Al-Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi: Difference between revisions

'''Al-Ḥurr b. Yazīd b. al-Nājīya al-Tamīmī al-Yarbūʿī al-Rīyāḥī''' (Arabic: {{iarabic|حر بن یزید بن الناجیة التمیمي الیربوعي الریاحي}}) was one of the elite of [[Kufa]], who became a companion of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and was martyred in [[Karbala]]. He was a nobleman and a good warrior. At first, he was the commander of a part of [['Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]]'s army in Karbala, then he regretted his action, changed side and joined the camp of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]], thus gained special reverence in Shi'a tradition. He is regarded as the symbol of hope in [[repentance]] and its acceptance that leads to eternal salvation.

This assumption is more substantiated by considering the fact that al-Hurr had no pronounced political affiliation. None of the historical sources have reported his faith or political stance during the tense situations of the year [[60]]/680 in [[Kufa]]; only al-Bal'ami, in a doubtful report, regards him as one of Shi'a who had hidden their faith.

Having noticed the departure of [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] toward [[Kufa]], [[Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]] summoned al-Hurr who was the head of his tribe in Kufa, appointed him as the commander for an army of nearly a thousand soldiers, and dispatched them to stop Imam al-Husayn (a).

It has been narrated from al-Hurr that: "upon my departure from the palace of Ibn Ziyad to confront al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a), I heard a call from behind, repeating for three times: "O' al-Hurr! Glad tidings for paradise be for you." Al-Hurr continues: "I looked back but couldn't see anyone, and thought: By God, this is not a glad tiding; how can it be glad tidings while I am on my way to a war with [[al-Husayn b. 'Ali (a)]]?" Al-Hurr kept this incident in mind and when he joined the camp of Imam al-Husayn (a), told this story to the Imam, Imam al-Husayn (a) said: "you have been directed to goodness and reward."<ref>Qummī, ''Nafs al-mahmūm'', p. 231.</ref>

"When we departed from the region Sharaf, in the middle of the day, we noticed the scout of an army from far away, the Imam asked his companions: is there a safe haven nearby so that we can get stationed in it, and confront this army from one direction? They replied: yes, to the left, there's a campsite called Dhu Husam. Taking the left direction of the road, the Imam moved toward Dhu Husam; likewise, the opposite army hurried toward that position. However, Imam al-Husayn's caravan reached that site earlier and Imam ordered his companions to camp there. Al-Hurr arrived there along with his soldiers at noon and they were thirsty. Although they lined up in battle position, the Imam's reaction was not confrontational. He ordered his companions to give water to the army of al-Hurr, both soldiers and their horses. Then al-Hurr requested to pray the noon prayer, along with his soldiers, behind the Imam; Imam al-Husayn (a) accepted and they prayed their noon prayer with the caravan of Imam al-Husayn (a), the Imam being the leader of prayer. Al-Hurr told the Imam about his mission. Imam al-Husayn (a) emphasized on the fact that the people of Kufa have invited him to Kufa by sending frequent letters and requested him to take over the affairs; however, the Imam explicitly stated that if the Kufans regret their decision, he would return.

Al-Hurr said he had been unaware of such correspondence, neither he nor his soldiers sent no letters and that he has the mission to take the Imam to Ibn Ziyad in Kufa.

When the Imam decided to continue his travel, al-Hurr stopped him from either heading toward Kufa or going back to [[Hijaz]], al-Hurr suggested Imam take a third route, neither to Kufa nor to Hijaz, so that he can ask Ibn Ziyad for further instructions. Al-Hurr told the Imam: "I have not been ordered to battle against you, but I am ordered not to let you go and take you to Kufa; yet if you refuse, take a third route rather than Kufa and Hijaz, so that I write a letter to Ibn Ziyad. If you wish, you can also write to Yazid; that might help the situation end in peace. To me, this seems better than getting involved in a battle against you."

