Written transcript of the lecture
The Meshkat-e Noor teachings series🌼🔆🌼The Cave of Martyrdom🌼🔆🌼
🌹🔅☘️ بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ ☘️🔅🌹
🔅🌹 “The Secret of the Lover’s Suffering” “Unveiling Hidden Knowledge” “The Secret of the Life of Martyrdom” “The Miracle of Martyrdom” “The Night of the Captives” and more … Abstract with Supplement 1405.04.04 Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903) 🌹🔅
🌼🌸☘️🌷🌹 🕋 🤲 🌙 ✳️✅ ❇️ ✨🔆💫🔆
🌷A glimpse into the grandeur of the Master of Martyrs
🌹The scene of the Master of Martyrs’ martyrdom across the horizons of creation
🌻The mystery of the Qur’an’s speaking voice upon the spear
🌸The Ahl al-Bayt: the Qur’an’s ever-speaking kin
🌼The secret of understanding and hearing the mysteries of the Ahl al-Bayt
❇️The Beloved does not seek the lover’s suffering
Why did Allah allow the scene of Ashura to unfold?
Does God stand in the way of prayer, worship, and love?! Ashura was a practical, visible enactment of “complete detachment toward God”—a living call to God.
Martyrdom is love shining in its highest radiance; the Beloved does not prevent the lover from shining!
Every fragment of the lover’s light is whole light; it spreads the field of love!
Martyrdom flows like water, turning the world into a garden of love!
Martyrdom is knowledge, wisdom, and guidance revealed in the radiance of love!
❇️A follower of Husayn is fragrant with the scent of divine unity
Husayn is the ever-present companion of those who affirm God’s oneness!
The higher their degree of divine unity, the stronger their bond of nearness to him becomes!
❇️The condition for unveiling hidden knowledge
Husayn’s hidden knowledge is unveiled by his followers, whose defining qualities are companionship with the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), following in their footsteps, and emulating their deeds!
A follower and lover of the Ahl al-Bayt does not become tainted by shirk!
An extremist in their love is no true lover, but a dangerous enemy, tainted by shirk and entering in the guise of a devotee!
Shirk is an “all-encompassing sin”: it strips a person of the whole of religion, severs them from divine authority, and brings God’s wrath upon them!
This “all-encompassing sin” is shirk and disbelief in God, disbelief in the Messenger of God, and disbelief in Ali, the Commander of the Faithful, and the Immaculate Imams (AS)!
💫🔆الْإِمَامُ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَسْكَرِيُّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ) … “السَّيِّئَةُ الْمُحِيطَةُ بِهِ: هِيَ الَّتِي تُخْرِجُهُ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ دِينِ اللَّهِ، وَ تَنْزِعُهُ عَنْ وَلَايَةِ اللَّهِ، وَ تَرْمِيهِ فِي سَخَطِ اللَّهِ، وَ هِيَ الشِّرْكُ بِاللَّهِ، وَ الْكُفْرُ بِهِ، وَ الْكُفْرُ بِنُبُوَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ)، وَ الْكُفْرُ بِوَلَايَةِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ), … .[1]
🔆 Imam Abu Muhammad al-Askari (AS), explaining the “all-encompassing sin,” said: “It is a sin that drives a person out of God’s religion, keeps them from God’s authority, and brings them into God’s wrath. It is shirk against God, disbelief in Him, disbelief in the prophethood of Muhammad, the Messenger of God (PBUH), and disbelief in the authority of Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS). …”
❇️Shirk is unforgivable!
The rights owed to others can be made good, but shirk cannot be undone!
✨🔆 An-Nisāʾ: 48 إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَ يَغْفِرُ ما دُونَ ذلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشاءُ وَ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدِ افْتَرى إِثْماً عَظيماً
🔆 God does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whomever He wills and deems worthy. Whoever associates a partner with God has committed a grave sin.
✨🔆 An-Nisāʾ: 116 إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَ يَغْفِرُ ما دُونَ ذلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشاءُ وَ مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلالاً بَعيداً
🔆 God does not forgive associating partners with Him, but He forgives anything less than that for whomever He wills and deems worthy. Whoever sets up an equal to God has strayed far into error.
The ill omen of associating partners with God applies to every degree of it, whether ostentatious worship or the excesses of those who love.
❇️ Are those who love not punished?
… قِيلَ: فَهَلْ يَدْخُلُ جَهَنَّمَ أَحَدٌ مِنْ مُحِبِّيكَ، وَ مُحِبِّي عَلِيٌّ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ)؟ قَالَ: مَنْ قَذَّرَ نَفْسَهُ بِمُخَالَفَةِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلِيٍّ، وَ وَاقَعَ الْمُحَرَّمَاتِ وَ ظَلَمَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ، وَ خَالَفَ مَا رَسَمَ لَهُ مِنَ الشَّرْعِيَّاتِ جَاءَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ قَذِراً، طَفِساً، يَقُولُ لَهُ مُحَمَّدٌ وَ عَلِيٌّ: يَا فُلَانُ، أَنْتَ قَذِرٌ طَفِسٌ، لَا تَصْلُحُ لِمُرَافَقَةِ مَوَالِيكَ الْأَخْيَارِ، وَ لَا لِمُعَانَقَةِ الْحُورِ الْحِسَانِ، وَ لَا لِمَلَائِكَةِ اللَّهِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ، وَ لَا تَصِلُ إِلَى مَا هُنَاكَ إِلَّا أَنْ يُطَهَّرَ مِنْكَ مَا هُنَاكَ – يَعْنِي مَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ- فَيَدْخُلُ إِلَى الطَّبَقِ الْأَعْلَى مِنْ نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ,
… وَ لَيْسَ هَؤُلَاءِ يُسَمَّوْنَ بِشِيعَتِنَا، وَ لَكِنَّهُمْ يُسَمَّوْنَ مُحِبِّينَا، وَ الْمُوَالِينَ لِأَوْلِيَائِنَا، وَ الْمُعَادِينَ لِأَعْدَائِنَا. إِنَّ شِيعَتَنَا مَنْ شَايَعَنَا، وَ اتَّبَعَ آثَارَنَا، وَ اقْتَدَى بِأَعْمَالِنَا».[2]
It was asked: Will any of those who love you and love Ali (AS) enter Hell?
He replied: “Anyone who defiles himself by opposing Muhammad and Ali, commits forbidden acts, wrongs believing men and women, and acts contrary to what the Sacred Law has laid down for him will come on the Day of Resurrection defiled and foul-smelling. Muhammad and Ali will say to him: ‘So-and-so, you are defiled and foul-smelling. You are not fit to keep company with your virtuous friends or to be embraced by beautiful houris and the angels brought near to God. You cannot reach that place unless you are cleansed –that is, cleansed of the sins you bear –.’ Then he will enter the uppermost level of Hell…”
Such people are not called “Shia,” but “those who love us”: those who love our friends and are enemies of our enemies. Our Shia are those who stand with us, follow our example, and take our deeds as their model.”
Commentary:
1. The first group: Those who oppose and reject the authority of the Imams (sins that envelop and consume)
This group consists of those who commit “all-encompassing sins”—sins that destroy the very foundations of religion.
Examples of enveloping sins: associating partners with God, disbelief in God, rejection of the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), and rejection of the authority of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali (AS) .
The nature of their punishment:
Eternal and everlasting punishment: These people are “the companions of the Fire” and will remain there forever .
Eternal regret over a lost blessing: This group will never see Paradise with their own eyes. They will recognize it only as the place that would have been theirs had they accepted the wilayah of Ali (AS). This will deepen their sorrow and remorse.
Good deeds rendered ineffective: Their good deeds—such as prayer, fasting and zakat—will be of no avail against this encompassing sin. They will receive their reward for them only in this world, in the form of fleeting blessings.
2. The second group: Those who love and are devoted to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS)
This group includes those who love and are devoted to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS), have not committed a grave, all-encompassing sin, but have fallen into other sins and errors. Their punishment is temporary and serves to purify them; in the end, they will be saved through intercession. The Imam (AS) divides them into three categories:
First category (the gravest sinners):
Examples: Those who commit forbidden acts, wrong believing men and women, or disobey the rulings of the Sharia. Unlike the next two categories, these people are not called “Shi‘a”; they are called “lovers” and “devotees”.
Nature of their punishment: Because of the filth of their sins, they will be resurrected on the Day of Judgment “qadhir” and “tafis” (defiled and foul-smelling), and will not be worthy of the company of the pure and the houris. To be cleansed, they will enter the highest level of Hell and be punished until they are purified.
Second category (sinners whose offenses vary in degree):
The Imam (AS) himself divides this group into different ranks according to the severity or lesser extent of their sins:
Punishment at the Gathering: Some will suffer in the stages of the Day of Judgment in proportion to their sins, enduring hardships and afflictions, and will then be rescued from there by envoys sent by their guardians, the Ahl al-Bayt.
Punishment in this world: Others will be purified through worldly hardships, such as oppression at the hands of rulers, bodily afflictions and illness, so that they enter the grave clean and pure.
The agonies of death: Some will be forgiven for the sins that remain through the pain and severity of their final struggle (nazʿ), by falling ill shortly before death, or by suffering the humiliation of having few people attend their funeral.
Punishment in the intermediate realm: If any sins remain, after death and in the grave they will undergo a form of purifying punishment until they are cleansed.
