After
the death of Sakina, the people of Syria started to question Yazid
about the prisoners. Many felt that they had already spent so long in
prison in the worst possible condition. What crime had they committed to
deserve such treatment? Yazid realized that if he did not do anything
to change the situation, the people would turn against him. He made
arrangements for the prisoners to be brought to the palace court to be
set free. Many people were invited to see the event. When everybody was
seated, an announcement was made that the great Grandson of the Prophet
was entering the court. The ladies of his household were seated behind
the curtain which was put up especially for the occasion.
When Imam Zainul Abideen walked in everyone stood up. They could not believe what they saw. Even though the chains had been removed, he could hardly walk. His neck, hands and feet were deeply cut and bleeding. His back was bent because of the way he had been chained. But there was dignity in his face, never bowed down to Yazid, at any time. Yazid told Imam Zainul Abideen that they were free to leave, and offered them any amount that they required. Zainab said from behind the curtain “O Yazid, haven’t you done enough to us. Do you still want to insult us, by this offer? Your actions can only be judged by God. You will have to answer to Him and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for all that you have done. All that we want are the heads of our martyrs and our property which your men looted from us. They took away the veil that was given to me by my mother. They took away the bloodstained clothes of my brother. They took away Sakina’s earrings which were given to her by her father. No Yazid there is nothing that you can give us to replace these things, which mean more to us than anything else.” Yazid was amazed at her answer. He promised to give back everything that was taken from them in Karbala. One part of the royal palace was emptied. The first Majlis for Aza-e-Hussain took place in the palace of Yazid itself. The Syrian women came wearing black dresses. The wailing resounded the walls and doors of the palace due to the renditions of Zainab (pbuh). Imam Zainul Abideen and the rest of the ladies and children stayed in Syria for a few more days and then made preparations to travel to Karbala, to pay their respects to their martyrs, and then go back to Madina. They went back to the prison to say goodbye to Sakina. Sakina’s mother Rubab fell on the grave crying “O my dear Sakina, we are finally free to go home. But my child you are still imprisoned in Syria. My Sakina I am leaving, but my heart and soul will always be here with you. Please O people of Syria look after the grave of my child Sakina.” Finally, the Grandchildren of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) left Syria. Imam Zainul Abideen led the plundered caravan towards Karbala. Everyone was very quiet. They were all thinking about their loved ones. When they arrived in Karbala in 40 days; they sat by the graves, crying and remembering that tragic day on the tenth of Muharram when they lost so many of their loved ones. Finally, after saying goodbye to their martyrs they started the journey back to Madina. How sad this journey must have been. Even though they were free, their hearts were in Karbala and Syria.
When the caravan reached Madina, Zainab (pbuh) visited the grave of her Grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). She sat by his grave and complained, with tears in her eyes. “O my Grandfather look at what Yazid and his men did to your Grandchildren. They killed your most beloved Grandson, Imam Hussain. They killed Abbas, when he went to get water for Sakina. They killed Ali Akbar, who looked like you. They killed my brother’s son Qasim. They killed my sons Aun and Muhammad. They didn’t even leave little Ali Asgher. O my dear Grandfather, your beloved Sakina is also gone. She died in the dark prison of Syria.”
Zainab then went to the grave of her mother Fatima (pbuh) and said “O my dear mother look at what they have done to us? Look at these bloodstained clothes of your son. O my mother they paraded us in the streets of Kufa and Syria without our veils.” A voice came from the grave, “My dear child I saw what they did. I was there when they beheaded my son. I was there when the guards slapped Sakina just for crying for her dead father. I was there when they paraded you on the streets without your veils.” Zainab cried “O my dear mother I have so much to tell you...” One of the tortures of Syria is about the prison in which household of Holy Prophet (pbuh) were imprisoned for approximately a year. And once after release from the imprisonment, when Imam Zainul Abideen (pbuh) saw his aunt praying while sitting, he asked with surprise, “O Aunt you were not performing even optional prayers in sitting position, while today you are performing obligation prayers in this posture.” Tears came in the eyes of Zainab, she said “While in prison, the food and water were supplied in such a meager quantity that I used to pass on my share of food and water to the children. Due to continuous starvation I have become so weak that I could not pray by standing straight.”
A man by the name of Noaman went to Madina three (3) years after the events of Karbala. He saw the Imam Sajjad standing near the grave of the Prophet weeping and complaining to the Prophet about the ill-treatment that Imam and the other members of the Prophet’s family had received. Imam remained in this position until when he fainted and was then taken by his followers to his house. Noaman went to Imam’s house. Then asked the Imam what was the most difficult time he had to face in Karbala and during his imprisonment to Kufa and Damascus. The Imam said, “Syria! Syria! Syria!”and then explained that in Syria (Shaam) the family of the Prophet was treated like animalsand presented to the court of Yazid like slaves. In this way people of Madina were to see him mourning for his father from then till his death some thirty five (35) years later at the age of fifty seven (57). It is reported that whenever Imam Sajjad see water he would weep, remembering the thirst of the martyrs of Karbala. When he saw a goat or sheep being slaughtered, he would ask the slaughter if he had fed the animal and given it water. On being assured that this had, indeed, been done, the Imam would weep, saying that his father & other martyrs were slaughtered hungry and thirsty of three days. He held regular mourning session in his house. Those who attended these sessions would then be served with food in the name of his father, Imam Hussain. One day somebody told him. “O son of God’s Messenger! Up to when would you weep like this?” Imam replied “O servant of God. Prophet Yaqub had twelve sons but only one of them was taken away form him, he wept so much and for such long that his eyes turned white, his head turned gray and his back was bent although his son Yusuf was still alive. Whereas I watched my father, my brother and seventeen (17) members of my family being slaughtered all around me. How could my sorrow come to an end?”
