Introduction:
Al-Dai al-Ajal al-Fatimi Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin’s TUS marthiya mubaraka is dedicated to the zikr of Maulana al-Imam al-Husain AS. In the opening line, which is also the chorus, Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal al-Fatimi TUS explains that this zikr, or as commonly expressed in English, remembrance, is the best of provisions. The Arabic word for provisions, zaad, literally means sustenance taken for a journey. In this way, Maulana al-Minʿaam TUS highlights the significance of Imam Husain’s AS zikr for both our worldly and spiritual journeys. Throughout this English rendering of the marthiya mubaraka, for the purposes of readability, the word zikr has been expressed as remembrance but it means much more. Zikr has connotations of devotion, tasbeeh, worship, protection and du’a. Thus the zikr of Imam Husain AS is not simply remembering him, but among other things, includes being devoted to him, protecting his cause and speaking his name out loud. Readers are urged to bear these connotations in mind as they seek barakat from this marthiya shareefa.
1
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
How great is the victory for those who remember and offer gratitude [for the bounty of this remembrance]!
His tragedy has brought tears to all of Allah’s pure beloveds.
O Mumineen, weep upon him, and be amongst the victorious.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
2
By Allah, this remembrance is a great blessing.
For it revives decaying bones.
Like his revered grandfather, Nabi Mohammed SA — Imam Husain’s SA mercy is vast.
And his zikr is a sacred, pure taʿweez (amulet) for those leading a pious life.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
3
The grandson of Prophet Mohammed SA chose shahaadat (martyrdom),
In sajda: a perfect form of worship,
And in this state of sajda, he prayed for siyaada1.
A shahaadat that relieved Awwaleen and Akhireen of their debt and set them free.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
4
By virtue of Imam Husain’s SA shahaadat, the Kalima al-Shahaada lives on.
The standards of the Aimmat Tahireen AS remain aloft.
And the signs and miracles of the Duʿat Mutlaqeen AS stand firm.
The shahaadat’s eminence overpowers all tyrants.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
5
How, then, could the pure Nabi Mohammed SA not but weep,
In his exalted qabr mubarak?
How could he not be overcome with anguish and sorrow in his lofty station?
As his garden was being set alight by traitors.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
6
Imam Husain SA is the delight of the eye of Allah’s Majestic Eye: Maulana Ali SA.
And of revered stature in the ʿayn (eyes) of Ghayn2.
Then, how could every eye not but shed tears upon him incessantly?
For Imam Husain SA is the reason that the Greatest of all Forgivers’ plan for the redemption of sins has come to fruition.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
7
Maulatona Fatema SA wails in anguish upon her beloved.
She weeps in sorrow over her children.
She mourns the loss of her grandchildren.
Slain! Afflicted with thirst, at the hands of the oppressors.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
8
The fire of regret rages within us,
The sea of sorrows storms in our hearts,
And we are shaken to our core.
By the calamity that has befallen the most forbearant Imam Husain SA.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
9
We weep, while recalling each manzil (stop in his journey).
In which he planned for the salvation of the munzal (the fallen).
For he is the meaning of al-Kitab al-Munzal (the Quran, the Revelation).
The eyes of those who recall his journey and relive these steps are at peace.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
10
Great is my sorrow for Imam Husain’s SA radiant and honourable companions,
And for his eminent, venerated family,
And for the exalted ladies of his house; high in regard.
With the light of Imam Husain’s SA radiance, they all shone like the sun.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
11
The depraved foes ripped all decency to shreds.
They denied water, which is free to all,
To him, his companions and his Ahl al-Bayt AS.
How despicable are such people; their scheming is futile and their repute is but disgrace.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
12
The enemy rained piercing arrows down upon Imam Husain SA.
Arrow after arrow, one tearing into the other,
Until his hallowed body resembled a hedgehog.
A body that is the essence of all who are virtuous.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
13
How great is the horror of that terrifying and heart-rending sight!
When the wretched Shimr struck with his iron boot,
Imam Husain’s SA blessed head, a head which is beyond the reach of the impure.
He (Shimr) is the most vile of the wicked and the faithless.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
14
Aah! My lament upon the throat of Imam Husain! Stricken
By a fragment of the blunt iron blade of a wanton foe.
The locus of Rasul Allah’s affection
Bloodied by the [twelve] hews of the most evil, the most heinous [Shimr].
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
15
I weep upon the one slain upon the scorching sand,
Whom swords and spears have left bathed in blood.
The hooves of horses have crushed his spine.
O woe unto them! How they mock and deride the faith.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
16
Aah! My anguish for his maimed throat!
Aah! My grief for his severed head!