Final point: At the end, the Imam (AS) emphasizes that “true Shi‘a” are not simply those who love the Ahl al-Bayt but commit sins. A “Shi‘a” is one who follows the Imams, emulates their example and way of life, and takes their deeds as a model
❇️Husayn’s martyrdom reverberates throughout all existence
Imam Husayn (AS) waged his struggle on the scale of the entire universe, and its effects extended across all existence. He drained the strength from ignorance, oppression and every affliction!
If a scholar’s sleep is superior to the worship of an ignorant devotee, that worship cannot compare with it. So, by this measure, consider the worship, obedience and martyrdom of the Master of Martyrs, Imam Husayn (AS)!
If a single strike by Ali is worth the worship of all humankind and jinn, what weight must the martyrdom of Imam Husayn (AS) carry!
If Ali’s combat in the Battle of the Trench was the struggle of all faith against disbelief, it is easy to see that the Ahl al-Bayt’s entire battle against disbelief encompasses all existence!
💫🔆يَا عَلِيُّ نَوْمُ الْعَالِمِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الْعَابِدِ الْجَاهِلِ يَا عَلِيُّ رَكْعَتَانِ يُصَلِّيهِمَا الْعَالِمُ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ رَكْعَةٍ يُصَلِّيهَا الْعَابِد[3]
💫🔆 مَا قُسِمَ بَيْنَ الْعِبَادِ أَفْضَلُ مِنَ الْعَقْلِ نَوْمُ الْعَاقِلِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ سَهَرِ الْجَاهِلِ وَ مَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيّاً إِلَّا عَاقِلًا حَتَّى يَكُونَ عَقْلُهُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ جَهْدِ الْمُجْتَهِدِين[4]
Comprehensive Worship, Comprehensive Struggle, and Comprehensive Martyrdom
Ali’s Strike on the Day of the Trench
All of Unbelief Against All of Faith
💫🔆 فِي حَدِيثٍ آخَرَ لَضَرْبَةُ عَلِيٍّ يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ عِبَادَةِ الثَّقَلَيْنِ[5]
🔆 Another hadith says: “Ali’s (AS) strike on the Day of the Trench was greater than the worship of the two groups—the jinn and humankind.”
💫🔆 وَ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ص لَمَّا بَرَزَ مَوْلَانَا عَلِيٌّ إِلَيْهِ بَرَزَ الْإِسْلَامُ كُلُّهُ إِلَى الْكُفْرِ كُلِّه[6]
🔆 The Prophet (PBUH) also said: “When our master Ali (AS) went forth [to face Amr ibn Abd Wudd], all of Islam came forth against all of unbelief.”
❇️The Manifestations of Deeds
If a stone could boil and surge, its very being pouring out in awe of God, and possess understanding to such a degree, how could it not burn with grief for Husayn!
So too the mountains, plains, seas, and skies!
How could a mountain that splits apart before the majesty of the Silent Quran not shed blood in mourning for the Speaking Quran!
The particles of our being are imbued with awareness and passion for Husayn! Each human being is a vast world of Husayn and a great Husayniyya for the Master of Martyrs! And when other souls and elements are added, the complexity of this world becomes all the more apparent!
Indeed, the human being is a greater world alongside other greater worlds!
❇️Love for Husayn, like a spirit, pervades the life of the world and its particles
The intelligent particles of the universe know God’s proof and weep blood in mourning for him. Everything there is knows Husayn; just as they love and glorify God, they love God’s beloved!
💫🔆وَ الْمُفَضَّلِ بْنِ عُمَرَ كُلُّهُمْ قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع يَقُولُ إِنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْحُسَيْنَ بْنَ عَلِيٍّ ع لَمَّا مَضَى بَكَتْ عَلَيْهِ السَّمَاوَاتُ السَّبْعُ وَ الْأَرَضُونَ السَّبْعُ وَ مَا فِيهِنَّ وَ مَا بَيْنَهُنَّ وَ مَنْ يَنْقَلِبُ عَلَيْهِنَّ وَ الْجَنَّةُ وَ النَّارُ وَ مَا خَلَقَ رَبُّنَا وَ مَا يُرَى وَ مَا لَا يُرَى[7]
🔆 And Mufaddal ibn Umar – and all of them – said: We heard Imam Sadiq (AS) say: “When Husayn ibn Ali (AS) passed away, the seven heavens and the seven earths, all that is in them and between them, and all that moves above them, Paradise and Hell, everything our Lord has created, all that is seen and all that is unseen—wept for him.”
✨🔆Al-Isrāʾ: 44 تُسَبِّحُ لَهُ السَّماواتُ السَّبْعُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ مَنْ فيهِنَّ وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ وَ لكِنْ لا تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبيحَهُمْ إِنَّهُ كانَ حَليماً غَفُوراً
🔆The seven heavens and the earth, and all who dwell in them, glorify Him. There is nothing that does not glorify and praise Him, though you do not understand their glorification. Surely He is Forbearing and Forgiving.
🔸If even the atoms of the universe glorify God, then what must the Spirit and teachers of glorification—the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them—be doing!
🔸It is no wonder that the severed head of Husayn, a treasury of divine glorifications, recites the Qur’an; for we expect nothing less than exaltation from Husayn. What is astonishing is that the people of his age should raise such a head upon a spear!
❇️A discerning heart is alive, perceptive, and attentive
🔸A discerning heart hears and sees the tumult of the universe. Is not God’s Proof the speaking Qur’an? If the heart were alive, it would hear the speech of the speaking Qur’an as it flows forth, moment by moment, in ever-new manifestations, and join the whole universe in its communion!
The reason we do not sense the tumult, awareness, and glorification of the universe and its atoms is that our hearts lack discernment—a condition born of hardness of heart. And the cause of that hardness is turning away from God and His commands!
✨🔆Al-Baqarah: 74 ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً وَ إِنَّ مِنَ الْحِجارَةِ لَما يَتَفَجَّرُ مِنْهُ الْأَنْهارُ وَ إِنَّ مِنْها لَما يَشَّقَّقُ فَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ الْماءُ وَ إِنَّ مِنْها لَما يَهْبِطُ مِنْ خَشْيَةِ اللَّهِ وَ مَا اللَّهُ بِغافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
🔆Then, after that, your hearts hardened and became like stones, or even harder. For there are stones from which rivers gush forth; others split open and water flows from them; and still others tumble down from the heights in awe of God. But your hearts neither tremble in awe of God nor become a source of knowledge, understanding, and human feeling. God is not unaware of what you do.
❇️The Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt: the nerve of discernment
The Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt are God’s firm rope and a transcendent nerve of perception, knowledge, guidance, and light. Whoever connects to them attains understanding, discernment, knowledge, wisdom, light, and guidance. Whoever severs that connection will have a hard, insensate heart, devoid of discernment.
If the nerves of our sight and hearing are connected to God’s rope—to this transcendent nerve—we will see and hear the universe’s beauty, majesty, and speech.
✨🔆Al-Aʿrāf: 179 وَ لَقَدْ ذَرَأْنا لِجَهَنَّمَ كَثيراً مِنَ الْجِنِّ وَ الْإِنْسِ لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِها وَ لَهُمْ أَعْيُنٌ لا يُبْصِرُونَ بِها وَ لَهُمْ آذانٌ لا يَسْمَعُونَ بِها أُولئِكَ كَالْأَنْعامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْغافِلُونَ
Indeed, We have destined many jinn and humans for Hell: they have hearts with which they do not think or understand, eyes with which they do not see, and ears with which they do not hear. They are like cattle—indeed, even further astray. They are the heedless ones, for despite having every means of guidance, they remain lost.
❇️The transcendent, discerning heart belongs to those who love the Two Weighty Things
🔸Whoever leaves the circle of the Qur’an, the Ahl al-Bayt, and their followers, and is content to befriend others, has settled for a heart that is blind, deaf, and mute!
✨🔆Al-Tawbah: 87 رَضُوا بِأَنْ يَكُونُوا مَعَ الْخَوالِفِ وَ طُبِعَ عَلى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لا يَفْقَهُونَ
They were content to stay behind with those who remained behind, and their hearts were sealed; so they do not understand.
✨🔆At-Tawbah: 127 وَ إِذا ما أُنْزِلَتْ سُورَةٌ نَظَرَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِلى بَعْضٍ هَلْ يَراكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ ثُمَّ انْصَرَفُوا صَرَفَ اللَّهُ قُلُوبَهُمْ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَوْمٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ
🔆When a surah is revealed, some of them [the hypocrites] glance at one another and say, “Is anyone watching you? (If we leave the Messenger’s presence, no one will notice us!)” Then they turn away (and leave). Allah has turned their hearts away (from the truth), because they are a people who do not understand and are ignorant!
❇️Disbelief is the collapse of discernment and understanding
Any inclination toward disbelief reduces a person’s discernment and understanding to the level of beasts—or lower still!
Whoever, after tasting the sweetness of faith, turns toward another path—his heart will die!
Faith is the radiance and sign of the heart’s higher life. Any inclination toward disbelief extinguishes faith, deadens the heart, and deprives a person of higher discernment and understanding!
✨🔆Al-Munāfiqūn: 3 ذلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ آمَنُوا ثُمَّ كَفَرُوا فَطُبِعَ عَلى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَهُمْ لا يَفْقَهُونَ
🔆That is because they first believed and then disbelieved; so their hearts were sealed, and they do not understand the truth!
