AI-Hasan and al-Hussein The two grandsons of the Messenger of Allah By Mobammad ReGha Fonner liblwiart of Fouad the 1st library tnterpreted by Mohammad Agha DAR aI·KOTOB aI·ILMIYAH Beirut - Lebanon ~I ,1:aJ uo.,a...- ~I.1 <.t!J)'1 ~I J.J..1. ~ __,} .11jI"""; .11e+I- ~ Jli+l - ~'.Hf ~I ~~I .).c~ .1i .j..i+a.,r ·y..lS ..,...1ÄI1 ~ i~l&! .,r .,:,UI~I ~ ~.J! .1I.,>oi~1 .,.l& ~la.~!.,i ~lS :~ ~UJI Uil~. )'! ~".:. Copyright © All rights reserved Exclusive rights by DAR al-KOTOS al­ ILMIYAU Beint - LebeDOD. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced, distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. ~1 .fiL,11 j 1b Ö~ - ....::J~~ -,:,ßl. ~~ '1,S;..,..~J1 tJL.:. .~):JI JoJ : ..:..I~I ..( ,'\ '1 '·WfT - n,\H - niT'A: ~lAJ.:."iL ..:..~ - -':'J~ ,,- ,m :~~ JJ..L....:> DAR al·KOTOB al·ILMIYAH Beirut - Lebanon Address :Ramel al-Zarif, Bohtory 51., Melkart bldg., Isi F1oore. Tel. &Fax: 00 (9611) 60.21.33·36.61.35 .. 36.43.98 Po.Box : 11 ·9424 Beirut -Lebanon ISBN 2-7451-2568-0 l I 90000 > j 782745 125682 http://www.lIl-i1miYllh.com.lb/ e-mail: [email protected] [email protected] The interpreter's Introduction In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, Most Merciful The tragedy of al-Hasan and al-Hussein for whommay Allah's good pleasure is prayed The story of al-Hasan and al-Hussein is areal tragedy. They are the grandsons of the Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted; the sons of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, may peace be upon hirn, and Fatema the daughter of the Prophet Mohammed. But their honourable placing did not prevent their enemies from plotting and aggressing against them. The tragedy of al-Hasan and al-Hussein grows greater as they are two virtuous members of Ahlul Bait, the family of the Prophet, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, and the two beloved grandsons of the Prophet whom He called the two sweet basils; and the masters of al-Jannah (Paradise). Allah, Be He exalted, said: «Verily, willeth Allah to keep away from you every unc1eanliness. 0, Ahlul-Bait! And to purify you thorough purifying.» Al-Hasan, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, was wise, patient, generous, pious, peace-loving, hating seditions and blood-shedding. He never uttered a bad or dirty word. He set examples in generosity and self­ denial. He was areal example to follow. The two grandsons of Prophet Mohammed, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, were raised by their pious, wise and courageous father, Imam Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. They grew in a high-quality manner and were bred on virtues in a social environment which is the most honourable and the most honest at that time, the environment of Fatema al­ Zahra'a, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah and the lady of world's women. Prophet Mohammed, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, used to educate them and to take care of them all the time. When the Messenger of Allah was praying and as he prostrated al-Hasan and al-Hussein used to jump on his back. And when they tried to prevent 3 them he gave them a sign by his hand to leave them both up; and he used to keep them into his lap saying: «He who loves me must love these two.» Al-Bukhari reported Abu Bakrah saying: «I saw the Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peaee be granted, on the pulpit and al-Hasan Ibn Ali was with hirn. He said as he looked at people one time and at al-Hasan another: My son, this, is a master! May Allah make eonciliation between two Moslems groups.» He added: «When he took over as ealiph he did not shed blood at all.» Al-Hasan and al-Hussein aequired flueney, reason, eool-mindedness, generosity and wisdom from their father and grandfather. They were taught Quran and interpretation from their father Ali may Allah honour hirn, and from their family members and the great eompanions. They also reeeived edueation on prophetie tradition (hadith) from them. Al-Hussein for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed believed that al-Hasan should fight Mou'awya as his father Ali, may peaee be upon hirn, did. But, al-Hasan, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, believed that fighting was not useful for it would eause Moslems blood-letting, Furthermore, he was unable to reunite