2b Or Not 2b Shia Shi'ite Exposed Homepage > When was Hazrat Husayn Martyred? A Scientific Approach When was Hazrat Husayn Martyred? A Scientific Approach 29/01/2011 18:45 I begin in the name of Allah, the Beneficent and the Merciful. May Allah (swt) give just deserts to those who deserted and betrayed our master (ra) and led him to a trap, and may we join in splendor with the prince of the youth of Paradise in our deaths. May his martyrdom evoke all that is right and good and may the names of his real killers evoke shame and disgust. And may God bestow His peace and blessings on him, his father and the father of his father. And may God bestow blessings on that noble family, the followers of the Prophet (saw) and the companions of the Prophet (saw), all of them together. And may Allah (swt) forgive the mistakes of the repentant for God’s Mercy precedes his Wrath. Amen. Disclaimer: Copyright © 2008 by Mohammad Mufti. No part of this document may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever for commercial gain without written permission of the author. For non-commercial purposes, this document may be freely distributed pending that no changes are made to the present text except by the explicit written permission of the author. Any material used in the text by the author was properly cited as far as the author is aware and any texts and or excerpts used in the present research were taken from works that neither prohibited nor prevented their use for such purposes, as far as the author is aware. Seyyid Mohammad Hamza Mufti al Hanbali Original 27th Shawwal, 1429 Present Revision 4th Rabi al Awwal, 1430 Introduction This is a short study concerning the time of the year during which Hazrat Husayn (ra) - the leader of the youth of Paradise, our master and our beloved, the grandson of the seal of Prophets (saw), the misappropriated gem of this Ummah, the hope of this Ummah, the beacon of righteousness of this Ummah, the peaceful and just one, the one who threw away this life and achieved victory in the hereafter - was martyred by the army of Ubaidallah ibn Ziyad. The narrations that will be employed in this study, concerning the date itself, are generally Shi'ite in nature even though many of them will be quoted from texts which are by Sunni scholars. This is because the narrations employed are often those with Shi'as (not Ithna Asharis necessarily – but from those groups that preceded modern Twelverism) in their chains of narration. As such, by the principle of Sunni sciences of rijaal [biographies of men] and takhreej [critical analysis of asanid, chains of narrators], they can't generally be considered authentic seeing as how a Shi'i narrator would be more likely to fabricate or exaggerate in a tradition supporting his bid'a (and the principle is essentially “do not acknowledge traditions narrated by a bidati if it supports his bid'a” - although this is pending per circumstance). In addition, works by Ithna Ashari scholarship will also be consulted and another reason for this use of Shi'i sources is because the texts available in English (and even those in other languages) are generally Twelver (prominent modern version of Shi'ism) polemical works and Sunni scholars have for the most part, ignored the extreme traditions or recorded them without comments. Few of these narrations in connection with the martyrdom of Husayn (ra), if any, are actually saheeh. In any case, our goal will be to take all the narrations for their word (regardless of chain), strip them for the essential and relevant information and compare that with scientific material to determine which of the two dates that have been traditionally mentioned concerning the death of Husayn (ra) are more reliable. The two dates we have received from the histories are: - 10th of Muharram, of 61 Hijra [popular date] - Safar, of 61 Hijra The question though is: which date is the most reliable? And it is in the pursuit of answering this question that the present document was composed, since this question appears to have not been tackled in an in-depth fashion by most others before me. One thing that was lacking in early historical works was that scholars would transmit the narrations but wouldn't criticize the narrations in-depth themselves. Our scholars of tareekh (history) used to record narrations, but they did not go to great lengths to authenticate them. In the present example, the narration of Muharram gained popularity, not only because of it's timeliness and the associations made with it – but also because the scholars did not thoroughly criticize it nor did those who recorded it have the means or inclination to go forth and plow into the minute details of each tradition. Instead, they saw that one was being narrated significantly more often and as such, ascribed greater reliability to it on account of this alone. An unrelated example of this is the case of the narratives concerning the age of our Mother, Bibi Khadija (ra). One of the contemporary scholars, Abdul Bary Yahya comments on this matter in his work The Chain of Command (page 169): There are two haditth regarding the age of Khadija when she married the Prophet; one saying 40, the other saying 29. Both hadith are equal in terms of authenticity. So which one is it? The latter is actually stronger when you look into the seerah. She had six children with Prophet Muhammad, so it is more plausible that she was married at age 29. So what was the reason that the scholars would narrate the age being forty so often? Some scholars wanted to demonstrate that was acceptable to be married late. Others simply wanted to show the wide range of acceptable marriages in Islaam. Eithers yet may not have been wellacquainted with the other tradition or the acceptability thereof. In any case though, the former tradition (of her age being forty) gained greater popularity and today kids in Sunday school will still only know this narration of the event – even though it's the less realistic one. The point is that for whatever reason, a narration that has the same credibility on account of it's sanad, gained preeminence over another narration even though the later was stronger (on account of rationality and it's matn). In matters of history, this isn't the least bit rare. The student is left to wonder, why would scholars who so stress the importance of sanad, who so stress the importance of legitimate tradition and legitimate action be so lax when it comes to sanad in other cases? The students need only consult the works of our scholars in greater depth. The scholars certainly did stress good solid chains, but this was stressed more so in important matters such as fiqh, or aqeedah. When it came to comparatively less important things, where weak narrations aren't going to be the defining line between heaven and hell, there was laxity. This applies not only to tareekh but also to ahadith, as stated in al kifaya