ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books With the Caravan of Light Worldlings To the Worst Degree The enemy numbered thirty thousand men all of whom were notorious for their sinful behaviour. They were led by a man who was once a waif named Ubeidullah whose mother had revelled in the pleasures of the flesh. They were a bunch of thugs who had gathered together to kill the offspring of the Prophet(s).

All of them were the subjects of Yazid, a libertine and a drunkard and they had learned the lessons of brutality, plundering, oppression, hypocrisy, ego-centrism and polytheism in the school of the Umayyad rulers. Zahir, that gallant warrior, called the people of Kufa in that army to help the offspring of the Prophet(s) and withhold their support of Ubeidullah, the son of Ziad.

He said that both of them have gouged out your eyes with red-hot irons, they have cut off your hands and legs, your ears and noses, they have hanged many from among you and have beheaded Qur'an reciters like Hujr ibn-'Adi and Hani ibn-Urwah. The angry mob instead interrupted his exhortations and insulted him. They lauded Ubeidullah and his father and threatened either to kill Imam Husayn(a) or deliver him and his companions to Yazid as prisoners of war.

How ignorant were the people to choose viceincarnate over virtue-incarnate as Amir and ruler. Zahir continued: The children of Fatima(a) deserve more support,from you than Samiyya (adulteress and mother of Ibn-Abi Sufyan). If you do not wish to support Imam Husayn(a) then at least leave him alone to deal with Yazid in whichever way he chooses, Yazid will be pleased with you even if you fail to kill Husayn(a).

Fearing that such a strong argument might encourage the mob to act in favour of Imam Husayn(a), Shimr, claiming that they were all tired of Zahir's long-windedness, shot an arrow at him. Zahir condemned Shimr as a poor beast, sure to be punished on the Last day. When eventually Zahir fell dead on the battlefield, Imam Husayn(a) rushed to the side of his body and cursed his killers. Zahirhad indeed called the people of Kufa what they were symbols of inhumanity without peer.

The Revlatory Dream of Imam Husayn(a) Before dawn on the day of Ashura (the tenth day ofMuharram, the first lunarmonth ofthe Muslim calendar) the Imam(a) had a revelatory dream. He said he saw a pack ofrabid dogs attacking him and among them was a dog spotted like a leper, which was the (fiercest of all.