Search the Community

To what extent are the narrations regarding ghusl on the night or Day of Ashura historically authentic, and if so, do they contradict the reports of the caravan’s thirst? The question of "water and thirst" in the event of Ashura is one of the most significant historical and emotional themes in Shia narratives. Alongside numerous and mutawatir (mass-transmitted) reports about the thirst of Imam Husayn (AS) and his Ahl al-Bayt, certain narrations speak of the Imam (AS) and his companions having performed ghusl on the night or morning of Ashura. These two sets of narrations may appear contradictory at first glance, but a textual and historical examination reveals that this apparent contradiction can be reconciled. 1. Textual Credibility of the Bathing Narrations on Ashura According to the investigations of hadith scholars, the narrations regarding the ghusl of Imam Husayn (AS) on the night or morning of Ashura do not possess authentic and definitive chains of transmission, nor are they reported clearly and reliably in the ancient Ashura sources such as Maqtal al-Abi Mikhnaf, al-Irshad, or Ansab al-Ashraf. In historical analyses, the only definitive matter is the siege of water and the Imam’s thirst at the moment of martyrdom.[1] The reports about bathing have weak chains of transmission and cannot be ranked alongside the mutawatir reports concerning thirst. [2] Hadithological research demonstrates that until the morning of Ashura a small quantity of water remained in the tents, and the reports of severe thirst relate specifically to the noon of Ashura and the peak of the battle. [3] 2. Does Bathing Contradict the Reports of Thirst? Even if we accept the bathing narrations as authentic, several points resolve any apparent contradiction: Ghusl does not require abundant water; it can be performed with a very small quantity. The intensification of the water siege was gradual. It is plausible that on the night or morning of Ashura limited access to water still existed, while by noon the thirst had reached its peak. The water used for ghusl may have been unfit for drinking; that is, drinkable water may have been reserved for the children, while non-potable water was used for washing. Reliable historical sources also indicate that the closure of the Euphrates on the 7th of Muharram does not mean the absolute absence of water in the tents; rather, a small amount of water remained until the morning of Ashura. [4] 3. Mutawatir Reports of Thirst The reports concerning the thirst of the Imam (AS) and his companions are mutawatir and definitive, drawn from both Shia and Sunni sources, the ziyarat texts, and the narrations of the Prophet (SAW) and the Imams (AS). Examples include: - The thirst of Ali Akbar (AS): "The thirst has killed me." [5] - The movement of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas (AS) to fetch water. [6] - The address of Hurr to the people of Kufa regarding the deprivation of Imam Husayn (AS), along with his women and children, from the waters of the Euphrates. [7] This extensive body of narrations confirms the certainty of the thirst, and its historical weight far exceeds that of the bathing reports. Conclusion Based on a textual and historical examination, the narrations concerning the bathing and washing of Imam Husayn (AS) and his companions on the night or morning of Ashura are not authentic and definitive, and cannot be ranked alongside the mutawatir reports regarding the thirst of the Imam (AS), his Ahl al-Bayt, and companions. Nevertheless, even if we assume these narrations to be authentic, there exists no real contradiction with the reports of thirst; for the use of a small quantity of water, the difference in the intensity of the water blockade during the siege, or the use of non-potable water can reconcile both sets of narrations. Thus, the credible historical picture remains that Imam Husayn (AS) and his companions were martyred with parched lips at the noon of Ashura, and the bathing narrations — if accepted — merely indicate the presence of a limited amount of water in the hours before the battle. [1] . Bihar al-Anwar, Allama al-Majlisi, vol. 45, p. 56. [2] . Article: "A Hadithological Analysis of the Narrations on Water and Thirst in Ashura", Mohsen Refaat and Sayyid Zia al-Din Ali Ansab, pp. 11–12. [3] . Ibid., p. 21. [4] . Ibid., p. 14. [5] . Bihar al-Anwar, Allama al-Majlisi, vol. 45, p. 43. [6] . Ibid., p. 41. [7] . Al-Irshad, al-Shaykh al-Mufid, vol. 2, p. 100.

