Ibn Shabeeb said: “I went to see Imam al-Ridha (a.s) on the first day of Muharram. He said, ‘O Ibn Shabeeb! Are you fasting?’ I answered, ‘No.’ He said, ‘Today is the day on which Zakariya prayed to his Lord saying «My Lord, grant me from Yourself a good offspring. Indeed, You are the Hearer of supplication»[3:38] Then Allah accepted his Prayers and commanded His Angels to go and give him glad tidings of Yahya (a.s). The Angels came and called out to him while he was engaged in Prayers in the chamber. Hence the one who fasts on this day and supplicates to Allah, his Prayer will be answered as was Zakariya's.' He then said: Oh son of Shabeeb! Muharram is such a month that the Arabs of the age of ignorance (pre-Islamic) too respected its sanctity and forbade oppression and blood-shed in it. But these people (the Umayyads) did not honor the sanctity of this month nor of their Prophet. In this month they killed the son of the Prophet and imprisoned the women-folk after looting and plundering their belongings, verily Allah will never ever forgive this crime of theirs. Oh son of Shabeeb! If you wish to cry over anything , then cry over al-Husayn (a.s) for he was beheaded like a lamb. Eighteen persons from among his family, who were unparalleled from anyone amongst this earth, were also killed along with him. The seven heavens and earths cried upon death of Husayn (a.s). Four thousand Angels descended from the heavens to aid him, but when they reached there they saw that he had already been killed. They all thus remain near his grave with wrinkled hair covered with dust until al-Qa'im (a.s) rises. They will be from his supporters and their slogan will be: Ya Latharat al-Husayn (Vengeance for the blood of Husayn). Oh son of Shabeeb! My father narrated to me from his father from his grandfather (Zayn al-'Abideen) that when al-Husayn (a.s) was killed, the skies rained with blood and red dust. Oh son Shabeeb! If you cry for al-Husayn (a.s) in such a way that tears flow down your cheeks, then God will forgive all your sins that you have committed whether they be minor or major, whether they be a few instances or a lot. Oh son of Shabeeb! If you would like to meet Allah (swt) without having any sins, then go visit the grave of al-Husayn. Oh son Shabeeb! If you would like to accompany the Prophet (s) in the rooms of Paradise, then curse (la'an) the killers of al-Husayn (a.s). Oh son of Shabeeb! If you desire to have the reward of those who were martyred along with al-Husayn (a.s), then whenever you remember him, say: Ya Laytani, Kuntu ma'ahum fa'afusa fawsan adheema (Oh I wish I had been with them, then I would too have won a great victory). Oh son of Shabeeb! If you would like to be in the same high ranks in Paradise with us, then be sad when we are sad and be happy when we are happy, and I urge you to remain attached to our love. For even if a person is attached to a stone in this world, Allah shall make him arise with it on the day of Judgement.'"