Ḥabīb ibn Muẓāhir calls the Bani-Asad clan to j o i n Imam Husayn (‘a)
Ḥabīb ibn Muẓāhir was one of the Prophet’s (s) companions and, after the demise of the Prophet (s), he stayed loyal to Amir al-Mu’minīn (‘a)[1] and was among his chosen companions[2].
When Muslem ibn ʿAqīl came to Kūfah, he and his close friend Muslem ibn ʿAwsajah helped and aided him; however, after ʿUbaydullah ibn Ziad assumed power in Kūfah and murdered Muslem ibn ʿAqīl, they were both hidden by some of their tribesmen[3], and they lived like this until they went to Karbala and j o i ned Imam Husayn (‘a)[4].
On Muharram 6th, Ḥabīb ibn Muẓāhir said to the Imam: “A part of the Bani-Asad clan lives near here; allow me to go to them and ask them to come to your aid”[5].
Imam Husayn (‘a) agreed and so Ḥabīb secretly left Karbala at night and went to them. They welcomed Ḥabīb warmly and began listening to what he had to say. Ḥabīb said: “I have come here to call you to a lofty standing with Allah and dignity on the Resurrection Day! The grandson of your Prophet is now besieged in Karbala, alone and innocent. The people of Kūfah invited him to their town to help him and fight for his cause, but now that he has come to them they have left him alone and have prepared to fight him. I swear by Allah that anyone of you who is killed by Husayn’s side will be the companion of Muhammad (s) in the loftiest places of Paradise.”[6]
After Ḥabīb finished talking, Abdullah ibn Bushr stood up among the crowd and said: “I am ready to come with you”[7] and recite the following poem:
قَدْ عَلِمَ الْقَوْمُ إذا تَواكَلُوا وَأَحْجَمَ الْفُرْسَانُ إذْ تَناصَلوا
إنّي شُجَاعٌ بَطَلٌ مُقاتِلٌ كَأَنَّني لَيْثٌ عَرينٌ بَاسِلٌ [8]
“Those who remained behind shall know that the grandeur of those warriors will be reduced to naught in battle!
I am a warrior, the hero of the battlefield, lionhearted and fierce”[9]
The Bani-Asad flag and fail in aiding Imam Husayn (‘a)
The heroic attitude of this man stirred up others and many others also voiced their support for the Imam and vowed to prepare to come to his aid. On that night, seventy men agreed to go to Karbala and j o i n Imam Husayn (‘a).
However, there was a spy among them who brought Umar ibn Saʿd their news. When Umar learned about their intention, he sent a group of four hundred soldiers headed by “Azraq ibn Ḥarth” to block the way and prevent the members of the Bani-Asad clan from coming to Karbala[10].
So when Ḥabīb and those men from the Bani-Asad clan arrived to an area near the Euphrates, they encountered Azraq ibn Ḥarth and his men. A fierce battle took place and some of those men from the Bani-Asad were killed and the rest fled. So Ḥabīb returned to Karbala alone and informed Imam Husayn (‘a) of what had happened. The Imam said:
“الْحَمْدُلِلَّهِ كَثِيراً وَلَا حَوْلَ وَ لَاقُوَّةَ إلّا بِاللَّهِ”
“Much praise be to Allah, and there is no might or power except from Allah[11]”[12]
Imam Husayn (‘a) sends a letter from Karbala to his brother, Muhammad ibn Ḥanafiyyah, and the rest of the Bani-Hāshem
On Muharram 6th 61 Ah., Imam Husayn (‘a) sent a letter from Karbala to his brother Mohammad ibn Ḥanafiyyah and the Bani-Hāshem clan. The letter was rather short; it read:
[13]“فَکَاَنّ الدّنیا لَم تَکُن وَکَاَنّ الاخِرَةَ لَم تَزَل”
“This world is as if it has never existed [as it is transitory and perishable] and the Hereafter is as if it has ever existed and has been imperishable”[14].
As regards this letter, Imam al-Baqir (‘a) has been quoted as saying the following:
“Imam Husayn (‘a) sent a letter from Karbala to Muhammad al-Ḥanafiyyah, the contents of which were as follows:
“بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم؛ من الحسین بن على الى محمد بن على و من قبله من بنى هاشم، اما بعد فکان الدنیا لم تکن و کان الاخره لم تزل و السلام”
“From Husayn ibn Ali to Mohammad ibn and the rest of Bani-Hāshim. This world is as if it has never existed [as it is transitory and perishable] and the Hereafter is as if it has ever existed and has ever been imperishable, farewell””[15]
Researched, complied, and edited by: the news editorial of the website of the office of Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi: www.makarem.ir
[1] “Ashura: the roots, the motives, the events, and the implications”, p. 451.
[2] Ibid, p. 452.
[3] Ibid, p. 453.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid.
[10] Ibid, p. 454.
[11] Ibn Aʿtham. Al-Futūḥ. Vol. 5, pp. 91-92; Khwarizmi. Maqtal al-Husayn. Vol. 1, pp. 243-244. Ansāb al-Ashrāf, vol. 3, p. 388.
[12] “Ashura: the roots, the motives, the events, and the implications”, p. 454.
[13] Kāmil al-Ziārāt, p. 75.
[14] Stated by grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi in his class on Islamic ethics and moral training. Retrieved from http://makarem.ir
[15] Ibid.
