IMAM HUSAIN LEFT MAKKAH FOR KUFA Imam Husain gathered all his family members and his friends and followers who were going with him and left for Kufa. When the governor of Makkah, Amir bin Said, found out about Imam Husains decision, he tried to stop him as he thought that he would take over Kufa and overthrow the governor there. He sent his police to stop and arrest Imam Husain. There was a greater struggle between the two sides, but eventually Imam Husain and his supporters were able to defeat the police and continue with their journey to Kufa. Along the route they frequently met travellers who pleaded Imam Husain not to undertake this journey as no reliance could be placed upon the promises made by the Kufans. IMAM HUSAIN MET FARZOOQ During the journey, Imam Husain met with a poet called Farzooq who was on his way to Makkah. Imam Husain asked about the conditions of Kufa. He said, Listen to me carefully, as I have only just left the city. The peoples hearts are still with you, but because of the fear of Yazid, their swords are with Yazid. If the time comes when you need them to fight with you, they will take the side of the government. Imam Husain replied, Whatever fate is going to bring us will be from Allah Most High. If the people are with me it will be a gift from Allah Most High, and we will thank Allah Most High although Allah Most High does not need our thanks. If fate is written against us and the people turn against us then we will be patient. LETTER FROM ABDULLAH BIN JAFFER Abdullah bin Jaffer was in Makkah. He was the brother in-law of Imam Husain as he was married to Imam Husains sister,Zainab. When he found out that Imam Husain had left Makkah and gone to Kufa, he wrote a letter and sent it to him with his two sons, Oun and Muhammad. In the letter he wrote: By Allah Most High I am pleading with you to come back to Makkah and not go to Kufa, as when you reach Kufa you will be killed and your family will be destroyed. And Allah forbid, if you are martyred then your light of guidance, which is shining on the world, will extinguish. When the people are in desperate trouble they come to you in hope of seeking protection, and you are the beaconlight of faith and the centre of the Believers hopes. So please do not delay in returning back to Makkah. I have left Makkah to meet you on the way. When Imam Husain read the letter he did not take much notice of it but instead he told his two nephews, I had a dream and saw our Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and he has given me an order. Whether I will benefit or not I will obey what our Prophet has said. His nephews asked What is the dream? He replied, I have not told anyone nor will I tell anyone until I meet my Lord. After that they carried on with the journey to Kufa and he took his nephews with him. UbayduLlah Bin Ziyad, the governor of Kufa, found out the Imam Husain was fast approaching Kufa. He sent his forces out to the entrance of Kufa and told them that if Imam Husain or any of his representatives tried to enter Kufa they should be arrested and brought to him. MARTYRDOM OF QAIS BIN MUSHIR Qais bin Mushir was one of the people with Imam Husain. Imam Husain wrote a letter to the leaders of the tribes of Kufa, and said to Qais, Take this letter to the leaders of the tribes of Kufa and tell them that I will reach Kufa in a few days time. When Qais was near the entrance of the gate of Kufa, the governors men arrested him and took him to the governor. The governor read the letter and told him that he was going to execute him unless he climbed on top of the house and shouted abuse to Imam Husain so that everyone could hear. Only then will he forgive him and spare his life. Qais got on top of the roof and started to shout, O people listen to me. Imam Husain has arrived and is very near Kufa. Obey him, as his mother was the daughter of our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and his father was Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, and may Allah Most High curse and destroy this governor, as he is a liar and a cheat. When the governor heard this he ordered his men to throw Qais off the roof. One of the governors men pushed Qais off the roof; and he fell so hard that both his arms and legs were broken and he split his skull open, as a result of which he was martyred. Imam Husain continued with his journey and sent another person named Abdullah bin Baqtr, with a similar letter to take to Kufa and give to the leaders of the tribes. He was also arrested and taken to the governor and executed in the same way as Qais was. IMAM HUSAIN WAS INFORMED OF THE DEATH OF MUSLIM BIN AQEEL Imam Husain found out about Muslim bin Aqeels death at a place called Thalabiyya where he met a person who had recently come from Kufa. He explained in great detail to what had been happening in Kufa; how the people had left Muslim bin Aqeel and later how the governor martyred him. Afterwards he started to give advice, If I were you I would not go to Kufa. You have no support left there and the governor knows that you are coming to Kufa and is prepared to fight with you until you surrender to the will of Yazid; he will execute you and your followers in the same way as he executed Muslim bin