SHAHEED E SAANI—THE SECOND MARTYR 

 

 

Name :Jamal ud Deen ibne Noor ud Deen Ali  ibne Fazil Ahmed ibne jamal ud Deen ibne Taqi ibne Mohammed Saleh

 

Born On: 11 Shawwal 911 H                 At: Jiba, Jabl Amil, Lebanon

 

Died  On:                      966 H                            At: a wilderness returning from                                                                                                         

                                                                          Makka Towards Constantinople

  

 

THE HISTORICAL ASPECT OF HIS LIFE

 

As is evident from the title, Shaheed e Saani is one of the prominent martyrs in the annals of Shia history. Our scholars and historians have given him this title because after Shaheed e Awwal, he is the most prominent personality who had been martyred because of his propagation of the word of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s).

 

One should bear the fact in mind that our Ulema have been categorized into four categories. The Ulema who lived and worked during the times of the 11 Imams (a.s) are remembered as Ashab (the Companions) and not as Ulema. From the time the 12^th Imam (a.s) went into hiding till the time of  Allama Hilli are categorized as the Ulema e Mutaqaddameen ( or the Early Scholars). After the departure of Allama Hilli till about a hundred years ago the scholars are categorized as the Ulema e Mutakhireen (The Later Scholars). Sheik Murtaza is the last prominent scholar of this category who lived about hundred years ago. That was the period when generally the Momineen lived in Taqayya (or Dissimulation). From the time of the Prophet (s.a) till the going into the hiding of the 12^th Imam (a.s) , and thereafter, the scholars were facing persecution and martyrdom. It will almost be impossible to prepare a list of those martyrs. During the time of Allama Hilli the followers of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) had become a force to reckon with. Allama Hilli went to Iran and after a historical debate in the court of the King Khuda Banda attracted a majority of the population there to the Right Path. The scholars gave the title of Shaheed e Awwal to Sheik Jamal ud Deen Makki who was a disciple of Fakhr al Mohaqqeen who was the erudite son of Mohaqqaq Hilli. We are  familiar that in any field of activity, the son acquires expertise in the discipline that the father follows. Thus a genealogy of experts is established in that field. Similarly there can be a series of scholars descending from mentor to disciple and so on. Shaheed e Awwal too was the erudite disciple of Fakhr al Mohaqqaqeen. After his martyrdom, he was rightly given the title of Shaheed e Awwal.  Shaheed e Saani, the Second Martyr, too acquired his learning under the tutelage of the illustrious family of Allama Hilli.

 

 

 

HIS STATUS AS A SCHOLAR

 

We must mention another thing at this stage that there have been very few scholars of the caliber of Shaheed e Saani. Another point must be noted that all the scholars who came after Shaheed e Saani may be counted as his disciples because he penned a book,“Shara al Lam-aa”, which is taught as a text book in all the seminaries that train the Ulema of the future. This is one book, after studying which, a person qualifies to be called an Aalim (Scholar). The book is in two volumes.

 

 

  

THE FAMILY OF SHAHEED E SAANI  &  HIS DISCIPLES

 

While Shaheed e Saani is his title, his name is Jamal ud Deen ibne Noor ud Deen ibne Fazil Ahmed ibne jamal ud Deen ibne Taqi ibne Mohammed Saleh. The sixth in the line of his genealogy, Mohammed Saleh, was a disciple of Allama Hilli. Shaheed e Saani is one of the eminent Shia scholars in whose families we trace eminent scholars for many generations. His earlier six ancestors were all scholars and three of them were  Mujtahids. Shaheed e Saani had a son, Sheik Hassan who has authored a book “Muaalim al Deen”. The book is of such importance that one cannot become a Mujtahid without studying it assiduously. Therefore we might say that all those who become Mujtahids are his disciples!

 

Shaheed e Saani was born at Jaba which is a small town in Jabl Amil in Lebanon. This is the felicitous territory that has no equal in the birth of Mujtahids. Shaheed e Saani was born on 13^th of Shawwal 911 H. He was martyred on a Friday in the month of Rajab. His age was 55 or 56 years. Where he was martyred and where his remains were interred, we shall discuss later. 

