al-Husayn bin Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), Abu Abdullah: his birth, description and appearance, and his father and mother

Muhammad bin al-Dahhak narrates from his father: Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) set out for Kufah, displeased with the rule of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah. Yazid bin Mu'awiyah wrote to Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, who was his governor over Iraq: News has reached me that Husayn has set out for Kufah. Out of all eras, your era has been tested with him; out of all cities, your city has been tested with him; and out of all governors, you have been tested with him. Now either you will prove yourself free, or you will become a slave as slaves are enslaved. So Ubaydullah bin Ziyad killed him and sent his head to Yazid. When the head was placed before him, he recited this verse of al-Husayn bin al-Humam:
"We split the skulls of men who are dear to us, though they were more disobedient and more unjust."

Yazid bin Abi Ziyad said: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came out of the house of Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) and passed by the house of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), and he heard Husayn crying. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you not know that his crying hurts me?"

Muhammad bin al-Hasan al-Makhzumi said: When the family and belongings of Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) were brought to Yazid bin Mu'awiyah, and his head was placed before him, Yazid wept and said:
"We split the skulls of men who are dear to us, though they were more disobedient and more unjust."
Listen, by Allah! If I had been your companion, I would never have killed you. Ali bin Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin) said: "It is not like that." He said: Then how is it, O my brother? So he recited this verse: "No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves except that it is in a Book before We bring it into being; indeed, that is easy for Allah" [Surah al-Hadid: 22]. Abd al-Rahman bin Umm al-Hakam was also present at that time, and he recited these verses:
"The skulls lying beside al-Taff were far nearer in kinship than Ibn Ziyad, the slave of base lineage.
The offspring of Sumayyah have become countless like pebbles, while the offspring of the daughter of the Messenger of Allah have been wiped out."
At this Yazid raised his hand, struck Abd al-Rahman on the chest and said: Be quiet.

Ibn Wa'il (or Wa'il bin Alqamah), who was himself present there, said: A man stood up and said: Is Husayn among you? The people said: Yes. He said: Receive the glad tidings of the Fire. Husayn said: "Rather, receive the glad tidings of a Merciful Lord and an intercessor whose intercession is accepted." Husayn asked: Who are you? He said: I am Ibn Juwayzah (or Huwayzah). So Husayn said: "O Allah! Drag him to the Fire." The narrator said: Then his mount bolted, and his foot got caught in the stirrup. By Allah! Nothing of his body remained upon it except his foot.

Ibn Abi Layla said: When Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed that he would be killed, he said: "Bring me a garment that no one would desire, so that I may wear it under my clothes and not be stripped naked." It was said to him: (Wear) tubban (short drawers covering the thighs)? He said: "No, that is the dress of those upon whom humiliation has been imposed." So he took a garment, tore it and wore it under his clothes. Then, when he was martyred, they stripped him naked.

Ammar al-Duhni said: Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by Ka'b (al-Ahbar), and Ka'b said: "From the offspring of this man (meaning Ali (may Allah be pleased with him)) a man will be killed along with a band of people, the sweat of whose horses will not dry before they arrive before Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by, and the people asked: O Abu Ishaq! Is it this one? Ka'b said: No. Then Husayn passed by, and they asked: Is it this one? Ka'b said: Yes.

Al-Zubayr bin Bakkar said: Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was born in the year 4 AH, when five nights of Sha'ban had passed, and he was martyred on Friday, the tenth of Muharram (Ashura), in the year 61 AH. He was killed by Sinan bin Abi Anas al-Nakha'i, and Khawli bin Yazid al-Asbahi, who was from Himyar, finished him off while he lay wounded, cut off his head and brought it to Ubaydullah bin Ziyad. At this Sinan bin Anas recited these verses:
"Load my mount with silver and gold; I have killed the well-guarded king; I have killed the best of people in mother and father."

Mus'ab bin Abdullah said: Zaynab al-Sughra bint Aqil bin Abi Talib came out before the people at al-Baqi', weeping over her family members killed at al-Taff, and she was reciting these verses:
"What will you answer if the Prophet asks you: What did you do, while you were the last of the nations,
with my household, my helpers and my offspring, some of whom were taken captive and some killed, drenched in blood?
This was not my reward, when I wished you well, that you should treat my kin badly after me."
At this Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali said: We say: "Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves" (to the end of the verse) [al-A'raf: 23]. Then Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali recited these verses:
"I say, and this has increased my anguish and anger: May Allah bring to an end the rule of Banu Ziyad,
and may He drive them far from mercy just as they betrayed and were treacherous, as Thamud and the people of Ad were driven far,
and may their mounts never return to them, when they turn towards the Day of Calling (the Day of Gathering)."

