He was one of the prominent figures of that group and, like many of his like-minded companions, harbored animosity towards Ali (peace be upon him) and his children, even boasting about it. This group later became known as the “Kharijites,” meaning those who rebelled against the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (peace be upon him). Since they considered Ali (peace be upon him) and his children, Hasan and Husayn (peace be upon them), to be infidels, they waged war against them, marking a dark chapter in history.
One day, a man named Nafi’ ibn al-Azraq, who was a leader of the Kharijites, entered the Haram Mosque. Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) and Abdullah ibn Abbas[1] were sitting in the mosque. Nafi’ approached them and sat next to them. After a while, Nafi’ turned to Ibn Abbas and said, “O Ibn Abbas! Describe to me the God whom you worship!”
Ibn Abbas paused for a long time without responding.
At this point, Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) turned to him and said, “O Nafi’, I will answer the question you asked him.”
However, Nafi’ showed no respect for the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and responded, “I did not ask you so that you may answer me.”
Ibn Abbas turned to Nafi’ and said, “Do not speak this way to the son of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family), for he belongs to the family of Prophethood and possesses a treasure of wisdom.” Nafi’ then turned to the Imam and said, “You describe God to me.”
Although Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) had witnessed Nafi’s disrespectful behavior, it seemed as if nothing had happened. He thus began speaking, “I will describe Him as He has described Himself, and I know Him as He has introduced His own essence. He is a being that cannot be comprehended by human senses and cannot be compared to His creatures. He is near, yet not connected to us; He is far, yet never distant. He is One and has no parts. There is no deity besides Him, the Great and Exalted.”
The narrator says that Nafi’ began to weep, crying intensely. Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) asked him, “What has made you weep?”
Nafi’ replied, “I weep at the beauty of your description.”
Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) then said, “O Nafi’, I have heard that you accuse my brother, my father, and myself of disbelief.”
Nafi’ responded, “I swear by God, from what I have heard from you, you are indeed the radiant source of Islam and the stars of God’s commandments.”
Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) said, “O Nafi’, I will ask you about something and I want you to answer me. In the words of Allah (in the Qur’an), He says: ‘And as for the wall belonging to the two orphan boys in that city, there was a treasure beneath it, and their father was a righteous man. And your Lord intended that they reach maturity and extract their treasure’ [2]. Who had preserved the treasure for them to inherit?”
Nafi’ replied, “Their father.”
Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) then asked, “Which is greater, their father and mother, or the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) and Fatimah (peace be upon her)?”
Realizing the Imam’s intent, Nafi’ could neither speak nor dare to accept the question. He felt it was best to stand up and leave the gathering.
Indeed, Allah Almighty, in respect to a righteous father, preserved his inheritance so that, after many years, it would be delivered to his rightful heirs. But can one truly believe that the Lord of the Worlds would not have preserved the treasure of knowledge and guidance from His Last Messenger and the noblest of His creatures, to be passed to His rightful heirs? And is there anyone more worthy of inheriting the legacy of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) than his righteous children, who were raised in the house of revelation and inhaled the fragrance of the breath of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)?
(Adapted from “Tafseer al-Ayashi” by Muhammad ibn Mas’ud al-Ayashi[3])
Footnotes:
[1] Ibn Abbas, who was a prominent disciple of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), is regarded by Sunni scholars as one of the great interpreters and scholars of his time.
[2] Surah Al-Kahf, verse 82 – This verse refers to the story of Prophet Musa and Khidr (peace be upon them), who arrived in a city where they saw a wall that was about to fall. By God’s command, Khidr repaired the wall, and the reason for this action is explained in this verse.
[3] In addition to Tafseer al-Ayashi (Volume 2, page 338), this narration is also found in the following books: Tarikh Madinat Dimashq, Volume 14, page 184; Tawheed Shaykh Saduq, page 80; Rawdat al-Wa’izeen, page 34; Tafseer Noor al-Thaqalayn, Volume 3, page 290; Bihar al-Anwar, Volume 33, page 424.