Conclusion to the Previous Objectives
مقصد دوازدهم: در خاتمهي مقاصد سابقه، و دفع استبعاد عقول قاصره، پس ميگوئيم: چون شنيدي اين كيفيات، و خواص عجيبه را، تعجب مكن، و زياد مشمار اين خواص و ثوابها را از براي اين عمل قليل، زيرا كه في الحقيقة اين همه ثواب، نه به جهت يك قطره اشك است، بلكه اينها عطائي است از خداوند كريم به حضرت سيدالشهداء (عليهالسلام) كرامت نموده در مقابل خدمتي كه نمود، و تو شنيدهاي در حكايت ملوك سابق كه بعضي از ايشان در مقابل خدمت جزئي عطاياي كلي مينمودند، چنانكه مشهور است كه اعرابي مدح نمود معن بن زائدة را به يك شعر، كه مضمونش اين است كه: «اي جود معن تو حاجت مرا به سمع شريف او برسان كه واسطهي ديگري ندارم»، پس او را طلبيد و صد هزار درهم به او داد، و روز ديگر دويست هزار درهم به او داد، و روز سوم چهارصد هزار داد، و چون روز چهارم به طلب او فرستاد، گفتند: فرار كرده است از ترس اينكه مبادا از او پس گيرند، پس گفت معن: كه اگر مانده بود تمام خزينه را در عطاي او ميدادم. [764] .پس هر گاه اين بندهي حقير فقير محتاج، عطا كند تمام خزينهاش را به كسي كه [با] يك شعر مدح او كرده است لسانا نه قلبا، پس چگونه خداوند غني متعال، كه خزانهاش تمامي ندارد، و كثرت عطا او را ملول نميكند، عطا نكند به كسي كه بذل نمود در راه رضاي او، جان، و تن، و دست، و پا، و سر، و جميع جوارح، و اعضاء، و اولاد، و عيال و اطفال، و راحتي، و حيات خود را، در حالتي كه مكروب و تشنه و متحير بود در امر عيال و [ صفحه 266] اطفالش، و زخمها از هر طرف بر او وارد ميشد، از زبان و سنان، و شمشير، و تير، و خنجر، و سنگ.و همچنين نوشتهاند كه معشوق هشام اموي كه خالصه نام داشت عطا نمود حلي و حلل و زينت خود را از جواهر، به شاعري كه بدل نمود حرفي از حروف هجا را، پس هجو او مدح شد، نقل است كه شاعري مدح كرد هشام را، و صله به او ندادند پس بر در دارالاماره [نوشت]: «لقد ضاع شعري علي بابكم كما ضاع در علي خالصة» چون اين خبر به خالصه رسيد بطلب شاعر فرستاد، او فهميد كه خيال عقوبت او را دارد، پس مخفي رفت، و دايره عين را تراشيد، و سر عين را باقي گذاشت، پس عين مبدل شد به همزه، و هجو مبدل به مدح گرديد [765] ، پس چون به نزد خالصه رفت، او را عتاب نمود كه چرا مرا هجو كردي؟
Conclusion to the Previous Objectives
Twelfth Objective: A conclusion to the previous objectives and a response to the doubts of limited human understanding.
We say: When you hear these descriptions and these amazing special virtues, do not be surprised, and do not consider these rewards and merits excessive for such a small act.
For in reality, all these rewards are not merely for a single tear-drop. Rather, they are gifts from the Generous Allah granted to Sayyid al-Shuhadaʾ (as) as an honor in return for the service that he rendered.
You have heard in the stories of former kings that some of them would grant immense gifts in return for a small service.
It is famously related that a Bedouin praised Maʿn ibn Zāʾidah with a single verse of poetry whose meaning was:
“O generosity of Maʿn, convey my need to his noble hearing, for I have no other intermediary.”
Maʿn summoned him and gave him one hundred thousand dirhams. The next day he gave him two hundred thousand dirhams. On the third day he gave him four hundred thousand dirhams.
When on the fourth day he sent for him, they said:
“He has fled out of fear that the gifts might be taken back.”
Maʿn replied:
“If he had remained, I would have given him my entire treasury.” [764]
If such a poor, needy servant can give away his entire treasury to someone who praised him with a single verse merely by tongue and not by heart, then how could Allah, the Self-Sufficient and Exalted, whose treasures are endless and who never tires of giving, not grant immense rewards to one who offered in His path and for His pleasure his life, body, hands, feet, head, all his limbs and organs, his children, family, dependents, comfort, and very existence?
And all this while he was afflicted, thirsty, distressed about his family and children,
and wounds were striking him from every direction—from spears, lances, swords, arrows, daggers, and stones.
It has also been written that the beloved of Hisham the Umayyad, whose name was Khāliṣah, once gave away her jewelry, garments, and ornaments made of precious gems to a poet who merely altered one letter of the alphabet, thereby changing a satire into praise.
