Like moons shining in the darkest of night As they appear on their steeds riding...
Like moons shining in the darkest of night As they appear on their steeds riding, So they raced like bleeding to meet their death, As if in death lies their very ecstasy Their souls embraced their swords Then the embracing was in the Garden for the huris .[^3] They remained quite energetic, alternating between a deep involvement in acts of adoration and the readying of their weapons for the fight, as if they were bees in a bee-hive in the noise of their commotion!
Some were standing in prayers while others were sitting or bowing. One of them, al-Dahhak Ibn ‘Abdullah al-Mashriqi, said, “A regiment of cavaliers belonging to Ibn Sa’d passed by us, and one of their men heard al-Husayn (‘a) reciting the verse saying, ‘Let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respite is better for their souls; We grant them a respite only so that they may add to their sins, and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement.
On no account will Allah leave the believers in the condition in which you are till He distinguishes the evil [doers] from [the doers of] good' (Qur’an, 3:178-179). That man commented saying, ‘We, by the Lord of the Ka’ba, are the doers of good; He has distinguished us from you.' Burayr said to him, ‘O man of debauchery! Shall Allah really count you among the doers of good?!
Come to our camp and repent your great sins, for by Allah, we are the good ones while you are the bad ones.' The man [citing a verse from the Holy Qur’an] said sarcastically to him, ‘And I am a witness to that!'”[^4] It is reported that on that same night, as many as thirty-two men defected from the camp of Ibn Sa’d and joined al-Husayn's camp[^5] after having seen how the latter were supplicating and praying, demonstrating the most sincere devotion and submission to Allah Almighty.
‘Ali Ibn al-Husayn (‘a) has said, “I heard my father on the night preceding the day on which he was killed saying, as he was mending his sword, O Time! Fie upon you for a friend! How many do you have, at dawn and at dusk Of friends and of vengeance seekers, While Time with a substitute is never pleased? But the affair is with the Mighty One And every living being will go his way.
“He repeated them twice or thrice; therefore, I understood his implication, so I was overcome with tears, yet I remained silent, knowing that fate was near. As for my aunt, Zainab (‘a), once she heard those verses, she leaped and went to see him. She said to him, ‘Woe unto me! Shall I survive you?!