Janabe Mohsin ibne Ali (a.s.)

"And when the female infant buried alive is asked, for what sin she was killed."

(Sura At-Takwir – 81:8-9)

Mufazzal Ibn Umar, the respected companion and special deputy of Imam Sadiq (a.s) asked, “What is your opinion about these verses?

Imam (a.s) informed: “O Mufazzal, by Allah, ‘Maudato’ (i.e. infant) in this verse means Mohsin (a.s) and surely he is from us and not others. Those who claim otherwise are lying.”

Then Imam (a.s) elaborated (on the events on the Day of Resurrection) "Fatimah, the daughter of the Allah’s Messenger will supplicate ” O Allah fulfill Your Promise and Your Pledge with me with regards to those who oppressed me, usurped my rights, struck me and distressed me with regards to all my children..."1

Mohsin Ibn Ali (a.s) is the third son of Ali (a.s) and Fatimah (s.a) after Hasan (a.s) and Husain (as). He is also referred to as Mushabbar which is also the name of Prophet Haroon Ibn Imran’s (as) third son. He was no more than six months fetus at the time of the attack.2

BURNING OF THE DOOR & THE MARTYRDOM OF JANABE MOHSIN (A.S)

There are plenty of narrations which proveMohsin ibn Ali (a.s) martyrdom from the attack on Fatimah's (s.a) house. Those interested in seeking the truth of the matter should not be surprised to find scores of scholars and historians (Shia and Sunni both) record the martyrdom of Mohsin ibn Ali (as) in a manner that puts the issue beyond doubt.

Here we present a letter which Umar's  wrote to Muawiya  regarding the attack on the house of Janabe Zahra (s.a), the contents of which were as follows:

‘I went to the house of Ali, after having decided with others to bring him out of the house. Fatima came out and I told her, ‘Tell Ali to come out and swear the oath of allegiance to Abu Bakr (l.a) for all Muslims have done so.’

Fatima (s.a) replied that Ali (a.s) was busy in arranging the Quran.

I said, ’Keep this talk aside, tell Ali to come out or else we will forcefully enter the house and bring him out!’

At that moment, Fatima came and stood with her back towards the door and said, ‘O misled liars! What do you say and what do you want from us?’

I addressed her and she said, ‘what do you want O Umar?’

I replied, ‘Why has your cousin sent you here to reply while he remains seated behind veils?’

Fatima said, ‘Your rebellion has brought me out O Umar and I have ended my proof upon you, and every misled is erroneous.’

I said, ‘Keep these vain and womanish words aside and tell Ali to come out of the house.’

She replied, ‘You are not worthy of love and generosity. Do you make us fear the ‘Party of the Devil’ O Umar? Verily the Party of the Devil are the losers!’ (Surah Mujadilah (58): 19)

Hearing this I said, ‘If Ali does not come out of the house, I will bring fuel and kindle a fire and burn down the house along with its dwellers or I will take Ali to the Masjid for (the oath of) allegiance.’

Then I took the whip (of Qunfudh) and struck Fatima with it and told Khalid b. Walid, ‘Bring firewood’, then again I told her, ‘I will burn down the house!’

Fatima said, ‘O enemy of Allah and enemy of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.a) and the enemy of the Commander of the Faithful!’

Two hands came out from behind the door to stop me from entering the house, however I pushed back the hands and then pushed the door with force, while striking at her hands with the whip, so that she would let go of the door. She wailed and wept due to the intense pain of the whip and her weeping was such a heart-rendering scream that it was as if my heart was going to melt and I almost retreated. Suddenly, I recalled the envy and avarice which I had towards Ali because he was the one that had shed the blood of the eminent Quraish apostates and thus, I kicked at the door, however she had grasped the door such that it would not open. When I kicked at the door, I heard the cry of Fatima and thought that this cry would topple the entire city of Medina.

In this state Fatima called out, ‘O Father! O Prophet of Allah! How do they treat your beloved and your daughter! O Fizza! Hasten to my aid, for by Allah, the child in my womb has been killed.’