It is related that a poet praised Hisham, but no reward was given to him. So he wrote on the gate of the governor’s palace:
«لقد ضاع شعري علي بابكم كما ضاع در علي خالصة»
“My poetry has been wasted at your door just as a pearl was lost by Khāliṣah.”
When this reached Khāliṣah, she sent for the poet.
The poet understood that she intended to punish him, so he secretly altered the inscription. He erased part of the letter ʿayn and left its upper part, thereby changing the letter into a hamzah. Thus the satire was transformed into praise. [765]
When he came before Khāliṣah, she reproached him and said:
“Why did you satirize me?”
جواب داد كه مدح كردهام، چون باملاحظه، ديدند مدح است، پس تمام حلي و حلل خود را به او عطا كرد.پس هر گاه اين زن ضعيف تمام اعز اموال خود را به جهت تبديل يك حرف عطا كند، پس [عطاي] خالق سماوات و ارضين، و اجود الاجودين چه خواهد بود در حق كسي كه جميع اعضاء وجودش را در راه او داده؟ بلكه اگر به حسين (عليهالسلام) عطا نمايد هر چه در تصور گنجد و ممكن است كه بدهد، عجب نخواهد بود، و ابدا اينها را نبايد انكار نمود كه در آن انكار، نسبت جواد است به بخل، و دل جناب زهراء (عليهاالسلام) از اين كار ميشكند، چنانكه ظاهر ميشود از خوابي كه روايت كرده است آن را سيد علي حسيني و مجلسي و غير او.مترجم گويد: از منتخب طريحي منقول است كه از سيد علي حسيني حكايت شده است كه گفت: در مشهد مقدس رضوي مجاور بود با جمعي از مؤمنين تا اينكه روز عاشورا شد، يكي از رفقا كتاب مقتل را گرفت و بر ما ميخواند، رسيد به اين خبر كه از حضرت باقر (عليهالسلام) روايت شده است كه فرمودند: هر كس چشم او بگريد بر مصيبت [ صفحه 267] حسين (عليهالسلام) اگر چه به قدر بال مگسي باشد خداوند گناهان او را بيامرزد اگر چه بقدر كف دريا باشد، شخصي در مجلس بود انكار اين خبر كرد، و گفت: اين با عقل درست نيايد، و بحث در ميان بسيار شد، و متفرق شديم، آن شخص در خواب ديد كه قيامت قيام نموده، و تشنگي بر او غالب شده، هر طرف به طلب آب نظر نمود، ديد حوضي است بسيار بزرگ [پر] از آب، كه از آب برف سردتر است، و در نزد آن، دو مرد و يك زن سياه پوش حزين هستند، پرسيد كه ايشان كيستند؟ گفتند: محمد (صلي الله عليه و آله) و علي (عليهالسلام) و فاطمه (عليهاالسلام) هستند، پس نزديك حضرت فاطمه (عليهاالسلام) رفت و آب طلبيد، حضرت نظر تندي به او نمود و فرمود: تو منكر فضل گريه هستي، و از خواب بيدار شد و از گفتهي خود استغفار نمود - انتهي. [766] .و در اين انكار تنقيص مقام آن جناب و تقليل اجر او است، زيرا كه همهي اين عطايا عطا به آن سرور است.مثلا هر گاه قلب تو متأثر شود از تصور اينكه آن حضرت را از وطن آواره نمودند، و اشك جاري شود، پس آن اجري كه به تو ميرسد، في الحقيقة اجر آن اشك نيست، تا به نظر بسيار آيد، بلكه آن اجر كيفيت آوارهگي آن سرور است، و مخصوص او بوده است، زيرا كه او را از جميع بلاد، و امكنه منع نمودند، حتي اينكه مقري نگذاشتند از براي سر بريدهاش، آيا آن اجرها از براي اين كيفيت زياد است؟
He replied, “I praised you.”
When they examined the verse carefully, they found that it was indeed praise. So she gave him all of her jewelry, garments, and ornaments.
Therefore, if this weak woman could give away her most precious possessions merely because of the alteration of a single letter, then what will be the generosity of the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Most Generous of the generous, toward one who gave all the limbs and faculties of his existence in His path?
Indeed, if Allah were to grant al-Imam Husain (a.s.) everything that can be imagined and everything that it is possible to bestow, it would not be astonishing.
Therefore, these rewards should never be denied, for denying them implies attributing stinginess to the Most Generous, and it causes grief to the heart of Lady al-Zahra, as appears from a dream narrated by Sayyid ʿAli al-Husaini, al-Majlisi, and others.
The Translator Says:
It is related in Muntakhab al-Turayhi from Sayyid ʿAli al-Husaini that he said:
“I was residing in the sacred shrine of Imam al-Rida (as) along with a group of believers. When the day of ʿAshura arrived, one of our companions took a book of Maqtal and read it to us.
