Shahadatnama - 3

[Here comparisons are made in the hardships and sorrow of the other Prophets with the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and His Ahle Bait] From the beginning, it was being shown that those who have love for Allah Ta'ala face hardships and difficulties. Thus, every Prophet faced hardships. In this chapter, the hardships of other Prophets are compared with the hardships of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Ahle Bait. Comparison of the grief of Hadhrat Adam (Peace be upon him) for Habil (Abel) and the grief of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) for Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). Hadhrat Adam (Peace be upon him) only had to taste the tree of love that he had to face a host of difficulties. Of all the Prophets, the status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the highest, so He had to face the most number of hardships, and the status of the Ahle Bait of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is the highest among the kinsfolk of all Prophets. For this reason, the hardships of the Ahle Bait are also more. Once, Hadhrat Adam (Peace be upon him) saw in a dream that Habil was calling out to him: Father! Help me! I am being killed. On seeing this dream, he got up worried and saw Jibrail (Peace be upon him) standing near his bed. He asked him: Brother! Do you have news of my son Habil. Jibrail (Peace be upon him) said: May Allah Ta'ala give you a great reward. Habil was killed by Qabil (Cain). He kept calling out. No one came to his aid. Prophet Adam (Peace be upon him) started crying and said: Brother Jibrail (Peace be upon him)! Show me his grave. He opened his grave and saw him, head cut and the whole body soaked in blood. He would rub his face on Habil's face and say: Alas son! What has become of you now! Sorrow is not as great on receiving news after it happens, as it is on receiving the news before it happens. Once Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) came in the appearance of Hadhrat Wahiya Kalbi (May Allah be well pleased with him) and sat before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Meanwhile, the Imams, Hadhrat Hasan and Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with them), small children, also came there. They took Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) for Wahiya Kalbi and sat in his lap and started putting their hands in his pockets, etc. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) wanted to separate the children. Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) please don’t tell them anything. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Jibrail! They don’t know your status and are disrespecting you. Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) said: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! Many times it has happened that Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with him) would sleep after offering Tahajjud and Hadhrat Hussain would be in the cradle. He would want to cry. Allah Ta'ala would order: "Jibrail, Go fast! The sleep of our Fatima should not be spoiled. Go and cradle Hussain and don’t let him cry." There is no problem if they sit in the lap of the one who cradles them. What are they searching in my pockets! The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: You are in the appearance of Wahiya Kalbi. Wahiya Kalbi would bring fruit for them. They take you for Wahiya Kalbi and are searching for fruit. Jibrail (Peace be upon him) brought fruits for them from Jannah. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was looking at the children with love. Jibrail (Peace be upon him) said: Some people from your Ummah will bathe this beloved of yours in blood. This is the sand of the place where he will be martyred." Whenever Hadhrat Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) would come before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), He must have been reminded of the incident. Hadhrat Adam (Peace be upon him) must have forgotten it, but the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) must have remembered this lifelong. Alas! Hadhrat Adam (Peace be upon him) cried so much for one person. Here, the whole house is finished. Should the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) cry for one or for the other? Comparison of the punishment of the murderer of Habil and the murderer of Imam Hussain Orders came: O Adam! Be patient. There is boundless reward for those who are patient. The murderer of Habil will be given half of the punishment of hell. Friends! This is a moment of reflection. The punishment of the murder of Habil is half of the punishment of hell. Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), the son and beloved of the Holy Prophet, the chief of all Prophets, is greater than Habil, then what will be the punishment for the one who martyred Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him)? Hadhrat Ali Moosa (May Allah be well pleased with him) narrates: The murderer of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was shut in a casket of fire and handcuffs and manacles of fire were put on his hands and feet. Such a foul smell is coming out of this casket that the people of hell call out for protection against it. Why should it not be? The one who slit his throat with a serrated sword, the one who scraped the place where the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) would kiss with a dagger, whatever punishment is given to that person is less. Comparison of the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (Peace be upon him) with the ark of Ahle Bait: Hadhrat Nooh (Peace be upon him) was troubled in many ways. Then he was given an ark (a big ship) through which he was saved. