and hungry.
The sound of
"AL-ATASH! AL-ATASH! AL-ATASH!" breaks Hussain(a.s)'s heart.
What can
Hussain(a.s) do? He is patient.
For the sake
of Allah, he is bearing it all.
More is to
come. Hussain(a.s)'s patience and sacrifice will be tested further.
On Ashura
day…….Hussain(a.s) sacrificed all his faithful friends but remained
patient.
Auno -
Mohammed were killled. Yet Hussain(a.s) remained patient.
Qasim was
torn to pieces. Yet Hussain(a.s) remained patient.
Abbas' arms
were severed. Yet Hussain(a.s) remained patient.
How much can
Hussain(a.s) bear? How much more can he sacrifice?
My fellow
Hussain(a.s)i for the sake of Islam, Hussain(a.s), our Imam, sacrificed
the most precious thing in his life - HIS TEENAGE SON - HIS 18 YEAR OLD
SON - ALl AKBER(AS)!
Tonight, my
fellow Hussain(a.s)i, we will cry more and we will do more matam.
Bibi
Fatima(s.a) will cry with us. Mawla Ali will join us. Hussain(a.s) will
pray with us. Hussain(a.s) and Bibi Zainab(s.a) will cry with us.
Tonight, is
the night of the teenage son of Hussain(a.s), the life of Hussain(a.s),
the darling of Zainab and Umme Laila, the image of the Holy Prophet -
Tonight is the night of Ali Akber!
The day of
Ashura unfolded on the land of Karbala. It was Fajr time. Hussain(a.s)
called his son, Ali Akber(AS).
"My son, Ali
Akber, go and give the Adhan. Ali Akber I want to hear the voice of my
grandfather. Ali Akber, you sound so much like your great grandfather,
the Holy Prophet."
"ALLAHO-AKBER,
ALLAHO-AKBER..….."
Ali Akber's
Adhan echoed through the land of Karbala.
Ali Akber's
last Adhan…….It was no ordinary Adhan……..
It was filled
with emotion…
Hussain(a.s)
began to cry. He remembered his grandfather.
All the
ladies in the tents began to cry. Zainab(s.a) burst into tears.
Everyone
prayed Fajr Namaaz.
Soon after,
the battle of Karbala began.
One-by-one,
Hussain(a.s)'s companions went to the battlefield and were martyred.
Auno -
Mohammed went. They were martyred too.
Qasim went.
He was torn to pieces.
Ali Akber and
Abbas helped Hussain(a.s), carry the bodies to the tent.
Sakina was
thirsty. Abbas went to get water. Abbas did not come back.
Hussain(a.s)
is alone with Ali Akber.
Heartbroken.
Full of grief! So many dead in one day.
How much can
Hussain(a.s) take? Enough - enough - enough.
No, my fellow
Hussain(a.s)i more is to come. The greatest sacrifice in history, is to
come……..
Ali Akber -
the life of Hussain(a.s) - the teenage son of Hussain(a.s) - the darling
of Hussain(a.s) - came to his father and said:
"Father, may
I now have permission to go for Jehad?"
Allaho Akber!
My fellow Hussain(a.s)i, imagine the scene! Put your hand on your heart
and think of what is happening?
A teenage son
has come to his old father for permission to DIE! How does a father
allow his teenage son - 18 years old - to die?
Poor
Hussain(a.s)! What does he do now? How does he allow his teenage darling
son to die?
Hussain(a.s)
is helpless. His promise to Allah had to be honoured.
"My son, Ali
Akber, go, you have my permission, but Akber, my darling, go and ask
permission from your mother. Go and ask permission from Zainab(s.a),
your auntie who has brought you up. Go, son, go."
Ali Akber
took permission from his mother, Umme Laila.
Ali Akber
then went to his auntie, Zainab(s.a).
"Auntie
Zainab, tell me one thing. Whose life is more important? Your Ali
Akber's, or Bibi Fatima(s.a)'s son, Hussain(a.s)'s?"
"My son, Ali
Akber, I would sacrifice a thousand lives to save Bibi Fatemah's son -
Hussain(a.s)'s life.
Then auntie,
do not stop me. Grant me permission. No one is left to save Hussain(a.s).
Let me go, auntie, let me go."
"Bismillah,
my son. Go my Ali Akber, go."
Ali Akber
mounted his horse.
Hussain(a.s)
was crying. Umme Laila was crying. Bibi Kulthoom was crying. Zainab was
crying.