fee 'ilm ar riwayah (in tasdeed fee ahadeeth ul ahkaam) by al Khatib al Baghdadi who says that when the scholars narrate: about what is allowed and what is prohibited, about the legally binding actions and laws than we are strict on the chains; but when we narrate traditions from the Prophet about the goodness of deeds and those things that don't have to do with the binding laws than we are lax on the chains. Similar statements have been made by a host of eminent scholars who were justifying their use of weak narrations in declaring the mustahabat or narrating about history. It can therefore be gathered that those people who argue history by the basis of “well, Tabari recorded it therefore it must be true” are ignorants who haven't bothered to learn the methodology of the people who did the recording. It wasn't until later on that the breed of scholars who made it their task to authenticate historical incidents gained any degree of popularity, and this being done on their part was quite often only a response to the claims of various ignorants from the People of Bid'ah (Ahlul bid'ah) who became vociferous in using these very same weak traditions to try and establish their equally weak point of views. This increase in the number of Ahlul Bid'ah, and their ability to misguide a populace who was itself ignorant about the methodologies of the different scholars gave rise to what I would consider a new group of scholars. Scholars who's prime focus was history and that of it which was authentic, the promoters and defenders of sunnah and tareekh. Scholars, the like of which the world is yearning for even today. One such scholar is Ibn Khaldun (rah), the pioneer of modern sociology and one of re-examiners of history, and he comments on the old methodlogy in his Al-Muqadimmah, in far harsher terms than I could dare: The later historians were all tradition-bound and dull of nature and intelligence, or did not try to avoid being dull. They merely copied their predecessors and followed their example. They disregarded the changes in conditions and in the customs of nations and races that the passing of time had brought about. Thus they presented historical information about dynasties and stories of events from the earliest times as mere forms without substance, blades without scabbards; as knowledge that must be considered ignorance because it is not known what of it is extraneous and what is genuine. It concerns happenings, the origins of which are not known. It concerns species, the genera of which are not taken into consideration, and whose specific differences are not verified. They neglected the importance of change over the generations in their treatment of (historical material), because they had no one who could interpret it for them. Their works, therefore, give no explanation for it. When they turn to the description of a particular dynasty, they report the historical information parrot-like and take care to preserve it as it had been passed down to them, whether imaginary or true. They do not turn to the beginning of the dynasty. Nor do they tell why it unfurled its banner and was able to give prominence to its emblem, or what caused it to come to a stop when it had reached its term. [pages 6-7 of “The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History” of Ibn Khaldun as translated by Franz Rosenthal and abridged/edited by N. J. Dawood] Although we can not agree completely with Ibn Khaldun, that the hard work of the historians who devoted themselves to recording narrations without taking much effort to criticize them was “parrot-like”, the premise of his statement is accurate. The scholars recorded the narrations but did not go to lengths to distinguish truth from falsehood. They would report from Shi'a, Sunna, Jews, Christians and put everything side by side and often only comment on those things that reached them and were totally absurd in their entirity. A person with a background in this science would be able to access these works and sort the rotten from the reliable information. Today, this banner is being picked up again and the students of history are growing and excelling in areas and with methods not seen before. Students of the sciences are reaching new ground and planting their flags every which way they go. May God accept us amongst them than, as the humblest on account of ourselves, and the proudest, on account of the banner which we've raised and what it represents. Narrative Irregularity Of these two traditions mentioned before, the tradition used for the most part in the selfmutilation rituals is the former and in our times it is the mashoor (common) opinion. Both of the dates are actually quite early in origin, and since the time of Tabari and Waqidi, both dates have been present. The dates are mentioned as follows by Tabari under the Events of the Year 60 (near the end): According to al-Harith (b. Muhammad) – Ibn Sa'd – 'Ali b. Muhammad (al-Mada'ini) – Ja'far b. Sulayman al-Dabu'i. Al Husayn said, “They will not leave me until they have taken out this heart from within me. When they do that, God will dominate and humiliate them so that they will be more humiliated than a rag used by a slave girl for her menstrual blood.” Then he went to Iraq and was killed at Ninawa on the Day of Ashura 61 (October 10, 680). According to al-Harith (b. Muhammad) – Ibn Sa'd – Muhammad b. 'Umar (al-Waqidi): Al-Husayn b. 'Ali was killed in the month of Safar in the year A.H. 61 [November, 680]. At that time he was fifty-five. According to al-Harith (b. Muhammad) – Aflah b. Sa'id – Ibn Ka'b al Qurazi. According to al-Harith (b. Muhammad) – Ibn' Sa'd – Muhammad b. Umar (al-Waqidi) – Abu Mashar: Al-Husayn was killed on 10 al-Muharram [October 10, 680]. Al-Waqidi said this was the best confirmed report. [From page 82 of The History of al-Tabari, Volume XIX, The Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah as translated by I.K.A. Howard (1990, State University of New York Press)] [Beginning of The Events of the Year 61:] Among these events was the murder (maqtal) of al-Husayn. He was killed on 10 al-Muharram (October 10) according to Ahmad b. Thabit – someone who transmitted reports – Ishaq b. 