Hurr joins Imam Husayn (a.s.)

When Hurr saw that the people have resolved to kill Imam Husayn (a.s.), and when he heard Imam calling out:

"Is there none who would hasten to assist us in the name of Allah? Is there none who would defend the Household of the Prophet"?

Then Hurr told Umar bin Sa’ad, "O Umar! Then will you really fight this man"? He replied, "Yes, by Allah! The battle, which if goes smoothly, will result in the rolling of heads and cutting off the hands." Hurr said, "Then is his proposal unacceptable to you"? Umar replied, "If the situation would have been in my hands, I would certainly have yielded to his request, but your commander will not accept it."

Hurr then left him and stood alone far away from others, while his fellow traveler, named Qurrah bin Qays, was along with him. Hurr said, "O Qurrah! Have you fed your horse today"? He replied in the negative. Hurr said, "Then do you not desire quenching it’s thirst"? Qurrah says that I doubted that perhaps he wanted to skip away from the battle and did not like that I should see him going away, hence I said, "I shall now be doing so." Hearing this Hurr moved away from there. Qurrah says that, "By Allah! If only Hurr had revealed to me what he intended, I too would have accompanied him to the presence of Imam Husayn (a.s.)." Then slowly Hurr started moving closer to Imam Husayn (a.s.).

Muhajir bin Aws told him, "O son of Yazid! What do you intend? Do you intend to lay siege"? Hurr did not answer him but was shivering. Muhajir said, "Verily your state seems dubious. I have never ever seen you in any battle in a similar state in which you are now. If I would have been questioned as to who is the most valorous among the Kufans, I would not hesitate to take your name. What is this state I presently see you in"? Hurr replied, "I find myself between Paradise and hell. And by Allah! I shall not exalt anything else over Paradise, even if I be cut into pieces or burnt." Then Hurr struck his horse (Malhoof) and turned to go towards Imam Husayn (a.s.)

Hurr had kept his hands on his head (like a prisoner) and was saying, "O Allah! I am returning towards You, thus You accept me, for I have put fear into the hearts of Your friends and the children of the Prophet’s grandson."

(Irshad, Kamil) Tabari says that when he neared Imam Husayn (a.s.) and his companions, he overturned his shield and saluted them. Then he went to Imam Husayn (a.s.) and said, "May I be your ransom O son of the Prophet of Allah! I am the one who had stopped you from returning back and had accompanied you all along and had forced you to alight here. But I had not known that these people would directly refuse your proposal and bring you to this present state. By Allah! If I had known that they would do to you such, I would not have undertaken that what I have done. Hence now I apologize to Allah regarding that what I have done, then do you think that my repentance would be accepted"?

Imam Husayn (a.s.) replied,

"May Allah accept your repentance! Thus alight from your horse."

Hurr replied, "It is better for me to be mounted and serve you and fight with them, thus ultimately I will have to alight from my horse (when I am wounded)." Then Imam replied,

"May your Lord have mercy upon you, do as you desire."

Then he stood in front of Imam Husayn (a.s.) and said, "O Kufans! May your mothers be deprived of you! You invited the righteous slave of Allah, then when he came to you, you handed him over to the enemy, when you had intended to defend him with your lives? Then now you have begun to fight him so as to kill him. You have taken hold of him and seized his collar, and have surrounded him from all sides so that he may not be able to escape to the vast towns of Allah.

He is now left as a prisoner amongst you, then he cannot benefit himself nor can he ward off the evil from it. Then you have stopped him, along with his women-folk, his children and family, from the waters of Euphrates, which is open for the Jews, Christians and Sabians, and the pigs and dogs of Iraq roll therein, while they would perish because of thirst? How badly have you behaved with the Progeny of Muhammad (S) after his death. May Allah not quench your thirst on the day of extreme thirst (Qiyamah)!" Hearing this some of the soldiers attacked him and started shooting arrows at him, then Hurr came and stood in front of Imam Husayn (a.s.)

It is quoted in Tazkirah of Sibt ibn Jawzi, that Imam Husayn (a.s.) then called out to Shabas bin Rab’ee, Hajjar bin Abjar, Qays bin Ash’as and Yazeed bin Hars and said,

"Did you not write letters to me"?

They replied, "We do not know what you say." Hurr bin Yazeed, who was their leader, said, "Yes by Allah! We had written to you and we are the ones who have brought you here. Thus may Allah keep away vain and the vain-doers. By Allah! I shall not prefer this world over the Hereafter", saying this he turned his horse and entered the ranks of Imam Husayn (a.s.). Imam said,

"Welcome! You are at liberty in this world as well as the Hereafter."

