THE GREAT SACRIFICE
There are so many misunderstandings among the Muslims regarding the verse: "And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice," that no other verse of Quran is equal in this aspect. I had written an article in al-Jawwad Muharram Special Issue on the topic of this same verse. In that treatise I had explained and investigated all the aspects of the verse in the light of traditions and narrations and explained how the status and position of Imam Husain (a.s) is so high and lofty that he could not be considered as a ransom of Prophet Ismail (a.s). According to the view of Allamah Majlisi (vide Biharul Anwar) Imam Husain (a.s), the Chief of the Martyrs is the cause of the ransom itself. In his view the actual connotations of the verse is that: Due to the great sacrifice We saved Ismail by ransoming him. That is, because the Chief of the Martyrs was supposed to appear in the progeny of Ismail (a.s) and if he had been slaughtered, this effulgence would not have come into existence, the Almighty God saved Ismail (a.s) and in his lieu the ram was slaughtered. Hence the question arises that many innocent lives were taken and blood spilled after Prophet Ismail (a.s). Many Prophets of Mani Israel were killed at the hands of the oppressors and the verse of Quran proves it:
...and killed the prophets unjustly ...1
Then what is the reason that only Imam Husain (a.s) should be taken as the evidence of
this verse? However by studying carefully the words of the verse it becomes clears that
here it does not merely denote the killing of an innocent soul in the path of Allah. Rather
it denotes that special condition of killing that is referred to as "the Great
Sacrifice." It is obvious that no proof could be given about those honorable
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1 Surah Bayarah 2:61
prophets that they were "slaughtered." Only Prophet Yahya (a.s) is able to fill the criterion and his similarity to Imam Husain (a.s) extends to the fact that that his severed head was also placed in a tray and presented to a king. However first of all his circumstances can hardly be compared to the incidents of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s), so how could it be greater than the sacrifice of Imam Husain (a.s)? Secondly the interpretation of Allamah Majlisi shows that the great sacrifice was to occur in the progeny of Ismail (a.s) and it is not connected to anyone from Bani Israel. Otherwise for its protection there was no need to save the life of Ismail (a.s). Therefore, Prophet Yahya (a.s) can never be the evidence of this verse. Let us now see which murder in the progeny of Ismail (a.s) is such that it could be called as "the great sacrifice" and its greatness should also be absolutely proved.
In the progeny of Ismail (a.s) quite later on, we notice the incident of Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib, who was going to be slaughtered in the way of Allah and Abdul Muttalib was fully prepared to slaughter him in order to fulfill his vow. However his mother and other people of Mecca objected to it and restrained him from such a course of action and thus the question of a ransom arose. The drawing of lots started with ten camels and always the name of Abdullah was drawn. Until
the lots were cast for 100 camels and Abdullah and then it was drawn for the 100 camels and in this way Abdullah was saved from being slaughtered at that time, just as Prophet Ismail (a.s) had escaped the slaughtered. Due to this event the Islamic religious law has stipulated 100 camels as the penalty of willful murder.
In any case, Prophet Ismail and after him Abdullah, both were fully prepared to be slaughtered but Providence saved
them for divine wisdom. That is why the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) used to say: I am the son of two slaughtered ones (sacrifices). After this event if any incident in the progeny could be termed as "the great sacrifice" and which is in its fullest sense, is that of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s). This divine wisdom is worth contemplation that even though Imam Husain (a.s) had suffered so many physical and emotional wounds that were alone sufficient to cause death, the connection between him and life was not severed until the prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. So much so, that the accursed Shimr committed the heinous act that caused furor in the earth and the heavens. And the trustworthy Jibraeel announced from the skies: Know that! Husain has been slaughtered in Karbala!
In any case, in this essay, I would like to briefly describe the events of Ismail (a.s) and Imam Husain (a.s) and draw a comparison between them to point out why the Almighty Allah has honored the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) by the lofty title of "the great sacrifice." And also whether the events of the martyrdom and the circumstances of the slaughter of Imam Husain (a.s) are really worthy of this title or not. Although I know that if any scholar takes up the task of writing on this topic, even after writing reams and reams he would confess that he has not been able to do justice to the subject matter.