Aqeel. Imam Husain, for a moment, began to reconsider his decision to go to Kufa. At the same time Muslim bin Aqeels sons rose and said, We swear by Allah Most High that we will seek revenge on behalf of our father or die in the attempt and we will not leave until then. Imam Husain said, There is no no charm in life without you. Some of the other people in the alos said, We should carry on with the journey to Kufa, as there is a lot of difference between you and Muslim bin Aqeel. The people will change their minds when they would see you there and will come and support you and seek revenge for Muslim bin Aqeels death. Imam Husain started to head towards Kufa. Along the journey Imam Husain and his group came to a place called Zubala, there he received information about the death of the two representatives whom he had sent earlier to Kufa. (Qais and Baqtr). When Imam Husain heard this he was greatly saddened and went into bereavement . He gathered the people together and told them about the problems that they were going to face when they reached Kufa. He also said, Those who were to be trusted proved unfaithful, many of you might want to leave and can gladly do so. A lot of people had joined Imam Husain along the journey thinking that he would gain full control of Kufa, and when they reached Kufa they would benefit from this. But when they heard this they started to disperse slowly until the only people left were those who had initially come with Imam Husain from Makkah. They continued with the journey, and met a person called Abdullah bin Muti. He said the same about Kufa, and also gave his view that they should turn back and not go to Kufa, because at this time the governor and his people were still afraid of Imam Husain and his followers, and if they were to go there now, the governor of Kufa would have victory and become more oppressive towards the people, and also more powerful. HUR TAMEMI CAME Haseen bin Numear was put in charge of the police and was ordered to stop people entering Kufa. He found out that Imam Husain was very near Kufa and appointed Hur the leader of an army of 1,000 men, sending him towards Imam Husain to arrest him and his followers. When Hur reached Imam Husain he told his men to surround him and his followers. Imam Husain instructed his people to set up camp there, and upon noticing this Hur also commanded his army to camp in the area and keep Imam Husain and his followers surrounded so that they could not escape. Both groups stayed in their respective camps. The time for Zohar prayer approached, and a member of Imam Husains group gave the call for prayer. Upon hearing this Imam Husain came out of his tent and approached Hur, telling him: I did not come here of my own accord but was called by the people of Kufa. They sent me messages and letters and even came in person to invite me to Kufa. If you insist that I should return to Makkah and not go to Kufa then you should give me permission to go back. Imam Husain then went back to his camp and prepared to lead the Zohar prayer. Hur and his army also performed the prayer behind Imam Husain. After the prayer Imam Husain and Hur returned to their respective camps. Similarly, when the time for Asr prayer arrived, Imam Husain led Hur and his army as well as his own followers in prayer. After performing the prayer, Imam Husain addressed Hur and his army, saying: O people, fear Allah (swt) and recognise the truth so that Allah will be pleased with you. At the moment, power lies in the hands of Yazid and his governors, but they are cruel people who lie to you, and they have no right to rule over you. We are your rightful rulers, but if you do not recognise that right, and do not wish for us to become rulers, or do not recognise the messages that were sent to me, then let me and my people return to Makkah. Hur said I swear by Allah Most High that I have no knowledge about the letters and messages that you keep referring to. Upon hearing this, Imam Husain put his hand inside his satchel and pulled out all the letters and threw them towards Hur, saying, These are the letters I keep referring to. Hur said I have been ordered to arrest you and take you to UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, the governor of Kufa. Imam Husain replied, I would rather die than surender to your governor. Imam Husain told all his people to gather their belongings and prepare to return to Makkah. Upon hearing this Hur ordered his men to surround Imam Husain and his people and forceyfully take them to Kufa if they refused to go voluntarily. Hur suggested to Imam Husain that he should write a letter to Yazid in Syria and said he himself would write to UbayduLlah bin Ziyad explaining the situation and hopefully some agreement could be reached. Imam Husain once again started to get ready to leave, and Hur again stopped them from leaving. Then Imam Husain turned to Hur and his men and delivered a speech: Our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) has said that whosoever comes across a cruel and wicked ruler who does not follow the commands of Allah (swt) and his Prophet (p.b.u.h); who makes Halal (permissible in Islam) that which Allah has declared Haram (not permissible in Islam) and vice