❇️Husayn, the speaking Qur’an whose voice never falls silent
The voice of his Qur’an, the voice of his martyrdom, the voice of Ashura and Karbala, the voice of his resting place, the voice of his blood—all resound across the expanse of existence; they never fall silent!
With a pure heart, clear vision, and a listening ear, turn your attention to God’s saint!
Husayn’s miracle is ever unfolding!
Make your heart a place where the miracle of Husayn can manifest!
❇️The manifestations of Husayn’s martyrdom
Every scene in every realm has its own particular display
The display of struggle, combat, worship, and every deed and act of worship in each realm manifests in a way unique to that realm!
The scene of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom, peace be upon him, is reflected in every realm according to that realm’s own attributes!
✨🔆Al-Hijr: 21 وَ إِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ عِنْدَنا خَزائِنُهُ وَ ما نُنَزِّلُهُ إِلاَّ بِقَدَرٍ مَعْلُومٍ
🔆The treasures of all things are with Us alone, and We send them down only in a measure ordained!
The martyrdom of Imam Husayn, peace be upon him, is reflected in every heaven, Throne, and Lote Tree in a way unique to that world!
Surely, the martyrdom of the Imam was wholly an act of will, wholly an act of divine decree, and wholly an act of knowledge! It unfolded in a realm where no one could stand between Allah and Husayn!
Could anyone come between Allah and the saint of Allah?
❇️Bringing hidden knowledge to life
Husayn’s hidden knowledge has been placed in earth and heaven!
Any heart that bears this hidden knowledge is a sanctuary and a school of His Eminence, Sayyid al-Shuhada!
The manifestation of Imam Husayn’s hidden knowledge in different hearts will be commensurate with the richness of each!
The hidden knowledge within the hearts of the prophets and angels, and within every realm and particle, is particular to each of them!
Through this hidden knowledge, everyone must become another Husayn!
Let Husayn set his soul in motion!
Let him become Husayn’s own vast Husayniyya!
Let him bear the fruits of Husayn!
Husayn is the living expression of his own inner state and gnosis!
❇️ When beauty reads itself
When beauty reads itself, another truth will emerge from within beauty!
If light were to speak, what could shine other than that light? What greater radiance could appear?
The flower of light will open; its pages will unfold.
If mercy were to speak, if tenderness, love, and delight were to speak, their seven layers would be revealed, and their depths laid bare!
❇️ To hear the speech of the speaking Qur’an requires a heart capable of deep understanding
A heart that does not seek deep understanding is no heart at all.
An ear that cannot hear the core of the speaking Qur’an’s words is no ear at all!
The senses must take in the Qur’an’s fragrance and taste its sweetness.
The many layers of the speaking Qur’an’s words are worth hearing, from its beauty to its majesty, in its silences, its conduct and way of life, its practice and its states—
The flower’s beauty is the flower’s own speech. If it speaks in another way, beauty will appear above beauty, or dawn beyond beauty.
The flower’s other qualities are another kind of speech.
The flower’s union with other phenomena is like the exchange between Tablet and Pen.
❇️ The secret of hearing the speech of the speaking Qur’an is deep understanding
Turn your desire away from all but Him, so that you may understand deeply. To lack such understanding is to desire what is false. Whoever flees from God, turns away from God’s Messenger and God’s wali, from truth and from the Qur’an, will have a heart sealed and locked, unable to attain deep understanding!
Whoever turns toward disbelief after having believed, and turns away from the Two Weighty Things, will be afflicted with a lack of understanding!
The secret of deep understanding is to turn toward the Two Weighty Things and to hold fast to the firm rope of God. The rope of God is the sinew of knowledge, wisdom, light, and guidance!
❇️ The secret of the blessed head of His Eminence, Sayyid al-Shuhada, reciting Surat al-Kahf
The Companions of the Cave slept, then awakened; Husayn gave his life and bestowed eternal life upon the world, awakening those who slept!
It is surmised that after his martyrdom a veil was cast over the hearts, eyes, and ears of the people of the world for a limited time, and the proof was made complete.
Another surmise is that a new feeling was instilled in the hearts of the people of the world: the feeling of Husayn!
❇️ The hidden recitation of gnosis
Let Husayn recite his hidden gnosis, his concealed love, within your soul! All you need do is keep your heart safe for Husayn and not defile it with sin!
Recitation takes place in many different ways.
Martyrdom is one form of recitation!
Martyrdom is a special recitation, beyond all recitations!
❇️ The Imam who speaks fully
The speaker of the entire Qur’an, speaking to the age, to each moment, to eternity, in words and allusion, and in truths; he speaks with clear exposition about all things.
❇️ The speaker of the Qur’an, speaking its hidden gnosis
That hidden gnosis is its own reader, its own reciter, its own speaker. Be its dome; be its confidant; be its devoted, sincere lover!
❇️ The speech of martyrdom is the unveiling of martyrdom’s secret
The verse of grace and martyrdom—were it to speak, it would recite and interpret itself, and make manifest its own inner meaning; the splendor of the highest kingdom would blossom and bear fruit!
❇️A display of perfect self-effacement
If Reality were to unveil itself completely, what lies beyond Reality would come into view!
Husayn is the unveiling of perfect self-effacement.
❇️The Speaking Qur’an works a miracle atop a spear
Not the Qur’an on paper!
But the Speaking Qur’an, in all its majesty!
The most astonishingverse: the supreme, the mighty sign of God, atop a spear—and in the hands of the wretched!
Its miracle spans the whole of existence!
❇️The verse reads itself, like a seed
When the verse itself recites itself, it blossoms like a seed, becomes a tree and bears fruit, becomes a flower and opens; it scatters fragranceand the veil lifts from the face of its beauty.
❇️Husayn’s martyrdom: an interpretation of perfect detachment
❇️A head above all heads
A single cell of Husayn’s can transform the world and make it shine—let alone the whole realm of his being!
And what of that head, supreme among all heads: a head that recites the Qur’an? No wonder—for the Speaking Qur’an is giving voice!
❇️The stranger who brought the Quran out of estrangement
Husayn brought the Quran out of estrangement!
They raised the light upon a spear! The whole world cried out in awe from the height of the spear.
❇️The miracle of Husayn’s martyrdom
Husayn is a mine of immense miracles! His lofty wonders have no end!
The miracle of Husayn’s severed head, the miracle of his blood, and the miracle of his remembrance know no limit!
That burning is the height of joy,
the miracle of the truth of the Husayniyyah has not yet begun; the preliminaries of Husayn’s miracles have occurred, but their full text has not yet been unfolded!
A martyrdom that split open not the seas but the very essence of every phenomenon!
❇️The Testimony of God’s Speaking Book
✨🔆Al-Muʾminūn: 62 وَ لا نُكَلِّفُ نَفْساً إِلاَّ وُسْعَها وَ لَدَيْنا كِتابٌ يَنْطِقُ بِالْحَقِّ وَ هُمْ لا يُظْلَمُونَ
🔆We task no soul beyond its capacity. With Us is a Book that speaks the truth, and they will not be wronged.
✨🔆Al-Jāthiyah: 29 هذا كِتابُنا يَنْطِقُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْحَقِّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَنْسِخُ ما كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
🔆This is Our Book, which speaks the truth about you. We have been recording all that you did!
❇️The Speaking Book Beyond the Bounds of Time and Space
💫🔆عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ، قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ): قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: هذا كِتابُنا يَنْطِقُ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْحَقِ؟ قَالَ: «إِنَّ الْكِتَابَ لَا يَنْطِقُ، وَ لَكِنْ مُحَمَّدٌ وَ أَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ (عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلَامُ)، هُمُ النَّاطِقُونَ بِالْكِتَابِ». His words, Exalted is He: إِنَّا كُنَّا نَسْتَنْسِخُ ما كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ[8]
🔆 Abu Basir relates: I said to Imam al-Sadiq (AS), “What is meant by God, Exalted is He, saying, ‘هذا کِتابُنا یَنْطِقُ عَلَیْکُمْ بِالْحَقِّ’ (‘This is Our record; it speaks the truth about you’)?” He replied, “The Book (the Qur’an) does not speak. Rather, it is Muhammad and his Household (AS) who speak through the Book.” God’s words: “إِنَّا کُنَّا نَسْتَنْسِخُ ما کُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ” (“Indeed, We were recording all that you used to do”)..
✨🔆النجم : 3 وَ ما يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوى
🔆 Nor does he speak out of his own desire.
✨🔆النجم : 4 إِنْ هُوَ إِلاَّ وَحْيٌ يُوحى
🔆 It is nothing but revelation sent down to him.
❇️The cave’s voice
✨🔆الكهف : 9 أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً
🔆 Did you suppose that the Companions of the Cave and al-Raqim were among Our wondrous signs?
