Muslim bin Aqeel (AS) was the cousin and ambassador of Imam Hussain (AS). When Imam Hussain (AS) received thousands of letters from the people of Kufa inviting him to go and rule over them, Imam Hussain (AS) sent Muslim bin Aqeel (AS) as his emissary to go and assess the situation and report to him. However, to show that he was going in peace, Imam Hussain (AS) told Muslim bin Aqeel to go with his two very young children, Muhammad (aged 10) and Ibrahim (aged 8 ) (PBUT)
On the capture and martyrdom of Hazrat Muslim bin Aqeel on the 9th Zul Hijjah, his two sons were taken into captivity. They stayed locked in the dungeons until 20th Zul Hijjah, when a prison guard, on seeing the two brothers diligently offering their morning prayer and learning that they were from the family of Imam Ali (as), released them.
The two boys tried to leave Kufa to reach Imam Hussain (as) and warn him of the Kufan’s treachery. However seeing that all the roads were blocked, they drank water from the River Euphrates, and as the day was breaking they climbed up a tree to hide. A sympathetic woman discovered them and took them home to hide them. However, her husband Harith worked for the tyrant governor Ibn Ziyad, and on discovering them he firstly tied them up leaving them as such all night, and then the following day he beheaded them by the river.
These tragic deaths are poignant for us, because they carry so much meaning and tragedy. Their father was a most brave loyal man of Imam Hussain (as), and the children themselves despite their very young age, faced such hardship yet they remained steadfast and firm. Their only request before their martyrdom was to offer their prayers.
