A BRIEF HISTORY OF IMAM HUSSAINS SHRINE

By

Yasin T. al-Jibouri

Waves of visitors have never stopped coming to Kerbala from the time of the Umayyads, who incurred the Wrath of the Almighty when they massacred the family of His Prophets grandson, and that of the Abbaside caliphs, who did all they could to prevent the construction of his shrine, till the time when the faithful were finally able to build the precinct despite the hardships and difficulties imposed on them. It befits this text to familiarize the reader with Kerbala. Two main roads lead the visitor to Kerbala. One is from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, through Mosul, and the other is from the holy city of Najaf. Upon reaching Kerbala, the holy place would draw the visitor's attention to its glorious minarets and domes that shine due to the light of their Lord. At the city's entrance, the visitor finds a row of houses decorated with wooden columns, and while proceeding further towards the holy mausoleum, he sees architecture similar, to some

extent, to modern ones. Upon reaching the holy shrine, one finds himself in front of a boundary wall that surrounds wooden gates covered with glass decorations. When one enters one of these gates, he enters a precinct surrounded by small rooms called "iwans ."The holy grave is located in the middle of the precinct, surrounded by square shaped structures each of which is called "rawaq ." The grave itself is located in the middle of the grave site with golden windows around it very beautifully illuminated. It really is a great site to see, and we have pictures to show you in this book. "KERBALA": DERIVATION & MEANING There are many opinions among different researchers about the origin of the word "Kerbala". Some have pointed out that "Kerbala" has a connection to the "Kerbalato" language, while others attempt to derive the meaning of the word "Kerbala" by analyzing its spelling and language. They conclude that it originates from the Arabic word "Kar Babel" which was a group of ancient Babylonian villages that included Nainawa (Nineveh), al-Ghadiriyya, Karbella, al-Nawawees, and al-Heer. This last word is now known as Al-Haair ;it is here that Imam Hussain's grave is located. The traveler Yaqut al-Hamawi (1179 1229 A.D.), author of Mujma alBuldan, had pointed out that the meaning of "Kerbala" could have several explanations one of which is that the place where Imam Hussain ( )was killed is made of soft earth, "al-Kerbalat". Other writers made the connection between the name and the disastrous event which painted the desert with blood, so the word "Kerbala" was said to be comprised of two Arabic words: "Karb", which means grief and sorrow, and "Balaa", which means affliction. But Kerbala was known by this name even before the arrival of Imam Hussain (.) KERBALAS POPULARITY Kerbala was at first an uninhabited place and did not witness any construction activity, although it was rich in water and fertile soil. Following the tenth of Muharram of 61 A.H. (October 10 according to the Julian or the 13th according to the Gregorian calendar, 680 A.D.), after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain ( ,)people from far away as well as tribes living nearby started visiting the holy grave. Many of those who came stayed behind and/or asked their relatives to bury them there after their demise. Despite many attempts by successive rulers, such as Haroun al-Rashid (763 809 A.D.) and al-Mutawakkil ala Allah Jafar ibn al-Mutasim Billah (821 861 A.D.), to put restrictions on the development of this area, it has nonetheless spread as time passed by to become a large city. The historian Ibn Qawlawayh 1 has indicated that those who buried Imam Hussain ( )made a special and rigid construction with signs marking the grave perhaps due to their knowledge of real attempts at the time to deface it. Higher and bigger constructions above the grave started during the regime of the first Abbaside ruler, Abul-Abbas Abdullah ibn Muhammed al-Saffah (the latter title meaning the blood shedder) (721 754 A.D.), who was busy battling the

His name is Abu al-Qasim Jafar ibn Muhammed ibn Jafar ibn Mousa ibn Qawlawayh al-Qummi, the senior faqih mentor, a man of high prestige, reliability and in-depth researching in fiqh and hadith. Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani regards him as one of the senior and renown Shia scholars. His date of birth is unknown but he died in 368 or 369 A.H./979 or 980 A.D.

