Raf ul Yad’ain

Raf ul Yad’ain

Raf’ay-yadayn simply means to raise the hands during prayer. When people begin their salat, they raise their hands to signify that they have left all things and submitted themselves towards Allah alone. This also signifies the individual’s testimony of Allah’s Unity. The Hanafis (as members of the Ahl as-Sunna wa’l-Jama’a) believe that this act of raising the hands to the level of the ears should only be undertaken at the start of the prayer and not during it.

There are those who hold the opinion that raf’ al-yadayn should also be done before and after the ruku’; they hold their position because of the following reasons:

1) The Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) used to do this.

2) This was the practice of the Khulafa’ ar-Rashidun and the ‘Ashara al-Mubashshara (the ten Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) who were given glad tidings of Janna on this earth during their lives). Altogether, there are proofs from twenty Companions.

3) The narrations of raf’ al-yadayn are mutawatir (ahadith which have been narrated by many authentic narrators during the period of the Companions, The Tabi’un, and their students).

4) Raf’ ay-yadayn is a pillar of salat and leaving it makes the salat invalid.

However, the position of the Hanafi madhab is that towards the end of our beloved Prophet’s (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) life the practice of raf’ al-yadayn had been abrogated, and that the Messenger of Allah (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) during his last prayers on this earthly life only performed raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of his salat.However, there were still some Sahaba who unknowingly continued the practice of raf’ al-yadayn, without realizing that it had indeed been abrogated and obsolete.It was for this reason that at times, those who knew of its abrogation, began to ask those who continued its practice for their reason for doing so.

Regarding the claim that twenty Companions, including the ‘Ashara al-Mubashshara and the Khulafa ar-Rashidun, performed raf’ al-yadayn ,this incidentally proves that the majority of the Companions did not practise raf’ al-yadayn . Secondly, if this claim is true then why is this not recorded in Bukhari and Muslim, or in any other famous book of Hadith? If the support for twenty Companions practising raf’ al-yadayn is not found in any Hadith book then how can this claim be true?

The claim that the hadith regarding raf’ al-yadayn is mutawatir is also not true. This is because Imam Muslim and Imam al-Bukhari have only narrated the action of raf’ al-yadayn from two Companions: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and Malik ibn Huwayris. Imam Zuhri narrated the hadith from Salim and Salim in turn narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar. Abu Qalaba and Nasr narrated from Malik ibn Huwayris, and from them, Khalid and Qatada narrated. In any one of these chains there is only one narrator at a time, whilst in the other there were two at a time. How can this be called mutawatir? The above narrator’s position and the narrations which go against the above narrations will be discussed later, insha’llah.

Regarding the claim that omitting raf’ al-yadayn invalidates salat, nobody from among the Companions or even the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) himself said that omitting raf’ al-yadayn invalidates salat. The evidence for raf’ al-yadayn being a pillar of salat is not even found in the books which contain collections of fabricated hadith. It is another matter if someone decides to introduce fabricated hadith!

Analysis of Those Narrations Which Prove Raf’ ay- yadayn

Ibn Jurayj narrated from Zuhri who narrated from Salim who narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said:

“I saw the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) offering salat; he raised his hands up to his shoulders at the beginning of salat and also before and after the ruku’, but not between the two prostrations”

[Bukhari and Muslim , chapter on 'Raf' ay-yadayn']

Those who follow the Hanafi madhab believe that this hadith only proves that the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) performed raf’ al-yadayn during his lifetime, but it does not prove that he (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) performed it in his last prayers. Also it does not prove that raf’ al-yadayn is an emphasized Sunna. One example is given below:

Imams al-Bukhari & Muslim record that when Hazrat ‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) was in her menstruation, the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to place his head in her lap and recite the Qur’an [Bukhari & Muslim, Bab al-Hayd]. From this hadith we cannot conclude that reciting the Qur’an in the lap of one’s menstruating wife is an emphasized Sunna. In the same way, the naration from Ibn ‘Umar does not prove that raf’ al-yadayn is an emphasized Sunna. Also Ibn ‘Umar’s narration seems to go against some of his other narrations.

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes:

“Ibn’Umar said that he swore by Allah that raf’ al-yadayn is bid’a and that he had never seen the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) practicing it

(adh-Dhahabi, Mizan al-I’tidal, Biography of Bishr ibn Harab]

Ibn ‘Umar, in another place, said that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “Raf’ ay-yadayn is only done in seven places: once to start salat and six times during hajj” [Kanz al-'ammal, vol. 7, p35]

The teacher of Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim, Imam Humaydi, writes: “The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to only practise raf’ al-yadayn at the start of the prayer” {Musnad Humaydi, vol. 1, p277]

Imam an-Nasa’i writes: “Malik ibn Huwayris reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to perform raf’ al-yadayn before and after the ruku’, and also between the two sajdas”

[an-Nasa'I, Bab Raf' al-Yadayn]

From the above narrations it can be seen that Ibn ‘Umar’s narration of raf’ al-yadayn goes against his own narrations based on a direct commandment from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). It also goes against the narrations of Imam Humaydi, Imam an-Nasa’i andMalik ibn Huwayris.

Examination of Above Narrations

(1) Imam al-Bukhari’s above narration is against Imam Nasa’i’s narration.

(2) Imam Abu Dawud said this narration is not directly from the action of the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace), but is in fact the action of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).[Sunan of Abu Dawud, chapter on 'Salat']

(3) Ibn ‘Umar’s above narrations prove that the Prophet (may Allahbless him and grant him peace) did raf’ al-yadayn nine or ten times during salat [Bukhari, chapter on 'Salat']

(4) Imam Malik writes, regarding the above narrations by Ibn ‘Umar: “The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) use to do raf’ al-yadayn five times in salat.” He also said: “This is the action of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and not the action of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) [Imam Malik, al-Muwatta', chapter on 'Salat']

We can see that when this narration was narrated in Madina it was narrated to be five raf’ al-yadayn in salat. When it reached Bukhara it changed from five to nine or ten raf’ al-yadayn in salat.

Let us first examine the narrators of Ibn ‘Umar’s hadith – ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Jurayj and Imam Zuhri:

‘Abd al-Malik ibn Jurayj

Imam adh-Dhahabi and Imam al-’Asqalani write:

“Ibn Jurayj did not take narrations directly from people but he would attribute the narrations to them in such a way as to convince people that he actually heard the narrations from those people directly. The scholars of Hadith have called this process tadlis. Imam Ahmad said that Ibn Jurayj has narrated some ahadith which were fabricated. Also Ibn Jurayj is said to have performed mut’a [a marriage contract for a limited period] with 90 women in Makka al-Mukarrama [this was after it was made haram for Muslims]. Khurasani said that his narrations were weak. Also he never heard a narration from Imam Zuhri but only asked his permission if he could use his name in narrations”

[adh-Dhahabi, Mizan al-I'tidal and Tadhkirat al-Huffaz; al-'Asqalani, Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of 'Abd al-Malik ibn Jurayj]

Imam Zuhri

The main narrator of the above narration is Imam Zuhri. Indeed the narration is almost completely based on his narration. Before Imam Zuhri, the chain of narration of this Hadith was Umar ibn ‘Abd al- Aziz, then Salim, then Imam Zuhri. After Imam Zuhri, his students made it more famous.

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes:

“Imam Zuhri’s full name was Muhammad ibn Muslim ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Shihab az-Zuhri. However, he is famous as Ibn Shihab az-Zuhri. He was born in the 50^th year AH in Madina. He saw only a few Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He was such a great scholar that many scholars of his time used to praise him, including even ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

[adh-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz and Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Imam Zuhri]

It is a fact that Imam Zuhri has narrated hadith (which have been collected by Muslim and Bukhari) which show that the family of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) and the Companions did not get on well with each other [Sahih Muslim and Sahih Bukhari, Bab al-Fay]. The truth is that the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) family and the Companions did get on well with each other.

Hafiz al-’Asqalani wrote:

“It was a habit of Imam Zuhri to perform tadlis and attribute the narrations to people like ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Azhar, Ibn Ka’b, Abban, Ibn Uthman, Ibn Hakim, Ibn as-Salimi, ‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far, ‘Ubadah ibn as-Samit, Rafi’, Umm ‘Abdullah, Abu Hurayra, and ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar. Concerning ‘Abdullah ibn Umar, the scholars of Hadith are split as to whether Imam Zuhri actually saw him or not. In the same way, there is no proof that Imam Zuhri did take narrations from ‘Urwa ibn Zubayr. Nethertheless, the scholars of Hadith accept these narrations which Imam Zuhri allegedly took from ‘Urwa. For us, this is evidence and we should therefore believe that Imam Zuhri heard something from ‘Urwa. Imam Zuhri was from a group of scholars of Hadith who used to ‘grab’ hadith when they heard them

[Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Imam Zuhri]

Tadlis – What is it?

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“The literal meaning of the arabic word ‘tadlis’ is ‘hiding’. Technically, it means to hide a hadith narrator. If a muhaddith did tadlis, he would use a narrator’s name but it would be a name by which he was not commonly known. Thus, the identity of the weak narrator was hidden. The stronger narrators in the chain would be emphasized so that the attention of the hearer of the hadith would be diverted

[al-'Asqalani, Sharh an-Nukhba, chapter on 'Tadlis']

Imam adh-Dhahabi and Hafiz al-’Asqalani write:

“Imam Zuhri narrated 2, 200 ahadith, of which about a half have a chain leading to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He used to perform tadlis, albeit of a minor manner. Imam Zuhri’s murasil ahadith [where a Tabi'i quoted a hadith directly from the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) without mentioning the Companion from whom he received it] used to be weaker than other peoples’

[adh-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz; al-'Asqalani,Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Imam Zuhri]

Imam adh-Dhahabi narrated that Imam Shubah Wasiti writes: “I would rather fall from the skies and be broken to pieces, than to perform tadlis” [Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Biography of Imam Shubah Wasiti]

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“Yazid ibn Zuray was asked, ‘What is the legal ruling regarding tadlis?’ To this, he replied ‘It is an absolute lie’

[Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Yazid ibn Zuray]

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes:

“Sulayman ibn Harb said that Imam Jarir ‘Azdi was asked about tadlis. The Imam said, ‘I reject it. A mudallis [one who performs tadlis] shows that which he has not heard’ “

[Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Biography of Imam Jarir ibn Hazin 'Azdi]

Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes:

“Imam ash-Shafi’i rejects all the narrations of any muhaddith who did tadlis, but other scholars say that if a mudallis identified who he took narrations from and if that was a reliable source, that particular narration would be accepted”

[Ibn Kathir, Ikhtisar 'Ulum al-Hadith, chapter on 'Tadlis']

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“If a mudallis uses the words ‘Qala’ [so and so said], or ‘An, [from so-and-so]in a narration, the hadith will be rejected. However, if the mudallis uses a word implying that he directly heard the narration i.e. ’sami’tu’ [I heard] then he would be lying. The rule concerning such people is that even if the mudallis was truthful, the hadith would not be accepted”

[al-'Asqalani, Sharh an-Nukhbah, chapter on 'Hadith Mu'dal']

Idraj and Imam Zuhri

Imam Zuhri used to do idraj, so it was difficult for people to understand his narrated ahadith.

