Zuhair bin Qayn is considered among the repentants. However, his repentance
was different. He was an Uthmani, a partisan of Uthman bin Affan. He
was among those who thought that Imam Ali (a.s.) was responsible for
Uthman’s murder. Hence he did not have a favorable opinion about Imam
Ali (a.s.).
Whenever Imam Husain (a.s.) confronted an adamant enemy, he used
to show such confidence that no power could decrease his honor; leave
aside the chance of bowing his head down. Often the Imam used to be in
a situation when it was necessary to guide some people; in such cases he
even ignored the carelessness of those people.
Zuhair was returning with his caravan from Mecca to Iraq and Imam
Husain (a.s.) was also traveling on the same route to Iraq. Zuhair was
trying not to meet Imam Husain (a.s.) face to face somehow. When he
used to see that the caravan of Imam Husain (a.s.) was getting closer,
he used to take his caravan away. Imam knew that Zuhair was keeping
away because he was unaware of the facts. In spite of this, Imam (a.s.)
wanted to remind him of something because the Almighty Allah has said:
َ
“Therefore do remind, for you are only a reminder” The
Imam wanted Zuhair to come out of ignorance; he didn’t want to force
him. Even though Zuhair was ignoring the Imam, the latter wanted to
guide him because his heart was full of the light of faith.
Zuhair knew that Husain was the son of Allah’s beloved; and what his
right on Ummah was. He feared that if he met the Imam, the latter may
ask for something that he could not fulfill; and it would be a great defect.
At one station, much against his wish, Zuhair had to halt near the
Imam. Imam Husain (a.s.) had halted at that place and thus, both the
caravans halted at the same well. Imam (a.s.) sent a messenger to call
Zuhair. Zuhair and his companions were having food in one of the
tents. Suddenly, the curtain of the tent was lifted and a person said, “O
Zuhair! Husain is calling you.”
Hearing this, Zuhair’s face became pale and he murmured, “This is what I
feared.” His companions were also aware of the entire situation.
It is mentioned in books that Zuhair and his companions stopped
eating because Zuhair was well-aware of the status of Imam Husain
(a.s.). Hence, he could neither reject the invitation nor accept it whole-
heartedly. He knew that it wasn’t proper to reject the invitation of Imam
Husain (a.s.). He sat frozen, like the saying goes in Arabic, “As if a bird
was sitting on his head.” In short, the entire atmosphere became tense.
When Zuhair’s wile (Dalham hinte Amr) came to know that Imam
Husain (a.s.) had sent a messenger inviting Zuhair to him but Zuhair has
not yet replied to him, she came forward and said: “O Zuhair! The beloved
one of Fatimah is calling you and you are rejecting the invitation instead
of taking it as an honor? Zuhair! You must go to him.” Eventually.
Zuhair got up helplessly and went to meet the Imam.
Zuhair’s face was pale when he went to meet the
Imam and it looked bright and young when he came out of the meeting.
I don’t know how Imam Husain (a.s.) transformed Zuhair’s thinking. I
also don’t know what the Imam reminded him of but I certainly know
that a revolution had appeared in Zuhair’s heart. He was completely
transformed. People saw that Zuhair was no longer his old self. When he
returned, he ordered his tent to be moved from its place and shifted next
to the tent of Imam Husain (a.s.). “Now I would live and die with Aba
Abdillah only.” He also started making a will about how his property
should be utilized. He also willed about his sons and daughters. He
ordered that his wife should be sent to her father’s house after him.
Zuhair spoke and bid farewell in such a manner that everybody
understood that he was not going to return. When he came out of his
tent fully armed, his wife caught the tail of his robe and said weeping,
“Zuhair! You have chosen martyrdom with the beloved of Fatimah so that
she may intercede for you on Judgment Day. Zuhair, do not act in such a
way that you and I are separated on Judgment Day. I am holding onto you
only with the hope that you would ask Lady Zahra to intercede for me on
the Judgment Day. Zuhair! Promise me that you would request for my
intercession. I want Lady Fatimah to intercede for me.”
After that, it is this same Zuhair who is seen in the forefront among the
rows of the companions of Husain (a.s.) and the Imam had given him the
command of the right wing. How surprising!
Zuhair now topped the list of Imam Husain’s (a.s.)
companions
Zuhair had displayed such a character that when Imam Husain (a.s.) was
left alone on the Ashura day and none of the companions of Imam Husain
(a.s.) was left, he called out his companions and Zuhair was one of them.
Zuhair’s wife said, “God is your helper. Whatever happened to you has goodness in it.
I wish that Husain’s grandfather remembers me too at the time of intercession on the
Judgment Day.”
The oppressed Imam said, “O my dear ones! O my brave ones! O Muslim
bin Aqeel! O Hani bin Urwah! O Zuhair! Why are you asleep? Get up and
safeguard the sanctity of your Prophet from those shameless traitors.”5
When the battle ended, Zuhair’s wife was worried. She thought that
others would be shrouded while Zuhair’s body would lie unshrouded.
Thinking this, she sent her slave ordering him to shroud his master.
When the slave came, he saw all the martyrs lying without shroud and
felt ashamed. He could not bear to shroud Zuhair and leave his master,
Husain (a.s.), unshrouded
Lohoof, Pg. 73; Maqtal-e-Husain, Pg. 178; Biharul Anwar, Vol. 44,
Pg. 372.