Lest there be any misunderstanding...

Lest there be any misunderstanding, it should be clarified here that the mourning for Imam Husayn (a.s) is not innovation at all. It was started by the Holy Prophet of Islam (s.a.w) himself, more than 50 years before the event; and he was seen in a vision by the Mother of the believers, Umme Salma, on the day of Husayn’s martyrdom, mourning for Husayn. And Allah has ordered thousands of angels to weep on the grave of Imam Husayn (a.s) until the day of resurrection.

These traditions are narrated in the Sunni books, and show that this particular mourning is the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet and of the angels: 1. Some 50 years before the event of Karbala’, the Prophet wept when he was told by the angel that Husayn would be killed by the army of Yazid in Karbala’.

Then Jibraeel asked, “O Prophet of God, do you want me to give you some earth from his place of martyrdom?” The Prophet said, “Yes.” Jibraeel gave him a handful of earth of Karbala’ and the Prophet began weeping uncontrollably. This tradition is recorded in Mishkatul Masabih , Musnad of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Sawaiqul Mohreqa of Allamah Ibn Hajar Makki and Sirrul-’alamin of Imam Ghazzali; and has been narrated by Imam Sha’abi, Imam Baihaqi, Imam Hakim and scores of other traditionalists.

The Prophet gave that earth to his wife, Ummul Momineen, Umme Salma, and told her, “When you see this earth turned into blood, know that Husayn has been martyred.” 2. On the 10th Muharram, 61 A.H., Umme Salma was asleep in the afternoon when she saw the Prophet in her dream: He stood there in a tragic condition, his hair was dusty and disheveled, and in his hand was a bottle full of blood. Umme Salma asked him what it was. The Prophet said, “This is the blood of Husayn and his companions.

I was collecting it since this morning.” Umme Salma woke up and hurried towards the bottle, which contained the earth of Karbala’; she saw red blood flowing from it. Then she cried and called her relatives and started mourning for Husayn. This tradition is narrated in Musnad of Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, Sawaiqul Mohreqa , Mishkatul Masabih , Sahih of Tirmidhi and other books. 3. Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani writes in his book Ghunyatut-Talebeen , Vol.

2 page 62: “70,000 angels came on the grave of Husayn bin ‘Ali after his martyrdom and they are weeping on him and will remain weeping unto the Day of Judgment.” 4.