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“Idraj literally means ‘inserting something.’ Its technical meaning is to insert one’s own words into the text of a narration. Sometimes the text could be added at the start, or at the end. To find the actual hadith text from a mudrij [person who performs idraj] is very difficult. Either the hadith was analyzed be someone who had very deep knowledge, or the mudrij showed which words he inserted into the hadith text”

[al-'Asqalani, Sharh an-Nukhbah, chapter on 'Hadith Mudrij']

Imam al-Bukhari writes:

“It was reported by Imam Malik that the famous scholar of Hadith, Rabi’a Turayy, used to advise Imam Zuhri to show clearly in his narrations which were his own words and which were those of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)”

[al-Bukhari, Ta'rikh al-Kabir, Biography of Rabi'a Turayy]

Muslim and Bukhari contain ahadith in which Imam Zuhri has inserted his own words. Scholars of Hadith have refuted these words. An example is given below:

Imam Muslim and Imam al-Bukhari write:

When Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) became the khalifa, Hazrat ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not give bay’a (pledge of allegiance) to him nor did the tribe of Banu Hashim. However, six months later, after Hazrat Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away they all [including 'Ali] gave bay’a to him”

[Bukhari, chapter on 'Khaybar'; Muslim, Bab al-Fayy]

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“Imam Ibn Hibban, Imam al-Bayhaqi, and other scholars of Hadith say that this narration contains some of Imam Zuhri’s own words. Somebody told Imam Zuhri that when Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) became the khalifa, Hazrat ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) did not give bay’a for six months. Imam Zuhri did not contain himself with only ‘Ali, but asserted that the whole tribe of Banu Hashim did not give bay’a to Abu Bakr until Hazrat Fatima (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away. The fact is that Imam Zuhri’s words are wrong, and also that Hazrat ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave bay’a to Hazrat Abu Bakr on the first day he was appointed khalifa

[Fath al-Bari, end of Chapter of Khaybar]

Hafiz Qastalani also writes the same as above. Hafiz Ibn Kathir writes that the narrations which say that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) gave bay’a to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) on the first day he was appointed khalifa are more authentic than those which do not support this. The reason for this is that ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray behind Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and stayed with him all the time [Ta'rikh Ibn Kathir,. Yawm as-Saqifa]

The references prove that Imam Zuhri used to perform tadlis and idraj. The scholars have pointed out that some of his narrations are not reliable.

Ijaza and Imam Zuhri

Ijaza literally means ‘giving permission.’ Its technical meaning is for a muhaddith to give permission to his students to narrate his ahadith, or any book of Hadith which he has knowledge of [al-'Asqalani, Sharh al-Nukhbah, chapter on Ijaza]. This is the correct way to give ijaza, but Imam Zuhri’s way to give ijaza was very strange.

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes that Ubaydullah reported:

“I saw that the students of Imam Zuhri used to bring books to the Imam and ask him for permission to narrate from it using the Imam’s name. The Imam used to allow them without knowing what was in those books. This was because neither the Imam used to read the ahadith, nor did the students read the ahadith to him”

[adh-Dhahabi, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Biography of Imam Zuhri]

Shaykh Salih Subhi writes:

“Imam Ibn Hazm said that if a scholar of Hadith gives permission to his students to narrate a book of Hadith using his name, and the scholar has not read the narrations, nor has anyone read them to him, then this is a bid’a and not permissible. Other scholars of Hadith have been more strict in this respect and have said that the scholars of Hadith who used to do this, in effect, gave permission to their students to attribute lies to them”

['Ulum al-Hadith, chapter on Ijaza]

From the above, it is evident that the authenticity of Imam Zuhri’s narrations are in question. It could be the case that one of the students of the Imam used to narrate non-authentic ahadith and use the Imam’s name, as he had given him permission to do so without checking the hadith.

Our Shaykh Shah Abul Husayn Zayd Faruqi writes:

“Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim writes in his book I’lam al Muwaqqi’in(vol. 3 p 85), that Imam Malik wrote a letter to his colleague Imam Layth ibn Sa’d, whose knowledge was greater than his own. When ImamLayth replied to the letter, he mentioned a few things about Imam Zuhri. He wrote: ‘There is no doubt that our teacher, Imam Zuhri, was a great scholar but we have to accept that some of Imam Zuhri’s verbal and written statements used to contradict one another. When we used to ask him something, sometimes the written answer would be different from the answer he used to give us verbally. Even some of his written statements used to contradict one another. The Imam did not realize what he had said before and what he was writing at the time. These are the reasons why I have left him’ “

[Faruqi, A, Z., Sawani Hayat Imam Abu Hanifa, Biography of Imam Layth]

This statement highlights the fact that Imam Zuhri’s narrations are not necessarily authentic. For this reason, we cannot use a single narration from Imam Zuhri as being more authentic than the practice of the Companions, Tabi’un, Tabi’u't-Tabi’in or a great group of scholars.

Apology

We regret highlighting weaknesses in Imam Zuhri but we have above, only just quoted what other scholars of Hadith have said about him. We also respect Imam Zuhri greatly as a muhaddith, but he was a man like us and had weaknesses.

Returning to the point of our discussion – the raf’ al-yadayn narration is only taken from Imam Zuhri. His students made the narration famous after this.

How the Narration Became Famous

Imam Ibn ‘Abdi’l-Barr writes:

“Ibn Umar’s narration became famous from Imam Zuhri’s students. Eleven students took this narration from Imam Zuhri; they were: Imam Malik, az-Zubaydi, Ma’mar, Awza’i, Muhammad ibn Ishaq, Sufyan ibn Husayn, Aqil ibn Khalid, Abu Hamza, Ibn Uyayna Yunus and Yahya. 26 of Imam Malik’s students narrated this hadith from him. They were: Yahya ibn Yahya, Ibn Bukayr, Abu Mas’ab, Sa’id, Ibn Wahab, Ibn al-Qasim, Ibn Sa’id, Ibn Abi ‘Uways, ‘Abd ar-Rahman, Juwayria bint Asma’, Ibrahim, Ibn al-Mubarik, Bishr, ‘Uthman, ‘Abdullah, Khalid, Maki ibn Ibrahim, Ibn Hasan, Ibn Mas’ab, ‘Abd al-Malik, Ibn Nafi’, Abu Qura, Musa, Matraf, Qutayba, and Imam ash-Shafi’i. After all these people narrated this hadith and told their students this narration, it soon became very famous”

[At-Tamhid, chapter on 'Raf' ay-yadayn']

From this, it can be concluded that this narration was not famous at the time of the Sahaba and the Tabi’un. When people try to find evidence to support raf’ al-yadayn they say that there are over a hundred ahadith supporting it. In reality, there is only one hadith which has been transmitted by Imam Zuhri, and his students have transmitted it further. So many chains were produced after Imam Zuhri.

When Imam Awza’i debated with Imam Abu Hanifa concerning raf’ al-yadayn , the only hadith Awza’i could give as evidence for it was the one from Imam Zuhri. This demonstrates that if there were any other hadith to support raf’ al-yadayn then Awza’i would certainly have revealed it.

Furthermore, Bukhari and Muslim only wrote ahadith with chains leading to Imam Zuhri. If there were any other hadith, then they would have included them.

Imam Malik’s Opinion on Raf’ al-Yadayn

Imam Malik had the most knowledge of Imam Zuhri’s narrations. Let us see what his opinion about this was.

Imam Ibn al-Qasim, who was Imam Malik’s student, writes that Imam Malik said:

“Apart from the begining of the prayer, I am unaware of performing raf’ al-yadayn at any other time. I believe that the practice of raf’ al-yadayn during the prayer is weak”

[al-Madunah, Bab Raf' al-Yadayn]

Imam Malik’s saying that he was unaware of performing raf’ al-yadayn does not mean that he was unaware of the hadith. This was because he himself heard it along with ten of his colleagues and transmitted it to 26 of his students. The real meaning of his saying is that he was unaware of the practice of it. This was because neither Imam Zuhri, nor any of his students performed raf’ al-yadayn . Likewise, the people of Madina did not practise it, nor the people coming for Hajj from all over the world. Another point to raise is that Imam Malik, who is a main narrator of this hadith, did not practice raf’ al-yadayn himself. The practice of raf’ al-yadayn was very uncommon in Imam Malik’s time.

How can we use this narration as evidence for raf’ al-yadayn when the scholars who narrated it did not act upon it, and when there are doubts concerning the reliability of the two main narrators (Ibn Jurayj and Imam Zuhri)?

Second evidence for Raf’ al-Yadayn

The second evidence of people who peforming raf’ al-yadayn is that Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim write:

“Abu Qalaba and Nasr ibn Asim, say that they saw Malik ibn Huwayris performing raf’ al-yadayn before ruku and after ruku in salat and he reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to do this as well”

[Bukari and Muslim, Bab Raf' al-Yadayn]

The people who perform raf ay-yadayn give this as their evidence and say that it is a Sunna mu’akkada (emphasised sunna which the Prophet [may Allah bless him and give him peace] performed regularly) and that non performance of it means that the prayer is not accepted properly.

We answer this by saying that this narration cannot prove that raf’ al-yadayn is Sunna mu’akkada and also you cannot prove from this narration that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to perform raf’ al-yadayn all the time. Also, Malik ibn Huwayris’s narration goes against his other narration:

“Imam Nasa’i writes that Malik ibn Huwayris reported that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to perform raf’ al-yadayn before and after the ruku’ and in the middle of the two sajdas”

[an-Nasa'i, Bab Raf ay-Yadayn]

From Malik ibn Huwayris’s second narration there is also proof of performing raf’ al-yadayn between the sajdas, but the people who perform raf’ al-yadayn only do it before and after the ruku’ and not in the middle of the sajdas. Their argument is that this action has been abrogated – this inspite of the fact that Malik ibn Huwayris’s narration does not confirm this.

Secondly, Malik ibn Huwayris was only in Madina for a few weeks and did not stay with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) at times, so he did not know the last actions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This suggests that he did not know whether the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) performed raf’ al-yadayn or not. On the other hand, ‘Abdullah ibn Ma’sud saw the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) last actions concerning raf’ al-yadayn . He saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) perform the prayer without raf’ al-yadayn . ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud’s narration is more reliable than Malik ibn Huwayris’s as Ibn Mas’ud stayed with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) all the time.

Proof that Malik ibn Huwayris Stayed in Madina for Only a Few Weeks

Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim write:

“Malik ibn Huwayris came to Madina with some other people and stayed in Madina for twenty nights and then they really wanted to go home. So when the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) found this out, he gave them permission to leave for Basra, where Malik was from”

[Bukhari, Muslim, Bab al-Adhan]

From this narration there is proof that Malik ibn Huwayris was only in Madina for a short time and so he could not have known the last actions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) concerning raf’ al-yadayn . Malik ibn Huwayris’s narration about raf’ al-yadayn does not prove that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) performed raf’ al-yadayn all the time; it only proves that Malik ibn Huwayris saw him (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) perform raf’ al-yadayn in that period. This also does not prove that it is a Sunna mu’akkada. If someone tries to prove from this narration that it is Sunna mu’akkada to perform raf’ al-yadayn then people could also say that it is Sunna mu’akkada to pick a child up during salat!

Imam al-Bukhari writes: “The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while praying salat picked up his grand-daughter, Amama, and put her down when he went into sujud” [Bukari, Bab as-Salat]. No one can say from this narration that it is a Sunna mu’akkada to pick up a child while praying, so how can some say that because Malik ibn Huwayris saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) perfom raf’ al-yadayn in salat on a particular occasion it is Sunna mu’akkada.

Narrators of the Second Hadith Supporting Raf’ al-Yadayn

There are four main narrators of the narration supporting raf’ al-yadayn . They are, Abu Qalaba, Khalid al-Hazza, Nasr ibn Asim, and Qatada. Of course, we believe that they had full knowledge of Hadith but they were human and had some weaknesses.

Abu Qalaba

Imam adh-Dhahabi and Hafiz al-’Asqalani write:

“Abu Qalaba’s full name was ‘Abdullah ibn Zayd; he used to live in the city of Basra. He was a great and knowledgeable man. He was against and had no regards towards ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). He used to narrate ahadith from people whom he had never met before, for example: ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘A’isha, and Abu Hurayra. When he related ahadith, it seemed as if he had heard the hadith directly from the Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but in reality he heard them from other people”

[adh-Dhahabi, Mizan at-I'tidal and al-'Asqalani, Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Abu Qalaba]

Khalid ibn Hazza

Hafiz adh-Dhahabi and Hafiz al-’Asqalani write:

“Imam Ibn Sa’d Khalid was not an authentic Imam. Abu Khatam said that hadith narrated by Khalid cannot be used as evidence. When Khalid came to Syria he told ahadith to the people but the scholars rejected his narrations. He had also lost his memory. Despite this, Ibn Mu’in and Nasa’i praised him”

[adh-Dhahabi, Mizan at-I'tidal;al-'Asqalani, Tahzib at-Tahzib and Muqaddama Fath al-Bari, Biography of Abu Qalaba]

Abu Qalaba’s other student Ayyub also narrated this hadith, but he never mentions raf’ al-yadayn . This hadith is also found in Sahih al-Bukhari. The scholars of Hadith agree that Ayyub was more knowledgeable than Khalid.

