The Reward for Those Who Cry Over Ĥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.)

‘Ali ibn Ḥusain (Imam Sajjād (a.s.)) used to say: Any believer who cries over Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) with (even) one tear running down his cheek will be rewarded by Allāh for that tear; he will be made to dwell in rooms in Paradise where he will stay for long ages. Any believer, who cries over us with (even) one tear running down his cheek because of his grief over the way in which our enemies hurt us in this life, will be rewarded by Allāh for that tear; he will be made to dwell in good settlements in Paradise. And any believer, who cries with (even) one tear running down his cheek because of his suffering from the pain of being hurt in our way, will be kept away from the afflictions of the Day of Judgment by Allāh and he will be safe from Allāh’s Wrath and from Hell. The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chain: My father, and all of my scholars, from Sa’d ibn ‘Abdillāh, from Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad, from Ḥamzah ibn ‘Ali Al-Ash’ari, from Ḥasan ibn Mu’āwiyah ibn Wahab, from someone who narrated to him, from Abī Ja’far (a.s.).

I heard Abā ‘Abdillāh (a.s.) say: Crying and jaza’ is disliked for the slaves (of Allāh) over any matter except crying and jaza’ over Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.). Verily the one who cries and acts impatiently over Ḥusain (a.s.) will be rewarded.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said – as part of a longer Ḥadīth: Those who shed tears when Ḥusain (a.s.) is mentioned in front of them will be rewarded by Allāh Himself, even if their tears are as small as the wing of a fly. And Allāh will not be pleased with any reward for them less than Paradise.

I heard ‘Ali ibn Ḥusain (Imam Sajjād (a.s.)) say: One who cries over us and sheds (even) one tear over us will be rewarded by Allāh for that tear; he will be made to dwell in rooms in Paradise where he will stay for long ages and long ages.

Whenever Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) was mentioned in front of Abī ‘Abdillāh, Ja’far ibn Muḥammad (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) during the day, he would not be seen smiling on that day until nightfall.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said to me, “O Misma’! You are from Iraq. Do you not go to the grave of Ḥusain (a.s.)?” I replied: No. I am well-known among the people of Basra and we have some people there who are the followers of the Caliph. We (also) have lots of enemies from among the tribes, NUSSĀB, and others. I do not feel safe, for they might report me to the son of Sulaymān (the governor of Kūfah) and they will torture me to act as a deterrent for others. Imam (a.s.) asked, “Do you not remember what was done to him (Ḥusain (a.s.))?” I replied, “Yes.” Imam (a.s.) asked, “Do you grieve impatiently (over Ḥusain’s tragedy)?” I replied, “Yes! I swear to Allāh (that I do)! I cry over (that which was done to him) so much that my family sees the effect (of my grief) over me. And I abstain from eating and its effects (also) appear on my face.” Imam (a.s.) said: May Allāh’s Mercy be upon your tears! Verily you are counted among those who grieve impatiently for us, those who are happy for our happiness and grieve over our grief, and those who are afraid when we are afraid, and feel safe when we feel safe. Verily when you die, my fathers (a.s.) will be there for you and they will be giving recommendations to the Angel of Death about you. Verily the glad tidings that they (my fathers (a.s.)) will give you will be a greater reward than this. Verily the Angel of Death will be more kind and merciful to you than a compassionate mother is to her son. Then the Imam (a.s.) started to cry and I cried with him. Then he (the Imam (a.s.)) said: Praise be to Allāh, who by (His) Mercy, gave preference to us and favoured us, the Ahlul Bayt, above (the rest of) His creation. O Misma’! Verily the earth and the heavens continuously cry for us, sympathizing with us since the day the Commander of the Believers (a.s.) was killed. And the number of angels who cry over us is even greater than this. The tears of the angels have never stopped since (the day) our killing began. Allāh will have mercy on whoever cries, sympathizing with that which was done to us, even before his tears fall from his eyes. (Verily) if one of the tears which runs on his cheeks were to fall over Hell, it would extinguish the (burning) heat of it in such a way that no heat would remain in it (at all). Verily those whose hearts ache for us will be pleased by seeing us at the time of their death in such a way that this pleasure will stay in their hearts until they meet us by the Pool (on the Day of Judgment). Verily (the Pool of) Kawthar will be delighted when one of our lovers comes to it and will serve him with various kinds of food to such an extent that he (the lover of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.)) will not ever wish to leave (the Pool). O Misma’! Those who drink (even) one sip from the Pool will never feel thirsty again and they will never ask for (another) drink again. It is as cold as camphor, as fragrant as musk, and as tasty as ginger. It is sweeter than honey, softer than butter, more pure than a tear, and more aromatic than ambergris. It emerges from Tasnīm and it passes through the rivers of Paradise and flows over a riverbed made of pearl and corundum. The number of jugs in it is greater than the number of stars in the sky; they are made of gold, silver, and various kinds of gems. Its fragrance (the Pool of Kawthar) can be smelled from a distance of one thousand years and such great fragrances emanate from it onto the face of whoever drinks from it, that he will say, “I wish if I could have been left right here. I do not need anything other than this and I do not wish to be moved from here.” O son of Kirdīn! Verily you will be among those whose thirst will be quenched by it, and everyone whose eyes cried on us will be blessed by looking at Kawthar and will be given a drink from it. Verily the desires of those who love us more will be satisfied in a greater way, and they will feel more pleasure, and they will find the water from the Pool of Kawthar more tasty than those who love us less. Verily the Commander of the Believers (a.s.) will be standing by the (Pool of) Kawthar and he will have a stick made of boxthorn in his hand with which he will smash our enemies (in such a way) that one of our enemies will say, “I testify that there is no god but Allāh and Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allāh!” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) will reply, “Go to your leader, so-and-so, and ask him to intercede for you.” The man will say, “My leader, whom you mentioned, dissociates himself from me.” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) will reply, “Go back and ask the one whom you used to love, follow, and whom you preferred above the rest of creation to intercede for you since he was the best of creation in your eyes, for verily (only) the best of creation can intercede.” The man will say, “I am dying of thirst!” The Commander of the Believers (a.s.) will reply, “May Allāh increase your thirst and your need for water!” I (Misma’) asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! How can he (this enemy) even come close to the Pool when others cannot?” Imam (a.s.) replied: He stayed away from hideous acts and abstained from insulting us – the Ahlul Bayt – when we had been mentioned in his presence and he avoided some other (hideous) acts which others had dared to commit. However, none of this (abstaining from these evil deeds) was based on following us or loving us. Rather, it was based on his diligence in worship and in religious acts and based on being preoccupied with himself rather than talking about others. However, the heart (of such a person) is filled with hypocrisy and his religion is based on hating us, following those who incite hatred toward us, believing in the authority of those two people of the past, and giving preference to them over everyone else.

