Habib b. Muzahir: Difference between revisions

'''Habib b. Muzahir al-Asadi''' (Arabic: حبیب بن مُظاهر الاسدی) was one of [[Imam Ali]]'s (a) special companions. He was from [[Banu Asad]] tribe, and lived in [[Kufa]]. He was one of the people of Kufa who sent letters to [[Imam Husayn]] (a) and invited him to Kufa, after Mu'awiya's death. However, when he saw that people of Kufa have broken their allegiance to Imam Husayn (a), he left Kufa, joind Imam, and was martyred at the age of 75 while fighting in Imam Husayn's army.

It is not clear whether Habib was one of the Prophet's companions or [[Tabi'in]] (who saw [[the Companions]] but not the Prophet (s)). Some, like [[Ibn Kalbi]] and [[Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani]] state that he had been in the presence of [[the Prophet]] (a).

[[Shaykh al-Tusi]] has listed him among the companions of [[Imam Ali]] (a), [[Imam Hasan]] (a) and [[Imam Husayn]] (a), but he does not mention his name among the companions of the Prophet (s). This implies that Habib was not a companion of the Prophet (s). Also, the writers of [[al-Isti'ab]] and [[Usd al-ghabah]] did not count him as a companion of the Prophet (s).

Habib went to Kufa with Imam Ali (a) and fought alongside him in all of his combats. He was considered one of Imam's special companions and bearer of his knowledge. [[Imam Ali]] (a) bestowed upon him 'Ilm al-Balaya wa al-Manaya (the knowledge of calamities and [time of] deaths). His conversation with Miytham al-Tammar, years before 'Ashura', about how they will be martyred is one instant of this knowledge that they were bestowed by Imam Ali (a).

After the death of [[Mu'awiya]] (60/680),  Habib and some of the heads of Shi'a communities in Kufa, like [[Sulayman b. Surad]], [[Musayyib  b. Najaba]] and [[Rufa'at b. Shaddad al-Bajali]], refused to swear [[allegiance]] to [[Yazid]], and send letters to [[Imam Husayn]] (a) inviting him to lead [[Kufa]] in her uprising against [[Umayyad Dynasty]] (see: [[The Letters from the People of Kufa to Imam Husayn]] #first letter).

When Muslim b. 'Aqil came to Kufa as the Imam's representative, they rushed to support him. People of Kufa secretly pledged allegiance to Habib and [[Muslim b. 'Awsaja]] as the representative of [[Muslim b. 'Aqil]]. They did all they could in this regard.

When [[Ibn Ziyad]] came to Kufa, he threatened people and launched crackdown against allegiance to Muslim; so people abandoned their allegiance to Muslim and lift him alone. The tribe of Bani Asad hid Habib and Muslim b. 'Awsaja to protect them against Ibn Ziyad's agents. Habib and Muslim b. 'Awsaja left Kufa to join Imam Husayn (a). They hid themselves from Ibn Ziyad's spies and agents, so they moved at nights and hid during days. Eventually, they joined Imam Husyan's camp in [[Karbala]] on [[Muharram]] 7th 61(October 7th 680).

Main entry: [[The Incident of Ashura]]

Upon reaching [[Karbala]], Habib repeats his expression of loyalty to Imam (a). As soon as he observed the great number of Imam's enemies and small number of his companions, Habib asked [[Imam Huasyn]] (a) to go to a nearby tribe of [[Bani Asad]] and to ask them to join Imam (a). With the permission of Imam, Habib hurried to the tribe and started preaching them and encouraging them to join the Imam. However, [['Umar b. Sa'd]] stopped the tribe from joining Imam (a) by sending an army to them.

====The evening of Tasu'a'====

The day before [['Ashura']], Habib preached to the person who brought a letter from [['Umar b. Sa'd]] for [[Imam Huasyn]] (a) and asked the messenger not to go back to the tyrants. In the evening of [[Tasu'a']], Habib spoke to enemy's army, which was about to attack the camp of Imam Husayn (a), and warned them about starting a war by talking about the merits of the Imam (a) and his companions.

====The eve of 'Ashura'====

In the eve of 'Ashura, Hilal b. Nafi' informed Habib of the concerns of [[Zaynab]], the daughter of [[Imam Ali]] (a), about the loyalty of the companions of Imam. Hilal and Habib gathered the companions of [[Imam Husayn]] (a) and together went to Imam Husayn (a) and informed him that they will support the family of the Prophet (s) to the last drop of their blood.

====The day of 'Ashura====

In the morning of 'Ashura', [[Imam Husayn]] (a) appointed Habib b. Muzahir as the commander of the left wing. He put [[Zuhayr b. Qin]] on the right wing and [[Aba al-Fadhl]] on the center of the army.

In his speech to the enemy's army, Imam Husayn (a) mentioned his lineage, ancestry, merits and the narration of the Prophet (s) saying "These two (Hasan and Husayn (a)) are the masters of paradise's youth." He even said that there are people among you who have heard the narration from the Prophet (s) himself. Just then, [[Shimr]] cut Imam's speech and said, "May all of my worship for God be in doubt and uncertainty if I knew what you are talking about."

While [[Muslim b. 'Ausajah]] covered in his own blood was breathing his last breaths, [[Imam Husayn]] (a) and Habib came to him and Imam prayed to God to bless his soul. Then Imam read the verse of Qur'an which says, "Among the faithful are men who fulfill what they have pledged to Allah. Of them are some who have fulfilled their pledge, and of them are some who still wait,
and they have not changed in the least." Then Habib told him, "Your death is very hard for me, but I give you the good news of Paradise." Muslim in return said with a weak voice, "May God give you good news." Habib said, "If my martyrdom were not close, I would have liked you to tell me your will [so that I executed for you] and by that I have fulfilled my tribal and religious duty toward you." Muslim pointed to Imam Husayn (a) and told Habib, "My will is to stay with Imam Husayn (a). May God bless you, keep defending him as long as you are alive, and do not stop supporting him until you are killed." Habib said, "I will execute your will and I will make you happy."

[[Imam Husayn]] (a) came to Habib when he was breathing his last. He told Habib, "I expect from God [the reward of] myself and my supportive companions." According to some [[Maqtal]]s, Imam (a) said, "O Habib! You were a virtuous person who recited the whole Qur'an in one night."

Habib's name is mentioned in the [[scripture of ziyara]] of [[Imam Husayn]] (a) in [[the middle of Sha'ban]] and other scriptures of ziyara of Imam Husayn (a).