SCENE
9: MADINAH
(Imam
Husain's camp, Soldier with Spear, and Nice Soldier move along stage)
Narrator: Freed from Shaam, the captives neared Madinah.
(Bishr
enters stages and approaches Imam Sajjad)
Bishr: Assalaamu 'alaikum, my Imam!
Imam
Sajjad: Wa 'alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatuhu. (nears him) You are Bishr, the son of the poet, are you
not?
Bishr: I am.
Imam
Sajjad: Your father -- may Allah have mercy upon him
-- was a great poet. How are you at
poetry?
Bishr: I am nowhere near as skilled as he, but I can recite a few lines.
Imam
Sajjad: In that case, Bishr, enter Madinah and mourn
the death of Aba 'Abdillah!
Bishr: (in grief; advancing off)
People
of Madinah! Sadness has overwhelmed me,
for the son of 'Ali has been murdered in Karbala!
ya ahla yathrib la maqaama lakum bihaa
qutilal hussain fa'admu3ee midraara
al-jismu minhu bikarbala mudharaj
wal-ras'su minhu 3alal qanaati yudaaru
His
body lies unburied, and they bore his head away. Mourn with me, people of the city of the Prophet!
(Um al-Baneen approaches)
Um
al-Baneen: Bishr, tell me it's not true!
Bishr: A great battle has been fought.
My lady, your son Abbas has been killed!
Um
al-Baneen: Tell me about Husain.
Bishr: My lady, your son 'Abdullah has been killed.
Um
al-Baneen: Tell me about Husain.
Bishr: My lady, your son Usmaan has been killed!
Um
al-Baneen: Tell me about Husain.
Bishr: My lady, your son Ja'far has been killed.
Um
al-Baneen: For the love of God, tell me about Husain!
Bishr: My lady, Husain has been killed in Karbala!
Um
al-Baneen: God rest your soul, beloved son of
Fatimah. Um Salama was right. (rushes up to Zaynab) Would I had been there with my sons and
sacrificed myself too. I am so sorry!
Sajjad: Do not be sorry. The
blood of Husain will revive our ummah.
Person
from Madinah: I never met this man you call Husain. Why do you mourn him?
Bishr: It is not enough that he is the grandson of our Prophet?
Person
from Madinah: Our Prophet taught that all Muslims are
equal and stand shoulder to shoulder no matter who their fathers are. Only the fear of Allah and taqwa
raise one Muslim above another.
Sajjad: You speak the truth. But
my father was no ordinary man. Allah
appointed him and eleven others to carry on the message of Islam after the
Prophet died. He protected those twelve
from misdeeds so that they could show the best examples to humankind. My father embodied the way of Allah and
devoted his life to spreading the true teachings of Islam. He worked all day, and he worshipped and
served the poor all night. He gave up
his life and his family to save the people of Kufa, although they betrayed
him. His faith and self-sacrifice
elevated him above the people, and for these traits, he will be remembered
forever
Person
from Madinah: What a loss for our ummah.
Bishr: (walking along) O people
of Madinah. Mourn the death of Husain!
Um
al-Baneen and Zainab: Husain..... Husain.........
(women
start crying)
Narrator: The illegitimate rule of Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah did not last
long. In the year 683, the people of
Madinah rebelled, and he was killed by an unknown assailant.
Click here to listen to the sound clip at the end of Scene 9
(Lights
out)