Verily you are Allah’s proof over His creation and His trust upon the earth.

Verily you are Allah’s proof over His creation and His trust upon the earth. You are a branch of the olive tree of Muhammad (S). He was the origin while you are the branch. Hasten to us with felicitations, for I have brought the necks of Bani Tameem under your command and they shall excel each other in your obedience like the thirsty Lions who make haste to drink water.

Besides I have brought the Bani Sa’ad under your submission and have washed the filth from their hearts with (rain) water falling from the clouds.” When Imam Husayn (a.s.) read the contents of the letter he said, “What else do you desire. May Allah grant you security on the day of fright (Qiyamah) and quench your thirst on the day of extreme thirst and endear you.” When Yazid bin Mas’ood was just preparing to proceed towards the Imam, he re­ceived the news of his martyrdom.

Hence he lamented over the loss of this grace (of Martyrdom). As regards Manzar bin Jarood, when he received the letter of Imam Husayn (a.s.) he brought it along with Imam’s messenger to the presence of Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, for he feared that it might be a conspiracy by Ubaydullah himself, while his daughter Bahriyah was the wife of Ubaydullah.

Ubaydullah sent the messenger of Imam to the gallows and ascended the pulpit and recited a sermon, in which he admonished the people of Basra against oppo­sition and revolt. That night he spent in Basra and the next morning he appointed his brother Usman bin Ziyad his Vicegerent and hastened towards Kufa.

Tabari says that Hisham said that Abu Makhnaf related to me from Sa’qib bin Zuhayr, from Abu Usman Nahdi that Imam Husayn (a.s.) wrote a similar letter to the noblemen of the five divisions of Basra and their chiefs through his retainer named Sulayman. The letters with similar contents were addressed to Malik bin Musme’ Bakri, Ahnaf bin Qays, Manzar bin Jarood, Mas’ood bin ‘Amr, Qays bin Haysam and Umar bin Abdullah bin Mu’ammar, “Now then!

Verily Allah has chosen (S) above all His creatures and granted him (the prestige of) Prophethood and chose him for the Apostleship. Then the Almighty took him towards His mercy (death) after the Prophet having guided all people towards the truth, and after having propagated the message for which he was sent. Thus we are his Household (Ahlul Bayt), friends, vicegerents and his successors and are more worthy of succeeding him than anyone else.