My father (rh) narrated to us. He said: `Ali b. Ibrahim b. Hashim narrated to us from his father from Ibrahim b. Raja’ al-Jahdari from `Ali b. Jabir. He said: `Uthman b. Dawud al-Hashimi narrated to me from Muhammad b. Muslim from Humran b. A`yan from Abi Muhammad the Shaykh of the people of Kufa. He said
When al-Husayn b. `Ali (as) was killed, two young boys were captured from his garrison. `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad came across them, and he called a warden and said to him: Take these two boys. Do not feed them tasty food, do not give them cold water, and make their cells narrow. The two boys would fast during the day, and when night would fall, they would be given two morsels of barley and a mug of pure water. When the term was lengthened and one year had passed, one boy said to the other: O my brother! Our term has lengthened, and our lives may become lost and our bodies may suffer. So, when the elder comes, inform him of our position, and get closeness to him through Muhammad (s), so that he may increase our food and our drink for us. When night fell, the elder came to them with two morsels of barley and a mug of pure water. So, the small boy said to him: O elder! Do you know Muhammad? He said: How would I not know Muhammad – he is my prophet! He said: Do you know Ja`far b. Abi Talib? He said: How would I not know Ja`far when Allah gave him two wings to fly with the angels wherever he wishes?! He said: Do you know `Ali b. Abi Talib? He said: How would I not know `Ali when he is the cousin of my prophet and the brother of my prophet?! He said to him: O elder! We are from the progeny of your prophet, Muhammad (s), and we are from the progeny of Muslim b. `Aqil b. Abi Talib. We are your captives. We ask you for tasty food, but you did not feed us; and for cold drink but you do not give it to us. Our cells have become narrow for us. So, the elder fell to their feet, kissing them and saying: May my soul be sacrificed for your souls! May my face shield your faces! O progeny of the chosen Prophet of Allah! This prison gate before you is open, so take any path you wish. When night fell, he came with two morsels of barley and a mug of pure water, and he took them to the path and said to them: Travel the night, my beloveds, and hide during the day until Allah grants you a relief and an exit. When night fell, they came across an elderly lady at the gate, and they said to her: O elderly lady! We are two very young strange boys who are not well-informed about the paths, and the night has fallen upon us. Host us on this dark night, and we will head back to the path tomorrow morning. So, she said to them: Who are you, my beloveds, for I have never smelled a fragrance sweeter than yours. So, they said to her: O elderly lady! We are from the progeny of your prophet, Muhammad (s). We have escaped from being killed in the prison of `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad. The elderly lady said: O my beloveds! My son in law is wretched – he attended to the certain event (the Battle of Karbala) with `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad. I fear that he will find you here and kill you. They said: Only for this dark night – in the morning, we will head back to the path. So, she said: I will bring you food. So, she brought them food, and they ate and drank. When they went to bed, the younger boy said to the older boy: O my brother! We hope to be safe this night. So, come so that we may embrace one another and smell the fragrance of one another before death separates us. So, the two boys did that, huddled and slept. At some point in the night, the wretched one came to the door of the elderly lady and knocked gently. The elderly lady said: Who is this? He said: I am so-and-so. She said: What brings you here at this hour when this time is unusual for you? He said: Woe to you! Open the door before I lose my mind and my bladder splits in my stomach. Affliction has befallen me. She said: Woe to you! What has happened to you? He said: The two young boys escaped from the garrison of `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad, so the emir said to his soldiers: “Whoever brings the head of one of them will receive one thousand silver coins. Whoever brings the heads of both will receive two thousand silver coins.” I have tired myself out and nothing has come to my hands. So, the elderly lady said: O my son in law! Be careful in making Muhammad your adversary on the Day of Resurrection. He said to her: Woe to you! This world is keen on it. So, she said: What would you even do with this world without the Hereafter with it? He said: I see you defending them – it is as though you have something that the emir is seeking. Come, for the emir wants you. She said: What will the emir do with me when I am only an elderly lady in this land? He said: I have a request – open the door for me so that I may relax. When the morning comes, I will decide which path I should take in seeking them. So, she opened the door for him, and she gave him food and drink; so, he ate and drank. In a part of the night, he heard the snoring of the two boys within the house. He proceeded as a camel proceeds and howled as a cow howls. He felt around the walls of the house until his hand came upon the side of the younger boy. So, he said to him: Who is this? He said: Surely, I am the owner of this house, so who are you two? So, the younger boy began moving the older one and said: Get up, my beloved, for, by Allah, we have happened upon what we feared. He said to them: Who are you two? They said to him: O elder! If we are honest to you, will you grant us protection? He said: Yes. They said: The safety of Allah and His Messenger, and the protection of Allah and His Messenger? He said: Yes. They said: And Muhammad b. `Abdullah is a witness to that? He said: Yes. They said: And Allah is a guardian and witness to what we say? He said: Yes. They said to him: O elder! We are from the progeny of your prophet, Muhammad (s). We ran away from being killed in the prison of `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad. He said to them: You have run away from death, and to death you have come. Praise be to Allah who granted me victory through you. So, he went to the two boys and tied their shoulders. The two boys remained tied that night. When the morning came, he called for a black slave of his named Falih and said to him: Take these two boys to the riverbank of the Euphrates and strike their necks. Then, bring me their heads so that I may bring them to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad and collect the reward of two thousand silver coins. So, the slave