MARTYRDOM OF IMAM (A.S.)

A few of the Khawarij who had malice against Ali (A.S.) as well as Muawiya left for Mecca. Over there, three among them gathered and declared Ah and Muawiya to be the ones responsible for disheveling the affairs of the nation. One of them said: “Amr’Aas too is the same. Rather, every sedition is from his side.” From here on these three people - Abdul Rahman-ibn-Muljim Muradi, Barak-ibn-Abdullah and Amro-ibn-Bakr Tamimi conspired to go to Iraq, Syria and Egypt respectively and kill Ali (A.S.) and the other two in one night. (19th of Ramadhan, 40. Hijri). Barak went to Syria and at the specified night waited for Muawiya. When he forced down his sword, it hit Muawiya’s thigh but nothing serious happened. Amr’o Tamimi went to Egypt and on the night of 19th Ramadhan laid in ambush in the mosque for Amr’Aas – the governor of Egypt - Incidentally, the same night Amr’Aas fell sick and did not attend the mosque. Instead the Judge of Egypt attended the prayers and as a result got killed.

However, Ibn-Muljim came to Kufa and as few more days were remaining for the night of 19th Ramadhan he stayed in the locality of Khawarij. One day, in one of his friends’ house, he got acquainted with one Khawarij girl by the name of Qatham. He fell in love with her and asked her hand in marriage. Qatham’s father and brother had both been killed in the battle of Nahrawan. For this reason, she had an adamant malice against Imam (A.S.) and was always in search for an opportunity unity to take revenge. Listening to Ibn-Muljim’s proposal she said:-

“My dowry is indeed heavy: the killing of Ali ... This condition made the decision of Ibn-Muljim more decisive. The night of nineteeth Ramadhan approached. In that night, Qatham herself came to the mosque and summoned a few others to help Ibn-Muljim. All of them waited for morn to approach and laid in ambush for Imam (A.S.).

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In that month of Ramadhan Ali (A.S.) used to go every night to one of the houses of his children for breaking his fast. That night of 19th Ramadhan he had gone to Umm-Kulsum his younger daughter’s house.

She narrates:

“That night my father came to my house. He first prayed. I brought a tray which I had placed only two bread of barley, one bowl of milk and a little salt. After finishing his prayers, he looked at the tray and said” ‘My daughter! Why have you brought two kinds of food don’t you know that I follow the ways of the Prophet? My daughter! There is accounting to be given to the legitimate things of this world and there is punishment for the illegitimate things of this world. I swear by Allah that if you do not take away one of these two eatables, I will not eat. I took away the bowl of milk. He ate a little bread of barley along

t:18