With his rising, the twelfth Imam will accomplish what no other could,
With the Prophet’s image, and Ali’s Dhulfiqar, his task is surely understood
Cleansing the world of injustice and evil, while enjoining the people towards good,
Al-Mahdi will surely inherit the earth, just as the Book promised he would (28:5).
The trees, rocks and sun obeyed him, and never was his shadow cast,
He spoke the Truth and was trusted, holding the secrets of the past,
He knew events of the future, his ilm was thus so very vast.
Muhammad; Mustafa: The Chosen; As-Sadiq; Al-Amin,
The Prophet; Rasool: Messenger of Allah; Taha (20:1); Yasin (36:1),
Muhammad he was, as were his heirs first, last and between,
For us he left these twelve, Az-Zahra and Al-Kitab Al-Mubin.
The Holy Prophet’s second heir resembled him in every way,
Son of Amir al-Mo’mineen, his beauty shined like the sun’s ray,
The faithful flocked to see him, to gaze at his holy face by day,
And then remained near, to hear the precious words he would say.
Al-Hasan he was, first born of the union of Light,
His birth was a blessed day, as his house was a blessed site,
The Holy members of this house would fast by day, remaining awake at night,
While thanking their Lord and Sustainer, Lord of All Mercy, Lord of All Might.
Al-Hasan was the Prophet’s mirror, and yet there was another,
Who was the Prophet’s image; the son of Al-Hasan’s brother.
Ali was this youth and Zahra was his grandmother,
The Prophet, he, and his uncle shared looks, speech and walk like no other.
He was Ali Al-Akbar, the valiant son of Hussain,
Who fought against the wicked in Karbala’s fateful plain,
Evil had no mercy, it was as if the Prophet was slain,
When Ali was killed, the Imam’s heart and soul were in pain.
Al-Hasan and Al-Akbar were the Prophet’s reflections as heard,
But have we thought to recognize that there is also a third,
There is one final image, he is Allah’s remaining Word,
His return is still awaited; its time has not occurred.
Baqiyatullah (11:86) the Qur’an names him, by Allah, The Wise,
He is as the sun behind the clouds, watching the earth and skies,
The faithful believers young and old pray for him to rise,
But while he is hidden from their sight, tears of longing fill their eyes.
Imam Al-Hasan, Ali Al-Akbar, and Imam Al-Qaem make three;
Three perfect prophetic images from the Prophet’s own progeny.
The Holy Prophet’s precious sons, or call them sons of Ali,
Then no wonder it is that Al-Qaem, is Allah’s final wali!
These four similar faces indeed pose a unique case
To see the strength of their bond, we should begin a historical trace
And find that the Prophet and Al-Hasan were distanced by time and space,
From that day in Karbala, when the greatest tragedy took place.
It was Al-Akbar who was blessed, with the gift to be near,
To his father, the Holy Imam – this much history is clear,
As the light of his father’s eyes, the Hashimi youth was so dear,
This grandson of AsadAllah met his death without any fear.
There the martyrs’ bodies lay, while to the heavens their souls had flown,
Al-Akbar departed from the Earth and the Imam then stood alone,
Al-Hussain fought for Haqq and Deen, slaying hypocrites on his own,
Until that moment when his Light, returned to where it had first shone.
The Holy Prophet and Al-Hasan were separated from that land,
Al-Akbar fought to defend this father, until he fell upon that sand,
That holy ground is one upon which Al-Qaem is left to stand,
To fulfill the title of Muntaqim, The Avenger – by Allah’s Command.
Sahib-uz-Zaman, Al-Qaem, Al-Mahdi: these are among the titles we call,
Our Maula, The Awaited Savior and Avenger, there are too many to name them all.
Know that those who accept his Wilayah, have no fear when they falter or fall,
For the Imam, through the Will of Allah, does guide our souls and stand us tall.