He reached the narration from Imam al-Baqir (as), who said:
‘Whoever sheds tears for the tragedy of al-Imam Husain (a.s.), even if they are as small as the wing of a fly, Allah will forgive his sins, even if they are as abundant as the foam of the sea.’
A man present in the gathering rejected this narration and said:
‘This does not seem reasonable to me.’
A lengthy discussion followed, and eventually we dispersed.
That man later saw in a dream that the Day of Judgment had been established. He was overcome with intense thirst. He looked in every direction seeking water and saw a vast pool filled with water colder than melted snow.
Beside it stood two men and a sorrowful woman dressed in black.
He asked:
‘Who are these people?’
It was said to him:
‘They are Muhammad (sawa), ʿAli (as), and Fatimah (sa).’
He approached Lady Fatimah (sa) and asked for water.
She looked at him sternly and said:
‘You are the one who denied the virtue of weeping.’
Then he awoke from his sleep and sought forgiveness for what he had said.”
End of the narration. [766]
To deny such rewards is to diminish the rank of that noble Imam and to lessen the reward granted because of him, for all these gifts are in reality gifts bestowed through that noble Master.
For example, if your heart becomes affected when you think about how al-Imam Husain (a.s.) was driven away from his homeland, and tears begin to flow from your eyes, then the reward that reaches you is not truly the reward of the tear itself, such that it would appear excessive.
Rather, that reward is connected to the state of exile and displacement endured by that noble Imam, and that suffering belonged uniquely to him.
For he was prevented from remaining in every land and every place, until they did not even leave a resting place for his severed head.
Can such rewards really be considered excessive for such a suffering?
و همچنين اگر متأثر شوي از براي عطش آن جناب، و اشك تو جاري شود، آن نه [اجر] اشكست، و نه اجر عطش او تنها، بلكه اجر كباب شدن جگر آن سرور است، و مجروح شدن زبانش، و خشكيدن لب و دهانش، و تاريكي چشمانش، و سوختگي دلش از شماتت دشمنان، و گفتن ايشان كه آب نخواهي آشاميد تا اينكه از حميم بياشامي، پس اشك اگر در جهنم بيفتد، و سبب خاموشي آن شود اجر آن سوختگي است، نه اجر يك قطره اشك، و چون قلبت متأثر شود از براي زخمهاي او، پس اشك در چشم دور زند، اجر آن از براي تحمل آن زخمها است كه زخم بالاي زخم، بر آن [ صفحه 268] بدن شريف وارد گرديد، زيرا كه بدني كه هفت شبر طول او باشد، از پيش رو چهار هزار زخم تير، و هفتاد و اندي زخم شمشير، و مثل آن زخم نيزه داشته باشد، نميشود مگر آنكه بعضي بالاي بعضي وارد گردد، پس خون بايد گريست بر آن، به عوض اشك.و هر گاه قلبت متأثر شود به جهت كشته شدن آنجناب به طريق قتل صبر و اشك جاري شود، پس اجر آن نه به محض اشك است، و نه به جهت قتل است، و نه به جهت ذبح است به مانند ذبح گوسفند، بلكه به جهت آن است كه به ضرب شمشير او را ذبح نمودند، «وا لهفاه عليك يا مظلوم» چه قدر مصيبت تو عظيم است بر اهل آسمانها و زمينها. [ صفحه 270]
Likewise, if you become affected by the thirst of that noble Imam and your tears begin to flow, then the reward is not for the tear itself, nor merely for his thirst.
Rather, it is the reward for the burning of that noble one's liver, the wounding of his tongue, the drying of his lips and mouth, the dimming of his eyes, and the burning grief of his heart caused by the mockery of his enemies when they said:
“You will never drink water until you drink from boiling water.”
Therefore, if a tear were to fall into Hell and extinguish its fire, that would be the reward for those sufferings, not merely the reward of a single tear-drop.
And when your heart is moved by the wounds he endured and tears gather in your eyes, the reward is for bearing those wounds—wound upon wound striking that blessed body.
[ صفحه 268]
For a body whose length was only seven spans, receiving four thousand arrow wounds from the front, more than seventy sword wounds, and a similar number of spear wounds, could not have been wounded except with one injury falling upon another.
Therefore, blood should be wept for such a tragedy instead of tears.
And whenever your heart is affected by the manner in which that noble Imam was killed through a prolonged and merciless execution, and tears flow from your eyes, then the reward is not merely for the tears, nor simply for the killing itself, nor even for being slaughtered like a sheep.
Rather, it is because he was slaughtered with the blows of swords.
«وا لهفاه عليك يا مظلوم»
“Alas for you, O oppressed one!”
How immense is your tragedy for the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth.
[ صفحه 270]