Lament for Muslim b. Aqil

Lament for Muslim b. ʿAqīl (Arabic: مصيبة مسلم بن عقيل) is a lamentation related to the Battle of Karbala. It is about the lamentation for Muslim b. 'Aqil and his martyrdom in Kufa. The lament is recited by the Shi'as on the eve, and the day, of 'Arafa as well as the first night of Muharram. In this elegy, it is recited that Muslim was commissioned by Imam al-Husayn (a) to represent him in Kufa and that people of Kufa abandoned him after they had pledged their allegiance to him until he was martyred.

Muslim b. 'Aqil

Main article: Muslim b. 'Aqil

Muslim b. 'Aqil b. Abi Talib was Imam al-Husayn's (a) cousin and one of his companions in his uprising against Yazid b. Mu'awiya. He was martyred about one month before the Day of 'Ashura in Kufa. Before the start of Imam al-Husayn's (a) journey to Kufa, Muslim went to Kufa as the Imam's (a) representative in order to evaluate the situation there and provide a report for the Imam (a) on whether people of Kufa were truthful and insistent in their invitations of the Imam (a). He wrote a report about 27 nights prior to his martyrdom to the Imam (a) and confirmed that people of Kufa were prepared. When 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad was appointed as the ruler of Kufa, people of Kufa who were afraid of Ibn Ziyad suddenly left Muslim alone, and he was finally martyred on the Day of 'Arafa (60/680).

Details of the Elegy

In the elegy of Muslim, the rawdakhwan points to the story of Muslim being sent to Kufa by Imam al-Husayn (a) and the allegiance pledged by the people of Kufa to him as the representative of the Imam (a). The rawdakhwan moanfully recites the story of Muslim's loneliness and his wandering in the alleys of Kufa, and that he finally ended up in the house of a lady called "Taw'a". In these meetings, Muslim is usually mentioned as the first martyr of the Battle of Karbala. Thus, the first night of Muharram is devoted to his elegy, although the elegy is also recited on the eve, and the day, of 'Arafa which is the anniversary of his martyrdom.