(Ibn Nima) It is related that Hurr told Imam Husayn (a.s.) that, "When Ubaydullah commanded me to come towards you and I came out from the palace, I heard a voice calling out at me from behind saying: Have glad tidings of goodness O Hurr! I turned around to see but there was none visible. Then I wondered that by Allah, what glad tidings is this, for I am proceeding to a combat with Imam Husayn (a.s.), and I had not yet intended assisting you." Imam replied,

"But now you have (ultimately) reached goodness."

Then Umar bin Sa’ad called out, "O Durayd! Bring the standard closer." When he brought it closer, Umar fixed an arrow in his bow and shot it saying, "Be a witness that I am the one to shoot the first arrow." Then others followed suit and challenged for combat.

Muhammad bin Abu Talib says that there was none among the companions of Imam Husayn (a.s.), who was not wounded by it. It is said that after the rain of arrows, only a few companions of Imam (a.s.) survived, while fifty companions attained martyrdom.

(Tabari) Azdi says that Abu Janab, from the clan of Bani Kalb, related to me that in our tribe there was a man named Abdullah bin Umayr, from the clan of Bani Aleem. He had started living in Kufa and owned a house on the head of the well of Bani Ja’ad, from the tribe of Hamadan. His wife, who was from the clan of ‘Amr bin Qasit, was named Umm Wahab, the daughter of Abd. He saw an army parading in Nukhaylah preparing for the battle against Imam Husayn (a.s.), the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (S). Abdullah says that, "By Allah! I had an intense desire to fight against the polytheists. But now I desire fighting those who have decided to fight the grandson of the Prophet. While my reward with Allah would not be less than that for fighting against the polytheists."

Then he went to his wife and related to her what he had heard and also informed her his desire. She replied, "Verily whatever you have decided is right. May your Allah guide you towards righteousness in all your matters, go and take me too along with you." He then withdrew and reached Imam Husayn (a.s.) and remained with him until Umar bin Sa’ad shot the arrows towards them and his army followed suit.

Then Yasar, the retainer of Ziyad, and Salim, the retainer of Ubaydullah bin Ziyad, stepped into the battlefield and called out for combat. Hearing this Habib bin Mazahir and Burayr (bin Khuzayr) stood up to reply, but Imam Husayn (a.s.) signaled them to sit down. Then Abdullah bin Umayr Kalbi stood up and asked permission to fight them. Imam saw him to be a tawny man with a tall stature, sturdy arms and broad shoulders, he said,

"In my opinion he is a fatal match, then you may leave if you desire meeting his challenge."

When Abdullah went towards them, they asked, "Who are you"? Abdullah related to them his lineage and they said, "We do not recognize you. Zuhayr bin Qayn, Habib bin Mazahir or Buzayr bin Khuzayr should have come." Yasar was standing with a naked sword near Salim. Abdullah said, "O illegitimate son! Do you disdain fighting one man? Whoever shall come to fight you shall surely be better than you", saying this he attacked Yasar instantly and striking him with his sword killed him.

When he was engaged in striking at him, Salim attacked him. Someone called out to him saying, "This slave is lingering behind you." Abdullah was heedless until Salim galloped upon him and he struck at him with his sword. Abdullah stretched his left hand forward, the fingers of which got cut. Then Abdullah attacked him and killed him.

Then Abdullah recited the Rajaz, having killed both of them: "If you do not know me, I am from the Bani Kalb, it is sufficient for me that my family is from Bani Ulaym, I am a warrior and a man with a strong nerve, and am not the one who shrieks at the time of anxiety, O Umm Wahab! I am answerable to you in respect of the sword and spear of a man who believes in Allah."

His wife Umm Wahab picked up a peg of a tent in her hand and advanced towards her husband calling out: "May my parents be your ransom! Fight in the way of the pure progeny of Prophet Muhammad (S)." Abdullah advanced towards her to send her back to the tents, but she caught hold of his shirt and said, "I shall not leave you until I am killed along with you." Imam Husayn (a.s.) called out to her,

"May you be rewarded fairly on account of the Household of the Prophet, return back. May Allah’s mercy be upon you! Come to the ladies for Jihad is not obligatory upon women." Hearing this she returned back.

(Irshad, Tabari, Kamil) Then ‘Amr bin Hajjaj, with his army, attacked the right wing of the companions of Imam Husayn (a.s.). When they came near, Imam’s companions knelt down pointing their spears towards them. Their horses were afraid to advance towards the spears and retreated back. Then Imam’s companions shot arrows towards them killing some of them while wounding others.

(Tabari, Kamil) A person from among the (clan of) Bani Tameem, named Abdullah bin Hawzah, advanced further until he came face to face with Imam Husayn (a.s.) and called out to him. Imam replied,

"What do you desire"?

