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22 Dhu al-Hijjah, 60 AH (November 20, 680 CC) -- Meesum al-Tammar, a companion and disciple of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, was martyred.
Meesum ibn Yahya al-Tammar was born at Nihrawan, an area near Kufa (today in Iraq). He was the son of Yahya. A lady of the Banu Asad bought Meesum (as a slave). Accordingly, Meesum worked for this lady until the caliphate of 'Ali.
After the time of Prophet Muhammad and the martyrdom 'Uthman, in the year 656 CC, 'Ali succeeded 'Uthman as the fourth Sunni Rashidun Caliph. As the new caliph, 'Ali moved the Islamic capital from Medina to Kufa for two reasons: (1) to keep Mu'awiyah in check and (2) because Kufa had an illustrious history as the home of prophets. Moving to Kufa, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib would walk around the city. It is documented that if he encountered a slave he would try to free him or her. One day, 'Ali saw a lady from the Banu Asad tribe, who had a male slave of Nabataean origin. 'Ali approached the woman and began to converse with her, in order to purchase the slave, Salim. The started to negotiate a price, and the lady's initial asking price was 50 dinar. As 'Ali ibn Abi Talib gave her the 50 dinar she changed the price to 100 dinar. She kept raising the price, since she realized that 'Ali was willing to pay her a much higher price. Seeing the price soar, a companion of 'Ali then asked, "Oh Amir al-Momineen ('Ali ibn Abi Talib), who is this man? What is he? He's originally a Nabataean. He is a slave. What the point of paying this much?" Finally, she settled at 500 dinar. 'Ali handed her the 500 dinar. She then called Salim and told him that 'Ali had purchased him. After buying Salim, 'Ali set him free from the shackles of slavery for the way of Allah. It demonstrated the Islamic view of slavery. Islam establishes that slavery is immoral and that all humans are equal in the perspective of Allah. The only thing that differentiates a human is their Taqwa -- their consciousness of God. Islam called for a gradual emancipation of slaves, meaning that slaveowners should not just set slaves free, they should also help the freed slaves build a foundation financially so that the freed slaves could support themselves. Accordingly, Imam 'Ali took Meesum under his wings after he freed him.
After 'Ali set him free, 'Ali greeted Salim by the name Meesum. Meesum was the name that Meesum's mother gave to him after his birth. No one in Kufa knew that Meesum was Salim's real name. Upon hearing a stranger calling him Meesum, Meesum was shocked, baffled, and astonished that a person other than his parents knew about his real name. He questioned 'Ali as to how did he know that Meesum was his real name. 'Ali replied, "Come with me and do not worry. Allah's Apostle (the Prophet Muhammad) has told me that the Persians call you Meesum. Still shocked, Meesum willingly went with 'Ali who would later become his best friend and teacher.
As a student of 'Ali, Meesum was taught various categories of knowledge. One of these categories was ilm-e-Manaya wal Balaya (the knowledge of death and future calamities). With ilm-e-Manaya wal Balaya, Meesum prophesied specific events that would occur in the future. It seemed that Meesum possessed supernatural knowledge unmatched by ordinary people.
Meesum became one of the top scholars of his time, in part due to his desire to increase his understanding about various subjects and the teachings of 'Ali. People would come to Meesum for explanations of Quranic verses, since he possessed ilm-e-Taweel (interpretation and exegesis of the Qur'an).
Once 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, told Meesum that he would be hanged on account of the love for the imam of his time -- on account of Meesum's love for 'Ali. 'Ali also told Meesum that he (Meesum) would be hanged in a farm next to the house of Amr ibn Huraith. Meesum was also informed that his tongue would be cut out because he would not stop praising 'Ali. After being so informed, Meesum would go to the tree pointed out by Ali ibn Abi Talib, clean the place and water the tree and offer prayers saying, "O tree! You are for me and I am for you."
Months and years passed by. 'Ali was martyred (in 40 AH) and then Hasan ibn 'Ali (the Second Shi'a Imam) was martyred (in 50 AH) and Meesum kept waiting for the time when he would join them.
In 60 AH, when Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad was appointed Governor of Kufa, things started to get complicated. Meesum then went to perform the hajj and thereafter returned to Kufa. One day, Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, summoned him and asked him to come to his Court. When Meesum arrived, Ubayd-Allah said, "O Meesum! Inform me where your Allah is?" Meesum immediately replied, "He is in quest of an opportunity to punish the transgressors." Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad then asked him about his connections with 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. Meesum replied that 'Ali was his master and that he loved him. Ubayd-Allah then asked him, "Did your master tell you anything about your end?" Meesum replied, "Yes, he informed me that I would be hanged and that my tongue would be cut." Ubayd-Allah roared with laughter and said, "I will see that your master did not tell you the truth. I will see that his prophecy is belied." Meesum said, "My master's words are true because he got that information from Allah. The Prophet Muhammad was informed by Jibril, and Jibril came with the message of Allah."
Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad ordered Meesum to be jailed and sent Meesum to al-Tamura, a fearful prison. Mukhtar al-Thaqafi was in the same prison with Meesum. Meesum and Mukhtar would hold conversations in prison but later, on the orders of Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, Meesum was sentenced to be hanged for creating mischief. Meesum was brought to the same tree to be hanged as pointed out by 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. Meesum began singing the praises of his master 'Ali, and about a thousand people gathered to see Meesum being hanged.
Even after being hanged, the tongue of Meesum went on singing the praises of 'Ali. Ubayd-Allah was informed about this and ordered that the tongue of Meesum be cut. And thus, the prophecy of 'Ali ibn Abi Talib came true.
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Mohammadi, Seyed Ali Farid; Shi'i Hagiography: Highlights about the Lives of Five Illustrious and Emminent Shi'i Personalities; University of Michigan, 2013
Takim, Liyakatali; The Heirs of The Prophet: Charisma and Religious Authority in Shi'ite Islam; Albany State University of New York, 2007.
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