Qays ibn Musahir al-Saidawi was an envoy of
Husayn ibn Ali
Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...
who headed towards
Kufa
Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000.
Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...
carrying Husayn ibn Ali's message for the people about his intention to arrive there.
Husayn ibn Ali reached Al Hajir from the direction of Al Rumma, he handed over his message to Qays in reply to the letter he received from
Muslim ibn Aqil regarding the people of
Kufa
Kufa ( ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates, Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000.
Along with Samarra, Karbala, Kadhimiya ...
who expressed their desire to support Husayn ibn Ali against the
Yazid, their readiness came after they paid allegiance to Muslim ibn Aqil.
Husayn ibn Ali's letter
Husayn ibn Ali in his letter to the people of Kufa which he dispatched with Qays ibn Musahir composed the following message :
"Muslim ibn Aqil's letter reached me. In it, he informs me of your consensus to support us and to demand our rights; therefore, I plead to
Allah
Allah ( ; , ) is an Arabic term for God, specifically the God in Abrahamic religions, God of Abraham. Outside of the Middle East, it is principally associated with God in Islam, Islam (in which it is also considered the proper name), althoug ...
to enable us to do what is good and to reward you with the greatest of His rewards. I have come to you from
Mecca
Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
on the eighth of
Thul-Hijjah; so, if my messenger reaches you, maintain your stand, for I shall reach you in a few days."
By the time Muslim's message reached Husayn ibn Ali about the betrayal he suffered, Husayn ibn Ali had already sent Qays with the reply of that message about his intention to arrive there. However within few days Muslim was captured and then killed by the order of Kufa Governor
Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad.
Arrest in Al Qadisiyya
Qays was captured in
Al Qadissiya by the soldiers of
Al-Husayn ibn Tamim al-Tamimi on his way to Kufa and was thus taken into court of Ibn Ziyad.
Qays ibn Musahir was asked about the letter of Husayn ibn Ali, which before being captured he had shredded or eaten. Ibn Ziyad was curious to know the contents of Husayn ibn Ali's letter, he asked Qays for what did he shred the letter which Qays replied, in order to hide its contents.
Ibn Ziyad's condition and Qays's death
When Qays refused to reveal the contents of Husayn ibn Ali's letter to Ibn Ziyad the latter then asked Qays to raise himself on the
pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...
and praise
Yazid and curse Husayn ibn Ali in front of everyone. If Qays did as he was told, Ibn Ziyad promised to spare his life;
if he would not, Ibn Ziyad threatened to kill him.
Ibn Ziyad put forth his condition in the following sentence:
Qays ascended the pulpit as directed by Ibn Ziyad and started his speech in the following manner:
At the very same time Qays praised and glorified
God
In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
and blessed
Mohammad and his
Progeny and was consistently imploring God's blessings on
Ali ibn Abi Talib
Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until Assassination of Ali, his assassination in 661, as well as the first imamate in Shia doctrine, Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muha ...
, on
al-Hasan ibn Ali and al-Husayn ibn Ali.
He then proceeded to curse Ibn Ziyad's
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
and all
Umayyads; some accounts say he even cursed
Yazid.
This infuriated Ibn Ziyad, and he ordered his men to throw Qays from the rooftop of his palace. Qays succumbed to the injuries sustained in the fall.
Some historians have recorded that Qays did not die immediately, so Abd al Malik Ibn Umayr al-Lakhmi slit his throat. When accosted, he replied that he wanted to put an end to Qays' suffering.
See also
*
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala () was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 Hijri year, AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliphate, Umayyad caliph Yazid I () and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, th ...
References
{{Reflist
7th-century Islam
Iraqi Shia Muslims
7th-century Arab people