Nasr ibn Asim

Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“Imam Dawud said that he was from amongst a misled sect, but others said that he repented from his wrong beliefs”

[Tahzib at-Tahzib, Biography of Nasr ibn Asim)]

Qatada

Imam adh-Dhahabi and Hafiz al-’Asqalani write:

“Qatada was a great scholar and a mufassir [scholar of Tafsir (Quranic exegesis)]. He was very intelligent, and many scholars praised him. He narrated ahadith of such people whom he had never heard, met, nor seen. He saw only one Companion of the Prophet, Malik ibn Anas, but he attributed narrations from many other people despite this.

He had evil beliefs about Islam; he openly declared his sinful beliefs. Despite the fact that Qatada held wrong beliefs, the scholars still took narrations of hadith from him (may Allah forgive him)

[adh-Dhahabi, Mizan al-I'tidal and Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Biography of Qatada Basri; al-'Asqalani, Tahzib at-Tahzib]

From all the above references, it cannot be proved that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did raf’ al-yadayn all the time. Also, Malik ibn Huwayris did not stay with the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) during the last period of the Prophet’s (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) life. The four main narrators of this hadith have been criticized by the scholars of Hadith. Therefore this hadith does not stand at the same level as ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud’s hadith.

The Third Evidence Used to Support Raf’ al-Yadayn.

Qadi Shawkani writes:

“The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), when performing his last salat, performed raf’ al-yadayn “

[Nayl al-Awtar, chapter on Raf' al-Yadayn]

The people who perform raf’ al-yadayn say that the above narration proves that raf’ al-yadayn was not abrogated. In response to this we say that this hadith is not authentic. This is the reason why it was not written in Sahih al-Bukhari, or Muslim – even Imam al-Bayhaqi did not include it in his book of sunan. All the narrators of this hadith are weak.

Examining the Narrators of the Hadith

‘Abd ar-Rahman Harwi

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes that Harwi used to fabricate hadith and tell them to people [Mizan al-I'tidal, Biography of 'Abd ar-Rahman Harwi]

If Harwi used to fabricate his narrations of hadith it follows that his narrations cannot be relied upon.

Usamah ibn Muhammad Ansari (the student of Musa ibn ‘Uqba)

Imam adh-Dhahabi writes:

“Imam Abu Khatim said that Usamah was not strong in the knowledge of Hadith. Imam Yahya ibn Mu’in said that he fabricated hadith and attributed them to the great scholars of Hadith. He was a liar. Imam Daraqutni said that he was not reliable and that is why the scholars did not take any narrations of hadith from him. Imam Ibn Addi said that all his narrated ahadith are not safe. He narrates one hadith that says that you should make du’a’ to Allah Most High when you see a beautiful face, and He will accept it”

[Mizan al-I'tidal, Biography of Usamah ibn Muhammad Ansari]

Qadi Shawkani writes that Usamah ibn Muhammad Ansari was a liar and he fabricated hadith [al-Majmu'at al-Ahadith, chapter on Sadaqa, p.67]

It is strange that Qadi Shawkani wrote in his book that Usamah ibn Muhammad was a liar, and yet despite this took his narration as evidence in his other book. The other surprising thing is that Qadi Shawkani always discusses the narrators of the hadith, but with this hadith he does not mention or discuss anything about them. It seems as if he is totally unaware of them.

We are also surprised concerning those people who present this hadith as evidence of their practice of raf’ al-yadayn . They are proud and say that they are following the Sunna of Rasulu’llah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).

Performing Salat Without Raf’ al-Yadayn – Proof from Ahadith

Imam Muslim writes:

“Once we were performing salat and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came to us and asked us: ‘Why are you doing raf’ al-yadayn as a stubborn horse waving its tail?’ He also told us: ‘Perform your salat with peace’

[Muslim, chapter on Sukun fi as-Salat]

The above hadith proves that one must not perform raf’ al-yadayn in the middle of one’s salat.

Imam Muslim writes in another narration, after the above:

“Jabir ibn Samrah reported: ‘At the end of the salat, we used to wave our hands left and right when saying salam. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told us not to wave our hands but only to say the salam.”

The above narrations prove that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) stopped raf’ al-yadayn as well as waving the hands during the Prayer.

Imam Humaydi, who was the teacher of Imam al-Bukhari and Muslim, writes:

” ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar said: ‘The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) only performed raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of salat, not before or after doing ruku’ ‘ “

[Musnad Humaydi, Vol. 2, p. 277, Maktabah Salafiyya, Madina al-Munawwara]

Imam Ibn Abi Shayba and Imam ‘Abd ar-Razzaq write:

” ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: ‘The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) performed raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of salat.’

” ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and Brabin Azib reported: ‘We saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) only performing raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of the salat.’

” Aswad, Imam Shabi, Ibrahim an-Nakha’i, ‘Ali and Ibn Mas’ud’s student (may Allah be pleased with them) only performed raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of salat”

[Musnad Ibn Abi Shayba and Musnad 'Abd ar-Razzaq, Chapter on Raf' al-Yadayn]

Imam Ibn al-Qasim writes:

“Imam Malik said that Imam Zuhri told him that he heard from Salim, who said that his father ['Abdullah ibn 'Umar] reported, that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) only performed raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of the salat and not in any other part of it.”

This narration also proves that Imam Zuhri narrated a hadith stating that the practice of raf’ al-yadayn was only performed at the beginning of the salat.

Imam Malik said that he has no knowledge of doing raf’ al-yadayn in any other part of the salat apart from the beginning [al-Mudawwana, chapter on 'Raf' al-Yadayn']

Imam Malik also said:

“To do raf’ al-yadayn is weak, except at the beginning”

[al-Mudawwana, chapter on 'Raf' al-Yadayn']

How could Imam Malik say that he had no knowledge of someone who practices raf’ al-yadayn even when he himself heard a hadith supporting it from Imam Zuhri? The answer to this is, as mentioned earlier, that Imam Malik knew the hadith of raf’ al-yadayn but he never saw anyone in Makka or Madina who practiced it. The reason for this is that the practice of raf’ al-yadayn was abrogated.

Imam at-Tirmidhi writes:

” ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud said that he would perform the salat the way that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did. When he performed the salat he only did raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of the salat.

“Many Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), their students (Tabi’un), Sufyan, the Scholars of Kufa and many other scholars followed this hadith”

[at-Tirmidhi, Bab Raf' al-Yadayn; Ibn Hazm in his Muhalla (chapter of salat) writes that this hadith is authentic; Ahmed Shakir, a famous Najdi scholar, also writes that this hadith is authentic in his Takhrij Ibn Hazm]

Even other scholars wrote this hadith in their books, for example: Imam Abu Dawud Ibn Abi Shayba, Imam ‘Abd ar-Razzaq, Imam Abu Ya’la and many others.

Imam at-Tirmidhi wrote in his narration:

“The Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Tabi’un and scholars of Kufa were performing salat without raf’ al-yadayn .”

[at-Tirmidhi, Bab Raf' al-Yadayn]

Who Were the Scholars of Kufa?

Imam Ibn Sa’d, Hafiz Ibn al-Qayyim and Hafiz Ibn Taymiyya write:

” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave an order to build the city of Kufa. When the city was built, people from various Islamic areas came to live in the city. Many Companions of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) moved to Kufa and started to live there. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) sent ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and Ammar ibn Yasir to teach the people in Kufa. After sixteen or seventeen years, when ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Khalifa, he transferred the capital from Madina to Kufa. A large number of Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) moved to Kufa. They taught people about Islam. Kufa thus became the centre point for Islamic scholars”

[Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd; Minhaj as-Sunna Alam al-Muwakki'in, chapter on 'Kufa']

Kufa was the central point of Islamic knowledge, which is why so many scholars of Hadith travelled to it repeatedly to gain knowledge.Hafiz al-’Asqalani writes:

“Imam al-Bukhari travelled to various cities to gain knowledge of Hadith. He went to the city of Jazeera twice, Basra four times, and stayed in the Hijaz [Makka and Madina] for six years. Imam al-Bukhari said himself that he could not account for how many times he went to Kufa and Baghdad to learn knowledge of Hadith”

[Muqaddima Fath al-Bari, Biography of Imam al-Bukhari]

Imam at-Tirmidhi’s narrations prove that no one practiced raf’ al-yadayn in the city of Kufa which became the centre point of Islamic knowledge and thought. Imam Malik’s narration proves that no one was practicing raf’ al-yadayn in Makka or Madina, as this practice had been abrogated.

The Debate Between Imam Awza’i and Imam Abu Hanifa

These two Imams once debated the matter of raf’ al-yadayn , and it is described by Sufyan ibn Uyayna:

“Once Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Awza’i met in a market in Makka. Imam Awza’i asked Imam Abu Hanifa why he did not practice raf’ al-yadayn during the salat.

Abu Hanifa: There is no authentic hadith about practicing raf’ al-yadayn .

Awza’i:Why isn’t there an authentic hadith? Here is one: Imam Zuhri told me, who was told by Salim, who was told by Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) practiced raf’ al-yadayn before and after theruku’.

Abu Hanifa: Hamad told me, who was told by Ibrahim, who was told by Ikrama, who was told by Aswad who was told by ‘Abdullah ibnMas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) only practiced raf’ al-yadayn at the beginning of performing his salat and not afterwards.

Awza’i:The narration that I have presented to you has a shorter chain and your hadith has a longer chain; for this reason, my hadith is more reliable than yours.

Abu Hanifa: It does not matter if the chain of the hadith is long or short. The priority of the hadith depends on the narrators of the hadith and how much knowledge of Hadith they had. The narrators of the hadith which I have presented possess more expertise in the knowledge of Hadith. For example, Hamad is more knowledgeable than Imam Zuhri. Ibrahim is more knowledgeable than Salim; Ikrama is a great scholar and Ibn Mas’ud is unique.

Imam Awza’i then became silent”

[Musnad Imam Abu Hanifa, chapter on 'Raf' al-Yadayn]

This debate shows that Imam Awza’i had no other evidence. If he had then he would have presented it to defend his case in support of raf’ al-yadayn . Imam Abu Hanifa replied so beautifully that Imam Awza’i was forced to become silent.

PRAYER (NAMAZ)

PRAYER (NAMAZ)

The foundation of Islam is on five things. To testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah Ta’ala and that Muhammad sallalaho alaihe wasallam is His Prophet, to establish prayer, fast in the month of Ramadhan, pay Zakat and perform Hajj (pilgrimage). (Al Hadith)
My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! The most important worship after faith in Allah Ta’ala and His Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam is to perform prayers (namaz). Let us look at the Commands of Allah Ta’ala in the Qur’an in this regards so that we can appreciate the excellence and try and create love in our hearts for prayer and the passion to perform it punctually. We have been ordered to establish prayer at many places in the Holy Qur’an.

Allah Ta’ala says in the beginning verses of Surah Baqara,
“That high ranked book (Qur’an) Whereof there is no place of doubt, in it there is guidance to the God fearing. Who believe without seeing, and establish prayer and spend in Our path, out of Our provided subsistence. (Surah Baqara, verse 2-3)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! The Holy Qur’an is guidance for the God fearing. The Qur’an also tells us the characteristics of people that are God fearing. The most important characteristic is to establish prayer. Remember that prayer is the most important worship and no matter how many claims a person makes of being pious, if he is not punctual in his prayers, he can never be a God fearing, pious friend of Allah Ta’ala. All the Prophets and all the friends of Allah that came into the world were punctual in prayers and used to invite others to do the same, as we can see from many other verses of the Qur’an. This nation has become lazy in respect to this prayer. If only the Muslim community would study the Qur’an and Hadith, they would see that establishing prayer results in great rewards from their Lord and missing prayer leads to extreme punishment. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to establish prayer. Aameen

The Dua of Hazrat Ibrahim Alaihis Salaam

“O my Lord, keep me as establisher of prayer and some of my children too, O our Lord and accept my prayer.”
(Surah Ibrahim, verse 40)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! We learn from this verse of the Qur’an that Prophet’s would make prayer (dua) for themselves and their children to be punctual in prayers. This is the prayer of Hazrat Ibrahim alaihis salam, who re-built the Ka’aba, he is the friend of Allah (Khaleel Ullah), and is the base for the Hajj being made compulsory. He is not only making dua to perform prayer but is asking for his dua to be accepted. We can see the importance of prayer in the eyes of Hazrat Ibrahim alaihis salaam. Today we make dua for our children and ourselves, but we ask for worldly possessions, physical pleasures and material prosperity. If only we would follow the footsteps of Prophets and establish prayer and force our children to be punctual in prayers. May Allah Ta’ala give us all the guidance to do this. Aameen.

