Zayd the fool and the tomb of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him).

Zayd the fool is a man of good and righteous people, wise and rational, and was called a fool because he was never tired of answering people with argument and eloquence.

And on the day he heard about the destruction of the tomb of Imam al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and plowing it. He felt so sad and his grief over the Master al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) was renewed, so he travelled walking from Egypt complaining his anguish to his Lord. Defying all his journey's difficulties until he arrived to Karbala, where he found that the building over the tomb was destroyed but the tomb was intact, and whenever they put water over it, the water surrounds it and turns around with the power of the Mighty. Zayd was astonished with what he saw!

The plower saw Zayd, and walked towards him and told him: From where you came, O sheikh? Zayd answered: From Egypt. So he asked him: And what are you doing here? I fear for you to be killed!

Zayd cried and said: I swear by God, I have been informed about the plowing of the grave of al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) and it made me sad and grieved. The plower fall on his knees kissing Zayd's feet, saying: My mother and father be your redemption, I swear by God, O sheikh, since you came here, I felt that the mercy came to me and my heart was enlightened by the light of Allah, and I believed in Allah and his messenger! I am the plower of this land by the command of the Mutawakkil, and whenever I pour water to the grave of al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), it surrounds it and turns around it and not even a drop reached it.

Both Zayd cried and then the plower cried and said: I am heading to the Mutawakkil in Samarra, to inform him about the situation. Zayd accompanied him.

When the plower went to al-Mutawakkil and told him what he has seen of the miracle of the grave of al-Hussayn (peace be upon him), he became angry and more despicable to the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them), and ordered to kill the plower and to crucify him.

Zayd the fool witnessed the whole scene and he felt more sorrow and sadness. He waited until they brought him down from the crucifixion and threw him on the bin. Zayd took him to Tigris River, washed him and shrouded him, performed the funeral prayer on him and then buried him, and stayed three days near his grave. While being on this situation, he heard loud noise, and people crying loudly and saw a coffin carried.

He asked one of them: Whose funeral is it? He was told: This is the funeral of the concubine of al-Mutawakkil! Then they build on her grave a big dome.

When Zayd looked at this, he started slapping his face and putting soil on his head, saying: O sorry for you O Hussayn! You are killed in al-Taf alone, thirsty, stranger and martyr, the women and children in your family were taken captives, and your children were slaughtered, and nobody cried for you, and you were buried without being shrouded, then your grave is plowed to extinguish your light! And this how great is the funeral of a concubine! He kept crying and wailing until he fainted. When he got up he said these verses:

Is the grave of al-Hussayn in at-Taf is plowed *** And the grave of the sons of the harlot is built.

May God curse the people of corruption *** and he who trusts the perishing Dunya.