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was also given an ark, as He has said: Translation of Hadith: My Ahle Bait are like the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (Peace be upon him). The ark of Hadhrat Nooh was saved, but the ark of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was drowned in Karbala. Did Hadhrat Nooh (Peace be upon him) ever face such a difficulty? The news of the safety of the ark of Hadhrat Nooh (Peace be upon him) was brought by a crow and the news of the drowning of the boat of the Ahle Bait was also brought by a crow. This is how it was, everybody went to Karbala, but 1 daughter of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) was left back because of illness. One day, she saw a crow soaked in blood sitting on the wall of the house. What do you think her state was! She started crying out: O Father! O Hussain! O what kind of hardship is this! Everybody asked: O girl! What has happened to you? She gestured towards the crow and said: People! The news of the safety of the ark of Prophet Nooh (Peace be upon him) was brought by a crow. Now, the news of the drowning of the ark of Ahle Bait is also brought by a crow. At this moment, everybody was reminded of the above mentioned Hadith. On this, Hadhrat Ummul Momineen Hadhrat Umme Salama (May Allah be well pleased with her) said: Daughter, please wait! I have the sand of Karbala given to me by the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). He (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had said that on the day of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him), this sand will turn to blood. This sand was seen and indeed, it had turned to fresh blood. Now the crying of the girl, "Father, you have left me alone", was breaking the hearts of all. The difference between the hardship of Hadhrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) and the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam): Hadhrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) was ordered to slay his son in a dream. In a waking state, he does it, but his son Hadhrat Ismail is saved from slaughter. By the order of Allah Ta'ala, in his place, a ram of Jannah is sacrificed. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is given the news of the slaying of Imam while awake and Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) is not even saved from it. From this we can understand whether the hardship of Hadhrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) is greater or of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Comparison of the hardships of Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) and the hardships of the Ahle Bait:     After the brothers of Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) took him along with them and separated him from their father, when he would ask for water, they would show him water and throw it on the ground and hurt him. In the battle field of Karbala, they would show water to Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) and throw it on the ground. Even the dogs from the side of Yazid would drink water. On the other hand, the lions of Allah Ta'ala were thirsty. Hadhrat Yousuf would cry out: O father Yaqub (Peace be upon him)! Where are you? Look at our beloved son, what condition he is in. Why are you so heedless of my condition? Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) was troubled for a few moments, then he is seen on the throne of Egypt. O my beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! Where are you? Your beloved grandson, whom you had raised with such love, alas! today, his and his family's tongues are parched because of thirst, and they are getting their dry throats cut. In Karbala, all of the Ahle Bait are being killed. The last wishes of Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) and the last wishes of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him): They threw Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) in the well and left. One brother who had some love for Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him), came to the well at night and asked: Yousuf, how are you? He said: What are you asking him who is separated from his father, lying at the bottom of the well, near death, nude, with dry lips, empty stomach, with a wounded heart with no friend and no helper. Yahuda said: This is not the time for all these things, but this is the time for last wishes. Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) said: Brother! When you go home tonight, remember my misery. While eating, remember my hunger. When you wear clothes, remember my nudity. In times of happiness, when you sit with your friends, remember my loneliness and misery. Please take a look at the last wishes of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). He says to Imam Zainul A'abideen: Son! Convey my Salaam to the pious people of the Ummah and our friends and tell them to remember our exile and helplessness whenever they talk about exile and helplessness; that they remember my dry lips and parched tongue whenever they drink water. Comparison of the sorrow of Hadhrat Yaqub (Peace be upon him) with the sorrow of Hadhrat Imam Zainul A'abideen: At nights, Hadhrat Yaqub (Peace be upon him) would roam around Kana'an (Canaan) and call out: O Son! The comfort of my eyes! Where are you? My heart! My beloved! In which well did they throw you? With which sword did they kill you? In which river did they drown you? In which land did they bury you? He would say this and cry. Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) would say: Yaqub (Peace be upon him)! Your crying is making the angels of the highest stations (Mala A'ala) cry. Hadhrat Yaqub would say: Jibrail! What should I do? Why should I not cry? Where has my Yousuf gone? Where will he be found? After the battle of Karbala, Hadhrat Imam Zainul A'abideen would cry a lot. People told him: O son of the Holy Prophet! You cry a lot. We fear for your life with this much of crying. He said: Friends! What should I do? Hadhrat Yaqub (Peace be upon him) was a Prophet. He had 12 sons. When one of them was hidden from his eyes, he cried so much that he lost his eyesight. Before my very eyes, my father, my brothers, my uncles and my relatives and friends were martyred. I have seen all of them getting their thirsty throats cut and writhing. How should I not cry? Yaqub (Peace be upon him) cried so much for separation from one. How much should I not cry for separation from 72? Comparison of the departure of the caravan of Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) with the departure of the caravan of the Ahle Bait: When the people of the caravan were taking Hadhrat Yousuf (Peace be upon him) after buying him, on the way, he saw the grave of his mother and started crying. O mother! Raise your head from the grave and see the condition of your son. They are taking me with chains and manacles. From Karbala, the caravan of the women of the Ahle Bait departed. Hadhrat Zainul A'abideen is on a camel. The head of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) is on the spear and his body was on the ground, soaked in blood. Hadhrat Zainab (May Allah be well pleased with her) said: O Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! Where are You? See the condition of Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). His head is on the spear, the body which grew up in your lap, alas! that is lying in sand and blood. The one whom you called Raihan (meaning flower), now all his body parts are separated. On listening to this the whole army started crying. Comparison of the wounds of the Hadhrat Ayyub (Peace be upon him) and the wounds of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him): There were many thousand insects in the blessed body of Hadhrat Ayyub (Peace be upon him). There were many thousand wounds on the pure body of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). In Qiyamah, the "Nida" (call) will be given 2 times. First time, it will be ordered: O People of Mahshar! Open your eyes and see! Such a slave of ours will pass who has never committed a sin. Then Hadhrat Yahya (Peace be upon him) will pass. All the sinners will lower their heads out of shame. Then again a call will be given: O People of Mahshar! Everyone close their eyes. The daughter of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) is going to pass. The 'Ulama (scholars) say that that world is not a world of rules and regulations. This command is not because a Non-Mahram should not see Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her), but because Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) will come in Qiyamah in such a state that nobody will have the strength to see her. Bosoms will be rent by seeing such a sight. This will be that condition: A poisoned robe of Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) on 1 shoulder. A bloody robe of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) on another shoulder. A bloody turban of Hadhrat Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) in her hands. Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with him) will clutch the support of the 'Arsh and cry with such emotion that even the angels will start crying. Hadhrat Jibrail (Peace be upon him) will appear before the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and say: O Prophet of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) is in temper today. The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) will go to Hadhrat Fatima (May Allah be well pleased with her) and say: Daughter! Is today the day to complain or to redress others' complaints? She will say: Father! What to do? When I see this poison and this blood, I become restless! The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) will say: Daughter! Many sinners are waiting for us. You take the bloody robe in your hand and I will take dust covered hair in hand. You entreat with a sad heart. I will show my broken teeth and perform Shafa'at that O Most merciful! Have mercy on My Ummah and forgive them! Reconciling the verse with the hardships of Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). You might have heard a lot about the Hadhrat Moosa's (Peace be upon him) roaming in jungles. Now listen to the wandering and misery of the grandson of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in the jungles of Karbala: By giving these hardships to the grandson of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and His Ahle Bait, all the hardships which were given to the earlier Prophets, were combined on the Holy Prophet and His Ahle Bait. As the status of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and his Ahle Bait is the highest of all, their hardships are the most among all. Now reflect on the meaning of this verse: Be sure We shall test you with something of fear and hunger, some loss in goods, lives and the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. First, the hardship of fear. In the truthfulness of the Imam (May Allah be well pleased with him), there is fear of the aggressors, especially when on the way, the news of the martyrdom of Hadhrat Muslim (May Allah be well pleased with him) reached them. What would have been the condition of the Imam then? Do not even ask about hunger and thirst. After refusing to give the pledge of allegiance (Bait) of Yazid, the lost wealth and after martyrdom, their tents were looted. Many thousand wounds were on the body, then think how much bodily harm did he suffer. This is apart from the martyrdom of his nephews, friends, etc. At last, he was also martyred. With what plans did they leave Makkah Mu'azzama and Madina Munawwarah. First Hadhrat Muslim (May Allah be well pleased with him) was sent, but all this failed and the sorrow of losing children became the fate. In short, all these hardships were combined for Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him). With this you can understand the high status of the great Imam.

Dr. Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri

Shaykh Ul Fiqh, Jamia Nizamia; Founder - Director

Mufti Maulana Syed Zia Uddin Naqshbandi Quadri

Shaik-ul-Fiqh - Jamia Nizamia

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Shahadatnama - 3