A Father’s Advice to his Son

The Holy Qur’an says, “O my son, establish prayer and bid doing good and forbid evil and be patient over whatever befall upon.” (Surah Luqman, verse 17)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! We can see from this verse the advice a father should give to his child or children. The words and advice of Hazrat Luqman alaihis salaam, a respected Prophet of Allah Ta’ala, were always full of wisdom. Allah Ta’ala took one of his sayings and placed them in the Qur’an. What is that saying? It is when he said, “Oh my son, establish prayer and order people to do good.” We see from this that a father should think about his children’s religious matters as well as worldly necessities. We should promise ourselves that we will be punctual in prayer and we will attempt to make our children and our whole family punctual in prayer. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to be punctual in our prayers. Aameen

Prayer is the Method for Remembering Allah Ta’ala

Allah Ta’ala states in the Holy Qur’an, “Verily I am Allah there is none to be worshipped save Me. So worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance.” (Surah Ta-Ha, verse 14)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! Every particle of the universe is a means to remember Allah Ta’ala. Wherever we look we see His creations. There are untold blessings of His that we see, and upon seeing them we can remember our Lord. Ponder on the fact that in the above-mentioned verse He orders His bondmen to establish prayer for His remembrance. He says, “Establish prayer for My remembrance.” From this we see that prayer is the best way to remember Allah Ta’ala. The reason for this is that a person’s whole body is in submission to His Creator during prayer. His tongue is busy reciting the words of Allah Ta’ala. His ears are listening to them. His eyes are fixed at the place of prostration (sajdah), and his heart becomes the centre of communicating with Allah Ta’ala. In short, when a person is busy in prayer he is completely in the remembrance of Allah Ta’ala. He gives up all concern for the world and focuses on Allah Ta’ala alone and becomes his humble worshipper. May Allah Ta’ala guide us to remember Him through our prayer. Aameen.

Responsibilities of those in Authority

Allah Ta’ala mentions the responsibilities of his bondmen in the Qur’an, He says, “Those, if we give them control in the land, they would establish prayer and pay the zakat (poor-due) and command good and forbid evil.” (Surah Hajj, verse 41).

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! In this verse Allah Ta’ala has stated the responsibilities of officials and governments. The most important job of an administration if to “establish prayer, because prayer contains training that can be used in a wide variety of fields. Punctuality of time, straight rows for unity, cleanliness, and leading and following etc. Namaz is a means of training as well as spiritual contentment. May Allah Ta’ala give us all the passion to establish prayer. Aameen.

Prayer Stops You from All Evil

Allah Ta’ala explains the benefit of prayer in the Qur’an and says, “Establish prayer. Undoubtedly, the prayer forbids one from indecency and evil things.” (Surah Ankabut, verse 45)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! This verse contains the solution for the problems we face today. All believers are deeply concerned about how to save our families and ourselves from the tidal wave of indecency and evil acts. Listen! Allah Ta’ala has ordered us to pray five times each day. A person that prays punctually thinks about all aspects of cleanliness at least five times a day, from his body to each article of clothing. A person who stands in the court of Allah Ta’ala five times a day is always aware that if he commits a sin, how would he be able to stand in prayer and face Allah Ta’ala? This realisation stops people from committing indecent acts and saves a person from the displeasure of Allah Ta’ala. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to establish prayer and keep away from all evil acts. Aameen.

The Glad Tidings of Being a Dweller of Paradise (Jannati)

Hazrat Abu Hurairah radiallaho ta’ala anhu narrated that a Bedouin came to Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam and said, “Show me an action that I can do that will entitle me to be a dweller of paradise?” Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam replied, “Worship Allah Ta’ala, do not associate any partners with Him, perform your compulsory prayers, pay your poor due (zakat), fast in the month of ramadhan.” The Bedouin said, “I will not do any less than this nor any more than this.” When he had left Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam said, “Whoever wishes to see a dweller of paradise, should look at that Bedouin.” (Bukhari Shareef)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! Many acts are mentioned in this Hadith, but because the subject we are discussing is prayer, I would like to mention a few things about prayer. A person that establishes prayer is so exalted that Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam declared him a dweller of paradise. Those of you that desire paradise should pray punctually, and not miss any prayers, and not be short in respect of fasting and paying the poor due. Insha Allah! One who is punctual in these things will be worthy of the glad tidings of paradise in this world. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to perform the above-mentioned worships. Aameen.

The Fair Maidens of Paradise Welcome The One who Performs Prayer

Hazrat Abu Umamah radiallaho ta’ala anhu narrates that Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam said that, “When a person stands for prayer, the doors of Paradise are opened for him. All the veils between him and Allah Ta’ala are removed and the fair maidens of paradise (Hoors) welcome him until that time that he wipes his nose.” (Tibrani)
My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! How exalted has Allah Ta’ala made the status of prayer? A person begins his prayer and the doors of Paradise are opened. The Master whose court he is standing in removes the veils between them. What a great miracle for the one who performs prayer, that he is able to see Allah Ta’ala without any veils. The condition is that he needs to be blessed with the eyes that are needed to see Allah Ta’ala. We should ensure that we respect prayer and try our utmost to perform it punctually. May Allah Ta’ala make us all punctual in our prayers. Aameen

Prayer and the Forgiveness of Sins

Hazrat Abu Muslim radiallaho ta’ala anhu states that he went to Hazrat Abu Umamah radiallaho ta’ala anhu, who was in the mosque and said, “A person told me that you had heard Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam say that a person that does ablution (wudhu) properly, and then performs his compulsory prayer, Allah Ta’ala forgives the sins that his feet committed on that day. Also the sins committed by his hands, those sins committed by his ears, eyes, and those committed by his heart are all forgiven by Allah Ta’ala.” Hazrat Abu Umamah radiallaho ta’ala anhu said, “I heard Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam say this on many occasions. (Ahmed)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! We are humans and it is possible for us to commit sins. In this dangerous era, where the wave of sins has engulfed the whole society, sins are present everywhere. Shamelessness is seen everywhere, from the streets to all functions large and small. It is very difficult to save ourselves from sins in an environment where shamelessness and disrespect is everywhere. Allah Ta’ala is the Beneficent One and knows the weaknesses of his slaves. Therefore he has said that come into my court five times a day, I am the Beneficent One, worship Me with sincerity. I am the One with Power and I will forgive your sins.

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! Do not be miserly in bowing your head in the court of Allah Ta’ala. Perform prayers punctually and undoubtedly Allah Ta’ala will shower you with His Kindness. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to be punctual in our prayer.

Forgiveness of Sins

Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Mas’ood radiallaho ta’ala anhu states that a person came to Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam and said, “I embraced a woman on the outskirts of Madinah but did not have any relations with her. I am present please decide my fate.” Hazrat Umar radiallaho ta’ala anhu said, “Allah Ta’ala had covered your crime, you should have done the same.” Narrators report that Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam did not give him any reply, and the person left. Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam sent someone after him and called him back and recited the following verse of the Qur’an, “And establish prayer at the two ends of the day and in parts of the night. No doubt, good deeds obliterate evil deeds. This is admonition for the persons accepting admonitions.” (Surah Hud, verse 114).

A person asked, “Ya Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam, is this just for this person?” The Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam replied, “This is for all the people.” (Muslim)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! We see from this Hadith that Allah Ta’ala forgives big sins because of prayer. But when we look at the state of Muslims today in terms of prayer, all we see is laziness (may Allah Ta’ala protect). Please do not be lazy with your prayers; show great enthusiasm and wipe away your sins through prayer. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all. Aameen.

Put Out the Fire

Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam has said, “At the time of prayer an Angel proclaims, O children of Adam! Stand and put out the fire of hell that you have started burning yourselves with (due to sins). The Pious ones stand up perform the Zohar prayer, and because of this their sins committed between the morning and Zohar prayer are forgiven. Similarly at Asar time, at Maghrib time and at Isha time the same thing happens. After Isha prayer people are busy in going to sleep. Certain people go towards sins (adultery, stealing, immoral acts etc) and certain people go towards goodness (prayer, remembrance of Allah ta’ala, etc)” (Tibrani)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! The flames of hell are so frightening that thinking about them makes the hair stand. If an amount of the fire of hell equivalent to the eye of a needle was put on the earth, the whole earth would be burnt.
When a person commits a sin he is lighting the fire of hell for himself. In the light of the saying of Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam, the person that performs the Zohar prayer, his sins up to that point in the day are forgiven. Similarly all the prayers in a day forgive the sins between each prayer. Do we have the strength to withstand the punishment for our sins? Definitely not! Repent with a sincere heart and do not miss any prayers. Our prayers will be our means of forgiveness. Insha Allah. May Allah Ta’ala make us all performers of prayer. Aameen

Welcomed by the Angels

Hazrat Abu Hurairah radiallaho ta’ala anhu narrates that Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam said, “The angels of the day and night come amongst you one after the other. They are all together during the Fajar and Asar prayers. Then those that spent the night with you return and Allah Ta’ala asks them, (even though He knows all), “In what state did you leave my bondmen?” They reply, “We left them in such a state that they were performing prayer and when we went to them they were performing prayer as well.” (Bukhari Shareef)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! We see from this Hadith that the Angel’s duties change at Fajar time and at Asar time. If a person performs these two prayers, Allah Ta’ala’s innocent Angel’s refer to him as a “Namazi” (performer of prayer) in the court of Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala is pleased when He hears about His bondmen bowing their heads for Him, and when He is pleased He certainly blesses us with His Mercy. The time of Fajar and Asar are very important. People are deep in sleep at the time of Fajar and are busy in business at the time of Asar, which leads to a possibility of missing them. However if a person performs His prayers Allah Ta’ala is pleased. May Allah ta’ala guide us all to perform prayers, especially the Fajar and Asar prayers. Aameen.

Example of Prayer Removing Sins

Hazrat Abu Zar radiallaho ta’ala anhu narrates that “Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam was walking outdoors in autumn and leaves were falling off the trees. He took hold of two branches of a tree and shook them and the leaves fell off the branches. Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam said, “O Abu Zar!” I said, “I am here O Prophet of Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam.” The Holy Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam said, “If a Muslim performs prayers with the intention of obtaining the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, his sins fall away from him just as the leaves are falling off this tree.” (Ahmed)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! What a great example the Crown of the Universe sallalaho alaihe wasallam has given us. If a person is worried about the sins that he has committed, and no doubt a believer will have regret in his heart about sins, such a person is being given comfort by Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam. He is being told that even if you have committed sins, be punctual in your prayer and Allah Ta’ala will make the sins fall off your body like these leaves are falling off the tree. May Allah Ta’ala guide us all to establish prayer. Aameen

The Prayer (Namaz) Makes Dua For The One Who Prays

Rasool Allah sallalaho alaihe wasallam said, “When one performs his prayers at the earliest possible time, his prayer goes to the heavens in a state of light and reaches the Throne of Allah Ta’ala, where it prays for the performer of namaz until the day of judgement. It says, “May Allah Ta’ala protect you just as you protected me.” If a person performs prayer out of its proper time it goes up to the heavens in a dark state. When it reaches the heavens it is thrown back in the face of the person.” (Baihiqi)

My Beloved Prophet sallalaho alaihe wasallam’s beloved devotees! Imagine how many blessings there are in performing prayer at its allocated time, and how severe the punishment is for not performing it at the correct time? Today, not only do we fail to pray it late (make it Qaza); the majority of people do not pray it at all. They do not regret the fact that they have missed prayers at all. Just think! When the punishment is such for praying it late, how severe will it be for not praying it at all? May Allah Ta’ala forgive our small and large sins and guide us to perform prayers punctually at its allocated time. Aameen.