Umayyads for power, defeating them and eventually becoming founder of the Abbasid dynasty. But Haroun al-Rashid later on put heavy restrictions in order to prevent people from visiting the grave. During the time of al-Mamun son of Haroun al-Rashid (786 833 A.D.), construction around the grave resumed until the year 236 A.H./851 A.D. when the Abbasid ruler alMutawakkil ala Allah Jafar ibn al-Mutasim (821 861 A.D.) ordered the destruction and interring of the grave, then the filling of the pit with water... His son, al-Muntasir, who succeeded him in 861 and who is suspected of having killed him, allowed people to visit the grave site. Since then, building the precinct to the grave increased and developed step by step. The historian and biographer Ibn Al-Atheer, namely Izz ad-Deen ibn al-Atheer Abu alHassan Ali ibn Muhammed al-Jazri (some write it al-Juzri) (1160 1233 A.D.), has stated that in the year 371 A.H./982 A.D., Adhud ad-Dawlah Abu Shuja Fana Khosroe son of Rukn adDawlah al-Buwayhi who lived from 937 to 983 A.D. and ruled Persia from 951 till his death in 983, became the first to largely lay the foundations for a large scale construction, generously decorating the place. He also built houses and markets around the precinct, surrounding Kerbala with a high boundary wall and turning it into a strong castle. In the year 407 A.H./1016 A.D., the precinct caught fire due to the dropping of two large candles on the wooden decorations, but Hassan ibn Fadl, then state minister, rebuilt the damaged sections. History has recorded the names of several rulers who shared the honor of expanding, decorating or keeping the precinct in good condition. Amongst them is Fatih Ali al-Qajari who, in 1250 A.H./1737 A.D., ordered the construction of two domes, one over Imam Hussain's grave and the other over that of his brother, Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas ( .)The first dome is 27 meters high and completely covered with gold. At the bottom, it is surrounded with 12 windows each of which is about 1.25 m away from the other from the inside and 1.30 m from the outside. The mausoleum has an area of 59 m / 75 m with ten gates, and about 65 rooms (iwans), well decorated from the inside and outside and used as classrooms for studying. As for the grave itself, which is located in the middle of the precinct, it is called the "rawda", garden, and it has several gates. The most famous of these gates is called that of al-qibla or "bab al-dhahab", gold gate. Upon entering through it, one can see the tomb of Habib ibn Madhahir al-Asadi to the right hand side. Habib was a friend and companion of Imam Hussain ( )since their childhood, and he was one of those who were honored with martyrdom in the Battle of Kerbala. THE RESTING PLACE OF ABBAS SON OF ALI IBN ABU TALIB () Abu al-Fadl Abbas ( )was brother of Imam Hassan ( )and Imam Hussain ( )and the standardbearer of Imam Hussain ( )in the Battle of Kerbala. He is well known in history for his valor, loyalty and similarity to his father, the Lion of God, Ali ibn Abu Talib ( .)The resting place of Abbas ( )received similar attention as that of Imam Hussain ( .)In the year 1032 A.H./1623 A.D., the Safavid King Tahmasp of Ghazvin, Persia, who ruled from 1500 to 1730s, ordered the decoration of the grave's dome. He built a window on the 'darih' ( shrine) around the grave and organized the precinct. Other similar activities were done by other rulers. Kerbala contains, besides the grave of Imam Hussain ( )and his brother al-Abbas ( ,)the graves of all the 72 martyrs of Kerbala, all males. They were buried in a mass grave which was 3

then covered with soil up to the ground level. This mass grave is at the foot of Imam Hussain's grave. In particular, besides Imam Hussain's grave, there are the graves of his two sons, Ali alAkbar (Ali Senior) and 6-month old Ali al-Asghar (Ali Junior). The latter, an infant, was shot with an arrow on the 10th of Muharram as his father pleaded for water for him. Imagine the extent of those beasts cruelty, and their unrepentant followers, who still live among other Muslims of the world, are no less cruel. CHRONOLOGY OF IMAM HUSSAIN'S SHRINE AT KERBALA A H CE Events lst 6 October, 1 680 18th 6 August, 5 684 1 12th 3 August, 2 749 1 31st 4 March, 0 763 Imam Hussain ( )was buried at this sacred spot. Al-Mukhtar ibn Abu Ubaidah al-Thaqafi built an enclosure around the grave in the form of a mosque and erected a dome over the grave. There were two entrances to this building. A roof was built over a portion of this mosque and two entrances were added during the reign of Abul-Abbas al-Saffah, founder of the Abbasid dynasty.

The roof was demolished during the reign of Abbasid ruler al-Mansur al-Dawaniqi, Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur, who was born in 95 A.H. and died in 158 A.H./714 - 775 A.D.) the second Abbasid ruler who used and abused power in Baghdad from 136 A.H. to 158 A.H./754 - 775 A.D. During the reign of al-Mahdi, namely Muhammed ibn Mansur al-Mahdi 1 11th , the third Abbasid ruler who reigned from 158 A.H. to 169 A.H./775 5 Novembe 785 A.D., who was born in 126 or 127 A.H. and died in 169 A.H./744 or 745 - 785 8 r, 774 A.D.), and who succeeded his father, al-Mansur, the roof was reconstructed. 1 22nd During the reign of Haroun al-Rashid, the dome and roof were demolished and the 7 June, 787 plum tree, which stood near the grave, was cut down. 1 1 25th 9 October, During the reign of al-Amin son of Haroun al-Rashid, the building was reconstructed. 3 808 2 15th July, 3 Abbasid ruler al-Mutawakkil demolished the buildings and ordered the plot ploughed. 850 6 2 17th The Abbasid ruler al-Muntasir ,who ruled in Baghdad from 861 to 862 A.D. and died in 862 A.H., built a roof over the grave and set up an iron pillar near it to 4 March, serve as a landmark for pilgrims. 7 861 2 8th June, 7 The roof was demolished again. 886 3 2 23rd The Alid representative built a dome in the centre, with two roofs, on either side and 8 March, an enclosure with two entrances. 4

0 893 3 19th 0 August, 7 977 Adhud ad-Dawlah ibn Buwayh Adhud adDawlah Abu Shuja Fana Khosroe son of Rukn ad-Dawlah, who lived from 937 983 A.D. and ruled from 951 983 A.D., rebuilt the dome, the surrounding galleries and constructed a screen of teak wood around the sepulchre. He also constructed houses all round the shrine and erected the citys boundary wall. At the same time, Imran ibn Shahin (d. 979 A.D.), Muin ad-Dawlah, the emir of Batiha, an area on the lower Euphrates River, Iraq, built a mosque adjacent to the tomb.

