This article refutes those who claim that crying over Imam al-Husayn is an innovation. We shall display all the narrations below from the books of Ahl al-Sunnah.
1) Weeping for the Ahl al-Bayt is rewarded with Jannah.
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ فِي كِتَابِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ رحمه الله بِخَطِّ يَدِهِ: نا أَسْوَدُ بْنُ عَامِرٍ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ قثنا الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ مُنْذِرٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ قَالَ: كَانَ حُسَيْنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ يَقُولُ: مَنْ دَمَعَتَا عَيْنَاهُ فِينَا دَمْعَةً، أَوْ قَطَرَتْ عَيْنَاهُ فِينَا قَطْرَةً، أَثْوَاهُ اللَّهُ عز وجل الْجَنَّةَ
Ahmad Ibn Israel saw in the book of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal that it was narrated by Aswad Ibn Aamir that al-Rabi’ Ibn Munzir narrated from hai father that :
Imam Hussain Ibn Ali said : ‘Whoever sheds tears for us Allah ﷻ will grant him Paradise.’
~Fadhail al-Sahabah 1154, Ahmad Ibn Hanbal
•The Muhaqqiq of the book, Wasi-Allah Abbas said :
أحمد بن إسرائيل لم أجده والباقون ثقات
‘I couldn’t find about Ahmad Ibn Israel, but the rest of the narrators are Thiqah (trustworthy)’
• Ahmad Ibn Israel is an Imam of Ahl al-Sunnah as Allamah adh-Dhabhi mentioned :
الإمام المحدث الحافظ الفقيه المفتي ، شيخ العراق أبو بكر أحمد بن سلمان بن الحسن بن إسرائيل ، البغدادي الحنبلي النجاد .
al-Imam, al-Muhadith, al-Hafidh, al-Faqih, al-Mufti, Shaykh of al-Iraq – Abu Bakr Ahmad Ibn Salman Ibn al-Hasan Ibn Israel al-Baghdadi al-Hanbali al-Najaad.
~Siyar Alam an-Nubala vol 15:502
2) The tears of Sayyidna Rasul-Allah ﷺ
عن عبد الله بن نجي عن أبيه: أنه سار مع علي، وكان صاحب مطهَرَته، فلما حاذى نينوى وهو منطلق إلى صفِّين فنادى علي: اصبر أبا عبدَ الله، اصبر أبا عبد الله بشطِّ الفرات، قلت: ومَاذا؟ قال: دخلت على النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ذات يوم وعيناه تَفيضان، قلت: يا نبي الله أغضبك أحد، ما شأن عينيك تفيضان؟ قال: “بل قام من عندي جبريل قبلُ، فحدثني أن الحسين يقتل بشط الفرات”
Naji narrated that : “I was travelling with Ali and when he reached Ninevah on the way to Siffin, Ali said ‘Be patient O Abu Abd-Allah (Tekonym of Imam al-Husayn) so I asked him, ‘What is this?’ He replied : ‘I was with Rasul-Allah ﷺ and He ﷺ was crying and said that Jibrael has informed me that al-Husayn will be killed on the bank of Euphrates.'”
• The Muhaqqiq of the book, Ahmad Muhammad Shaakir said that The Sanad is Sahih (إسناده صحيح)
~Musnad Ahmad 648
3) The dream of Abd-Allah Ibn Abbas
عن ابن عباس قال: رأيتُ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم فيما يَرَى النائمُ، بنصف النهار، وهو قائم أشْعَثَ أَغْبَرَ، بيده قارورةٌ: فيها دم، فقلتُ: بأبي أنت وأمي يا رسول الله، ما هذا؟، قال هذا دم الحسين وأصحابه، لم أَزَل ألْتَقطُه منذُ اليوم،
Ibn Abbas said ‘I saw Rasul-Allah ﷺ in a dream with dusty hair and he was holding a bottle filled with blood, I said to him May my parents be sacrificed for you, O Rasul-Allah, what is this?’ He ﷺ replied ‘This is the blood of al-Husayn & his companions which I’ve been collecting this day.’
