In this part of the article titled “Perseverance on principle”, we narrate the perseverance and steadfastness of some of the Companions of Hadrat Ali and likewise the steadfastness of Imam Husain, his noble family members, and his decent companions.
Addressing Amir ul-Mu’minin (a.s), Amr ibn al-Hamq said:
By God, I swear, Amir ul-Mu’minin, I have loved you and declared allegiance to you, not because of a family relationship that links me to you, or because of expecting a fortune that you would confer upon me, or because of expecting a leading authority that you would give to me.
I have loved you for five traits: You are the cousin of the Messenger of God, the first man who believed in his mission, the husband of the mistress of the women of this ummah; namely, Fatima the daughter of the Prophet (s), the successor of the Prophet, the father of the Prophet’s progeny that remained among us, the foremost to Islam, and the best mujahid among Muhajirs.
Even if I move the unshakable mountains and dry out the oceans so that I may achieve a matter that contributes to strengthening one of your disciples or humiliating one of your enemies, I will not consider myself I have fulfilled my obligations towards you.
Having listened to these words, Imam Ali (PBUH) supplicated to God: O Allah, illuminate his heart with piety and guide him to Your straight path. Had I had one hundred soldiers like you!
It is related that Amir ul-Mu’minin (PBUH), one day, asked Hijr ibn Edi at-Taee: What will you say if you are ordered to disavow me?
Hijr answered:
By God, I swear, Amir ul-Mu’minin, if I am torn to pieces by swords and thrown in the flaming fire, I will prefer so to declaring disavowal of you. Amir ul-Mu’minin (a.s) answered: Allah may lead you to every good matter and reward you on behalf of the Ahl ul-Bayt with good.
Hashim al-Mirqal, who was the commander of the left wing of Amir ul-Mu’minin’s army during the battle of Siffeen, said:
By God I swear, I do refuse to have in possession this earth along with all that which is on its surface and the heavens with all that which is under them if this leads me to support one of your enemies or antagonize one of your supporters.
As an answer, Amir ul-Mu’minin (a.s) supplicated God to bestow upon him martyrdom for His cause.
It is related that a black man confessed before Amir ul-Mu’minin (a.s) that he had committed larceny. Imam Ali (a.s) tried to provide excuses that may exempt him from the punishment of larceny. But, the black man insisted and confessed completely; hence, Amir ul-Mu’minin (a.s) had to subject him to the doctrinal provision, which was cutting of the hand.
On his way back, that black man was murmuring, my hand has been cut by the Commander of the faithful, the leader of the pious, the Chief of the white-for-headed honourable, the master of the religion, the head of the Prophet’s successors as Imam Hassan and Imam Hussein heard these words, they conveyed them to their father, who summoned that black man to ask him about that praise.
The black man said: Amir ul-Mu’minin, you have purified me. Your love has been mixed with my flesh and blood so composedly that it cannot depart my heart even if you cut me into pieces.
In the same field of perseverance on principles, Imam al-Husain, his noble family members, and his decent companions elevated to the highest peak in spite of the criticality of their situation and the sufferance of the grossest disasters and terrors.
On the day of Ashura, Imam al-Husain, while he was surrounded by thirty thousand warriors intending to humiliate and kill him, stood so bravely and shouted in their faces with that great reverberating cry, declaring his disdain and highness, through these everlasting words that are still rattling in the hearing of time and still adopted as a thriving constitution by the disdainful and free individuals: The bastard, son of the bastard, has forced me to choose one of two things” either the religion or ignominy.
Ignominy is impossible for us. Allah, His Apostle, the (faithful) believers, chaste laps, jealous noses “individuals-, and noble souls “personalities- refuse for us to prefer the obedience to the mean to the death of the honourable. Preferring killing and sacrifice for the sake of the principles to the life of humility, Imam al-Husain (a.s) said:
By Allah I swear, I will not give you with my hand like the humble, and will not submit to you like slaves. In my sight, death is only pleasure, while living with the wrongdoers is only misery.
Like their leader, the companions of Imam al-Husain (a.s) provided the most ideal examples of steadfastness and perseverance on principles when they sacrificed their souls for their leader. With a splendid wording of love, admiration, and pity, Imam al-Husain (a.s) addressed a speech to his companions:
So then, I have never known any companions more loyal or favourable than my companions are, and I have never known any family members more regardful and pious than my family members are. May Allah reward you in the best manner on behalf of me. I am sure that we will face these enemies very soon, and I permit you all to leave me and I release you from your obligations towards me.
This night has covered you; therefore, you may use it as a screen and each of you may put his hand in the hand of one of my household, then you can reach your hometowns until Allah relieves this ordeal. These people want me in particular, and if they can capture me, they will not pursue anyone else. Muslim ibn Awsaja stood up to answer these words of the Imam (a.s). He said: How is it that we leave you alone?
What is the excuse that we will provide justifiably before God with regard to the fulfilment of your right that is imposed upon us if we leave you? No, by God, I will not leave you before I stab my spear in the chests of the enemies and strike them with my sword so long as I can catch something in my hand. Even if I have no weapon to fight them with, I will throw stones at them.
By God I swear, we will never leave you alone so that God will know that we have respected your representation of the Messenger of God (s). By God I swear, if I am foretold that I will be killed, then revived, then killed, then burnt, then scattered in the wind, then the same thing is redone to me seventy times, I will not leave you before I face death for your sake. I will surely face death for your sake when it is only a single time of death followed by the grandest never-ending honour.
When it was his turn to speak, Zuhair ibn al-Qain said:
By God I swear, I wish I would be killed, then revived, then killed, then the same thing is redone to me thousand times if it is that God will save you as well as these youths from your household from death.
All the other companions spoke alike wordings. They said: We, by God, will never leave you alone. We sacrifice our souls for you. We will protect you with our necks, foreheads, and hands so that if we are killed, will prove our being loyal to you and will fulfil the rights that are imposed upon us concerning you.
We, Muslims of today, are in urgent need of learning lessons of jihad from such great personalities and pursuing their examples in the fields of clinging to the religion and perseverance on principles as well as self-denial for the sake of supporting the right, so that we will be able to regain our seized rights and our usurped dignities, and will be able to save ourselves from the humility of the scandalous defeats and frequent losses.
