“Muqtal-e-Lahoof” is an important book of the 6th century Hijri

The book “Maqtal al-Luhoof” is a compilation of the sixth-century Hijri Shia scholar Syed ibn Tawoos. Written in Arabic, this book is considered one of the fundamentals of Maqtal. That is, it is known as an authentic source for scholars and pulpit scholars. I have two different Urdu versions of this book. One copy is published by Islamic Book Center Islamabad Pakistan and translated by Maulana Mazhar Hussain Hussaini Sahib, while the other copy is published by Abbas Book Agency Lucknow India and translated by Maulana Mazhar Hussain Hussaini. I saw a few mistakes in the first mentioned copy. While the latter version seemed much better. Both of these copies are available with me in PDF format and are available for those interested in reading.

Since I have made it a habit to benefit as much as possible from the digital library and I also keep drawing the attention of the people in my circle to it. My intention with this process is that the readers should be able to benefit from more knowledge at a lower cost. They do not have to spend a lot of money to buy printed books. Then we are living in a world where it has become a common thing for new technologies to emerge every moment. The person who is used to modern technology and the person who is busy doing traditional things, the learning speed of both will be seen to be completely different. One will move forward at a speed like a rabbit, while the other will be used to the pace of a tortoise. There is no doubt that the person who is used to fast pace will be considered successful and superior.

Just as all aspects of life are within the grip of technology, similarly all sources of knowledge are also not free from technology. It is necessary that we also benefit from modern technology and struggle to acquire a lot of knowledge in the presence of less time and limited resources. I believe that a lot of reading is the best way to refine the human personality.

Since the beginning of this Ramadan, I had made a promise to myself to collect the basic books related to Maqtal and to understand the determination of the Sultan of Karbala, Imam Hussain Ali al-Salam, and the tragedy of Karbala from a different perspective besides the popular events. This act of mine is in no way a negation of the events prevalent among the people, but rather a pointer to some hidden aspects. This writing or commentary is not written for the purpose of research, but rather to highlight the usefulness and importance of the book under discussion and to make a humble effort to understand the determination of Aba Abdillah Imam Hussain (A.S).

Syed ibn Tawoos wrote Maqtal al-Luhoof about five and a half centuries after the tragedy of Karbala. This book is short but comprehensive. The author has chosen to be concise rather than going into too much detail. The book begins with the birth of Imam Hussain al-Salam, the leader of the martyrs. Sayyid ibn Tawoos has chosen the 4th of Shaban al-Muazzam as the date of birth instead of the well-known date of the 3rd of Shaban. However, he also mentions the 3rd of Shaban and the month of Rabi' al-Awwal as possible dates of birth. He also describes the illuminated gatherings that were held to celebrate the birth of Imam Hussain al-Salam. Sayyid has divided the descent of the angels from the sky and their presence in the holy service of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) into three categories.

First: Immediately after the birth of Hazrat Imam Hussain, a thousand angels came to the presence of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) and congratulated him on the birth of the newborn.

Second: When Imam Hussain  was one year old, 12 angels came to the court of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and gave the news of the martyrdom of the Sultan of Karbala.

Third: There was a time when all the close angels of the heavens came to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and gave the news of the martyrdom of Aba Abdillah Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and also offered condolences.

It is well-known that Aba Abdillah Imam Hussain left Medina for Mecca in the last days of the month of Rajab. However, Syed ibn Tawoos has given the date of his departure as 3 Shaban 60 AH. Syed has pointed out that Imam Hussain stayed in Mecca for four months; Shaban, Ramadan, Shawwal and Dhul-Qadah.

Syed ibn Tawoos has also mentioned the number of letters written by the people of Kufa. In the first phase, about one and a half hundred letters are mentioned, in the second phase about six hundred, and in the last phase twelve thousand letters are mentioned. It is well known that 18,000 letters were written to Imam Hussain (AS) by the people of Kufa

Syed Ibn Tawoos has identified two different dates for the departure of Imam Hussain (AS) for Karbala. One is on the third of Dhul-Hijjah and the other is on the eighth of Dhul-Hijjah 60 AH. There is also a mention of the places where Imam Hussain (AS) stayed during his journey to Karbala. The names of those places are as follows:

(1) Manzil-e-Tan'eem

(Where a delegation from the Yemeni tribe of Bani Yasar was staying. This delegation was going to Yazid with gifts. When the delegation met Imam Hussain (AS), they placed all the gifts at the service of the Imam. Some of the delegation members accompanied Imam Hussain (AS), while others returned to Yemen.)

(2) The Destination of Dhāt al-ʿIraq

(At this place, the Imam met a man named Bashir ibn Ghālib, who was coming from Kufa. This person said: “The hearts of the people of Kufa are with you, and their swords will help the Umayyads.” While Syed ibn Tāwoos has attributed this saying to Abū Muḥammad al-Wāqidī and Zurarah ibn Khalīj at another place with a slight change of words, it is famous that this saying was said by the poet Farazdaq.)

(3)      Maqam-e-Tha'labiyah

(This is the place where Imam Hussain (AS) saw a dream and the voice of a divine caller was heard in the dream: "You are going very fast and death is taking you to Paradise quickly.")

(4) Maqam-e-Zabala

(At this place, the Imam received the news of the martyrdom of Hazrat Muslim bin Aqil)

Syed Ibn Tawoos has given the date of Imam Hussain's (AS) arrival in Karbala as the 2nd of Muharram al-Haram, while he has written that the water was stopped on the 6th of Muharram al-Haram. The number of the Yazidi army is given as 30,000, while the number of people in the Husaini army is given as 45 horsemen and 100 foot soldiers. The famous number is 72. The departure of Hazrat Abbas Alamdar (AS) towards the Euphrates River has been described very briefly, however one thing that has been added is that Imam Hussain (AS) also went to Alqamah along with Alamdar Abbas (AS). This book of Syed Ibn Tawoos is very useful and unanswerable for the people of the pulpit. It is especially a foundation for those who are looking for research.

Dr. Riaz Razee | Dated: March 31, 2024 | Skardu