Qays ibn Musahir al-Saidawi was an envoy of

Husayn ibn Ali Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, أبو عبد الله الحسين بن علي بن أبي طالب; 10 January 626 – 10 October 680) was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi ...

who headed towards

Kufa Kufa ( ar, الْكُوفَة ), also spelled Kufah, is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000. Currently, Kufa and Najaf ...

carrying Husayn ibn Ali's message for the people about his intention to arrive there. Husayn ibn Ali reached Al Hajir from the direction of Al Rumma, he handed over his message to Qays in reply to the letter he received from

Muslim ibn Aqil Muslim ibn Aqil al-Hashimi ( ar, مُسْلِم ٱبْن عَقِيل ٱلْهَاشِمِيّ ') was the son of Aqil ibn Abi Talib and a member of the clan of Banu Hashim, thus, he is a cousin of Husayn ibn Ali. The people of Kufa called upon ...

regarding the people of

who expressed their desire to support Husayn ibn Ali against the Yazid, their readiness came after they paid allegiance to Muslim ibn Aqil.

Husayn ibn Ali's letter

Husayn ibn Ali in his letter to the people of Kufa which he dispatched with Qays ibn Musahir composed the following message : "Muslim ibn Aqil's letter reached me. In it, he informs me of your consensus to support us and to demand our rights; therefore, I plead to

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

to enable us to do what is good and to reward you with the greatest of His rewards. I have come to you from

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

on the eighth of Thul-Hijjah; so, if my messenger reaches you, maintain your stand, for I shall reach you in a few days." By the time Muslim's message reached Husayn ibn Ali about the betrayal he suffered, Husayn ibn Ali had already sent Qays with the reply of that message about his intention to arrive there. However within few days Muslim was captured and then killed by the order of Kufa Governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad.

Arrest in Al Qadisiyya

Qays was captured in Al Qadissiya by the soldiers of Al-Husayn ibn Tamim al-Tamimi on his way to Kufa and was thus taken into court of Ibn Ziyad. Qays ibn Musahir was asked about the letter of Husayn ibn Ali, which before being captured he had shredded or eaten. Ibn Ziyad was curious to know the contents of Husayn ibn Ali's letter, he asked Qays for what did he shred the letter which Qays replied, in order to hide its contents.

Ibn Ziyad's condition and Qays's death

When Qays refused to reveal the contents of Husayn ibn Ali's letter to Ibn Ziyad. He then asked Qays to raise on the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

and praise Yazid and curse Husayn ibn Ali in front of everyone. If done as directed, Ibn Ziyad promised to spare his life if done otherwise Ibn Ziyad threatened to kill him. Ibn Ziyad put forth his condition in the following sentence: Qays ascended the pulpit as directed by Ibn Ziyad and started his speech in the following manner: At the very same time Qays praised and glorified

God In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...

and blessed the

Mohammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...

and his Progeny and was consistently imploring God's blessings on

Ali ibn Abi Talib ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

, on

al-Hasan ibn Ali Hasan ibn Ali ( ar, الحسن بن علي, translit=Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ...

and al-Husayn ibn Ali. Also Qays cursed Ibn Ziyad his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

and all

Umayyads Umayyads may refer to: *Umayyad dynasty, a Muslim ruling family of the Caliphate (661–750) and in Spain (756–1031) *Umayyad Caliphate (661–750) :*Emirate of Córdoba (756–929) :*Caliphate of Córdoba The Caliphate of Córdoba ( ar, خ ...

, some accounts say he even cursed Yazid. At this Ibn Ziyad turned furious and ordered his men to throw Qays from above the rooftop of his palace. When Qays was thrown likewise his bones got crushed and Qays succumbed to his injuries. Some historians have recorded that Qays did not die immediately, so Abd al Malik Ibn Umayr al-Lakhmi slit his throat. When blamed, he replied that he wanted to put an end to Qays's suffering.

References

{{Reflist 7th-century Islam Iraqi Shia Muslims 7th-century Arabs

Husayn ibn Ali's letter

Arrest in Al Qadisiyya

Ibn Ziyad's condition and Qays's death

See also

References