versa; who oppresses people and commits sins and does nothing to prevent the wrongs being committed, if that person does not oppose the ruler with his words and actions, he will have to account for his deeds in the same way that the ruler will have to account for his deeds. Look! the ruler and the governors have stopped following the commands of Allah Most High and have started to follow the ways of Satan and have no respect for Islam, for this reason the Prophets family have a greater right to rule than the king. I repeat that I have not come here of my own accord, I have been asked to come to Kufa, so that the people can swear their allegiance to me so do not be in contempt of me. If you fulfil your promises then Allah Most High will be pleased with you. As you are well aware, I am the son of Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, and my mother, Fatima, may Allah Most High be pleased with her, is the daughter of our Prophet (p.b.u.h.). My family and I are with you and you should not break your promises by treating us badly. However, breaking promises would be nothing new to me as you have broken promises made to my father and my brother Hasan, and Muslim bin Aqeel, may Allah Most High be pleased with all of them. It is a shame that you are not acting in accordance with your religion. Promise breakers are only a loss to themselves, and I hope and pray that Allah Most High will protect me from your evil ways. Hur said, I again swear by Allah Most High that if you wage a battle with my men, you shall be the one who will be defeated and killed. Imam Husain angrily replied, Are you trying to frighten me from death, I am not afraid to die as death will come to all of us one day. Upon hearing this Hur was speechless. Nevertheless, he still told his men to continue surrounding Imam Husain and his men. FOUR PEOPLE CAME FROM KUFA TO JOIN IMAM HUSAIN Imam Husain saw four or five people approaching him on camels at a distance from the direction of Kufa. When they neared the camp, Hur tried to stop them and told them that they could not see Imam Husain and his men. When Imam Husain heard this he said to Hur, Let them through because they are my supporters and have come to see me. If you do not let them in then we shall be forced into battle right now. After some consideration Hur let them through. Nafi bin Hilal, one of the four men who came from Kufa, told that the well-to-do people of Kufa had been bought by the governor and had turned against him and the poor people of Kufa had also left him because of the fear of the governor but in their hearts they were still with him. Nafi then went on to explain what had happened to Qais and Baqtr, and how the governor had executed them. Imam Husain tried to stop the tears coming to his eyes but was hurt and saddened too deeply to stop them flowing. Another person who had come was Tarmah bin Addi. He advised Imam Husain that because he did not have a large number of people with him to defeat the governor and his men, he should go with him to where his tribe was. Tarmah was from a place which was safe from attack because it was behind a mountain and his own tribe of more than 20,000 people would do everything in their power to help Imam Husain. After realising that Imam Husain would not consider going with him Tarmah left. Imam Husain continued heading towards Kufa and reached a place called Qasr Bani Muqatil by evening. In the morning Imam Husain and his people performed Fajar prayer and decided to go back to Makkah, but Hur and his army would not let them move towards Makkah. After some time, they reached a place called Nineveh. 3) Karbala KARBALA PLACE OF KARBALA When they reached Nineveh the governor of Kufa sent a letter to Hur with a messenger stating that Imam Husain and his people should be taken to an open place where there is no water or shelter. The letter also stated that the messenger was to stay with Hur until governors ordered had been carried out. When Hur informed Imam Husain of governors letter, Imam Husain said, Let us stay here and do not give us too much trouble, and if you cannot do this then let us go to a Gatheria Mashifiya. (This was a place where there were trees and water ). Hur said, You know that I cannot do this as The governor has sent a messenger to watch over me and ensure I obey his orders. Zuhair bin Keen who was from Imam Husain`s group said, My village is very near and if you wish we could go there. My advice is that we should start a battle with Hurs men now, as tomorrow the governor will send more men and it will be impossible to defeat them. Imam Husain said that he did not want to start the battle. Zuhair bin Keen then suggested, We should leave for my village because Hur and his army will try to stop us, and then we can fight with them and you would not have started the fight. Although there are already thousands of them, their numbers are increasing daily. Imam Husain continued with the journey and eventually on 2nd Muharram 61 Hijra they reached Karbala. UMAR BIN SA`D ARRIVES AT KARBALA Umar bin Sa`d was the son of one of the companions of our Prophet (p.b.u.h.). He lived in Kufa. The governor told him that a movement had emerged against the government in Dalam and he should go