"Shahi Zinda" or the history of Qusam ibn Abbas

Qusam ibn Abbas, who has long been known as "Shahi Zinda" - "The Living King" among our people, is a Sahabi who has remained among the dusty pages of history, and there is not much information about his life path. However, it is known to many that he is one of the relatives of the Prophet (pbuh), and his grave is located in our land, in Samarkand. That is why there are legends about this breed among the people. Therefore, in today's article, we found it necessary to provide valuable information about this companion based on the opinions and evidence from the sources.

1. Family, birth, childhood, youth.

Qusam was the son of Abbas, the uncle of Rasulullah (pbuh), and his mother, Luboba bint Haris, was the sister of Maimuna, the wife of the Prophet. ^[1] . This case shows that Qusam ibn Abbas was related to our Prophet on both his father's and mother's side. In addition, sources say that Qusam's mother was the first woman to convert to Islam after Haditha ^[2] .

In addition to Qusam, Luboba also had children named Fazl, Abdullah, Ubaidullah, Ma'bad, Ma'ruf, Abdurahman and Umm Habib.

Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet, was nursed by Qusam's mother, so they are considered co-workers. ^[3] .

There is no accurate information about the year of birth of Qusam bin Abbas in the sources. But Husayn bin Ali, born on January 11, 626 (4 Hijri, 5 Shaban) ^[4] taking into account that he was a colleague, it can be assumed that he was born in 626.

Prophet (pbuh) loved Qusam very much. Once, while returning from Arafat, they took his brother Fazl on the back of their car, and himself on the front.

Another time, when little Qusam was playing with his peers, the Messenger of Allah passed by and took him on his horse again.

According to a narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas, Qusam participated in washing and burying the blessed bodies of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and performed the main task in it. Even he was the last to come out of the grave when he was buried, and therefore he was the last to see our Prophet. ^[5] . But Abdullah ibn Abbas himself rejects this narration in another place. Because at the time of Prophet Qusam's death, he was a boy of around seven or eight years old, and it is known that a child of his age should not be entrusted with such tasks. However, Qusam's participation in that auspicious funeral ceremony is mentioned in many reliable sources.

During the time of the three Rashid Caliphs, Qusam, who was young, was not appointed to any task. But during the Caliphate of Hazrat Ali, he was appointed as the governor of Makkah ^[6] . By this time, he was about thirty-two years old. Before that, he was the governor of Medina for a very short period of time - maybe a couple of months.

Qusam's governorship of Makkah lasted until 42/662 when Mu'awiya appointed Khalid ibn As in his place. ^[7] .

2. Qusam's participation in the Movarounnahr trip and his martyrdom

During the reign of the Umayyad caliph Muawiya, Qusam participated in the expedition to Mowaroonnahr in 56/676 with the army under the command of Said ibn Uthman. ^[8] . Due to his bad relations with the Umayyads, Qusam took part in this campaign only as an ordinary soldier. Because he was on Ali's side in the dispute between Ali and Muawiya and was his governor in Makkah. Although Said ibn Usman was from the Umayyads, he showed respect to Qusam, who was in his army, and did not leave him. ^[9] .

Qusam, who was very modest, humble and contented, did not consider himself superior to others because of his closeness to our Prophet. For example, in one narration, Said ibn Uthman asked him, "Should you be allocated a thousand shares from the captured booty?" - when he asked, he answered: "No, one fifth." Then he said again: "Give other people's contributions first, then we will think about mine."

Narshahi tells the story differently. According to him, after Sa'id ibn Usman conquered Bukhara, he showed respect to Qusam and then said: "I will give one share to everyone and a thousand shares to you." In response, Qusam reprimanded, saying: "I will not take (anything) except for the contribution prescribed by the Sharia." ^[10] .

Although there are differences in the narrations, it is clear in them how satisfied Qusam bin Abbas is and that he does not put himself above others.

Different sources give different information about where this great person died. Although some argue that Qusam died in Marv, many reliable sources, including Bukhari, testify that he died in Samarkand and that his grave is there. ^[11] . Even his brother Abdullah said: "How far apart is the place of birth and the place of death of (my brother)!" He was born in Makkah but died in Samarkand", it is said that he was sad about his condition. In addition, the author of the commentary, Abu Salih, said: "We have not seen the graves of any mother's children as far apart as the graves of the children of Abbas and Umm Fazl." Fazl died in Sham, Abdullah died in Taif, Ubaydullah died in Madinah, Qusam died in Samarkand, and Mabad died in Africa. ^[12] .

It is written in "Samaria" that Said ibn Usman left Qusam ibn Abbas in Samarkand with several Islamic troops for the purpose of strengthening religion and introducing Sharia rulings. 677 the Sugdians attacked the city. Qusam was martyred in the prayer hall of the city of Samarkand. They buried him near the cave (in other sources - near the Ghazis) in the Banu Nojiya cemetery. ^[13] .

This is the correct narration - it is said in Samaria - while the son of Osman Sa'id was fighting with the people of Samarkand, Qusam was killed by a bullet and was buried in the cemetery of Banu Nojiya. ^[14] .

He was called "Shahi Zina" - "Living King" because of a legend spread among the people. According to him, Qusam was not killed, but fled from the infidels and miraculously entered the cave that opened before him, and the mouth of the cave was closed after him. ^[15] .

During the reign of Sultan Sanjar Mozi (1118-1157), the "Qusamiya" madrasa was built in the cemetery of Banu Nojiya. It is located near the Obi Mashhad stream, during the time of Amir Temur, a mausoleum was built on this grave and decorated with various decorations. Popularly known as "Shahi Zinda", this monument is one of the most unique masterpieces of medieval architecture.

Noman Abdulmajid