And inspite of this I have dared to write about it. I think that so what if my writing could not show the "great sacrifice" in the true light. At least it would be a proof of my daring of unbounded love. Anyway, I would restrict this essay only to those topics that are common, if only in name, to Prophet Ismail and Imam Husain (a.s). It is obvious that as much the causes of peace of the heart and leisure keep on decreasing and as much they increase spiritual pain and physical
discomfort as much the greatness of the slaughtered one shall go on increasing. Slaughter is itself the greatest pain and in addition to it the presence of other pains enhances its greatness. Let us now, in the light of this view, cast a brief glance on both the events from their beginning to the end.
(1) CAUSE OF THE SLAUGHTER
Prophet Ismail (a.s) was being slaughtered by the command of Allah and he was even aware of it. His words as recorded in Quran: "...do what you are commanded ..."1 prove my assertion that he himself had also given the permission.Therefore his killing was not based on injustice and neither could he be called an oppressed one. On the other hand the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) was such a great cruelty whose equal could not be found since the inception of the created world until Qiyamat. His Eminence, Ibrahim (a.s) was going to slaughter Ismail (a.s) for the pleasure of God and the words: "Thus do We reward the doers of good."2 have given him the certificate of acceptance also. On the other hand the killers of Husain (a.s) were cutting off his parched throat to gain the proximity of Yazid. They did not care that through this deed they would become eligible for a painful chastisement. They slaughtered Husain (a.s) and earned the displeasure of Allah, they slit the heart of the Prophet and injured the feelings of Lady Fatima (s.a.). They made a crack in the foundation of Islam. They blemished the face of humanity. They shattered the screens of civility and ethics and insulted humanity. They proved true by spilling innocent blood, the fear of the angels when they had said:
What! Wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood ...3
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1 Surah Saffat 37:102
2 Surah Saffat 37:110
3 Surah Bagarah 2:30
(2) THE SLAUGHTERED ONE
The one who was slaughtering Ismail (a.s) was his own respected father whose love and affection for his son could be gauged even if we ignore his perfect humanity, prophethood and friendship of God, just by the fact that Ismail (a.s) was fruit of his prayers of 99 years. Until that time Ismail (a.s) was his only child and all his future hopes were connected to him alone. He was supposed to be his support in his old age. He was the light of his eyes. He was the strength of his heart and the achievement of his life. In such circumstances, how gentle he would have been in using the knife could be understood by any sensible person. On the other hand, the killers of Imam Husain (a.s) were such that instead of mercy and gentleness their hearts were filled with cruelty and mercilessness. Instead of any love and regard in their eyes they were having utter shamelessness and their tongues, instead of softness and kindness had hardness and sharpness. They were deadly enemies and were utterly shameless. They were enemies of ethics. In their view the meaning of humanity was only limited to the glitter of gold and silver. And this glitter had perplexed their eyes so much that they did not flinch in making a six-month infant a target for arrows. How can any mercy and caution be expected from such people? The events testify that they did not rest content only to slaughter Husain (a.s). They put into practice all the atrocities that a human mind can imagine. Apparently from this aspect also the greatness of the sacrifice of Husain increases.
(3) TOOLS OF SLAUGHTER
Religious law commands that before slaughter the instrument should be sharpened adequately so that the slaughtered one has to undergo minimum pain. Apart from this, His Eminence, Ibrahim (a.s) was an affectionate father as mentioned above therefore it goes without saying that he must have sharpened the knife as much as possible. However in Karbala, where other rules of human behavior were ignored, the sword used to severe his holy head was so blunt that according to famous traditional reports, it took twelve slashes before it could complete its job. In addition to this, another aspect of the greatness of Husain (a.s) is that even if Ismail (a.s) had been slaughtered, only a single stroke would have been used for it and his body would have received only a single wound. However, for the killing of Husain (a.s), which attack was such that it had not been used hundreds of times? Swords, daggers, arrows, spears, maces, stones, burning pieces of wood, ridicules. In other words, every instrument that had been invented to injure the body and soul until that time, all were employed for Imam Husain (a.s). Such was the propensity of the injuries inflicted upon the purified body of the Holy Imam that according to famous traditions only the front portion of his body had 1951 wounds.
