Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased)

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Husayn is part of me and I am part of him. May Allah love those who love Husayn. Husayn is one of my grandsons.”

[al-Tirmidhi (3775), Ibn Maajah (144) and Ahmad (17111) – classed as hasan by at-Tirmidhi and al-Albaani]

Al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was killed on the day of ‘Ashoora’, he was killed by the transgressing, wrongdoing group. Allah honoured al-Husayn with martyrdom, as He honoured other members of his family; He honoured Hamzah and Ja‘far (may Allah be pleased with them) with martyrdom, as well as his father ‘Ali and others (may Allah be pleased with them all).

His martyrdom was one of the means by which Allah raised him in status, for he and his brother al-Hasan will be the leaders of the youth among the people of Paradise, and high status is only achieved by means of trials, as the Prophet (ﷺ) said, when he was asked which of the people are most sorely tested? He said: “The Prophets, then the righteous, then the next best and the next best. A man will be tested to a degree commensurate with his level of religious commitment. If there is firmness in his religious commitment, his test will be greater, and if there is any weakness in his religious commitment, the test will be reduced for him. Trials will continue to befall the believer until he walks upon the earth with no sin on him.” [Narrated by at-Tirmidhi and others].

Al-Hasan and al-Husayn had previously been granted high status by Allah, may He be glorified, and they did not go through the same trials and hardships that had befallen their predecessors, because they were born at a time when Islam was prevalent and they had grown up with honour and dignity. The Muslims venerated them and honoured them, and when the Prophet (ﷺ) died, they had not yet reached the age of discernment.

The blessing that Allah bestowed upon them was that He tested them with that which caused them to join the other members of their family, just as He tested others who were better than them. ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib was better than them, and he was killed as a martyr.

The two beautiful beloved ones who many are grieving for these days, were martyred as Allah willed it, and this was a blessing for them. They are now in Jannah with their grandfather (ﷺ) having a high status with Allah so why should we be sad for them? Instead let’s pray Allah gives us tawfiq to follow them in righteous deeds and that He has mercy on us and forgives us like He had mercy on them and that He unites us with them in Jannat Al Firdaws!
Aameen!