❇️The speaking Qur’an raised upon a spear
💫🔆فِي الْخَرَائِجِ وَ الْجَرَائِحِ عَنِ الْمِنْهَالِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ: وَ اللَّهِ أَنَا رَأَيْتُ رَأْسَ الْحُسَيْنِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ حِينَ حُمِلَ وَ أَنَا بِدِمَشْقَ، وَ بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ رَجُلٌ يَقْرَأُ الْكَهْفَ حَتَّى بَلَغَ قَوْلَهُ:
أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً فَأَنْطَقَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الرَّأْسَ بِلِسَانٍ ذَرِبٍ طَلِقٍ قَالَ: أَعْجَبُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ الْكَهْفِ حَمْلِي وَ قَتْلِي.[9]
🔆 In the book al-Khara’ij wa’l-Jara’ih, Manhal ibn ‘Amr relates: “By God, I saw the head of Husayn (AS) when it was brought to Damascus. A man walked before it, reciting Surah al-Kahf, until he reached the verse: ‘Did you suppose that the Companions of the Cave and al-Raqim were among Our wondrous signs?’ At that, God caused the head to speak in a clear, eloquent voice, saying, ‘More wondrous than the Companions of the Cave is that I was carried here and killed!’”
💫The tragedy of Karbala is the greatest ignorance, crime, and betrayal in the history of all existence.
Let Husayn preach to your heart!
Your love for Husayn is the highest pulpit from which Husayn speaks within your heart!
To love Husayn is for your heart to become Husayn’s Husayniyya, a sanctuary of God. Guard it well!
💫🔆فِي كِتَابِ الْمَنَاقِبِ لِابْنِ شَهْرِ آشُوبَ وَ رَوَى أَبُو مِخْنَفٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِ أَنَّهُ صُلِبَ رَأْسُ الْحُسَيْنِ بِالصِّيَافِ فِي الْكُوفَةِ فَتَنَحْنَحَ الرَّأْسُ وَ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ:
إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَ زِدْناهُمْ هُدىً وَ سُمِعَ أَيْضاً يَقْرَأُ: «أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً».[10]
🔆 In Ibn Shahr Ashub’s *Manaqib*, and likewise in a report by Abu Mikhnaf from al-Sha‘bi, it is related that Husayn’s (AS) head was mounted on a gibbet (sayyāf) in Kufa. Suddenly, the head began to cough and recited Surah al-Kahf up to this verse: “They were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance.” It was also heard reciting this verse: “Do you think that the Companions of the Cave and al-Raqim were among Our wondrous signs.”
❇️The Cave of Martyrdom and the Martyrdom of the Cave
The Companions of the Cave went into the cave to save their lives! Imam Husayn gave his life so that he might give life, and himself became the cave of faith, piety and the believers!
Husayn brought the truth to light, out of concealment!
💫🔆فِي أُصُولِ الْكَافِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ هِشَامِ ابْنِ سَالِمٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: إِنَّ مَثَلَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ مَثَلُ أَصْحَابِ الْكَهْفِ، أَسَرُّوا الْإِيمَانَ وَ أَظْهَرُوا الشِّرْكَ، فَآتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ.[11]
💫🔆 In *Usul al-Kafi*, Ali ibn Ibrahim relates from his father, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Hisham ibn Salim, that Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “The example of Abu Talib is like that of the Companions of the Cave: they concealed their faith and outwardly professed polytheism, so God granted them their reward twice over.”
❇️When One Must Not Practise Taqiyya
💫🔆مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ دُرُسْتَ الْوَاسِطِيِّ قَالَ: قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: مَا بَلَغَتْ تَقِيَّةُ أَحَدٍ تَقِيَّةَ أَصْحَابِ الْكَهْفِ، إِذْ كَانُوا يَشْهَدُونَ الْأَعْيَادَ وَ يَشُدُّونَ الزَّنَانِيرَ فَأَعْطَاهُمُ اللَّهُ أَجْرَهُمْ مَرَّتَيْنِ.[12]
🔆 Muhammad ibn Yahya relates from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Hasan ibn Ali, from Durust al-Wasiti, that Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “No one practised taqiyya as much as the Companions of the Cave: they attended the festivals of the unbelievers and wore the zunnar, so God granted them their reward twice over.”
🔸Sometimes taqiyya is necessary to preserve religion; at other times, it kills religion and must be broken!
❇️Husayn Shattered the Greatest Idol of Polytheism
Yazid was the embodiment of polytheism, and Husayn shattered the idol of polytheism in the soul!
Polytheism had to be shattered, so that history might be infused with the fragrance of divine unity!
Husayn’s martyrdom is the sublime fragrance of divine unity!
The festering boil of polytheism had to be lanced, lest its corruption engulf the world!
Yazid was that very boil of polytheism! Only martyrdom could secure the life of divine unity!
💫🔆فِي تَفْسِيرِ الْعَيَّاشِيِّ عَنْ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ أَنَّهُ ذَكَرَ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ فَقَالَ: لَوْ كَلَّفَكُمْ قَوْمُكُمْ مَا كَلَّفَهُمْ قَوْمُهُمْ؟ فَقِيلَ لَهُ: وَ مَا كَلَّفَهُمْ قَوْمُهُمْ؟ فَقَالَ: كَلَّفُوهُمُ الشِّرْكَ بِاللَّهِ الْعَظِيمِ فَأَظْهَرُوا لَهُمْ الشِّرْكَ، وَ أَسَرُّوا الْإِيمَانَ حَتَّى جَاءَهُمُ الْفَرَجُ.[13]
🔆 In Tafsir al-Ayyashi, it is reported from Ubayd Allah ibn Yahya, from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), that he said of the Companions of the Cave: “What would you do if your people asked you to do what their people asked them?” He was asked, “What did their people ask of them?” He replied: “They asked them to associate others with God Almighty. So they outwardly professed associationism and concealed their faith until relief came.”
💫🔆عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: إِنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ أَسَرُّوا الْإِيمَانَ وَ أَظْهَرُوا الْكُفْرَ فَآجَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ.[14]
🔆 It is reported from Abu Basir, from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), that he said: “The Companions of the Cave concealed their faith and outwardly professed disbelief, so God rewarded them twice.”
💫🔆عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَلَى عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فِي قَوْلِهِ: «أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً» قَالَ: هُمْ قَوْمٌ فَرُّوا وَ كَتَبَ مَلِكُ ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ وَ أَسْمَاءِ آبَائِهِمْ وَ عَشَائِرِهِمْ فِي صُحُفٍ مِنْ رَصَاصٍ، فَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: «أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ”.[15]
🔆 Muhammad reported from Ahmad ibn Ali, from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), concerning the verse, “Did you suppose that the Companions of the Cave and al-Raqim were among Our wondrous signs?” He said: “They were a group who fled, and the king of that time had their names, their fathers’ names and their tribes’ names written on sheets of lead. This is what ‘the Companions of the Cave and al-Raqim’ means: ‘al-Raqim’ refers to those sheets.”
❇️The Companions of the Cave broke their taqiyya when the time came
💫🔆عَنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الْحَضْرَمِيِّ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ قَالَ: خَرَجَ أَصْحَابُ الْكَهْفِ عَلَى غَيْرِ مَعْرِفَةٍ وَ لَا مِيعَادٍ، فَلَمَّا صَارُوا فِي الصَّحْرَاءِ أَخَذَ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ الْعُهُودَ وَ الْمَوَاثِيقَ، يَأْخُذُ هَذَا عَلَى هَذَا وَ هَذَا عَلَى هَذَا، ثُمَّ قَالُوا: أَظْهِرُوا أَمْرَكُمْ فَأَظْهَرُوهُ فَإِذَا هُمْ عَلَى أَمْرٍ وَاحِدٍ.[16]
🔆 It is reported from Abu Bakr al-Hadrami, from Imam al-Sadiq (AS), that he said: “The Companions of the Cave set out without knowing one another beforehand or having arranged to meet. When they reached the wilderness, they took a pledge and covenant with one another – each from the other, and the other from the first – then they said, ‘Reveal your true purpose.’ They did so, and all agreed on one course.”
💫🔆وَ رَوَى أَبُو مِخْنَفٍ عَنِ الشَّعْبِيِ أَنَّهُ صُلِبَ رَأْسُ الْحُسَيْنِ ع بِالصَّيَارِفِ فِي الْكُوفَةِ فَتَنَحْنَحَ الرَّأْسُ وَ قَرَأَ سُورَةَ الْكَهْفِ إِلَى قَوْلِهِ- إِنَّهُمْ فِتْيَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَ زِدْناهُمْ هُدىً فَلَمْ يَزِدْهُمْ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا ضَلَالًا. [17]
🔆 Abu Mikhnaf also reported from al-Sha‘bi that Husayn’s (AS) head was mounted on a gallows in Kufa, at the money-changers’ market. Suddenly, the head gave a cough and recited Surat al-Kahf up to this verse: “إِنَّهُمْ فِتْیَةٌ آمَنُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ وَ زِدْناهُمْ هُدىً” (They were young men who believed in their Lord, and We increased them in guidance). But this only increased them in error—that is, the enemy took no lesson from this miracle.