 

 

IMPORTANT EVENTS IN HIS LIFE

 

We have mentioned earlier that Shaheed e Saani was born on 13 Shawwal 911 H in the house of Noor ud Deen Ali in Jiba. Since he was born in a family of learned persons, he was inclined towards acquisition of knowledge from very early days. His parents had great love for him and it is recorded through his own words that his father had never beaten him nor he allowed his mentor to give him corporal punishment during his studies. Shaheed e Saani completed the first recitation of the Holy Quran at the age of 9 years. Then his father got him admitted formally to a seminary. At that time he was so small that he didn’t realize where his father was taking him along. He said that his father not only loved him very much but he took great interest in his education. The first thing that his father told to the tutor at the time of his admission to the seminary was not to beat him. When he finished the first book of the Arabic language and said that if he gave the correct reply he would be given a grand gift. Thus giving him incentives, Shaheed e Saani’s father encouraged him to make good progress in his studies. When Shaheed e Saani was at the age of 17 years, in 925 H, his father demised.

 

 

HIGHER LEARNING

 

 

After the death of Shaheed e Saani there was no other scholar of eminence in the town where he could purse higher learning. Therefore, under advice of his elders, he moved to another village, Maiz, in the vicinity. Those days Sheik Ali ibne Hassan Abd al Aali Qarki was the most eminent scholar at Maiz. Shaheed e Saani studied under him for 8 years. He was not just a disciple but became the most favorite disciple of the Sheik. He says about Shaheed e Saani that while he was asleep one night, he saw a dream that many persons were sitting along with him. They were all thirsty and a person came there with a goblet of water and all the thristy persons surrounded him. The person didn’t give attention to anyone of them and went near his brother. He put the faucet of the goblet to the mouth of his brother. He drank a little water but the person didn’t remove the faucet from his mouth till he drank all the water in the goblet. The person then departed. When the Sheik awoke he thought that his brother would achieve a high status in learning.

 

 

THE STATUS OF HIS MENTOR’S KNOWLEDGE

&

HIS SERVICES

 

Sheik Ali ibne Abd al Aali Qarki is also known as the Mohaqqaq Saani. All the Shia scholars are unanimous about this title and even the scholars of the other schools recognize his erudition. If he wasn’t there, there might not have remained any followers of Al e Mohammed (s.a) in Iran. After Khaja Naseer ud Deen Toosi, none other has done propagation of the word of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) as did Mohaqqaq Qarki. After Khaja Naseer ud Deen Toosi the largest numbers of persons adopted his following (Taqleed). Some scholars of the other school say that it was Mohaqqaq Qarki who invented the Shia school and that this Faith never existed before him. Only after him the people in the world realized that there is a faith called the Shia Faith! This claim certainly isn’t correct. His achievement was that he presented the Shia Faith in a manner that it was accepted widely. There was a time when the evil practice of  Tabarra (Malediction) of  the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) vanished from other places, the people of Isfahan continued with the foul practice. Sheik Ismail, a scion of the learned scholar, Sheik Safi ud Deen, gathered a small force and slowly established his rule all over Iran. He wrote a letter to Mohaqqaq Qarki to go over there and take care of the administration. It is said tha Shah Ismail had expired and after him Shah Tahmasp was ruling when Mohaqqaq Qarki reached Iran. Shah Tahmasp wanted to hand over the reins of power to him, but Mohaqqaq Qarki said that ruling wasn’t his job that was the prerogative of the Imam. The king said that he was the Naib e Imam (a.s) and that he should run the administration on behalf of the Imam (a.s)..Mohaqqaq Qarki accepted the assignment and started traveling far and wide in the country. He thus propagated the word of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) and the entire country started following their Creed. The enemies of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s) planned and poisoned him on 18 Zil Hijja 940 H.

