Maytham al-Tammar was martyred on the 22nd of Dhu al-Hijjah in the year 60 AH, ten days before the arrival of Imam al-Hussain (peace be upon him) in Iraq, and his blessed shrine is located near the Mosque of Kufa.
Maytham, one of the loyal companions of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), years before his martyrdom, eagerly awaited God’s promise and was deeply attached to the palm tree of his grave. During the oppressive era of the Umayyads, he courageously attained martyrdom by disclosing truths and standing firm for Wilayah.
Glad Tidings to Maytham
Among the companions of the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), Maytham al-Tammar held a special position as a confidant of secrets. He was one of those to whom Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) had repeatedly spoken about his ultimate fate and his martyrdom in the path of truth.
Maytham al-Tammar narrated:
“Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) called me and said: ‘O Maytham! If ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, that bastard of the Umayyads, summons you and asks you to dissociate from me, what will you do?’”
I replied:
“O Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), by God, I will not dissociate from you.”
He said:
“By God, in that case he will kill you and hang you.”
I said:
“I will be patient, for this suffering in God’s path is little.”
He said:
“O Maytham! Then you will become my rank mate.”
The Prophecy of Martyrdom
Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) had informed Maytham of many sciences and hidden secrets of the vicegerency (Wiṣāyah). Maytham would disclose some of them, but a group of the people of Kufa doubted his words, attributing these statements to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) and considering them as fantasies, sowing doubt or deception.
Until one day, the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him), in the presence of a large gathering of his companions – among whom were both the skeptical and the sincere – said to him:
“O Maytham! After me, you will be arrested and hanged. On the second day, blood will flow from your nose and mouth, dyeing your beard. And on the third day, you will be struck with a spear and depart from this world. So be prepared for that day. The place of your hanging is by the door of the house of ‘Amr ibn Huraith. You will be the tenth of ten men who are hanged; your gallows will be the shortest, and your position will be the closest to the ground.”
Then Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) said:
“I will show you the palm tree upon which you will be hanged.”
And two days later, he showed it to him.
Prophecy of the Manner of Arrest
After learning from Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) the manner of his martyrdom, Maytham went to the elders of his tribe and said:
“O so and so! It is as if I see that one day, that bastard, son of the impure, sends someone to you, and after you look for me for a few days, you bring me to him. Eventually they will kill me by the door of the house of ‘Amr ibn Huraith, and on the fourth day, fresh blood will flow from my nose.”
Attachment to the Palm Tree
Maytham would sometimes come to that palm tree, pray beside it, stroke its trunk and say:
“Blessed are you, O tree! I was created for you, and you have grown for me, O palm tree! You have been nourished for none but me, and I have been fed for none but you.”
He would also go to ‘Amr ibn Huraith and say:
“O ‘Amr! If one day I become your neighbor, treat my neighborliness well.”
‘Amr, thinking that Maytham intended to buy land or a house next to his property, would eagerly say:
“Would that you do that!”
After the martyrdom of Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) , Maytham continued to visit that tree until it was cut down. Then he watched over its trunk and looked after it.
Maytham’s Meeting with Umm Salamah
In the same year in which he was killed, Maytham went on pilgrimage to Mecca and visited Umm Salamah. Umm Salamah asked him: “Who are you?”
He said: “A man from Iraq.” She asked about his lineage, and he said that he was a freed slave of Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him). Umm Salamah said: “Are you Maytham?”
He said:
“Yes, I am Maytham.” Umm Salamah said: “Glory be to God! By God, I have heard many times that the Messenger of God, in the depths of the night, commended you to Ali.”
Then Maytham asked about Imam Husain (peace be upon him). He was told:
“He is in the garden.”
He said:
“Inform him that I would have liked to greet him, and God willing, we shall meet before the Lord of the Worlds. Today I am unable to see him, and I intend to return.”
Umm Salamah asked for perfume and perfumed his beard. Maytham said:
“Know that this beard will be dyed with blood.”
Umm Salamah asked:
“Who informed you of this?”
Maytham said:
“My master, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) , informed me.”
Then Umm Salamah wept and said:
“He is not only your master, but also my master and the master of all Muslims.”
Then she bade him farewell. Maytham returned to Kufa.
The Arrest of Maytham
After some time, Maytham went to Mecca from Nahrawan. Meanwhile, ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad sent a messenger to Maytham’s friend and companion and asked about him. That man said that Maytham was in Mecca.
Ibn Ziyad said:
“If you do not bring him to me, I will surely kill you,” and set a deadline for him. That man went to Qadisiyyah and waited for Maytham. When Maytham returned, he was arrested and brought to Ibn Ziyad.
They told Ibn Ziyad:
“This man was one of the closest persons to the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him).”
‘Ubaydullah said:
“Woe to you! Is this man a non Arab (‘ajam)?” They said: “Yes.”
Ibn Ziyad asked:
“Are you Maytham?”
He said:
“Yes.” ‘Ubaydullah asked him: “Where is your Lord?” He said: “He is in ambush.” ‘Ubaydullah said: “News has reached me that the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) chose you.”
He said:
“That is true. What do you want?”
He said:
“I have heard that the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) informed you of what would happen to you.”
He said:
“Yes, he informed me that you will hang me.” ‘Ubaydullah said: “I will act contrary to his words!”
Maytham said:
“Woe to you! How can you act contrary? He informed from the Final Prophet, the Messenger of God from Gabriel, and Gabriel from God.”
Then he said:
“By God, I know the place where I will be hanged, and I am the first person in Islam whose mouth will be bridled like the mouth of a horse.”
Glad Tidings to al-Mukhtar
‘Ubaydullah imprisoned Maytham and also threw al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi into prison with him.
Maytham said to al-Mukhtar:
“You will be freed and will rise up for the blood of Husain, you will kill this tyrant and will step on his face with your own foot.”
Martyrdom and the Disgrace of the Umayyads
Then, as Maytham al-Tammar had said, al-Mukhtar was freed. But they brought Maytham out for hanging. ‘Ubaydullah said:
“I will carry out Ali’s judgment concerning him.”
A man said to Maytham:
“O Maytham, you could have avoided this fate!”
He smiled and said:
“I was created for this, and this tree was grown for me.”
When they hanged him, people gathered around him. While on the gallows, he was enumerating the virtues of the Banu Hashim and the scandals of the Umayyads.
They said to Ibn Ziyad:
“This slave of yours has disgraced you.”
He said:
“Gag his mouth.”
So they gagged his mouth, and he was the first person in Islam to be gagged. On the second day, blood flowed from his nose and mouth, and on the third day he was struck with a spear and attained martyrdom. His martyrdom took place ten days before the arrival of Imam Husain (peace be upon him) in Iraq. (2)
(2) Bihar al Anwar, vol. 41, p. 343
