By: Sadruddin Noorani, Chicago, USA
The Ahl al-Bayt or “People of the House.” Imam Husayn (alayha-s-salaam), the second son of Mawlana Ali (alayha-s-salaam) and Fāṭimah al-Zahrā (alayha-s-salaam).
Imam Husayn was one year younger than Hazrat Hassan. When the Prophet (salle allahu alayhi wa sal-ihi wa sallam) heard about the birth of his second grandson, he came to the house of his daughter, took the baby in his arms, recited the azaan in his ear and affectionately named him Husayn.
Several times when Mawlana Husayn entered the Mosque as a small child, our beloved Prophet would place him on his lap and tell his companions to look at Mawlana Husayn and to remember him. The Prophet had a deep affection for his grandchildren. He has said, “All mothers’ children are associated with their father except for the children of Fāṭimah, for I am their father and lineage.“ It is only the descendants of Bibi Fāṭimah (a.s.) that are the progeny of Prophet Muhammad (s) and his Ahl al-Bayt. The Prophet’s intimate connection with Imam Husayn is captured in a famous hadith attributed to him in which he exclaimed, “Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn.” (al-Tirmidhi (3775), Ibn Majah (144) and Ahmad (17111).
This bond and responsibility shared by the Prophet and the Imam is echoed in a poem by the South Asian Sufi Master, Shaykh Mu’inuddin Chishti, who writes:
Husayn is king. He is the king of kings,
Husayn is Faith and also Protector of Faith,
His head he gave but his hand remained steadfast.
For through him was manifested “La-illaha-illallah.
Mawlana Husayn spent his early life in the lap of the Prophet, who loved him so much. Among the numerous sayings of the Prophet concerning Imam Husayn is the one to this effect that, “I owe my being to Husayn, and Husayn owes his being to me.” (Ibn Majah, 1:33). It is further related that once, while addressing in the Mosque, the Prophet was interrupted all of a sudden by the cry of a boy, whose voice resembled that of Husayn. He asked someone to inquire whether Husayn was weeping. Soon it was reported to the Prophet that the weeping boy was one of the students, whose teacher had punished him due to negligence in his lesson. The Prophet sent for the teacher and said, “Please do not punish the boy so much that causes him to weep, as his voice resembles that of my child Husayn.”
When Mawlana Husayn was just six years old, he lost his maternal grandfather and his mother both within six months of each other. Imam Husayn spent the next twenty-five years of his life in Medina with his father Hazrat Ali, his brother, Hazrat Hassan, and his other siblings. He was married to Shaharbanu, the daughter of Yazdegerd (the third), the last Sassanid king of Persia (Iran).
When in Medina, Mawlana Husayn was responsible for teaching the Quran and Sunnah to the newly converted Muslims. In addition, Imam Husayn managed the Trust set up by his father to help the city’s poor by giving them food and other necessities of life. His wisdom is valued by many. Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a.), the second Caliph showed his love and respect for Mawlana Husayn in a number of ways. When he entered the mosque, Hazrat Umar (r.a.) would usher Imam Hussain (a.s.) to sit beside him and tell his companions to listen to the advice and counsel of the young man. Mawlana Husayn preached the complete dependence upon Allah. Shortly after he became the Imam Mawlana Husayn (a.s.) went on Hajj and at the station of Arafah, recited a heartfelt Du’a in which his reliance upon Allah for all things is apparent. He recited:
Oh He, upon whom I called when I was sick and He healed me, when naked, He clothed me, when hungry He fed me, when thirsty He gave me drink, when abased He exalted me, when ignorant, He gave me knowledge, when alone He provided companionship, when away from home He returned me home, when empty handed He enriched me, when in need of help He helped me, when rich He did not take from me.
The life of Imam Husayn demonstrates to us the importance of having trust and faith in our Creator. When times are difficult, when we find ourselves in hardship, we must pray to Allah knowing that He will not abandon us. Likewise, when we are prosperous and happy, we should thank Allah (swt) not only for providing us with great fortune but also for not removing His bounty from our lives. It is through the examples of Prophet’s Sunnah (Seerat an-Nabi) and follow our Imam-of-the-Time and their hidaya we not only bring ourselves closer to the Divine but are steered upon the path of true happiness.
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Ismailimail 
This is a particularly beautiful article, I didn’t know about the history of Imam Husayn in such detail. Thank you very much
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