Quick Answer:
The Late Sayyid ibn Ṭāwūs has written: They brought the family of Imam Husayn (‘a) in to the court of Yazīd while they were tied up with ropes. According to the narration of Muqarram, ropes were placed around the necks of Imam Sajjad (‘a), Zaynab, and the rest of the daughters of the Prophet (saww); they were taken towards Yazīd’s court and whenever any one of them would stop, the guards would beat them until they continued walking again.
Detailed Answer:
The Late Sayyid ibn Ṭāwūs has written: They brought the family of Imam Husayn (‘a) in to the court of Yazīd while they were tied up with ropes.[1] According to the narration of Muqarram, ropes were placed around the necks of Imam Sajjad (‘a), Zaynab, and the rest of the daughters of the Prophet (saww); they were taken towards Yazīd’s court and whenever any one of them would stop, the guards would beat them until they continued walking again.[2]
It has been narrated from Imam ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (‘a) that: We were brought in to Yazīd’s court while we were fastened with chains. When we entered Yazīd’s court, I said to him: Oh Yazīd, if the Prophet (saww) sees us in this condition, what do you think he will say about you?[3] Fatimah, the daughter of Husayn (‘a) also said: Do you take the daughters of the Prophet (saww) as captives and prisoners?
When the people heard these words, they began to cry and the household of Yazīd (who were sitting behind a curtain) also began to cry; this continued until the sound of crying rose up and became apparent (all around the court). Imam Sajjad (‘a) again said to Yazīd: If the Prophet (saww) sees me in fetters and chains, what do you think he will say about you? When Yazīd gauged the situation, he ordered that the chains be unfastened from the Imam (‘a).[4]
It has also been narrated that Yazīd ordered that the heads of the martyrs and that of Imam Husayn (‘a) be brought in and placed in front of him. He then pointed to the head of Imam Husayn (‘a) and he said to the crowd: This man used to pride himself over me and he would say: ‘My father is better than Yazīd’s father, and my mother is better than Yazīd’s mother, and my grandfather is better than his grandfather, and I am also better than him’. It was these words that caused him to be killed!
Now in regards to how he would say his father was better than my father, well you have all seen how his father fought against my father and God decided in favor of my father against his (meaning he gave my father victory). Now in regards to how he would say his mother was better than my mother, I swear by my life that he has spoken the truth and Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet (saww), is better than my mother. In regards to his grandfather being better than my grandfather, this is also true. Whoever believes in God and the Day of Judgement cannot claim that he is better than Muhammad. In regards to the question of if he is better than me, it seems as if he has not read the following verse: (قُلِ اللّهُمَّ مالِكَ الْمُلْكِ...)[5]
There is no doubt that Yazīd had no faith in what he was saying and his goal was only to show himself as a proper, believing Muslim. In any case, Yazīd wished to show his apparent victory over Imam Husayn (‘a) as a sign of the truthfulness of his own position and rule. He wished to portray victory and power as a sign of God’s favor and an indication of righteousness and this was his ultimate aim in this whole matter!
After some other words had passed between the Imam (‘a) and Yazīd, the Imam (‘a) said to him: Oh son of Mu’āwīyah and Hind, prophethood and rule was always with my fathers and grandfathers long before your birth. During the battles of Badr, Uḥud and Aḥzāb, my grandfather ‘Ali (‘a) held the flag of the Prophet of God (saww) in his hands and this was while your father (Mu’āwīyah) and your grandfather (Abū Sufyān) were holding the flags of the disbelievers in their hands. Then the Imam (‘a) recited some lines of poetry asking what the Prophet (saww) would say if he saw how his family was being treated. He then added: Woe upon you oh Yazīd, if you knew what you had done and what crimes you had committed against my father, my brothers, my uncles, and my family, you would certainly flee (out of fear) in to the mountains. There you would sit upon ashes and you would weep and shout from sorrow and ask why you had hung the head of my father Husayn, the son of Fatimah and ‘Ali, upon the gates of the city in spite of the fact that he was the trust of the Prophet of God (saww) amongst you all. Oh Yazīd, I warn you of your abject and wretched position on the Day of Judgement when all the people are gathered together.[6]
Imam Sajjad (‘a) knew that his words would have no effect on Yazīd because his heart had been completely overtaken by darkness and sin, and he had no faith in God or the Day of Judgement. At the same time, there were many individuals present in that gathering who were the real object of the Imam’s (‘a) words; these people still had the potential of being affected when the truth was spoken. In addition, the palace of kings had always been a place where news would spread from to all the corners of the nation; this would allow the words of Imam Sajjad (‘a) to reach all points of the Muslim nation and to inform them as to what had taken place. What took place at Karbala became a means which allowed the people to see the true reality of the Umayyad caliphate; this was a caliphate that was willing to kill the most noble of its people who hailed from the family of the Prophet of Islam (saww) itself. When this news spread and the people realized this reality, the fate of the Umayyad caliphate became sealed and it was only a matter of time until their complete and utter downfall.[7]
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