(4) METHOD OF SLAUGHTER
Regarding Ismail (a.s) the Holy Quran says:
...he threw him down upon his forehead ...1
It means that Ibrahim (a.s) made Ismail (a.s) lie down sideways so that his cheek touched
the earth in the same way as a ram is laid for slaughter. This is done in such a way so
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1 Surah Saffat 37:103
that there is ease in cutting the neck and it is least painful way of severing the head. Mulla Mohsin Faiz has explained it in the above way. On the other hand the manner in which Imam Husain (a.s) was beheaded was such that no tongue has the strength to speak about it and no pen could summon the courage to describe it. It is sufficient to say that Imam Husain (a.s) is given the special title of: 'One slaughtered at the nape.' and how painfully the head is severed from the body by this method cannot be imagined by anyone.
(5) CONDITION OF WELCOMING DEATH
Ismail (a.s) accepted the command of slaughter, which even though it would have granted a lofty position to him and his respected father, he still considered it a calamity and trouble; that is why he said:
... if Allah please, you will find me of the patient ones.1
Saying so he announced his patience, which is restricted to troublesome circumstances. On the other hand, Imam Husain (a.s) and his companions considered their killing and slaughter, which was neither under the command of Allah nor due to some retaliation or penalty, as solely for the pleasure of God and on the basis of the steadfastness of their truth a mercy, as the following tradition indicates:
"The condition of Husain (a.s) and some of his special companions was such that as
calamities continued to befall them, their countenances shone more and more and their
limbs and organs expressed absolute peace and comfort and the soul continued to proceed on
the stages of peace.2 This is regarding some special companions, if the general
condition of all the companions and relatives is to be seen one could
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1 Surah Saffat 37:102
2 Maniul Akhbar, quoted in Biharul Anwar
read the following words of another traditional report, which describes the conversation on the eve of Ashura day:
The Holy Imam said, "All of you shall be killed tomorrow and none shall be spared." All said, "Thanks be to Allah, that He bestowed us the honor to be slain with you."
On the basis of such steadfastness and daring in being killed we are compelled to say that the incident of Husain (a.s) is not only great but it is the "greatest" such that the history of the world has failed to provide us with its equal.
(6) CONDITION OF THE SLAUGHTERED ONE
It is the command of the religious law that before the slaughter the beast of slaughter must be fed and watered adequately. Apart from this Ibrahim (a.s) himself wanted to provide every sort of comfort as much as was in his power, for the last time for his son. That is why at the time of leaving the house he had him fed to satiation. He asked Her Eminence, Hajrah to give him a bath and dress him in nice clothes and to comb his hair and apply kohl to his eyes. In other words before the supposed slaughtered, Ismail (a.s) got the opportunity to become content by way- of personal appearance and comfort. However, what a pity! The slaughtered one of Nainawa (Husain), his children, relatives, companions, ladies and guests; leave alone comfort and satiation, they were even deprived of the basic necessities of life, like water. In what a nice way the Kufans hosted their guests? Not even a drop of water was allowed for three days and the sound of "Thirst, thirst" used to emanate from the tents.
An Urdu poet has described this in the following lines:
The king had commanded that people may drink the water
As also the horses, riders and camels.
Do not prevent them even if the infidels drink it.
But do not allow any water to the beloved of Fatima.
Although the Almighty Lord has given the river (of Paradise) in the dower of the mother of this same thirsty one.
There Her Eminence, Hajrah had combed the hair and here the hair that Sayyida had arranged at some time were now filled with desert sand. There special clothes were used to dress Ismail (a.s) and here at the time of departure, Imam Husain (a.s) requested his sister to get the old tattered dress so that it may remain safe from the hands of the plunderers after his martyrdom.