 

Mohaqqa Qarki not only propagated the Faith but was also one of the most erudite Mujtahids. He instructed Shaheed e Saani in all the disciplines. When Shaheed e Saani was 22 years old, after keeping him under his tutelage, Mohaqqaq Qarki left for Iran in 933 H. Shaheed e Saani couldn’t go with his mentor because he still had to acquire more lerning. Now Shaheed e Saani changed his residence to Qark where his aunt’s husband had started a Madrassa. Shaheed e Saani spent a number of years with this uncle of his. He also married his aunt’s daughter there, who was his first spouse. From that time till his death Shaheed e Saani remained peripatetic, traveling all the time. He is one of our scholars who spent major part of their lives in travel. He went to Damascus and received instruction in the field of medicine, jurisprudence and learned the art of recitation of the Quran. After remaining in Damascus for two years he returned home to Jabl Amili. After one year he went to Egypt and studied under the scholars there for 6 years. Those scholars had no connection with the Shia faith. But those days there was no distinction between Shia and Sunni in the matters of imparting and acquiring learning. Therefore he got admitted to the Azhr University and studied under the tutelage of 16 eminent scholars. Then enroute to his home he performed the Haj in 944 H. There is a statement of Shaheed e Saani in our books that he became a Mujtahid in that year. Till 33 years of age he didn’t reveal that he was a Mujtahid. But he had written a book “Shara Irshad”. When a person becomes a Mujtahid he writes a book on his Fatwas (Edicts). He had written the book but he kept it hidden at his home. His disciple, Hassan ibne Ali, said that one night of 945 or 946 H he saw a dream in his sleep as if he was sitting at a lesson delivered by his mentor, Shaheed e Saani, who was delivering his talk from the pulpit. The mentor continued delivering his learned talk and he remembered the entire content of the lecture. His eyes openend in the morning and he immediately went to Shaheed e Saani and told him about his strange and interesting dream. On the instruction of the mentor, he repeated the dream in every detail. When he finished the narration, the mentor smiled and said, “Perhaps the time has come when I shall have to make the announcement.” Surprised, I asked, “Announcement of what?” He said, “Don’t you know about the Sermon?” When I expressed my lack of information, he went inside his house and brought out his book “Shara e Irshad” and said, “This is the book in which I have included a Fatwa (Edict) . This is a proof of my Ijtehad.. So far I had hidden it.  Open the book and read its first page”. As soon as I saw the first page, it was the same Sermon that I had heard in the night. I was surprised that the Sermon that I had heard during my dream, my mentor had written in his book many years earlier! My mentor said, “Perhap the Command has come now that this book must be publicized now!” Then he published the book “Shara e Irshad”. Four years went by. Shaheed e Saani was 37 years in 948 H when his Ijtehad became known in the entire Shia world. People started his Taqleed (Emulation). From 948H he was Mujtahid Aalam (Senior Mujtahid) and he was martyred in 966 H. However, he was living in seclusion. The area in which he lived, Jabl Amili, was under the Turkish Ottoman Realm. They wouldn’t tolerate any person holding any belief other than their own. Therefoe the Shaheed e Saani was living a secluded life of Taqayya (Dissimulation). Only the followers of the Faith of Ahl al Bayt (a.s) knew about him and they knew how to keep the confidence.

 

 

BELIEF IN ISTE KHARA—AUGURY

 

 

