Of Ali Akb’ar, the youth
The martyrdom of the living image of the prophet
In memory and mourning of he,
The most handsome of the Hashemites.
In memory and mourning of he,
The oppressed son of Hussain (a.s.)
May the blessings of God be upon thee
O mirror of the image of the Prophet of God (s.a.w.w.)
May blessings of God be upon thee
O brave youth, virgin martyr, peace be upon thee.
At 18, wishing for nothing more than a sip of water
Thy bravery and trials shall be mourned forevermore
In youth, ye for who the sons of Zainab (s.a.) sacrificed themselves
If she (s.a.) had any other than Au’n (a.s.) and Muhammad (a.s.)
She’d send them forth too… A sacrifice every mother sought
Curses be upon the army of 30,000 that watched in arrogance
Curses be upon the commander of such a heartless contingent
Curses be upon the monarch of such murderous forces.
Curses be upon they, who merely stood and watched.
Peace be upon thee, O young son of Hussayn (a.s.)
Peace be upon thee and thy steadfast mother.
Peace be upon thee, and thy unwavering faith
Peace be upon thee, O youthful martyr…
In Hunger and thirst, thee fought valiantly
O noble youth, May thy name remain forevermore
O Son of Hussayn (a.s), grandson of Ali (a.s)…
To thy example, every soul wishes to aspire
O selfless youth, the life of thy father.
Curses be upon they who slaughtered thee
Curses be upon they who spilled thy blood.
Ask Hussayn, the father, how it may have felt
To hold his son… a strange feeling appears in the heart…
Spear in the chest, divine light in thy eyes
I can only imagine how thy mother survived this plight…
Your sorrow afflicts me, as it does all
Yet does anyone know? What was Karbala for?
The lineage of the Prophet, slaughtered without food or water
Invited by letter, defiled and dishonored for what?
How is it that this tragedy, even after so long, thee know not?
The heart cries tears of blood
For one last glance at thee
Thy mother prays and weeps.
Thy return thus occurred but with one request.
O dear, where may we find water for thee?
Had they any mercy, for this oppressed youth?
How may I bear this trauma?
How may I simply ever move on?
Ask he, the oppressed Imam (a.s.)
Ask he, who had to embrace his bloodied son
Ask he, the strength to carry Ali Akb’ar (a.s), who had not
Ask he, who turned to Najaf and called out:
“O Father! Just as thee lifted the great gates of Khaybar
Help lift this spear, from the body of thy own grandson…”
How could he, now tell the aggrieved mother?
Tell me, should we forget this martyrdom?
اِنَّا لِلّٰہ وَ اِنَّا عِلَیہِ رَاجِعُون
Millions mourn today, and this isn’t the last tragedy of them all.
Far worse atrocities are due to be witnessed,
The question still remains.
Can we feel the pain?
Can we still feel at all?
Is this a tale limited to one land or clan?
Do our hearts still live?
For more on the Battle of Karbala, the following books are recommended and an article on the specific event of the Martyrdom of Ali Akb’ar ibn Hussayn (a.s.).
Books
A probe into the history of A’shura
The Event of Taff, The Earliest Historical Account of the Tragedy of Karbala’
The Truth About Al-Husayn’s Revolt
The Tragedy of Karbala’
Remembering Karbala Once Again
Maqtal al-Husayn
Article
The Story of Ali Akbar [ A medium article from 2016 ]
Ali Akbar in the battlefield
Note
The primarily used honorifics used were:
a.s. — Alayhis salaam (علیہ السلام) — “Peace be upon him”
s.a. — Salamun alaiha (سلامَُ علیھا) — “Peace be upon her”
s.a.w.w. — ṣallā -llāhu ʿalayhī wa-sallam (صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ)
“Blessings of God be upon him and his progeny and grant him peace”
جزاک اللّٰہ خیر
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ وعَجِّلْ فَرَجَهُمْ
Verily, I am unworthy of writing these words. May the best of my time and the best of my works always be associated with the House of the Prophet (May God’s blessings be upon them all).