Days To Remember in Moharram-ul-Haram

Days To Remember in Moharram-ul-Haram

• 1st Moharram: Death anniversary of “Shaikh Abul Hassan Ali Bukhaari (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Baghdad Shareef.
• 2nd Moharram: Death anniversary of “Hazrat Khwaja Ma’roof Kirki (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Baghdad Shareef.
• 4th Moharram: Death anniversary of “Hazrat Khwaja Hassan Basri (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)”.
• 5th Moharram: Urs “Hazrat Baba Fariduddin Ganje Shakar (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Pakistan.
• 8th Moharram: Urs “Hazrat Moulana Hashmat Ali Khan (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Pillibit Shareef.
• 10th Moharram: Death anniversary (Shahadat) of “Imam Hussain (Radi ALLAH Taala Unho)” in Karbala Najuf.
• 10th Moharram: “Hazrat Syedi Shah Barkatullah Ishki (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Mahrerah Shareef.
• 11th Moharram: Giyarwee Shareef of “Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilani (Radi ALLAH Taala Unho)”.
• 14th Moharram: Urs “Huzoor Mufti-e-Azam Hind (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Bareilly Shareef.
• 18th Moharram: Death anniversary of “Hazrat Imam Zainul Abedeen (Radi ALLAH Taala Unho)” in Madina Munawarrah.
• 19th Moharram: Death anniversary of “Syed Ahmad Jilaani (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Baghdad Shareef.
• 20th Moharram: “Hazrat Shah Waliyullah Dhelwi (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)”.
• 28th Moharram: Urs “Makhdoom Syed Ashraf Jahangir (Rehmatullah Taala Alaihi)” in Kichaucha Shareef.

True Love for Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu

    

If we claim to be the true lovers of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, then just to listen about him and to shed some tears is not enough. If we really love him then we have to follow him. We have to dissociate ourselves from the qualities that he disliked and fought against such as lies, deceit, greed, love of the world, alcohol, fornication, missing Salaah. And we should acquire the qualities which should please Allah Ta’ala and His Beloved Rasool Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

This will be a true offering from us to our beloved master. And in this way the purpose of his sacrifice be fulfilled.

I hope and pray to Allah Almighty that may we please Him and take forward the mission of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu.

Hussain Lives Forever

There were many wars before and after Karbala. Each one was to defend the principles of Islam and to glorify the name of Allah. There were many wars in which RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam was present himself and there were others fought by his companions. But unfortunately, Muslims today hold very little knowledge about them. Little do they know and realise the great sacrifices through which Islam has reached us.

The point to be made is that why do we hear about Karbala more than any other war? Why is the war of Karbala commemorated each year and not other? One of the main reasons for this is that most of the other wars were waged between Islam and Kufr. Believers were fighting the non-believers. But this was a war within Islam. The opposite parties were both Muslims. But greed had overcome the enemies. They were the people who only desired the wealth and position of this world and neglected the pleasures of the Hereafter. They feared a tyrant ruler but did not fear Almighty Allah. They supported the rich and the powerful and isolated the righteous and the pious. This war is always remembered by the Muslims and so is a lesson for them.

Thus we know that not always, those who claim to be Muslim and apparently practice Islam are on the true path. We have to recognise the true followers of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam in order to protect our Iman. Imam Ahmed Raza Khan RadiyAllahu Anhu was one such personality in the past century who established the principles of Ahle Sunnah in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah and saved us from the misguided ones. May Allah Ta’ala keep us steadfast on the straight path.

The Fate of the Killers of Imam Hussain

Hazrat Aamir bin Sa’ad RadiyAllahu Anhu narrates, ‘After Imam Hussain left this mundane world, I saw RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam in my dream. He said, ‘O Amir! Go to my companion Baraa’ bin Aazib and convey my Salams and inform him that whosoever killed my son Hussain will go to Hell.’ Thus I went to Hazrat Baraa’ RadiyAllahu Anhu and informed him on what I had seen.’ [Sa’adatul Kaunain]

Hakim narrates on the authority of Hazrat Abdullah bin Abbas RadiyAllahu Anhuma
,
’Allah Ta’ala conveyed through revelation to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam that He perished 70,000 in revenge of the killing of Yahya bin Zakariya Alaihimus Salam, but for your grandson Hussain, He will destroy double that number.’ [Khasais ul Kubra]

Ibne Jauzi reports that no assassin of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was spared punishment. Some were killed, some became blind and those who were at high positions could not stay there for a long time.

Allama Ibne Katheer testifies that most of the narrations about the fate of the killers of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu as reported in history are correct. [Al-Hussain]

In the reign of Abdul Malik, when Mukhtar bin Abu Ubaid Saqfi became the governer of Kufa, he became the first person to organise the revenge of the massacre of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu and his family. He enquired about the killers and then got them killed.

The Fate of Yazeed

In Damascus, in the court of Yazeed, an oppressed member of Ahle Bait cried out, ‘The very throne for which you killed Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, even your own children will never be able to sit upon it.’

And this is exactly what happened. Very soon he fell prey to a dreadful disease. He used to cry due to unbearable aches in the stomach and intestines. When he was certain of his death, he called for his son Muawiyah to hand over the rule to him. But as soon as he started to speak, he was humiliatingly interrupted by his son who shouted, ‘I can never accept the throne which has the stains of the blood of the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam on it. May it be destroyed.’

The words of his son made his condition even worse. He kept shouting like a swine. He used to cry for water but to swallow any drop of water would also make him cry. Ultimately he died a degrading and shameful death. His body emitted such stench that nobody could go near or touch him. He did not even receive a dignified burial, he was just thrown in a pit and covered. [Naqshe Karbala]

The Fate of Ubaidullah bin Ziyad

As you have already read, Ubaidullah bin Ziyad was the treacherous soul who was appointed by Yazeed. On his orders Imam Muslim and his two little sons were martyred. And it was he who sent the army to fight Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu.

Mukhtar vowed to take revenge with the killers of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu. So he sent an army to fight Ubaidullah. Ubaidullah also prepared for a war and went into the battlefield with 30,000 soldiers. Both the armies met near Mosul. There was heavy fighting from sunrise to sunset. But just as Ubaidullah was about to be defeated, the coward tried to escape. But eventually he was captured and killed. Ironically the date when he was killed was 10th of Muharram 67 Hijri. His head was cut off and sent to Mukhtar in Kufa. When Mukhtar received the news he decorated the Governor House and invited all the Kufans and placed the head of Ubaidullah at the same spot where the blessed head of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was kept.

Mukhtar then addressed the crowd, ‘O Kufans! Look how the tables have turned. It is the same day, same month and the same place. Six years after Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was wrongly and mercilessly killed, the head of his killer lies here in the most humiliating way.’ He then ordered them to celebrate.[Iedha]

It is recorded in Tirmizi Sharif, that when the heads of Ubaidullah and his accomplices were lying in the court of Mukhtar, a snake appeared from nowhere and went over all the heads. When it reached the head of Ubaidullah, it entered through one of his nostrils, stayed in for a while and exited from the mouth. It repeated this three times before it disappeared.

Killers of Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu in the Wrath of Allah

Hazrat Abu Shaikh narrates that in a gathering people were discussing how all those who were in any way involved in the killing of Imam Hussain were caught up in the Wrath of Allah. An old man stood up and said, ‘I too helped in his killing but look nothing has happened to me.’ Just then he stood up to attend the lamp when he was caught up in flames and burned to his death. A similar incident is narrated by Imam Sa’ad. [Tareekh e Karbala]

Sabt bin Jauzi narrates on the authority of Waqdi that an old man who was involved in the killing of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu became blind. When people enquired how he became blind, he replied, ‘I saw RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam in my dream. He had a blood stained sword in his hand and some killers of Imam Hussain were lying dead on the ground. When he saw me, he cursed me and rubbed a blood-stained stick in my eye. From that day I have become blind.’ [Iedha]

Allama Ibne Hajar Makki writes that one of the soldiers from the army of Yazeed who hanged the blessed head of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu on his horse suddenly became very dark and ugly. People enquired, ‘You were very white and beautiful. How did you turn like this?’ He replied, ‘Ever since the incident of Karbala, two people enter my house every night and they take me to a place where a fire is lit. They hang me into the fire then pull me out. This has caused my appearance to change.’ Later he too died a degrading death.

In the same way it is narrated that one old joiner too became blind. He says, ‘I saw RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam with a bowl filled with blood. People came to him and he applied the blood in their eyes. I too was sent to him. I said, ‘Ya RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, I was not present at the battlefield in Karbala.’ RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam replied, ‘But you wished that he be killed.’ Then he pulled his finger towards me and I became blind.’  [Iedha]

Allama Barzi narrates on the authority of Hazrat Mansoor, they saw a man in Syria whose face was like a swine. When he was enquired about the reason, he replied, ‘Every day I used to curse Ameer ul Mu’mineen Hazrat Ali RadiyAllahu Anhu and his children. Then one night I saw a dream in which Imam Hasan complained to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam about me cursing them. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam cursed me and spat on me. Since then I have become a sign for people.’ [iedha]

The End of Mukhtar, the Liar

On one side Mukhtar did a commendable job by taking the revenge of Imam Hussain and by killing the killers, but on the other hand, he declared himself as a prophet, thus becoming a infidel. Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair RadiyAllahu Anhuma sent an army in 67 Hijri and destroyed him. [Tareekh e Karbala]

A Moment for Thought

After reading the heart breaking incident of Karbala one cannot help but ponder over the source of inspiration which helped Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu to offer such extreme sacrifice and be steadfast during it. For this we need to understand the reason of the arrival of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. Allah Ta’ala states:

‘It is He Who has sent His Noble Messenger with guidance and the true religion, in order to prevail over all other religions – even if the polytheists get annoyed.’

From the above verse we learn that the reason for the arrival of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam was to make Islam dominant over all other systems. It was to accomplish this mission that RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam put up with the atrocities of the unbelievers. He endured a social boycott, left his home town, had his blessed tooth severed for the same reason. It was for the same purpose that Hazrat Bilal RadiyAllahu Anhu suffered silently the barbaric punishment of his infidel masters. The same reason led to the martyrdom of thousands of companions of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

After RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, the same mission was carried forward by Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique RadiyAllahu Anhu then Hazrat Farooq e Aazam RadiyAllahu Anhu then Hazrat Usman Gani RadiyAllahu Anhu then Hazrat Ali RadiyAllahu Anhu. Now the responsibility lied with Imam Hussain. He did not give in to a dictator but stood firm against him. No matter what the apparent result of the war was, in principle Imam Hussain was indeed victorious.

We too need to offer our sacrifices, in every way possible, to uphold the values of Islam and stand firm against corruption and evil.

The Battle of Karbala

Departure of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu

On receiving the letter from Imam Muslim, Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was convinced that it was safe to leave and he sat off towards Kufa with 72 family members and associates. On the way he learnt about the death of Imam Muslim and also about the disloyal nature of the people of Kufa.

When Kufa was only a short distance away, Hurr bin Riyaahi  came with an army of one thousand soldiers and said, ‘I am under orders from Ubaidullah to arrest you. But because I respect you, I advise you to turn back.’  Imam Hussain started to move from there at night but by morning they were in a desolate plain called Karbala. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu dismounted from his ride and said:

‘This is Karbala, the place of pains and trials. This is where our camels will sit, this is where we will get down, and this is where my family will be sacrificed.’

The day was Thursday the 2nd of Muharram, 61 Hijri. Ubaidullah sent a large army who surrounded the camp of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu and stopped water on them from the river Euphrates. Allahu Akbar! The grandson of the Master of the Pond of Kausar Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam had the water stopped upon him and his family. Thousands of troops surrounded them, only a small group of people consisting of women and children. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu is left with two gruesome choices; to pledge allegiance to Yazeed or to die. But Imam Hussain, who was an embodiment of patience and endurance, chose to die but decided not to give his hand to the tyrant Yazeed.

