The Story Of Ashura 25 Urdu (Events of Karbala)

The narrator reported that when the women and children of the Ahl al-Bayt were brougth before Ibn Ziyad, Hadrat Zainab was wearing ordinary clothes and was surrounded by her maids. Ibn Ziyad inquired as to whom she was, but no one responded. When he inquired for the third time, a maid servant replied, “She is Zainab bint Fatimah (radiyallahu ‘anha).” Thereupon Ibn Ziyad (May Allah give him what he deserves!) shouted: “Praise be to God who has disgraced and destroyed you and brought dishonor to your name.” Hadrat Sayyidah Zainab (radiyallahu ‘anh) replied: “All praise is due to the Almighty Allah Who honored us by raising the Most Beloved Nabi Muhammad (Salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) amongst us and purified us. Only the wicked and vicious are disgraced.” Ibn Ziyad said again, “Don’t you see how Allah has treated your family?!” Hadrat Sayyidah Zainab (radiyallahu ‘anha) replied, “Death was their fate, so they met with death. Allah will gather you and them together very soon and then you can cross question each other in His Court.” Ibn Ziyad said: “Allah has rejoiced me with the death of your arrogant leader and the rebels of your family.” Sayyidah Zainab (radiyallahu ‘anha) tried to restrain herself but could not suppress her tears and said: “By Allah, you have killed my leader, destroyed my family, slashed my branches, and cut off my roots. If this rejoices your heard, you may rejoice over it.”
Ibn Ziyad smiled and said: “Bravo! This is heroism. Your father was a poet as well as a hero. Hadrat Sayyidah Zainab (radiyallahu ‘anha) replied: “What a woman has to do with heroism? My misfortune had made me unmindful of heroism. What I say comes out of my mouth with a burning heart.” Ibn Ziyad was enraged. Seeing him in this condition Umar bin Harth said: “My Allah ennoble the Amir! She is merely a woman. A woman’s utterance should be taken lightly.”
After these bitter exchanges, Ibn Ziyad cast a glance on Ali Zain-ul-Abidin bin Husain bin Ali (radiyallahu ‘anh) who was seriously ill at that time. Ibn Ziyad inquired his name. He replied: “Ali bin Husain.” Ibn Ziyad asked with astonishment: “Has Ali bin Husain not been killed in the fight.” Hadrat Zain-ul-Abidin (radiyallahu ‘anh) did not reply. Ibn Ziyad said: “Why don’t you speak?” Imam Zain-ul-Abidin replied: “Another brother of mine was named Ali. People killed him. Ibn Ziyad said: “People did not murder him, but Allah has killed him.” On this Hadrat Zain-ul-Abidin recited the following Ayat of the Qur’an al-kareem:
“It is Allah Who deprives one of his life at the time of death. And no one dies except by Allah’s Command.”
On hearing this Ibn Ziyad shouted: “May Allah kill you! You are also one of them.” Ibn Ziyad wanted to kill him but Hadrat Zainab (radiyallahu ‘anha) cried impatiently: “I implore you in the name of Allah not to kill the boy. In case you are bent upon to kill the boy, kill me also along with him.” Imam Zain-ul-Abidin said in a loud voice: “O’ Ibn Ziyad! If you have even the remotest kinship with these ladies, send them after I am killed under the escort of a pious man who should treat them gently in accordance with social principles of Islam.” Ibn Ziyad fixed his gaze upon Hadrat Zainab for a long time and then said to the people: “Relationship is a very delicate sentiment. By Allah, I am sure she really wants to lay her life along with the lad. All right, leave the lad and allow him to go with the women of his family.”
After this incident Ibn Ziyad instructed the citizens to assemble in the main Masjid and delivered a sermon before the assembly as follows:
“All praise is due to Allah Who made the truth manifest and has granted victory to the followers of truth. Yazid bin Mu’awiyah, the Commander of the faithful and his party became victorious and defeated Husain bin Ali and his companions, the liars.”
On hearing this, Abdullah bin Afif Azdi, a well-known companion of Hadrat Ali (Karramallahu Ta’ala wajhah) who had lost his eye-sight in the battles of Jamal and Siffin, stood up and shouted: “By Allah! Ibn Marjana, you are a liar and a son of a liar, and not Husain bin Ali (radiyallahu ‘anh).” Ibn Ziyad, the wretch, got annoyed and put him to death.
Ibn Ziyad fixed the head of Hadrat Imam Husain (radiyallahu ‘anh) on a pole and sent the same to Yazid through Zahr bin Qais. Ghaz bin Rabi’ah reported that he was sitting in the court of Yazid when Zahr bin Qais arrived. Yazid inquired: “What is the news?” Qais replied, “I have brought the news of victory. Husain bin Ali came to us along with eighteen members of the Ahl al-Bayt and sixty supporters. We stopped them and demanded them to surrender or fight. They preferred to fight than to submit. So we attacked them at the break of dawn. When swords began to strike their heads, they ran to and fro to save themselves just as pigeon ran away on seeing the eagle. Then we put them all to death. At this moment their dead bodies are lying naked. Their clothes are stained with blood. Their dead bodies are rotting in the sun and are serving as a food for vultures.
The narrator reported that on hearing this pathetic story, Yazid’s eyes brimmed with tears, and he said: “I could be pleased at your loyalty even without the murder of Husain (radiyallahu ‘anh). May Allah curse the son of Ibn Sumiyya (Ibn Ziyad, la’natullahi ‘alayh)! By Allah, had I been present there, I would certainly have forgiven Husain. May Allah shower his blessings upon Husain.” Yazid did not give any reward to the messenger.
Qasim bin Abdur-Rahman, a slave of Yazid, reported that when heads of Hadrat Husain (radiyallahu ‘anh) and that of the Ahl al-Bayt were placed before Yazid, he recited the following verse:
“The swords sever the heads of those whom we love, though they were in fact tyrants who neglected the truth.”
Then said: “By Allah, O’ Husain! Had I been there I would not have killed you.”
After sending the head of Imam Husain (radiyallahu ‘anh) Ibn Ziyad dispatched the remaining members of the Ahl al-Bait to Damascus under the escort of Shimr bin Zil Joushan and Mahzar bin Tha’laba. Imam Zain-ul-Abidin kept quiet throughout the journey. He did not speak even a single word to anybody. On arrival in the court of Yazid, Mazhar bin Tha’laba cried: “O’ Commander of the faithful! I have brought sinners before you.” On hearing this Yazid got annoyed and said: “No woman had given birth to a more vicious and wicked child than Tha’laba’s mother.”