The accursed replied, "May you get the good news of the (hell) fire." (Allah’s refuge) Imam replied,

"No, it is not as you say. I am proceeding to the presence of the Merciful Lord and the intercessor, who is obeyed."

Then he inquired as to who he was, and was told that he was the son of Hawzah. Imam said,

"O Allah! Send him to the fire (of hell)."

Suddenly his horse was aroused and threw him down. (Irshad). But his left foot got entangled in the stirrup while his right foot was raised in the air. Then Muslim bin Awsaja attacked and cut his right foot. The horse started running with him with his head hitting against the stones and trees of the desert until he died. Thus his spirit hastened towards (the fire of) hell.

(Tabari) Azdi relates from Ata‘a bin Saeb, who relates from Abdul Jabbar bin Wael, from his brother Masrooq bin Wael that I was along with the army, who had advanced towards Imam Husayn (a.s.). I requested to be in the forefront so as to get the head of Imam and thus earn honor in the presence of Ubaydullah bin Ziyad. When we reached him, a person from amongst us named Ibn Hawzah advanced further and said, "Is Husayn amongst you"? But Imam did not answer him.

When he repeated it thrice, Imam said,

"Yes, here is Husayn, what do you desire"?

He said, "O Husayn! Take glad tidings of (hell) fire" (Allah’s refuge). Imam said,

"Verily you speak a lie, I am proceeding towards the forgiving Lord and an intercessor, who is obeyed. Who are you"?

He replied that he was the son of Hawzah. The narrator says that then Imam lifted his hands towards the heavens such high, that we could see the whiteness of his underarms from below his clothes, and said,

"O Lord! Hasten him towards the fire (of hell)."

Hearing this Ibn Hawzah was enraged and desired to gallop his horse towards Imam, but there was a moat in between them. Suddenly his foot got entangled in the stirrup and the horse dragged him until he fell off. Then his leg, peduncle and thigh separated, while the other half of his body lay suspended on the stirrup. Seeing this Masrooq returned and hid behind the horsemen. The narrator further says that I questioned him (Masrooq) regarding his return and he replied that, "I have seen such (wonders) from this family that I shall never ever fight them."

The narrator says that Hurr started reciting the following Rajaz: "I have sworn not to be killed until I do not kill, and I shall not be wounded except by advancing further, I will attack them with a sharp-edged sword, I shall not retreat back nor will I flee (from the battlefield)."

Furthermore he recited the following couplets: "I am Hurr, a host to the guest, I strike your necks with a swift sword, in defense of the one who has alighted at the ground of Kheef (in Mina), while I do not regret over it."

He held such a sword in his hand whose edge was raining death. It is as if Ibn Mu’taz says about him, "I possess a sword which radiates death, then it is not unsheathed, except that it starts spilling the blood."

Hurr, along with his companion Zuhayr bin Qayn, attacked obviously. If while fighting, one of them would get surrounded by the enemies, the other would come to his defense and rescue him. They continued doing so until the foot soldiers attacked Hurr from all sides and killed him. (May Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon him)

Ubaydullah bin ‘Amr Badi, who was from the clan of Bani Kinda, says that, "Do not forget Sa’eed bin Abdullah nor Hurr, who along with Zuhayr aided at the need of the hour."

Fattal Naishapuri, in his Rawzatul Wa’ezeen, while quoting the Martyrdom of Hurr bin Yazeed says, that when Imam Husayn (a.s.) came to the head of Hurr, blood was flowing from him. He said,

"Well done O Hurr! You are at liberty in this world as well as the hereafter, as your mother has named you."

Then he recited the following couplets: "What a best Hurr is the Hurr of Bani Riyah, and the best Hurr during the exchange of spears, the best Hurr who was generous with regard to his life when Husayn called out in the morning."

Shaikh Saduq too relates similarly from Imam Ja’far as Sadiq (a.s.).

Shaikh Abu Ali in Muntahal Maqal says that Hurr bin Yazid bin Najiyah bin Sa’eed is from (the clan of) Bani Yarboo’.

Sayyid Ne’matullah Jazaeri Tustari writes in his Anware No’maniyyah, that a group of trustworthy men narrated to me that when Shah Isma’il Safawi gained control over Baghdad, he came to visit the Shrine of Imam Husayn (a.s.) in Karbala. He heard some people vilifying Hurr and hence came to the head of his grave and ordered it to be exhumed. People witnessed that Hurr was sleeping in his grave freshly drenched in his blood, and a kerchief was tied on his forehead.

Shah Isma’il tried to unfasten the kerchief from his forehead, which according to the historical reports was tied by Imam Husayn (a.s.). When the kerchief was untied, fresh blood started pouring out until the grave was filled with it. Then when the kerchief was tied at it’s place, the blood stopped. Then again they tried to untie that kerchief, but blood started pouring out. They tried to stop the blood by other means, but could not do so until they ultimately tied the same kerchief. Thus the fine status of Hurr was confirmed to them, and Shah ordered a mausoleum to be erected on his grave and appointed a servant to look after it.