❇️ لا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ
💫🔆وَ فِي أَثَرٍ أَنَّهُمْ لَمَّا صَلَبُوا رَأْسَهُ عَلَى الشَّجَرِ سُمِعَ مِنْهُ- وَ سَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ وَ سُمِعَ أَيْضاً صَوْتُهُ بِدِمَشْقَ يَقُولُ- لا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ وَ سُمِعَ أَيْضاً يَقْرَأُ- أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً فَقَالَ زَيْدُ بْنُ أَرْقَمَ أَمْرُكَ أَعْجَبُ يَا ابْنَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ. [18]
🔆 A report relates that when the head of Husayn (AS) was hung upon a tree—or a gibbet—a voice was heard reciting this verse: «وَ سَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ» (And those who do wrong will soon know to what end they will return.) His voice was also heard in Damascus, saying: «لا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللَّهِ» (There is no power except through God.) It was also heard reciting this verse: «أَنَّ أَصْحابَ الْكَهْفِ وَ الرَّقِيمِ كانُوا مِنْ آياتِنا عَجَباً» (Do you think the People of the Cave and the Inscription were among Our wondrous signs?) Zayd ibn Arqam then said: “What happened to you is more wondrous still, O son of the Messenger of God!”
❇️The People of the Cave live on through Husayn
Imam Husayn’s uprising preserved all the achievements of the great prophets and righteous people, such as the People of the Cave!
❇️The soul of martyrdom
A martyrdom that lives and grows,
the tree of Husayn’s martyrdom has spread beyond every horizon!
The breath of Husayn’s martyrdom gives life to time and place!
The resonance of his martyrdom strikes down every form of idolatry and unbelief, in every time and place!
Husayn’s martyrdom stands as a barrier between the world and every sign of idolatry and unbelief!
Husayn’s martyrdom reigns! At every moment, his martyrdom brings new Karbalas into being in the world!
Husayn did not merely take on the unbelief of his own age; he destroyed the unbelief of the entire world across all time and throughout history.
❇️In welcome of the Master of Martyrs
💫🔆كَنْزُ الْمُذَكِّرِينَ قَالَ الشَّعْبِيُ رَأَيْتُ رَجُلًا مُتَعَلِّقاً بِأَسْتَارِ الْكَعْبَةِ وَ هُوَ يَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَ لَا أَرَاكَ تَغْفِرُ لِي فَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ ذَنْبِهِ فَقَالَ كُنْتُ مِنَ الْوُكَلَاءِ عَلَى رَأْسِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَ كَانَ مَعِي خَمْسُونَ رَجُلًا فَرَأَيْتُ غَمَامَةً بَيْضَاءَ مِنْ نُورٍ وَ قَدْ نَزَلَتْ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ إِلَى الْخَيْمَةِ وَ جَمْعاً كَثِيراً أَحَاطُوا بِهَا فَإِذَا فِيهِمْ آدَمُ وَ نُوحٌ وَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ وَ مُوسَى وَ عِيسَى ثُمَّ نَزَلَتْ أُخْرَى وَ فِيهَا النَّبِيُّ ص وَ جَبْرَائِيلُ وَ مِيكَائِيلُ وَ مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ فَبَكَى النَّبِيُّ وَ بَكَوْا مَعَهُ جَمِيعاً فَدَنَا مَلَكُ الْمَوْتِ وَ قَبَضَ تِسْعاً وَ أَرْبَعِينَ فَوَثَبَ عَلَيَّ فَوَثَبْتُ عَلَى رِجْلِي وَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ الْأَمَانَ الْأَمَانَ فَوَ اللَّهِ مَا شَايَعْتُ فِي قَتْلِهِ وَ لَا رَضِيتُ فَقَالَ وَيْحَكَ وَ أَنْتَ تَنْظُرُ إِلَى مَا يَكُونُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ يَا مَلَكَ الْمَوْتِ خَلِّ عَنْ قَبْضِ رُوحِهِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَمُوتَ يَوْماً فَتَرَكَنِي وَ خَرَجْتُ إِلَى هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ تَائِباً عَلَى مَا كَانَ مِنِّي. [19]
💫🔆 In *Kanz al-Mudhakkirīn*, al-Shaʿbī relates: “I saw a man clinging to the curtains of the Kaaba, saying, ‘O God, forgive me—but I do not think You will forgive me.’ I asked him what he had done. He said, ‘I was among those assigned to keep watch over Husayn (AS), and there were fifty men with me. I saw a white cloud of light descend from the heavens to the tent, surrounded by a great multitude. Among them were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (AS). Then another cloud descended, bearing the Prophet (PBUH), Gabriel, Michael and the Angel of Death. The Prophet (PBUH) wept, and all wept with him. The Angel of Death came forward and took the souls of forty-nine men. Then he rushed toward me. I sprang to my feet and cried, “O Messenger of God, mercy! Mercy! By God, I had no part in killing him, nor did I approve of it.” He said, “Woe to you! Were you not watching what was happening?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “O Angel of Death, spare his soul; surely, one day he must die.” So he let me go, and I came to this place repentant for what I had done.’”
❇️The sanctuary, if it welcomes you as its guest
If the sun welcomes you as its guest, may Paradise, all the messengers and the angels dwell within you. In your fairest crown, give them a place in its purest setting.
Love and knowledge of Husayn are guests of the heart—where could they find a worthier dwelling?
A heart that is God’s Throne is worthy of love for Husayn!
A heart that is a breeding ground for satanic thoughts torments Husayn!
❇️The spear of ignorance
An ignorant admirer may well make a target of Husayn, placing him in the crosshairs of his own heart.
Recognise the difference between Khawli and the monk!
❇️ أَنَا الْعَطْشَانُ
💫🔆النَّطَنْزِيُّ فِي الْخَصَائِصِ لَمَّا جَاءُوا بِرَأْسِ الْحُسَيْنِ وَ نَزَلُوا مَنْزِلًا يُقَالُ لَهُ قِنَّسْرِينُ اطَّلَعَ رَاهِبٌ مِنْ صَوْمَعَتِهِ إِلَى الرَّأْسِ فَرَأَى نُوراً سَاطِعاً يَخْرُجُ مِنْ فِيهِ وَ يَصْعَدُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ فَأَتَاهُمْ بِعَشَرَةِ آلَافِ دِرْهَمٍ وَ أَخَذَ الرَّأْسَ وَ أَدْخَلَهُ صَوْمَعَتَهُ فَسَمِعَ صَوْتاً وَ لَمْ يَرَ شَخْصاً قَالَ طُوبَى لَكَ وَ طُوبَى لِمَنْ عَرَفَ حُرْمَتَهُ فَرَفَعَ الرَّاهِبُ رَأْسَهُ وَ قَالَ يَا رَبِّ بِحَقِّ عِيسَى تَأْمُرُ هَذَا الرَّأْسَ بِالتَّكَلُّمِ مَعِي فَتَكَلَّمَ الرَّأْسُ وَ قَالَ يَا رَاهِبُ أَيَّ شَيْءٍ تُرِيدُ قَالَ مَنْ أَنْتَ قَالَ أَنَا ابْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمُصْطَفَى وَ أَنَا ابْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْمُرْتَضَى وَ أَنَا ابْنُ فَاطِمَةَ الزَّهْرَاءِ أَنَا الْمَقْتُولُ بِكَرْبَلَاءَ أَنَا الْمَظْلُومُ أَنَا الْعَطْشَانُ وَ سَكَتَ فَوَضَعَ الرَّاهِبُ وَجْهَهُ عَلَى وَجْهِهِ فَقَالَ لَا أَرْفَعُ وَجْهِي عَنْ وَجْهِكَ حَتَّى تَقُولَ أَنَا شَفِيعُكَ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ فَتَكَلَّمَ الرَّأْسُ وَ قَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَى دِينِ جَدِّي مُحَمَّدٍ فَقَالَ الرَّاهِبُ أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَ أَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّداً رَسُولُ اللَّهِ فَقَبِلَ لَهُ الشَّفَاعَةَ فَلَمَّا أَصْبَحُوا أَخَذُوا مِنْهُ الرَّأْسَ وَ الدَّرَاهِمَ فَلَمَّا بَلَغُوا الْوَادِيَ نَظَرُوا الدَّرَاهِمَ قَدْ صَارَتْ حِجَارَةً.[20]
💫🔆 Natanzi writes in his book *al-Khaṣāʾiṣ*: When the head of Husayn (AS) was brought and they stopped at a place called Qinnasrin, a monk looked down from his monastery at the blessed head. He saw a brilliant light rising from its mouth and ascending to the sky. He went to them, gave them ten thousand dirhams, took the head and carried it to his monastery. There he heard a voice, but saw no one. The voice said, “Blessed are you, and blessed is anyone who recognizes his sanctity!” The monk raised his head and said, “My Lord, by the truth of Jesus, command this head to speak to me.” The head spoke and said, “O monk, what do you want?” He asked, “Who are you?” It replied, “I am the son of Muhammad al-Mustafa, the son of Ali al-Murtada, the son of Fatima al-Zahra. I am the one slain at Karbala, the one wronged, the one left thirsty.” Then it fell silent. The monk pressed his face against the face of the head and said, “I will not lift my face from yours until you tell me that you will intercede for me on the Day of Resurrection.” The head spoke and said, “Return to the religion of my grandfather, Muhammad.” The monk said, “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Imam Husayn (AS) then accepted his intercession. When morning came, they took the head and the dirhams back from him. When they reached the valley, they looked at the dirhams and found that they had turned to stone.
🌼Ali Saei (Abdollah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼
🌟 A structured summary of the text “Martyrdom Always Speaks”
1. Central theme: Martyrdom as the “eternal proclamation of truth”
Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom is not merely a historical event, but an “ongoing, eternal proclamation” that resonates throughout all existence.
