[^2] When the caravan entered Kufa...

[^2] When the caravan entered Kufa, people dressed in ceremonial attire gathered in large numbers wrongly assuming that the vanquished enemy of Islam was being brought. The crowd was staring at the captives and some were passing comments. On seeing this, Umm Kulthoom (a.s.) shouted, “O You people of Kufa, know that we are members of the Prophet’s family and therefore you should be ashamed to look so brazenly at us.”[^3] Some in the crowd felt sorry for the unfortunate captives.

They tried to dole out dates and other food, particularly to the children among the captives. On seeing this, Lady Zainab (a.s.) chided the women and prevented them saying, “ We the Ahlul Bayt are forbidden from eating what is given as charity” [^4] When Khouli brought Imam Husayn’s head to Ubeidullah ibn Ziyad’s palace in Kufa, the wretched governor treated it with great indignity and he even struck on Imam Husayn’s mouth with a baton.[^5] Zaid bin Arqam objected to this saying, “I have seen the messenger of Allah fondling this very head of al-Husayn and kissing on the lips.

” Ubeidullah said, “If you were not a senile old man and a companion of the messenger of Allah, I would have killed you. ” Zaid replied, “ Alas! You call me senile, while you yourself are demented with the intoxication of wine, wealth and power. You pretend to respect the companions of the messenger of Allah and yet you kill his progeny and disgrace their severed heads. A slave and a bondsman has now become the governor treating people as if they were his chattel.

O Arabs, henceforth you shall live as slaves, for you meekly kept quiet when the son of Marjana [^6] killed the most noble and pious people among all creatures. You have submitted yourself to evil and shall therefore suffer humiliation.

” Zaid was severely punished for his bold and truthful stand in condemning the murder of Imam Husayn (a.s.).[^7] A similar incident is reported about Jundab ibn Abdullah al-Azdi, a venerable old man.[^8] In the Mosque of Kufa, the accursed ibn Ziyad ascended the pulpit and started abusing and cursing Imam Ali (a.s.), Imam Hasan (a.s.), and Imam Husayn (a.s.).[^9] Abdullah ibn Afeef, who was blind due to old age, got up and objected saying, “ I have seen the messenger of Allah when he said ‘Whoever abuses Ali abuses me and whoever abuses me abuses God, and Hell shall be his eternal abode.’ How then, do you dare abusing Ali and his sons?

If, at all, anyone deserves to be cursed, it is you and your infidel ancestors.