For the second time...

For the second time, Harun ar-Rashid demolished the structure out of his intense enmity towards Imam Husayn (a.s.). He even ordered the tree that stood as a marker near the tomb to be cut. Harun ar-Rashid died shortly thereafter and immediately another structure was constructed in the year 193 AH. Some authors are of the opinion that al-Ma’mun got the second structure constructed in 193 AH only to pacify the enraged public by pretending to be a well-wisher of the Ahlul Bayt.

Sheik at-Toosi also narrates that when Yahya bin al-Mughira was with Jareer bin Abdul Hamid, an Iraqi came and on being questioned he said, “ Harun ar-Rashid destroyed the tomb of al-Husayn and cut the lote-tree which was near the tomb and that was used as a mark leading to the tomb. I have heard a tradition of the Prophet (S) who repeated thrice:‘May Allah’s curse be upon the one who cuts the lote-tree.’ It is only now that I can understand the significance of the Prophet’s saying.

”[^2] Sheikh at-Toosi in his Amali writes that in the year 247 AH, Ubaidullah bin Rabee’ah went to perform the Hajj and on his return, he went to visit the tombs of the martyrs of Karbala. He found that on the orders of the caliph, the graves were demolished and when the earth was sought to be ploughed, the bulls refused to tread the tomb (of Imam Husayn) and veered off to the right or the left of the tomb in spite of being beaten severely.

Ubaidullah saying, “ By Allah, if the Umayyads have killed the grandson of the messenger of Allah, then their cousins the Abbasids too have oppressed him.

By your life, his tomb has been desecrated even as they (the Abbasids) regret for not having supported in killing al-Husayn, they persecuted him after he was martyred .”[^3] A similar report is narrated through Umar ibn Faraj ar-Rakhji.[^4] The third construction, which was a huge structure, remained for about forty years until al-Mutawakkil ascended the throne in 232 AH.

Al-Mutawakkil not only demolished the structure but he also confiscated all the properties dedicated to the shrine saying that the graves of the dead did not need anything.[^5] Soon after the demolition, every time a new and larger structure was constructed by the public. In his tenure of fifteen years, al-Mutawakkil demolished the shrine not less than four times; in the years 233, 236, 237, and 247 AH.[^6] Al-Muntasir killed his father al-Mutawakkil and reconstructed the shrine.

In 247 AH, the shrine was once again constructed.