Al-Ghadiriyya

Al-Ghāḍirīyya (Arabic: الغاضریة) is another name for Karbala. It was originally a village in areas around Kufa and near Karbala where people from the Banu Asad tribe resided. When Imam al-Husayn (a) arrived in Karbala, he asked Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi to allow him to stay in al-Ghadiriyya, but 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad ordered that Imam al-Husayn's (a) caravan should stay in an area without any water, and so they could not stay in al-Ghadiriyya.

Location

Al-Ghadiriyya is a village attributed to Banu Ghadira, a clan of the Banu Asad tribe, who moved to Iraq and stayed there in the early years of Islam. This area is located 1 kilometer from Karbala. It is also called "al-Aradi l-Husayniyya" (Arabic: الأراضی الحسینیة). Like many other names of Karbala, al-Ghadiriyya is the name of an area adjacent to Karbala.

Events

When Imam al-Husayn (a) arrived in Karbala, he asked what the area was called. Some names were mentioned in response, including al-Ghadiriyya.

According to other historical reports, when Imam al-Husayn (a) arrived in Nineveh, an envoy from 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad brought a letter to Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi. According to this letter, Husayn b. Ali (a) had to stay in an area without any water. Hurr informed Imam al-Husayn (a) of the content of the letter and said: "'Ubayd Allah ordered his envoy to monitor the execution of his order." Imam al-Husayn (a) said: "Please let us arrive in the al-Ghadiriyya village." But Hurr replied: "Ibn Ziyad has ordered that you stay in an area without water, and there is no way to disobey him".

Purchase of the Surrounding Areas

According to some accounts, Imam al-Husayn (a) purchased the areas in which his grave is located from people of Nineveh and al-Ghadiriyya in the amount of 60,000 dirhams and gave it to residents of the area as a charity on the condition that they guide people to where he will be buried and host the visitors of his grave for three days.

Burial of the Martyrs of Karbala by People of al-Ghadiriyya

People of al-Ghadiriyya, who were from the Banu Asad tribe, went there one or three days after the Event of Ashura and the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn (a) and the exit of 'Umar b. Sa'd's army from Karbala and buried Imam al-Husayn's (a) corpse where his grave is located today. They also buried the corpses of his household and companions near his grave and buried 'Abbas b. Ali (a) where he was martyred.

A Hadith from Imam al-Baqir (a) regarding al-Ghadiriyya

According to a hadith from Imam al-Baqir (a):

"Al-Ghadiriyya is the monument at which God talked with Moses (a) and Noah (a). It is the most honored land by God. Otherwise, God would not let His saints and the children of His Prophet (s) be buried there. So visit our graves in al-Ghadiriyya."