STRAIGHTPATHMONTHLY December 2011
31
A retainer of Abdul Rahman bin Abd Rabbah Ansari.
And as has been stated earlier that he said that, "When I saw
the companions of Imam Husain (A.S.) falling down I
fled away (in fright) leaving them behind.”[66]
Marqa' bin Tamamah Asadi. Tabari and Ibne Aseer say
that he had spread his quiver of arrows upon the ground while
kneeling down, and was fighting until a group of people from
his relatives came to him and offered him protection and told
him to return back to them. He returned back with them, and
Umar bin Sa'ad took him to the presence of Ubaydullah bin
Ziyad and related to him regarding him. Ubaydullah banished
him to Zarah. Firozabadi says that Zarah is a reed-bed and the
name of an area in Misr and Tarabuloos, and is also a (name of
the) mountain in Bahrayn, which has a water spring.
Uqbah bin Sam'an. Tabari and Ibne Aseer say that Umar
bin Sa'ad arrested him and he was a servant of Rabab (A.S.),
the wife of Imam Husain (A.S.) and daughter of Imru al Qays
Kalbi and mother of Sakinah (A.S.). When Umar inquired
from him as to what position he held, he replied that he was a
retainer and did not have authority, thus Umar released him.
Zahhak bin Abdullah Mashriqi. We deem appropriate to
relate about him. Loot bin Yahya Azdi says, that Abdullah bin
Asim Hamadani has related to him that Zahhak bin Abdullah
Mashriqi told him that: I alongwith Malik bin Nazr Arhabi
came to the presence of Imam Husain (A.S.). We saluted him
and sat near him. Imam replied our salutations, then after
welcoming us inquired as to why we came there. We replied,
"We have come here to offer salutations to you and pray
regarding your well-being, besides renewing our sight of
you. Besides we have come to inform you that the people
of Kufa have united to fight you, thus you may take your
decision." Imam replied, "Allah is sufficient and the best
Judge for me." We related to him the vice of the people, then
we made a farewell salute and prayed for his well-being, while
asking his permission to leave. Imam said, "Why do you not
assist me"? Malik bin Nazr replied that, "I am under debt
and have children", while I said that, "I am indebted too
even while having no children, then if you promise to
excuse me at the time when my defending you would not
be beneficial to you, I shall remain with you." Imam
replied that, "In that case you are free to do so", Thus I
remained behind with him.
Thus Zahhak bin Abdullah remained along with Imam
Husain (A.S.) till the day of Ashoorah, and he has related
reports from him regarding the day and night of Ashoorah. He
further says that: When I saw that all the companions of the
Imam have been martyred, while the enemies had laid their
hands upon him and his family, and no one, except Suwayd bin
Umro Khas'ami and Basheer bin Umro Hazramee was there. I
came upto him and said, "O son of the Prophet of Allah! Do
you remember what pact was made between us, and I
had promised that until the fighters remain with you I
shall fight alongwith them, if not I shall be free. And you
had agreed to it." Imam replied, "You have spoken the
truth, but then how will you save yourself? Then if you
can do so, you are at liberty."
At the time when the horses of the companions were being
wounded, while arrows were being shot, I secretly hid my horse
in one of the tents of the companions, and I defended on foot.
Then I killed two persons in front of Imam and severed the
hand of another. That day Imam told me several times, "Do
not severe the hands of anyone, may Allah not amputate
your hands! May Allah reward you due to the Progeny of
your Prophet."
Then when he gave me the permission, I went and
brought my horse from the tent and sat on it. Then I spurned it
until it stood on its feet and I rushed from the midst of the
army. They gave me the way until I galloped away, while fifteen
horsemen started pursuing me, until I reached the village of
Shafiyah near the bank of Euphratus. They came near me and
when I turned around, Kaseer bin Abdullah Sha'abi, Ayyub
bin Mushreh Haywani and Qays bin Abdullah Saedi
recognised me. They said, "This is Zahhak bin Abdullah
Mashriqi, our cousin. We request you in the name of
Allah to lift your hands off him." Hearing this three men
from among the Bani Tameem sided with them and others too
followed suit, thus Allah saved me.
Abdullah bin Abbas rightly said, while being reprimanded
for not siding with Imam Husain (A.S.) (in Karbala), "Not a
single person from among the companions (to be
martyred in Karbala) could be deleted nor added. We
knew them by their names even before meeting them."
Mohammad bin Hanafiyah said, "Their [the
companions of Imam Husain (A.S.) (in Karbala)] names
along with the names of their fathers was written with
us. May my parents be their ransom, I wish I would
have been alongwith them, I too would have reached the
great achievement."
The noble and trustworthy Shaikh Mohammad bin Hasan
Saffar Qummi, who died in Qum in the year 290 A.H., relates
in his book Basaerud Darajat from Huzayfa Ghifari, that when
Imam Hasan (A.S.) entered into a peace treaty with Mu'awiyah
and returned back to Madina, I was along with him. A Camel
laden with load was along with him every time and Imam
never let it go away from his sight. One day I inquired of him,
"May I be your ransom O Aba Muhammad! What is this
load which is never separated from you"? Imam
replied, "O Huzayfa! Do you not know what it
contains"? I replied in the negative. Imam Hasan (A.S.)
replied, "This is a register." I asked him as to what register
was it. He replied, "It is