His Ijtehad became known in 948 H. In the year 951 he had to travel to Constantinople, present day Istanbol, which was the capital of the Turkish Empire those days. His journey to Constantinople was very interesting. We shall mention its salient features. When he started on his journey and reached Halaq, a town in Syria, and halted there. There he learnt that there were two ways for going to Constantinople. One was the highway that was generally used by most of the travelers. The other route was tortuous and was seldom used by the wayfarers. From Halaq he had to join the company of some caravan. In the olden days people used to travel in groups to protect themselves against robbers and highwaymen. He heard that there were two groups, each taking the different route to Constantinople. He did Istekhara and found that he must not take the highway route and go on the less frequented road. He was surprised. But he had done the Istekhara. He did not join the group that took to the highway. The other group was to start the journey within the next few days. Then he heard that the second group had  postponed their journey! They had the program of travel, but the date of departure was uncertain.He was worried that he was stuck there after traveling quite some distance. After some days he learnt that another group was getting ready to take the highway route to Constantinople. He did the Istekhara again from the Holy Quran and the Verse that came in front of his eyes was—Wasbir la Hukm Rabbak—Be patient on the Command of Allah. This was a clear instruction for him. He let the second group go. He heard that a third group will also take the highway route. He did Istekhara again The Verse that came in view was---“One who goes behind them will invite Allah’s ire” He allowed the third group to depart too. After some days he heard that the fourth group was getting ready to travel. He did the Istakhara again and was not allowed to travel. Now he was getting tired of waiting there. He heard that, alas, the group that was to travel on the less frequented road was getting ready to depart. When he opened the Holy Quran to do the Istekhara, the verse that came before his eyes said, “Al yaum kuntum maa tua doon---Today is the day when the promise that has been made to you will be fulfilled.” When he saw the Verse, he got worried. There wasn’t any sign of the departure of the group on that day and the Verse said that he should travel the same day. He was sitting worried when he found a person coming in his search. He called from a distance asking him to get ready that the group was about to leave. Shaheed e Saani kissed the Quran, kept it away carefully, prepared his baggage in a hurry and joined the group for the journey. Again and again, when he did Istakhara, he was commanded to wait with patience. He learnt that on the highway route there was acute famine in the villages and it wasn’t possible to get foodstuff for many days together. The practice those days was that the caravans didn’t carry provisions with them and arranged their food in the villages on the way.The groups that went earlier didn’t find any food on the way for days together, and when they got anything, the price was prohibitive. Anyway, Shaheed e Saani reached Constantinople and accomplished his task there. Now he thought that he had left home and his spouse was to deliver in the month of Jamadi al Awwal. He says that during the day he went out with his companions in the city of Constantinople and went to the mausoleum of Hazrat Abu Ayoob Ansari. Sultan Mohammed had built this mausoleum over the grave of the saint. After the ziarat he came out and it came to his mind that he must do the Istekhara. He had the copy of the Quran with him. He opened the Quran to do the Istakhara and the verse that came to his view was, “Wa basshar naa hu be ghulam haleem---We have given him good news of a son. Shaheed e Saani informed his companions about the Istakhara. After some days a group arrived in which there were some persons from his neighborhood. They gave him the good news that he was blessed with a son. After accomplishing his work in Constantinople, Shaheed e Saani called on the Qazi of the city. He noticed that the worthy had respect for the Ulema. The Qazi asked his opinion about a problem. Shaheed e Saani said that he would give him his opinion after 18 days. In those eighteen days he wrote a book on the subject and presented to the Qazi. He was surprised that a book could be written on the intricate subject in such a short time knowing that the person was a traveler and had no access to any material for research!

 

 

THE MIRACLES OF SHAHEED E SAANI

 

 