With his rising, the twelfth Imam will accomplish what no other could,
With the Prophet’s image, and Ali’s Dhulfiqar, his task is surely understood
Cleansing the world of injustice and evil, while enjoining the people towards good,
Al-Mahdi will surely inherit the earth, just as the Book promised he would (28:5).
That future is near, but what of right now, with every passing day and week?
Where does our Master walk and pray, and in what land does he sit and speak?
The faithful long to see their Imam, to receive the answers that they seek,
For without his image in their presence, this world looks so very bleak.
The truth is that we are aware, of at least one special daily deed,
This noble act of the Imam, is coupled with the Wajibaat of our creed.
Be it a day of mourning, a wiladah, or any day even an Eid,
Our Master and Ruler of our Time, does grieve for his father, the Greatest Shaheed.
In Ziyarat Nahiya Al-Mahdi does greet, the one whose body tasted the spears,
He greets the one who was oppressed, yet who saved Islam while having no fears,
The one for whom the heavens wept, and for whom the people have cried for years,
He sends his salam upon Al-Hussain, while crying with blood instead of tears.
If we glance at the Mustahab acts that our Imam has repeatedly stressed,
We will find a Ziyarah for Al-Hussain which has a station above all the rest,
From Allah to Jibrail to RasoolAllah – a chain so blessed,
These are words of salam to the One, who was given the ultimate test.
Ziyarat Ashura is that visitation, which does so eloquently define,
What it means to love, what is Tawalla, and how to walk upon that line.
Inni silmun li man saalamakum, hear the words of the Divine,
To be recited on the day of Ashura under the sky, while facing the holy shrine.
“I am at peace with those who make peace with you”, this is the oath that we take,
An oath of tongue, followed by action, which distinguishes the believer from the fake,
It is a pledge of the heart, mind, body and soul, one that we cannot forsake,
For it is Allah, and Al-Ma’soomeen who are witness to this vow we make.
Wa harbun li man haarabakum; look how easily my Lord does teach,
The essence of Tabarra, that no Divine Mercy or favors will reach
Those who harm the Ahlul Bayt – this is the Truth that we must preach,
That Allahumal’an is a du’a, a Divinely given way to beseech.
“I at am war with those who make war with you”; people say these words spread hate,
But I reply that these are words of Allah, the Just, the Greatest of the Great.
Al-Hasan and Al-Hussain lead the youth in the Heavens, about this there is no debate,
Then how can those who oppressed and killed them, be allowed to enter its Holy Gate?
Kullo yaumin Ashura wa kullo ardhin Karbala, this is the slogan that we declare,
That Ashura is everyday and Karbala is everywhere,
But we know Ashura was a day, to which no other can compare,
Then how can we use these words today, is it even right or is it fair?
The truth is that this world contains, injustice and corruption by those in power,
The oppressed and innocents are subjugated, while over them the Yazids do tower,
This is the reality of our slogan, in the modern day, with each passing hour,
Until the arrival of Al-Mahdi, by the Blessings that Allah will shower.
But there is another truth in these words, one that perhaps time did conceal,
When I hear our slogan shouted out, I imagine how the twelfth Imam does feel,
As he waits for that Ashura to dawn, the predicted day when he will reveal,
His presence to the world’s people, while before the Ka’ba he will pray and kneel.
So with each Ashura that comes to pass, when the faithful gather together and shove,
Every worldly issue put aside, and a moment taken to glance at the sky above,
They envision that day when blood poured from that sky, thanking Allah that they are part of,
Those who remember that sacrifice; those whose chests are stained with that love.
We strive to keep the message alive, while the Hussaini spirit and love does seep,
Through every pore and cell in our bodies; it is not merely our eyes that weep,
Verily the love for Sayyid ash-Shuhada, and Ashura’s remembrance runs deep,
And with this, there is an important image, that in our minds we should surely keep.
We hold the image of that day, with the evil’s large army and the Imam’s noble few,
We picture thirst, dried tongues and lips, and Al-Furat guarded by Yazid’s crew.