When Imam Zainul Abideen walked in everyone stood up. They could not believe what they saw. Even though the chains had been removed, he could hardly walk. His neck, hands and feet were deeply cut and bleeding. His back was bent because of the way he had been chained. But there was dignity in his face, never bowed down to Yazid, at any time. Yazid told Imam Zainul Abideen that they were free to leave, and offered them any amount that they required. Zainab said from behind the curtain “O Yazid, haven’t you done enough to us. Do you still want to insult us, by this offer? Your actions can only be judged by God. You will have to answer to Him and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for all that you have done. All that we want are the heads of our martyrs and our property which your men looted from us. They took away the veil that was given to me by my mother. They took away the bloodstained clothes of my brother. They took away Sakina’s earrings which were given to her by her father. No Yazid there is nothing that you can give us to replace these things, which mean more to us than anything else.” Yazid was amazed at her answer. He promised to give back everything that was taken from them in Karbala. One part of the royal palace was emptied. The first Majlis for Aza-e-Hussain took place in the palace of Yazid itself. The Syrian women came wearing black dresses. The wailing resounded the walls and doors of the palace due to the renditions of Zainab (pbuh). Imam Zainul Abideen and the rest of the ladies and children stayed in Syria for a few more days and then made preparations to travel to Karbala, to pay their respects to their martyrs, and then go back to Madina. They went back to the prison to say goodbye to Sakina. Sakina’s mother Rubab fell on the grave crying “O my dear Sakina, we are finally free to go home. But my child you are still imprisoned in Syria. My Sakina I am leaving, but my heart and soul will always be here with you. Please O people of Syria look after the grave of my child Sakina.” Finally, the Grandchildren of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) left Syria. Imam Zainul Abideen led the plundered caravan towards Karbala. Everyone was very quiet. They were all thinking about their loved ones. When they arrived in Karbala in 40 days; they sat by the graves, crying and remembering that tragic day on the tenth of Muharram when they lost so many of their loved ones. Finally, after saying goodbye to their martyrs they started the journey back to Madina. How sad this journey must have been. Even though they were free, their hearts were in Karbala and Syria.
When the caravan reached Madina, Zainab (pbuh) visited the grave of her Grandfather, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). She sat by his grave and complained, with tears in her eyes. “O my Grandfather look at what Yazid and his men did to your Grandchildren. They killed your most beloved Grandson, Imam Hussain. They killed Abbas, when he went to get water for Sakina. They killed Ali Akbar, who looked like you. They killed my brother’s son Qasim. They killed my sons Aun and Muhammad. They didn’t even leave little Ali Asgher. O my dear Grandfather, your beloved Sakina is also gone. She died in the dark prison of Syria.”
Zainab then went to the grave of her mother Fatima (pbuh) and said “O my dear mother look at what they have done to us? Look at these bloodstained clothes of your son. O my mother they paraded us in the streets of Kufa and Syria without our veils.” A voice came from the grave, “My dear child I saw what they did. I was there when they beheaded my son. I was there when the guards slapped Sakina just for crying for her dead father. I was there when they paraded you on the streets without your veils.” Zainab cried “O my dear mother I have so much to tell you...” One of the tortures of Syria is about the prison in which household of Holy Prophet (pbuh) were imprisoned for approximately a year. And once after release from the imprisonment, when Imam Zainul Abideen (pbuh) saw his aunt praying while sitting, he asked with surprise, “O Aunt you were not performing even optional prayers in sitting position, while today you are performing obligation prayers in this posture.” Tears came in the eyes of Zainab, she said “While in prison, the food and water were supplied in such a meager quantity that I used to pass on my share of food and water to the children. Due to continuous starvation I have become so weak that I could not pray by standing straight.”
A man by the name of Noaman went to Madina three (3) years after the events of Karbala. He saw the Imam Sajjad standing near the grave of the Prophet weeping and complaining to the Prophet about the ill-treatment that Imam and the other members of the Prophet’s family had received. Imam remained in this position until when he fainted and was then taken by his followers to his house. Noaman went to Imam’s house. Then asked the Imam what was the most difficult time he had to face in Karbala and during his imprisonment to Kufa and Damascus. The Imam said, “Syria! Syria! Syria!”and then explained that in Syria (Shaam) the family of the Prophet was treated like animalsand presented to the court of Yazid like slaves. In this way people of Madina were to see him mourning for his father from then till his death some thirty five (35) years later at the age of fifty seven (57). It is reported that whenever Imam Sajjad see water he would weep, remembering the thirst of the martyrs of Karbala. When he saw a goat or sheep being slaughtered, he would ask the slaughter if he had fed the animal and given it water. On being assured that this had, indeed, been done, the Imam would weep, saying that his father & other martyrs were slaughtered hungry and thirsty of three days. He held regular mourning session in his house. Those who attended these sessions would then be served with food in the name of his father, Imam Hussain. One day somebody told him. “O son of God’s Messenger! Up to when would you weep like this?” Imam replied “O servant of God. Prophet Yaqub had twelve sons but only one of them was taken away form him, he wept so much and for such long that his eyes turned white, his head turned gray and his back was bent although his son Yusuf was still alive. Whereas I watched my father, my brother and seventeen (17) members of my family being slaughtered all around me. How could my sorrow come to an end?”
Courtesy : http://thebattleofislamkarbala.blogspot.com
Dear Brother Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteYou are wrong in saying that Ulamas have ruined the respect of our imam.
In fact it is due to our respected ulemas that we have love and knowledge for our Imams after 1400 years.
Our Ulamas have written books and took pain to defend the real islam from the onslaught of enemies in this occulation(ghaibat) period of Imam e Zamana(AS).
So brother, please repent and do not such things again.