The Beauties of Ashura: The Most Beautiful Repent (Zuhayr ibn Ghin)
Another beautiful story is Zuhayr ibn Ghin’s story of repent.
Zuhayr ibn Ghin
Imam Hussein and his people got to Zaroud on Monday, the 21st of Dhu Al-Hijjah. Close to them, Zuhayr ibn Ghin, one of the followers of Osman, was returning back from pilgrimage to Mecca.
Zuhayr was eating at Zaroud when a messenger from Imam Hussein (A.S) went to him.
“Are you Zuhayr ibn Ghin?!” said he. “Hussein has sent me after you. He wants to see you.”
Everyone was silent. Deilam, Zuhayr’s wife, said, “Goodness! The son of prophet has sent after you, and you hesitate?! Why don’t you go and listen to him?”
Zuhayr left and came back after a short while, his face delighted. He commanded his men to move the tent next to Imam Hussein’s.
Then he told his wife, “I divorce you, because I don’t want you to be there in my bad days. I have decided to join Imam Hussein and to sacrifice my life for him.”
Then he got his cousins to take her home. Zuhayr’s wife stood up, started crying and said goodbye to him, “God bless you. I hope your journey ends well. Remind Hussein’s grandfather of my sacrifice on the Doomsday.”
Zuhayr said goodbye to his wife and told his companions, “Any of you who wants, can go with me. Otherwise, we won’t see each other again.”
There are some points that make Zuhayr’s repent even more beautiful.
The first one is that he used to be a follower of Osman. But he became a devoted follower of Imam Hussein (AS).
The second one is that he let go of his property, his wife, and his accompanies, especially when he had just come back from Hajj and he was very eager to meet his relatives and acquaintances.
The third point is what he told Imam Hussein on the night before Ashura. When Imam Hussein turned the lights off and said that anyone who wanted could leave, Zuhayr said,
“I swear, I would love to get killed, to become alive, and to get killed again. I want this to happen a thousand times if this will save you from getting killed.”
The forth point is that on the day of Ashura, he delivered a great speech in support of Imam Hussein.
He went to the army of the enemy and said, “You, people of Kufa! Be afraid of the revenge of God. Every Muslim should invite his Muslim brother to goodness. We are brothers and we have the same religion. We won’t be one anymore if a war starts. God is testing us. Join Imam Hussein and leave Yazid and Obeid-Allah bin Ziad, as they do nothing but to kill the followers of Qur’an.”
The warriors in Omar bin Sad army mocked him and said that they would not leave unless they kill or arrest Imam Hussein and his accompanies.
Zuhayr tried hard to change their minds, but he could not. Finally, Imam Hussein send someone after Zuhayr and told him that he had already done what he had to do, just as Momen Al Feron did with his people.
The fifth point is Zuhayr’s comforting Imam Hussein at points, like when he would lose great men of his acquaintances.
He fought with Imam Hussein all along and after his death, Imam Hussein said, “Zahir! May God bless your soul and doom your murderers!”
By: Hojjatuleslam Seyed Javad Hosseini
Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi
Other links:
The Beauties of Ashura: The Most Beautiful Choice
Muslim bin Aqeel in the House of Taw’ah Arresting of Muslim bin Aqeel
Martyrdom of Muslim bin Aqeel (A.S)
Umar bin Saad in Krabal