• The Muhaqqiq of the book, Ahmad Muhammad Shaakir said that The Sanad is Sahih (إسناده صحيح)
~Musnad Ahmad 2553
4) The dream of Umm al-Mu’meenin Umm Salamah
حَدَّثَنَا رَزِينٌ، قَالَ حَدَّثَتْنِي سَلْمَى، قَالَتْ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ وَهِيَ تَبْكِي فَقُلْتُ مَا يُبْكِيكِ قَالَتْ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم – تَعْنِي فِي الْمَنَامِ – وَعَلَى رَأْسِهِ وَلِحْيَتِهِ التُّرَابُ فَقُلْتُ مَا لَكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ . قَالَ ” شَهِدْتُ قَتْلَ الْحُسَيْنِ آنِفًا ”
Salma narrated that : “I saw Umm Salamah crying so I asked her ‘What makes you cry?’ She replied ‘I saw Rasul-Allah ﷺ in my dream and there was dust on his head and beard, I asked him What is wrong O Rasul-Allah ﷺ?’ He replied ‘I have witnessed the killing of al-Husayn.'”
~Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3771
https://sunnah.com/tirmidhi:3771
• Many scholars said this Sanad is weak due to the anonymity of Salma al-Bakri, however, the Shawaidh to it are many, for instance, the intensive weeping of Umm Salamah on the killing of Imam al-Husayn and the dream of Ibn Abbas and etc. Regardless, Salma al-Bakri is not Majhool and she is considered a student of A’isha Bint Abi Bakr as Sulayman al-Nadwi mentioned :
ولذلك نقتصر على ذكر أسماء النساء منهم فقط اللاتي تخرجن عالمات جليلات ساهمن في حفظ السنة وروايتها ونقلها إلى الأجيال اللاحقة….15 – سلمى البكرية.
Therefore, we will limit ourselves to mentioning the names of only the women who graduated as distinguished scholars from A’isha who contributed to preserving the Sunnah, narrating it, and transmitting it to later generations.
On the 15th narrator, he mentioned – Salma al-Bakri.
~Seerat A’Isha page 321
5) The excessive weeping of Imam Zayn al-Abideen Ali Ibn al-Husayn
Abu Bakr al-Dinawari mentioned :
عَنْ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ: سُئِلَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ عَنْ كَثْرَةِ بُكَائِهِ؛ فَقَالَ: لَا تَلُومُونِي؛ فَإِنَّ يَعْقُوبَ عليه السلام فَقَدَ سَبْطًا مِنَ وَلَدِهِ، فَبَكَى حَتَّى ابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ وَلَمْ يَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مَاتَ، وَنَظَرْتُ أَنَا إِلَى أَرْبَعَةَ عَشَرَ رَجُلًا مِنْ أَهْلِ بَيْتِي ذُبِحُوا فِي غَدَاةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ؛ فَتَرَوْنَ حُزْنَهُمْ يَذْهَبُ مِنْ قَلْبِي أَبَدًا؟
Imam Ja’far Ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq narrated that :
It was asked to Imam Ali Ibn al-Husayn (Zayn al-Abideen) about his excessive crying. He replied ‘Do not blame me, The Prophet Yaqoub lost a grandson, he cried so much that his eyes turned white and he wasn’t sure if he had died while I saw fourteen men from my family being slaughtered in a single morning. Do you think their grief will ever leave my heart?’
~al-Mujalasah wa Jawahir al-Ilm vol 3:76
6) The angels weep for Imam al-Husayn
Allamah Ibn al-Maghizali al-Maliki mentioned :
حدثنا فضيل بن يسار قال: قيل لأبي عبد الله عليه السلام: أي قبور الشهداء أفضل؟ قال: أوليس أفضل الشهداء عندك الحسين عليه السلام؟ فوالذي نفسي بيده إن حول قبره أربعين ألف ملك شعثاً غبراً يبكون عليه إلى يوم القيامة.
Fudayl Ibn Yasar said it was asked to Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq ‘Which of the martyrs graves are the most superior?’ Imam al-Sadiq replied : ‘It is al-Husayn for by Allah, around his grave are forty thousand angels who weep over him until the day of Qiyamah.’