'Isa – Abu Ma'shar. This is also reported by al-Waqidi [above] and Hisham b. [Muhammad] al-Kalbi. [From page 91 of the same text] Though Tabari himself does not record here the date “26th of Safar” (as he only recorded the month of Safar), this is still the date we will use as it was arrived upon by the research which will be brought up in the following pages, even though more leeway is offered us if we simply say “Safar” and not “26th of Safar”. To further substantiate the fact that Safar is mentioned narration as to the occurrence of this event (although it has been long overshadowed by the other narration) we have several other authorities that have relayed this fact. One other such example is Ibn Katheer (rah) in al-Bidayah wal-nihaya: Vol:8, Page 186 Than Enter Year 61: This year, Husayn ibn 'Ali (ra) went to Kufa from Mecca with his companions and he was killed on the Day of Ashura in the month of Muharram this year according to the well-known and accepted narration from Waqidi, who also narrated from someone that Husayn (ra) was killed in the month of Safar. (paraphrased by the present author, not an actual translation) Conclusion: Both narrations figured early on amongst Islamic historians but the one stating that the correct date was actually on Ashura [10th Muharram] and not in Safar became more commonly accepted amongst the traditionalists. This was because the narration for Safar came through a single chain from Waqidi while the others did not, so the traditionalists used the method of collating the narrations that were available on the same topic and they used this to determine which was the correct date. At that time, techniques of using events to derive numerical dates (in order to dismiss or corroborate narrations) was also present (as will be used here) but they had no way of using the available narrations to employ this technique in this case as the narrations which allude to a particular time require analysis which can only be made easily with modern technology. The Dates According to Georgian Calender System One thing that is lacking in the Hijra calendar system is an indication of seasons, as it is a lunar calendar system and according to the Qur’aan, the use of leap months by the ‘Arabs and Jews to account for seasons became forbidden. With this rigid new calendar system, seasons cycle over the course of 33 or 34 years. To account for the lack of seasonal indicators, we will employ the Georgian calendar system and according to it, the dates are as follows: - Tuesday 9 October 680 CE for 10th of Muharram, of 61 Hijra [error margin: + 1 day] - Saturday 24 November 680 CE for 26th of Safar, of 61 Hijra [error margin: + 1 day] 26th of Safar was not selected arbitrarily but arrived upon during the research process and was found to be the closest date which completely fit the traditions and scientific evidence. Initially a different date was employed for the research, a trial date of 22nd Safar. The reason for choosing the date ultimately relied upon will be made clear in the following sections, inshaAllah. Seasonal Irregularity The region of Iraq falls in the Northern Hemisphere, in the north temperate zone. More particularly, it can be considered from the Subtropic zone. Under Köppen-Geiger climate, the appropriate region falls under the categorization BWh. As the months move closer to the Northern Hemisphere winter season, the chances of rain increase, while the chances of rain further away from it are comparatively minimal. Astronomically, winter begins at the Winter solstice (beginning December). Additionally, it should also be noted that by the calendar systems of the Iranians which marks Naw rooz as the beginning of the year, Winter usually begins from 5th to 10th of November in our Georgian system. According to 12er tradition, the rain was very hard and long lasting around the time of Husayn’s (ra) martyrdom. The following tradition is from the Twelver text Azadari – 40 Ahadith by Agha Jawad Muhaddathi and Shahnawaz Mahdavi (it is hadith 23): [1] Said, Abu Abdullah: O' Zurarah! Verily, the sky cried for forty days over Husayn. (Mustadrakal-Wasail, vol 1 pg. 391) The following traditions are also recorded from mostly Islaamic (Sunni) works on this topic, although the references are from certain Twelver apologists that I have known for cases of dishonesty, I have not personally corroborated any of these unless otherwise stated: [2] "The grief of Imam Husayn (as) is the grief on which not only Humans, but even jinnat, Angels, animals, birds, the sky and trees, all lament. Thus it is written that the sky wept for forty days on (the martyrdom of) Imam Husayn (as)". "Yanabi ul Mawwaddat", by Allamah Sheikh Salman Hanafi Qundoozi, Printed in Constantinople, page 392 [Note that this is not a Sunni title but a late Twelver fabrication often attributed to Sunnis in modern Twelver polemicist writings] [3] “The day when Hadhrath Yahya bin Zakarya (a.s) was martyred the sky had got red and blood was dripping from it and the sky had also got red the day Imam Husayn (a.s) was martyred." ...Tafseer Durre Manthur Volume 6, page 31 [4] Allamah Ibn Jareer Tabari writes that Saddi said: "When Imam Husayn (r) was martyred, the sky started weeping for him, the weeping of the sky was proven by its turning red." Tafseer Jame'a al-Bayan, volume 25, page 68 [5] In Arjyah ul-Matalib, page 347-348 Deobandi scholar Maulana Ubaid-ullah Amritsari states: "The occurrence of these natural calamities was for the admonition for the masses after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (r). Basra Adhwiya says that when Imam Husayn (r) was martyred it started to drizzle and by the morning all of their pots and water-drums were filled with blood. Zuhri (r.a) says that on the day of Imam Husayn's martyrdom no stone was picked in Jerusalem that did not have fresh blood under it. Sufyan Thuri (r.a) narrates that his grand-mother was a young slave-girl at the time of Imam Husayn's martyrdom; she had said that the sky kept weeping for him for many days. Hadhrath Ammar e Yasir (r) has narrated that the Holy Prophet (s) had said that the heaven had once cried for Yahya bin Zakariya and it will also cry upon the Holy Prophet's (s) son (Husayn). " [see 9 – next section] The following traditions were recorded in the Twelver book Nafasul Mahmoom by Abbas Qummi under the section of forty ahadith concerning Azadari: [6] ..."O son of Shabeeb! My father (Imam Moosa al Kazim) has related from his father (Imam Ja'far as Sadiq), who has related from his grandfather (Imam Ali Zainul Abedeen), that when my grandfather Imam Husayn (a.s) was martyred, the sky rained blood and red sand." (tradition 1) [7] "The murderers of both, Prophet Yahya (a.s) as well as Imam Husayn (a.s) were illegitimate. The heavens have not wept, except on account of the martyrdom of both of them." (tradition 18) Although any rational person would testify that much of these traditions are obviously pious fabrications, in the present research, we will accept that there may be some truth to them. The basis for this is the principle that even the lies of liars are based on the truths of the truthful. The nature of such lies is either that they are opposing statements of the truthful, plagiarizing statements of the trustful, or that they are themselves telling part of the truth – and all of these fall under this principle and the one relevant at the moment is the idea that there is some truth to these narrations. The truth we will accept in them is that which can be confirmed and rationalized within the framework of accepted human experience. In the present