Captives of Karbala Leaving Kufah to Sham - Today in Muharram Day 19

On this day, the 19th of Muharam Al-haram, the remaining members of Ahl ul-Bayt 'alayhum as-salam, who were kept as captives, left Kufa and were taken towards Ash-Sham. They were of course still grieving and mourning the tragedy of Karbala' and were treated in the worst of ways by the Bani Umayyah tyrants.

The cursed 'UbaydAllah ibn Ziyad had kept them in prison in Kufa and sent a letter to Yazid asking what he should do with the severed heads of the Shuhada [martyrs] and the captives. Yazid replied, ordering the heads and the captives be sent to him in Sham. Of course, Ibn Ziyad happily complied out of fear that the people were going to revolt against him in Iraq.

Sham at that time was the stronghold of Bani Umayyah and they had established themselves very, very well there. As far as the women, only the Hashimiyyat [Hashimite] were kept as captives and taken to Sham because the women of the Ansar of Imam Husayn 'alayhi as-salam were interceded by their clans and saved from imprisonment.

It is said that the Sabaya [prisoners] of Karbala arrived in al-Sham on the first of Safar and many events occurred then, especially the encountering with Yazid in his palace.

'Ayyuha an-nas! U'tina sittan, wa futilna bi sab'ah, U'tina al-'ilma, wa al-hilma, wa al-sama'ahata, wa al-fasahata, wa al-shuja'ah, wa al-mahabbata fi qulub al-mu'minin, wa futilna bi anna minna an-Nabiyy al-Mukhtar, wa minna al-Siddiq, wa minna al-Tayyar, wa minna Asadu Allah wa asadu Rasulihi, wa minna sibtaha bihi al-ummah. Man 'arafani, fa qad 'arafani, wa man lam ya'rifni, anba'tuhu bi hasabi wa nasabi. Ayyuha an-nas! Ana ibnu Makkata wa Mina, ana ibnu Zamzama wa Safa, ana ibnu man hamala al-Rukna bi atrafi al-rida, ana ibnu khayri man i'tazara wa rtada, ana ibnu khayri man inta'ala wa khtafa', ana ibnu Khayri man tafa wa Sa'a, ana ibnu Khayri man Hajja wa labbah."

[Imam Sajjad said: O People! we have been granted six things and we have merit over everyone in seven things. We have been given knowledge, forbearance, generosity, eloquence, bravery and love in the hearts of the believers. We have merit over everyone that the Chosen Prophet is from us, and the truthful Imam Ali is from us, and so is Ja'far al-Tayyar, from us is the Lion of God and the Lion of Rasul Allah [Hamzah] and from us are the grandsons of of this Ummah [Hasan& Husayn] and whoever recognises me, knows me. Whoever does not know me, let me tell you who I am and to what family I belong to. O People! I am the son of Makkah and Mina, I Am the son of Zamzam and Safa, I am the son of the one who carried the black stone in the ends of the mantle, I am the son of the best man who ever put on a loincloth and clothes; I am the son of the best man who ever put on sandals and wa al-ked barefooted, I am the son of the best man who did Tawaf (the procession round the Kaba) and Sa‘i (ceremony of running seven times between Safa and Marwa); I am the son of the best man who ever offered the hajj and pronounced talbiya (Here I am at your service)]. [Part of the Sermon of Imam Sajjad in the court of Yazeed and the People of Damascus]

One of the things we know are the different places where the blessed heads were put, and they are of course referred to as 'Mash-hadu Ru'us ash-Shuhada' or even 'Mash-had Ra'su Al-Husayn 'alayhi as-salam'. They did not stay very long in ash-Sham and it said on the 8th of Safar they headed back towards Karbala', arriving for the 'Arbaeen [fourtieth] of Imam Husayn 'alayhi as-salam. Wa al-hamdu li-Llahi Rabb al-'Alamin.