| Lohoof (Sighs of Sorrow) | |
| Author: | Sayyed Ibn Tawus |
| Country: | Iraq  Iraq |
| Language: | English |
| Published: | 2014 Createspace Independent Pub Published by Jaffria Propagation Centre, Mumbai Kashmiri translation by Raheislam Organisationموسسہ راہ اسلام, Wahabpora |
| Media Type: | |
| Pages: | 158 |
| Isbn: | 9781494883652 |
Lohoof (Arabic: لُهوف) is a book by Sayyed Ibn Tawus, a Shia jurist, theologian, and historian. It is kind of Maqtal al-Husayn (Arabic: مقتل الحسين), narrating the Battle of Karbala, the death of Husayn ibn Ali, and subsequent events.
The root of Lohoof is Lahaf (Arabic: لهف), which means "sighs of sorrow".[1]
See main article: Sayyed Ibn Tawus. Radhi ud-Deen Ali ibn Musa ibn Tawus (1193–1266 AD), often called Sayyed Ibn Tawus (Arabic: سید ابن طاووس), was a Shia jurist, theologian and historian. He was descended from Hasan ibn Ali through his father and from Husayn ibn Ali through his mother. It is said that he met the twelfth Shia Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi (869–941), who, according to Shia belief, was or is living in occultation.[2]
Ibn Tawus is known for his library and his numerous works, which are still available in their original form and are considered good sources for learning about the concerns and teachings of Muslim scholars at the end of the Abbasid era.[3]
Sayyed Ibn Tawus had authored the book titled Mesbah-u-Zaer (Arabic: مصباح الزایر) about pilgrims (Arabic: زیارت) to the holy shrine of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, and the twelve Imams. After a while, ibn Tawus decided to write a biographical essay about Husayn ibn Ali, the Battle of Karbala and its immediate aftermath; he named this essay "Lohoof". The essential information was collected in this book.[4]
Lohoof includes sections on Husayn ibn Ali, the Battle of Karbala, and its aftermath, in three parts:[4]
In the preface to the book we see this statement: "The importance of books such as Lohoof lies in its right, just, and authentic references and accurate narrations, which reveal the history of the 14th century."[5]
The following sources were used by ibn Tawus in the writing of Lohoof:[6]
Several sources that ibn Tawus did not explicitly name but apparently used are:[6]
Anyone who has written about the killing of Husayn ibn Ali has most certainly consulted Lohoof, which are actually adventures narrated by Sayyed ibn Tawus. In Lohoof, ibn Tawus writes about the most important events of the Battle of Karbala, such as the decision to return the captured family of Muhammad, prophet of Islam, to Karbala on Arba'een. Sayyed ibn Tawus collected some texts about the killing of Husayn ibn Ali. He emphasized that Husayn ibn Ali was aware of his killing at Karbala. The following statement had been included in most versions of Lohoof: "Certainly Allah had wanted to see him killed and women captured".