Our Imaam is all alone! He looks around him. There lie Habeeb ibne Mazahir,
Muslim ibne Awsaja, Zuhair ibne Qain and all his friends and companions. There
lie Awn and Muhammad. He looks at Qasim's trampled remains. He looks at Ali
Akber, his beloved son, with that dreadful wound on his chest. He looks towards
Furaat. Gently he whispers, 'Abbas, Abbas, I am alone! So very alone!'
Slowly Imaam Hussain moves towards the tent of Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen. Zain
ul 'Abideen is lying unconscious on his bed. Lovingly Imaam shakes his son by
the shoulder. The sick Imaam opens his eyes, 'Father, Father, why are you alone?
Where is my uncle Abbas? Where is Ali Akber? Where is Qasim? Where are all your
companions?' Imaam Hussain says, 'Son, no man, save you and I, is left alive.
All of them have died for Islam'.
Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen tries to get up. 'Where are you going, my son?' asks
Imaam Hussain. 'To fight Yezid's army!' replies the young man. 'No, my son, you
are too sick for Jihad. I have come to say good-bye. Look after the ladies and
the children. And, my son, when you get to Madina, give my love to Sugra. Tell
her that I always remembered her and that in these last moments of my life, I
wish I could give her a hug before I get killed.. And also, my son, give salaams
to our friends and tell them to think of me when they drink water!'
Imaam Hussain then stands in the centre of the camp and cries out, "O Zainab,
O Kulthoom, O Sakina, O Ruqayya, O Rubaab, O Fizza my greetings to you! Farewell
to you all !" The ladies and children weep and wail as they say farewell to
Imaam.
Imaam walks towards his horse. There is no one to help him mount. Bibi Zainab
steps forward. She holds the reins as Imaam mounts the horse.The horse moves a
few steps and then it stops. Imaam Hussain urges the horse to move, but it
stands still looking towards its hind legs. Imaam turns his head. He sees Sakina
clinging to the horse's leg, pleading, 'O horse, do not take my father away from
me. Do not let them make me yateemah!'
Imaam dismounts. He says, 'Sakina, you are the great grand daughter of the
Holy Prophet! I love you so much that if you tell me not to go, I will not. But
then Islam will be destroyed. How will you or I be able to face the Holy Prophet
on the Day of Judgement?' Fighting back her tears the four year old Sakina can
only manage to say, 'Bismillah, father!' The four year old holds the reins as
her father mounts for a certain death !!
Hussain rides on. He stands on a hill and cries out,
- "Who is there who will come to my help?"
Of course our Imaam is not expecting any of the enemy soldiers to come to his
help! To whom is he addressing this plea for help? Our Imaam is addressing the
plea to all the Muslims, in every age and everywhere, young and old, men and
women, grown ups and children urging us all to always fight Yezidism and refuse
to disobey the commands of Allah. Every little effort we make to preserve and
act according to our Islamic conscience is a response to our Imaam's call with
LABBAIK! LABBAIK!
Imaam rides towards the enemy. There is a shower of arrows! Imaam ignores the
arrows and rides on. He wants to make one last effort to preach true Islam to
the enemies of Islam. He stops and turns towards the enemy and begins to
speak:
"O those of you who do not know me, know that I am the grandson of the Holy
Prophet. I am on the path of truth. Yezid personifies falsehood and corruption.
He wants to lead you away from Islam. Do not follow him. Do not kill the
grandson of Allah's messenger. Allah will never forgive you!
Remember that when you see a ruler who does what has been forbidden by Allah
and His Messenger, who indulges in sins, who oppresses the people he rules, and
you do nothing to stop such a ruler, before Allah you are as guilty as he is.
You know my ancestry. My parents did not raise me to submit myself to an evil
tyrant. I am your Imaam. You have surrendered the freedom of your mind to the
evil ways of Yazeed. If you do not care for Islam, do, at least, care for the
freedom of your spirit!!"
Umar Sa'ad cries out, "Do not fall victims to Hussain's oratory! Kill him!"
From all directions the soldiers advance towards Imaam Hussain with their
naked swords! Imaam says: "You are determined to fight me Then fight you I shall
! I do not fear death. Death to me is sweeter than dishonour. Now I shall let
you witness the valour of the son of Ali ibne Abu Taalib !"
Imaam Hussain takes out his sword and begins to fight. Thirsty, tired,
wounded, grieving, our Imaam fights as no one had ever seen any one fight! Where
ever he turns to, the soldiers flee as rabbits do at the sight of a lion! Umar
Sa'ad sends all his best warriors against Imaam. They all perish. No one dares
come near our Imaam! Imaam stands on his stirrups. Casts his eyes to where
Hazrat Abbas lies, and murmurs, "Abbas did you see the battle of your brother,
the thirsty, the broken hearted brother?"
And then Jibra'eel appears and says, 'O Hussain, Allah is pleased with your
bravery. The moment has now arrived for you to save Islam with your life!"
Hussain looks at the sky! Yes, it is the time of Asr! Hussain returns the sword
into the sheath. Lowers himself on the horse-back. Whispers to the horse "Take
me to where my mother Fatimah is waiting for me! But, O my faithful horse, go
past where my Akber is lying so that I may see my beloved son just one more time
before I die."
Seeing that Imaam has sheathed his sword the enemy come from all sides. Some
throw stones at him, some hit him with swords. Arrows are shot at him! Suddenly
the horse stops! "My son, my son!" cries out the soul of Fatimah Zahra.Imaam
Hussain falls from the horse! But his body does not touch the ground. It is
resting on the blades of the arrows. He performs his Asr prayers lying on this
musallah of arrows! Now he goes in to his last sijdah and says:
- "O Allah! All praise is to You and You alone!"
Someone is moving towards where our Imaam is in sijdah on the arrows. He is
holding a dagger in his hand. The earth trembles! The sun goes into eclipse!
Jibraeel cries out "OH HUSSAIN HAS BEEN KILLED, HUSSAIN HAS BEEN KILLED!!!!"
Sakina falls on to the ground unconscious! Bibi Zainab runs to the tent of our
fourth Imaam. 'Oh Son! What has happened?" Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen staggers
towards the curtain of his tent. Lifts it up, and pointing his finger at a head
mounted on a lance. He cries out in a trembling voice:
- "Assalaamu 'alaika, Ya 'aba 'Abdillah !!!"
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