traditions, we have evidence for extensive rain and this is something naturally more apt to occur closer to the winter in the particular region and this lends greater validity to the date mentioned by Tabari (of Safar). Conclusion: Although the traditions should clearly be seen as an over-exaggeration by rational readers, their existence points to the fact that around his (ra) martyrdom, there was extensive rain. From the sixth tradition, “red sand”, we even see a possibility of their being hale. Which period is more likely to see such tears from the sky, the early days of October or the late days of November? Lunar Irregularity Another claim concerning the matter is that there was a solar eclipse (whereby) the sky was lit red and the eclipse was such that even the stars could be seen mid-day. Unfortunately, there is no chroniclers from that time period from any of the neighboring societies that recorded such an eclipse. Even so, we will give some credibility to the claim arbitrarily, on account of it's presence in our history books, and test it. Before doing so, perhaps it would be apt to introduce the statement of a contemporary Western historian, John Lewis Gaddis, author of The Landscape of History: how historians map the past : [The question of whether or not history is a qualified science is an important one.] For science has one quality that privileges it above all other modes of inquiry: it has shown itself more capable than any of the others at eliciting agreement on the validity of results across cultures, in different languages, and among highly dissimilar observers. The structure of the DNA molecule looks much the same to researchers in Switzerland, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Aircraft wings bear stress similarly whether the airlines that rely on them operate as subsidized state monopolies or adventurous entrepreneurial enterprises. Astronomers of Christian, Muslim and Buddhist persuasions have little difficulty reaching a consensus on what causes eclipses, or how galaxies move. There are of course other ways to resolve issues like these. You could, for example, probe the entrails of animals, read tea leaves, consult a horoscope, seek divine guidance, or make inquiries in an International chat room. You'd certainly get results, but you'd not get very many other people to agree on the accuracy of the results. The advantage of science, John Ziman has pointed out, is that it provides “a consensus of rational opinion over the widest possible field.”7 7 [footnote omitted] [From page 37 (2004, Oxford University Press, New York)] Science, than, is a universal language – one which stresses across cultures, religion and local languages. On this basis, the Western academic has adduced that the Muslim scientist will agree as to what causes an eclipse. And so too, we can only hope, that the Muslim populace will agree that the cause of an eclipse is not the cries of the dying grandson of our Prophet (saw) but of the positions taken by the moon, Earth and sun with relation to one another – and ultimately, are caused by God. Firstly, we must understand the nature of eclipses. Our Prophet (saw) explains them to us thus (Saheeh al Bukharee – under the Book of Eclipses, translation from the popular translation of Muhsin Khan): Narrated Al-Mughira bin Shu'ba: "The sun eclipsed in the life-time of Allah's Apostle on the day when (his son) Ibrahim died. So the people said that the sun had eclipsed because of the death of Ibrahim. Allah's Apostle said, "The sun and the moon do not eclipse because of the death or life (i.e. birth) of some-one. When you see the eclipse pray and invoke Allah." Narrated Abu Bakra: “In the life-time of the Allah's Apostle (p.b.u.h) the sun eclipsed and he went out dragging his clothes till he reached the Mosque. The people gathered around him and he led them and offered two Rakat. When the sun (eclipse) cleared, he said, "The sun and the moon are two signs amongst the signs of Allah; they do not eclipse because of the death of someone, and so when an eclipse occurs, pray and invoke Allah till the eclipse is over." It happened that a son of the Prophet called Ibrahim died on that day and the people were talking about that (saying that the eclipse was caused by his death).” This statement of the Prophet has several sublime qualities. For one thing, it removes him from the general mass of people of his time and their superstitions. Rather than saying that eclipses are due to something, be it something beneficial or a calamity, he (saw) simply tells his following that these are signs of Allah (swt). He (saw) recognized it as one of the signs which would precede the hour and cause fear in the hearts of Muslims, but that the cause itself was not the calamity. This insight has proven to be quite true by modern (and even historical) science in that solar eclipses are entirely dependent on the sun and the moon – not on some unrelated event on the Earth. Similar traditions have also reached the Muslims where the Prophet (saw) condemns another aspect of superstition, at-Tanjeem (astrology). Just as people would attribute the events of this Earth to calamities in space, so too do people (to this day) attribute what takes place on Earth to what has taken place in the Heavens. To this matter, Sheikh Ibn Abdul Wahhab (rah) has devoted a section of his book Kitaab at Tawheed (ch 27, 28 or 29 depending on version) which I've excerpted in full: What Has Been Said About At-Tanjeem Bukhari narrates in his Saheeh, that Qatadah said: "Allah created these stars for three reasons [i.e. They are useful for humans by three reasons]: (i) To adorn the heaven, (ii) as missiles against the devils [meteorites/shooting stars which is the same word in 'Arabic] and (iii) as signs by which (the traveler) may be guided; and so whoever claims more than this for them has is erred and has lost his reward (on the Day of Resurrection) and taken upon himself that of which he has no knowledge." Harb informs us that while Qatadah disliked the studying of the lunar phases, Ibn `Uyainah forbade it, and Ahmad and Ishaq permitted it. [Sheykh Salih ibn Abdul Aziz in his commentary, Ghayatul Mureed, mentions that this includes the studying of the phases of the of the stars and he has said it is the preferred position because studying their phase is not ascribing superstitions to them but using them as a reference for time and place which is within the realm of reason] It is [also] reported on the authority of Abu Moosa (ra), that he said: "Allah's Messenger (saw) said: "There are three who will not enter Paradise: (i) The habitual wine drinker, (ii) the one who cuts family ties and (iii) the one who believes in sorcery." Important Issues of the Chapter 1. The wisdom of creating the stars. 2. The falseness of the claims of those who say otherwise. 3. The mentioning of the ikhtilaaf regarding learning their positions. 