THE BRAVE WOMEN OF THE AHLUL BAYT (A.S.)

 

When the infidels of Makkah committed aggression on the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) and Sayyidah Khadija (s.a.) heard that her husband was injured and bleeding because of beating, she rushed to retrieve her husband and managed to bring him home. She stood up on a hill and denounced the Quraish for their brutal behavior saying, “O people! not long ago when you needed money you used to come to me for assistance and I helped you. Now you are paying me back in this way that you are hurting my husband.” The Quraish realized that although she is a woman and alone but still bold enough to speak the truth. The richest woman of the Arabia, she gave her entire wealth to the Prophet of Allah for the propagation of Islam. As a result of the economic boycott of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.), along with her family she was forced to spent about three years in the “Shibe Abu Talib,” suffered with her family by eating leaves of the trees and died with no proper shroud.

Her daughter, Sayyidah Fatima Zahra (s.a.), the Chief of the Women of the World, the mother of the Princes of the Paradise, the wife of the Waliullah, Amir-ul-Momineen Imam Ali (a.s.), was the next bravest woman in the Ahlul Bayt who set an example for the women that even in hijab women can speak the truth and fight for the rights of her husband. After the sad demise of her sacred father, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.s.), she went in complete hijab surrounded by the women of Banu Hashim tribe to the Masjid al-Nabawi and demanded her property rights of Fadak and when denied by discrediting the witness of Imam Ali, her maid Umme Ayman and the young Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn, saying they were under age. This was direct contradiction of Ayah Mubahela in which Allah certified the truthfulness of the “Panjetan” (Imam Ali, Imam Hasan, Imam Husayn and Sayyidah Fatima Zahra herself) Surah Ale Imran Ayah 62which says, “Should anyone argue with you when knowledge has come to you, then say, “Let us call our sons and your sons our women and your women, our souls and your souls , then let us pray earnestly and call down Allah’s curse upon the liars.”  Then she demanded the inheritance of her father. The caliph denied that too based on a fake tradition saying that the prophets do not leave any inheritance. She delivered a sermon saying, “….Allah chose Muhammad, my father as a prophet who brought Islam in which faith was set to cleanse polytheism, salat was prescribed to keep away pride, zakat prescribed to purify yourselves, Hajj to establish religion, obligation to obey us (AhlulBayt) to maintain order in the community, our authority (Imamah) to save people from differences. As for inheritance Allah says in Surah Nimal Ayah 16 “And Suleyman inherited Dawood” Prophet Zakariya prayed, “So grant me from Yourself an heir who shall inherit me and inherit from the family of Yaqoob.” Surah Maryam Ayah 5-6

Sayyida Zaynab (s.a.), the daughter of Sayyida Fatima Zahra (s.a.) and Imam Ali (a.s.) when Yazid’s forces after killing Imam Husayn (a.s.) and his family and friends at Karbala, made captive the daughters of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.) and taken around the cities without Hijab and ultimately brought before Yazid (l.a.) ibn Muawiya , she thundered like a lion and addressed Yazid as, “O Yazid! Do you think we have become humble and despicable owing to the martyrdom of our people and our own captivity and have been taken from one place to another, do you think Allah have taken away blessings from us. Do you think by killing the Godly persons you have become great and respectable. Allah says “the disbelievers must not think that our respite is for their good We only give time to them to let them increase their sins. For them there will be humiliating torment.” (Ale Imran Ayah 178). She further said, “O son of the freed slave! Is it just that you cover your women and the slave girls with veils and parade the daughters of the Messenger as prisoners! There is neither anything unusual about you nor any surprise in your actions. How can there be any hope of consideration from the child of a person whose mouth spat the liver of the righteous person and whose flesh grew on the blood of the martyrs. (Yazid’s mother Hinda, chewed the martyred Hamza’s lever in Uhad)

                Sources: The Glorious Qur’an, Fatimia in Ashura by Ayatollah Lutfullah Safi Gulpaygani

                                Sermon of Sayyida Zaynab in the Court of Yazid by Ibrahim Ayati

THE INFALLIBLE IMAM HASAN AL-ASKARI (A.S.)

 

Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) was born on 10 Rabi As-Sani 232 AH in Samarra and martyred on 8 Rabi ul Awwal 260 AH. He was the eleventh Infallible Imam of Shia Islam.

Asker in Arabic means army. The reason for this name was that the Abbasid Caliph wanted to impress the Imam with his military strength, and he arranged an army parade. After the parade, the Imam asked the Caliph to look between his two fingers. The Caliph saw and was impressed by the army much superior in number to his own and he named the Imam as “Askari”

The Imam spent his life from childhood to adulthood in the house where his father, Imam Ali al-Naqi (a.s.) remained house arrest by the order of the Abbasid caliph! Even then the Imam continued his duties of preaching and explaining the Glorious Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Noble Messenger (s.a.w.a.s.). The Imam had written a complete Tafseer on Qur’an apart from other literary works. Imam’s life was not peaceful even during house arrest and taken to Baghdad, unnecessarily questioned, and imprisoned there.

