the speech of imam hussain as on the day of ashura against the enemy

On the Dawn of Ashura, the enemy
cavalry attacked Imam Hussein (peace be upon him); the Imam raised his hands in prayer and said:

“O Allah! You are my trust in every calamity, my hope in every hardship, and my only means and solution in every problem that befalls me. There are many troubles and worries that weaken the heart, diminish the solution, betray friends, and embolden enemies. But since I have put my hope in You alone and sought the solution from You, You have granted me relief and removed the problem. Every blessing and goodness comes from You, and everything should be sought from You.”

Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) Speech Before the Enemy

Then Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) mounted his camel and, with a voice that reached many, proclaimed:

“O people of Iraq, listen to my words and do not hasten to kill me until I have delivered what is obligatory upon me to advise you, and I have explained my reason for coming to Iraq. If you accept my excuse and believe my words and treat me with justice and fairness, you will have paved your way to happiness and there will be no way for you against me. But if you do not accept my excuse and deviate from justice and fairness, killing me will be a matter to be contemplated deeply; do not hasten and act recklessly in such a significant matter. My supporter is the God who sent the Qur’an, and Allah supports His righteous servants.”

As Imam (peace be upon him) finished speaking, the cries and wails of the women and daughters who heard him rose. He then instructed his brother Abbas (peace be upon him) and his son Ali (peace be upon him):

“Go and silence these women, for they will grieve a lot after this.”

Once the voices of the women in the sanctuary of purity and chastity subsided, the Imam (peace be upon him) praised Allah again, sent blessings upon the angels and prophets, and spoke more eloquently and clearly than anyone who had spoken before him or would come after. He addressed the people of Kufa and said:

“O people, recognize me and see who I am. Then come to your senses, blame yourselves, and reflect carefully whether it is permissible for you to kill and dishonor me. Am I not the granddaughter of your Prophet? Is not my father the Prophet’s successor, his cousin, and the first to believe in Allah and confirm the Prophet’s message? Is not Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the chief of martyrs, my paternal uncle? Is not Ja’far ibn Abu Talib, the martyr who has wings and flies with the angels, my uncle?

Have you not heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said about me and my brother that these two are the masters of the youth of Paradise? If you believe in the truth of this Hadith and what I say is right, that is better; by Allah, since I learned that Allah dislikes liars, I have never lied! And if you do not believe my words and disbelieve me, there are still some companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) among you who can testify if you ask them. Ask Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Sahl ibn Sa’ad al-Sa’idi, Zaid ibn Arqam, or Anas ibn Malik to tell you that they themselves have heard this Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about me and my brother.

Is not this Hadith enough to deter you from killing me? If you have doubts about this Hadith, can you doubt that I am the daughter of your Prophet? By Allah, between the east and the west, there is no one but me who is the daughter of the Prophet.

Tell me truthfully, have I killed anyone from among you, and you seek revenge for their blood? Have I taken any of your wealth, and you demand it back? Or have I inflicted any injury upon you, and you seek retaliation?

As Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) continued his speech, he received no response and no one

answered him. He then named certain individuals and addressed them directly:

“O Shabath ibn Rabi’i, O Hajjaj ibn Abjar, O Qays ibn Ash’ath, O Yazid ibn Harith, did you not write to me that the fruits are ripe, the lands are green and flourishing, and the army of Iraq is ready to sacrifice for you? So hurry and come to Iraq?”

Tabari writes that in response to Imam (peace be upon him), they said: “We have not written any letters, and we are unaware of what you are saying.”

Indeed, the lowliness and treachery of humans reach new heights when those who had called their Imam with numerous letters, signed those letters, and then shamelessly respond by saying they did not write any letters and did not issue any invitation!

On the Dawn of Ashura, the enemy cavalry attacked Imam Hussein (peace be upon him). The Imam raised his hands in prayer and said:

“O Allah! You are my trust in every calamity, my hope in every hardship, and my only means and solution in every problem that befalls me. There are many troubles and worries that weaken the heart, diminish the solution, betray friends, and embolden enemies. But since I have put my hope in You alone and sought the solution from You, You have granted me relief and removed the problem. Every blessing and goodness comes from You, and everything should be sought from You.”

Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) Speech Before the Enemy

Then Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) mounted his camel and, with a voice that reached many, proclaimed:

“O people of Iraq, listen to my words and do not hasten to kill me until I have delivered what is obligatory upon me to advise you, and I have explained my reason for coming to Iraq. If you accept my excuse and believe my words and treat me with justice and fairness, you will have paved your way to happiness and there will be no way for you against me. But if you do not accept my excuse and deviate from justice and fairness, killing me will be a matter to be contemplated deeply; do not hasten and act recklessly in such a significant matter. My supporter is the God who sent the Qur’an, and Allah supports His righteous servants.”

As Imam (peace be upon him) finished speaking, the cries and wails of the women and daughters who heard him rose. He then instructed his brother Abbas (peace be upon him) and his son Ali (peace be upon him):

“Go and silence these women, for they will grieve a lot after this.”

Once the voices of the women in the sanctuary of purity and chastity subsided, the Imam (peace be upon him) praised Allah again, sent blessings upon the angels and prophets, and spoke more eloquently and clearly than anyone who had spoken before him or would come after. He addressed the people of Kufa and said:

“O people, recognize me and see who I am. Then come to your senses, blame yourselves, and reflect carefully whether it is permissible for you to kill and dishonor me. Am I not the granddaughter of your Prophet? Is not my father the Prophet’s successor, his cousin, and the first to believe in Allah and confirm the Prophet’s message? Is not Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the chief of martyrs, my paternal uncle? Is not Ja’far ibn Abu Talib, the martyr who has wings and flies with the angels, my uncle?

Have you not heard that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said about me and my brother that these two are the masters of the youth of Paradise? If you believe in the truth of this Hadith and what I say is right, that is better; by Allah, since I learned that Allah dislikes liars, I have never lied! And if you do not believe my words and disbelieve me, there are still some companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) among you who can testify if you ask them. Ask Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, Sahl ibn Sa’ad al-Sa’idi, Zaid ibn Arqam, or Anas ibn Malik to tell you that they themselves have heard this Hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about me and my brother.

Is not this Hadith enough to deter you from killing me? If you have doubts about this Hadith, can you doubt that I am the daughter of your Prophet? By Allah, between the east and the west, there is no one but me who is the daughter of the Prophet.

Tell me truthfully, have I killed anyone from among you, and you seek revenge for their blood? Have I taken any of your wealth, and you demand it back? Or have I inflicted any injury upon you, and you seek retaliation?

As Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) continued his speech, he received no response and no one answered him. He then named certain individuals and addressed them directly and said:”O Shabath ibn Rabi’i, O Hajar ibn Abjar, O Qays ibn Ash’ath, and O Yazid ibn Harith, did you not write to me yourselves that the fruits are ripe, the lands are green and flourishing, and that the troops of Iraq are prepared to sacrifice themselves for you, so you should hurry to Iraq?”

Tabari writes that in response to Imam (peace be upon him), they said: “We have not written any letters and we are unaware of what you are saying.”

Indeed, how far can the baseness and treachery of humanity go, when the very people who called their Imam with numerous letters, signed those letters, and then shamelessly respond that they did not write any letters and did not issue any invitation!