Al-Husayn (‘a) said...

Al-Husayn (‘a) said, “Go back to them and ask them to give us this evening as a respite till tomorrow so that we may pray to our Lord, supplicate to Him, and seek His forgiveness, for He knows how much I love prayers, the recitation of His Book, the abundance of invocations, and the seeking of His forgiveness.” Al-’Abbas went back and negotiated an evening's respite. Ibn Sa’d stood up and asked his companions what they thought. ‘Amr Ibn al-Hajjaj said, “Glory to Allah!

Even if they had been from Daylam and made such a request, you ought to have granted it to them.” Qays Ibn al-Ash’ath said, “Grant them what they ask, for by my life, he [al-Husayn] shall fight you tomorrow.” Ibn Sa’d said, “By Allah! If I was sure that he would fight me tomorrow, I would not then postpone it till tomorrow!” Then he sent the following message to al-Husayn (‘a): “We have postponed fighting you till tomorrow.

If you surrender, we shall send you to the governor [‘Ubaydullah] Ibn Ziyad, but if you refuse, we shall not leave you alone.”[^2] Umayyah strayed from the goal When swords met to do battle. They wanted to drive an unyoked horse Like one subjugated in yoke. And in their hand they wanted him to be Servile, though the father of lions he may be. Unattainable, it seems, to ‘Umar to subdue The Prophet's son, the pure, the sublime.

Umayyah aimed to attain what they could So they paid no heed to what they ought and should. They eyed the mirage with an eye, Towards glory surely sly, And slanted, and was seduced, Ignorance its soul induced. The ignorant only temptation produced.[^3] [^1]: al-Tabari, Tarikh, Vol. 6, p. 137. ‘Ali Ibn Muhammad al-Fattal al-Naishapuri, Rawdat al-Wa’izin, p. 157. al-Mufid, Al-Irshad. Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidaya, Vol. 8, p. 176.

The implication of this golden statement is not hidden, an implication that defies reason. How could he soar to the zenith of the truth that comes from a holy one? It is fathomed only by a discreet critic.

Do not be misled, dear reader, into thinking that this statement is insignificant especially after the Imam (‘a), reciting the ziyarat of the martyrs, had said, “By both of my parts, you have proven your good mettle, and good is the land wherein you are buried.” The Imam (‘a), by doing so, is not actually the one who is addressing them. He was actually teaching this text to Safwan, the camel lessor, admonishing him to address them thus.