I presumed that Fatima had stood with her back to the wall due to the extreme pain of labour and at this point, I pushed at the door with intense force and the door opened. When I entered therein, Fatima came and stood in front of me (even though she was in immense pain), but my intense anger had overwhelmed me as if a veil was cast before my eyes. In this state, I slapped her on her face, striking her veil, and she fell down to the ground.’”

(This letter is quoted by AllamahMajlisi r.a. in Behaar al-Anwaar in which he says - I have related this letter from Dalail al-Imamah vol. 2 of Emaad al-DeenTabarir.a. that after the martyrdom of Imam Husain a.s. at Karbala, Abdullah b. Umar l.a. along with a group of people from Medina came to Syria. They protested in front of Yazidl.a. regarding his atrocities at Karbala and in this gathering, Yazidl.a. told Abdullah b. Umar l.a., “Do you wish to see the letter of your father”, saying this he brought forth the letter (quoted in the text) of Umar l.a. which was kept in a case and then he gave it to Abdullah l.a..)

Hazrat Ali (a.s) came out in such a condition - his eyes were reddened and his head uncovered. He placed his cloak over Hazrat Zahra (s.a). He embraced her and called out to Fizzah,

"O Fizzah! Come and support your princess. See how she had been suffering at the door."

Hazrat Mohsin was martyred at that spot. Hazrat Ali (a.s) said,

"He will meet his grandfather - the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a) and describe this tragic event to him. O Fizzah! Please take Fatemah inside the house."3

Another narration states that Qunfuz (l.a) struck her with the whip on her face, her sides and her arms such that the blue marks of the injuries remained on her arms till she was martyred. If not anything, one can surely say that this event was the primary cause for her martyrdom.

Another report mentions that Khalid ibne Waleed struck her with his sword.

Yet another report informs us that Khalid ibne Waleed pushed the door with great force on her. It is for this reason that reliable historians hold Khalid responsible for the death of Janabe’ Mohsin in the womb of his mother.

As per another narration it is reported that, MoghayrahIbne’ Sho’bah struck her with his sword with such force that she bled profusely. Or that he caused the door to fall on her womb. Historians have also held Moghayrah responsible for the martyrdom of HazratMohsin.

Some narrations state that Umar struck Janabe’ Zahra (s.a.) with the sheath of his sword, and lashed her with a whip till her arms were blacked by the wounds.  And these marks remained with her till she died.4

Conclusion:

Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a) had frequently said: "Fatimah is a part of me. Whoever makes her angry, makes me angry."

Allah (swt) says in Qur’an:

"(O Prophet) tell (people) I don’t ask you any wage except to love my family.”(Sura Ash-Shura - 42:23).

But, those who claimed to be his sincere companions entered the house of Ali (as), J.Fatima (s.a), Hasan (a.s) and Husain (a.s) without permission, lashing the side of Lady Fatima (sa), burning the door with the fire, beating on the hands of Janabe Fatima (sa) with whip, injuring her womb and miscarriage of Mohsin (as) while a week had not been passed since the death of the Prophet (s.a.w.a).

IS THIS THE LOVE, ALLAH ORDERED FOR THE FAMILY OF PROPHET?

May Allah curse the killers of Mohsin Ibn Ali (a.s) and hasten the reappearance of the Last Imam (as) who will avenge the blood of Mohsin Ibn Ali (as).Ameen!

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1. Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 53 pp. 23-24

2. Al-Hidaayat al-Kubra, p. 407, Behaar al-Anwaar, vol. 53 p. 19

3. Al-Hidaayatul Kubra, pg.407

4. Oppression on the Ahlulbayt (a.s) p.61-64

Mutawakkil Abbasi (l.a.) – The Accursed

Oppressors are a test of Allah on believers. The steadfastness of believers increase when they face oppressors and oppression. On the other hand, the oppressors feel a sense of pride and power on being able to successfully torture the oppressed ones. They forget, the power granted to them is granted by Allah for doing good and they will be questioned for misusing the power. Wealth and power of this world encouraged them to show their hatred towards Allah, the Ahle Bait (a.s.) and the followers of Ahle Bait (a.s.).

