O mourners of His Eminence, Amirul Momineen (a.s.)!
Today is the 13th of the holy month of Ramadan. We are approaching
the nights of wakefulness and worship, and the day of the martyrdom
of the Commander of the Faithful. It is narrated that the Commander
of the Faithful was delivering a sermon on the 13th of the holy month of
Ramadan, which was Friday. His sons. Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam
Husain (a.s.) were seated among the audience.
In the course of the sermon, he suddenly asked Imam Hasan (a.s.): “Son,
Hasan! How many days of this month have passed till now?”
He replied: “Thirteen days have passed, father.”
It seems that Imam wanted to convey an important message because he
already knew how many days had passed.
After that he asked Imam Husain (a.s.): “Son! How many days are left in
this month?”
Imam Husain (a.s.) said: “Seventeen days are left, father”
Hearing this. Imam Ali (a.s.) held his beard and said: “Very less time is left
for this beard to be dyed by the blood of this head.”1
The Commander of the Faithful did not declare the exact time and
conditions of his martyrdom but used to point out a particular state
which made the people in general and his family in particular, restless
and troubled.
Ashnai ba Quran, Murtaza Mutahhari, Vol. 6, Pg. 146-147