Moslems and to make them rally behind hirn. For this, he wanted to spare the blood of Moslems and to eome to terms with Mou'awya. Al-Hasan abandoned ealiphate to Mou'awya on the eondition that he would be the ealiph after hirn. And Mou'awya aeeepted this eondition, but he, later, broke his promise and appointed his son Yazid as successor. Some historians said Mou'awya eonspired with Ja'ada (Al-Hasan's wife) and poisoned hirn so as to make it easy for hirn to appoint his son Yazid as ealiph after him. When Amre Ibn al-A'ss and other Mou'awya's eompanions told the latter (Mou'awya) to summon al-Hassan to swear hirn and his father, Mou'awya said: «I swear by Allah, I have always feit afraid of his presenee and his eritieism of my defects.» He summoned hirn and they uttered the ugliest swear words against hirn and his father Ali, may peaee be upon him. The Ommayads harboured hatred against Ali and his sons. So, hatred turned them into blind. Their talk was illogieal and a mere swearing, whereas al-Hasan, for whom may Allah's good pleasure is prayed, was logical and true in his defenee of his father and Ahlul­ Bait (the family of the Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted.) Objeetive erities and analysts said: «This is one of the most wonderful debates.» 4 Al-Hasan emerged victorious over the chiefs of Bani Ommaya (the Ommayads.) He left them unable to know what to say. He left them humiliated and feeble. By his reply to them, al-Hasan proved he was arealoutspoken who does not stammer or fear anyone when he wants to say the word of right and truth. He also proved he possessed an iron will and a great courage. Al-Hasan was a wise and reasonable man. He said: «There is no good manners for those who don't have reason; and there is no amity for those who don't have determination; and there is no shyness for those who don't have faith. The prime of reason is treating people with good. And by reason we realize both worlds together.» He also said: «The destruction of people lies in three things: Haughtiness, stinginess and envy! - Haughtiness is the destruction of religion and by it satan was damned. - Stinginess is the enemy of the self and by it Adam was driven out from Paradise. - And envy is the core of evil by which cane killed Abel!» AI-Hussein's tragedy was more painful. He was a true defender of Islam's purity and right puth. He was known for his reason, good nature, faith and wit. He was similar to the Prophet, to whom may AIlah's Blessings and peace be granted. The Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be gr:anted, said: «Hussein is apart of me and I am apart of Hussein. He who loved Hussein loved Allah. Hussein is the grandson of grandsons. Al-Hasan and al-Hussein are my two Raihanat (Basil plants) of the world. He who wants to get pleased by looking at a man from the people of al-Jannah (Paradise) let hirn look at Hussein!» The Prophet also used to carry al-Hussein on his shoulders saying: «0, Allah! I love hirn. May thee love him!» When Mou'awya appointed his son Yazid as his successor and ordered his rulers to get forcibly the pledge of allegiance for hirn from all the people, particularly the Shiites (Supporters of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb), he told his son Yazid: «I don't fear anyhody in Quraish but three men: Al-Hussein Ihn Ali, Abdullah Ibn Omar and Abdullah Ibn al-Zubair(...) Al-Hussein Ibn Ali is a witty man. I hope that Allah is sufficient for your support, as al-Hussein's father was killed and his brother was let down. He has a pure descent and a great right as weIl as kinship with Mohammed.» 5 Al-Hussein did not give the pledge of allegiance to Yazid for he, the latter was away from being committed to Islam in faith and in practice. He was busy with his personal entertainment and interests!!! So, al-Hussein told al-Kufa people: «0, people, the Messenger of Allah, to whom may Allah's Blessings and peace be granted, said: He who saw an unjust Sultan (ruler) acting what Allah hath forbidden and breaking the pledge of Allah, contradicting the sunna of the Messenger of Allah, and adopting the behaviour of atrocity and aggression, thereby resisting hirn neither by act, nor by saying, Allah shall punish him.» So, al-Hussein feIt it was his duty to warn people against the dangers of these acts which contradict the very essence of Islam.