Kumayt and the supplications of the Imams in his favor
It is clear that prayer of the one, who is having a pure soul, and who is
owner of a tongue, which speaks only according to divine contingency and by the
will of God, except that Almighty Allah send revelation to them. Other than that
they do not utter a single word. They don’t speak a single word according to their
own will and wish. They will not intercede for anyone, except those whom
Almighty Allah allows.
An ordinary intercession and request for well being from the Maula for
every person, no matter who that may be, is not there. On the contrary, it is a hint
in these supplications that that person for whom supplication is made is from the
elders of faith.
There are very few persons for whom so many have prayed, as in the case of
Kumayt. And the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) and the Imams from his progeny have
prayed for him in excess. Thus, once the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) prayed for
mercy on him and the second time sought a goodly reward for God and praised
him. The third time, he told him:
“You and your people (Bani Asad) are blessed.”1
Imam Sajjad, Zainul Abideen (a.s.) prayed for him and said: “O God, keep
him fortunate while alive and make him die a martyr and reward him in this
world and bestow exceeding rewards in the hereafter.”
Abu Ja’far Baqir (a.s.) prayed for him on different occasions, like the
Tashreeq days2 in Mina and at other times. He had faced the Kaaba many times
to seek divine forgiveness and mercy for him. Once he said:
“May you always be supported by Ruhul Quds.”
Among this supplications for Kumayt during the Ayyamul Baydh3 is one
narrated by Shaykh Abul Qasim Khazzaz Qummi in his book of Kifayatul Athar4
through his chains of narrators from Kumayt.
He said: I entered the presence of my master, Abu Ja’far, Muhammad and Ali, Imam Baqir (a.s.) and said: “O son of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.a.), I have
composed a poem in your honor, do you permit me to recite it?”
He said: “These are Ayyamul Baydh.”
I said: “These verses are only regarding you.”
He said: “Recite them.” So I began to recite.
“The times make me weep and laugh and days having transition and
variety (I weep) for the nine persons, who were left alone on the land of Taff
(Kerbala) and all of them were placed in graves and shrouds.”
His Eminence (a.s.) and Abu Abdullah [Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s.)] lamented
and I heard a girl lament from behind the curtain. When I reached the following
couplet:
“And the six persons, whose equal no one can be; sons of Aqil, who were
the best of riders. Then Ali, who is the best, was their master. And their
remembrance has made me extremely aggrieved.”
His Eminence (a.s.) lamented and said: “There is no one, who remembers us,
or we are mentioned before him, and tears come out from his eyes equal to the
wing of a housefly, but that Almighty Allah makes a house for him in Paradise
and makes those tears as barrier between him and Hellfire.”
When I reached the following couplet:
او شامتا يوما من الان
ادفع ضيما حين يغشاني
من كان مسرورا بما مسكم
فقد ذللتم بعد عز فما
“One who is pleased at what befell you, or he ridicules you today.
Indeed, you were caused disrespect after being respected and honored. So, I
will not remove injustice and oppression when it overwhelms me.”
His Eminence held my hand and said: “O God, forgive the past and future sins of Kumayt.”
When I reached the following couplet:
“When will the rising of truth take place from you and when would your second Mahdi stage an uprising?”
Imam (a.s.) said: “Very soon, if Allah wills, very soon.” Then he said: “O
Abal Mustahal, indeed our Qaim is the ninth descendant of Husain, because the
Imams after the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) are twelve, and the twelfth of them
is the Qaim.”
I asked: “Who are these twelve?”
He replied: “The first of them is Ali Ibne Abi Talib (a.s.) and after him,
Hasan and Husain; after Husain, Ali bin Husain; and after him, I and after me is
this one (and he placed his hands on the shoulders of Ja’far).”
I asked: “Who is the Imam after him?”
Imam (a.s.) replied: “His son, Moosa. After Moosa, his son, Ali. And after
Ali, his son, Muhammad. After Muhammad, his son, Ali and after Ali, his son,
Hasan. And he is the father of the Qaim, who would stage an uprising and fill up
the earth with justice and equity as it would have been fraught with injustice and
oppression; and he will bestow cure to the breasts of our Shia.”
I asked: “O son of Allah’s Messenger (s.a.w.a.), when would he appear?”
He replied: “The Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.) was asked regarding this.
Indeed, his simile is like the simile of Judgment Day, which would not come to
pass, except all of a sudden.”
Bani Asad – the tribe of Kumayt – itself acknowledged the supplication of
Prophet, which informed about the auspiciousness of Kumayt and his tribe. The
members of the tribe used to say:
“We have an excellence, which no other tribe has. We have received the
auspiciousness of Kumayt in inheritance.”
From those accepted supplications, whose signs are obvious and which left
everlasting excellence for Kumayt, is the point, which Qutubuddin Rawandi has
mentioned in Al-Kharaij wal Jaraih5:
“When the enemies of Aale Muhammad (a.s.) wanted to apprehend and
eliminate Kumayt and he fled, Imam [Muhammad bin Ali al-Baqir (a.s.)] prayed
for him. He left his house in the darkness of the night and escaped though they
had placed men on every route to apprehend him. When Kumayt came out, a lion
barred his way from wherever he wanted to flee, thus hinting not to proceed on
that path as enemies were waiting for him there. The lion accompanied him till
Kumayt escaped the enemies.”
Birth and martyrdom
Kumayt was born in the year 60 A.H. That is the year of the martyrdom of
Imam Husain (a.s.), grandson of Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.a.). He had a good
life in the world, the path which was pleasing to Allah; he taught this right path to
others. So much so that through auspiciousness of the supplication of Imam
Zainul Abideen (a.s.), he was honored by martyrdom in Kufa during the
Caliphate of Marwan bin Muhammad, in the year 126 A.H.