Mutawakkil ala Allah al Abbasi (l.a) was one such oppressor. He was the Tenth Abbasid caliph who ruled from 232 to 247 A.H. He like his oppressive predecessors exploited religion to achieve power and worldly aims. He was born to a slave girl named Shuja, MutawakkilAbbasi (l.a) was such an opportunist and power hungry that he did not even hesitate to murder his son and close advisor, who had played an important role in raising him to the throne. He did all this to remain in the seat of power. Some of the historians have praised him saying that there are only three caliphs:

Abu Bakr:      because of his position against apostates,

Umar:             because of his attitude towards tyrants, and

Mutawakkil:   because of his revitalization of the Sunnah

However he was as despicable as his predecessors and ancestors. Let us list down his evil and oppressive acts.

Al-Mutawakkil lived a life of play with no tendency to seriousness. His life was full of amusement and joking. Historians say, ‘No play, joking, or clowning appeared in the meetings of the Abbasid caliphs before al-Mutawakkil. When al-Mutawakkil assumed the rule, he brought all that to his meeting and then most of the upper class imitated him in that. He brought imitators, who imitated the gestures and voices of some people and did comic acts, in his meeting. 

Let us have a look at his other vices which makes him an accursed :

1.    Hatred for the sons of Ameerul Momeneen (a.s):

Mutawakkil once asked Abu Yusuf the teacher of his two sons Motaz and Muayyad:

اين دو كودك در نزد تو بهترند يا حسن و حسين فرزندان على

 "Whom do you love more, my sons or al-Hasan and al-Husain.”

When answer was in favour of Imam Hasan and Imam Husain (a.s),he handed him to the Turkish bodyguards, who so chastised and manhandled him that Abu Yusuf died two days later.

2.    Laughing at the insult of Ameerul Momeneen (a.s)

Ubadah al-Mukhnath was among his companions.  He used to put a pillow on his belly and uncovered his bald head and dance before the caliph, while the singers sang:

"Here is the bald one, the bellied one, the caliph of the Mus1ims, i.e., 'Ali,

Mutawakkil was amused at it.

3.    Demolition of  the Mausoleum of Imam Husain (a.s)

In 236 A.H. al-Mutawakkil ordered the demolition of Imam Husain (a.s)'s grave and the area surrounding it.  The historians have stated two reasons for it.

One reson  which is mentioned is that he once called for his concubine and it was told to him that she had gone to Karbala for pilgrimage. Not able to withstand her absence he ordered for the demolition of the holy grave.

The other reason that has been cited by the historians is that he was afraid of large number of shias gathering at the mausoleum of Imam Husain (a.s) and wanted to curb any potential uprising.

4.    The Created-ness of Holy Quran

He also put an end to the debate on whether Quran is created or not, ruling in the favour of it being not created hence shaking the very foundation of monotheism.

5.    Oppression on Alavis (Shias):

Mutawakkil strongly opposed the Shias and adopted various means to oppress them. He ordered his governors in Egypt that no land should be rented to Alavis and any witness against them should be accepted.

Further, he prosecuted the important figures of Shias like Yahya ibn Umar who was presented before him on the pretext that he planned rebellion against him. Yahya was flogged eighteen times and then imprisoned.

He also persecuted Isa b Jafar ibn Muhammad who rightly reviled the first two caliphs and their daugther. He ordered that he be beaten to death and thrown in the river.

He appointed harsh and oppressive governors like Umar ibn Faraj over Alavis who tortured and practiced an oppressive policy on them, punishing them harshly for a small mistake. By this harsh treatment Alavi families lost even their clothes. They remained in hiding for safety.

6.    Torturing Imam Ali ibne Mohammed An-Naqi (a.s.)

Mutawakkil forced Imam Ali Naqi (a.s) to reside in the poor quarters under the heavy observation of guards thus preventing Imam from free and natural life. He also raided the house of Imam (a.s) on the pretext that he (a.s) was gathering arms and planning to rise against him. Once he summoned Imam (a.s) while being drunk and asked Imam to recite a poem. He also dishonored Imam (a.s) by offering the pious and Infallible Imam a goblet of wine, Imam (a.s) recited the following reprimanding him and expressing his displeasure for him:

They passed the night on the summits of the mountains,

Protected by valiant warriors, but their place of refuge availed them not

After all their pomp and power they had to descend from their lofty to the custody of the tomb

O what a dreadful change: Their graves had already received them, a voice heard exclaiming:

Where are the thrones and the crowns and the robes of state?

Where are now the faces of the delicate, which were shaded by veils and protected by the curtains of the audience hall?

To this demand the tomb gave answer sufficient.

The worms, it said, are now reveling upon these faces.

Long had these men been eating and drinking but now they are eaten in turn

Al-Mutawakkil was shaken and intoxication flew from his head. He began terribly crying. Al-Mutawakkil ordered his men to take the glasses of wine away from the meeting.

7.    Laughing on the blessed existence of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s)

Mutawakkil had a habitual guest and companion, a poet Ali ibn Jahm who opposed the Shias.He once recited:

Look at these Rafidis who believe that there is a hidden Imam

The Imam is the one who has twenty thousand Turkish guards (Mutawakkil) with arrows ready.

Mutawakkil was a bigot and was finally killed by his son with the help of Turkish guards. He was murdered on the 4th of Shawwal 247 A.H. May Allah curse and increase his punishment manifold.

May Allah help us protect our imaan, when we confront an oppressor. May Allah give patience to those who are oppressed. May Allah hasten the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s.) who will end oppression and oppressors from this land of Allah.

Oppressions of Harun al-Rashid (l.a)

Like any other Abbasid and Umayyad, the Holy Ahlebait (a.s) and Shias suffered heavy calamities under the rule of Harun al-Rashid (l.a).  He martyred Imam  al-Kazim (a.s), the notables of the Shias and the progeny of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a), swallowed Allah’s wealth like camels swallow the spring plants, spend the properties of the Muslims lavishly on his base and carnal desires and on warring against the Ahlebait (a.s). 

Let us list down his acts oppressions:

1   Gifts to Singers

He went too far in spending on the singers. He spent huge wealth and properties on them instead of channelizing them towards the common welfare.

    Gifts to the Poets

Likewise he spent generously on the poets who showered false praises on him and giving him the qualities of the pious, the protection of the religion and one keeping it. They described him as the shadow of Allah on earth. They said that Allah would not accept deeds except through Harun’s pleasure and showing obedience to him. They also said that if Harun was discontented with someone, then prayer and acts of worship would not benefit him.

    Spending on Gluttony

Harun spend lavishly on food. He spend ten thousand dirhams on it a day and his servants cooked thirty kinds of foods for him thus violating the verse of Allah ‘Eat and drink but do not be extravagant’. This was when the common people i.e. his subjects could barely gather a livelihood.

    Spending on base desires

Harun also slipped deep into the abyss of carnal desires through slave girls. He also married the slave girl of his brother who had taken the oath from him that he would not marry her after the formers death. He also spent lavish amounts on other slave girls

 Spending on Jewels

Harun was very fond of jewels and precious stones that he spent a lot of money on buying them. He had a ring of hundred thousand dinars, an emerald bar longer than a cubit, wore a very precious -like ruby crown whose value was hundred thousand dinars. Moreover he scattered jewels over his slave girls without reckoning.

    Indifference to Ignorance and progress of people

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) did not appoint any amount of money to spread knowledge and sciences and to remove the ignorance from the people. This was for the reason that he knew that if people are educated they would ask for their rights and be inclined to the Ahlebait (a.s). Besides he did not spend anything on developing the economy and industry in the country.

   The torture on Alawis

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) inherited from his grandfather al-Mansur strong enmity toward the Alawis and from the beginning of his reign, he treated them rudely and wreaked his wrath upon them. He swore by Allah to uproot and kill them. He said:

 “By Allah, I will kill them (the ‘Alawis s) and their Shi‘ites (followers).”

The imprisonment, beating and killing of Alawis became common practices.  He sent a big group of them to the fields of execution, buried part of them alive, threw many of them into the dark cells of prisons, and subjected them to other painful tragedies. The following is an account of some of them

Harun committed the most horrible crime history has recorded against them. He ordered a group of them to be executed on one night in a sorrowful way. Hamid b. Qahteba, a headsman, related that terrible tragedy. ‘Ubayd Allah al-Nishapuri narrated, saying: “I came in to Hamid b. Qahteba in the month of Ramazan. He ordered a lunch to be brought. 

Then he invited me to have food, so I said to him:

‘O Emir, this is the month of Ramazan. I am not sick, nor have I an illness that makes fast breaking obligatory. Perhaps the Emir has an excuse in respect with that.’ 

He said to me: ‘I have no illness that makes fast breaking obligatory. Then he wept.’” 

After he had had the lunch, ‘Ubayd Allah turned to him and asked him about the reason for his weeping, and he answered him:

When I was at Tus, Harun sent for me at a dark night. When I stood before him, he asked me:

How is your obedience to the Commander of the faithful?

I sacrifice my soul and property for him.

So Harun bowed his head, and then he let me go. Shortly after that he sent for me. When I stood before him, he asked me:

How is your obedience to the Commander of the faithful?

I sacrifice my soul and property for him.

So Harun smiled, and then he allowed me to go. When I came into my house, the messenger came for the third time, saying: “Respond to the Commander of the faithful.” 

When I stood before him, he asked me:

How is your obedience to the Commander of the faithful?

I sacrifice my faith and religion for him.

So he smiled and said:

“Take this sword and carry out the servant’s orders.”

I took the sword. The servant walked in front of me until he led me to a closed house. There was a well in the middle of the house. In it there were three closed rooms. He opened one of them, and I found in it twenty persons; they were ranging among old, middle-aged, and young. Then he said to me: “Indeed, the Commander of the faithful is commanding you to kill these (people); they all are the sons of ‘Ali and Fatima.”

He took them out one by one, and I beheaded them. Then he threw their bodies and their heads into the well. Then he opened the second room where there were twenty persons and said to me: “Indeed, the Commander of the faithful is commanding you to kill these (people); they all are the sons of ‘Ali and Fatima.” He took them out one by one, and I beheaded them. Then he threw their bodies and their heads into the well. Then he opened the third room where there was twenty ‘Alawis s. He took them out one by one and ordered me to kill them. I executed nineteen of them, and there remained an old man, who said to me: “Woe to you! Which an excuse will you have on the Day of Resurrection when you meet my grandfather, Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, and you killed sixty persons from among his grandsons? So I shook all over with fear. A violent shock befell me, so the servant looked at me angrily and rebuked me. For this reason I killed that old man and threw him in that well.

8.  Banishing the Alawis

Immidiately after ascending on throne, Harun al-Rashid (l.a), issued a royal decree ordering the ‘Alawis to be immediately banished from Baghdad to Yasrib.

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) practiced a severe pressure on the family of the Prophet. When they came to know that he detested and hated them, they lived in disguise and wandered from place to place in a state of fear lest someone should recognize them. The soldiers went too far in following and pursuing them; the intelligence and the security forces spread to look for them. They arrested some of them, sent them to graves, prisons and to some of Harun’s ministers, that they might send their heads as gifts on his birthdays.

    Defaming the Ahlebait (a.s)

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) employed all his efforts and abilities to destroy the ‘Alawis and defame them. He gave huge sums money to poets to malign them.

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) gave enormous properties to a poet because he satirized Ahlebait (a.s) the members of the house, peace be on them, praised the ‘Abbasids, and indicated that he was worthier of the Prophet than the ‘Alawis .

