gratitude to that outspoken person, by sending him the present of a hundred female slaves, each provided with a thousand pieces of silver.'

Hosein was born in Medina, A.H. 4, as a six months' child, and no other child was born with six months, except he and John, the son of Zacharias. From his chest to his feet he resembled the blessed body of the Apostle of God. It is said that the interval between Hasan's birth and Hosein's conception by Fatima the brilliant, was 50 days. The Apostle of God named him Hosein, and offered for him the Akika sacrifice. It is narrated of Asma Bint Amis that when Hosein was born, a year after Hasan, she took him to the Apostle of God, who embraced him in his arms, muttered a prayer into his right ear, and then another into his left, and, pressing him to himself, began to weep. On asking him for the reason of this, he told her, that Gabriel had just informed him that the child would soon be killed by the Prophet's own people, but he cautioned her, not to let Fatima know this, lest her feelings should be wounded, because she had only recently been confined. According to a story narrated by Om Salma, the Prophet one night disappeared from her chamber, and, after a long absence, returned bewildered and sad. Asking him for the reason, he said, 'To-night they took me to a place in Persia called Kerbela, and showed me Hosein killed by a party of my people. I took up a piece of earth into my hand, looking like blood; preserve it well, and when thou findest that it turns into fresh blood, then know thou that they have made Hosein a martyr.' She did as she was bidden. When, afterwards, Hosein went to Kufa on the morning of the 10th of Moharram, she found it as before; but looking again in the evening, she saw it had turned into fresh blood. She lamented a little, but soon refrained, lest the enemies of the family should exult. A little later the news arrived that Hosein and his family had attained to the glory of martyrdom.

It is narrated that one day the Apostle of God had Hosein sitting on 'his right thigh and his own son Ibrahim on his left, when Gabriel came and told him that God wished to take away one of the two, allowing him to choose which one to retain. His Excellency reasoned thus: If Hosein dies, myself, Ali, and Fatima will grieve; but if Ibrahim is taken, I alone shall suffer excessive grief; therefore I prefer Ibrahim's death. Three days later Ibrahim died, and whenever afterwards Hosein visited the Prophet, he saluted him thus, 'Welcome thou, for whose sake I have sacrificed my son Ibrahim.' Be it also known that, besides being equal to his ready-tongued brother in knowledge, meekness, perfection, virtue, and liberality, Hosein daily repeated a thousand genuflexions of prayers,

and was a friend of the great and the learned, and, like his brother, made 25 pilgrimages.

Hosein's martyrdom, by reason of which the world became dark, and angels, men, and genii mourned and wailed, is thus narrated: At the beginning of Rejeb, in the year 60 A.H., Moawia died at Damascus. Thereupon Damascus, Egypt, Haleb, with the greater part of Persia and Arabia, took the oath of allegiance to his son Yezid. But when Yezid sent a message to Medina for the same purpose, their Excellencies Hosein and Ibn Zobeir were not willing, and went to Mecca at the end of Rejeb. While there, Hosein received a writing from the leading men of Kufa, in which they invited him to come to them, so as to be made Calif over them. In order to test their sincerity he first sent his nephew Moslem to Kufa, and on hearing that 30,000 men were ready to receive him, he resolved to proceed thither and join them. Some of the great companions indeed tried to dissuade him from going; but he replied that he had received a command from the Prophet, who had appeared to him in a dream. He started with eighteen men of his own household and sixty of his other followers, including thirty-two noble companions. As soon as Yezid had learnt that Kufa was going to oppose him, he sent thither Obeid Ullah as governor. When he arrived, he and the thirty horsemen with him were at first surrounded by the Kufites; but he succeeded by some stratagem in dispersing the besiegers. He now had Moslem brought before him and immediately executed, whereupon all the people submitted themselves to his authority.

When Hosein heard this, on the way, he became troubled; but, being ready for his fate, he proceeded as far as the plain of Kerbela. Yezid had despatched a large body of troops to force Hosein into submission, by surrounding him and his party, and preventing them from taking water out of the river Euphrates. In case of his showing fight, he was to be slain. The soldiers boldly surrounded him in the plain for seven or eight days, till, according to the general report, on a Friday, which happened to be the Ashura fast, a severe fight and desperate conflict ensued, in a succession of single combats, from early morning until noon. Thirty-two combatants on horse-back and forty on foot became martyrs, amongst whom there were two of Hosein's own sons, four were his brothers, five his nephews, and five his cousins; or, according to another account, twenty-three relatives, including his sons. After all these had fallen, Hosein himself mounted a horse, rushed upon his enemies, and fought desperately, till he succumbed to thirst and to seventy-two wounds,