Then al-Hurr distanced from 'Umar b. Sa'd and went to a corner of the army and little by little, got close to the other side. Muhajir b. Aws –a member of Umar's army- asked al-Hurr: "do you want to attack?" Al-Hurr did not reply and was shaking. Muhajir became suspicious and said: "by God, I have never seen you in any war like this, if I was asked who the bravest man of Kufa was, certainly I wouldn't miss your name. Now, what is this state I see you in?". Al-Hurr said: "truly I see myself between paradise and hellfire; and by God, if I get torn apart and burned, I will not choose anything but paradise." Upon saying this, al-Hurr directed his horse toward the campsite of Imam al-Husayn (a).

It is reported that he went to the Imam showing his regret. He asked for forgiveness and said that he had never imagined the situation would end up in actual war. Imam al-Husayn (a) requested God's forgiveness for him and said: "You are hurr (a freeman) in this world and in the hereafter."<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 2, p. 475-476, 479;  Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 100-101.</ref> In another report, al-Hurr, while carrying his war shield upside-down, entered the campsite of Imam al-Husayn (a), he went to the Imam and said: "May I be your sacrifice O son of Allah's Apostle, I am the one who prevented you to go back (to your hometown) and I kept being with you so that you had to camp in this land, I had never imagined they would turn down your suggestions and get you caught in such a fate, by God if I'd known the situation would end up here, I would have never gotten involved in it. Now I repent to God from what I have done, would my repentance be accepted?"

There was not a long time between al-Hurr's repentance and his martyrdom. According to one report, al-Hurr requested Imam to give him permission to be the first warrior and martyr, as he'd been the first to stand against him.<ref>Khwārizmī, ''Maqtal al-Ḥusayn'', vol. 2, p. 13.</ref>

However, some other reports indicate that shortly before the noon and after the martyrdom of [[Habib b. Muzahir]], al-Hurr together with [[Zuhayr b. Qayn]] went to the battlefield and attacked the enemy. They supported each other in the fight and whenever one of them was surrounded by the enemy, the other would help him out. They were continuously fighting until al-Hurr was martyred and Zuhayr came back. Other companions brought the body of al-Hurr, Imam al-Husayn (a) sat beside his body, wiped off the blood on his face and said: "you are [truly] hurr (a freeman), like the way your mother has named you, you are a freeman both in this world and in the hereafter."

According to some sources, al-Hurr's children, his brother, and his slave joined Imam al-Husayn's camp along al-Hurr and were martyred in the [[Battle of 'Ashura]].<ref>Khwārizmī, ''Maqtal al-Ḥusayn'', vol. 2, p. 13.</ref> However, these reports are not reliable since none of the early sources have mentioned them.

Presently, the tomb of al-Hurr is located far from Imam al-Husayn's shrine, around 7 kilometers to the west.

In one account, it is reported that after he conquered Iraq and went to [[Karbala]], the king became suspicious about the story of al-Hurr and his tomb. To investigate its truth, he ordered to exhume al-Hurr's grave. Upon the exhumation, they saw a body wearing bloody clothes and the wounds were still fresh. There was a sword-made wound on his head and a piece of cloth was fastened over it. Since it had been reported in historical sources that this cloth belonged to Imam al-Husayn (a) and he had fastened it over al-Hurr's head, the king ordered to open it and replace it with another piece of cloth. However, when they opened it, the wound started bleeding, they fastened it with another piece of cloth but the flow of blood did not stop. Inevitably, they fastened the same piece of cloth that belonged to Imam al-Husayn (a) and the blood stopped. The king only took a little part of that cloth... and ordered to build a more respectful shrine over the tomb of al-Hurr.

During the Qajar period, the Mother of Aqa Khan Mahallati financed the repair of al-Hurr's tomb and built a castle-like courtyard around it, so that visitors can seek refuge in it against bandits. In [[1325]]/1907-8, Husayn Khan Shuja' al-Saltana repaired the tomb of al-Hurr, and in [[1330]]/1912, Sayyid 'Abd al-Husayn Kiliddar, repaired the balcony of the building.

Today, this shrine is located several kilometers far from Imam al-Husayn's Holy Shrine to the west, with a dome upon it, however, there are doubts regarding the authenticity of this place. Some believe al-Hurr had been buried along with other martyrs, near the holy tomb of Imam al-Husayn (a), but Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin believes the reputation and public respect for this shrine are not baseless.