During the time of  Shaheed e Saani, writing was done by dipping the quill ina pot of ink. Generally the ink used to dry after writing one or two lines. It is said that Shaheed e Saani would write forty to fifty lines after dipping the quill into the ink once. This is the reason that Shaheed e Saani has written plenty of books that this faculty enabled him to write at a faster pace. The work that any other writer did in a couple of months, he would do in one month. He had written a book at Constantinople in 18 days and presented it to the Qazi of that city. The Qazi was surprised at his achievement and reported the matter to Sultan Salim who was the caliph of Turkey then. The Sultan immediately sanctioned a pension for Shaheed e Saani and asked him to go as a tutor to the Madrasa Nooria in the town of Yalaqath in Syria. They wanted a tutor who was an expert in more than one Fiqh. Those days the scholars following particular Fiqh were experts only in that Fiqh. The Sultan wanted a tutor who was an adept in all the Fiqhs. In the book presented to the Qazi, Shaheed e Saani had resolved the question on the basis of the four Fiqhs. The Sultan ultimately sent him to Baalbek and he announced there that he would impart instruction to students in all the four Fiqhs. But, in fact, he was also giving instruction in the fifth Fiqh, the Fiqha e Jafaria. It is said that he taught in the Madrasa for a long time. He was there in a state of Taqayya. But slowly people started realizing that he was giving instruction in a Fiqh that was unlike the four Fiqhs they knew of..He got wind of this feeling of the people and to save his life, he resigned and returned to his home town. He stayed in his own home till he was martyred. There are 20 to 25 Karamaat (sort of miracles) recorded in our books about Shaheed e Saani. The famous incident is that there is a Mehrab (Receptacle) in Masjid e Koofa where Hazrat Ali (a.s) used to stand for his prayer. This is the Mehrab where most of the Ulema and Mujtaheds like to go and offer their prayers. When Shaheed e Saani returned from Haj, he went for the Ziarat two years after that. When he reached Koofa he offered prayer at the Mehrab e Koofa. Then he offered prayers at the Mehrabs of other mosques. At the Hazrat Muqaddisa Mosque he noticed that the direction of the Mehrab needed correction. He announced that he wouldn’t lead the prayer according to the orientation of the existing Mehrab and that he would slightly turn his prayer mat to get the correct direction of the Qibla. The people told him that leading Mujtahids had prayed earlier in the mosque and none of them raised any objection about the Mehrab. There was one cleric, Abu Moosa, who said that Allama Hilli, Mohaqqaq Karki and Shaheed e Awwal had offered prayers there and had made no objection about the direction of the Mehrab. Sahaheed e saani said that he wasn’t objecting to what the great scholars did, but that he was highlighting his problem. For three days Abu Moosa didn’t offer prayer behind Shaheed e Saani. On the fourth day he joined the congregation behind Saheed e Saani. After the prayer Shaheed e Saani asked him about his change of mind. He said that he was in error. He continued that the previous night he saw a dream that the Prophet (s.a) had come with a group of companions, stood in front of the Mehrab, turned the mat in the same way as was done by Shaheed e Saani and offered the prayer. After the prayer the Prophet (s.a) looked at the congregation and said that any person who prays at this Mehrab and doesn’t shift his prayer mat a little, his prayer would be void. Abu Moosa said how it was possible for him not to accept his error.There is another interesting incident from Shaheed e Saani’s life. There was a very important book written by Allama Hilli. Over a period of time the writing on the pages of the book had completely faded out. You must be aware that there was a time when it was a pastime to burn the books written by the followers of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s). Even the library of Shaheed e Saani was burned.which consisted of 2000 books. Only 100 books were salvaged from that library. Shaheed e Saani heard that a copy of Allama Hilli’s book that we mentioned earlier was available in the library of a scholar in Damascus. The owner of the library was neither a Momin nor was he a follower of Allama Hilli. Shaheed e Saani was wondering how to get the book from the person. He however started for Damascus to make a trial to get the book. During the journey, while he slept, he saw a dream. In his own words, “I reached a station during the journey. It was extremely cold and I decided to halt for the night! I slept there and then I dreamed that I reached a place where a function was going on. The function was at the place of Mohammed ibn e Kulaini who spent twenty years of his life collecting the traditions of the Imams (a.s).

 

 

USOOL E KAAFI BEING COLLECTED AGAIN. .

