Crimson Earth

Travel across the ages with Lady Zaynab as she meets with various divine prophets and noble angels in a quest to explain the meaning of Ashura and her timeless statement on Imam Hussein’s sacrifice: “I only saw Beauty!” Witness a young bird struggle to take flight after she gets lost in the forest, encountering dangers and finding new friends who can help her on her journey home–revealing their companionship to the Imam. Crimson Earth, a collection of seven short stories, deals with the theme of Ashura and the mourning for Imam Hussain written by diverse authors. These stories range from narratives about love, loss, and tragedy aimed for adult and older audiences, to stories written through the eyes of children contemplating youth involvement on Ashura.

The stories were specially selected and presented at Harvard University prior to publication. Three of the stories were contestant winners at the Ahlul Bayt Collective 2021 short story call: “A Eternity in a Day,” “Love and Sorrow,” and “I Saw Nothing but Beauty.”