Ibn Abi al-Hadid[1], one of the most prominent scholars of the Sunni tradition, is best known for his commentary on Nahj al-Balagha, but he also authored works in theology, logic, history, and other fields. He describes Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) as follows: “The master and leader of those who never submitted to humiliation, the one who taught people nobility and showed them how to choose death under the shade of swords over a life of degradation, is Abu Abdullah, Hussain ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib. He and his companions were offered safety, but he turned away from humiliation and chose death over the disgrace of being spared by Ibn Ziyad”[2].
The final moments of the great sacrifice of a noble hero who taught humanity freedom, dignity, and servitude to God have arrived. Now, Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) is without support. His companions have been martyred, and all of Banu Hashim who went into the battlefield have been martyred. Now, with heart and mind focused on the battlefield, we must look at Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and witness his position and actions…
This gaze must be continuous because the moment has come when the situation is exceedingly difficult…
I looked at Hussain (peace be upon him) and saw that he was sitting on his horse. His army surrounded him and approached.
I looked again, and I no longer saw him on the horse. It seemed he had dismounted…
Do you know why the best of soils, the soil of his grave, is considered the most sacred? It is because on this earth, a prostration was made by a person whose prostration was unparalleled from the beginning of creation until the Day of Judgment. His prostration was not with his forehead, but with his entire face…
Do you know when this prostration took place? It happened when, according to the narrator’s report: “When the wounds from arrows and swords struck Imam Hussain (peace be upon him), ‘Salih ibn Wahb al-Mazani’ struck his blessed side with a spear. Suddenly, Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) fell from his horse, landing on the right side of his face while saying: ‘Bismillah wa billah wa ‘ala millat Rasulillah,’ meaning, ‘In the name of God, by God, and according to the way of the Messenger of God.’”
I kept looking, but why had the air turned dark?
Ah, alas…
I saw something rising toward the sky, but it did not ascend too far from the ground. It seemed like a head on the top of a spear. Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was the head of Hussain (peace be upon him) raised on the spear…
“O soul at rest, return to your Lord, well-pleased and pleasing to Him. Enter among My servants and enter My Paradise!” [3]
Indeed, to God we belong, and to Him we return…
(Excerpted from the book “Fawa’id al-Mashhad” and “Mawa’iz” by the late Ayatollah Sheikh Ja’far Shushtari, with abbreviations and additions.)
Footnotes:
[1] Fakhr al-Din Abu Hamid Abdulhamid ibn Abu al-Hadid, known as Ibn Abi al-Hadid, was an eminent scholar, theologian, historian, poet, and jurist of the Shafi’i school, a prominent Mu’tazili, and one of the scholars of the Sunni tradition in the 7th century Hijri.
[2] (Sharh Nahj al-Balagha by Ibn Abi al-Hadid, Volume 3, p. 249)
[3] (Surah al-Fajr, verses 27-30)