I was going to write a lengthy response to the attack on the grave site of Imam Ali al-Naqi (peace be upon him) and Imam Hasan al-’Askari (peace be upon him), but Sunni Sister did a really good job, and you should just read hers.

I will say, however, that no Muslim has the right to attack the graves of anyone (Muslim or non-Muslim) much less the graves of Ahlul-bayt.

I think that this is a time when we should learn something about these Imams, because that is what the nasibiyya (haters of Ahlul-bayt) wish to erase by attacking their graves. But they cannot make us (those Muslims, both Sunni and Shi’a, who love them), forget.

Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Ali al-Baqir (the 5th Imam) once said, “The true nasibi (hater of Ahlul-bayt) is not one who shows antagonism towards us, the family of the Prophet. You will not find anyone who will say, ‘I hate Muhammad and his family.’ The true nasibi is one who antagonizes you, our followers (shi’a).”

Once Bahlul (may Allah have mercy on him) saw a young child sitting in a puddle of water on the ground, crying and wailing. The child was Imam Hasan al-’Askari. Bahlul went to him and asked him why he was crying. Despite his young age, the boy began reciting ayaat about the Day of Judgment and about other heavy matters. Bahlul said to him, “Why are you concerned with these things? You are not even baligh (of age) yet.” Imam al-’Askari replied,

“I have watched my mother kindle a fire, how she uses the smaller sticks to ignite the larger ones, and I am afraid that Allah will do the same thing with me.”

This pure soul, a child, an Imam of all the Muslims in the world, is afraid of Allah’s punishment to the point where he is in tears. What of those who attack his grave and defile the religion that he sought to preserve?

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2006 at 7:02 am and is filed under Afterthought, al-Islam. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.