‘Ali Ibn al-Husayn (‘a) was brought on a lean camel. Chains were placed on his neck, and he was handcuffed. Both sides of his neck were bleeding. He was repeating these verses:
O nation of evil, may your quarter never tastes of water!
O nation that never honoured in our regard our Grandfather!
Should we and the Messenger of Allah meet
On the Judgment Day, how would you then plead?
On bare beasts of burden have you
Transported us, as if we never put up a creed for you!
He signaled to people to be silent. Once they were silent, he praised Allah and glorified Him and saluted the Prophet (S). Then he said,
“O people! Whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not, let me tell him that I am ‘Ali son of al-Husayn Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib (‘a). I am the son of the man whose sanctity has been violated, whose wealth has been plundered, whose children have been seized.
I am the son of the one who has been slaughtered by the Euphrates neither out of blood revenge nor on account of an inheritance. I am the son of the one killed in the worst manner. This suffices me to be proud. O people!
I plead to you in the Name of Allah: Do you not know that you wrote my father then deceived him? Did you not grant him your covenant, your promise, and your allegiance, then you fought him? May you be ruined for what you have committed against your own souls, and out of your corrupt views!
Through what eyes will you look at the Messenger of Allah (S) when he says to you, “You killed my Progeny, violated my sanctity, so you do not belong to my nation”?”
Loud cries rose, and they said to each other, “You have perished, yet you are not aware of it.” Then he (‘a), said, “May Allah have mercy on anyone who acts upon my advice, who safeguards my legacy with regard to Allah, His Messenger (S), and his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), for we have in the Messenger of Allah (S) a good example of conduct to emulate.”
They all said, “We, O son of the Messenger of Allah, hear and obey, and we shall safeguard your trust. We shall not turn away from you, nor shall we disobey you; so, order us, may Allah have mercy on you, for we shall fight when you fight, and we shall seek peace when you do so; we dissociate ourselves from whoever oppressed you and dealt unjustly with you.”
He (‘a), said, “Far, far away it is from you to do so, O people of treachery and conniving! You are separated from what you desire. Do you want to come to me as you did to my father saying, ‘No, by the Lord of all those [angels] that ascend and descend'?!
The wound is yet to heal. My father was killed only yesterday, and so were his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), and the loss inflicted upon the Messenger of Allah (S), upon my father (‘a), and upon my family is yet to be forgotten. Its pain, by Allah, is between both of these [sides] and its bitterness is between my throat and palate. Its choke is resting in my very chest.”10
Wait, O Banu Harb, for what we have gone through
Is seen by the Lord of Heavens who well knows all.
It is as if on Judgment Day I see Ahmad
Before the messengers comes rolling up his sleeves
And to you shall he say: Woe unto you!
My sanctity did you violate
And your swords drank of my blood,
Do you know what blood you on the ground spilled?
Or which ladies you took to captivity?
Is it just that you safeguard your girls
And leave my free ladies taken captive like the Daylams?
And should you make water for the wild beasts permissible
While my children because of thirst are on fire?
O by Allah! If the hosts of unbelievers
Had ever vanquished my offspring,
They would never have committed such great injustice.
O how Muhammad will feel when you have
Stabbed the necks and slit the throats?
Such is your reward for me so
How soon you were untrue
To the trust with regard to my daughter
And with regard to my brother?11
O nation of evil, may your quarter never tastes of water!
O nation that never honoured in our regard our Grandfather!
Should we and the Messenger of Allah meet
On the Judgment Day, how would you then plead?
On bare beasts of burden have you
Transported us, as if we never put up a creed for you!
He signaled to people to be silent. Once they were silent, he praised Allah and glorified Him and saluted the Prophet (S). Then he said,
“O people! Whoever recognizes me knows me, and whoever does not, let me tell him that I am ‘Ali son of al-Husayn Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Abu Talib (‘a). I am the son of the man whose sanctity has been violated, whose wealth has been plundered, whose children have been seized.
I am the son of the one who has been slaughtered by the Euphrates neither out of blood revenge nor on account of an inheritance. I am the son of the one killed in the worst manner. This suffices me to be proud. O people!
I plead to you in the Name of Allah: Do you not know that you wrote my father then deceived him? Did you not grant him your covenant, your promise, and your allegiance, then you fought him? May you be ruined for what you have committed against your own souls, and out of your corrupt views!
Through what eyes will you look at the Messenger of Allah (S) when he says to you, “You killed my Progeny, violated my sanctity, so you do not belong to my nation”?”
Loud cries rose, and they said to each other, “You have perished, yet you are not aware of it.” Then he (‘a), said, “May Allah have mercy on anyone who acts upon my advice, who safeguards my legacy with regard to Allah, His Messenger (S), and his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), for we have in the Messenger of Allah (S) a good example of conduct to emulate.”
They all said, “We, O son of the Messenger of Allah, hear and obey, and we shall safeguard your trust. We shall not turn away from you, nor shall we disobey you; so, order us, may Allah have mercy on you, for we shall fight when you fight, and we shall seek peace when you do so; we dissociate ourselves from whoever oppressed you and dealt unjustly with you.”
He (‘a), said, “Far, far away it is from you to do so, O people of treachery and conniving! You are separated from what you desire. Do you want to come to me as you did to my father saying, ‘No, by the Lord of all those [angels] that ascend and descend'?!
The wound is yet to heal. My father was killed only yesterday, and so were his Ahl al-Bayt (‘a), and the loss inflicted upon the Messenger of Allah (S), upon my father (‘a), and upon my family is yet to be forgotten. Its pain, by Allah, is between both of these [sides] and its bitterness is between my throat and palate. Its choke is resting in my very chest.”10
Wait, O Banu Harb, for what we have gone through
Is seen by the Lord of Heavens who well knows all.
It is as if on Judgment Day I see Ahmad
Before the messengers comes rolling up his sleeves
And to you shall he say: Woe unto you!
My sanctity did you violate
And your swords drank of my blood,
Do you know what blood you on the ground spilled?
Or which ladies you took to captivity?
Is it just that you safeguard your girls
And leave my free ladies taken captive like the Daylams?
And should you make water for the wild beasts permissible
While my children because of thirst are on fire?
O by Allah! If the hosts of unbelievers
Had ever vanquished my offspring,
They would never have committed such great injustice.
O how Muhammad will feel when you have
Stabbed the necks and slit the throats?
Such is your reward for me so
How soon you were untrue
To the trust with regard to my daughter
And with regard to my brother?11
Notes:
10. All these speeches are mentioned by Ibn Tawus in his book Al-Luhuf and by Ibn Nama in his book Muthir al-Ahzan.
11. These verses were composed by al-Hajj Muhammad Riďa al-Azri and published on p. 445 (Najaf: Al-Adab Press) of Riyad al-Madh wa al-Ratha’.
Adapted from: "Maqtal al-Husayn; Martyrdom Epic of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.)" by: "Abd al-Razzaq al-Muqarram"