THE STORY OF KARBALA - PART 5/03

ABDULLAH BIN WAHB AL-KALBI

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When Husayn's companions started going to the battlefield, one after the other, Wahab approached Husayn and asked his permission to go and fight for him and give his life for Truth and Justice.

Husayn must have been overwhelmed by this young man's passion for justice and his fervour in supporting the right cause. But he tried to explain that it was a fight between a man who was claiming to be the rightful Khaleefa of the prophet of Islam and he himself, the grandson of the prophet. It was clearly a Muslim problem.

And Wahab was a Christian. Why should he get involved in such an unrelated matter. And that too, for getting killed ? We can imagine how Wahab must have replied to this. Wahab must have said to Husayn that although he was not a Muslim, he felt that justice and truth was on Husayn's side and the Christian teachings were not different from those in Islam in matters of truth and justice.

We are told that the mother pleaded on her son's behalf and said: ' O grandson of the prophet of Islam ! It will be an honour for me if my son fights for you and gives his life protecting you.' Husayn was still reluctant to accept Wahab as one of his soldiers. When Wahab saw this, he said:

'O grandson of the prophet of Islam! If that is the case then, from this moment on, I am a Muslim.'

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