The Sons of Muslim Ibn Aqeel 


After Muslim Ibn Aqeel was martyred, Muhammad and Ibrahim were also arrested and put into a  dungeon. It is said that Muhammad was just eight years old and Ibrahim was ten. On the 20th of Dhu al-Hijjah in 60 Hijra, when the jailer came to give the children their evening meal, he saw them saying their prayers. The jailer waited.
When the boys had finished their prayers, he asked them who they were. When the jailer learnt that they were the sons of Muslim Ibn Aqeel and the grandsons of Aqeel ibn Abu Talib, he let them escape. 


The children exited the prison, it was a dark night. Their first thought was to go to Hussain ibn Ali and warn him not to go to Kufa. Everywhere they went, they found the roads blocked by Ubaydallah ibn Ziyad’s soldiers. It was impossible to get out of Kufa. Now it was almost day-break. Where could these two young boys go?

They found themselves by the side of the river Euphrates. They drank some water from the river and then went up a tree to hide for the day. Just then a woman came to the river to get some water. She saw the two young boys and asked them who they were. Ibrahim said, “We are two orphans, could you please leave us alone and not tell anyone that you have seen us?” The women asked them to accompany her to her mistress who would help them.
The women’s mistress was a kind lady. After talking to the boys for a while, she realized who they were. She gave them food and said to them, “You can spend the day here and I will try to help you. Unfortunately, my husband Hairth is working for Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. He is out at the moment. You can rest in the spare room but make no noise otherwise when he comes back, he will find out your’e here.” 
The children said their prayers and went to sleep. In the evening, Muhammad woke up and started crying. Ibraheem asked him why he was crying. Muhammad said “I saw our father in a dream. He was calling out for us.” Ibrahim said, “Brother, be patient. I also saw our father in a dream beckoning us to him.” They both started weeping. Hairth, who had came back, heard the children’s cries . He opened the door and asked the children who they were. On learning that they were the sons of Muslim ibn Aqeel, he tied both the boys to a pillar. Harith’s wife tried to stop him, but he hit her. Harith wanted to collect the reward which Ubaydallah ibn Ziyad had offered to anyone capturing the children.


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The two boys said their prayers. They raised their hands and cried out, “surely we belong to God, we are coming to you. Give our mother courage when she hears of our death and the judge between us and our killers!” The sword came down and there we’re splashes in the water. Two young bodies were seen floating away in the waters of the river Euphrates. 
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