ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books With the Caravan of Light Undergoing the Divine Test The army of Imam Husayn(a) undergoing a very severe test, unprecedented in human history, defeated the enemy. Arif Samadani, the learned gnostic says: You are but a slave of your sensual desires and neglectful of too many other far more subtle pleasures in the domain of your existence. The soul is purified through divine tests, just as gold is melted in the crucible ofperfection.

Those who worship their Lord in distress are superior to those who worship him in affluence. It has been said that a life of hardship is a token of God's mercy and favour upon upright people. In this respect see how dear Imam Husayn(a) and his companions were to God. Nafi ibn- Hilal Nafi was of noble birth, a reader of the Qur'an, narrator of the Sunna of Muhammad(s) and a companion of Amir al-Mu'minin `Ali(a). Before Muslim ibn-Aqil was martyred, he left Kufa to join Imam Husayn(a).

Ibn-Shahr Ashub said when Hurr ibn Yazid barred the Imam(a) and his companions from going to Mecca or Medina, the Imam addressed his men and told them that death was God's gift for the believers and that living under the yoke of despotic rulers would be a painful torture. When Nafi heard this, he eloquently answered: O you, descendant of God's Messenger(s), You know well that your forefather did not live long enough to show the affection he had towards these people to its fullest capacity.

Indeed among his people were hypocrites that promised to help him in time of need but did not abide by their promise when the need came. This also held true in the case of your father. Many promised to help, but in factrefrained from helping him. Now you are in the same predicament as regards to the hypocrites h, those who broke theirpromise, acted to the detriment of themselves and God has made it so that we do not find ourselves reliant upon them. Now lead your men to their fate.

We love your friends and hate your enemies. Nafi fought bravely in the battle. He killed as many men of Omar Sa'ad as he could and then was crowned with martyrdom. Nafi ibn- Hilal's Very Strange Story Shaykh Mufid, the outstanding theologian, narrated that for most of the time in Karbala, Nafi ibn-Hilal had closely accompanied Imam Husayn(a), especially when there was the danger of enemy ambush. One night Husayn(a) left his camp for a reconnaissance tour of the site.

Seeing this, Nafi shadowed the Imam(a) with his sword unsheathed.