The Lamentation of the Owl on Ĥusain — Hadith 2

2. Ḥukaym ibn Dāwūd ibn Ḥukaym narrated to me from Salamah ibn Abil Khaťťāb, from Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali ibn Sā’id Al-Barbari – who was the custodian of the grave of Imam Riďā (a. s. ), from his father, who said: I went to (Imam) Riďā (a. s. ) and he asked me, “What do people say about owls? ” I replied, “May I sacrifice myself for you! We have come here to ask you (about this). ” Imam (a. s. ) said: At the time of my grandfather, the Messenger of Allāh (s. a. a. w. ), owls used to live in palaces, houses, and developed structures. When people used to eat, owls would fly and sit next to them and people would throw (their) food to them and give them water, after which they would return to their abodes. However, when Ḥusain (a. s. ) was killed, the owls abandoned the developed structures for wreckages, mountains, and deserts and they said, “What an evil nation you are! You have killed the son of your Prophet’s daughter. We will never feel safe with you again. ”