“Martyrdom always speaks” means that Husayn’s (AS) blood is the eloquent voice of truth: it is never silenced, and in every age it carries its message to the ears of the world.
2. The philosophy of martyrdom: a manifestation of “complete detachment for the sake of God”
Why did God allow Husayn (AS) to be martyred?
⇒ Because martyrdom manifests “complete detachment for the sake of God”: a love story in which the lover (Husayn), with his whole being and all his love, stands before the Beloved and breaks away from everything but Him.
The Beloved does not prevent the lover from shining; rather, martyrdom is “love’s supreme radiance,” spreading its light throughout the world.
3. Martyrdom on the scale of all existence
Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom is reflected throughout all realms of existence—the heavens, the earth, Paradise, Hell, and all that has been created.
Imam Sadiq (AS): “The seven heavens and the seven earths, all that is in them and all that lies between them, everything seen and unseen, all wept for Husayn (AS).”
The particles of the universe not only glorify God; they also love God’s beloved, the Ahl al-Bayt, and burn with grief for Husayn (AS).
4. The condition for unveiling “hidden knowledge”
Knowledge of Husayn (AS), concealed within the hearts of believers, is revealed only through “purification” and “putting the Ahl al-Bayt’s teachings into practice”.
A true Shi‘i is one who accompanies the Imam, follows his example and emulates his deeds—not one who merely claims to love him.
Sinful lovers are not called “Shi‘a”; they are called “those who love us,” and are purified through the trials of this world and the next until they attain the intercession of God’s chosen ones.
5. Shirk: “an all-encompassing sin” and an unforgivable transgression
Shirk is a sin that takes a person entirely out of the faith and separates them from divine allegiance.
The Quran says: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ» (God will never forgive shirk).
The ill effects of shirk encompass every degree of it, from overt shirk (worshipping other than God) to hidden shirk (showing off, excessive love, idol worship, and worship of one’s own desires).
6. The Speaking Quran: the Prophet’s Household (PBUH)
The silent Quran (the written Book) is interpreted through the “Speaking Quran” (the Ahl al-Bayt, peace be upon them).
Imam al-Sadiq (AS): “The Book (the Quran) does not speak; rather, it is Muhammad and his Household (AS) who make the Book speak.”
Husayn (AS) is a Speaking Quran whose voice—through his blood, martyrdom, and Ashura—resounds throughout all existence and never falls silent.
7. The Cave of Martyrdom: Beyond the Cave of the Companions of the Cave
The Companions of the Cave sought refuge in a cavern to save their lives; Husayn (AS), however, gave his life to give life to others, becoming himself the “cave of faith” and a refuge for the faithful.
Husayn’s severed head recited Surat al-Kahf atop a spear and declared: “More wondrous than the Companions of the Cave is that I should be carried and slain!”
Husayn’s uprising preserved and carried forward all that the prophets and the Companions of the Cave had achieved, and shattered—and continues to shatter—the idol of shirk in every age.
8. The Speaking Testimony: A Manifestation of the Mystery of Existence
Martyrdom is an interpretation of “complete severance from all but God”: the utmost detachment from everything other than Him and attachment to Him.
In every realm, each scene of martyrdom manifests in keeping with that realm’s own attributes.
Martyrdom is a reading of “God’s speaking Book,” which speaks through all of existence and breaks through the boundaries of time and space.
9. The Prerequisite for Hearing the Speaking Testimony: A Heart Grounded in Religious Understanding
A heart grounded in religious understanding is one bound to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s family, and one that recognises حبلالله المتین (the firm rope of God) as the very nerve of knowledge, wisdom and light.
Hardness of heart deprives a person of hearing the speech of the world and of martyrdom, as the Qur’an says: «لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِها» (They have hearts with which they do not understand).
Tafaqquh (deep understanding of the inner meaning of religion) requires welcoming the Two Weighty Things (the Qur’an and the Prophet’s family) and turning one’s desire away from all but God.
10. The Miracle of Martyrdom Has No Bounds
The martyrdom of حسین (AS) is a wellspring of mighty miracles, from the severed head that spoke to flowing blood and his undying remembrance.
The miracle of the reality of حسین (AS) has yet to be fully revealed. What has come to pass is only the prelude to the miracles; the main text remains veiled in the unseen.
Martyrdom cleaved open not only the seas, but the very essence of every phenomenon, drawing truth out from beneath its outward shells.
11. Martyrdom: sovereignty over history
The martyrdom of Husayn (AS) reigns—not by the sword, but through its “eternal utterance” and “everlasting resonance” in people’s hearts.
He challenged not only the unbelief of his own time, but that of every age, vanquishing it throughout the course of history.
The breath of Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom gives life to time and place, and at every moment brings new Karbalas into being throughout the world.
12. The story of the monk and Husayn’s (AS) head: the pinnacle of spiritual nobility
In the account, a monk saw a radiant light rise heavenward from Husayn’s (AS) head.
The pure head spoke to him and identified itself: “I am the son of Muhammad al-Mustafa, the son of Ali al-Murtada, the son of Fatimah al-Zahra. I am the one slain at Karbala—the wronged one, the thirsty one.”
The monk became Muslim and asked Imam Husayn (AS) to intercede for him; the Imam accepted his request.
This story bears witness to Husayn’s (AS) boundless spiritual nobility and to the ever-living utterance of martyrdom, which transforms even hearts and souls far removed from Islam.
13. Final summary
Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom is the “eternal utterance of truth,” flowing through all existence. With his blood, he set the speaking Qur’an upon history’s spear and shattered the idol of polytheism in every age. Martyrdom is the “cave of faith”: it does not flee for shelter in a cave, but, by breathing life into the world, becomes a refuge for the faithful. The utterance of martyrdom is heard with a “jurisprudential heart”—a heart joined to the firm rope of God (the Qur’an and the Prophet’s family) and severed from all that is other than God. And the miracle of martyrdom has yet to be fully revealed; each day, through new Karbalas, it calls the world to awaken.
14. Key concepts for quick reference:
The utterance of martyrdom = Husayn’s (AS) blood, the eloquent voice of truth throughout all existence
The cave of martyrdom = a refuge for the faithful = greater than the cave of the Companions of the Cave
The speaking Qur’an = the Prophet’s family (PBUH) = Husayn (AS) and the Ahl al-Bayt
A sin that encompasses all = polytheism and rejection of the authority of the Imamate = an unforgivable sin
The jurisprudential heart = a heart joined to the Two Weighty Things = the condition for hearing the utterance of martyrdom
The miracle of martyrdom = the utterance of the severed head, flowing blood, and the transformation of hearts
🌟 Philosophical and wise sayings drawn from the text “Martyrdom Always Speaks”
1. Ontology (the study of being)
💫“Martyrdom is the light of the lover; every fragment of it is the light of the whole.”
⇒ The truth of martyrdom is “indivisible”: every particle of it contains the whole truth. It is a transcendent sun, every ray of which reflects the sun’s full light.
💫“Martyrdom flows like water and turns the world into a garden of love.”
⇒ Martyrdom is a “dynamic reality” that unfolds through time and space, transforming the world through its movement.
💫“Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom reverberated throughout all the realms of existence; the seven heavens and the seven earths, and all that is within them, wept for him.”
⇒ The event of Ashura is not confined to the earth; rather, the whole of existence resonates with it within the order of creation. This points to the “universal scope of the message of martyrdom”.
💫“Every particle in the universe glorifies God and loves God’s beloved.”
⇒ Every particle of existence possesses an innate, creational and prescriptive awareness, and is connected to the “order of divine authority”; the martyrdom of God’s chosen ones resounds deeply within this awareness.
۲. Epistemology (the study of knowledge)
💫“If the heart were alive, it would hear the Quran’s ever-speaking voice and resonate with the whole universe.”
⇒ Knowing the truth requires a “living heart”—one connected to the Quran and the Prophet’s Household, and cleansed of hardness.
💫“A heart formed by deep religious understanding hears and witnesses the universe’s fervour.”
⇒ “Fiqh” (deep religious understanding) is not confined to the sphere of legal rulings; its reach is far broader, extending from “perceiving existence’s speech” and beyond. A heart formed by such understanding comprehends the language of the universe.The language of the spirit, of the inner and the outward, of states, conditions and circumstances!
💫“Deep religious understanding requires turning towards the Two Weighty Things and severing attachment to all but God.”
⇒ Deep religious understanding depends on “connection to the Quran and the Prophet’s Household” and “detachment from all but God”; this is an “existential condition” for transcendent knowledge.
💫“Veiled knowledge lies within the hearts of the faithful and is brought to light through purification and following the Prophet’s Household.”
⇒ True knowledge is not “solely acquired”; it is “innate,” blossoming through “purification” and “companionship with God’s chosen ones”.
۳. Anthropology (divine authority and human perfection)
💫“Any heart that bears veiled knowledge is a sanctuary and a school of the Master of Martyrs.”
⇒ The believer’s heart is a “vessel for knowledge of Husayn”; the more this knowledge blossoms, the more a person becomes “another Husayn”.
💫“A Shia is one who accompanies the Imam and follows in his footsteps—not one who merely claims to love him.”
⇒ Being a “Shia” is an “existential station,” not a “social label”; this station is attained through “deeds” and “practical companionship”.
