History Books

AT THE BREAK of the dawn of the fateful day, loth Muharram 61 A.H. (October 68o A.D.), Husain called his son Ali (Ali-eAkbar) who resembled the Holy Prophet the most, and said:

When Ali-e-Akbar gave the call 'Azan' in the Sahara, reporters say that the voice resembled the voice of the Holy Prophet and Husain hearing the last 'Azan' of his son in the voice of his Grandfather, remembering the Apostle of God, shed tears, and as the voice of Ali-e-Akbar reached the inmates in the camp, Zainab along with Umme Laila, the mother of Ali-e-Akbar and the other ladies came out of the tents to hear the call for prayer in the sweet enchanting voice of the beautiful son of Husain resembling the voice of the Apostle of God, raising their hands to heavens prayed for the safety of their dear Caller to prayers.

It was the third day of the thirst inflicted on the whole camp of the Holy Imam. The Holy Imam and his devotees performed 'Tayammum' instead of 'Wozu' (Ablution) and the Holy Imam offered the last congregational prayers with his devotees on earth.

An Urdu poet has referred to this historic 'Namaz' (Prayer) and the Wamazies', i.e., the supplicants in a beautiful couplet:-

'Ashamed would be the Moon,
faces so bright,
The Imam of the kind, never did appear
Nor the supplicants like these.

Husain had not even finished his prayers when a rain of arrows from the Yazidian forces began to shower on the praying Imam and his godly devotees. It is reported that Omar Ibne Sa'd was the first to take the how in the Yazidian camp and shoot an arrow towards Husain saying: (addressing the men of his forces):

Reporters of the event relate that along with Omar 4,000 archers in the Yazidian ranks simultaneously shot towards the Holy Imam's camp, and before the holy souls could conclude their prayers, thirty (30) of the godly ones, who were engaged in the prayer, were shot dead.

Soon after the prayer was over, the Holy Imam ordered all his faithful companions to fall in, and divided his small godly band into three flanks, i.e., the right and the left wings and the central body. Husain called his brave brother, Abbas, the Faithful and presented to him the Holy Standard of Truth and thus Abbas from that day came to be known as 'Abbas-e-Alamdar' or Abbas the Standard Bearer.

Adapted from the book: "Husain; The Saviour of Islam" by: "S.V. Mir Ahmed Ali"