~Manaqib Ahl al-Bayt 471
• Allamah Ibn al-Maghizali writes in the introduction of the book :
ﻓﺠﻤﻌﺖ ﻓﻲ ﻓﻀﺎﺋﻠﻬﻢ ﻣﺎ اﻧﺘﻬﺖ ﺇﻟﻴﻪ ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺘﻲ، ﻭﺑﻠﻐﻪ ﺟﻬﺪﻱ ﻭﻃﺎﻗﺘﻲ، ﻣﻤﺎ ﺃﻧﺰﻝ اﻟﻠﻪ ﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ ﻓﻴﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ اﻵﻳﺎﺕ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺴﻮﺭاﺕ، ﻭﻣﺎ ﺟﺮﻯ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻟﻔﻆ اﻟﺮﺳﻮﻝ ﻣﻦ اﻟﺪﻻﻻﺕ، ﻭﻣﺎ ﻇﻬﺮ ﻣﻨﻬﻢ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻤﻌﺠﺰاﺕ، ﻣﺎ ﻻ ﻳﻤﻜﻦ اﻟﻤﻨﺼﻒ ﺑﻌﻘﻠﻪ ﺇﻧﻜﺎﺭﻩ
I have collected in this book the Fadhail of the Ahlul Bait of what was well known to me, about what Allah ﷻ revealed about them in the Qur’an and what was reported from the words of Rasul-Allah ﷺ and their apparent miracles, what a FAIR-MINDED person cannot deny.
~Manaqib Ahl al-Bayt 52
7) Jibrael brings the soil of Karbala
حدثنا ثابت، عن أنس بن مالك: أن ملك المطر استأذن ربه أن يأتي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فأذن له، فقال لأم سلمة: ” املكي علينا الباب لا يدخل علينا أحد “. قال: وجاء الحسين ليدخل، فمنعته، فوثب، فدخل، فجعل يقعد على ظهر النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وعلى منكبه، وعلى عاتقه، قال: فقال الملك للنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: أتحبه؟ قال: ” نعم ” قال: أما إن أمتك ستقتله، وإن شئت أريتك المكان الذي يقتل به، فضرب بيده، فجاء بطينة حمراء، فأخذتها أم سلمة فصرتها في خمارها. قال: قال ثابت: بلغنا أنها كربلاء
Thabit al-Bunani narrated from Anas Ibn Malik that :
The angel of rain visited The Prophet ﷺ and it was said to Umm Salamah ‘Keep the door closed so that none can enter.’ but al-Husayn entered in and sat on the back and shoulder of Rasul-Allah ﷺ, the angel asked the Prophet ﷺ ‘Do you love him?’ He ﷺ replied ‘Yes’ so the angel said, ‘Your nation will kill him and if you wish I will show you where he’ll be killed.’ Then the angel brought a piece of red clay and Umm Salamah kept it in her veil.
Thabit al-Bunani said : It reached us that the soil was from Karbala.
• The Muhaqqiq of the book, Hamza al-Zayn said that The Sanad is Sahih (إسناده صحيح)
~Musnad Ahmad 13473
8) The Noha of Jinns upon Imam al-Husayn
عَنْ عَمَّارٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أُمَّ سَلَمَةَ قَالَتْ: سَمِعْتُ الْجِنَّ يَبْكِينَ عَلَى حُسَيْنٍ قَالَ: وَقَالَتْ أُمُّ سَلَمَةَ سَمِعْتُ الْجِنَّ تَنُوحُ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ
Ammar narrated I heard Umm Salamah say :
‘I heard Jinns cry over Husayn and that they would recite Noha over al-Husayn.’
• The Muhaqqiq of the book, Wasi-Allah Abbas said : The Sanad is Hasan (إسناده حسن)
~Fadhail al-Sahabah 1373
9) A Sahabi, Zayd Ibn Arqam cried!
Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari wrote :
ولما قتل الحسين أمر عمر بْن سعد نفرًا، فركبوا خيولهم وأوطئوها الحسين، وكان عدة من قتل معه اثنين وسبعين رجلًا، ولما قتل أرسل عمر رأسه ورءوس أصحابه إِلَى ابن زياد، فجمع الناس وأحضر الرءوس، وجعل ينكت بقضيب بين شفتي الحسين، فلما رآه زيد بْن أرقم لا يرفع قضيبه، قال: أعل بهذا القضيب فوالذي لا إله غيره، لقد رأيت شفتي رَسُول اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَلَى هاتين الشفتين يقبلهما، ثم بكى، فقال له ابن زياد: أبكى اللَّه عينيك، فوالله لولا أنك شيخ قد خرفت لضربت عنقك.
When al-Husayn was killed, Umar Ibn Sa’ad ordered a group of horsemen to trample over al-Husayn’s body and those who were killed with him were seventy-two. After they were killed, Umar sent their heads to Ubayd-Allah Ibn Ziyad.
Ibn Ziyad began to poke al-Husayn’s lips with a stick, When Zayd Ibn Arqam saw it, he said : ‘Raise this stick for I swear by Allah, I saw the lips of Rasul-Allah ﷺ kissing them.’ and then Zayd Ibn Arqam started to cry.
Ibn Ziyad said to Ibn Arqam, ‘May Allah make you cry, if you weren’t old, I would’ve cut off your head.’
~Usud al-Ghabah vol 2:28
10) Tears of Abu Hurairah
ﻋﻦ ﺃﺑﻲ ﻫﺮﻳﺮﺓ ﻗﺎﻝ: ﻣﺎ ﺭﺃﻳﺖ اﻟﺤﺴﻴﻦ ﺑﻦ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺇﻻ ﻓﺎﺿﺖ ﻋﻴﻨﻲ ﺩﻣﻮﻋﺎ
Abu Hurairah said : ‘I never saw al-Husayn Ibn Ali except my eyes filled with tears.’
~Mustadarak ala al-Sahihayn 4823
• Imam Haakim called it Sahih & so did Allamah adh-Dhabhi in his Talkhees.
11) Even the stones grieved!
وَعَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ قَالَ: مَا رُفِعَ بِالشَّامِ حَجَرٌ يَوْمَ قَتْلِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ إِلَّا عَنْ دَمٍ. رَوَاهُ الطَّبَرَانِيُّ، وَرِجَالُهُ رِجَالُ الصَّحِيحِ.
al-Zuhri said : ‘No stones were turned in Syria, the day when al-Husayn Ibn Ali was killed except it had blood gushing out.’
Nur ad-Deen al-Haythami said : ‘It was narrated by at-Tabarani and its narrators are the narrator of al-Sahih.’
~Majmaa’ az-Zawa’id vol 9:196
12) The skies dripped blood
جعفر بن سليمان قال حدثني خالتي أم سالم قالت لما قتل الحسين بن علي مطرنا مطرا كالدم على البيوت والجدر قال وبلغني أنه كان بخراسان والشام والكوفة
Ja’far Ibn Sulayman said my aunt Umm Salim told me that when al-Husayn Ibn Ali was killed, it rained upon us blood and it happened in Khurrasan, Syria & Kufa.
~Taarikh Damishq vol 14:229
al-Dawlabi al-Raazi (D.310 H) mentioned :
عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ النَّخَعِيِّ، قَالَ: «لَمَّا قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ احْمَرَّتِ السَّمَاءُ مِنْ أَقْطَارِهَا ثُمَّ لَمْ تَزَلْ حَتَّى تَفَطَّرَتْ وَقَطَرَتْ دَمًا
Ibrahim an-Nakhai’i said : ‘When al-Husayn was killed, the sky turned red and dripped blood.’
~al-Dhurriyat al-Tahira page 97
Thank you for reading! I swear by Allah, making this article was not easy on our hearts. Indeed, remembering the catastrophe of Imam al-Husayn and those with him causes us great sorrow. May Allah not give us any grief other than the grief of Sayyid al-Shuhada.
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