(7) CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE SLAUGHTER
Prophet Ismail (a.s) went for the slaughter in an absolutely peaceful mood. He was not suffering from the shock of separation of the helpers and relatives. He was not aggrieved that he had been unable to bury the last remains of his companions. He was not dreading whether after he was dead he would be buried or not. He was not surrounded by enemies from all sides from whom there could be any chance of disrespect after getting killed. He had no apprehension as to how the ladies of his family would be dealt with. He was yet a child. He neither had family nor children, neither siblings nor any companions and friends. He was absolutely alien to those relationships. He was at peace that he had come from home with his father and only his mother remained at home; regarding whom he was certain that his father was present to comfort her. He also was sure that his dead body would be buried with all respect and honor. But did Imam (a.s) also have this assurance? Did his preceding circumstances make him also so assured and content? Was he also calm regarding the events that were to follow his
martyrdom? Before his eyes lay his relatives and helpers, his beloved ones, his supports and his assistance and he had laid them down in a tent to sleep forever. Now, who knew what would happen to those corpses? Who knew he would be buried? The knowledge of the unseen (Ilme Ghaib) which is supposed to be a meritorious qualification of Imamate, let me say without any intention of causing disrespect that in those circumstances it was the cause of great torture. He must be seeing that after him the tents shall be put to fire. Coverings would be snatched away from the heads of Zainab and Umme Kulthum. A thorny collar shall be put around the neck of his ailing son. This leader of the world would be given the post of a camel driver. Twelve necks shall be tied up in a single rope. The ladies of his house shall be taken around from town to town with heads uncovered on camels without saddles. In the bazaars of Kufa and Syria they would be exhibited in public. They shall be presented in a gathering where wine was drunk. They shall be kept in prisons. If they wept they shall be punished with canes. If they tried to remove thorns they shall be pricked with spear points. They shall be made targets of ridicule. They shall be scolded and spoken to in acerbic words. And in addition to all this there are many other calamities that just their imagination is sufficient to make any sensible person shiver. However, Husain (a.s), in spite of knowing all this, neither he feared death nor he hesitated to move towards it. There is no doubt that in such circumstances it was only Husain (a.s) who could have welcomed death with a smiling countenance. Actually there is no similarity at all between the circumstances of Ismail (a.s) and Imam Husain (a.s) that a comparison could be drawn between them.
(8) CONSEQUENCES OF THE SLAUGHTER
After these prefaces and events, if we contemplate upon this matter that from the aspects of consequences, which of the two events was having more importance, we would realize that even if the incomplete slaughter of Ismail (a.s) had reached completion it would not have served any other purpose except increasing the personal honor and status of Ibrahim and Ismail (a.s). And in the court of the Almighty their honor would have scaled heights beyond imagination. That is the scope of the effect of its benefits would have remained limited only to two persons. On the other hand, the martyrdom of Imam Husain (a.s) was having a great and magnificent effect. There is no doubt that due to this martyrdom, the status of Imam Husain (a.s) also increased but it is only one aspect. If you consider the second aspect, the beneficial effects of this sacrifice were for all humanity and the whole world has gained from its consequences. This sacrifice was like the harkening to the plaintive call of Islam in distress. The barge of Islam was about to sink in dry land. Husain (a.s) conveyed it to safety with the gush of his blood. The tree of humanity had begun to dry up with the heat of satanic handiworks. Husain (a.s) watered it with his own blood and the blood of his companions so that it may not wither away. He watered it so well that there is no possibility of its extinction until the Day of Judgment. The benefits gained from the sacrifice of Husain (a.s) are not restricted to Husain and his companions. Rather they have encompassed all humanity.
Apart from this, the benefit derived from the slaughter of Ismail (a.s) was achieved merely through the readiness for slaughter. Both father and son, agreed respectively, to slaughter and be slaughtered. All the preparations were made and it was certain that they would practically do it the way it
was supposed to be done. All this became very much clear even before the actual action. That is why, the Almighty Allah abrogated the slaughter after their intention became obvious, saying:
You have indeed shown the truth of the vision ...1
He declared that He had achieved what He intended. Now if the slaughter were really to be taken to completion, it would be a useless act. It means that looking closely, no benefit was related to the slaughter in a way that it could only be achieved by its completion. In other words you can say that the slaughter itself was of no use. Whatever benefit was desired it was only related to the willingness of slaughter. On the other hand, the benefits of the great sacrifice of Karbala could not have been obtained without the completion of this sacrifice. Benefits and consequences of the sacrifice of Imam Husain (a.s) that are mentioned above, all of them depended on the sacrifice of Husain (a.s). In any case if the worth of a thing is estimated through its consequences and effects, if the actual status of deeds and actions depends on their results we would have to agree that ignoring other previous effects if you only consider the end results you have to say that the sacrifice of Imam Husain (a.s) was indeed the reality and truth. It is not even remotely connected to exaggeration and poetry. Indeed this event is deserving from all angles that it should be given the certificate of perfection and along with the "great morals" of the paternal grandfather (the Prophet) the "great sacrifice" of the grandson (Husain) should be recorded in Quran until the Day of Judgment because:
...Surely thus do We reward the doers of good.2
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1 Surah Saffat 37:105
2 Surah Saffat 37:105