Translation of the letter:
Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani wrote to one of his helpers from the people of Khorasan:
“In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
And thereafter, my example among the people of Khorasan is indeed like the example of Muslim ibn Aqil among the people of Iraq; so see how you treat me; because I swear to God, the Mahdi will rise for that which Husain rose for, and whoever helps the Mahdi is like one who has helped Husain, and one who fulfills his covenant with him is indeed successful; wa’l-Salam.”
Explanation of the letter:
Abu al-Faraj al-Asfahani (d. 356 AH) has said in the book Maqatil al-Talibiyyin: Al-Mada’ini has narrated from Harun ibn Isa, from Yunus ibn Abi Ishaq who said: «لمّا بلغ أهل الكوفة نزول الحسين عليه السّلام مكّة وأنّه لم يبايع ليزيد، وفد إليه وفد منهم عليهم أبو عبد اللّه الجدليّ، وكتب إليه شبث بن ربعيّ وسليمان بن صرد والمسيّب بن نجية ووجوه أهل الكوفة يدعونه إلى بيعته وخلع يزيد، فقال لهم الحسين: <أَبْعَثُ مَعَكُمْ أَخِي وَابْنَ عَمِّي، فَإِذَا أَخَذَ لِي بَيْعَتِي وَأَتَانِي عَنْهُمْ بِمِثْلِ مَا كَتَبُوا بِهِ إِلَيَّ قَدِمْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ>، ودعا مسلم بن عقيل فقال له: <اشْخَصْ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ، فَإِنْ رَأَيْتَ مِنْهُمُ اجْتِمَاعًا عَلَى مَا كَتَبُوا، وَرَأَيْتَهُ أَمْرًا تَرَى الْخُرُوجَ مَعَهُ، فَاكْتُبْ إِلَيَّ بِرَأْيِكَ>، فقدم مسلم الكوفة، وأتته الشيعة، فأخذ بيعتهم للحسين»[1]; “When the people of Kufa were informed that Husain, peace be upon him, went to Mecca and did not pledge allegiance to Yazid, some representatives from them went to him, headed by Abu Abdullah al-Jadali, and Shabath ibn Raba‘i, Sulayman ibn Surad, Musayyib ibn Najiyyah, and other elders of Kufa wrote to him and demanded to pledge allegiance to him and depose Yazid. So Husain said to them: ‘I send my brother and my cousin with you. So if he takes allegiance for me and reports to me similar to what (the people of Kufa) wrote, I will go to them.’ Then he called Muslim ibn Aqil and said to him: ‘Go to Kufa. Then if you see they unanimously agree on what they have written and see it suitable for the uprising, write me your opinion.’ So Muslim came to Kufa, and the Shias came to him, so he took allegiance from them for Husain.” Then he has mentioned their story to the point where they let him down and surrendered him to Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, in such a way that when he, may God have mercy on him, became certain of his death, he found no one to make a will to, so he had to make a will to one of his enemies, who was one of his relatives, and said to him: «ابْعَثْ إِلَى الْحُسَيْنِ مَنْ يَرُدُّهُ»[2]; “Send someone to Husain to have him go back.” So the intention of Mansoor, may God protect him, from this likening is that as Muslim ibn Aqil came to Iraq to prepare the ground for Husain’s government, he has come to Khorasan to prepare the ground for the Mahdi’s government, and as Muslim ibn Aqil took allegiance from the people of Iraq for Husain, he takes allegiance from the people of Khorasan for the Mahdi, and as the people of Iraq’s letting Muslim ibn Aqil down prevented Husain from coming to power, the people of Khorasan’s letting him down will prevent the Mahdi from coming to power, and therefore, one must learn a lesson from history to prevent its recurrence, and this is based on the words of God Almighty that has said: ﴿لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ﴾[3]; “Indeed, there is a lesson in their stories for the wise,” and said: ﴿قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَانْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلُ﴾[4]; “Say: ‘Travel through the earth, then see how was the end of those who were before.’”
