The late
respected Allamah Bahrul Uloom narrated,
Once, I was
travelling to Samarrah. Along the way, a question arose suddenly in my mind that
are the sins of those who shed tears upon Imam Hussain (as) forgiven or
not?
No sooner had this
question come to my mind that I saw a horse rider coming towards me. He came
close to me and after offering his salutations,he said, O respected Sayyed!What
are you thinking about? If it is a religious question, then do narrate it. Perhaps
I can offer you a solution.I replied, I was thinking how Allah, the Merciful
and Generous,has ordained a reward for the visitors of Imam Hussain (as)that
for those who walk to his (as) shrine, in exchange of eachstep, Allah writes
for them the reward of a Hajj and Umrah intheir book of deeds. And as for those
who cry upon his difficulties, in exchange for each tear, Allah forgives
their large and small sins.
The horse rider said, Don’t be surprised
by this. Let me narrate for you an example which will solve your dilemma.He
continued, One day, a king left for hunting along with his courtiers.
During this hunt, the king was separated from his courtiers such that
they were both unable to reach each other. He tried his best to make
contact with his companions,but was unsuccessful. He was tired and so
weakened that even walking was difficult for him. Hungry and thirsty, he
just did not know what to do. Suddenly he saw a tent in the distance and
started walking towards it.An old woman stayed in the tent along with her
son. Her only worldly possession was a goat with whose milk she was able to
eke out a living. When the king arrived at her door step, she did not
recognise him. Nevertheless, she was hospitable to him. She sacrificed her goat
and fed its meat to the king as she did not have anything else to offer to him.
The king ate to hi sfill and stayed there for the night. The next
morning the king graciously took her leave and was soon reunited with his companions.
Thereafter, he narrated the previous night’s episode to his companions and
then asked them
If I wish to reward this lady and her son, then what is
anappropriate compensation for their service?
One of the courtiers stood up
and said, O king! You can pay her back by granting her 100 sheep. Another
courtier proffered, you can grant her 100 sheep and 100 gold coins. A third
suggested that the king gift her a particular piece of land.The king said,
whatever I grant her, it will fall short of the favour she has conferred upon
me.If I grant her complet econtrol over my kingdom, it will equal what she has
done forme. This is because she gave up all she had for me.
Therefore if
I wish to compensate her fully, it is only correct that I give up everything I
have in her favour. After this, the horse rider said, O Bahrul Uloom! Whatever Imam
Hussain (as) had at his disposal – his wealth and possessions, his family and
friends, his brother, his sisters and even himself (as), he gave it all up in
the way of Allah. (It is not possible that the Divine will grant His divinity to
the Imam(as)). Therefore if Allah rewards the visitors and mourners of Imam
Hussain (as) in this manner, then you should not be astonished for this is an
ordinary task and very easy for Him(Undoubtedly, this is Allah whose
award is without any limit,whose bounty is all encompassing and whose
generosity isbeyond compare such that none can estimate its extent)Saying this,
the horse rider kept silent which drew myattention to him, but I realised that
he was not there!
For a moment, I was stunned. Then my mind guided me that the horse
rider was none other than Imame’ Zamana (as). I searched for him in the
nearby area and up to the distance I could see, I looked for him, but I could
not get the chance ofmeeting him (as). A wave of regret and remorse arose in my heart
on the loss of this opportunity.
Many lessons can be derived from the
above incident. Here are some of them.
As per the words of Hazrat Ameerul
Mo’meneen Ali (as),whether an Imam (as) is present before the people or in occultation, he
always guides the people. This aspect comesout in the above incident
more clearly than the sun.
The incident establishes that Imam Mahdi (as)
is the true successor of Imam Hussain (as). This is because the Allamah had
not narrated this incident to any person. In fact it was a question which arose
in his mind only. No one apart from Allah, His Messenger (sawa) and His Imam are
aware what is in the hearts and minds of people.
Imam Mahdi (as) himself says,
- If you seek guidance, you will get it. Whatever are your (legitimate) desires,
you will reach them. If we adhere to religion and pay attention to the
fulfilment of our duties towards it, then such questions will not misguideus.
Rather they will aid towards increasing our recognition and guidance as was in
this incident.
As far as possible we should try to go for the Ziyarat of
the Holy Imams (as), especially Imam Hussain (as) for surely this is an act which
is the cause of pleasure of Allah, His Messenger(sawa) and the Imams
(as). It will also open the doors for our success in this world and the
hereafter.
In this visits as well, wes hould seek Imam Mahdi (as) for
these are those sacred places which are frequented by him and it is possible
that we may get an opportunity to meet him.
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