A man came to the chief of martyrs, Imam al-Husayn (peace be upon him) and said, “I am a man who commits sins, and I do not have the patience and power to restrain myself. So, advise me.”

He (peace be upon him) replied, “Do five things and commit any sin you wish.

First, do not eat any of the sustenance (rizq) of Allah and then commit any sin you wish.

Secondly, leave the dominion of Allah and then perform any sin you like.

Thirdly, seek a place where Allah does not see you and commit any sin you please.

Fourthly, when the angel of death comes to take your soul, repel him from yourself and do any sin you may please.

Fifthly, when Malik (the angel who governs Hell) makes you enter the fire, do not enter the fire and commit any sin you wish.”
(Bihar ul-Anwar vol 78, page 126)

It is related by Salman al-Farsi that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) saying about Hasan and Husayn, “O Allah, truly I love them, and I love whoever loves them.” Also, “Whoever loves Hasan and Husayn, I love; whomever I love, Allah loves; and whoever hates them, I have; whomever I hate, Allah hates, and He will cause him to enter the Fire.”
(al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad)

It is related by ibn Mas’ud that one day, the Prophet was praying when Hasan and Husayn came and climbed on his back; when he raised his head he held them gently, and when he had finished, he sat one on his right thigh and one on his left, saying, ‘Whoever loves me should love these two.’
(al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad)

It is related by al-Tirmidhi that Ya’li ibn Murrah said he heard the Messenger say, ‘Husayn is from me, and I am from Husayn. Allah loves whoever loves Husayn. Husayn is a descendant of [my] descendants.’
(al-Irbilli Kashf al-Ghummah)

While the Prophet, may God bless him and his family, was praying, al-Hasan and al-Husayn came and stood behind him. When he raised his head, he took them tenderly (into his arms). When he resumed (his prayers), they resumed (theirs). Then when he had finished, he sat one on his right knee and the other on his left knee and said, “Whoever loves me, should love these two. They, peace be upon them, are the two proofs of God (hujjatay Allah) of His Prophet in the contest of prayer (mubahala). After their father, the Commander of the Faithful, they are the two proofs of God to the community concerning religion (din) and belief (milla).”
(al-Mufid, Kitab al-Irshad).

‘Abdullah ibn Yahya, one of the companions of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), relates, “We went out with ‘Ali to Siffin, and when we were facing Ninevah he called out, ‘Be patient, Abu ‘Abdullah, on the banks of the Euphrates.’ I asked him why he told Abu ‘Abdullah to be patient, and he replied, ‘I went to see the Messenger of Allah and his eyes were filled with tears. I then asked him, ‘By your father and mother, O Messenger of Allah, why are your eyes filled with tears? Has someone angered you?’ But he replied that Gabriel had just left, after having told him that Husayn would be killed on the banks of the Euphrates.
(al-Irbilli Kashf al-Ghummah)

As-Sadiq, Ja’far ibn Muhammad (peace be upon him), said: Umm Salamah, may Allah bless her with mercy, once woke up weeping. She was asked, “What makes you cry?” She said, “My son al-Husayn was killed last night. And that is because I have never seen the Prophet in a dream until last night. I saw him pale and in profound grief. So I asked, ‘Why do I see you in this state of grief, O Messenger of Allah?’ He said, ‘I have been digging the graves of al-Husayn and his companions tonight.’”
(al-Mufid, Al-Amaali).

As-salaamu ‘alayka ya Aba Abdallah!

Certain Muslims do not discuss, remember, or even mention the tragedy of Karbala. I’m not going to mention any particular groups of Muslims, because I think this is bigger than just a sectarian issue. It is clearly an Islamic one. To understand why, we need to ask some crucial questions.

Who was Imam Husayn (peace be upon him)?

1. Grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace).

2. Son of Fatimah (blessings of Allah be upon her), the leader of the women of Paradise.

3. Son of Imam Ali (peace be upon him), the one who loving is a sign of belief and hatred is a sign of hypocrisy; the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, the fourth khalifah, the first male to accept Islam after the Prophet, and the one who washed his body and laid him to rest.

4. He and his brother, Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), are the leaders of the youths of Paradise.

5. The Prophet referred to him and his brother as “my sweet basils in this life.”

6. The Prophet wrapped his cloak around Fatimah, Ali, Hassan, and Husayn and recited, “and Allah wishes to remove all impurities from you, oh Ahlul-bayt, and purify you perfectly.” (Qur’an 33:33), saying, “Oh Allah, these are my Ahlul-bayt.”

7. A wali of Allah, a scholar, and a teacher.

8. A leader of a large movement of Muslims who opposed the repressive regime of Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan and later opposed the despot, Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah.

9. A martyr, one of the highest ranks one can achieve in Islam.

10. Father of Imam Ali Zayn-ul-’Abideen, another wali of Allah.

11. Grandfather of other Imams, all awliyah of Allah.

12. The one whose descent is traced by millions of Muslims on every continent in the world.

13. Married a Persian woman, and started a tradition among the family members of the Prophet in marrying people outside of their ethnicity. His progeny is traced through nearly every ethnicity.

14. One of the preservers of the Qur’an and Sunnah, keeping the teachings of the Prophet, the writings of Ali, and the mus-haf of Fatimah with him.

15. A charismatic speaker and leader who polarized those in defense of good against those upholding evil. None doubted that he was on the right path, even some of those who fought against him.

Clearly, the death of Imam Husayn would not just be the death of another person, or even the death of another companion of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him and his family peace). This personality was so important to the religion of Islam and its people that his death forever changed the course of history. Now magnify that by the fact that 70 of his family members and followers died with him. Magnify that by the fact that the women in his family were paraded indecently, disrespected and defiled by their enemies.

Sunni and Shi’a scholars agree on the story and events that took place. No other single historical event is more unifying. Scholars like the sunni Shaykh at-Tabari have a nearly identical account of the tragedy as Shi’a scholars such as Shaykh al-Mufid.

As Muharram progresses, I will continue this process of evaluating the importance of this tragedy and why all Muslims, not just shi’a, should remember it and learn from it.

SallAllahu ‘ala sayyidina Muhammadin wa ‘ala alihi at-tayyibin wa-tahirin wal-ma’sumin.
As-salaamu Alayka Ya Waritha Muhammadin Rasoulullah, Ya Aba Abdallah il-Hussayn!