 

Shaheed e Saani continues, “In the dream I saw that I reached Allama Kulaini’s house. Mohammed ibn e Kulaini was seated in the house. After some conversation he said, “O person! Your status is high! The Al e Mohammed (a.s) are very pleased with you!  Therefore I wish to give you a gift.” Saying this, he brought a book which was a fourth of his voluminous Usool e Kaafi and gave to me. I kissed the book, opened it and found that it was written on excellent paper. I asked Allama Kulaini why he was giving to me only a fourth of the book ? Allama Kulaini said, “People have done great injustice to my book! They have put errors in it, they made additions at their own volition and in some instances they have omitted several pages of the text! They were unable to copy the book properly! I have with me only a fourth of the complete book and I might have a few more pages at home! I shall go to search and bring them. “Saying this he entered the house. I saw my brther from Damascus coming in. He picked up the book and said, “This is a part of Mohammed Yaqub Kulaini’s “Usoole Kaafi”. I too have a portion of it with me at Damascus.” I asked him, “How much?” He said, “I have 3/4^th of the book and the first 1/4^th isn’t there! The paper is the same as this book and the calligraphy too is the same as this book!” I asked him to fetch it. He went out. After a while Mohammed Yaqub Kulaini came out of his room. He had some pages in his hands. The quality of the paper was very poor and the writing on it too was shabby. He said, “See! What hardship has been inflicted on me! I feel about it even now!” I told him, “It should please you to hear that 3/4^th of the book is available in the same good condition as you have the 1/4^th with a friend of mine and the two volumes would make the complete book.” Mohammed Kulaini raised his hands and prayed for me and my brother and said that he was relieved aftersuch a long time. He said, “The book is now in your hands! Don’t let it go in the hands of ignorant persons! When a book is copied, they make many changes in it!” At this point I woke up from my dream.

 

“I reached Damascus and was all the time thinking about the concern of Mohammed ibne Kulaini, His monumental work of 20 years was not handled properly by people. I reached the home of my brother,Zain ud Deen, and asked him, “Have you got a book with the title of  “Usool e Kaafi”  He said he had the incomplete book, which was 3/4^th of the complete work. I asked him to bring the book. When he brought the book I noticed that it began from the very page that Mohammed ibne Kulaini had shown the text was missing from the book he had.” Shaheed e Saani joined both the portions and published the complete book.”

 

After staying in Damascus for some time, Shaheed e Saani told to his friend that he wanted to return home. The person said that since he was leaving him, he wished to make a gift to him He asked Shaheed e Saani what he would like to have as a gift? He said that he wanted to take a book from his library. From the thousands of books in the library, he picked up the incomplete copy of Usool e Kaafi.

 

Shaheed e Saani was a man of great piety. He led a very frugal life. He used to go into the forest during nights, collect the firewood , sell it and spend the proceeds for his living. In the day time he used to give lessons to his students. This was his daily routine. Shaheed e a Saani was such a pious person that he had an intuition that he was soon to be martyred. There is an incident in the life of Shaheed e Saani that Sheik Bahai has recorded in his book. His father and Shaheed e Saani were traveling together. They passed through a dense forest. Shaheed e Saani’s face became parched and said that a very pious person would be martyred at that place and that Momin will turn, in pain, on the ground in his blood. Similarly a disciple of Shaheed e Saani says that he was once going out with his mentor. On the way they passed a forest. The mentor asked him, “Do you know, what place is this?” The disciple said he didn’t know about the place. Shaheed e Saani said that was the place where he would be martyred soon! Two dreams of Shaheed e Saani are very prominently mentioned in our books. In one of the dreams he saw that he had entered the Heaven and many chairs are stacked in a row. On each chair was seated a scholar of repute. Besides Shaheed e Awwal a chair was vacant. He asked someone as to who would sit on that chair. He was told that the chair was for him. He understood that the time for him getting martyred was near.