It is narrated from Imam al-Hasan al-Basri that he said: "Sixteen men from the household of Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) were martyred along with him. By Allah! On that day there was no household on the face of the earth like them." Sufyan (bin Uyaynah) said: "Who could doubt this?"

Mundhir al-Thawri said: Whenever we mentioned Husayn and those who were martyred with him, Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah would say: "Seventeen young men were martyred with him, all of whom had been nurtured in the womb of Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her)."

Al-Zuhri said: Abd al-Malik bin Marwan said to me: How great (a scholar) you are if you can tell me what sign appeared on the day Husayn bin Ali was martyred! I said: No pebble was lifted in Bayt al-Maqdis except that fresh blood came out from beneath it. At this Abd al-Malik said: You and I are alike companions in this report.

The narrator's grandmother (his father's mother) said: Two men of the Ju'fi tribe took part in the killing of Husayn bin Ali. The private part of one of them grew so long that he used to keep it wrapped up, and the other would put the mouth of a waterskin to his mouth and drink it to the end without stopping. Sufyan (bin Uyaynah) said: "I saw the child of one of them; it was as though he had some mental derangement, as though he were insane."

The narrator's grandmother (his father's mother) said: I saw that the wars (a fragrant yellow dye) that was taken from the camp of Husayn had turned like ashes.

Tawus narrates from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: Husayn asked my permission to set out (for Kufah). I said: Were it not that this would disgrace me or you, I would have entangled my hand in your head (hair). Ibn Abbas said: His reply to me was that he said: "That I be killed at such-and-such a place is dearer to me than that the sanctity of Allah and His Messenger be violated because of me." Ibn Abbas said: That was what set my mind at rest about him.

Al-A'mash said: A man from Banu Asad defecated on the grave of Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). (The narrator) said: Then the people of that household were afflicted with mental derangement, insanity, leprosy, sickness and poverty.

Abu Qabil said that Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As told him that Mu'adh bin Jabal informed him; he said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came out to us with his colour changed, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I am Muhammad. I have been given the openings and the conclusions of speech. Obey me as long as I am among you, and when I am taken away, then hold fast to the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; regard its lawful as lawful and its unlawful as unlawful. This Book has come to you with mercy and comfort; it is a Book from Allah decreed beforehand. Trials will come to you like portions of the dark night; whenever one group goes, another will come. The order of prophethood will change and turn into kingship. May Allah have mercy on the one who takes it with its right and leaves it just as he entered it. O Mu'adh! Remember and keep counting." When I reached five, he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Yazid, may Allah not bless Yazid." Then tears flowed from his eyes (peace and blessings be upon him), and then he said: "I have been given the news of Husayn's death, his soil has been brought to me, and I have been told of his killer. By the One in whose hand is my soul, he will not be killed among a people who do not protect him except that Allah will cause discord between their breasts and hearts, set the worst of them over them, and divide them into factions." Then he said: "Alas for the young ones of the family of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) at the hands of a luxury-loving caliph who will kill those who come after me and those who come after them. O Mu'adh! Remember." When I reached ten, he said: "Al-Walid is the name of a Pharaoh; in his time he will be the demolisher of the laws of Islam. A man from a household whose sword Allah will draw, and then there will be no sheath for it; and the people will differ and become like this" (and he (peace and blessings be upon him) interlaced his fingers). Then he said: "After the year 120 AH there will be sudden death and swift killing; in it will be their destruction, and a man from the offspring of al-Abbas will become ruler over them."

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I heard the jinn wailing over Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him).

Abu Humayd al-Tahhan said: I was among the tribe of Khuza'ah, and the people brought some of the belongings left behind by Husayn. It was said to them: Shall we slaughter it, or sell it and divide (the price)? The one in charge said: Slaughter it. The narrator said: Then he sat by a large bowl, and when the bowl was set down, fire flared up from it.

The father of Dhuwayd al-Ju'fi narrates: When Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, a camel was plundered from his camp. When it was cooked, it turned into blood, so they overturned it and threw it away.

Abu Janab narrates: The jinn were heard weeping over Husayn bin Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), reciting these verses:
"The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over his forehead, and so there was a radiance upon his cheeks.
His parents were from the loftiest of Quraysh; his grandfather was the best of all grandfathers."

The plasterers (jassas) narrate: Whenever we went out at night to the graveyard near the place where Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed, we would hear the jinn lamenting over him and saying:
"The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) passed his hand over his forehead, and so there was a radiance upon his cheeks.
His parents were from the loftiest of Quraysh; his grandfather was the best of all grandfathers."

Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I heard the jinn lamenting over Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him).

Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates: I heard the jinn lamenting over Husayn.

