The night of loneliness
Shame Gariba(n) means the evening of strangers and homeless. This is the evening that occurred after the Martyrdom of Imam Hussain (a.s.), his sons, and his companions.
The only people left were the women of the Prophet and Imam Hussain's family and the last son of Imam Hussain (a.s.), Imam Zaynul Abid (a.s). The remaining male members were killed brutally by the army of Yazid Ibn Muaviya.
The Women were all alone in the lonely desert with no food and water. There was darkness everywhere. Imagine the suffering of the women who lost their brothers, husband, and sons in that war. Their ‘Hijab' was forcefully taken off by the soldiers. They were hungry and thirsty including the 6 months old son and 4 year old daughter of Imam Hussain.
For us, the Shia of Imam Ali this evening is a calamity. We gather and listen about the tragedy of Karbala. We sleep on the floor that night not on beds; remembering the situation of the women who were awake all night in the lonely desert filled with the fear of being robbed. We talk about the hardships faced by those women who lost their family in the tragedy of Karbala.
The most horrific fact of the evening the tents were burnt, The females were witness to the trampling of the bodies of the Martyrs of the House of Hashimits (the Family) of Prophet. The Heads of the Martyrs were severed from the Bodies and were raised on lances. This was an Evening which saw extreme cruelty.
Umer para, India, Srinagar