The Sermon of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. When Imam Hussain realised that the enemies would not settle for anything less than his head, he gathered all his family members and associates and said, ‘I willingly give you consent to leave me and return and not waste your life over me. I will still be pleased with you.’ But the companions disagreed and said emotionally, ‘There is no question of us turning back and deserting you. We will fight for you with our hands, our necks and our foreheads until we lay down our lives for you.’

After that, they prayed their Salah and spent their nights in remembrance, whilst also digging a trench behind the camps so that it could be filled with burning wood to avoid the enemies attacking from behind.

 
The Night of Aashura

The night before the war was spent in the remembrance of Allah and His beloved RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam by Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu. He did not seem to be threatened by the whispers of war nor was he anxious about his fate. In fact he was under the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala with serenity and tranquillity shrouding over him. He then saw RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam who was present in the field in the midst of angels. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam came closer to hug him and said, ‘O son! Your enemies are striving to kill you, but they will be deprived of my intercession on the day of Qayamah. O Son! Do not be impatient, very soon you will join me and I will present you with a drink from the Pond of Kausar. Then he prayed for him in these words:

‘O Allah! Bestow Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu with patience and reward.’

The Morning of Martyrdom….

The night of Aashura passed by and the dawn of a decisive day broke out. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu led the Fajr prayers. The situation was such that they were suffering from the pangs of hunger and thirst for the past three days, no one had even a morsel of food or a drop of water. And to fight such people is an army of twenty-two thousand soldiers who had no shortage of food, water or arms!

The sun was about to rise when the beloved grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, the lion of Hazrat Fatima and Hazrat Ali, rode towards the camp of the enemies to give them a final warning with his wise words which have been recorded in golden letters in our glorious history. ‘O people! Listen to me and do not haste so that I can complete my duty of cautioning you, and to tell you the purpose of my journey here. Thus if you agree with me and testify the truth then this will be a means of eternal pleasure for you and you will lose nothing. But if you disagree with me, then gather all those who agree with you and attack me. Indeed Allah is my helper, the One who has revealed the Book and the One who is the aide of the righteous.

Do you recognise who I am? Then ask yourself is it right for you to kill me? Am I not the grandson of your Prophet?  And am I not a son of his associate? Is the leader of the Martyrs, Sayyeduna Hamza and Sayyeduna Jaffer Tayyar not my father’s uncles? Has the narration of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam not reached you that me and my brother are the leaders of the youth of Jannah?

Thus, if you agree then testify it. By Allah! Since the day I learnt that lying causes the displeasure of Allah, I have never lied. And if you think that I am lying then ask people like Jabir bin Abdullah, Abu Sa’eed Khudri, Suhail bin Sa’ad, Zaid bin Arqam and Anas bin Malik.

These companions of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam will tell what he had said. Is there no one amongst you who can deter you from shedding my blood? If you think I am lying or doubt that I am the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam then by Allah, between East and West there is no one else who can claim to be the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.

After all why do you want to kill me? Have I killed any one of you? Or have I seized your wealth? Why do you want to shed my blood? [Istiqamat December 1979, Reference from Tibrani Vol 7 Pages 329-330)

After he received no response from the enemies, he named some of the people who had written letters to him inviting him to Kufa and asking them, ‘Did you not invite me?’ They answered in the negative.

He continued, ‘You surely did. And if you say you did not then let me leave and return to where I can live in peace.’ Qais bin Ash’ab shouted, ‘Submit yourself to Ubaidullah and no one will hurt you.’

The Imam replied, ‘You would say that, as you are the brother of Muhammed bin Ash’ab. Is it not enough that you have the burden of killing Muslim bin Aqeel upon your heads? By Allah! I will not give my hands to the tyrants nor will I surrender myself with humiliation.’

Dreadful Martyrdoms

The speech of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, which he made to clarify his position and to clear any doubts in the minds of the enemies, did not have any effect on them. In fact, they declared the beginning of war and started to fire arrows. This was indeed a very crucial moment for Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu and his followers. One by one they pounded upon their enemies sending scores into the fire of Hell before themselves smelling the sweet fragrance of martyrdom. After the companions it was the time of the family of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu to offer their sacrifices. The two grandsons of Hazrat Jaffer Tayyar, Hazrat Aun and Hazrat Muhammed, Hazrat Muslim bin Aqeel’s three brothers Hazrat Abdullah, Hazrat Abdurrahman and Hazrat Jaffer, Hazrat Ali’s five sons Hazrat Abbas, Hazrat Usman, Hazrat Abdullah, Hazrat Muhammed and Hazrat Jaffer one by one gave their lives to uphold the flag of Islam. In the same way, Hazrat Imam Hasan’s sons, Hazrat Qasim, Hazrat Abdullah, Hazrat Umar and Hazrat Abu Bakr, and Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu’s sons Hazrat Ali Akbar and Hazrat Ali Asghar soon followed. RadiyAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen

The Martyrdom of the Son of Imam Hasan RadiyAllahu Anhu

The blossoming flower from the Hashmi garden, Hazrat Qasim, the son of Imam Hasan is only nineteen years old. He is stood in front of Imam Hussain in a very respectful manner. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu enquired, ‘What is the matter Qasim.’ He replied , ‘When my father was dying he gave me am amulet (Ta’weez) and instructed me that there will be a time when my brother Hussain will be in great trouble, open this Ta’weez, read it and act upon it. Which time can be more crucial than this? So I opened the Ta’weez and it says, ‘Dear son, In the battle of Karbala when the time comes, do not let Ali Akbar go to fight before you, but instead you go first and sacrifice your life in the way of Allah.’ O uncle! I have come to ask permission so I can fulfil my father’s last wish.’ Imam Hussain fighting his tears said, ‘Seeing you revives the memories of my brother. How can I permit you to go and be killed?’ Hazrat Qasim pleaded, ‘O uncle, if I don’t go, and if Ali Akbar is martyred before me then what face will I show to my father on the Day of Judgement?’ When Hazrat Qasim RadiyAllahu Anhu insisted, Imam Hussain permitted him with a heavy heart and with tearful eyes bid him farewell. 

A soldier from the enemy ranks, Hameed bin Muslim states, ‘When Hazrat Qasim came forward it felt like a moon had risen from the horizon. He had no armour on his body and was eagerly seeking martyrdom. He challenged the Yazeedi forces, ‘O enemies of Islam, I am Qasim bin Hasan bin Ali, one of the lights from the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. Send whomever you choose to fight me.’

Amr bin Sa’ad instructed a heavyweight fighter named Arzaq to accept the challenge, but he declined saying that it was not worthy of him to fight a child. Amr reiterated, ‘Don’t take him as a child; he is the son of Hasan who is the son of Ali, who single-handedly uprooted the door of the fort of Khyber. Though he has been starving for three days, fighting him will not be easy.’ Arzaq was adamant that he would not go and instead sent his eldest son thinking he would settle the score in minutes.’ But, in minutes the situation was reversed and Arzaq’s son was lying on the ground dying and Hazrat Qasim had his sword. His second son became furious and went to take on Hazrat Qasim but he too fell prey to the very first attack by Hazrat Qasim and was sent to Hell. Now the third brother jumped to fight using foul language. Hazrat Qasim said, ‘It is not the way of the Ahle Bait to respond to foul language with foul language; instead I will send you to your brothers.’ In one shot he was cut into two pieces. The fourth and last son of Arzaq soon met the same fate also.

Arzaq was now trembling with rage and fear. All his pride was turned to dust. He was now forced to face the Hashmi lion. He entered the field with a roar throwing empty challenges like, ‘Be ready to die.’ Hazrat Qasim replied, ‘You have lost your senses Arzaq, we are the blood of the lion of Allah, you are nothing compared to us.’ They attacked each other with spears but both shots were off the mark. Then the swords were drawn out. When the fighting began, Hazrat Qasim laughed at Arzaq and said, ‘You did not even remember to tighten the rein of your horse due to the fear of fighting me.’ As soon as Arzaq bent down to look at the rein, Hazrat Qasim struck a final blow cutting him into two pieces.

Hazrat Qasim mounted the horse and sped towards the camp of Imam Hussain expressing, ‘O uncle! Thirst thirst. If I can get one bowl of water, I will send all the enemies to Hell.’ Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu replied, ‘Just a little longer my son, soon you will see your grandfather who will give you a drink from the Pond of Kausar, after which you will never be thirsty again.’ Hazrat Qasim returned to the battlefield. Amr shouted to his people, ‘Surround and kill him.’ Hazrat Qasim was surrounded by enemies from all sides, but he did not give up. He fought fiercely and had twenty seven wounds on his body until finally Sheesh bin Sa’ad pierced a spear through his chest. As he was falling from the horse, he was saying, ‘O uncle! Come and attend to me.’ 

When Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu heard his cries, he ran towards him and found that the young body was covered with wounds. He took Hazrat Qasim RadiyAllahu Anhu’s head in his lap and started to clean the dust from it. Hazrat Qasim opened his eyes to find his head in Imam’s lap. He smiled and with that his blessed soul left his body. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon [Tareekh e Karbala, Reference from Shaam e Karbala]

The Martyrdom of the Flag Bearer

The flag bearer of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, Hazrat Abbas bin Ali RadiyAllahu Anhuma, approached him and asked for permission to fight. He further said, ‘I can no longer bear to see Ali Asghar and other infants who are dying of thirst. Please allow me to go and get a bag of water from the river. Imam Hussain responded, ‘How can I allow you to go as you are the bearer of my flag?’ But Hazrat Abbas repeated his words and insisted to be allowed to go. Imam Hussain hugged him and gave him permission. Hazrat Abbas mounted a horse and started towards the river. When the enemies saw Hazrat Abbas approaching the river, they blocked his path. Hazrat Abbas shouted, ‘O Kufans! Be fearful of Allah and be ashamed of having to face RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. It is so regrettable that firstly you invited Imam Hussain and then betrayed him. And now you have joined with his enemies and killed his companions and family members. And if that was not enough, you are torturing young children and infants from the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, not allowing them even a single drop of water so that they would die of hunger and thirst. Just think, what face will you show RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam on the Day of Reckoning?’ But the treacherous souls replied that if the whole world was filled with water, still he would not get a drop from it. Hazrat Abbas became agitated and roared like a lion, ‘Hussain will sacrifice himself but will never surrender to the evil tyrants.’

The evil forces attacked from all sides but Hazrat Abbas kept moving forward until he took his horse into the river. He filled his water-bag and was about to have a sip when he remembered the thirst of the children in the camps. He could not tolerate the fact that he would quench his thirst whereas the blessed children from the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam would remain thirsty. He hung the water-bag on his shoulder and rode towards the camp. There was an uproar, ‘Stop him, stop him. If this water reaches the camp of Hussain then none of us will survive.’

Though he was attacked from all sides, Hazrat Abbas wanted to reach the camp at all costs, so he attacked so fiercely that bodies were falling in each direction and streams of blood was flowing on the ground. Just then he was deceptively attacked from behind by a man called Zararah, due to which his right shoulder was cut off from his body. He took the water-bag in his left hand and also fought with the same hand. He was further attacked by Naufil bin Arzaq and this time his left hand was separated from his body. Now he held the water-bag in his mouth but the water was not to reach the camp. An arrow struck the bag and all the water was lost. Soon he succumbed to the constant attack and fell to the ground calling, ‘O brother! Attend to me.’

Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu ran towards him and found his body soaked in blood and he was very close to attaining martyrdom. Seeing this state Imam Hussain cried out, ‘Now my back is broken.’ Soon the soul left the body and Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu carried the body back to the camp. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon. [Tareekhe Karbala]

The Courage of Hazrat Ali Akbar RadiyAllahu Anh

All the companions and family members of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu had now attained martyrdom and he was left alone with his three sons; Imam Zainul Aabideen, Hazrat Ali Akbar and Hazrat Ali Asghar RadiyAllahu Anhum. Hazrat Zainul Aabideen RadiyAllahu Anhu was very ill, Hazrat Ali Asghar was still an infant and Hazrat Ali Akbar was eighteen years old. So Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu decided that he should now enter the battlefield. But Hazrat Ali Akbar stopped his way and pleaded, ‘O beloved father! How can you go to fight when I am still alive? Please allow me to go and fight.’ Imam Hussain looked at him with tearful eyes and said, ‘With what heart can I allow you to go? How can I see you covered in dust and blood? The Yazeedi army want my blood and once they kill me, they won’t bother with you.’ But Hazrat Ali Akbar would not listen. Ultimately Imam Hussain had to allow him to go and fight.

When Hazrat Ali Akbar RadiyAllahu Anhu was ready to set off, Imam Hussain with his own hands prepared his handsome and beautiful son to go to fight. He gave him his sword, mounted him on the horse and handed his weapons to him. Hazrat Ali Akbar gave a farewell look towards Imam Hussain and the ladies of his household, and started towards the enemy. Hazrat Ali Akbar was identical in appearance to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. When he challenged the enemies to confront him, no one had the courage to come forward. So he thrust himself upon the rows of enemies and dispersed them. He fought for a long while until he could not carry on due to thirst. He returned back to his camp and pleaded to his father for water. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu started cleaning the dirt from his body and gave his blessed fingers in his son’s mouth so that he would achieve some satisfaction. Hazrat Ali Akbar once again returned to the battlefield.

Again no one could gather the courage to face him. Amr bin Sa’ad repeatedly incited his people with promises of hefty rewards until out of greed, a strong man called Tariq agreed to face Ali Akbar. He was killed in the first blow by Hazrat Ali Akbar. His son, Amr bin Tariq, who came after him could not stay any longer and was also killed. The second son Talha bin Tariq met with the same fate. Now the whole army was trembling with fear. No one wanted to face Hazrat Ali Akbar. Then Amr bin Sa’ad instructed Muhkam bin Tufail to launch a joint attack with a thousand men. Those cowards surrounded Hazrat Ali Akbar from all sides and began the offensive of attacks. Soon his whole body was covered with wounds. When he fell onto the ground, he too cried, ‘O father, attend to me.’  Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu brought his son back to the camp and taking his head in his lap, started to clean it. Hazrat Ali Akbar RadiyAllahu Anhu opened his eyes, looked at the blessed face of his father for the last time and proceeded towards the Pleasure of his Lord. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon.

Hazrat Ali Asghar and the Unimaginable Torture

The youngest son of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, Hazrat Ali Asghar RadiyAllahu Anhu was still an infant; he was dying of thirst and was the subject of the extreme torture from the people of Yazeed who had stopped water since the 7th of Muharram. The breasts of the mothers had also dried up and there was not a single drop of water anywhere in the camp. Hazrat Ali Asghar would become unconscious at short intervals, and when he would regain consciousness he would pull his tongue out to his mother. When his mother could not bear to see him in this state, she brought him over to Imam Hussain and pleaded, ‘Please carry him outside, maybe the enemies will show some mercy towards this infant of six months and give him some drops of water as this infant will neither fight them not stand up against them.’

Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu carried the baby towards the enemies and said, ‘O people who pray the Kalima of my grandfather. You have destroyed my whole family to satisfy your greed and anger, but this infant has not wronged you at all. If you have any mercy in your hearts, then give him just two drops of water.’ But the stone-hearted wretched souls were not to be moved by anything. In fact, one of them aimed at the dry neck of the baby and shot an arrow which passed through the neck and into the shoulder of Imam Hussain. A fountain of blood oozed out of the neck when the arrow was pulled out and the thirsty infant died in the hands of his blessed father. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon.

When the Imam walked towards the camp, the mother thought that Ali Asghar had been given water as he was not crying. When she enquired with Imam Hussain he replied, ‘He did not have the water of this world but in fact is enjoying the drink of Kausar from the blessed hands of his grandfather RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. Allah had accepted this little sacrifice as well.

Martyrdom of the Grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam

All had now presented their lives in the way of Allah, only the rider of the shoulder of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, the coolness of the eyes of Fatima, the inheritor of the lion of Allah, the leader of the youth of Paradise, Hazrat Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was left with his ill and weak son Imam Zainul Aabideen, who could barely move from his bed. But he still managed to gather some strength and with a spear in his hand, approached his father and requested, ‘O father, let me go before you. It is not possible for you to be killed whilst I am still alive.’ Imam Hussain took the ailing son to one side and explained, ‘My dear son, on you lays the responsibility of protecting the women of our family, and you have to escort them back to our land. And from you will continue the progeny of mine and you will inherit the precious belongings of my grandfather and my father. All my hopes are with you. Look, be very patient and enduring; face all the troubles in the way of Allah with boldness and without complaint. In all circumstances, uphold the principles of Islam and the Sunnah of your grandfather Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. When you reach Madinah, present my Salaams to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and describe all you have witnessed. You are my only inheritor and so you cannot go to the battlefield.’

Then Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu handed over all the responsibilities to Imam Zainul Aabideen, placed the Amamah on the head of his son and made him lie down on the bed. Then he came to another camp, opened a trunk, took out the armour and wore it. He then took the Amamah of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and put is on his blessed head; took the shield of Sayyedina Ameer Hamza and covered his back; hung around his neck the blessed sword ‘Zulfiqar’ belonging to his father, the lion of Allah, Hazrat Ali RadiyAllahu Anhu; took the spear of Hazrat Jaffer Tayyar RadiyAllahu Anhu, and wore the belt of his brother Imam Hasan RadiyAllahu Anhu around his waist. The members of the family were watching this sight and knew very well that their leader was going to take leave from them for a long time. The army of Allah was to lose their commander. The women who had already lost their husbands were about to lose their only protector and guardian. His children were about to become orphans. There was no consolation for them but only tears in their eyes as they bid farewell to their master.

Here was a fighter who had been starving for the past three days and had attended to the bodies of his cousins, nephews and his own sons. Now he descended onto the battlefield, looked the enemy in the eyes and made some final remarks. After praising Allah and his Rasool Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, he continued on and said, ‘O people! The Prophet you believe in has said, whosoever makes enmity with Hasan and Hussain does so with me and whosoever has animosity with me he has so with Allah. So fear Allah and avoid fighting with me. If you are true believers then think what your answer to Allah Ta’ala will be? And what face will you show to the beloved RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam? O you who have destroyed the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, just ponder over your fate. O disloyal ones! You invited me to come over and to help you against a tyrant and now when I have arrived you are turning your backs on me. O oppressors! You have destroyed my family and killed my dear ones, and now want to kill me. Just think who am I? Whose grandson am I? Who are my parents? You still have chance, drop the idea of killing me and save yourselves from the fire of Hell.

There was chaos in the enemy camp. One of them shouted, ‘O Hussain, you have only one choice, either give your hand in the hand of Yazeed or be ready to die.’ Imam replied, ‘O treacherous ones, I knew you would not listen, as your hearts have been sealed and your Islamic spirit is dead. I only spoke to justify my position so that you cannot say on the Day of Judgement that you were not aware. Alhamdulillah, I have done my duty. As far as Yazeed is concerned, I will never submit myself to a wicked oppressor. Now if you have made up your mind then send your chosen one to fight me.’  Thus, Amr bin Sa’ad called the fighters who were saved to fight Imam Hussain. First to go was a famous wrestler from Syria, Tameem bin Qahtabah. He came boasting about his strength and skills but in just one blow from his sword Zulfiqar, he was left to die on the ground.

Badr bin Suhail was watching all this. He started swearing at the other fighters saying they were cowards and did not know how to fight. He sent one of his sons to fight. Imam Hussain said, ‘It would be better if your boasting father came to fight so he would not have to see his son dying’. In no time Imam sent him into Hell. Badr could not bear to see this state of his son and leaped forward to attack Imam Hussain with his spear. Imam defended his attack. Badr then removed his sword and attacked. Imam again saved his attack and launched such a mighty blow that Badr’s head went rolling like a football.
One after the other they all came to try their luck but none could withstand the power of Zulfiqar. The bodies kept piling up. There was a roar in the camps of the enemy that if the son of the lion of Allah continues in this way then none of us will survive. Cowards then decided to attack from all sides. Imam Hussain was surrounded from all sides by bare swords thirsty of his blood. But when the Zulfiqar came into action, the heads of the enemies dropped like leaves on the ground.

When Amr bin Sa’ad saw that his trick had failed miserably, he ordered to shoot arrows from all sides. Imam was being bombarded with arrows from all directions. It was one against thousands now. His horse was so injured that it could not move anymore. Imam Hussain’s body got covered with so many wounds that blood was gushing all over his body. Suddenly a poison-tipped spear hit his blessed forehead, the same forehead which was always kissed by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu now lied sub-conscious on the ground. But the attacks did not stop. The wicked souls were still attacking him with spears. One of the spears went right across his body. After suffering seventy two lethal wounds, he bowed down in prostration. It was in this state that his blessed soul left his body and entered into the eternal pleasure and mercy of his Lord. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon.

At the time Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu attained the highest degree of martyrdom, his age was 56 years 5 months and 5 days. The date was 10th Muharram 61 Hijri.

Nadhr bin Harsa came forward to detach his blessed head from his body but was terrified by the majesty of the Imam’s body. Then Khola bin Yazeed, Sunaan bin Anas or Shimar was the ill-fated dog who did the gruesome task.

Yazeed and his followers did not stop there. They went on a looting spree not even sparing the clothes and shoes on Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu’s body. They then turned towards the camps that were sheltering the women of the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, insulting and looting them.

Then Amr bin Sa’ad announced, ‘Who will run their horses on the Imam and mutilate his body?’ Ten wretched souls volunteered, mounted on their horses and crushed his blessed body.’ [Tareekh e Karbala]

Yazeed and the Events Before Karbala

Who Was Yazeed?

Yazeed bin Mu’awiyah was the unfortunate soul whose hands are stained in the blood of the family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. He was an ugly, obese, ill-mannered, alcoholic and evil person. Many prohibited acts were made legal by him such as marrying to women who are ‘Mehram’ and the use of interest, etc.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Hazrat Hanzalah RadiyAllahu Anhuma reports:

‘We decided to fight with Yazeed when we feared that due to his evil practices, we would be bombarded with stones from the skies as a result of the Wrath of Allah Ta’ala. He had allowed unlawful marriages, like marrying ones sister, drinking alcohol was becoming the norm, and people were not punctual about Salaat anymore. [Tareekh ul Khulafa]

Hazrat Abu Hurairah RadiyAllahu Anhu, who was one of the secret bearers of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam used to supplicate to Allah Ta’ala in the following manner in the year 59 Hijri:

‘O Allah! Save me from witnessing the year 60 Hijri and the barbaric rule of the youngsters of Quraish
(referring to Yazeed).’ [Tareekh ul Khulafa]

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees, Hazrat Abu Hurairah who was the bearer of secret knowledge imparted to him by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, knew very well that in year 60 Hijri Yazeed would inherit the rule from Hazrat Mu’awiyah RadiyAllahu Anhu and so he made the above supplication which was accepted as he passed away in 59 Hijri.

It is narrated in Tareekh ul Khulafa that in 63 Hijri, Yazeed received the news that the people of Madinah broke their allegiance to him and were preparing to launch an attack on him. Upon hearing this he sent a mighty army towards Madinah and declared a war. After looting and destroying the pious heritage of Madinah, the same army invaded Makkah Muazzamah, which was then under the leadership of Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair RadiyAllahu Anhuma. This is when the incident of Hirra took place.

The Incident of Hirra

When the army of Yazeed invaded Madinah Munawwarah there was not a single person who was spared from their atrocities. Thousands of Companions of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam were martyred. Nearly every household was looted of their precious belongings and most horrifyingly, hundreds of women were raped in the most blessed city of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. (Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Raji’oon)

Why Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu Declined the Oath

When Hazrat Ameer Mu’awiyah RadiyAllahu Anhu passed away in Rajab 60 Hijri, his unworthy son Yazeed took over as the leader. Soon after, he sent envoys around the country to invite people to pledge allegiance to him and consider him as their leader. He did the same with governor of Madinah, Waleed bin Uqbah, and asked him to take oath from his people. In particular, he instructed him to take oath from prominent personalities like Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar and Hazrat Abdullah bin Zubair RadiyAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen and not to give them any time to think over it.