 

. Sheik Bahai has mentioned another incident too with reference to what his father said. One morning he reached the home of Shaheed e Saani. He saw him sitting with his head pensively bent in thought. He asked Shaheed e Saani what he was brooding about? He replied, “I think I shall soon be a martyr!” Sheik Bahai’s father asked why he got such a thought. Shaheed e Saani said, “I saw in the dream that I had reached the house of Sayed Murtada Ilm al Huda. He had arranged a party and the Ulema were arriving one by one.He was receiving the guests with great respect and seating them on chairs. When I reached there, Sayed Murtada stood up respectfully and led me to a chair next to Shaheed e Awwal. This gives me an idea that I shall be a martyr after him!” Therefore, this dream of Shaheed e Saani and his getting the premonition again and again indicated that he was mentally ready for the eventuality. He was spending a life of dissimulation but knew that a day would come when the enemies would know his true identity. It was the year 965 or 966 when he got wind that his true identity was known to the rulers.. At that time he was working on his most important book,”Shara Lam-aa”. The book was completed in six months and six days. It is surprising that he completed this monumental work in such a short time since a reading of the book would take two years!  For over 400 years the book is on the curricula of all the Shia Seminaries.

 

About the martyrdom of Shaheed e Saani there are three different versions. When his learning and acumen received the recognition, the other Ulema, particularly from the other schools, became jealous of him. Therefore they carried tales to the ruler of the day. They told him that he was a risk for the establishment that he was propagating a new creed. It is said that the ruler sent seven men to arrest him. In another version it is said that two persons came to him and said that they were both having some differences and that they wanted him to arbitrate as to who was right and who was wrong. The Shaheed heard both of them and gave his verdict in accordance with the Shariah. The person against whom he gave the verdict went to the Qazi who was the official judge for the entire Syrian Territiory. The Qazi was angered and sent his men to arrest him.Shaheed e Saani heard about this move. To save himself he mounted a camel and started for haj. He thought that he would be safe in Makka. The men of the Qazi searched for him. They asked his neighbors who told them that he had left for the Haj. One of the pursers caught up with him near Makka. Shaheed e Saani told him that he wanted to perform the Haj and after that he would accompany the pursuer wherever he wanted to take him. He performed the pilgrimage and then the person started the journey back to Syria with him. The third version is that the ruler, on getting reports against him, sent his men from Constantinople to arrest him. He had already performed the Haj and was sitting in the Masjad e Haram when the ruler’s men apprehended him. It is said that he was incarcerated at a house in Makka for 40 days. On the way someone said that if he talked the ruler to his way of thinking, the ruler might punish them. Therefore he asked them to kill him on the way. Therefore he was martyred in that wilderness and the severed head was taken to Constantinople. In the court there was a person by name, Sayed Abd ar Rahim Abbasi, who was a follower of the Ahl al Bayt (a.s). He was a minister of Interior with the ruler.He told the ruler that the men had transgressed his orders. Instead of bringing the captive alive, they had killed him.On this behavior of the men the minister resigned from the service saying that he wouldn’t bear with their dereliction of duty. The ruler asked him what punishment should be given to the men. The minister asked the men to be handed over to him. He then burnt them alive as Qasas for their act.Another version is that he was killed with the consent of the ruler and his body was thrown in the river.

 

Nemat Ullah al Jazaeri writes that the body of Shaheed e Saani remained without shroud or grave in the wilderness. Some farmers passed from there in the dark night. They noticed that a ray of bright light was traveling from the sky to the ground. When they reached near, they found a body without head. The light was emanating from the body. They didn’t know who he was but thought that the person must be a man of high piety that his body emitted such bright light. With great respect and veneration they dug a grave and interred his body there.  

 

SHAHEED E SAANI’S BLOOD FORMS  ALLAH’S NAME ON THE GROUND

 

 

Sayed Nemat ullah al Jazaeri writes that when the Shaheed e Saani’s head was severed, wherever his blood fell on the ground, it formed Allah’s name as if someone has written the name in blood. In the narrative it is also recorded that the farmers found a piece of paper suspended in the ray of light that was there. On the paper it was scribbled, “O Allah! Presently I am in the clutches of these tyrants!” On the reverse side of the paper it was found written “If you are My creature, you will remain patient. We shall take revenge!”

 

After the martyrdom of Shaheed e Saani calamity descended on Constantinople The next day of his killing a severe storm hit the city that such rain had never come to the Istanbul City. Then came flood in the river and half the city was submerged!.