THE GHUSL ON THE NIGHT OF ASHURA AND THE THIRST OF THE CARAVAN! IS THAT POSSIBLE?

[Taqavi]

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 Hussein (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 Hussein (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 Hussein (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 Hussein (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 Hussein (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.

 

 

 

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[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.