As soon as he received this instruction, Waleed invited Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu to the governor’s house and demanded that he pledge allegiance to Yazeed. Imam Hussain was very straightforward in declaring that Yazeed, due to his evil practices and wicked nature, was not fit to be the leader of the Muslims and that he would not pledge allegiance to such a person.

Upon learning of the decision of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, Waleed calmly tried to convince him and warned him of the consequences that would follow. But when he realised that Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was as firm as a mountain on his decision, he advised him to return home and think carefully over the matter and come again the next day.

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu was well aware of the fact that by declining to pledge allegiance to Yazeed, he had made Yazeed his worst enemy, and that he (Yazeed) would now be after his life. But how can it be possible for the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam to forsake the path of truth and guidance and agree with a tyrant, just to protect his own life?

It is clear that if Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu had pledged allegiance to Yazeed, he would have been very grateful to Imam Hussain and would have showered him with gifts and presents, or in fact made him the governor of a province. But the true Imam knew that if he did so, then the system of Islam would be shattered and chaos would prevail all over; Islamic principles would be ruined and the glorious flag of Islam would never fly high again as the allegiance of Imam Hussain would have become a stamp of approval for all that Yazeed did, and people would blindly follow him as he would be their leader.

This was the only reason why the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam chose to face the trials inflicted by the enemy and even had his family sacrificed right in front of his eyes and shed his own blood in order to save the dwindling and sinking ship of the Ummah.

 

Setting off from Madinah Munawwarah

Yazeed had planned to first take oath from Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu and once he had achieved this no one else would dare to decline pledging allegiance to him. When Imam Hussain refused, his plans were shattered and he became furious. Yazeed sent a message to Waleed that if Imam Hussain did not agree to pledge allegiance to him, he should be killed and his head sent to Yazeed. When Waleed received a number of such messages, he was compelled to disclose the evil plans of Yazeed to Imam Hussain. Imam Hussain took some advice from the companions and decided to leave Madinah.

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. We can only imagine the state of Imam Hussain when he must have paid his final respects to his RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. With a mountain of grief on his heart and tears flowing from his eyes, he must have cried, ‘O grandfather, who rode us on his shoulder, who kissed our forehead and cuddled us, who extended his prostrations for us, look at our state. We are being forced to leave the most beloved land by some evil men, please permit us to leave, Ya RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam.’

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. What must the state of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam himself been when he was witnessing the departure of the one who was nurtured by his love, the beloved son of his beloved daughter. After all it was Imam Hussain, due to whom RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam sacrificed his own son. Even the slightest displeasure felt by Imam Hussain would upset and grieve RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. These are the thoughts which upset, disturb and grieve the hearts of those who truly love RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and his blessed family. 

It is stated in Raudatus Shuhda that Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu first visited Jannatul Baqi to pay his respects to his blessed mother Sayyeda Fatima and his brother Imam Hasan, and then went to the blessed Rauda of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam. After offering his salutations and confiding in RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam about his situation, he fell asleep. In his dream, RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam was holding his head in his lap. Imam Hussain urged, ‘Ya RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, I am being forced to leave your blessed city by some evil elements and I feel I will never be able to come here again.’ RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam replied, ‘Soon you will join me and I see that you are being mercilessly killed in Karbala in a desperate state of hunger and thirst. O Hussain, be steadfast and accomplish your task. It won’t be long before you join your father, mother and brother when you will be sitting with us enjoying the immeasurable bounties of your Merciful Lord.’ At this point, Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu woke up and he became certain that his martyrdom was near.

Hence, on the 4th of Sha’baan, 60 Hijri, he set off towards Makkah Mukarramah with his family and companions, leaving the people of Madinah grieving on his departure. After reaching Makkah in Sha’baan, he lived peacefully for the following four months of Ramadhan, Shawwal, Zil Qa’dah and Zil-Hajj. The people of Makkah were very proud and pleased that the grandson of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam was living amongst them.

Sa’eed bin Aas was the governor of Makkah who was appointed by Yazeed. Upon seeing the arrival of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu and realising his growing importance, he cautioned Yazeed, which frustrated him even more.

Requests from the People of Kufa and the Departure of Imam Muslim

In the period of his stay in Makkah, Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu received about 150 letters from the people of Kufa, in which he was invited to go and live in Kufa. The inhabitants there were eagerly waiting to pledge allegiance to him as they did not want to make a tyrant their leader.

Hazrat Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu, upon seeing the desperate state of the people of Kufa, decided to go there. Many companions of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam advised him against going there as history had shown that the people of Kufa were very disloyal and could not be trusted. But Imam Hussain was extremely concerned about the state of people and so he sent Imam Muslim to gather first hand information about the situation there.

Imam Muslim accompanied by his two children reached Kufa and received an overwhelming welcome from the people of Kufa. Soon over twelve thousand people took an oath at his hands on the name of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu. Imam Muslim wrote to Imam Hussain describing the situation and the support that he had from the people of Kufa.

Betrayal of the People of Kufa
and the Martyrdom of Imam Muslim

When this news reached Yazeed, he appointed Ubaidullah bin Ziyad as the governor of Kufa, before which he was the governor of Basra. Ubaidullah was a very shrewd and cruel character. As soon as he arrived in Kufa he threatened the people of Kufa that if they did not stop supporting Imam Muslim, they would be thrown behind bars or killed and Yazeed’s army would attack their houses, destroy them and massacre their families.

On receiving these threats, the people of Kufa began to abandon Imam Muslim and soon he had no followers. Soon Ubaidullah sent an army to fight Imam Muslim, who single-handed fought fearlessly with extreme courage and faced the swords and arrows of the army until finally his head hit a stone and his body was drenched in blood. He fell on the ground and turning his face towards Makkah cried, ‘O brother Hussain bin Ali, look what these people have done to me and I fear that they might do the same to you, but how can I let you know and stop you from coming here?’

In the end, Imam Muslim was captured and brought before Ubaidullah who ruthlessly killed him. Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilaihi Rajioon.

Martyrdom of the Two Sons of Imam Muslim

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. After killing Imam Muslim, the oppressors started to look for his children. Ubaidullah announced that whoever brought the two children to him would receive a hefty reward, and the one who gave them refuge would be killed. They were living with Qazi Shareeh, who when he heard the announcement from Ubaidullah called for the two orphans and began to sob. The children pleaded to know the reason and asked if their father had been killed. When he confirmed the news, they hugged each other and began to grieve.

In the middle of night, Qazi Shareeh arranged for the children to join a caravan which was on its way to Madinah. Due to the darkness of night, the two children got lost before reaching the caravan. In the morning they sat at the side of a pond and were spotted by a slave-woman who recognised them. The slave woman took them to her owner. The owner was a very pious lady and loyal to the Ahle Bait (family of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam). She was so pleased to have the children that she freed the slave and engaged herself in serving the children. But her husband Haaris was just the opposite and was looking for the children so that he could hand them over to Ubaidullah and earn the reward. He came home and went to sleep unaware that the children were in the house. But in the middle of night he was woken up by a loud cry. The elder brother woke the younger one and said, ‘This is not the night to sleep, I just saw our grandfather, RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, in Jannah with Hazrat Fatima RadiyAllahu Anha and Hazrat Ali RadiyAllahu Anhu. I also our beloved father and we too were present with them. Then RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam looked at us and said to our father, ‘O Muslim, you have come on your own and left your two oppressed children behind?’ Imam Muslim replied, ‘Ya RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam! They will soon join us and will be here by tomorrow.’ So brother it seems we too will soon be martyred.’

When Haaris spotted them he enquired to his wife as to whom they were. His wife was too scared to speak so he asked the children themselves. They fearlessly revealed their identity. The cruel man grabbed their hair and pulled them outside the house. The children were crying due to the pain and agony. He then loaded them on a mule and rode them to the banks of river Euphrates. There he aligned them and removed his sword but his wife, who had been following them, came in between and pleaded with him to change his mind and not stain his hands with the blood of the Ahle Bait.

But the devil was riding on Haaris and in a rage of fury he attacked his wife who fell on the ground. He then turned towards the children. As soon as he was about to attack the younger brother, the elder brother cried and demanded that he should be killed first so he would not have to see his younger brother dying. The same words were repeated by the younger brother. But nothing could move the stone-hearted monster and he finally killed them both. Inna Lillah wa Inna Ilaihi Rajioon.

Imam Hussain in the Holy Qur’an

Mubahila

The excellence of Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu is also implied in the Holy Qur’an in the incident of Mubahila. Let us look at the incident in detail.

The root word of Mubahila is ‘Bahl’ which means dua, humbleness, and curse.

 Mubahila is practiced to prove a point. When two groups do not agree with to each other and all other methods such as debate fails, then they take the extreme step of Mubahila. Both groups meet at a destined place with their close family members and curse each other. Whoever is on the right is saved and the other group is perished. Mubahila was only practiced by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam against the unbelievers. Now let us see what the Holy Qur’an mentions about Mubahila.

Verse Regarding Mubahila

Allah Ta’ala states in the Holy Qu’ran:

“Then O beloved! Whoever disputes with you about Isa after knowledge has come to you, then tell them, ‘come, let us call our sons and your sons our women and your women and our souls and your souls, then let us pray earnestly, and so lay the curse of Allah upon the liars.”
(Surah Aal e Imran Verse 61)

This verse was revealed in relation to the Jews of Najraan, who came to argue with RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam over Hazrat Isa Alaihis Salaam. Najraan is a large well-established city near Madinah Munawwarah towards Yemen. It has been named after Najraan bin Zaid. This city was like a headquarter for the Christians with over seventy three villages in its radius of influence. In the city was a prominent church which the Christians considered as their Qibla and many of their well-known scholars lived there. A year before RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam passed away from this world, a group of about sixty people from there came to see him at Madinah Munawwarah. The lord bishop of the time, Abu Harisa was also amongst them. Twenty four out of the sixty were the cream of their community and out of the twenty four, three were very significant. One of them was Abdul Maseeh without whose consent, his people would not do anything; the other was the treasurer who would look after the finances of the community and the third was Abu Harisa who was the highest ranking scholar amongst them.

They reached Madinah at the time of Asr, wearing the most elegant clothes ever seen by the people of Madinah. They went straight to Masjid un Navbi Sharif where people were offering their Asr Salaah. They too started praying by turning towards the west. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam indicated to the companions to let them complete their prayer. [Tafseer e Na’eemi]

Bagwi states that when RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam recited the above Ayah and invited them for mutual imprecation (Mubahila), they hesitated and requested some time to think over it. Aaqib, who was most intelligent amongst them said, ‘O brothers in Christianity, you know very well that Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam is the true Prophet. History teaches us that whenever a group came face to face with any Prophet for Mubahila, they all perished, and if you chose to do the same then you too will perish. So my advice is to reconcile with Muhammed Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam and return home.

Early next morning, RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam left his house carrying Imam Hussain whilst Imam Hasan RadiyAllahu Anhuma was walking holding his finger; Hazrat Fatima RadiyAllahu Anha walking behind him and Hazrat Ali RadiyAllahu Anhu was walking behind Hazrat Fatima. So as mentioned in the verse above, RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam took Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhuma as his sons.

When the Christians saw this sight, one of the scholars cried out, ‘O brothers, I see the faces, which if they raise their hands in prayers, the Almighty Lord will move mountains from their places. Therefore do not face the Prophet and return or else there will be no Christians left on this earth. [Tafseer e Mazhari]

My beloved Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam’s beloved devotees. Ponder the fact that it was decided that for the Mubahila, each group would bring their women and children with them. At this point, RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam, from all the members of his blessed family chose Hazrat Fatima, Hazrat Ali, Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhum. Thus the Ummah will always remember Imam Hasan RadiyAllahu Anhu and Imam Hussain RadiyAllahu Anhu as the sons of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam as he himself called them his sons.