held a sword and walked before the two boys. It was not long until one of the boys said: O black man! Your blackness resembles that of Bilal, the mu’adhin of your prophet, Muhammad (s)! He said: My master ordered me to kill you two, but who are you? They said to him: O black man! We are from the progeny of your prophet, Muhammad (s). We have escaped from being killed in the prison of `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad. This elderly lady of yours hosted us, and your master wants us killed. So, the black man fell to their feet, kissing them and saying: May my soul be sacrificed for your souls! May my face shield your faces! O progeny of the chosen Prophet of Allah! I do not want Muhammad (s) to be my adversary on the Day of Resurrection. Then, he threw away the sword, jumped into the Euphrates, and swam to the other shore. So, his master yelled at him: You have disobeyed me, boy! So, he said: O my master! I obeyed you so long that you do not disobey Allah. If you disobey Allah, then I am innocent of you in this world and the Hereafter. So, he called his son, and said: O my son! I have gathered the lawful and the unlawful of this world for you, so take these two boys to the riverbank of the Euphrates and strike their necks. Then, bring me their heads so that I may bring them to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad and collect the reward of two thousand silver coins. So, the boy had taken the sword and walked before the two boys. It was not long until one of the boys said: O youth! I am fearful over your youthhood from the Fire of Hell! So, he said: O my beloveds! Who are you two? They said: We are from the progeny of your prophet, Muhammad (s). Your father wants us killed. So, the boy fell to their feet, kissing them and saying the same as what the black man had said. He threw away the sword, jumped into Euphrates, and swam to the other shore. So, his father yelled at him: You have disobeyed me, son! He said: It is more beloved to me to obey Allah and disobey you rather than to obey you and disobey Allah. The man said: No one wants to kill you except me. So, he took the sword and walked before them. When he reached the riverbank of the Euphrates, he unsheathed the sword from its scabbard. When the two boys looked to the unsheathed sword, their eyes filled with tears, and they said to him: O shaykh! Take us to the market, [sell us] and enjoy the money. Do not make Muhammad your adversary during the coming Resurrection. So, he said: No, rather, I will kill you two, and I will take your heads to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad, and I will collect the reward of two thousand silver cousins. So, they said to him: O shaykh! Do you not cherish our relation to the Messenger of Allah (s)? So, he said: You have no relation to the Messenger of Allah (s). They said to him: O shaykh! Take us to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad so that he may decide what to do with us. He said: There is no way forward except that I will gain his nearness by your blood. They said to him: O shaykh! Do you not have pity upon our young age? He said: Allah has not put any pity in my heart toward you. They said: O shaykh! If there is no hope, then let us pray two units. He said: Pray as much as you wish if prayer will benefit you. So, the two boys prayed four units and lifted their sights to the heavens and called: “O Living! O Wise! O Wisest of the Judges! Judge between us in what is right.” So, he went to the eldest and struck his neck. He took his head and put it in a bag. Then, he proceeded to the younger boy, who was smeared in the blood of his brother. He was saying: Until I meet the Messenger of Allah (s) whilst I am smeared in the blood of my brother. So, he said: You will soon follow your brother. Then, he proceeded to the younger boy and struck his neck. He took his head and put it in a bag. He threw their bodies, which were dripping in blood, into the water. Then, he took them to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad whilst he was sitting on his throne with a bamboo staff in his hand. The two heads were placed before him. When he looked at them, he stood, then he sat, then he stood, then he sat, three times. Then, he said: Woe to you! Where did you find them? He said: They were hosted by our elderly lady. He said: Did you not observe the right of the guest? He said: No. He said: What did they say to you? He said: They said: “O shaykh! Take us to the market, sell us, and benefit from our price; do not wish to have Muhammad (s) as your adversary in the Resurrection.” He said: What did you say to them? He said: I said: “No, I will kill you two, and I will take your heads to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad to collect the reward of two thousand silver coins.” He said: What did they say to you? He said: They said: “Take us to `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad so that he may decide what to do with us.” He said: What did you say? He said: I said: “There is no way forward except that I will gain his nearness by your blood.” He said: Why did you not bring them to me alive so that I could offer you a reward of four thousand silver coins? He said: I did not see a way forward except that I would gain your nearness by their blood. He said: What else did they say to you? He said: They said to me: “O shaykh! Cherish our relation to the Messenger of Allah.” He said: What did you say to them? He said: I said: You have no relation to the Messenger of Allah (s). He said: Woe to you! What else did they say to you? He said: They said: “O shaykh! Have pity upon our young age.” He said: Did you not have pity for them? He said: I said: “Allah has not put any pity in my heart toward you.” He said: Woe to you! What else did they say to you? He said: They said: “Let us pray two units.” So, I said: “Pray as much as you wish if prayer will benefit you.” So, the two boys prayed four units. He said: What did they say at the end of their prayer? He said: They lifted their sights to the heavens and said: “O Living! O Wise! O Wisest of the Judges! Judge between us in what is right.” `Ubaydullah b. Ziyad said: Surely, the Wisest of the Judges has judged between you. Who [will take on] this wretched man? He said: A man from the people of the Levant came forth and said: Me. He said: Take him to the same place where he killed the two boys, strike his neck, do not let his blood mix with theirs, and bring his head. So, the man did that, and placed his head upon a lance. Then, the boys began pelting it with arrows and stones, saying: “This is the one who killed the progeny of the Messenger of Allah (s).”