One of the heroes of at-Taf: Nafi' Ibn Hilal.

Another hero of the martyrs of the timeless epic of Karbala, who was martyred on the tenth of Muharram with the Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and his companions. He is Nafi' Ibn Hilal al-Jamali, a distinguished figure of Kufa, who was a noble and courageous man, reciting the Holy Quran and writter of the holy Hadith. Nafi' ibn Hilal was one of companions of the Commander of the Faithful Ali (peace be upon him) who participated with him in his three battles in Iraq. And when Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) was in his way to Karbala, Nafi' joined him before the martyrdom of Muslim Ibn 'Aqeel (peace be upon him), and he has recommended that his horse "al-Kamel" follow him, and Amru ibn Khalid al-Saydawi and his companions brought him his horse to Karbala.

On the second day of Muharram, Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) arrived in Karbala. He called all his households, friends and companions to gather around him. He first looked at his households, cried and said:

O' God! We are the Ahl al-Bayt, households, of the Prophet (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) and; we have been ousted [from our city]; we have been forced to leave the sanctuary of our grandfather—the Prophet (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household)—and we have been disrespected by Banu Umayya. O' God! Give our rights and possessions back to us, and assist us against injustice!

After his remarks, the companions of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) rose one by one, declared their support of Imam (peace be upon him), and renewed their pledge of allegiance with him. After Zuhayr b. Qayn, Nafi' said: "O' son of the Messenger of God (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household)! You know that your grandfather the Messenger of God (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household) was not able to make [all] people love him or be as he likes, so that there were some hypocrites that would promise him support and harbor nothing but treachery. They would be sweet as honey when they meet him, but they would be bitter as a wild gourd once they depart. This was until he was taken by God, the Most Blessed and High, to His side. Your father Ali (peace be upon him) was in the same situation. There were some who were determined in supporting him, fighting alongside him against the transgressors, the perverse, and the deviants. Another group refused to support him and deserted him. That was until he passed to God's mercy, pleasure, ease, and abundance. And you, O' son of the Messenger of God (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household), are in a similar situation. Whoever breaks his oath and renounces his allegiance shall harm none other than himself. God, the Most Blessed and High, will suffice us such men. So lead us, O' son of the Messenger of God (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household), guided and sound [in all your decisions]. Take us east if you wish or take us west! By the One who there is no god but He, we have not despaired of God's judgment, nor have we hated to meet our Lord. We have relied on our intentions and foresight. We are allies to whomever supports you and adversaries to whomever opposes you."

These are the words of Nafi' Ibn Hilal al-Jamali, a believer with insight and knowledge, and a firm position with the true imamate, until he was taken by the divine hand to join the Hussayni caravan, to be one of his faithful companions who supported the Imam (peace be upon him) and were martyrs for his sake.

On the evening of the ninth of day of Muharram; Tasu'a, Imam al-Hussayn (Allah's prayers be upon him) gathered his family and companions.

When Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him)'s camp was rejected from access to water by the command of 'Umar b. Sa'd and Imam (peace be upon him)'s companions and households felt extremely thirsty, Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) called on 'Abbas b. 'Ali (peace be upon him) to bring water for the camp. 'Abbas b. 'Ali (peace be upon him)—along with 30 cavalries and 20 infantries, including Nafi' b. Hilal—went to Furat overnight in order to bring water. However, when 'Abbas (peace be upon him) and his companions, with Nafi' in their forefront, arrived at the river, 'Amr b. Hajjaj al-Zubaydi—the commander of the group of soldiers who protected Furat—shouted: "Who are you?"

"One of your cousins. We came here to drink from the water you have forbidden us", said Nafi'. "You are very welcome to drink! But you cannot take any water to al-Hussayn", 'Amr replied. "No, I swear to God", replied Nafi', "I will not drink from this water, while al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and his households and companions are all thirsty". When Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him)'s companions arrived there, Nafi' shouted: "fill your water-skins with water!"

'Amr b. Hajjaj and his soldiers tried to prevent the companions of 'Abbas b. 'Ali and Nafi' b. Hilal from taking water to Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him)'s camp and a deadly combat started. Some companions of Imam (peace be upon him) managed to fill their water-skins with water and take them to the camps.

During the night before Ashura, Nafi' b. Hilal noticed that Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) went out of his camp, on his own, to inspect the hills around. Nafi' followed Imam (peace be upon him). When Imam (a) noticed the presence of Nafi', he told him "Why did you come out of your camp?" Nafi' replied: "O' the son of the Prophet (Allah’s prayers be upon him and upon his holy Household)! I am worried about your life especially when you show up to this cruel army. Imam (peace be upon him) said: "I have come out to inspect the ups and downs of this field before tomorrow's war breaks", said Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him). When the inspection was all done, Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) told Nafi': "Do you not want to disappear in this dark night to save your life?" Nafi' fell on Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him)'s feet and replied: "I have a sword that is worth one thousand dirhams and I have a horse that is worth about one thousand dirhams. I swear to God that I would never leave you alone so long as my sword can cut". The Imam (peace be upon him) took Nafi's hand and walked back to the camps telling him: "It is, by Allah, the promise of Allah does not fail."
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