there and destroy it. He would be given an army of 4,000 men and after he has destroyed this movement he will be appointed as the new governor of the province of Rayye. When Umar bin Sa`d was ready to leave, Ibn Ziyad suddenly changed his mind and said, Instead of going to Dalam, go to Karbala where Imam Husain has gone and is camping and is trying to mobilize the people against this government. Umar bin Sad said, If I have to go into battle or arrest Imam Husain then I am not willing to go. The governor said, You know that I have appointed you the governor of Rayye. I will suspend you and not give you the governorship of Rayye unless you do as I demand. Umar bin Sad asked for sometime to reconsider his options. He thought very deeply and asked his friends and advisers on what he should do. Deep down inside he did not want to go and his advisers also told him not to go as Imam Husain was the grandson of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). He went to Ibn Ziyad and recited a poem saying, I have two options before me. One is that I become governor of Rayye and fulfil my desires. Secondly, I should confront Imam Husain and kill him in battle and be hated amongst all the people and enter into Hell. After reciting this poem he said to Ibn Ziyad, I am not going to fight against Imam Husain and I do not want your governorship of Rayye but if you send so and so he will go and fulfil your orders. Ibn Ziyad said, If you do not want to go then go home, I do not require your advice on who to send or who not to send. I am above you in rank and have greater knowledge on these matters than you do. When the governor said this, Ibn Sa`d was startled; he began to reconsider his position. After careful consideration he decided to take the post and become in charge of the army. He got his men ready and left for Karbala. Upon reaching Karbala he met Imam Husain and enquired, Why did you come to Kufa? Imam Husain replied, I came to Kufa because I was invited through letters, messages and personal invitations and now that I have reached here you do not want me to be here. Ibn Sa`d said that he would write a letter to his governor Ibn Ziyad to see what he would like Imam Husain to do. Imam Husain said, Could you write in your letter that if you do not let us enter Kufa then would you please let us return to Makkah because I dod not want to cause anarchy in the country. When Ibn Ziyad received the letter from Ibn Sa`d, he wrote back saying, Tell Imam Husain to swear allegiance to King Yazid. If he does, then we shall come to an agreement but if he does not then we shall fight with him and his people. We will also stop their supply of drinking water. Ibn Sa`ad sent 500 of his men with Umar Ibn al-Hajjaj as their leader. On 7th of Muharram he was given orders to go to the river and stop Imam Husain and his people from obtaining any water from it. When Imam Husain and his men started to run out of water from their containers, Imam Husain told his brother to take 20 people with him and go to the river Euphrates to get some water. On the way back from the river Imam Husain`s brother and the people with him were attacked by the enemy. After this incident Imam Husain sent Umar bin Qurza to go and see Umar Bin Sa`d, and tell him that Imam Husain would like to have a meeting with him. Both Imam Husain and Umar Bin Sa`ad met and had a long discussion and then went back to their own camps. They had several meetings like this and then Umar Bin Sa`ad wrote a letter to Ibn Ziyad. In the letter he stated, I feel that we will not have to go into battle with Imam Husain and his followers because Imam Husain has made three requests, and if we agreee to any one of these requests then this problem can be solved. His requests are: 1. Allow him to return to Makkah where he had come from. 2. Allow him to join one of the forces that are in Jihad with the non-believers, so he may fight along side them. 3. Take him to king Yazid in Syria so he may personally have a conversation with him. NOTE: In some narrations Imam Husain has asked to let him go to Yazid so he could swear allegiance to him. But this narration is not authentic, if he had said this then there was no need for the war to take place because this was what the government wanted. This narration has been rejected by Uqbah bin Saman, who was reported to be present with Imam Husain during all meetings and claimed that he did not say such a thing. When Ibn Ziyad read this letter he said, I accept these requests because the letter which has come to me is from a person who is thinking of the best interests of the government and the people. SHIMAR BIN ZIL JAWSHAN`S ADVICE Shimar bin Zil Jawshan was present when Ibn Ziyad read the letter. He stood up and said to Ibn Ziyad, How can you let someone leave who has come to overthrow you? He is in your area at the moment, in your grip, I swear by Allah Most High that if he leaves now without swearing allegiance to you, he will become more powerful than you. He will gather a large number of his followers and then you will not be able to stop him fulfilling his ambition. I advise you to force him to pledge allegiance to you at this moment and if he refuses then you should punish him. If you forgive