Maqtal al-Husayn (by al-Khwarizmi): Difference between revisions

'''Maqtal al-Ḥusayn ‘alayh al-salām''' (Arabic: مَقتَلُ الحُسَین علیه‌السّلام), known as '''Maqtal al-Khwarazmi''' (Arabic: مقتل الخوارزمی) is a book written by [[Muwaffaq b. Ahmad al-Khwarazmi]] (d. 568 AH/ 1172), a Sunni scholar. Although the book is called “maqtal” (which refers to books concerned with how [[Imam Husayn (a)]] was killed), a considerable part of it as well as its epilogue are concerned with [[Imam Husayn (a)’s Uprising]] and the [[Event of Karbala]]. The book is [[hadith]]-centered and chains of narrations of hadiths are also mentioned. Although the author is a Sunni scholar, his accounts are considered by many Shiite scholars.

The book is based on citing hadiths. He also mentions chains of narrations of these hadiths. Some hadiths are short and some are long. The major part of his account of Imam Husayn (a)’s travel to [[Karbala]] is cited from [[Ibn A'tham]], but the events of the day of [[Ashura]] are cited from [[Abu Mikhnaf]] and other historians.

Khwarazmi’s citations from ibn A’tham are not accurate. He does not quote ibn A’tham’s exact words. He changed the words, although the meaning is preserved.

Although the book is called a “maqtal”, the bulk of it is concerned with other issues. The first third of the book is an elaboration of [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]]’s virtues, the second third is about the Event of Karbala, and the last third is about [[al-Mukhtar’s Uprising]]. The book consists of 15 chapters as follows:

* The virtues of [[Fatima bt. Asad]], [[Imam 'Ali (a)]]’s mother

* [[Hadiths]] from the Prophet (s) concerning Imam Husayn (a)’s [[martyrdom]]

* [[Mu'awiya b. Abi Sufyan]]’s death and the rejection of pledging allegiance to him by the Imam (a)

* Imam Husayn (a)’s leaving Mecca until his martyrdom

* The fate of Imam Husayn (a)’s killers

* Al-Mukhtar’s Uprising

Maqtal al-Khwarazmi was published three times with the preface of Shaykh Muhammad Samawi: the first was in [[Najaf]] in 1367 AH (1947) in Matba’a al-Zahra, the second was by Maktabat al-Mufid in 1399 AH (1978), and the last was by Dar Anwar al-Huda in 1418 AH (1997).