💫“Those who love us yet sin are not called Shia; they are called our devotees, who are purified through the trials of this world and the next.”
⇒ Love, without “righteous action” and “purification,” does not bring a person to the station of being a Shi‘a; it keeps them at the stage of loving until hardship purifies them.
💫“Man is a greater world alongside other greater worlds.”
⇒ The human being is a world in which all the realms of existence are reflected; and the martyrdom of Husayn (AS) is reflected in the depths of the human being’s own existence.
4. The Philosophy of Martyrdom (The Ontology of Light)
💫“Martyrdom is the expression of ‘complete severance from all but God’.”
⇒ Martyrdom is the utmost severance from all but God and union with God; this is the “reality of practical tawhid”.
💫“The Beloved does not prevent the lover from shining; rather, martyrdom is love’s supreme radiance.”
⇒ God not only does not prevent the martyrdom of His saints, but makes it the “supreme manifestation of love,” for in the order of creation, “true love” reaches its height through “complete sacrifice”.
💫“Martyrdom is a ‘reading’ of hidden knowledge—a reading beyond all readings.”
⇒ Martyrdom itself is a “practical interpretation of knowledge,” an interpretation written not in words, but in blood and life.
💫“Martyrdom is a reading of God’s ‘speaking Book,’ one that speaks with its whole being.”
⇒ Martyrdom is a “creative verse” that, beyond the silent Quran, delivers its message to the world in the language of blood.
5. The Philosophy of Shirk (The Ontology of Disbelief)
💫“Shirk is an ‘all-encompassing sin’ that separates a person from religion and spiritual authority.”
⇒ Shirk is not merely a “theoretical sin,” but an “existential illness” that envelops and destroys all a person’s deeds.
💫“Shirk is unforgivable, because through shirk a person is cut off from the very foundation of tawhid.”
⇒ Shirk is a severing of the connection to the “source of grace”;
💫“Yazid represented shirk, and Husayn shattered the idol of shirk within the soul.”
⇒ Husayn’s uprising (AS) was an “ontological struggle” against shirk—not merely on the surface, but in the depths of history and the human soul.
6. The Philosophy of the Quran and the Ahl al-Bayt (The Ontology of Divine Speech)
“The silent Quran is interpreted through the speaking Quran (the Ahl al-Bayt).”
⇒ The Quran cannot be fully understood without a “living interpreter” (the Imam); this points to humanity’s “perpetual need for spiritual authority”.
💫“Husayn (AS) is a speaking Quran whose speech never falls silent.”
⇒ The Imam’s words live on through blood and martyrdom, flowing through every age.
💫“The Firm Rope of God (the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household) is the nerve centre of knowledge, wisdom, light and guidance.”
⇒ The Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household are the “nervous system of existence”; whoever connects to them attains knowledge, wisdom and light.
7. The Philosophy of the Cave and Martyrdom (An Existential Reading of Symbols)
💫“The Companions of the Cave sought refuge in a cave to save their lives; but Husayn (AS) gave his life to give life to others.”
⇒ Dissimulation is a “way of escape” when danger can be averted; martyrdom is a “way to life” when danger cannot be averted and must be confronted at the cost of one’s life.
💫“Husayn’s (AS) severed head recited Surat al-Kahf and said, ‘More astonishing than the Companions of the Cave is that I should be carried and killed!’”
⇒ Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom surpasses every miracle, for in it “truth” triumphs over “appearance,” and “death” becomes “a radiant, flourishing, ever-growing eternal life”.
💫“Husayn’s (AS) uprising preserved and carried forward all that the prophets and the Companions of the Cave had achieved.”
⇒ Ashura is a “turning point” in the history of guidance, rescuing the prophets’ efforts from oblivion.
8. The Philosophy of the Heart and Deep Understanding (An Existential Study of the Heart)
💫“A heart attuned to deep understanding is one bound to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household.”
⇒ “The greater understanding” (deep religious insight) depends on “a heartfelt connection to the Two Weighty Things,” not merely on outward knowledge.
💫“Hardness of heart deprives a person of hearing the world’s speech and the testimony of martyrdom.”
⇒ Hardness of heart is a “disease of the heart” that disables the inner senses and prevents a person from perceiving the truths woven into creation.
“Whoever turns away from the Two Weighty Things is afflicted with a lack of deep understanding.”
⇒ Turning away from the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household leads to “a loss of religious understanding” and “intellectual decline”.
9. The Philosophy of Speech and Silence (An Existential Study of Language)
💫“When beauty reads itself, another truth is revealed.”
⇒ Whenever a truth attains “speaking self-awareness,” it reveals new layers of itself.
💫“If light were to speak, what else could shine but that light?”
⇒ When pure truth finds a voice, it not only reveals itself but also displays a “beyond-light” radiance.
💫“Martyrdom is a ‘silent utterance’ that speaks in the language of blood.”
⇒ Martyrdom is a “distinct language” that speaks beyond words, through its very “existential presence”.
10. Final summary (in a maxim)
“The martyrdom of Husayn (AS) is the eternal utterance of truth, resonating in the heart of all existence. With his blood, he set the Speaking Qur’an upon history’s spear and shattered the idol of polytheism in every age. Martyrdom is the cave of faith: it does not retreat into a cave, but gives life to the world and becomes a refuge for the faithful. And the jurist’s heart is the only ear that can hear this everlasting utterance and, by heeding it, attain eternal life.”
🌟 “A lyrical unfolding” — “Martyrdom ever speaks”
🌟 1. Martyrdom, the eternal utterance of truth
The martyrdom of Husayn (AS) was no passing cry, but an “eternal utterance” at the heart of existence.
His blood became a language that can never fall silent; each drop is a word inscribed on the page of history, reread every year in Muharram and anew in every moment.
This utterance is heard not with the ear of the body, but with a “living heart”—a heart cleansed of hardness and bound to the “firm cord of God” (the Qur’an and the Prophet’s Household).
Martyrdom, then, is not an event but a “language”: a language that speaks to every age through blood, the soil of Karbala, and its undying memory.
🌸 2. The Beloved does not keep the lover from shining
Why did God allow Husayn (AS) to be killed so unjustly at Karbala?
Did He abandon His lover at the height of his love?
No! He allowed love’s “supreme radiance” to be revealed—a love in which the lover breaks free of all that is other than the Beloved and attains “complete severance for God”.
The Beloved never keeps the lover from shining; rather, at the height of self-sacrifice, the lover becomes “perfect light,” each fragment a sun in its own right, shining for all the world.
Martyrdom means loving God so deeply that you embrace death in order to taste eternal life; this is the most beautiful interpretation of love.
🌺 3. Martyrdom, the flowing water of love’s garden
Martyrdom is like flowing water, coursing through the desert of history and, wherever it reaches, making a garden of love bloom.
The blood of Husayn (AS) did not fall upon the earth; it settled instead upon the pages of souls, and all who drank of it were perfumed with the “fragrance of divine unity”.
This water never dries up; it flows anew in every moment, quenching those who thirst for truth.
And whoever drinks from this water will never again thirst for anything other than God.
🌷 4. The severed head’s utterance: more wondrous than the People of the Cave
The People of the Cave sought refuge in a cave to save their lives. But the severed head of Husayn (AS), raised on a spear, recited Sūrat al-Kahf and declared:
“More wondrous than the People of the Cave is my being carried aloft and slain!”
Why? Because the People of the Cave saved their own lives through *taqiyya* (protective dissimulation), while Husayn (AS), through martyrdom, saved the lives of all humanity.
He became the “Cave of Faith”: a sanctuary not in the heart of a mountain, but in the heart of history. All who seek refuge there are delivered from the darkness of idolatry and ignorance.
His severed head became a voice proclaiming the truth, calling the world to Islam.
🌻 5. A Jurisprudential Heart: An Ear Attuned to the Voice of Martyrdom
Why do so many fail to hear the voice of martyrdom?
Because they lack a “jurisprudential heart”—a heart bound to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt, and cleansed of hardness.
The Qur’an says: «لَهُمْ قُلُوبٌ لا يَفْقَهُونَ بِها»; they have hearts with which they do not understand.
A jurisprudential heart, however, is one that understands “the firm rope of God” as the very sinew of knowledge and wisdom, and through it is joined to all existence.
Such a heart hears the voice of martyrdom—a voice that flows through Husayn’s blood, the soil of Karbala, and his everlasting remembrance.
🌹 6. Martyrdom: An Enactment of “Perfect Detachment from All but God”
Martyrdom means becoming so emptied of oneself that nothing remains but God.
In Karbala, Husayn (AS) rose not for military victory, but to sever himself completely from all that is other than God.
He showed that “sincere servitude” means relying on God alone at the height of solitude, thirst, and oppression, and turning away from all but Him.
Martyrdom is the “practical interpretation of divine oneness”—a oneness inscribed not in words, but in blood and life.
🌼 7. Idolatry: An All-Encompassing Sin and an Unforgivable Transgression
Idolatry is not merely the worship of idols. It means placing anything in God’s stead: one’s own desires, power, wealth, or even “love without obedience”.
Idolatry is an “all-encompassing sin,” one that engulfs all a person’s deeds and destroys them.
And this sin is unforgivable, because through idolatry a person is cut off from the “source of grace”; until they return to divine oneness, there is no path to forgiveness.