4. The threat against those who believe in any magic (superstitions). The essential point in those traditions and even this one is that these planetary bodies do not effect our immediate lives and do not shape our personalities, and that conversely, we also don't effect them. In fact, even from the stand point of physics, the effect that a far off planet such as Jupitar has on us (on account of it's gravity) is less than the gravitational pull of the slimmist of women on this Earth! Another aspect of the narration is that it also weighs heavily on the Prophet's (saw) character in that he (saw) didn't exploit the event. A non-Muslim, who considers the Prophet (saw) to be but an ordinary man, can see from these authentic traditions that even when his (saw) own son dies and when the social climate is perfect to employ this to impress on them a sense of nobility of himself (saw) and his family (ra) – he chooses to simply tell them the truth. That his family is ultimately just as ordinary and bound to nature as they all are and that the fact that his son's (ra) death coincided with the eclipse was entirely coincidental. From the traditions though, it would appear that the death of his (saw) grandson, al Husayn (ra), also witnessed such a phenomena. One wherein it is said that the skies turned red and cried blood. This of course was the effect of the eclipse, which caused a red tinge in the sky and the subsequent rain's alluded color may just be exaggeration or it may have actually appeared red due to the extensiveness of the red sky. In any case, the following relevant traditions are narrated on this matter from certain Twelver apologists: [1] "When Imam Husayn (as) was martyred, the sun was eclipsed (so long) so that the stars appeared." Waqiyaat-e-Karbala (The Events of Karbala), page 75 [2] Allamah Jalaludin Syuti writes that Hadhrath Atta (ra) said: "The sky cries in a manner that all of its corners get red." He quotes Hadhrath Hasan Basri to have said: "When the sky gets red it weeps." Tafseer Durre Manthur Volume 6, page 30 [3] Allamah Mohammad ibn e Jareer Tabari states: "The crying of the heaven is such that all of its corners get red." Tafseer e Jame'a al-Bayan, Allama Tabari, volume 25, page 68, published in Egypt [4] Allamah Nizam-ud-din Neshapoori states: "Many Mufassireen are of the view that the sky can cry, so they believe that the solar and the lunar eclipses, the corners of the sky getting red and the blowing of wild and pinching wind are forms of the sky weeping." Tafseer e Neshapoori, volume 25, page 73, published in Egypt [5] Allamah Jalaludin Syuti writes that Hadhrath Ibrahim said: "Since the creation of the world, the heaven and the earth have cried for none else other then two pious men. The People asked him: "Do not the heaven and the earth cry for the Momineen?" He replied: "When they are virtuous his privilege is linked to his status and deeds." He (s) then asked them if they knew how the heaven and the earth cries. The people replied in the negative, therefore he (s) said: "It becomes fiery and red, just as the red boiling oil. Suyuti adds: The day when Hadhrath Yahya bin Zakarya (a.s) was martyred the sky had got red and blood was dripping from it and the sky had also got red the day Imam Husayn (a.s) was martyred."...Tafseer Durre Manthur Volume 6, page 31 [6] Nawab Molvi Siddiq Hasan Khan Bhophali quotes Saddi in Tafseer Fatah ul-Bayan, volume 8, page 326: "When Husayn (as) was martyred the heaven kept crying evidenced by the fact it turned red." [7] Ibn e Katheer writes: "When Hadhrath Yahya bin Zakariya (a.s) was assassinated the sky turned red, it also turned red when Imam Husayn (r) was martyred...After the martyrdom of Husayn (r) fresh blood started to gush from wherever stones were picked up. There was a solar eclipse, the corners of the sky had turned red." Tafseer Ibn Katheer, volume 9, page 163, published in Egypt [8] Allamah Ibn Jareer Tabari writes that Saddi said: "When Imam Husayn (r) was martyred, the sky started weeping for him, the weeping of the sky was proven by its turning red."Tafseer Jame'a al-Bayan, volume 25, page 68 [9] In Arjyah ul-Matalib, page 347-348 Deobandi scholar Maulana Ubaid-ullah Amritsari states: ...[see 5 above]... Allama Ibn e Hajr Makki writes: "After Imam Husayn's (a.s) martyrdom the sky kept crying continuously for seven days, the walls seem to be wearing coloured sheets and it is a proven fact that darkness prevailed over the world for three days and then a reddish light was apparent on the sky." He further quotes Abu Sa'eed: "The day Imam Husayn (a.s) was martyred, no stone was picked in the world that did not have blood under it, blood kept oozing from the sky and the affects remained on the clothing for a long time, until the clothes became worn out. [10] Sa'lbi has said that the sky kept crying for Imam Husayn's (a.s) martyrdom and the sky's crying was its turning red. Besides Sa'lbi a few others have said that the corners of the sky remain red for six months after Imam Husayn's (a.s) martyrdom and then it started to emerge every now and then." Ibn e Seerain has said that they have come to know that this reddish light that emerges with the evening twilight did not exist before Imam Husayn's (a.s) martyrdom." Ibn e Sa'ad has written in his Tabaqaat that that redness was not seen on the skies before Imam Husayn's (a.s) martyrdom.” Sawaiqh al Muhaqira, page 623-624 [11] “After the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (as), the sides of the sky remained red for six months, and then its redness became permanent which is visible every evening."Sawaiq Muhriqa, Pp.114 The following narration pertains to the same subject and is an independent corroboration on my part that the gist of what was presented above from the Twelver apologists can not be falsity on their own part: ? ???? ???? ????? ?? ??? ?? ?????? ??? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? ??????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ???????? ????? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????? ?? ? ?? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ?? ????? ???? ???? ???? ?? ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ???? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?????. ?? ? ??? ???? ??? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ? ???? ????? ????? ??? ???? ??? ?? ???. ???? ???? ????? ????? ???? ???????? ???????? ??????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ?????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ?? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ?????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ? ?? