ghulam shahid suleiman qarab monjah aslam and saad

Peace be upon Suleiman, the servant of Hussein, son of the Commander of the Faithful, and may God curse his killer, Suleiman ibn Auf al-Hadhrami.

On the day of Ashura and before it, several slaves were martyred, achieving great sacrifice and bravery, becoming leaders of the free men of the world.

Suleiman ibn Razin, one of Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) slaves.

Tabari writes: “When Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) was in Mecca, he sent a letter through one of his slaves named Suleiman to the leaders and nobles of Basra – Malik ibn Masma’ al-Bakri, Ahnaf ibn Qais, Mundhir ibn Jarud, Mas’ud ibn Amr, Qais ibn Haytham, and Amr ibn Ubaidullah – saying:

‘Indeed, God chose Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) from among the people and favored him with prophethood, and selected him for the mission. When he delivered God’s message to the people and advised them as was appropriate, God took him to His mercy. We, the Ahl al-Bayt, his supporters, and his successors, were the rightful inheritors of his mission among the people. However, others seized this right through tyranny, and we, fearing the disunity of the Muslims and to ensure safety, acquiesced. We know that we are more deserving of this position than those who have taken it upon themselves. Thus, I am sending my messenger with this letter to invite you to the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Prophet, as the Sunnah has died and innovation has flourished. If you heed my words and obey my commands, I will guide you to the straight path. Peace and God’s mercy be upon you.’

Each of the leaders of Basra read the letter of the Imam and kept it secret, except for Mundhir ibn Jarud (the father-in-law of Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad), who feared that this might be a trick from Ubaydullah. He sent the Imam’s messenger and letter to Ubaydullah on the same night that Ubaydullah planned to move to Kufa, and read the Imam’s letter to him. Ubaydullah ordered Suleiman to be executed, and according to Sayyid in the book “Luhuf,” Suleiman’s kunyah was Abu Razin, and Ubaydullah had him hanged.

Qarib ibn Abdullah al-Daili, whose mother was a slave of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) and was married to Abdullah al-Daili, was born in Medina. He was with the Imam and was martyred on the day of Ashura.

‘Peace be upon Qarib, the servant of Hussein, son of Ali (peace be upon him).’

Manjah ibn Sahm, one of the servants of Imam Hussein (peace be upon him), who was with the Imam’s sons in the service of Abu Abdullah Hussein (peace be upon him) in Karbala, was martyred early on the day of Ashura by the hand of Hassan ibn Bakr al-Hanazali.

‘Peace be upon Manjah, the servant of Hussein, son of Ali (peace be upon him).’

According to “Dhakirat al-Darain,” his mother was a slave whom Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) had bought from Nawfal ibn Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib.

Aslam ibn Amr, one of Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) slaves, whose father was a Turk, and who was a scribe for the Imam (peace be upon him), went out to seek martyrdom on the day of Ashura, saying:

‘My master is Hussein, and what an excellent master!
The lord of the heart of the bearer of glad tidings and warning.’

When he fell to the ground, the Imam came to him and placed his face upon his face. Aslam, still having some strength, smiled and said: ‘Who is like me, that the son of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) places his face upon mine?’

Saad ibn Harith, the servant of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), who according to “Dhakirat al-Darain” was the chief of police for Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in Kufa and was appointed by him as the governor of Azerbaijan, later joined Imam Hasan (peace be upon him) after the death of Imam Ali. After Imam Hasan’s martyrdom, Saad was with Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) in Medina, Mecca, and Karbala, until he was martyred in the first attack on the day of Ashura.”