Husayn (AS) came to shatter the “idol of the spirit of idolatry”—not idols of wood and stone, but the idols of ignorance, tyranny, and arrogance that live on in Yazid and his followers in every age.
🌿 8. Martyrdom: Sovereignty over History
Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom reigns—not by the sword, but through its “eternal proclamation” and “everlasting resonance” in hearts.
He assailed not only the unbelief of his own age, but that of every age, and vanquished it throughout the course of history.
Karbala is reenacted in every moment; every broken heart is a scene from Ashura; every cry of the oppressed is the voice of Husayn.
His martyrdom is a “sun” that rises each day over the horizon of hearts and never sets.
🌾 9. The miracle of martyrdom knows no bounds
The miracle of Husayn’s martyrdom (AS) is not confined to “the severed head speaking”; it also lives on in “the flowing blood,” “the undying remembrance,” and “the transformation of hearts”.
The miracle itself has yet to be fully revealed; what has happened so far is only “the prelude.” One day, the truth of Husayniyyat will be made wholly manifest to the world.
💫 Final words
O heart, if you wish to hear the utterance of martyrdom, cleanse your heart of hardness and cling to the “firm rope of God”.
If you wish to take refuge in the “cave of faith,” seek out Husayn (AS). He is the “cave of faith,” and whoever enters it is saved from the darkness of idolatry.
Martyrdom is “the flowing water of love.” Drink from it, lest you thirst for anyone other than God.
Know, too, that the miracle of martyrdom has yet to unfold in its entirety; each day, through “new Karbalas,” it calls the world to awaken.
So rise and join your voice with Husayn (AS), for martyrdom is “the eternal utterance of truth,” and it will never fall silent.
🌟 Reflections
💫God’s Proof is the locus of divine revelation. The reality of divine revelation is the speaking Qur’an—that is, God’s revelation made articulate. The Qur’an is an exposition of all things; therefore, God’s Proof gives voice to revelation in all things, for he is the manifestation of the divine will. God’s Proof is the tree of divine revelation, interpreting and unfolding itself!
💫The superiority of Husayn’s martyrdom over the worship of the Two Weighty Things points to the manifestation of the very essence of worship in the sublime act of martyrdom—an act undertaken by “one of the greatest of God’s servants”! Pure, diamond-like worship attains its true meaning through “utter sincerity and complete detachment.” The radiance of that pure light, worshipping God, spreads across every place and realm!
💫The superiority of Imam Husayn’s martyrdom (AS) is a superiority of the vessel and its contents. Vessel and contents are joined in a wondrous bond: Husayn’s mighty soul was joined to martyrdom; light was joined to light. In the thirstiest of ages, it quenched the world’s thirst and saved it from death; beauty was joined to beauty!
💫The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (AS) was, in truth, the martyrdom of pure reason, which suffused the world with reason and left the spirit of rationality imprinted forever!
The event of Karbala was not merely the most rational course of action; it was reason itself at work! Had Ashura not taken place, rationality would have departed from this world!
💫Doctrinal idolatry is an all-encompassing sin that cannot be forgiven. Alongside it, the idolatry of obedience—which arises from ignorance—will become its companion if it is not cleansed and washed away through repentance!
💫When a divine call rises from the heart of a tree, how could a divine call not rise from the head of God’s martyred Proof?
✨🔆Al-Qasas: 30 فَلَمَّا أَتاها نُودِيَ مِنْ شاطِئِ الْوادِ الْأَيْمَنِ فِي الْبُقْعَةِ الْمُبارَكَةِ مِنَ الشَّجَرَةِ أَنْ يا مُوسى إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعالَمينَ
🔆 When he came to the fire, a voice called out to him from the right bank of the valley, in that blessed land, from within a tree: “O Moses! I am God, Lord of all worlds!”
💫 Martyrdom is the fruit of the heart, soul and world of a devoted lover. And since every product of this world is inseparable from the remembrance and glorification of God, it is the most beautiful thing, the fruit of the most beautiful communion with God!
💫 Every act is good when it occupies its rightful place. At times prayer must be performed in full, at times shortened, and at times in a state of fear. Fasting must be observed at certain times, but at other times it must not be; not only does it bring no reward, it is forbidden—for example, fasting on Eid al-Adha or Eid al-Fitr, or when one is travelling or ill. Dissimulation and the seeking of martyrdom, too, each have their proper place!
💫 Martyrdom is like the sun in the sky: when it rises, its light brightens the world. This is not the determinism of history; it is the sun’s very nature to shine!
🌟 1. God’s Proof: The Dwelling Place of Revelation and the Speaking Qur’an
God’s Proof is the “dwelling place of revelation” and the “speaking Qur’an”: divine revelation, within his very being, becomes the living language of truth.
Just as the Qur’an is “an exposition of all things,” so God’s Proof is “the one who gives voice to the revelation in all things,” for he is the “manifestation of the divine will” and the “tree of revelation” that interprets and unfolds itself.
Thus, when Husayn (AS) spoke from atop the spear, this was no strange miracle but the “revelatory truth of his very being.” With his blood, he inscribed a fresh interpretation of the Qur’an upon the page of history.
🌸 2. The Superiority of Martyrdom: The Manifestation of the Innermost Essence of Worship
The superiority of Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom over the worship of all humanity and jinn reveals the “manifestation of the innermost essence of worship”—a worship that, in the form of martyrdom, attains “perfect sincerity” and “complete detachment”.
This worship is “diamond-like”: a pure light whose radiance fills every realm and place in existence.
Martyrdom is not merely an act but “the very identity of Husayn’s (AS) being.” Through martyrdom, he became “pure light,” illuminating not only himself but the entire world.
🌺 3. The Bond Between Vessel and Contents: Light Joined to Light
The superiority of Imam Husayn’s (AS) martyrdom lies in the relation between “vessel and contents”—a wondrous bond in which “Husayn’s magnificent soul” is joined to “martyrdom,” and “light becomes one with light”.
In the most parched of ages, this bond quenched the world’s thirst and saved it from spiritual death.
Beauty is joined to beauty: Husayn (AS), “the most beautiful of all that is contained,” is placed in “the most beautiful of vessels”—martyrdom—and brings into being a world of light and beauty.
🌷 4. Martyrdom: Pure Reason That Colours the World
The martyrdom of Imam Husayn (AS) was, in truth, “the martyrdom of pure reason”: it coloured the world with reason and made the spirit of rationality endure forever.
The event of Karbala was not merely “the most rational” of events; it was “reason itself.” For had Ashura not taken place, rationality would have departed from the world.
With his blood, Husayn (AS) awakened slumbering reason and taught the world how to stand against oppression through “intuitive reason” and “reasoned love”.
🌻 5. Doctrinal Shirk and Shirk in Obedience
Doctrinal shirk is an “all-encompassing, unforgivable sin”; alongside it, however, there is also “shirk in obedience,” which arises from ignorance.
Unless this shirk in obedience is cleansed through “repentance,” it becomes a companion to doctrinal shirk and takes a person outside the circle of tawhid.
Thus, sinful lovers must guard against “shirk in obedience”—obeying the desires of the self under the guise of love—and, through purification, draw nearer to pure tawhid.
🌹 6. The Divine Call from the Tree and from the Martyr’s Head
If a divine call came from a tree—as when Moses (AS) was called from a tree on Mount Sinai—could it not also come from the severed head of God’s Proof?
Just as God spoke to Moses (AS) from within the tree, saying, “إِنِّي أَنَا اللَّهُ رَبُّ الْعَالَمِينَ”, so too did the divine call resound from Husayn’s (AS) head.
This points to the “ontological life of God’s Proof”: even after martyrdom, his speech continues.
🌼 7. Martyrdom, the Fruit of a Liberated Lover’s Heart
Martyrdom is the fruit of the “heart, soul, and world of a liberated lover”.
Every creation in this world is inseparable from the remembrance and glorification of God; but the “most beautiful creation” is accompanied by the “most beautiful communion with God”.
The martyrdom of Husayn (AS) is a “blood-soaked communion with God,” in which every drop is an act of glorification and every draught a remembrance.
This creation was gathered from the “garden of love,” and its fragrance will endure throughout history, forever.
🌿 8. Every action is good in its proper place
Every action is good in its “true place”: prayer may at times be performed in full and at times shortened, sometimes in fear and sometimes in safety; fasting may at times be obligatory and at times forbidden (as on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha).
Taqiyya and martyrdom, too, each have their proper place. Taqiyya is obligatory when, without it, the faith would be in danger of being destroyed; martyrdom is necessary when taqiyya would lead to the “destruction of the faith”.
Thus, each in its proper place, taqiyya and martyrdom are both “divine wisdom,” and neither should be set aside in favour of the other.
🌾 9. Martyrdom is the sun’s nature: to shine
Martyrdom is like the sun in the sky: when it appears, its light brightens the world.
This is not the “inevitability of history”; it is the “nature of the sun,” whose very essence is to shine.
Through his martyrdom, Husayn (AS) became a “sun of guidance” that illuminated the world not by force, but by virtue of its very nature.
And this radiance will never be extinguished, for the sun of truth rises anew each morning and never sets in the hearts at dusk.
Husayn (AS) is “the speaking Qur’an of God,” who, with his own blood, inscribed a fresh interpretation of revelation on the pages of history. His martyrdom was “pure reason,” saving the world from the darkness of ignorance.
🌼Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat) 110.141(903)🌼
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