Journey from Karbala to Madina

Special Article: Sufferings on 1st Safar(Part 2)

 Yazeed asked, "What reason?" Imam (a.s) replied, "They were sons of sober women while these men are the sons of unchaste women. For none other than the illegitimate sons would kill the Prophets and their progeny". Hearing this Yazeed bowed down his head (in shame).

 Our Master Shaikh Sadooq relates from Fazl bin Shazan who says that I heard Imam Ali ar Reza (a.s) say that "When the head of Imam Husain (a.s) was brought to Syria, Yazeed ordered it to be kept upon the ground and an eating carpet was spread in front of it. He then ate facing it with his associates and drank wine. When they had finished, he ordered the tray to be kept below his throne. And he spread the sheet of backgammon upon the throne and started playing. 

He started mocking while uttering the names of Imam Husain (a.s), his father (a.s) and grandfather (s.a.w.s), and when he would win, he would drink wine. Three times he drank wine and then threw some of it near the tray (May Allah's curse be upon him). Then whoever is one of our Shi'ah, should refrain from drinking wine and playing backgammon. Then whoever, when his sight falls upon wine and backgammon, remember Imam Husain (a.s) and curses Yazeed and his progeny, Allah will forgive their sins even if they are equal to the stars".It is related in Manaqib from Yahya bin Hasan, that Yazeed told Imam Zainul Abedeen (a.s), "I wonder at your father who named all his sons Ali". Imam (a.s) replied, "My father loved his father very much and hence named his sons Ali".from http://www.al-islam.org/journey-of-tears/8.htmThe Fourth Journey - Kufa to ShaamBibi Zainab's speeches had stirred Kufa. The people of Kufa were filled with remorse. There was unrest in the city. In the marketplace, they were whispering: 'What have we done? How could we invite the Prophet's grandson and then desert him to be mercilessly butchered at Karbala'? How can we permit the Holy Prophet's granddaughters to be paraded in the streets like slaves? What have we done? 'Ibn Ziyad feared that the people of Kufa might rise against him. He ordered that the prison be strictly guarded. No one was allowed to visit them. Only the most trusted guards were allowed in or around the prison. In the meantime, messengers ran between Kufa and Damascus.

 Although at first Yazid had ordered that the captives be detained at Kufa until he had completed all the arrangements for their entry into Shaam (Damascus), because of the mood in Kufa, Ibn Ziyad was anxious to have the prisoners out of Kufa as soon as possible. It was agreed that they are taken to Shaam. Once again the prisoners were assembled and a procession left Kufa. But this time the departure was kept secret from the people of Kufa and took place at night.So began the fourth journey of tears! It was a long and difficult journey. Who was the hero and who was the heroine of this journey through the Iraqi and the Syrian deserts? Was it Bibi Rubaab, who from her unsaddled camel kept on staring at Ali Asghar's cradle loaded on another camel carrying the goods looted from Husayn's camp during the Shaam al-Gareeba? Was it Sakina who now sat mournfully on her mother's lap staring at the 'alam of Hazrat Abbas and her mashk still tied to the 'Alam, and who kept whispering: "I am not thirsty, Uncle, I am not thirsty!" Was the hero Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen who was made to walk all the way, the hot chains eating into his flesh?Sometimes our Fourth Imaam would faint. His captors, however, knew no pity. They would flog him if he slowed down or fainted. On these occasions, Bibi Zainab would intervene to stop the Imaam from being flogged to death. This was the journey of which the hero was the valour of Hazrat Ali which ruled the heart of Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen and the heroine was the sabr of Fatimah Zahra which inspired Bibi Zainab.

The journey from Kufa to Shaam was a long one. It took over twenty days. The women and the children were exhausted. Their suffering was great! Quite often the children would faint under the scorching desert heat and fall off the camels. The mothers would scream. Imaam Zain ul 'Abideen and Bibi Zainab would go looking for the children. Sometimes they would find them by the roadside barely alive and there were occasions when they were discovered too late.