Habib b. Muzahir: Difference between revisions

|Native name=حبیب بن مُظاهر الاسدی}}'''Habib b. Muzahir al-Asadi'''  was one of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib|Imam Ali]]'s special companions and martyred at the age of 75 at the [[Battle of Karbala]] while fighting in [[Imam Hussain]]'s army.

It is not clear whether Habib was one of the [[Prophet]]'s companions or Tabi'un (those who saw the companions, but not the Prophet). Some, like Ibn al-Kalbi<ref>Samāwī, ''Ibṣār al-ʿayn'', p. 126.</ref> and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani <ref>Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, ''al-Iṣāba fī tamyīz al-ṣaḥāba'', vol. 2, p. 142.</ref>stated that he had been in the presence of the Prophet  but Al-Shaykh al-Tusi<ref>Ṭūsī, ''Rijāl'', p. 60, 93, 100.</ref> implies that Habib was not a companion of the Prophet.  

Habib went to [[Kufa]] with [[Imam Ali]] and fought alongside him in all of his combats. He was considered one of Imam's special companions group called  "Shurtat al-Khamis"<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Ikhtiṣāṣ'', p. 2-7.</ref>. Imam Ali bestowed upon him "Ilm al-Balaya wa al-Manaya" (the knowledge of calamities and [time of] deaths). His conversation with Maytham al-Tammar, years before [[Ashura]], about how they will be martyred is one instant of this knowledge.<ref>Samāwī, ''Ibṣār al-ʿayn'', p. 127.</ref>

After the death of [[Mu'awiya]], Habib and some of the heads of [[Shiʿa|Shi'a]] communities in [[Kufa]], like Sulayman b. Surad, Musayyib b. Najaba and Rifa'a b. Shaddad al-Bajali, refused to swear allegiance to [[Yazid]], and send letters to [[Imam Hussain]] inviting him to lead Kufa in her uprising against [[Umayyad]] Dynasty.<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', p. 378.</ref>

When [[Obayd-Allah Ibn Ziad|Obayd Allah b. Ziad]] came to Kufa, he threatened people and launched a crackdown against allegiance to Muslim b. Aqil; so people abandoned their allegiance to Muslim b. Aqil and lift him alone. The tribe of Banu 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 Hussain. They hid themselves from Obayd Allah b. Ziad's spies and agents, so they moved at nights and hid during days. Eventually, they joined Imam Hussain's camp in [[Karbala]] on [[Muharram]] 7th 61(October 7th 680).<ref>Samāwī, ''Ibṣār al-ʿayn'', p. 128.</ref>

Upon reaching [[Karbala]], Habib repeats his expression of loyalty to [[Imam Hussain]]. As soon as he observed the great number of Imam's enemies and small number of his companions, Habib asked Imam Huassin to go to a nearby tribe of Banu Asad and to ask them to join Imam. With the permission of Imam, Habib hurried to the tribe and started preaching them and encouraging them to join the Imam. However, [[Omar Ibn Sa’d|Omar b. Sa'd]] stopped the tribe from joining Imam by sending an army to them.<ref>Amīn, ''Aʿyān al-Shīʿa'', vol. 4, p. 554.</ref>

The day before [[Ashura]], Habib preached to the person who brought a letter from Umar b. Sa'd for Imam Hussain and asked the messenger not to go back to the tyrants. In the evening of [[Tasu’a|Tasu'a]], Habib spoke to enemy's army, which was about to attack the camp of Imam Hussain, and warned them about starting a war by talking about the merits of the Imam and his companions.<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 2, p. 484.</ref>

In the eve of Ashura, Hilal b. Nafi informed Habib of the concerns of [[Zaynab]], the daughter of [[Ali ibn Abi Talib|Imam Ali]], about the loyalty of the companions of Imam. Hilal and Habib gathered the companions of Imam Hussain and together went to Imam Hussain and informed him that they will support the family of the Prophet to the last drop of their blood.<ref>''Mawsūʿat kalimāt al-Imām al-Ḥusayn (a)'', p. 407-408.</ref>

While Muslim b. Awsaja covered in his own blood was breathing his last breaths, Imam Hussain 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."<ref>Qur'an, 33:23</ref> Then Habib told him, "Your death is very hard for me, but I give you the good news of Paradise." Muslim b. Awsaja 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 b. Awsaja pointed to Imam Hussain and told Habib, "My will is to stay with Imam Hussain. 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."<ref>Ibn Ṭāwūs, ''al-Luhūf'', p. 133.</ref>

Despite being very old, Habib killed 62 people of the enemy. Just then, Budayl b. Maryam Aqfani attacked him and hit him on the head with his sword. Another enemy hit him with a spear, causing him to fall off the horse and down to the ground. Then, Budayl b. Maryam beheaded him. Habib had an underage son named Qasim, who killed Budayl after he came of age.<ref>Qummī, ''Nafas al-mahmūm'', p. 124.</ref>

Habib's name is mentioned in the scripture of ziarat of Imam Hussain in the middle of Sha'ban and other scriptures of ziarat of Imam Hussain.<ref>Ibn Ṭāwūs, ''Iqbāl al-aʿmāl'', p. 229.</ref>

When the tribe of Banu Asad were burying the martyrs of Karbala, they buried Habib b. Muzahir, who was one of their elders and trustees, separately and with a distance of 10 meters from Imam Hussain tomb. Later, his tomb was included in Imam al-Hussain's shrine and was located in the southern porch.<ref>Qāʾidān, ''ʿAtabāt-i ʿālīyāt-i Iraq'', p. 122.</ref>