Why Did Imam Husayn (AS) Not Use Camel Milk to Quench His Thirst? The issue of thirst in the event of Ashura is one of the most definite and prominent historical realities, a reality extensively recorded in reliable historical, literary, and supplicatory sources. The question of whether the presence of milking camels in the caravan could have prevented the onset of thirst requires a careful examination of historical sources and an analysis of the actual conditions on the battlefield of Karbala. 1. Historical Reports About the Thirst of Husayn's Caravan All reliable historical sources—from the early Maqatil (martyrdom accounts) to later works—agree on one point: the army of Umar ibn Sa'd cut off water from Imam Husayn's (AS) caravan from the seventh of Muharram (three days before the martyrdom) and left no means of access to water. This matter is explicitly stated in numerous historical reports.[1] 2. Were Alternative Resources Such as Camel Milk Available? None of the reliable historical sources mention that Imam Husayn (AS) or his companions used camel milk to relieve their thirst. Historical research also confirms that no such report exists in reliable sources. 3. Historical and Logical Reasons for the Impossibility of Using Camel Milk A) The Number of People in the Caravan and the Limitation of Camel Milk Early historical sources such as Tarikh al-Tabari, [2] reports from Shaykh al-Mufid, [3] and others report[4] the water blockade and severe thirst of Imam Husayn's (AS) caravan in Karbala. [5] Given the presence of men, women, and children in this caravan, even the existence of several milking camels could not have fully met the hydration and nutritional needs of this population under siege conditions. B) Wartime and Siege Conditions The main problem of thirst was not the absence of alternative resources; it was the complete blockade of water. The enemy army even prohibited the digging of wells, and historical reports show that after Ibn Ziyad learned of the Imam's attempt to dig a well, he issued orders to prevent it. [6] C) The Absence of Any Historical Record of Camel Milk Being Used Despite the high level of precision with which historians recorded the details of the Ashura event, there is no report of camel milk being used. This historical silence indicates that such a possibility either did not exist or was practically not viable. 4. Water Supply Until the Ninth of Muharram Some reliable sources, such as Ibn A'tham[7] and Khwarizmi, [8] have reported that Imam Husayn (AS) had been supplying water by digging wells before the siege intensified, but after the enemy's prohibition, severe thirst began. [9] Conclusion In light of historical evidence, the presence of milking camels could not have prevented the severe thirst of Imam Husayn's (AS) caravan, because the thirst resulted from a complete water blockade, not from a lack of alternative resources. The limited capacity of camel milk, the large number of people in the caravan, the wartime conditions, and the absence of any historical record of such use all demonstrate that this hypothesis is historically and logically untenable. The thirst of Ashura is an absolute and documented reality in reliable sources, and no historical report denies it by suggesting the existence of alternative resources. [1] . Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, vol. 4, p. 312 / al-Akhbar al-Tiwal, al-Dinawari, Abu Hanifa, p. 255 / al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, Ibn al-Athir, Izz al-Din, vol. 4, p. 53, etc. [2] . Tarikh al-Tabari, al-Tabari, Ibn Jarir, vol. 5, p. 412. [3] . Al-Irshad, al-Shaykh al-Mufid, vol. 2, p. 86. [4] . Tajarib al-Umam wa Ta'aqub al-Himam, Ibn Miskawayh, vol. 2, p. 70. [5] . Maqatil al-Talibiyyin, Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani, p. 78. [6] . Al-Futuh, Ibn A'tham, vol. 5, p. 91. [7] . Ibid. [8] . Maqtal al-Husayn, al-Khwarizmi, vol. 1, p. 346. [9] . Al-Irshad, al-Shaykh al-Mufid, vol. 2, p. 86.

Question: I become extremely thirsty while fasting. Can that be an excuse for breaking my fast? Answer: If a person who is observing fast becomes thirsty and it is feared on his part that fasting might be harmful to him or it is extremely difficult for him that it is not bearable normally, it is permissible for him to drink at the time of extreme thirst to the extent of necessity only in which case his fast becomes void and he should not eat or drink more than that out of respect for the month of Ramadhan and should continue to restrain himself for the rest of the day, as an obligatory precaution. He should observe the qadha of that day after the month of Ramadhan. If he is not fasting in the month Ramadhan and he has enough time to perform the Qadha of his missed fast, he can break his fast.