While he was in Baghdad, there was a severe drought. There was no rainfall for a long time. People were facing famine. A Christian priest came to rescue the people. He prayed and it rained. The Caliph was concerned that people may become Christian because of this event. The caliph requested the Imam to help. The Imam told them when the priest shows that miracle, he will remove the doubts. Next time when the priest lifted his hands for prayers, the Imam told his companions to get the bone the priest had in his hand. The Imam told them that it was the bone of a Prophet, and it was the effect of the bone that when lifted in prayer, Allah’s mercy falls on earth. After this the Imam spread his prayer carpet and performed two rak’ats of prayers and prayed for rain. Before the Imam’s prayer finished, it started to rain heavily. As a reward for this, the Imam could return to Samarra but still placed under house arrest.

It was the tragedy of Muslim Ummah that instead of being respectful and thankful to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and getting benefits from them, the caliphs in power, due to their own inferiority complexes and feeling of guilt as they had robbed the Ahlul Bayt(a.s.) of their right to lead the Muslims, subjected the Infallible Imams to imprisonment and kept them away from the people’s contact.

Allama Majlisi had given a detailed account of Imam Hasan Askari’s marriage. Imam Ali al-Naqi wrote a letter in ‘Roman,’ enclosed it with 220 Dinars in a red purse and gave it to his friend Bashir Ibne Suleyman and explained how to respectfully escort the granddaughter of the Emperor of Rum. Nargis Khatoon narrated the story to Bashir: “I am a princess. My mother was the vice-gerent of Jesus. My grandfather was anxious to marry me to his nephew. On the day of the proposed marriage, an abnormal event prevented the wedding. One night, I saw a dream in which Jesus and Prophet Muhammad greeted each other and the Prophet asked my hand for his grandson Hasan Askari. When I consented, the Prophet Muhammad solemnized the wedding. Afterwards, I had another vision in that Fatima, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad and Mariam, the mother of Jesus told me that I cannot marry Hasan Askari unless I become a Muslim. This I accepted and saw Hasan Askari in my dream.” Bashir asked as to how she became a prisoner, she replied: “Hasan Askari told me that my father was planning to send an army against the Muslims, and that I should disguise myself and the women servants and go with the army. I did this and before long the army guards captured us.” Imam Ali al-Naqi gave her in the custody of his sister, Hakima Khatoon (s.a.). Afterwards, Imam Hasan al-Askari was married to the granddaughter of Emperor of ‘Rum.’

Words of Wisdom: The Imam said: “Fear Allah, increase prostrations, be kind to your neighbors, associate with your kin and fulfill their rights, treat people kindly, mention Allah excessively and remember death, recite the Qur’an and send peace and blessings on Prophet because it has the reward of ten virtuous deeds, generosity has a limit when extended it is extravagance, economy also has a limit and if it is exceeded it is stinginess, and courage has a limit and if it is exceeded it is recklessness. Death comes unexpectedly. Whoever sows charitable deeds shall harvest happiness and whoever sows evil deeds shall harvest regrets. Worship is not abundant fasting and praying but includes deliberating on the Signs of the Magnificent God. What a bad man he is who has two faces and two tongues! He praises his brother when he is present and eats his flesh (back-biting) when he is absent. Vices put in a house and its key is telling lies. He, who praises an undeserving one, becomes as an accused person. Staying up makes sleep more pleasant, and hunger makes food more delicious. Reaching Allah, the All-Mighty, is a journey not achieved, except by performing night prayers (Tahajjud)

The Imam advised al-Mutawakkil, the Abbasid Caliph: “Do not expect goodwill from one, whom you have offended, or expect loyalty from one whom you have betrayed, or sincerity from one whom you have suspected, because the hearts of others towards you are like hearts are like your heart towards them. From the disasters that break one’s back is a neighbor who, if sees a good deed conceals it, and if sees a bad deed, spreads it.

BismillahirRahmanir Rahim (In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful) is closer to the Ism-e-Azam (Great Names of Allah) than the iris of the eye to its white. Polytheism in people is more inconspicuous than the creeping of ants on a black rock in a dark night.

Once, Muntasir Billah, the Abbasid caliph, visited the holy shrines of Imam Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) and Imam Ali al-Naqi (a.s.) in Samarra. His vizier suggested to him that he should visit the tombs of his fathers of Abbasid kings, and he agreed. When he reached there, he found the graves dark and miserable where dirt accumulated. The vizier asked the king to take care and pay money to rebuild these graves, but the Abbasid king asked if he saw the flourishing tombs of the pure Imams? “My fore- fathers associated with Satan and these masters associated with Allah, and all that which is for Allah remains, and all that which is for Satan perishes and disappears.”

 Addressing one of his companions, the Imam said: “Allah the All-Mighty did not deprive the earth of Hujjah since He created Adam, and He will not deprive it until the Day of Resurrection, of an authority (Hujjat) over His people. My son, named after the Messenger of Allah, will fill the earth with justice and fairness after it was filled with injustice and oppression. He will hide in an occultation, during which time no one shall be saved except the one whom Allah fixes on the belief in his imamate and supplicating Allah to hasten his deliverance and reappearance.

             Sources used:

            The Fourteen Luminaries of Islam                               by Ahmad Bijandi           

           Principles of Shiite Creed                                              by Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini

            Story of the Holy Ka’ba and its People                       by S.M.R. Shabbar

            Islam, Faith, Practices, and History                             by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi