What Happened on Arbaeen? (Maqtal of Arbaeen)

On the 20th of Safar, on the 40th of Imam Al-Husayn alayhi as-salam, Jabir Ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, came to visit Karbala with a companion of his by the name of Atiyyah. At this point, Jabir had lost his eyesight. So he told Atiyyah, Ya Atiyyah take me to the river of Furat. He took him to the river of Furat, where he did a Ghusl, he performed a wash, and then he came out. He wore the best of his clothes and he took some perfume and perfumed himself. Then he started taking short steps towards the grave of Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn.

There is a tradition that suggests that when they arrive to the graves, Jabir Ibn Abdullah al-Ansari asked take Atiyyah, Ya Atiyyah, take me to the grave of Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn. Atiyyah said, I don't know which is the grave of Imam Al-Husayn alayhi as-salam. Back in those days, the grave of the Imam was just sand and there were a bunch of sands, bunch of graves you know graves there. She said I don't know which is the grave of the Imam, salamu Allahi alayh. Jabir said to her, take me to each grave. I will tell you which one is the grave of the first grave. So, Atiyyah said, he started picking up some of the sand and smelling it until he arrived at the grave of Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn.

He picks up some of the sand, smelled that. He said Ya Atiyyah, hadha qabru Al-Husayn, this is the grave of Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn. Atiyyah asked him how do you know Ya Jabir? He said I've kissed Husayn, I've smelled Husayn. I know his smell. And this is the smell of Abi Abdillah. Indeed, Abi Abdillah, has a perfume, as we read in Hadith Al-Kisa, whenever, Imam Hasan and Husayn and Imam Ali, alayhi as-salam, came to the house of Fatimah, they said Ya Fatimah we smells a beautiful fragrance as it appears to be the fragrance of Rasul Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa alih. This is not some perfume that the Prophet had, but the Prophet himself has emanates a perfume a beautiful fragrance Imam Ali had a smell, Fatimah alayha as-salam had a smell, Imam Al-Hasan and Imam Al-Husayn.

Jabir stood on the grave of Abi Abdillah. Then he threw himself on the grave of Imam Al-Husayn. Three times he cried, Ya Husayn, Ya Husayn, Ya-Husayn. Habibu Allah yujibo habibah wa anna laka bi 'l-jawa', wa qad fussila ra'suka an jasadik. Oh Husayn, I am your beloved Jabir, and you are my beloved Husayn, respond to your beloved Jabir Ya Aba Abdillah. But how can you respond when your head has been separated from your body?

Then Jabir alayhi as-salam said, I bear witness that we are with you and we are partners and associates in what you endured and in sha Allah in the ranks that you will be resurrected with on the Day of Judgment. Atiyyah asked him what are you talking about? How could we be the associates and partners in their Ajir and with them on the Day of Judgment? These people fought, they shed their blood for Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn alayhi as-salam. These people had their heads and limbs separated from their bodies. We did not experience any of this, so how can we be their partners and associates?

Jabir said, I heard my beloved, Rasul Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa alih, saying anyone who loves the group of people and agrees with their actions, then Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala will associate them with their actions and will resurrect him with them on the Day of Judgment in sha Allah. And I bear witness that I love Abi Abdillah al-Husayn and I agree with everything he did.

And then he recited a Ziyarat of Abi Abdillah al-Husayn, alayhi as-salam, known as the Ziyarat of Jabir Ibn Abdillah Al-al-Ansari. Then after finishing the Ziyarat, Atiyyah said Ya Jabir, I am seeing a crowd of people coming from a distance. Jabir said, let's go investigate. If it is a crowd from Ubaydillah Al-Ziyad, we will go and hide. but, if it is my beloved master Imam as-Sajajd alayhi as-salam, then I will go and greet him.

The news came to Jabir. Ya Jabir, get up. This is your master Zain ul-Abidin. He has come back with the family. Get up angry and Jabir got up, ran towards Imam as-Sajjad alayhi as-salam. Fell over his hands and his feet, kissing them, crying Ya Ibn Rasul Allah, tell me what happened in Karbala.

Imam as-Sajjad started weeping and crying. Ya Jabir where shall I begin from? Ya Jabir, huna qutila rijaluna wa subiat nisauna. This is the place where our men were killed, our women were taken as prisoners. And then the family came back to Karbala, when Zaynab alayha as-salam smelled the fragrance of Imam Al-Husayn coming from his grave she threw herself from the camel onto the grave of Abi Abdillah, crying.

Ay wa akha! Ay wa Husayna! Shall I tell you what I endured in my journey? Shall I show you my body? It has turned black from the beatings of Bani Umayyah! Every time I cried for you, every time I called you, they beat me with their whips, they hit me with their sticks.

A'h, then Sukayna bint ul-Husayn, the daughter of Husayn threw herself also on the grave of her father Imam Al-Husayn, crying, A'h Abata! Aywa Husayna! I am your beloved Sukayna. Father, what a difficult journey it was. Your enemies hit me, they beat me up Ya Aba Abdillah, A'h.

Then came Rabab, she said to Ya Ali Al-Sajjad, Imam Al-Sajjad, where is the grave of my son Ali al-Asghar, Abdullah ar-Radhi'? Where is his grave? He looked at her and he said: Rabab, when I buried the body of my father, I heard a voice from his throat he didn't have a head to talk, so the throat spoke. The throat spoke, he said, bunay Ali wa sid Radhi 'ala sadri. Oh my son Ali keep my baby on my chest. So, I buried my brother Ali al-Asghar Abdullah on the chest of my father, Ya Rabab. Ah!

Poet tried to speak it in this language, poet tried to pursue this beautiful image, this beautiful picture, this painful picture. As Rabab said to Imam Al-Sajjad, Ya Ali Al-Sajjad, you put the baby on the chest of Husayn, but the chest of Husayn was crushed under the horses of the Bani Umayyah, so Husayn did not have a chest, where did you put the baby Ya Ali Al-Sajjad?

Ah! Then Zaynab, salamu Allahi alayha got up from the grave of Aba Abdillah, where are you going ya Zaynab? I am going to the son of my father. I am heading to the river of Furat. "Ana ra'i 'al-Abbas wa ida'ih! Wa raqqib ach-chufufih fuq zandah. Wa qullek ya akhuy al-haram ta'at bi shiddah ". I'm going to see Abbas, she sat next to the grave of Abul Fadhil weeping and crying. Akhi Abal Fadhl. A'h.

The poet tried to picture this. Zaynab is having a conversation with Abal Fadhl al-Abbas. She tells him brother Abbas, can I give you my hands and you take me back to Medina? Can I give you my eyes but you come back and look at me one more? A'h, brother Abbas, you promised to take care of me ever since we left Medinah. Now, I'm heading back to Medinah. Ya Abbas, get up. Take care of me it! Is as if Abal Fadhl il-Abbas replies back to her. As if he tells her. Zaynab, do not blame your brother Ababs. Forgive me Ya Zaynab. If I had my right hand and my left hand. If they did not shoot me with an arrow in my eye, I would have have never let them take you as a prisoner Ya Zaynab. A'h!

Then the family spent about three days in Karbala, mourning and weeping. It is said also a nearby tribe known as, Bani Asad, when they hear the family has come back they also came back and they started mourning and weeping. They had one of the earliest Majalis of Aza in Karbala.

I say, Ya Aba Abdillah! Ya Zaynab, I wish you are here to see all those millions of people coming for the Ziyarah. All of them are saying Assalam u alayka Ya Aba Abdillah! All of them are crying and weeping for you.

It is said when Rasul Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa alih told Fatimat uz-Zahra alayha as-salam that Imam Al-Husayn will be killed in Karbala. She cried , she said Ya Rasul Allah, will you be with him? Will his father Ali Ibn Abi Talib be with him? Will I be with him? Will his brother Imam Al-Hasan be with him in Karbala? The Prophet said no, Ya Fatimah, none of us will be with him. So, then Fatimah alayha as-salam cried and said Ya father Ya Rasul Allah, then who will be crying for my son Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn?

Rasul Allah salla Allahu alayhi wa alih said, Ya Fatimah, Allah will create for him lovers and Shi'a, followers, who will mourn for him and weep and weep and cry for him day and night? I say Ya Allah, make us among those Shi'a and those lovers who come and weep for Abi Abdillah Al-Husayn.