The Birth of al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.)

Al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.) was born in the third year AH. He left this word in the month of Muharram in the year sixty one AH. He lived for fifty seven years and few months. ‘Ubaydulla ibn Ziyad murdered him (may Allah condemn him) during the Caliphate of Yazid ibn Mu‘awiya (may Allah’s condemnation be up on him. He was the governor of Kufa. The horse men who murdered him were lead by ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d (may condemn him) in the plain of Karbala. It took place on Monday the tenth of the month of Muharram. His mother was Fatima, daughter of the Messenger of Allah .

“Al-Husayn (a.s.) passed away on the day of ‘Ashura’ and he was fifty seven years old.”

“The time between the birth of al-Hasan and the conception for al-Husayn was like one menstuaral cycle and the time between the birth of the two was six months and ten days.”

“When Fatima (a.s.) conceived al-Husayn (a.s.) Jibril came to the Messenger of Allah and said, “Fatima will soon give birth to a son. Your ’Umma (followers) will kill him after you will die.” When Fatima had conceived al-Husayn she was unhappy and when she gave birth she was unhappy. Then The Imam (a.s.) said, “No mother has ever been seen in the word to bear a child that she would not like. However, she was unhappy because she knew that he will be killed.” The Imam (a.s.) has said, “It is this case for which the following verse of the Holy Quran came. “We have advised the human being to be kind to his parents; his mother bore him with hardship and delivered him while suffering a great deal of pain. The period in which his mother bore and weaned him lasted for thirty months. . .” (46:15).”

“Once Jibril came to Muhammad (s.a) and said tohim, “O Muhammad, Allah gives you the glad news of the birth of a son from Fatima. Your ’Umma (followers0 will kill this child after you will die.” He said, “O Jibril peace is from my Lord. I do not need a child from Fatima who will be killed by my ’Umma after I will die.” Jibril ascended and then descended back and said to him the same thing. He said, “O Jibril peace is from my Lord. I do not need a child who will be killed by my ’Umma after I will die.” Jibril ascended to the heavens and then descended back and said, “O Muhammad (s.a), your Lord sends you greetings and gives you the glad news of His placing Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority), the guardianship and the executor-ship of the will in the descendants of this child.” Then he said, “I agree and accept the deal.” He then sent the message of the glad news of the birth of a child from her who will be killed by his ’Umma. She returned the answer that she would not need a child who will be killed by your ’Umma after you will die. He then sent the message to her that Allah will place Imamat (Leadership with Divine Authority), Guardian-ship and the executor-ship of the will in the descendants of this child. She then sent back with the answer that she has agreed to the deal. “. . his mother bore him with hardship and delivered him while suffering a great deal of pain. The period in which his mother bore and weaned him lasted for thirty months. When he grew-up to manhood and became forty years old, he then said, “Lord, inspire me to give You thanks for the bounties you have granted to me and my parents, and to act righteously to please You. Lord, make (people of) my offspring virtuous.. .” (46:15). The Imam (a.s.) said, “Had he not said, ‘. . Lord, make (people of) my offspring virtuous. .´(46:15) all of his offspring would have been Imams.” Al-Husayn (a.s.) did not have any milk from Fatima (a.s.) nor from other females. They would bring him to the Holy Prophet (s.a) and he would place his thumb in his mouth and he would suck from it that much that would suffice him for three days. The flesh of al-Husayn (a.s.) grew from that of the Holy Prophet (s.a) and his blood from his blood. No one has ever been born after six months except Jesus son of Mary and al-Husayn ibn Ali (a.s.).” In another hadith from abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.) it is said that the Holy Prophet (s.a) would come to al-Husayn and would place his tongue in his mouth and it would suffice him (as food) and that he did have any milk from any female.

about the words of Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most gracious. “. . Then he looked at the stars (37:88) and said, “I am sick!” (37:89). The Imam (a.s.) said, “He calculated and found what had t happen to al-Husayn (a.s.) then he said, “I am sick for what will happen to al-Husayn (a.s.).”

“Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) has said, ‘When all that happened to al-Husayn had happened, the angels wept and cried before Allah and said, “How such thing would happen to al-Husayn Your chosen one and the grand son of Your Prophet?” The Imam (a.s.) has said that Allah then showed to them the shadow of Al-Qa’im (the one who will rise with Divine Authority) and said, “Through him I will take My revenge.”

“When Victory came down upon al-Husayn ibn Ali until it was between the sky and the earth, he then was given the choice between Victory or meeting Allah, so he chose to meet Allah."

Abdallah ibn Idris narrated to them his father, Idris ibn ‘Abdallah al-’Awi who said the following: "When al-Husayn (a.s.) was murdered the people wanted to make the horses run over his (al-Husayn’s) body. Fizzah then told Zaynab, 'My lady, there was a shipwreck and Safina came out on an Island face-to-face with a lion. He said to the lion, 'O Abu al-Harith, I am the slave of the Messenger of Allah.' The lion murmured in front of him and showed him the way. There lives a lion in this area allow me to go and inform him of what the people intend to do to al-Husayn (a.s.) tomorrow.' The narrator has said that she went to the lion and said, 'O Abu al-Harith and the lion raised his head and she said, 'Do you know what these people intend to do to Abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.)? They intend to make the horses run over his body.' The narrator has said that the lion walked and placed both of his hands over the body of al-Husayn (a.s.). When the horsemen came they found the lion in that condition and ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d (may Allah condemn him) told them, 'It is mischief. Do not bother and turn back,' thus they turned back.