The Lamentation of the Owl on Ĥusain (a.s.)
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1 حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ وَ جَمَاعَةُ مَشَايِخِي عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي غُنْدَرٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (ع) قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ فِي الْبُومَةِ قَالَ هَلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ رَآهَا بِالنَّهَارِ قِيلَ لَهُ لَا تَكَادُ تَظْهَرُ بِالنَّهَارِ وَ لَا تَظْهَرُ إِلَّا لَيْلًا قَالَ أَمَا إِنَّهَا لَمْ تَزَلْ تَأْوِي الْعُمْرَانَ أَبَداً فَلَمَّا أَنْ قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ (ع) آلَتْ عَلَى نَفْسِهَا أَنْ لَا تَأْوِيَ الْعُمْرَانَ أَبَداً وَ لَا تَأْوِيَ إِلَّا الْخَرَابَ فَلَا تَزَالُ نَهَارَهَا صَائِمَةً حَزِينَةً حَتَّى يَجُنَّهَا اللَّيْلُ فَإِذَا جَنَّهَا اللَّيْلُ فَلَا تَزَالُ تَرِنُّ [تَرِثُ] عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ (ع) حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ
1. Muḥammad ibn Ḥasan ibn Aḥmad ibn Walīd and all of my scholars narrated to me from Sa’d ibn ‘Abdillāh, from Muḥammad ibn ‘Isā ibn ‘Ubayd, from Safwān ibn Yaḥyā, from Ḥusain ibn Abī Ghundar, who said: Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) asked, “Have you ever seen an owl during the day?” (People) replied, “No, it never appears during the day. It only appears at night.” Imam (a.s.) said: The owls used to take only developed structures as abodes but when Ḥusain (a.s.) was killed, they refused to stay in developed structures and refused to take anything but wreckages as abodes. Verily the owls always fast during the day and they are grieved until nightfall. At night they chant in grief over Ḥusain (a.s.) until morning.
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2 حَدَّثَنِي حَكِيمُ بْنُ دَاوُدَ بْنِ حَكِيمٍ عَنْ سَلَمَةَ بْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ صَاعِدٍ الْبَرْبَرِيِّ قَيِّماً لِقَبْرِ الرِّضَا (ع) قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي قَالَ دَخَلْتُ عَلَى الرِّضَا (ع) فَقَالَ لِي تَرَى هَذِهِ الْبُومَ مَا يَقُولُ النَّاسُ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ جِئْنَا نَسْأَلُكَ فَقَالَ هَذِهِ الْبُومَةُ كَانَتْ عَلَى عَهْدِ جَدِّي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (ص) تَأْوِي الْمَنَازِلَ وَ الْقُصُورَ وَ الدُّورَ وَ كَانَتْ إِذَا أَكَلَ النَّاسُ الطَّعَامَ تَطِيرُ وَ تَقَعُ أَمَامَهُمْ فَيُرْمَى إِلَيْهَا بِالطَّعَامِ وَ تُسْقَى وَ تَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَكَانِهَا فَلَمَّا قُتِلَ الْحُسَيْنُ (ع) خَرَجَتْ مِنَ الْعُمْرَانِ إِلَى الْخَرَابِ وَ الْجِبَالِ وَ الْبَرَارِي وَ قَالَتْ بِئْسَ الْأُمَّةُ أَنْتُمْ قَتَلْتُمْ ابْنَ بِنْتِ نَبِيِّكُمْ وَ لَا آمَنُكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِي
2. Ḥukaym ibn Dāwūd ibn Ḥukaym narrated to me from Salamah ibn Abil Khaťťāb, from Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali ibn Sā’id Al-Barbari – who was the custodian of the grave of Imam Riďā (a.s.), from his father, who said: I went to (Imam) Riďā (a.s.) and he asked me, “What do people say about owls?” I replied, “May I sacrifice myself for you! We have come here to ask you (about this).” Imam (a.s.) said: At the time of my grandfather, the Messenger of Allāh (s.a.a.w.), owls used to live in palaces, houses, and developed structures. When people used to eat, owls would fly and sit next to them and people would throw (their) food to them and give them water, after which they would return to their abodes. However, when Ḥusain (a.s.) was killed, the owls abandoned the developed structures for wreckages, mountains, and deserts and they said, “What an evil nation you are! You have killed the son of your Prophet’s daughter. We will never feel safe with you again.”
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3 وَ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الرَّزَّازُ عَنْ خَالِهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَبِي الْخَطَّابِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ فَضَّالٍ عَنْ رَجُلٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (ع) قَالَ إِنَّ الْبُومَ لَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ فَإِذَا أَفْطَرَتْ أَنْدَبَتْ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّع حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ
3. Muḥammad ibn Ja’far Al-Razzāz narrated to me from his uncle Muḥammad ibn Ḥusain ibn Abil Khaťťāb, from Ḥasan ibn ‘Ali ibn Faďďāl, from someone who said: Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) said: Verily owls fast during the day and after they break their fast, they are extremely bewildered with grief over Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) until morning.
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4 حَدَّثَنِي عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مُوسَى عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ عَنْ مُوسَى بْنِ عُمَرَ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْمِيثَمِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ (ع) يَا يَعْقُوبُ رَأَيْتَ بُومَةً بِالنَّهَارِ تَنَفَّسُ قَطُّ فَقَالَ لَا قَالَ وَ تَدْرِي لِمَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ لَا قَالَ لِأَنَّهَا تَظَلُّ يَوْمَهَا صَائِمَةً عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهَا اللَّهُ فَإِذَا جَنَّهَا اللَّيْلُ أَفْطَرَتْ عَلَى مَا رُزِقَتْ- ثُمَّ لَمْ تَزَلْ تَرَنَّمُ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّع حَتَّى تُصْبِحَ
4. ‘Ali ibn Ḥusain ibn Mūsā narrated to me from Sa’d ibn ‘Abdillāh, from Mūsā ibn ‘Umar, from Ḥasan ibn ‘Ali Al-Maythami, (from Ya’qūb ibn Shu’ayb Al-Maythami), who said: Abū ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)) asked, “O Ya’qūb! Have you ever seen an owl during the day?” I replied, “No.” Imam (a.s.) asked, “Do you know why that is?” I replied, “No.” Imam (a.s.) said, “It is because during the day, owls abstain from eating that with which Allāh has sustained them. At night, after breaking their fast with their sustenance, they keep chanting with grief over Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.) until morning.”