"KHUDA -
HAFIZ, mother. KHUDA - HAFIZ, father. KHUDA -HAFIZ, auntie Kulsoom.
KHUDA - HAFIZ, auntie Zainab."
Ali Akber
rode to the battlefield.
He heard
footsteps following him. He stopped and looked back. What did he see?
His father
Hussain(a.s), was following him.
With his
hands on his back, Hussain(a.s) was running behind Ali Akber.
"Father,
where are you going? Please father, go back to the tent."
"My son Ali
Akber, I want to see you as long as I can. I will stop here, my son, but
promise me, you will keep on looking back after every few steps. Akber,
my darling, your old father wants to see you as long as he can."
Ali Akber
continued……He looked back every few seconds. Hussain(a.s) was there
watching him.
He reached
the battlefield.
Ali Akber
fought bravely. He killed many well-known warriors.
Ali Akber
came back to his father.
"Father, did
you see me fight? I wish uncle Abbas was here to see me. Father, a few
drops of water……., father, I am very thirsty. If I could just have a
little water, I would send the entire army of Yazid to Hell."
"My son. come
near me. Touch my tongue. See if you can get some comfort from me."
Ali Akber
touched Hussain(a.s)'s tongue.
"Father, your
mouth is much drier than mine. Father, you must be more thirsty than
myself."
Ali Akber
returned to the battlefield.
Umar Saad
ordered his soldiers to kill Ali Akber.
While a few
soldiers together attacked Ali Akber, one crept up to him and thrust a
spear into Ali Akber's chest.
Allaho Akber!
The spear penetrated Akber's chest. The handle broke. A sharp blade
stuck into Akber's heart. He felt faint.
Ali Akber
fell off his horse. He cried out:
"O Father,
accept my last salaam to you."
Ali Akber did
not call his father to come to see him.
Hussain(a.s)
was alone and Ali Akber did not want to bother his old father.
Hussain(a.s)
rushed to the battlefield.
"My son, my
darling, my Ali Akber, where are you? Speak to your father, my son.
Akber..... Akber.... My darling… Where are you?"
Hussain(a.s)
saw his son, Ali Akber. His son was lying on the sands of Karbala with
both his hands on his chest.
Ali Akber was
taking his last breaths.
Poor
Hussain(a.s)! What shall Hussain(a.s) do now? A father facing his
teenage son, dying!
He placed Ali
Akber's head on his lap.
"My son, Ali
Akber, my darling, Ali Akber, why are you covering your chest? My son,
is your chest hurting? Let me look at it, my son."
"No, father,
no! Don't remove my hands from my chest. You will not be able to bear
it, father."
Hussain(a.s)
gently moved Ali Akber's hands.
Allaho Akber,
Allaho Akber! What did Hussain(a.s) see?
What did a
father see?
The blade of
the spear stuck deep into Ali Akber's chest. Ali Akber was in a lot of
pain.
What shall
Hussain(a.s) do now? What shall Hussain(a.s) do now?
Hussain(a.s)
put both his hands on the blade and looked towards Najaf. He cried out
loudly:
"BABA, YA
MUSHKIL KHUSHA! HELP ME!… BABA! It was easy for you to pull out the
gates of Khyber… BABA! It is difficult for me to pull out the blade from
my son's chest…… BABA! Help me, Baba!"
With a cry of
"YA ALl", Hussain(a.s) pulled the blade out.
Blood gushed
out of Ali Akber's chest. Hussain(a.s) was covered with his son, Ali
Akber's blood.
Ali Akber
took his last breath.
What does
Hussain(a.s) do now?
"Auno -
Mohammed, help me carry your brother's body. Qasim, help me. Abbas, I
need your help. Where are you, Abbas?"
Hussain(a.s)
was alone. How does he carry Ali Akber's body?
Hussain(a.s)
alone could not carry Ali Akber's body.
He put Ali
Akber's hands around his neck…..
Hussain(a.s)
carried his 18 year old son's body with great difficulty.
Ali Akber's
feet dangled, touching the sand of Karbala.
Poor
Hussain(a.s)! So much patience! So much sacrifice!
As he reached
the tent……..he cried out:
"Z-A - I - N
- A – B……..HELP ME, ZAINAB. TAKE YOUR ALl AKBER."
"U-M-M-E -
L-A-l-L-A…….HELP ME. TAKE YOUR DARLING….
INNA LILLAHE
WA INNA ELAIHI RAJEOON!
WE ARE FROM
GOD AND TO GOD WE RETURN!
SYEDA
ZAINAB ABBAS. |