I accompanied Abā ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) (from Madīnah to Makkah) on a Hajj trip and I asked him, “O son of the Messenger of Allāh! If the grave of Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) was to be disinterred, would anything be found in it?” Imam (a.s.) replied: O son of Bukayr! Your questions are (always) about great matters. Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) along with his father, mother, and his brother (a.s.) are with the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.) in his house and they are being rewarded and sustained, (just) as the Prophet (s.a.a.w.) is. Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) is hanging on to the right side of the Throne and he says, “O my Lord! Fulfill Your promise to me.” Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) looks at those who go to his Ziyārah and he knows them and he knows their names, the names of their fathers, and that which they carry along with them even better than they know their own sons. Verily he looks at those who cry over him and he seeks forgiveness for them and asks his father (a.s.) to seek forgiveness for them. And he says to them (those who cry over him), “O those who cry (over me)! If you knew about that which Allāh has prepared for you, you would be more happy than you are grieved (over me).” Imam (a.s.) continued, “Verily Ḥusain (a.s.) seeks forgiveness for them for every sin and for every mistake.” The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chain: My father, from Sa’d ibn ‘Abdillāh, from Muḥammad ibn Ḥusain, from Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdillāh ibn Zurārah, from ‘Abdillāh ibn ‘Abdil Raḥmān Al-Asam, from ‘Abdillāh ibn Bukayr, from Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: The sins of whoever cries, even as little as (the width of) the wing of a fly, when we are mentioned in front of him will be forgiven, even if his sins are greater than the scum in the sea. The above Ḥadīth has also been narrated to me through the following chain: Muḥammad ibn ‘Abdillāh, from his father, from Aḥmad ibn Abī ‘Abdillāh Al-Barqi, from his father, from Bakr ibn Muḥammad, from Abī ‘Abdillāh (a.s.).

Abū Ja’far (Imam Bāqir (a.s.)) said: Any believer who cries over Ḥusain (a.s.) with (even) one tear running down his cheek will be rewarded by Allāh for that tear; he will be made to dwell in rooms in Paradise where he will stay for long ages.

Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: Allāh has made it Ḥarām for Hell to burn the face of anyone who sheds tears (on us) when we are mentioned in his presence.