O my Shiites! Whenever you drink refreshing water, remember me

The Artful Script writing of "Whenever you drink refreshing water, remember me."

"O my followers (Shiites)! Whenever you drink refreshing water, remember me" (Arabic: شيعتي ما إن شربتم ماء عذب فاذكروني) is an excerpt from a famous poem attributed to Imam al-Husayn (a), reminding believers of his martyrdom while thirsty during the event of Karbala. The opening verse advises the Shiites to remember him whenever they drink refreshing water. Some Shia scholars, based on this poem and several hadiths from the Infallibles, consider remembering Imam al-Husayn (a) while drinking water obligatory, while others view it as recommended.

O my followers (Shiites)! Whenever you drink refreshing water, remember me, and whenever you hear of the estrangement of a stranger or the martyrdom of a martyr, weep for me.

According to al-Fadil al-Darbandi in his book Asrar al-shahada, this poem was composed by Imam al-Husayn (a). Some sources, however, associate the composition of this poem with the aftermath of Imam al-Husayn's martyrdom, suggesting it was recited upon seeing his body by his daughter Sukayna (a). Al-Kaf'ami, a ninth/fifteen century Shia scholar, narrates from Sukayna (a): "... After the martyrdom of the Imam, when I embraced his body, I fell into a state of unconsciousness. In that state, I heard my father reciting these verses." Nonetheless, scholars such as al-Shaykh 'Abbas al-Qummi in Nafas al-mahmum and Muntaha al-amal, as well as Muqarram in Maqtal al-Husayn (a), include the poem in their works but do not provide any historical source or chain of transmission for it. Sayyid Muhammad Sadr (d. 1377/1958), citing the content of the verses that describe the manner of Imam al-Husayn's martyrdom and subsequent events, argued that the poem was certainly not composed by Imam al-Husayn (a). He and others have suggested that the poem reflects an emotional portrayal of Imam al-Husayn's state rather than his own words.

This poem, particularly its opening verse, has been inscribed in various places, such as the doors of waterhouses, water reservoirs, and water carriers' flasks, to evoke the event of Ashura and the thirst of Imam al-Husayn (a) on that day. Some Shia eulogists, such as Basim Karbalai and Mahmud Karimi, have recited these verses in elegies and lamentations for the Ahl al-Bayt (a).

In some books, this poem appears in variations such as "Shi'ati mahma sharibtum 'adhba ma'" or "Shi'ati ma in sharibtum rayya 'adhbin..." (O my Shiites, whenever you drink cool, refreshing water). Similarly, the second verse is sometimes recorded as "Aw sami'tum bishahid aw qatil" (Or if you hear of a martyr or one slain) or "Aw sami'tum biqatilin aw jarihin" (Or if you hear of one slain or wounded), all of which convey similar meanings. Other reports mention additional lines for this poem, extending it to five verses. Al-Shaykh 'Abbas al-Qummi holds that the additional lines are later additions by poets and that attributing them to Imam al-Husayn (a) is problematic. The additional verses are as follows:

I am the grandson of the Messenger of God; they killed me without guilt and then deliberately crushed my body with horses. O how I wish you had all been present on the day of Ashura to witness how I pleaded for water for my little child, but they refused to show mercy. Instead of refreshing water, they gave my child the arrow of oppression. What a great and painful calamity that shook the foundation of the high mountain of Hajun (in Mecca). Woe to those who wounded the heart of the Messenger of both humans and jinn! Therefore, my Shiites (followers), curse them whenever you can and at all times.