ASPECT OF HIS CHARACTER (Part 1)

In our latest booklet ¹ we referred to the fact that the characters of both Imams Hassan and Hussein (a.s.) have many traits in common. Both of them received their initial stage of training before shouldering the heavy task of propagating and defending the da’wah. Both of them had one and the same education, indoctrination, and spiritual and ideological teachings, under the supervision of their grandfather (s.a.w.), their father and their mother (a.s.).
As a result, the aspects of their characters fused together personifying the message of Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, in thought, action and conduct. In our booklet on Imam Hassan (a.s.), we cited some examples which put his character into perspective. Here, we do the same regarding Imam Hussein (a.s.).

His Relationship With Allah

We can better understand the depth of Imam Hussein’s (a.s.) relationship with Allah, the Most High, if we don’t lose sight of the fact that the Prophet (s.a.w.) himself taught him the ideology of Islam and brought
him up spiritually as he had done with his father, Imam Ali, his mother, al-Zahra’, and his brother, Imam Hassan (a.s.). By so doing, his path was defined and his character was formed. One day he was asked, “How great is your fear of your Lord?”
“No one would be secure on the Day of Judgement except those who feared Allah in this life,” he replied. ²
His face would turn pale, and he would tremble at the time of doing his ablution. He was asked about this and answered, “Whoever stands in the presence of the Almighty Allah is not to blame if his color turns pale and his limbs shake.”
On the night before the tenth of the month of Muharram, Imam Hussein (a.s.) asked the Ummayyad army to delay the battle till the following morning. He said, “This night we want to offer our prayers to our Lord, and we want to ask His forgiveness. He knows that I love to offer my prayer to Him, recite His Book, and pray much asking for His forgiveness.”
During the most critical and horrifying hours of the last day of his earthly life, he realized that it was midday and he had to perform his prayer. The battle of Karbala’ was in full swing. He asked the enemies to stop fighting so as to let him and his followers offer their prayer. No better testimony than this can reflect the depth and strength of his relationship with Allah and his love for Him.
He used to recite this supplication, “O Lord! Grant me the desire for the other world, till I realize that it is a real thing in my heart, through my apathy to this world. O Lord! Grant me perception with regard to the other world so much that I will seek the divine reward with acute longing, and flee from the bad deeds out of fearing You, O Lord…”. ³
We Will address this plea more elaborately when we cover the uprising of Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his heroic, and matchless sacrifice for the sake of Allah, the Most High. ⁴

References:

1. Ashi’a min Hayat al-Imam al-Hassan bin Ali (a.s.), Al-Balagh Foundation[↩]
2. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah (Bright Memorial Services), Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin.[↩]
3. Kashf al-Gummah fi Ma’rifat al-A’immah (Removing the Grief by Knowing the Imams), Scholar al-Arabali, vol. 2, p.274.[↩]
4. IMAM HUSSEIN BIN ALI (As), Al Balagh Foundation[↩]

[Quran Chapter 30:5-6] 5. In Allah's support. He supports whomever He wills. He is the Almighty, the Merciful. 6. The promise of Allah—Allah never breaks His promise, but most people do not know.