The Honorable Traditionist Shaikh Muhammad bin Hasan Hurr Ameli, the author of Wasaelush Shi’ah, was from the progeny of Hurr bin Yazeed ar Riyahi, as has been quoted by Shaikh Ahmad in his Durrul Mulook.

(Tabari) Abu Samamah Saedi killed his cousin, who bore enmity with him, and then recited the Zuhr Prayers in the method of Salat al Khawf1 in Imam Husayn (a.s.)’s lead.

(Malhoof) It is stated in another narration that Imam told Zuhayr bin Qayn and Sa’eed bin Abdullah to stand in front of him so that he may lead the Zuhr Prayers. They did so while Imam lead the Prayers with half of his companions.

It is related that Sa’eed bin Abdullah Hanafi stood in front of the Imam and thus became the target of their arrows. Wherever Imam would turn, Sa’eed would stand in front of him until he was totally wounded and then fell down. He said, "O Allah! Send your curse upon them similar to the tribes of Ad and Thamood. O Allah! Deliver my greetings to Your Prophet, and make him aware about the pain and wounds that I have borne, for I crave Your reward while defending the progeny of Your Prophet." Saying this he breathed his last (May Allah’s Mercy and Blessings be upon him). Thirteen wounds of arrows were upon his body, apart from the wounds of lances and swords.

Ibn Nima says that some say that Imam Husayn (a.s.) and his companions recited the Prayers individually with signs.

Tabari, Ibn Aseer and others state that after finishing the Zuhr Prayers, they attacked fiercely and neared Imam Husayn (a.s.). Then Sa’eed stood armoring the Imam and defended him from all sides thus becoming a target of the enemies. Arrows started coming from all sides until he fell down. It is written in the related salutations of the Martyrs: Peace be upon Sa’eed bin Abdullah Hanafi, who, when Imam gave them permission to leave him, said, "No, by Allah! We shall not leave you alone." Then you faced your death and defended your Imam, and you witnessed the grace of Allah in the place of residence. May Allah gather us along with you in the ranks of the martyrs. And may Allah provide us your friendship in the exalted position of the magnificent ones.

We say: Reflect upon these words which prove the exalted status possessed by this Felicitous Martyr, and other martyrs of Karbala, which is beyond the imagination of the intelligent ones. While this is enough (proof) of their grace.

Ibn Nima too has related the martyrdom of the above referred Sa’eed in the words of Tabari and Ibn Aseer. Then he says that then Umar bin Sa’ad sent ‘Amr bin Hajjaj with the archers. They shot arrows towards the remaining companions of Imam Husayn (a.s.) and killed their horses. The situation reached such that Imam had no horsemen left with him, and he said,

"Will the young horses be under the banner of others besides us, when we are the chiefs of their masters? Then when a calamity desires entering our town, we posses the power to turn it away, no one walks in the width of the porch with a shining sword, and none from among our group guards him."

(Tabari) Zuhayr bin Qayn fought valiantly and he was saying, "I am Zuhayr and am the son of Qayn, I will bar you from Husayn with my sword, for he is one of the two grandsons of the Prophet who is a virtuous and chaste Progeny, there is no lie in that he is the Prophet, I shall kill you and shall not regret over it, and I wish my self could be divided into two (so that I may fight with you twofold)."

(Tabari) Then Zuhayr placed his hand upon the shoulder of Imam Husayn (a.s.) and said, "Proceed further, for you are a guided one and are a guide. Today you shall meet your grandfather the Prophet and (Imam) Hasan and Murtaďa Ali (a.s.), and a well-equipped young man with two wings, Ja’far your uncle, and Hamza the alive martyred Lion of Allah."

(Maqtal of Muhammad bin Abi Talib) Then he attacked until he killed one hundred and twenty men. (Tasleeyatul Majalis, Tabari, Kamil) Then Kaseer bin Abdullah Sha’abi and Muhajir bin Aws Tamimi attacked him and threw him upon the ground. (May Allah’s Mercy and Blessing be upon him). When Zuhayr fell from his horse, Imam Husayn (a.s.) said,

"O Zuhayr! May Allah not keep you away from Himself, and may Allah send his wrath upon your killers as He did to those who were turned into monkeys and pigs."

*******

SOURCE:

'Nafasul Mahmum, Relating to the heart rending tragedy of Karbala', by Shaykh Abbas Qummi.

https://www.al-islam.org/nafasul-mahmum-relating-heart-rending-tragedy-karbala-shaykh-abbas-qummi/praise-battle-companions#martyrdom-hurr-bin-yazid