him and let him go then you will be blamed. I swear by Allah Most High again that I have also found out that there have been meetings going on at night between Imam Husain and Umar bin Sad. From this you can imagine that they are conspiring against you. LETTER OF IBN ZIYAD Shimars advice appealed to Ibn Ziyad and he gave him a letter to take to Umar bin Sad. In the letter he told Umar bin Sad, I did not send you to talk to Imam Husain and waste time pleading with him on my behalf. I ordere you to attack and kill Imam Husain and his followers if they refused to pledge their allegiance to me. After you have killed them, I want you to decapitate them, cut off their noses and ears and poke out their eyes, so that they are not recognisable. That is the punishment they deserve for rebelling against the government. Then take their bodies and throw then into an open field and ride your horses over them at high speed so that their flesh is separated from their bones. If you obey my orders, then you will be rewarded with gifts from me, but if you do not then I am immediately suspending you from your post and appointing Shimar in charge of the army. Ibn Ziyad also told Shimar that he would be appointed commander of the army if Umar bin Sad failed to comply with his orders. Shimar took this letter to Umar bin Sad. After reading the letter Umar bin Sad said, I thought Ibn Ziyad might compromise and make peace with Imam Husain but I did not expect him to react in such a cruel manner. Shimar said, You were mistaken then. Now tell me whether you are going to obey his orders or will I have to kill you and cut your head off and send it to Ibn Ziyad? Umar bin Sad assured Shimar that he would obey Ibn Ziyads orders. Then Shimar called some of his relatives who were in Imam Husains group; their names were Abdullah, Abbas, Jaffer, and Uthman. He said, Come with me and live a life of peace and tranquillity. They replied, You are cursed and evil, we are not going to come with you. We will stay with Imam Husain. If we come with you we will be punished with Hellfire, and if we stay with Imam Husain then we will enter Paradise. Imam Husain and some of his followers were sat outside their tents at the time of Asar prayers. They saw that Umar bin Sa`ad was coming towards them with some of his followers. Imam Husains brother Sayyiduna Abbas said, I have a feeling the people who are coming towards us are here to fight. Get up and get ready to attack them, Imam Husain told them to prepare for the battle. His brother said, Let me go first and ask why they have come. Sayyiduna Abbas took twenty people with him and said to Umar bin Sad What is your reason for coming her? Umar bin Sad replied that he had come to inform Imam Husain of the contents of the letter which Ibn Ziyad had sent. Upon finding out Ibn Ziyads intentions, Imam Husain told Sayyiduna Abbas to tell Umar to give them until tonight to make Dua (supplication), recite the Quran and perform Salah (prayers). Whatever is destined to happen tomorrow will happen. Umar agreed to give them until the morning to prepare for the battle. They each returned to their own tents. IMAM HUSAIN GAVE A TALK TO HIS COMPANIONS Imam Husain gathered all his people together and said, All praise to Allah Most High, and praise to Allah Most High that he gave my grandfather the Prophet hood. And O Allah Most High I thank you for the fact that I was born into the family of the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) and for giving us the Holy Quran. O people! You have been very loyal to me, you have stayed with me through good and bad. My sons and my relatives are all related to the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) and are all pious people. O People! I had a dream last night and in it I am looking at someone in the distance mounted on a horse and he was saying to me that people are moving, and death is following them. And I also saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) who said tomorrow evening we would be meeting together. As you know these people are thirsty for my blood, they want to kill me. I give you my permission to go back to Makkah because they only want to kill me. I am happy with you all and willingly give you permission to go. When they heard this they all spoke together and told him that they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for him. We swear to Allah Most High that wherever you go we will go with you; whatever hardship you endure, we will suffer with you. What use are our lives without you? When he heard them say this he told them to go to their tents. IMAM HUSAIN GAVE COMFORT TO HIS SISTER ZAINEB In the evening, Imam Husain was reciting some sad poetry when his sister Zaineb heard him. She came out of her tent, and said, O I wish that I were not alive today, so that I would not have to see this day. Imam Husain said to his sister, What are you saying? Where is your patience? Be afraid of Allah Most High, and believe in his commands and thank Allah Most High. My mother, Fatima, who was the daughter of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) has passed away. My father, Ali, has also passed away. My brother, Hasan, has gone as well. And all the people who are on