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???. (1/84-85) [12] And the people of I’rak, sent messengers and letters to al Husayn, inviting him among them, whereupon he set forth from Mecca to I’rak on the 10th of Du’l Hijjah and with him a party of his household, men, women and children. Then Yazid wrote to U’baydau’llah-b-Ziyad, his prefect in I’rak to oppose him, and he sent against him an army of four thousand men, commanded by Omar-b-Saa’d-b-Abi Wakkas. And the people of Kufah deserted al Husayn, as had been their way with his father before him, and when the troops came up with him he proferred submission to them and to return and go to Yazid to place his hand in the hand of Yazid, but they refused everything but his death, and he was slain and his head was carried in a platter until it was placed before Ibn Ziyad-may God curse his slayer, and Ibn Ziyad with him and Yazid likewise. He was slain at Karbala and the narrative of his death is long the mention of which the heart cannot endure, “verily we belong to God, and verily unto Him shall we return.” There were slain together with him sixteen men of his family. And when al Husayn was murdered, the world stood still for seven days, and the sun upon the walls appeared as saffron-coloured sheets, and the stars struck one upon the other. His murder took place on the 10th of Muharram, and the sun was eclipsed on that day and the horizon of the sky became red for six months after his death. The redness did not cease to be seen after that, but it had never been beheld before. The translation is from page 211 of History of the Caliphs by H. S. Jarrett from the 1970 (Biblioteca Indica 87) reprint by the Amsterdam Oriental Press of the 1881 Calcutta Edition. The scientific explanation for this particular event is that a solar eclipse would've occurred such that the moon completely eclipsed the sun (making other stars easily visible and creating a blood-like red taint). In reality, a solar eclipse only occurs for a maximum of a few minutes and as such we have to disregard the part of the narrations which say that such an eclipse was long lasting – a clear exaggeration. Taking into account that a solar eclipse can only take place during a new moon, let us re-examine the dates. For this purpose, the tool employed will be the lunar phase calculator as coded by Stephen R. Schmitt who adapted it from “Astronomical Computing column of Sky & Telescope, April 1994.” For our two dates we receive the following results: -----9 October 680 CEfor ........ 24 November 680 CE ............ 25 November 680 CE for ----- 10th of Muharram ............. for 26th of Safar, of 61Hijra ..... 27th of Safar,of 61H --- Age 10.52 ............................ days 26.99 ............................. 27.99 Age (name). Waxing gibbous ...... Morning crescent ................. NEW Distance .. 59.7 Earth radii ........ 63.76 Earth radii ................ 63.79 Earth radii Ecliptic Latitude... -4.75 degrees ....... 3.46 degrees ............. 2.51 degrees Ecliptic Longitude ... 321.31 degrees ..... 216.74 .................228.5 degrees Moon is in... Aquarius ....................... Virgo ....................... Libra Conclusion: Clearly, neither date conforms with the calculations to substantiate a solar eclipse. Taking into account a margin of error though and giving the traditions the benefit of the doubt, we find that the more reliable date is the later one based on what was recorded by Tabari (i.e. in Safar) as the difference in computation is not even a matter of hours and so the full moon actually can occur. Further, since eclipse is said to have occured after Husayn was killed, this date complies perfectly since the next day (Safar 27th) the moon was most definitely full (see above). Whereas the popular date (in Muharram) is a more significantly erroneous 8 or so days away (considering more than just the birth of the new moon). Narrative Irregularity According to several narrations, the date of this terrible avoidable incident was 10th Muharram – but there is another detail that the traditionalists add. They say that it occurred on 10th Muharram, 61 AH on a Friday! The fact is though that 10th Muharram actually occurred on a Tuesday (or Wednesday). The narration concerning this is: [1] After 'Umar b. Sa'd had performed the morning prayer on Saturday – it is also reported that it was Friday397 – the Day of 'Ashura', he came out with the people who were with him. [From the endnotes:] 397. Actually a Wednesday. [From page 82 of The History of al-Tabari, Volume XIX, The Caliphate of Yazid b. Mu'awiyah as translated by I.K.A. Howard (1990, State University of New York Press)] Another similar case can be observed from a recent scholarly Twelver translation and adaption of certain reports. One of the early political Shi'i historians was Abu Miqnaf, and he was said to have compiled a book on the martyrdom of al Husayn (ra). A new work was compiled, on the basis of reports transmitted from Abu Miqnaf's student since his original is said to be lost by the author of the new one. From Kitab Maqtal al-Husayn – Account of the Martyrdom of al-Husayn (A) by Abu Miknaf (A), the version translated and edited by Hamid Mavani (p 103): [2] Husayn asked for the name of this village and was told that it was 'Aqr40. He said, “O God, I seek refuge in You from 'Aqr,” and stopped there. It was on Thursday,41 2 Muharram 61 A.H. 41 It is in the locality of Kerbala – translator. 42 Actually, this date corresponds to Tuesday, not Thursday – Translator. A date of Tuesday for Muharram 2nd gives us a date of Wednesday for Muharram 10th. Conclusion: Professor I.K.A Howard and Hamid Mavani have actually apparently carried out the calculations as well and found that the actual date that 10th of Muharram falls on is Wednesday , not Friday. This correction is something, which like our study, relies on information and ability not within the grasp of previous historians who's societies had not reached the same level in matters of astronomy and calculation of dates. We find that amongst the modern historians, be they Sunni, Shi'i or Western, the traditionalist date of Friday and Saturday is completely dismissed (as are all other days of the week employed by the classical historians). Unfortunately, prior to the present study, the author is unaware of any such attempt at critically analyzing the other tradition (i.e. 10th Muharram) as opposed to this one (i.e. Friday/Saturday) – which actually yields better results in conformity with science and sound mind. Travel Irregularity In modern times, a drive from Massachusetts to Oregon will not take over three days if the driver manages to keep himself amused, alive and in good proximity to caffeine. In modern times, a person can even go from one place to another (all over the globe) within a day depending on how much money he has available to him. Such was not the case for Husayn (ra) though. Let us consider the situation. How fast does a person walk on average? In the book Dynatomy: Dynamic Human Anatomy by William C. Whiting and Stuart Rugg, that speed is described as follows: "The average adult walks at a speed of about 3 mph (1.34 [K]m/s), with women selfselecting a slightly slower speed than men (Neumann, 2002)" (page 156 of the 2006 print as published by Human Kinetics) This is actually surprisingly relevant because we know that the party traveled to Kerbala on foot with a few steeds. It is said that the party included men, women, and children of various builds and abilities - and they marched through considerably arid land. In consideration of the women and children who were traveling as part of the party and also the fact that the party travels at the speed of the slowest member if nobody is abandoned, we will give the party a lenient average speed of 2.5 mph. Accounting for the sleep of the weakest members of the party, the children, as well as other necessities such as the use of toilet, eating and drinking, as well as certain other difficulties that arise from travel - this doesn't give them that much time to travel. In fact, my estimate would be that they would be traveling (at most) an average of eight hours a day and (a lower) average of six hours a day. The lenient time (8 hr/day) is actually not even reflective of the difficulties such a journey would pose to travelers 1300 years ago - nor the several encounters related by the traditionalists that took place along the way and before the actual fighting (such as the discussions with Hurr ibn Yazeed days before the main army of the Kufans arrived). Now the distance from Mecca (from whence he traveled) to Kerbala is over 1100 miles depending on the route. When we calculate this using the minimum distance, we arrive at the following results: ? Traveling at 2.5 mph, for 8 hours a day, over 1100 miles - they must have taken a total of 55 days. ? Traveling at 2.5 mph, for 6 hours a day, over 1100 miles - they must have taken a total of 73 days. Both amounts should be given a leniency amount of (extra days) amounting to approximately 4 or so days to account for other problems, such as the path that Husayn's (ra) party actually took (to get to Kufa) which was not the usual one and that 1100 is by no means the exact distance between the two cities. In addition, a person can individually tinker with the values (2.5 mph and reduce it to something more reasonable and increase the time spent in travel to something which seems more reasonable) – each individual should ultimately arrive at similar numbers. There are several narrations as to when Husayn (ra) actually left Mecca and began to head towards Kerbala. All of the authorities are agreed that his departure took place sometime in the month of Dhul Hijja. The following material is related from the Twelver text, Story of the Holy Kab´a and Its People: Life and Times of Fourteen Masoomeen Alaihimussalam by S.M.R. Shabbar : It was in the month of Zilhijja 60 Hijri when he noticed that there were Yazid’s soldiers in Makka in the garb of Ahram to kill the Imam inside the Masjidul Haram. Imam changed the rituals of Hajj into Umra and decided to leave Makka. The date was 8th of Zilhijja 60 Hijri...The journey which began from Makka on the 8th of Zilhijja 60 Hijri ended in Kerbala on 2nd of Muharram 61 Hijiri and took about 22 days in all. Imam stopped at 14 places on his way to Kerbala. He met various people and delivered various sermons. What the Imam talked about to these people he met and said in his sermons at various places reflects the true motives he had in his mind...Imam wrote another letter to his childhood friend Habib Ibn Mazahir al -Asadi in Kufa inviting to join him in his journey of destiny. Habib was an old companion of the Prophet, was much o[lder] then the Imam. Some historians mention Habib’s age at 82...The 5th stage of Imam’s journey was a small town called Zabala...By this 5th stage only about 50 people were left with the Imam and many of them were women and children.... Conclusion: From this we can see some additional features that aren't even necessarily reflected in the average times of which I made mention. Namely, that amongst Husayn's (ra) rag-tag army there would be men as old as eighty-two if not older, and that at times, his army was made up of more women and children than men. And yet the above Twelver Historian still maintains the stance of the majority of the narrations, that this event took place on the 10th of Muharram. According to him, the time spent traveling was a mere twenty-two days. That would mean that either these women and children and old men were marching at a rate of numerous hours a day, or that they were moving at double the average speed (at a continuous rate)! Neither of these are explicable to the rational mind upon consideration. A far more plausible date, and one in accord with our earlier estimations would be one sometime late in the month of Safar. Considering additional relevant information though, the present section is divided into subcategories to analyze further evidences. The difficulty of travel in ancient times During the caliphate of Abu Bakr (ra), one of the primary concerns had been to stomp out the ridda (Apostasy) of the various 'Arab tribes and their turning themselves to false prophets and other leaders. As such, he (ra) was not able to do everything that he had wished to during his Caliphate. For example, he was not able to deal with the Christians of Najran and this duty was also passed to his successor, Hazrat 'Umar (ra) who acquired a place for them in his expansions into modern Iraq and Iran. Similarly, Hazrat 'Umar (ra) put much of his energy into expanding the domain of the Muslims. During his reign, the territorial achievements made by the him for the length of his leadership are incomparable to those of later Muslim rulers or even Abu Bakr (ra). He (ra) also placed great stress in reestablishing shariah. For every bit of effort that Abu Bakr (ra) had placed in abolishing the ridda and solidifying the empire, 'Umar (ra) than placed the same into strengthening it's influence through the strong-willed establishment of shariah and expanding it. It wasn't until his reign that nikah al mutah (temporary marriage) was firmly wiped out or that the ban on alcohol was known and recognized everywhere in the Muslim lands. He (ra) also was not able to focus on other such relatively minor concerns as making travel easier. So it was, that the baton was handed to Hazrat Uthman (ra). During the reign of Hazrat Uthman (ra), a new and bright focus was placed on innovation, and not in the negative shari sense. For one such example, during the Caliphates of the precedessors (ra), there was little emphasis placed on naval warfare or travel by sea in general. But, during the Caliphate of Hazrat Umar (ra), the exemplary governor of Sham, Hazrat Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (ra), conquered various Syrian ports such as 'Akka' and Yafa. The Byzantines than ran (or we should say, navigated) to Cyprus in fear of the gallantry and bravery of Mu'awiyah (ra) and his