Chapter 1 Publisher’s Note The Trustees of the Peer Mahomed Ebrahim Trust have undertaken to present to the general public good reading matter, suited to their physic- al, mental, moral and spiritual needs. The sensational pornographic reading material that goes by the name of literary production in the mar- ket has served to vitiate the whole social milieu, so that the restraints on social conduct are ever-more being relaxed, with resultant indiscipline in the home atmosphere, no less than in the wider fields of human activities outside the dome. If such a situation is allowed to go on flourishing un- checked a veritable hell on earth is the natural outcome, as we are wit- nessing in the waves of crime sweeping over some of the so-called civil- ised countries of the West which are already affecting us. ‘Back To Reli- gion’ is now the watch-word of the saner elements among them. It is with this sense of perturbation that the trustees have embarked on the venture of publishing books, which are calculated to offset the baneful effect of low-grade, anti-social forms of reading material and to inculcate a taste for and appreciation of sound and healthful mental food. No commercialisation is aimed at by this venture, as would be appar- ent to even the most superficial observer, from the standard of prices of the books, which are fixed below the actual cost and that too, because free distribution of books depreciates the worth of the same in the eyes of the general reading public and are also waste. The Trustees, are conscious of the fact that in spite of all precautions on their part to avoid errors if something goes amiss in the form of errors of judgement involuntarily for no one can be in a position to compre- hend the entire field of knowledge on any subject. Of one thing they can assure the discreet readers, to wit, that the material for reading is being presented with the best of intentions for the benefit of the public and for the pleasure of the Almighty Allah. If any reader finds anything which contradicts this objective, his observations in this behalf shall receive the maximum possible care to redress any remissness that may be pointed 2 out as having crept into the reading matter with the best of wishes for the reader, we remain. 3 Chapter 2 Preface It is well-known that every movement for the reformation of mankind thrives and progresses with the help of the sacrifices of its leaders, fol- lowers and adherents. In fact its progress is, broadly speaking in propor- tion to the sacrifices offered for its cause, and the length of life of the movement is also dependent on the amount and quality of such sacri- fices. Islam as a movement for the reformation of mankind is no excep- tion to this general rule. Indeed, the importance of hard striving for the cause and the offer of sacrifices for it seems to be the very core of belief. Even salvation from Divine chastisement in the Hereafter depends on striving in this world for the cause of Islam. Says Quran: O’ you who believe! Shall I show you merchandise which will deliver you from a painful chastisement? You should believe in Allah and His Prophet, and strive in the way of Allah with your possessions and your selves; that is better for you if you but knew?[1] There are many other verses wherein emphasis has been laid upon striving in the way of Allah that is, for the sake and advantage of Islam, and the believers have been exhorted to come forward with their prop- erty as well as lives in favour of Islam. The most famous verse in which believers have been told to be faced with situations which would require them to offer sacrifices of life, property and children etc. is as follows: We will surely test you with something of fear, and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits and give glad tidings to the patient ones.[2] History testifies eloquently to the fact that Islam has been made to stay, prosper and thrive through the sacrifices and selfless efforts of numerous individuals from among its leaders and adherents. The most notable among them was, of course the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) himself as he said that he was harassed so much that no Prophet before him had been so harassed. The same applies equally to the members of his family and his holy progeny (a.s.). The great services, selfless striving and 4 unique sacrifices offered by this noble group of the leaders of Islam stand as inextinguishable torch of light for the entire mankind. They were leaders of a high order in the sense that they not only exhorted oth- ers to act in a manner conducive to the benefit of Islam but each one of them ever remained in the forefront to brace the difficulties, trials and tribulations that befell them in the way of supporting Islam. Nevertheless, there were other individuals also who, after imbibing the true spirit of Islam, remained steadfast in working for its well-being and progress. The names of all such persons stand conspicuously high as torch bearers of Islam against all sorts of opposition, persecution and harassment. The lives and biographies of all these luminaries of Islam deserve close study as they are apt to infuse the same spirit of fortitude and sacrifice for the cause of our great religion in our hearts also. The Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust has launched a programme for bringing out short life sketches of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the other infallibles in his holy progeny delineating their immortal services for the cause of Islam. As a necessary adjunct to that brilliant series it is also in the fitness of things to present to our interested readers the lives and biographies of other heroes of Islam who have rendered unforgettable services to the great religion in support of and under the guidance of the infallible leaders. The general plan of the Trust is to publish a separate volume for each of the Fourteen Infallibles and they will be presented to the readers as and when ready. Here in this volume are presented brief services and sacrifice; of the other distinguished individuals who worked for Islam and its good despite unfavourable circumstances and in the face of all sorts of atrocities perpetrated upon them for supporting, following and preaching the true religion. Wherever separate books have already been brought out or are under print or under compilation of the life and ser- vices of an individual an indication of it has been given in appropriate places. The opening Chapter of the volume seeks to show that the Shias exis- ted from the days of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and are not a product of any later period as is sometimes alleged. The subsequent chapters con- tain very brief accounts of the services of the Early Heroes of Islam, that is, those of the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.), followed by similar accounts of his distinguished companions and the distinguished com- panions of the various Imams (a.s.), and grouped under the name of the Holy Imam with whom each was associated. 5 It seems pertinent to clarify who the companions of Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) have not been separately mentioned as in the case of the other Imams (a.s.). The reason for it is that the compan- ions of these two Holy Imams are those who have been mentioned either as companions of the preceding Imam or of the following Imam. For ex- ample, the companions of Imam Hasan (a.s.) are either those who were the companions of Ameerul Momineen Ali (a.s.) and have been men- tioned in the list of his companions or they are those who remained steadfast on the path of the true religion and acquired the honour of be- coming the companions of Imam Husain (a.s.) and find mention as such. The same applies to the companions of Imam Zainul Aabedeen (a.s.) as most of his distinguished companions had also the honour of being com- panions of Imam Muhammad Baqir (a.s.) and have been mentioned as such. It must be added here that the heroes included in the volume do not at all exhaust the list of all the selfless devotees who have contributed in the growth, development and stay of Islam in its true colours, as there is cer- tainly a far larger galaxy of shining heroes who could be included herein, but had to be left out for brevity sake. Nevertheless the list is illustrative enough to give an indication of the noble services rendered and sacrifices offered by those who remained steadfast in their adherence to the true religion and were instrumental in keeping it pure and also in conveying its principles and commandments from one generation to the other in successive order by narrating authentic traditions from the Holy Imams of the time. It is hoped that this volume would give the readers a vivid idea of how our predecessors have striven hard, in some cases, even by offering their very lives for the sake of religion, in order to keep the torch that was lit by the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) burning as commanded by Allah. Peace be upon them all. Trustees, Peermahomed Ebrahim Trust, Karachi - 5.