this earth will one day have to die and even the angels will have to die. And there is no doubt that one day will come when everything will be destroyed, and there will be only Allah Most High. My father was better than me, my mother was better than me, my brother was better than me. We all have to obey our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam). If the people who were better than us have gone then who are we to think we will not? We will have to go one day. O my sister, if I were to die tomorrow then I do not want you to pull your hair or beat your chest or cry loudly. Be patient because Allah is pleased with those who are patient. When she heard this, she became very quite and went inside her tent. Imam Husain called his people and said, Tighten all the ropes which are connected to each tent, and dig a trench around the tents and set fire in them, so when the enemy come to attack us in the morning they will not be able to reach the tents. After doing this, they went and prayed until Fajar. Imam Husain led the Fajar prayer for his followers, and Umar bin Sad lead the prayer for his men. It was Friday the 10th of Muharram 61 AH. IMAM HUSAINS HISTORICAL SERMON When Imam Husain saw that both sides were ready to go to war, he mounted a camel and faced the opposition and made the following speech: O people do not rush to kill me as I am the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam), I have not come here of my own accord but have been called by you people. At this time, there is not a man on earth who is the grandson of a prophet apart from me. Pause to think for a while who am I ? If you want to know about me, go and ask the Prophets companions who are still alive. Go and ask Jaffer bin Abdullah, Abu Said, Suhail bin Sad, Zaid bin Arkam and Anas bin Malik. They will tell you how the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) used to love us. Tell me is it right for you to receive me with un-sheathed swords? Tell me, for what crime do you want to kill me? Have I killed anyone that you want to punish me for his or her murder? Or have I taken anybodys property? O people listen to me, did you not write letters asking me to come? Once again I say, I have come here because you have invited me. But since I have come here, you do not recognise me and you do not want to support me. He then finished his sermon and dismounted the camel. EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN ZUHAIR AND SHIMAR Zuhair bin Qayn, one of the supporters of Imam Husain, said, O people of Kufa! We are all brothers, and we have not yet started to fight. On one side is the grandson of our Prophet and on the other side is Ibn Ziyad. You should leave that evil man and come and join Imam Husains group. Those who contribute to the killing of the grandson of the Prophet will be in utter loss on the Day of Judgement because the Prophet will not intercede on their behalf. Victory lies with Imam Husain; with King Yazid and the governor there is nothing but shame. Shimar responded that Zuhair bin Qayn his group would all be punished and killed. Zuhair replied, You should not interrupt us. We are honest supporters of Imam Husain, and for that reason we will be granted Paradise. Zouhair wanted to continue with this verbal battle, but Imam Husain told him to go back to his tent. SEPARATION OF HUR BIN YAZID FROM THE ARMY OF UMAR BIN SAD When Umar bin Sad decided to attack, Hur came before him and asked him if they were going to fight with Imam Husain. And if they had not accepted his proposals.Umar bin Sad said that he wanted to accept one of those proposals but Ibn Ziyad had not agreed to any of those conditions. After listening to this Hur started to move closer and closer towards Imam Husain and his followers with thirty of his men. One person said, Hur, why are your legs shaking? Hur answered I am trying to decide whether to go to Paradise or to Hell. Before they knew it, he and his men were beside Imam Husain. He said I am the person who made you encamp here and stopped you from going back to Makkah. I swear by Allah Most High I did not realise that the situation would escalate to such a degree that they would want to kill you. Whatever I have done was wrong. Can you tell me, if I ask for forgiveness, will Allah Most High forgive me? Imam Husain said, Of course, Allah Most High will forgive you and I will make Dua for you that Allah Most High forgives you for your past sins. In this way Hur joined Imam Husain and left Umar bin Sads army. Hur then addressed Umar bin Sads army: O people, why did you not accept any of the terms offered by Imam Husain? Do you think that Allah Most High will allow you to succeed and defeat the grandson of his beloved Prophet (pbuh)? Do you think that by killing Imam Husain you will gain salvation? O residents of Kufa! you called Imam Husain and have now left him alone. How sad it is that you have surrounded him in a place where he cannot go anywhere. And how pathetic it is that you have blocked the river (Euphrates) so that no person from his followers can have water. The Jews, Christians, Fire worshipers, dogs, pigs and other animals are drinking water but Imam Husain cannot have water. Is he not even worthy of drinking