We see the Hashimi Moon Abbas and his severed arms, to the ground they flew
And the youngest shaheed – we see his soft neck, pierced by the arrow Hurmala threw.
We see each warrior stand then fall, until welcomed by Heaven’s Lighted Door,
Each brave one gave his life and soul, for Allah and Truth in this epic war,
How can I recount the events of that day, with such a tragedy not seen before?
This Greatest Sacrifice (37:107) of Al-Hussain shook the universe, to its very core.
But the one image that I hold so close, is that of Al-Akbar in Karbala,
His presence and face is of Imam Al-Hasan, just as it of RasoolAllah,
He does indeed carry the name of Ali, and is a youth like Fatima,
So as he stands before Al-Hussain, he represents those four of Ahlul Kisa.
Al-Akbar embodied those four Lights; protecting Al-Hussain, the fifth and last one,
Until that spear tore through his chest, and his time of fighting was clearly done,
When my Imam removed the blade of the spear, I believe his greatest pain had begun,
For I believe he saw those Holy four, in the beautiful face of his martyred son.
My madhloom Imam was the last who stood; and then was attacked by the worst,
Shimr and his gang of munafiqeen, had no care for my Master’s thirst,
They slaughtered the Holy One like a ram; in all of Earth’s history, this was a first,
And so logic says this is the reason, why Yazid and his troops are Divinely cursed.
Yaum ul-Ashura was the last day, when the Earth hosted the fifth of the Holy Five,
Ali ibn Al-Hussain was the next Imam; through Allah’s Plan, he was still alive,
The fourth Imam and his seven sons, each visited Karbala, but they could not strive,
To avenge their father; and so they wait, for their final son’s image to arrive.
Imam Al-Baqir, As-Sadiq, Al-Kadhim, let us now name those Ma’soom
Al-Ridha, Al-Jawad, Al-Hadi, Al-Askari; don’t you believe that each visits the tomb,
Of Imam Al-Hussain in Karbala, to smell Deen’s Savior’s Divine perfume,
That scent of Light which does attract the believers, like bees to a flower’s bloom.
Thus when I state kullo yaumin Ashura, there is an image that I hold,
Wa kullo ardhin Karbala; it is not just a slogan, but a guideline, bold
That the ziyarah to Karbala is among the great acts that our Ma’soomeen have told,
It is one of the most precious gifts, that we must strive for and behold.
Every Ma’soom does visit Karbala, every Prophet and Imam and noble one between,
The angels fly down and send their salam, upon the son of Muhammad, who saved His Deen.
The Imam’s tomb is a piece of Heaven, his Ziyarah is the Ziyarah of Allah,
This is what hadiths have told us, that Al-Hussain’s shrine is like no other scene.
Karbala’s history consumes our thoughts; we gather together and cry and shout,
With its story we feel the passion for Al-Hussain that will never fade out,
But with its remembrance, in these times, we should also always think about,
Al-Hussain’s Son and Avenger, whom this world cannot live without.
Let the weepers weep, says Du’a An-Nudba, so cry in the morning or in the eve,
And when you recall the events of that day, remember that with you, your Imam does grieve,
In Ghaybat al-Kubra there is a veil between you and your Master, that you may perceive,
But both your hearts are in Karbala, and from there your souls do never leave.
So in writing these words, I state there is no single object that can distract,
Me from remembering Ashura, for with Allah and Ma’soomeen is my pact,
To recite Ziyarat Ashura each day; to keep Karbala’s image in my mind intact,
While praying to see Muhammad’s last image, for to serve him would be the greatest act.
My body has been to Karbala but once; for a few days in that land I did roam,
I have not yet been there for Yaum al-Ashura, but instead was there on another yaum,
But no matter the day, and no matter the place – Karbala, a masjid, or even my home,
Ziyarat Ashura does always bring me face-to-face, with the image of my Imam’s golden dome.