4 10th June, 0 The buildings were damaged by fire and Vizier al-Hassan ibn al-Fadl rebuilt them. 1016 7 al-Nasir li Deenillah , " " namely Abu 6 4th 2 February, al-Abbas Ahmed ibn al-Hassan al-Mustadhee (1158 1225 A.D.), the Abbaside ruler who ruled for almost 50 years, reconstructed the screens of the 0 1223 sepulchre. 7 Sultan Owais ibn Hassan al-Jalairi 2831 4731( A.D.), 18th Sept. one of the Moghal (Moghul, Mughul, Moghol) Jalairi sultans who ruled Iraq, 5 1365 remodeled the dome and raised the walls of the enclosure. 7 7 Sultan Ahmad son of Sultan Owais (who ruled briefly from 1382 to 1383 A.D. after 24th Feb. seizing power from his brother, Sultan Ali, erected two minarets covered with gold 8 1384 0 and extended the courtyard. Safavid Shah Ismail namely Ab al9 26th Feb. Muzaffar bin Haydar bin Sheikh Junayd as-Safaw (the Safavid) (July 17, 1487 2 1514 May 23, 1524), founder of the Safavid Shiite Empire which survived until 1736 0 A.D., visited the holy shrine and built a sacrophagus of the inlaid work over the grave. 1 Safavid Shah Abbas, also known as Abbs the Great, who was born on January 27, 0 5th Nov. 1571 A.D. and died on January 19, 1629 and was shah of Persia from 1588 to 1629 A.D., constructed the screens (darih )of brass and bronze and decorated the 3 1622 2 dome with Kashi tiles. 1 Ottoman Sultan Murad IV, who was born on June 26, 1612 in Istanbul 0 15th May (Constantinople, city of emperor Constantine, its builder), and whose father was 4 1638 Sultan Ahmet (Ahmed) I, visited the holy shrine and whitewashed its dome. 8 Nadir (or Nader) Shah, namely Nder Shh Afshr (Persian: ; also known 1 as Nder Qoli Beg - or Tahmsp Qoli Khn - ,) who was born in 1 8th March November of 1688 and died on June 19, 1747 A.D., ruled as Shah of Iran from 1736 5 1742 1747 A.D. and was founder of the Afsharid dynasty, visited the holy shrine, decorated 5 the building and offered valuable presents to the shrines treasury. Shah Muhammed Qajar, namely Muhammed Shah Qajar , was born on January 5, 1808 and died on September 5, 1848. He was king of Persia from the 1 Qajar dynasty which ruled from October 23, 1834 to September 5, 1848. Muhammed 2 7th July Shah was son of Abbas Mirza, the crown prince and governor of Azerbaijan, who in 1 1796 turn was the son of Fath Ali Shah Qajar, the second Shah of the Qajari dynasty. His 1 rule lasted for about 40 days. He was quickly deposed at the hands of Mirza Abolghasem (Abul-Qasim) Ghaem Magham Farahani, a politician, scientist, and poet. 5

Shah Muhammed Qajar covered the dome of Imam Hussains shrine with gold. 1 2 14th May, Wahhabi hoodlums from Saudi Arabia raided Kerbala, spoiled the screens and portico and looted the shrine. 1 1801 6 Fateh Ali Shah Qajar, or Fath Ali Shah Qajar or Fathalishah or Fathali Shah or Fath 1 Ali Shah (In Persian, he is known as ,) was born on September 5, 2 21st Nov., 1772 and died on October 23, 1834. Fateh Shah was the second Qajar king of Iran. He 3 1817 ruled from June 17, 1797 to October 23, 1834. He repaired the screens of Imam 2 Hussains shrine and plated them with silver. He also plated the center of the main portico with gold and repaired the damage done by the professional Wahhabi looters. 1 2 16th May, Nasiruddin (or Naser al-Din) Qajar Shah of Persia, who lived from 1831 1896 A.D., 8 1866 extended the shrines courtyard. 3 Dr. Syedna Taher Saifud-din, or Taher Saifuddin, (in Arabic, ) who 1 lived from August 1885 to November of 1965, was leader of the Dawoodi Bohras 21st 3 February, (Shia) community (of Mumbai, India) from 1915 to 1965. He offered a set of screens 5 1939 of solid silver which remain fixed in the shrine. He also rebuilt the western minaret in 8 January of 1941. 1 Sayyid Abdul Rasoul al-Khalsi , attorney and once minister of 3 20th Dec., justice in Iraq, who was at the time administrator of Kerbala, acquired the houses in 6 1948 the neighborhood of the courtyard according to the price fixed by the government in 7 order to build a road around the holy mausoleum and extend the courtyard.