our water? O people, if you do not repent from this and give Imam Husain water, on the Day of Judgement Allah Most High will also not let you drink water from the river Kauther. While Hur was making his speech the people started throwing arrows at him and he went inside the camp. BEGINNING OF THE WAR On 10th of Muharram Umar bin Sad got his bow and arrows ready and started to fire them towards Imam Husain and his followers. He said O people, be my witness that I was the first one to shoot my arrows towards Imam Husain. When his people saw this they also started to shoot their arrows towards them. Afterwards Yassar the slave of Ziyad, and Salam, the slave of UbayduLlah came from Umar bin Sads army and challenged Imam Husain and said, Send two of your champions and we shall fight them. From Imam Husains side, Abdullah bin Omair Kalbi came out to fight. He killed Yassar. Salam tried to kill Abdullah and struck a blow with which Abdullah lost the fingers of one of his hands. Then Abdullah struck a blow on Salam and killed him too. Nearby was his wife who came running towards him and said, I am proud of you for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alhi wasallam) and I am also with you. Abdullah said to her, You should go back to where Imam Husain is. Then Abdullah went towards Umar bin Sads army and started to fight with them. They all attacked him and martyred him. (May Allah grant him Paradise, Ameen) END OF IBN JOZAH Ibn Jozah was from the army of Umar bin Sad. He left his post and started to say to Imam Husain and his followers, Where is Imam Husain? Which one of you is Imam Husain? The third time he asked this, one of the people from the crowd said, He is with us. What would you like to say to him? Ibn Jozah said O Imam Husain I have come to tell you that you are shortly going to enter the Hell fire. Imam Husain said, You are a lair, after my death I am going to meet Allah Most High, who is the most Merciful and most Kind. Who are you? Ibn Jozah told his name. Imam Husain then made a supplication (Dua) O Allah Most High send him to the Hell Fire. Upon hearing this Ibn Jozah became angry when he heard this and tried to ride his horse towards Imam Husain at high speed. But his horse became frightened and tossed him over, whereby his foot got caught in the stirrup and he was left hanging to the ground. The horse started to gallop very fast and he was dragged along the floor. It got to the point that there was no flesh left on his face and he died. One of Ibn Jozahs friends said, I am not going to fight with Imam Husain as his supplications are accepted immediately. MARTYRDOM OF IBN KHUZAIR Yazid bin Maqil came from the other side to challenge Imam Husains companions to single combat. Ibn Khuzair came out from Imam Husains side and said, You people are liars and cheats. You should repent because you came to fight with Imam Husain. They started to fight and Ibn Khuzair killed Yazid bin Maqil. When his people saw this, they rushed over to attack Ibn Khuzair and Kab bin Jabir martyred him. Kabs wife was on Imam Husains side. When she saw that her husband had killed Ibn Khuzair, she came over and said to him, How can you kill a person who was the best amongst us in reading the Holy Quran, and was known as Sayyidul Qurah. I do not want anything to do with you. I am asking for a divorce from you as we have nothing in common. MARTYRDOM OF UMAR BIN QURZAH One of Imam Husains followers Umar bin Qurzah came to help Ibn Khuzair and fought til he was also martyred. One of his brothers was in the army of Umar bin Sad. He shouted in a loud voice, O Husain, you are a liar and your father was a lair also, and you brain-washed my brother so that he became your follower and was killed for you. Imam Husain answered, I did not mislead your brother but Allah Most High guided him on the straight path. You are being misled. Upon hearing this Umar got angry and started to attack Imam Husains side and said, There will be either me or you left; only one of us will survive this battle. In the mean time, Nafi bin Hilal from Imam Husains side shot an arrow at him and injured him badly and then pulled his sword out ready to go and cut off his head. Just as he was about to do some people from the other side came and took him back, thus he survived. After this two other people, Muzahim bin Harees and Yazid bin Sufyan came out to fight. They challenged anyone, asking who wanted to confront them. Nafi bin Hilal and Hur came out for the single combat. It was the saem Hur who had deserted Umar bin Sads army and had repented. They both went out to fight these two people and Allah Most High gave them victory over both of them. The losses suffered by Umars army greatly worried Amar bin Hujjaj, so he suggested that rather than meeting Imam Husains supporters in single combat,a general attack should be launched.Umar bin Sad agreed with his plan. When Imam Husain heard this he said, O Umar bin Hajjaj how can you turn the people against us. If you were to die in this position, in your heart you know who is speaking the truth and who is telling lies. Which of the two groups is on the straight path and which one is not. Hajjaj could not bear to listen to the truth so he attacked Imam Husains side