Hudayn b. al-Mundhir al-Raqashi: Difference between revisions

'''Ḥuḍayn b. al-Mundhir al-Raqashī''' (Arabic: حُضَین بن المُنْذِر الرَقاشی) was a companion of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], a transmitter of [[hadiths]], a nobleman and a prominent figure of the [[Bakr b. Wa'il]] tribe. He attended the battles of [[Battle of Jamal|Jamal]] and [[Battle of Siffin|Siffin]]. During his reign, Imam 'Ali (a) appointed him as the ruler of Istakhr. In Sunni and Shiite sources, Hudayn is referred to as a reliable transmitter of hadiths.

In some sources, his name is mentioned as “Ḥuṣayn” (Arabic: حُصَین), but the correct form is Ḥuḍayn. He is attributed to one of his grandmothers, Raqasha, the daughter of Dabi'a. His [[kunya]]s were Abu Muhammad, Abu Hafs, and in most sources, Abu Sasan. According to ibn Manjawayh (d. 428/1036), his title was Abu Sasan, and his kunya was Abu Muhammad.

There is no information about the year of his birth. [[Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin]] speculated that he was born in 3/624. There is a slight difference over the year of his death. According to [[al-Bukhari]], he died in 100/718, and according to ibn Manjawayh, he died in 99/717.

There have been doubts about the accuracy of two [[hadiths]] according to which Hudayn was one of the first people who joined Imam 'Ali (a) after the event of [[Saqifa Bani Sa'ida]], because he was of a very young age then.

Al-Barqi has referred to Hudayn as a close companion of Imam 'Ali (a). In the Battle of Jamal, Imam 'Ali (a) appointed Hudayn as the commander of the infantry of the Bakr b. Wa'il tribe.

In the Battle of Siffin, he was probably 34 years old, since the conquest of Samarkand occurred in 93/711 by Qutayba b. Muslim, and Hudayn b. Mundhir was present in a meeting of Qutayba in the same year, where he recited one of his poems to the effect that he was then 90 years old. Thus, Abu Yaqzan Suhaym b. Hafs’s (d. 190/805) remark that Hudayn was 19 years old when he attended the Battle of Siffin is inaccurate.

In the Battle of Siffin, 'Ali’s (a) flag was in Hudayn’s hand and he was appointed as the head of the Bakr b. Wa'il tribe. This appointment is considered to be a valuable plan by Imam 'Ali (a). Hudayn’s courage and resistance in the Battle of Siffin and the harmonious waving of the flag in his hand motivated Imam 'Ali (a) to compose poems which are available in sources. The flag in Hudayn’s hand was red or black. When the conspiracy of putting volumes of the [[Quran]] on spears transpired and there was a dispute among the companions of Imam 'Ali (a) in the Battle of Siffin, Hudayn was one of the first people who defended 'Ali (a) in a short and eloquent speech, calling people for an unconditional obedience of Imam 'Ali (a).

However, it is said that [[Umayyad]] rulers also consulted Hudayn in their affairs and sometimes asked him for help, which is referred to in some of Hudaym’s poems.

==Transmission of Hadiths==

Hudayn transmitted hadiths from Imam 'Ali (a), [['Uthman b. 'Affan]], [[Mujashi' b. Mas'ud]], and [[Abu Musa al-Ash'ari]]. His son, Yahya, [[Hasan al-Basri]], and [['Abd al-'Aziz b. Mu'ammar]] have transmitted hadiths from him. [[Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani]] quoted ibn Sa'd as saying that Hudayn transmitted few hadiths, but this is not accurate, since ibn Sa'd’s remark is concerned with Abu Sa'id al-Qays al-Raqashi, Hudayn’s servant. Abu l-Hasan al-Mada'ini has quoted Hudayn as saying that [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] was poisoned as a conspiracy of [[Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan]].