men (ra-rah). Mu'awiyah (ra) immediately realized the potential of naval warfare and also saw impending danger from vengeful Byzantines. He knew that if they were given the chance, they would attack ash-Sham by sea so Mu'awiyah (ra) petitioned 'Umar Farooq (ra) that he might be allowed to lay seige to the island of Cyprus by sea. Hazrat 'Umar (ra) consulted Hazrat 'Amr ibn Aas (ra) on the matter, who thought (as was rightfully the case during those times) that such an adventure would be extremely dangerous. Hazrat 'Umar (ra) therefore sent the following response to Hazrat Mu'awiyah (ra): Let it be known to you that Almighty Allah has entrusted me the responsibility to look after the Ummah of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and so seek his help and guidance to discharge the same. I do not consider feasible in any way to allow them [the Muslims] to undergo the perils of a dangerous voyage and lay seige upon Cyprus by embarking upon seaboats. In spite of it, I considered the matter myself and also consulted those experience in nautical activities who are also of the view that the dangerous expedition should be avoided, so you should leave the idea of this venture and never correspond with me on this topic of undertaking Jihad by sea and Peace be upon you. (no.76 from The Letters of Hadrat Umar Farooq by Dr. M. Adil from Ibn-e-A'sim p.62 and another version of the letter exists albeit with more dubious authenticity) Hazrat Umar (ra) felt that the prophecy concerning sea-voyage was something more likely to occur well after his (ra) death, just as our predecessors were shocked when the first men traveled by air and than by space travel. When the Caliphate of Hazrat Uthman (ra) began, Mu'awiyah (ra) posed the same question to him (ra) and he (ra) replied that You know the reply given to you by the Caliph Umar (R.A.A.) when you sought his permission for Naval warfare. (no.7 from The Letters of Hadrat Usman Ghani by Dr. M. Adil). Mu'awiyah (ra) was not going to drop this issue though, since the potential in such a strike by the Muslims was enormous. Eventually, Caliph Uthman (ra) finally gave in with the following response: Neither carry out conscription (for the attack of Cyprus) nor apply ballot system for the recruitment of the army, but whoso willingly becomes ready for the jihad, help him in the preparation of the same. (no. 9, ibid) One can only imagine the joy that must have been on Mu'awiyah's (ra) face. Uthman (ra) was still very concerned that this was a foolhardy and dangerous expedition and so he forbade drafting soldiers. Instead, only those that were willing went on this expedition for the sake of God, knowing that (in their minds as 'Arabs of the time) such a thing was near to suicide. So only the warriors with the strongest resolve and firmest faith went on this mission, and it is therefore no wonder that the Prophet (saw) prophesied them in his (saw) saying: ????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ????? ??? ????? ????? ? ??? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?? ????? ????? ??? ???? ?? ???? ????? ??? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ????? ??? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ????? ????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ????? ?? ????? ???????? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ????? ??????? ????? Narrated Anas bin Malik: [The Prophet (saw) went to visit Um Haram, the aunt of Anas ibn Malik, who used to make food for him sometimes and he would try to help her and take her of her needs as her brothers had been martyred at Bir Maoonah and her first husband and son were martyrs in Uhud. Abu Bakr (ra) is known to have also practiced the sunnah of helping old widows as Umar (ra) once said about him to the effect of “how difficult he will make it for his successors” because of his insistence of even such communal good deeds.] Um Haram said, "Once the Prophet slept in my house near to me and got up smiling. I said, 'What makes you smile?' He replied, 'Some of my followers who (i.e. in a dream) were presented to me sailing on this green sea like kings on thrones.' I said, 'O Allah's Apostle! Invoke Allah to make me one of them." So the Prophet invoked Allah for her and went to sleep again. He did the same (i.e. got up and told his dream) and Um Haran repeated her question and he gave the same reply. She said, "Invoke Allah to make me one of them." He said, "You are among the first batch." Later on it happened that she went out in the company of her husband 'Ubada bin As-Samit who went for Jihad and it was the first time the Muslims undertook a naval expedition led by Mu awiya. When the expedition came to an end and they were returning to Sham, a riding animal was presented to her to ride, but the animal let her fall and thus she died. (4/52/56) Mu'awiyah (ra) later also received the permission to continue on to siege Rhodes. It is thus known that the nature of the Caliphate of Uthman (ra) was that it was the beginning of not only new forms of war, but for the 'Arabs there, even new forms of travel. Uthman (ra) carried on this sort of innovation into the lives of civilians even, for it was his reign that gave birth to the first guest houses in the Muslim empire. He (ra) sent the following letter to Hazrat 'Abdullah ibn 'Aamir: Do build a guest house in Basra for the way-farers of Madina and our mawaale (those who travel in connection with commerce) to enable them to stay here. (no. 20, ibid) Conclusion: This trust of the Muslims played a significant role in bettering the economy and generating ease in the lives of the Muslims and the Dhimmi inhabitants of the Muslim empire. But what is critical here is that it wasn't until the reign of Uthman (ra) that such new systems began to be devised which would benefit travelers. Prior to this, travel even on land was dangerous, not only because of the roaming bandits, but also several other factors such as an inhospitable climate. A sort of climate that getting lost in meant the death for two guides of Muslim ibn Aqeel (see sub-section “Length of travel of Muslim ibn Aqeel”). This simply substantiates beyond a doubt that traveling was lengthy and difficult during those times and is simply incomparable to travel in our own times when I can make it from the state of Washington to Washington D.C. on the other side of the country in a matter of hours by flight, and under two days if I push myself, by car. Tags: http://2b-or-not-2b-shia.webnode.com/news/scientific-study-continued/ 1 Back Menu About Us Contact Us Feedback News Photogallery Guestbook Truth Does Matter: Shi'ite Fabrications Exposed Search site Homepage Site map RSS Print © 2011 All rights reserved. | Create a free webpage Read more: http://2b-or-not-2b-shia.webnode.com/news/when-was-hazrat-husayn-martyred-a-scientific-approach/ Create your own website for free: http://www.webnode.com