Martyrdom of the suckling child (Ali al Asghar)

His mother was Rabab, the daughter of Imru al Qays bin Adi. Sayyid Ibn Tawoos says that when Imam Hussein (A.S) saw the corpses of his youth and friends, he resolved to be martyred, and called out,

“Is there anyone who could defend the family of the Prophet of Allah? Is there any monotheist who would fear Allah in respect of us? Is there any aide who could come to assist us for the sake of Allah? Is there anyone who could rush to our aid in lieu of reward from Allah?”‌

Azdi says that Aqabah bin Basheer Asadi relates from Imam Muhammad al Baqir (A.S) that he told me,

“O Bani Asad! We hold a liability of blood among you”‌.

I asked, “O Aba Jafar! What sin do I share in it? And which is that blood?”‌ Imam replied,

Sibt Ibn Jawzee relates in his Tazkirah from Hisham bin Muhammad Kalbi, that when Imam Hussein (A.S) saw them persistent on killing him, he brought the Qur’an and opening it placed it upon his head, and called out,

“The Qur’an and my grandfather, the Prophet of Allah (PBUH), are the judge between yourselves and me. O people! How do you consider the shedding of my blood to be lawful? Am I not the grandson of your Prophet? Has not the tradition of my grandfather reached you regarding me and my brother that we are the Masters of the youth of Paradise?

Shimr replied, “You shall shortly hasten towards ‘the raging fire’ (of hell) (Allah’s refuge)”‌. Imam said,

Shimr replied, “I shall worship Allah by the tongue only, if I understand what you speak”‌. Imam Hussein (A.S) turned his face and saw his infant weeping due to thirst. He took him in his lap and said,

“O people! If you do not pity me, at least pity this young one”‌.

Hurmala bin Kahil Asadi shot an arrow at the child and severed his neck. Imam wept and said,

“O Allah! Be a judge between us and those who invited us, having promised assistance, and in return killed us”‌.

“O Allah! I complain to You regarding how they have fared with me, my brothers, my sons and my family”‌.

Ibn Nima says that then he lifted up the child and placed him among the martyrs of his family.

Muhammad bin Talha quotes in his Matalibus Su’ool from the book Futooh, that Imam Hussein (A.S) had an infant child. An arrow was shot at him that killed him, and then Imam dug a grave with his sword for him and reciting Prayers upon him, buried him. Then he quotes an elegy.

It is stated in Ehtijaj, that Imam dismounted from his horse and dug a grave with the sheath of his sword, then he buried the child under the sand drenched in his blood, he then leapt from his place, arose and recited elegies. The writers of Martyrdom, as well as the author of Ehtijaj say, that then Imam mounted his horse and went for the battle while saying:

“The nation has disbelieved and have turned their face away from the reward of the Lord of the worlds; the nation killed Ali and his son Hassan, the excellent, the son of esteemed parents; they were filled with hatred and rancor and called upon people and gathered to fight Hussein; Woe be to the ignoble nation that assembled groups to fight the people of the ‘Two Sacred Sanctuaries’; thus they left while inviting others towards obedience of the apostates; opposing Allah to shed my blood, for the sake of Ubaydullah from the progeny of the polytheists; and the son of Sa’ad has killed me aggressively with the help of an army similar to torrential rains; and all this was not in restitution of any crime committed before me, except that my pride are the two stars, Ali who was the best after the Prophet, and the Prophet who was the son of Quraishite parents; my father is the best among men and I am the son of the two best ones, the silver which has emerged from gold, I am the silver the son of the two golden ones; then is the grandfather of anyone among men similar to my grandfather, or their father similar to my father; then I am the son of the two best ones, my mother is Fatima az Zahra and my father is the one who fractured the back of the polytheists in (the battles of) Badr and Hunain, and who worshipped the Lord since childhood when the Quraysh worshipped the two idols and worshipped the Lat and Uzza together; and my father is the one who offered Prayers while facing the two Qiblahs, then my father is the sun and my mother a moon, while I am a star, the son of the two moons; and he (Ali) displayed such wonders on the day of Uhad, that warded off envy, by splitting the two armies, as also in the (battle of) Ahzab and Fathe Makkah in which death was the word of the day for both the armies, and all this was performed in the way of Allah; but how has the debased nation dealt with the two children, the progeny of the righteous Prophet Mustafa (PBUH) and of Ali, similar to red roses, on the day of striking of the two armies”‌.

Then he stood facing the army with his sword unsheathed, renouncing life and heart resolved to die. And he was saying,

Muhammad bin Abu Talib says that Abu Ali Salami relates in his history, that this elegy is composed by Imam Hussein (A.S) himself and there is no other elegy similar to it.

“Although this world is considered to be pleasant, the reward of Allah is magnificent and meritorious; and if the body is created for death, then martyrdom in the way of Allah is the best for man; and if sustenance is distributed and assured, then man should not strive hard to seek it; and if the gathering of this wealth will result in leaving behind, then why should man be avaricious”‌.

