Land of the Pharaohs
WITH reference to the letter of Hussain Ahmad Siddiqui (February 22) in 1953-55 when I was an under-grad, at the American University of Beirut, the head of Middle East Studies was the Lebanese professor and recognized Oriental, Dr Mitchell Zuraykh. In one of his erudite lectures, he described the three different versions the head of al Hussain and the historical antecedents of Imam Hussain Mosque in Cairo.
According to him, the Fa’themids, Bohris and Ismailis contend that caliph Imam al- Aziz b’illah, son of Moiz, secured the head of Imam Hussain from Damascus, in AD985. However, there is consensus that the head of Imam Hussain was severed from the trunk of the body and carried on a spear (neza) to Damascus, to the court of Yazid after the tragedy of Karbala, on October 10, AD680.
Al Azhar University that lists ibn Khaldoon, document representations for the revered head of his father were made by Ali ibn Hussain, the eldest son of Imam Hussain, to Yazid and his heirs, Mauvia ibn Yazid, Merwan and Abdul Malik, to no avail.
The Ohmayyad caliphs never parted with the head of Imam Hussain and it remained in the niche of the room of the Ohmayyad Mosque, in the watch tower.
Two hundred and forty years thereafter, in AD985, Fa’themide Caliph al Aziz b’illah obtained the head from the Ohmayyad Mosque in Damascus, through the offices of his contemporary in Baghdad, the Abbaside Caliph Ahmed A’bul Abbas (Al Kadir b’illah). Around the hallowed place where the head was reposed, Caliph al Aziz b’illah built the celebrated Imam Hussain Mosque of Cairo. Nevertheless, Persians maintain that following the assumption of the caliphate by Mauvia ibn Yazid in November AD683, Yazid’s son invited Imam Ali ibn Hussain (Zain-ul-Abedine) from Medina to his court in Damascus. To rectify the wrong, Caliph Mauvia ibn Yazid handed over the head of Imam Hussain to Imam Zain-ul-Abedine who took the head from Damascus to Karbala, had the grave of his father re-opened and returned the head adjacent to the truncated body.
However, Professor Zuraikh subscribed to the third rendering, deemed to him the most logical. The head of Imam Hussain was still in the precinct of the Ohmayyad Mosque in Damascus.
According to the Professor, that is why Imam Hussain’s sister Zainab never left Damascus, because the depraved Yazid was not giving her, her brother’s head. She died two years after the tragedy on August 26, 682. Zainab was buried in her husband Abdullah ibn Jaffar’s orchard in Zenobia, the Ohmayyad military cantonment. Zainab’s mausoleum in Zenobia is next to the Damascus airport.
MOHAMMED AZIZ HAJI DOSSA
Karachi
Nothing, but a bubble
WITH reference to the article Nothing, but a bubble (February 22), the writer has highlighted some very controversial facts about the country’s economy, reflected by the progress of the stock markets that are supposed to reflect the economic progress of Pakistan.
Even from the debates that are common in parliament, to the development progress of the industrial or the agriculture sector, it is clear that it’s a pretty misty picture (though it is still to be decided whether Pakistan is an agrarian or an industrial economy).
The bottom line in the article reflect a very clear picture of what is happening and what might happen in the near future specially as the time of WTO implication draws near.
NAVEED SALEEM
Karachi
Valentine for singles
THIS is in reference to the article Valentine for singles (February 15), this particular piece caught my eye because of its simple yet intriguing language. The selection of words seemed appropriate and at the same time carried immense meaning. It portrayed a single man’s agony on the day reserved for the oh-so-in-love individuals of the world.
FARAH TARIQ
Karachi
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