Amr bin Thabit narrates that Sayyidah Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "I have not heard the lamenting of the jinn since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away, except tonight, and I am certain that my son has been martyred", meaning Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). Then she said to her slave girl: Go out and find out. She was informed that he had indeed been martyred, and at that time a female jinn was lamenting:
"O eye, weep with all your strength; who will weep over the martyrs after me?
Over a band whom death is leading to a bewildering dominion that is in the grip of a slave."

Amr bin Ba'jah narrates: The first humiliation that befell the Arabs was the killing of Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), and Ziyad's claim to his lineage.

Ali bin Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin) narrates: When Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred, he owed a great deal of debt, so Ali bin Husayn sold such-and-such property and such-and-such property to pay it.

Musa bin Umayr narrates from his father: Husayn ordered a herald to announce: "No man who owes a debt should come along with us." A man said: My wife has guaranteed my debt. Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "And what is a woman's guarantee worth?"

Abu Qabil narrates: When Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them both) was martyred, they cut off his head, and at the first halting place they sat down to drink wine (nabidh), presenting the head to one another as a greeting. Suddenly an iron pen came out of a wall and wrote this verse in blood:
"Does a nation that killed Husayn hope for the intercession of his grandfather on the Day of Reckoning?"
So they fled and left the head there, then they came back.

An imam of Banu Sulaym narrates from his elders: They set out on a campaign against the Romans and stopped at one of their churches. There they read, written on a stone:
"Does a group that killed Husayn hope for the intercession of his grandfather on the Day of Reckoning?"
We asked them: When was this church built? They said: Three hundred years before your Prophet was sent.

Zakariyya bin Yahya al-Saji narrates: I heard Ahmad bin Muhammad bin Humayd al-Jahmi, who was one of the descendants of Abu Jahm bin Hudhayfah, reciting these verses about the killing of Husayn, and he said that this poetry was by Zaynab bint Aqil bin Abi Talib:
"What will you answer if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) asks you: What did you do, while you are the last of the nations,
with my family, my helpers and my offspring, some of whom were taken captive and some killed, drenched in blood?
This was not my reward, when I sincerely counselled you, that you should treat my kin badly after me."
At this Abu al-Aswad al-Du'ali said: We say: "We have wronged ourselves, and if You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will surely be among the losers" [Al-A'raf: 23].

Al-Sha'bi narrates: The head of Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was the first head in Islam to be cut off and carried.

Abd al-Malik bin Umayr narrates: I went to Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, and the head of Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was placed before him on a shield. By Allah! Not much time had passed before I went to al-Mukhtar, and the head of Ubaydullah bin Ziyad was placed on a shield. By Allah! Not much time had passed before I went to Mus'ab bin al-Zubayr, and the head of al-Mukhtar was placed on a shield. By Allah! Not much time had passed before I went to Abd al-Malik bin Marwan, and the head of Mus'ab bin al-Zubayr was placed on a shield.

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When the head of Husayn bin Ali was brought to Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, he began poking at its teeth with a stick in his hand, saying: How beautiful his teeth were! So I said: By Allah, I will certainly tell you something that will displease you: I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kissing the very place of that mouth where your stick is striking.

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I was with Ibn Ziyad when the head of Husayn was brought. He began poking at its nose with a stick, saying: I have never seen anyone as handsome as this. So I said: He was among those who most resembled the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

Sayyiduna Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Whoever loves us for the sake of this world, then the man of this world is loved by the righteous and the wicked alike; and whoever loves us for the sake of Allah, we and he will be like these two on the Day of Resurrection", and he pointed with his index finger and middle finger.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has three sanctities. Whoever safeguards them, Allah safeguards for him the affairs of his religion and his world; and whoever does not safeguard them, Allah does not safeguard anything for him: the sanctity of Islam, my sanctity, and the sanctity of my kin."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I went to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I have been given al-Kawthar." I said: O Messenger of Allah! What is al-Kawthar? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is a river in Paradise; its width and length are equal to the distance between the east and the west. Whoever drinks from it will never be thirsty, and whoever performs ablution (wudu) from it will never be dishevelled. It will never be drunk by anyone who broke my covenant, or who killed the people of my household."

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "There are six whom I have cursed, and the supplication of every prophet is answered: the one who adds to the Book of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic; the one who denies the decree of Allah; the one who regards as lawful what Allah has made sacred; the one who regards as lawful, regarding my family, what Allah has forbidden; and the one who abandons the Sunnah."

Ibn Abi Nu'm narrates: I was with Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) when a man asked him about the blood of a mosquito. He said: Where are you from? He said: From the people of Iraq. He said: Look at this man! He is asking me about the blood of a mosquito, while they killed the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! And I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "These two (Hasan and Husayn) are my two sweet basils of this world."