            Banning the mention of virtues of Ahlebait (a.s)

He severely punished those who mentioned the virtues of Ahlebait (a.s) to the people. Thus Muslims in his black period were afraid of mentioning the laudable deeds of Ahlebait (a.s). No poet dared to praise them or lament for them. If anyone did that he was subjected to vengeance and torture. He attacked the closest of all the people to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family

            Demolishing the Shrine of Imam Husayn (a.s)

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) was unable to the rage when he saw the Muslim masses frequently and in groups visit the shrine of Imam Husain (a.s). He ordered the Holy Shrine and the neighboring houses to be demolished. He ordered the nabk tree beside the Holy Grave to be uprooted. Moreover he ordered the land of Kerbela to be ploughed, that he might efface the traces of the Pure Grave. However, Allah took vengeance on him and he died in Khurasan before the end of the year.

      Executing the great figures of Alawis 

The tyrannical, Harun, ordered a large group of the ‘Alawis great figures to be executed and assassinated, while they were the best of the Muslims in knowledge, piety, and sticking to religion. As an example we mention Yehya b Abdullah:

Yehya b. ‘Abd Allah b. al-Hasan b. al-Hasan b. ‘Ali, the Commander of the faithful, peace be on him.

His kunya was Abu al-Hasan. He was a man of great importance and a high rank. He had a remarkable position with the Muslims. The progeny of the prophets was recognized through his face.He was among the great men of knowledge and virtue. He narrated hadith (tradition) and narrated many traditions on the authority of Imam Ja‘far al-Sadiq, peace be on him. He narrated traditions on the authority of his father, his brother, and Aban b. Teghlub. Mukauwal b. Ibrahim, Bekkar b. Ziyad, Yehya b. Musawir, and ‘Amru b. Hemmad narrated traditions on his authority. When Malik b. Anas saw him, he rose for him and seated him beside him.

He grew up in the house of Imam al-Sadiq, peace be on him. The Imam gave him many of his sciences and appointed him as one of his testamentary trustees. When he narrated traditions on the authority of

Yehya was among the heroes of the revolt of the martyr leader of the (Battle of) Fekh. He played an active role in it. He along with his companions struggled for a long time, that they might establish justice and equality in the areas of the Islamic society and to remove the government of the oppressive from among the ‘Abbasids. When the ‘Abbasid troops arrested al-Husayn and killed him with that fearful and painful way, Yehya hid himself; and then he along with his brave companions escaped. They walked through the countries seeking a refuge.

Yehya had fear for himself and his companions of Harun. So he along with seventy men from among his companions secretly and in disguise went to al-Daylem.

       Oppression on Imam al-Kazim (a.s)

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) did not leave any stone unturned in torturing the holy Imam (a.s). In 179 A.H. he ordered the arrest of Imam al-Kazim (A.S.). The holy Imam (a.s) was captured and sent to Basrah.  He (a.s) stayed in prison for a year and was sent to Baghdad and imprisoned there for a long time. After that, he was imprisoned under Sindi bin Shahak (l.a), the cruelest in word and deed against Imam al-Kazim (a.s). 

He ordered the beating, stripping and cursing publicly of Yahya Barmaki because he provided some comfort to Imam al-Kazim (a.s) in prison. 

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) also tortured the companions of Imam al-Kazim (a.s) like Muhammad bin Abi Umair Azadi who was imprisoned in the prisons of Harun al-Rashid (l.a) for about ten years and was severely punished .  Ali bin Hashim bin Barid, Abdulla bin Alqama, and Mukhawwal bin Ibrahim Sahdi were also imprisoned by Harun al-Rashid (l.a) in his prison called Matbiq where they remained for twelve years.

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) also ordered the Imam (a.s) to be given over to Fadl bin Yahya, who imprisoned him in one of his houses and put him on house arrest.

Harun al-Rashid (l.a) also ordered two his officers to kill Imam al-Kazim (a.s) but they refused to carry this heinous task. He finally ordered the cruel Sindi ibn Shahik  (l.a) to kill Imam and Sindi ibn Shahik (l.a) accepted it gratefully.

Last but not the least Harun al-Rashid (l.a) seated himself on the caliphate which belonged to Imam al-Kazim (a.s).

May Allah curse those who oppressed Ahlebait (a.s) and their shias.