Author’s Preface

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Who is aware of the roaring of the wild beasts, (and) the sins of the slave done in secrecy. Who causes the to and fro motion of the fishes in the deep seas and forms the waves of water through strong winds. And Mercy and Salutations upon the Master of the Universe, the Superior among the dwell­ers of the heavens and the earth, Mohammad (s.a.w.s), (the one) assigned with astounding miracles and signs of indisputable evidence, and (His Mercy and Salutations) upon his Pure Progeny (a.s), the oppressed among them, who are the lanterns in darkness and the refuge of the nation from peril. And (His Mercy and Salutations) explicitly upon the Oppressed Martyr Imam, the one killed while in journey and captivated in grief, Husain, the Lan­tern of Guidance and the Ship of Salvation.

And then, says the guilty sinner, the adherer of the rearmost favour of the Household (Ahlulbayt) of the Prophethood, Abbas the son of Mohammad Reza al Qummi (the author). It had been my heart’s desire since a long time to author a brief treatise on the Martyrdom of our Master Imam Husain (a.s), and to compile the authentic reports successively transmitted to me through the trustworthy ones, until I entered the ranks of the eulogisers of the Master of the oppressed Abu Abdullah (Imam Husain), a thousand benedic­tions and praises upon him. But there were obstacles in between and occu­pancy intervening therein, until I was favoured with the Pilgrimage of Abul Hasan Ali (ar Reza) bin Moosa bin Ja’far bin Mohammad bin Ali bin Husain bin Ali bin Abi Talib, Allah’s benediction upon all of them. (I was blessed with) the kissing of the eminent and exalted threshold in the vicinity of his Mausoleum. Then I stretched forward my needy hands in his audience and requested him to fulfil this desire of mine, which is the “Pinnacle of (my) hopes” and I solicited goodness from the Magnificent and Exalted Allah and hastened the path of resuming the compilation of this book. I gathered (the reports) from the following credible books:

(1)    Al Irshad by the Honourable Shaikh Abu Abdullah Mohammad bin

Mohammad bin No’man al Mufeed, died in Baghdad in 413 A.H., and buried at the (blessed) feet of Imam al Jawad (a.s) in Kazmayn.

(2)    Kitab Malhoof (or Lahoof) by the Noble Sayyed Raziyuddin Abul Qasim Ali bin Moosa bin Ja’far bin Tawoos Husainee, died in Baghdad in 664 A.H.

(3)    Tareekh al Rusul wal Mulook by Mohammad bin Jareer Tabari, died in Baghdad in 310 A.H. He was addressed as “the Most Learned upon the earth” by the Master of Masters Mohammad bin Khuzaymah.

(4)    Tareekhe Kamil by the Genealogist, Historian and the Custodian, Allamah Ali bin Abil Karam, renowned as Ibne Aseer Jazari, died in Mosul in 630 A.H.

(5)    Maqatilat Talibiyyin by the Historian, Genealogist and the proficient author, Shaikh Ali bin Husain Umawi, renowned as Abul Faraj Isfahani Zaydi, died in Baghdad in 356 A.H.

(6)    Muroojuz Zahab wa ma’adinul Jawahir by the Trustworthy Historian, the credible among the two sects, the ideal perpetrator Abul Hasan Ali bin Husain al Mas’oodi, he was a comtemporary of Abul Faraj Isfahani.

(7)    Tazkiratul Khawaasul Ummah fee Ma’rifatil Aimmah authored by the Distin­guished Scholar Shaikh Shamsuddin Yusuf, renowned as Sibt ibne Jawzi, died in Damascus in 654 A.H. and is buried on the mount Qaysoon.

(8)    Matalibus Sa’ool fee Manaqibe Alar Rasool authored by the impeccable Author Mohammad bin Talha Shafe’i.

(9)    Fusulul Muhimmah fee Ma’refatil Aimmah by Nuruddin Ali bin Mohammad renowned as Ibne sabagh Maliki, died in 858 A.H.

(10)  Kashfal Ghummah fee Ma’refatil Aimmah by Bahauddin Ali bin Isa Irbili Imami who completed it in 687 A.H., died in 692 A.H.

(11)  Al Iqdul Fareed by Abu Umar Ahmed bin Mohammad Andalusi Maliki, re­nowned as Ibne Abd Rabbah, died in 338 A.H., while this book is quite useful for it contains everything.

(12)  Al Ehtijaj by Abu Mansoor Ahmed bin Ali bin Abi Talib Tabarsi, the tutor of Ibne Shahr Ashob, died in 620 A.H.

(13)  Manaqib Ale Abi Talib by the Divine Erudite Mohammad bin Ali Sarawi Mazandarani, renowned as Ibne Shahr Ashob, died in 588 A.H. and is buried in Mount Jawshan in the outskirts of Halab.

(14)  Rawzatul Wa’ezeen by the Martyr Shaikh Mohammad bin Hasan bin Ali Farsi, renowned as Fattal Naishapuri, the tutor of Ibne Shahr Ashob, died in 514 A.H.

(15)  Maseerul Ehzan by Ja’far bin Mohammad bin Ja’far Hilli, renowned as Ibne Nima, the teacher of Allamah Hilli, died in 645 A.H.

(16)  Kamile Bahai dar Saqifah by Imaduddin Hasan bin Ali bin Mohammad Ta­bari, the contemporary of Muhaqqiq al Hilli and Allamah Hilli, died in 698 A.H.

(17)  Rawzatus Safa by Mohammad bin Khawind Shah, died in 903 A.H.

(18)  Tasleeyatul Majalis by Mohammad bin Abi Talib Musawi Haeri from which Allamah Majlisi has quoted in the tenth volume of his Bihaar al-Anwaar.

And other books of Martyrdom (Maqatil) viz. Maqtale Kalbi through Tazkirah of Sibt Ibne Jawzi and Tareekh of Tabari, and Maqtale Abu Makhnaf Azdi [1] through Tabari.

This book contains some chapters, one introduction and one conclusion, and I have named it “Nafasul Mahmoom” (The Sigh of the Aggrieved)!

Abbas bin Mohammad Reza al Qummi