The Most Vivid Portraits of Gallantry and Sacrifice (Part 3)

The eleventh of Muharram, 61 AH was one of the worst days that the Progeny of the Prophet (A.S) had witnessed. Examining the tragedy of Karbala from its both ends, i.e. the shining side that is full of vivid images of bravery, patience and sacrifice in the cause of God and the dark side that teems with the ugliest imagery of treachery, vileness, and crime, the implications of the dialogue between God and the angels when He was informing them of Adam’s creation, would become manifestly clear:

All that which the angels saw of the nature of man and his ability to do mischief, his capacity for going astray and arrogance, was demonstrated at the battle of Karbala. And yet, alongside that evil, the epitomes of virtue and sublimity were also established. The angels did not see these luminous aspects of man, when God Almighty addressed them, thus, “I know what ye know not.”

Indeed, Karbala was a strange battleground for trials. The criminals committed the most heinous crimes. Among those was the act of violence perpetrated against children and young people, beheading them and tearing their corpses to pieces before the eyes of their mothers. Those who were massacred in this way on that day in Karbala were eight, three youth and five children.

Awn bin Abdulla bin Ja’far was another martyr who was killed in the same way. His mother, Zeinab, [daughter of Imam Ali (A.S)], witnessed his killing. Zeinab had demonstrated a noble character and sublime upbringing, in that historians are almost unanimous in confirming that she did not mention any thing about her son, before or after his martyrdom, as she must have been aware of what was going to happen to her brother, Imam Hussein (A.S). So, she treated the sacrifice of her son as a small contribution towards defending her brother and the principles he stood for. This self-denial was evident when she came out of her tent in the wake of the martyrdom of her nephew, Ali al-Akbar, lamenting his death.

Another young boy met his death that day in a shocking manner. It was Abdullah bin Imam al-Hassan (A.S), who was around ten years old. It is said that when his father died he was either still in his mother’s womb or a suckling sibling. He was brought up by his uncle, Imam Hussein (A.S). That is why there was a strong bond between uncle and nephew.

Although Imam Hussein ordered members of his family not to venture out of their tents, yet he could not bear staying put after his uncle fell to the ground having been fatally wounded in the battle. He broke free from her aunt’s hands, Zeinab, who was trying to restrain him, and ran towards his uncle, shouting, “By God! I am not going to part with my uncle.”

Having reached the place where his uncle fell, he threw himself on his uncle’s chest. Imam Hussein (A.S.) showed utmost forbearance and hugged the boy. In the meantime, a soldier of the enemy’s camp was about to drive his sword into the body of Imam Hussein when the boy yelled at him, saying, “O son of the evil one! Are you killing my uncle?”

He then raised his arm to prevent the sword blow from reaching the body of his uncle. The full force of the blow fell on his arm, severing it. The boy shouted, “O Uncle! Help!” [While still lying, suffering from his wounds], the Imam embraced his nephew tighter, saying to him, “O my nephew! Show patience for what has befallen you. God will soon unite you with your pure fathers and forefathers – The Messenger of God, Ali, Hamza, Ja’far and al-Hassan.”  

By:Martyr Murtuza Mutahhari

Source: alhassanain.com

Other links:

Martyrdom of the Two Sons of Muslim bin Aqil (A.S) (Part 1)

Martyrdom of the Two Sons of Muslim bin Aqil (A.S) (Part 2)

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

Martyrdom of Hani bin Urwah Muradi

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