Then he called the army for combat and whoever came close to him, he would be killed instantly until he piled up the corpses. Then he attacked the right wing of the army and said,

“Death is better than perpetration for humiliation, while humiliation is better than entering the fire of hell”‌.

Then he attacked the left wing of the army and said,

“I am Hussein the son of Ali, I have sworn not to run away from the enemy, and defend the household of my father, until I die on the Religion of the Prophet”‌.

It has been related by some narrators that, “By Allah! I have not seen a more valorous man similar to him, who is broken by the death of his son, household and friends. The warriors initiated the attack upon him and he responded to their attack similarly. And he scattered them, similar to a wolf that enters the ranks of the sheep, and routed them and scattered them. He attacked the well-equipped army of thirty thousand and they scattered like locusts in front of him. Then he returned to his place and said,

“There is no Might and no Power except with Allah, the Most High, the Most Great”‌.

Umar bin Sa’ad called out to his army, “Woe be to you! Do you know with whom you fight? He is the son of the assassin of the Arabs. Attack him from all sides”‌. Four thousand archers surrounded him and blocked his way to the tents.

Muhammad bin Abi Talib, Ibn Shahr Ashob and Sayyid Ibn Tawoos say, that Imam Hussein (A.S) then said,

“Woe be to you O followers of the family of Abu Sufyan! Then if you are irreligious men and do not fear the day of Qiyamah, at least be noblemen and come to your senses if you be from the progeny of Arabs”‌.

Shimr said, “O son of Fatima! What do you mean?”‌ Imam replied,

“I say that we should fight with one another, while the ladies have not erred. Lift your hands off plundering my household until I am alive”‌.

Shimr said, “Verily right is with you”‌. Then he called out, “Return from the tents and make him your target while he is a merciful match”‌. Then the entire army turned towards him and Imam Hussein (A.S) asked for water. And whenever he tried to go towards the Euphrates, the army would attack him and turn him away from the river.

It is stated in Biharul Anwar that Abul Faraj says that Imam Hussein (A.S) went towards the river and Shimr said, “You shall not go towards the river, rather you shall go towards the fire”‌ (Allah’s refuge). A man called out to him, “O Hussein! Do you not see the Euphrates waving similar to the bellies of the fishes? By Allah! You shall not taste of it until you perish due to thirst”‌. Imam said,

“O Lord! Kill him due to thirst”‌.

The narrator says that the (same) man would say, “Give me water to drink”‌. Water would be handed over to him and he would partake of it and vomit it. Then again he would say, “Give me water to drink, for thirst kills me”‌. This went on and on until he died. (May Allah’s curse be upon him)

A man named Abu Hatoof shot an arrow at Imam Hussein (A.S) that pierced his forehead. He pulled it out and blood flowed upon his face and beard. Then he said,

“O Lord! Do You see what I have to face at the hands of these evil men? O Lord! Diminish their number and kill them until the last one. And do not leave anyone among them upon the earth, nor forgive them”‌.

Then he attacked them similar to a ferocious Lion, and there was none who would reach him, except that he would split open his belly and kill him. They shot arrows at him from all sides and he took them upon his chest and neck and said,

“How badly have you treated the Progeny of Muhammad (PBUH) after him. After killing me you shall not fear killing any of the servants of Allah, and killing me would make their slaughter easy upon you. I desire from Allah that in exchange of this humiliation of your’s he may bestow martyrdom upon me, and then seek my revenge upon you through means that you have never ever thought of”‌.

Then he fought until he was inflicted with enormous wounds. Ibn Shahr Ashob and Sayyid ibn Tawoos number them to be seventy-two.

Ibn Shahr Ashob relates from Abu Makhnaf, who relates from Imam Jafar as Sadiq (A.S) that,

“The body of Imam Hussein (A.S) was inflicted with thirty three wounds of the lance and thirty four cuts of the sword”‌.

In another narration it is stated the arrows were pierced in his armor similar to the thorns on the body of a porcupine.

It is related that (excessive) fighting had tired Imam Hussein (A.S) and he paused for sometime to rest. At that moment a stone was flung at his forehead and he lifted the front part of his dress to clean it (the blood), when a poisoned three-pronged arrow came towards him piercing his chest. In some narratives it is stated that it pierced his heart and he said,

“In The Name of Allah! And by Allah! And upon the custom of the Prophet of Allah (PBUH)”‌!

Then he lifted his head towards the heavens and said,

“O Lord! You know that they have resolved to kill the one besides whom there is no other son of the Prophet upon this earth”‌.

Then he pulled the arrow from his back (or chest) and blood started flowing down similar to a groove.

Taken from Nafasul Mahmum, Relating to the heart rending tragedy of Karbala by Shaykh Abbas Qummi

Other links:

Martyrdom of the Two Sons of Muslim bin Aqil (A.S) (Part 3)

Hazrat Zaynab (SA), Lady of Faith, Lady of Strength

Lady Zainab (A.S) Speaks in the Court of Yazid