Aah! My sorrow for his body, cast aside!
At the hands of the wicked, degenerate tyrants.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
17
Great is my anguish upon the revered body stripped by the oppressors
Of its garments! The mere thought terrifies those who love Imam Husain SA.
However, the sands of the desert cover his sacred form,
From whence emanates a heavenly fragrance.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
18
Great is my agony! The cursed Shimr barged into Imam Husain’s SA camp.
In his insolence, he clutches the exalted head,
While drops of his blessed blood fall from his throat.
How great is my torment — torment that will persist for all eternity.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
19
Great is my sorrow for the wounds inflicted upon his hallowed head,
By its repeated mounting and dismounting atop the tips of spears.
Swayed by the enemies, the spear moved to and fro the way a drunkard sways in his stupor.
While onlookers were in constant fear that it may fall at any moment.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
20
Brutally, the enemies suspended the blessed head from city gates.
And as the gates opened and shut, the sacred head was cruelly knocked about from side to side.
Despite such savagery, the sacred head shines like the sun.
Aah! My anguish for this sight that horrifies all those who behold it!
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
21
Does the damned enemy jab with a stick?
Mockingly, at the mouth of Imam Husain SA!
The very place Rasul Allah SA repeatedly kissed!
If one were to learn of such atrocities, would they not be robbed of their senses?
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
22
Is it acceptable to extirpate the fruit of Nabi Mohammed SA?
Is it acceptable to terrorize the heart of Maulana Ali SA?
Is it acceptable to lacerate Maulatona Fatema’s SA liver?
Aah, the severity of the wicked enemies’ oppression!
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
23
“Ya Husain!” is the best of all invocations.
It transforms every grief into joy.
It ensures that with the page of our souls pure and radiant,
We reach the presence of the ‘Thousand’3: the essence of all those who mend and heal.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
24
The very Day of Ashura weeps and gives rise to grief and lament in others.
With tears of blood, it perpetually rekindles this sorrow,
And fulfills desires of sacrifice and redemption.
O Lord, make us amongst those who hasten towards this Day.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
25
O my followers, call aloud, “Ya Husain! Ya Husain!”
Adorn yourself with its beauty and free yourself of all flaws
And through it seek your salvation as death draws near.
By inscribing “Ya Husain” upon your souls, treasure it forever.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
26
O Lord, never deprive us of the sustenance of Imam Husain’s SA remembrance.
And reward our gratitude for it, by bestowing us with more.
By your mercy swiftly show us the light of its dawn.
For this remembrance is a refuge for sinners and transgressors.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
27
Extraordinary is the barakat in Imam Husain’s SA qabr mubarak.
In it lies a panacea for those of sincere intent.
It frees us from the fear of death.
O Lord, honour us with its ziyarat.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
28
O king of all martyrs, I will weep upon you always!
O paragon of the virtuous, I will elegise you forever!
All that is mine, and whatever I possess, I will always sacrifice in your cause!
For the honour that is found in your devotion and service surpasses all others.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
29
Your serf, O grandson of Nabi Mohammed al-Mustafa SA,
Seeks your remembrance, so aid him wholly in his quest,
Desires your benevolence, so bless his preparations.
O essence of the manifest and the secluded!
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
30
O descendant of Imam Husain, the tormented!
O our imam, sultan of lofty station!
With a blissful smile upon your radiant countenance, fulfil our deepest wishes.
A countenance whose exuberance is the source of vibrancy for all.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
31
Auspicious will be the time when the bearer of glad-tidings appears,
With the radiant news of your zuhur (reemergence from satr),
From amidst the date palms, at the breaking of a resplendent dawn.
Towards whom we will, with dignity and pride, eagerly proceed.
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
32
Salam upon Imam Husain AS from Allah, the Salam (Bestower of Peace).
And upon his pure progeny, the companions of salam.
They are the ones who will lead us to Dar al-Salam (the Abode of Peace).
His salam, ensures ascendance [for Nadimeen Mustagfireen in every age to the domain of Aashir Mudabbir].
The remembrance of Imam Husain AS is the best of provisions for those who remember.
Notes
- Siyaada is a derivative of the word sayyid, i.e. sovereign, ruler or king. Imam Husain’s SA sajda and duʿaʾ mubarak ensured the continuation of Aimmat Tahireen AS in his progeny, and during their seclusion, the succession of Duʿat Mutlaqeen AS who are referred to as Syedna (sayyiduna, i.e. ‘our sayyid’). ↩
- Qaʾim al-Qiyama AS who will be from Imam Husain’s SA descendants. ↩
- Qaʾim al-Qiyaama AS ↩