with the entire right-wing of the army under him. The attack was resisted by Imam Husains companions but Muslim bin Awsaja was left on the ground of the battlefield. Imam Husain came to him and comforted him saying, May Allah Most High be Merciful to you. Habib bin Muzahar, who was close-by, said, May Allah Most High grant you Paradise. Muslim bin Awsaja opened his eyes and said, Whatever happens, until you are alive do not leave Imam Husains side as he is on the straight path. Thus Awsaja passed away. RAIN OF ARROWS ON IMAM HUSAINS FOLLOWERS The rival force decided to launch their attack at once, and simultaneously began to fire arrows at Imam Husain and his followers. Some of Imam Husains followers and their horses sustained injuries. Even Hurs horse was injured, and many of the horses were no longer capable of being used in the battle. But the brave soldiers began fighting on foot and the fight dragged until the afternoon. By mid-afternoon the battle was in full force. Umar bin Sad and his followers saw that they were losing the battle and lost the courage to continue fighting. Eventually, Shimar and Umar bin Sad ordered the others to begin throwing fireballs on the tents of Imam Husain and his followers. When Imam Husain realised what they were planning to do, he came out of his tent and shouted, Have you got no shame? There are children and women in these tents, how are they going to protect themselves if they get burnt? He turned to Shimar and asked him, Are you not ashamed to throw fireballs on my tent when my wife and children are inside it? Shimar replied, It does not matter to me that by burning down these tents I will go to Hell, I will burn them down anyway. Eventually, two men Humaid bin Muslim and Shabath bin Ribi, told him that it was wrong to be attack the tents in this way, and they stopped throwing the fireballs at them. MARTYRDOM OF HABIB BIN MUZAHAR AND HUR BIN YAZID As people from Imam Husains side were martyred during the course of the battle, his group of followers began to look very small in number. In contrast, when members of the opposition lost their lives it made no difference to their strength. In the mean time the hour for the Friday prayer arrived. Abu Thumama Saidi suggested to Imam Husain that they should ask the rival force to allow them to offer the Friday prayer, and if the enemy decided to kill them during the prayer then it will still be a great honour to die in the state of prayer. Imam Husain told him to ask Shimar if they were permitted to say the prayer. He went to ask Shimar to stop the battle so that they could pray. Haseen bin Numair emerged from the ranks of the army saying, what is the point of saying prayers when your prayers are not accepted. Habib bin Muzahar from Imam Husains side said, O dog of the world, do you think your prayers are accepted? How can you say that the prayers of the grandson of our Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) are not accepted? Are you not ashamed by saying this? Haseen got angry and got on his horse and came very quickly towards Habib. Habib got his sword and waved it at him and hit him so hard that he fell off his horse and was badly injured. His companions ran to his rescue and took his body away and started to fight with Habib. Habib fought with them with great courage. Habib also killed Badeel bin Suream. Another person attacked Habib from behind and as he turned round to confront him Haseen came again and martyred Habib. When Imam Husain saw this he was deeply saddened by the fact that such a courageous man has been martyred. Hur asked Imam Husain to allow him to sacrifice himself and take revenge for the death of Habib. Hur used his sword very effectively in the battlefield and killed amny men. This inspired such awe in the hearts of Umar bin Sads men that they began shooting arrows at him. Eventually, it was Abu Thamama who martyred him. MARTYRDOM OF NAFI BIN HILAL Nafi bin Hilal, one of Imam Husains friends, was a very courageous person; he killed twelve of Umar bin Sads soldiers. Eventually, he was injured so severly that they captured him and took him to Umar bin Sad. Umar bin Sad looked at Nafi bin Hilal and said, Look what we have done to you. Nafi said, I have killed twelve of your men and sent them to Hell Fire. If I had any more strength in my arms I would kill you and send you to the Hell Fire as well. But I am glad that I am fighting for Imam Husain and am going to be martyred by people who are on the wrong path. After saying this he breathed his last and joined many others in martyrdom. SOME OTHER MARTYRS The fighting continued and people would come to Imam Husain and ask him to be allowed to sacrifice themselves. Abdullah and Abdurrahman who were from the Gafari tribe came to Imam Husain and asked for his permission to fight. Permission was granted and while fighting with Umar bin Sads men they were martyred. Similarly, Saif and Malik came and begged for his leave. When they went in the battlefield, they told the rival force, Leave the wrong path and join us on the straight path. How will you explain yourselves to Allah Most High on the Day of Judgement? When they heard this Umar bin Sads men attacked and martyred them. Similarly, Shawdhb bin Abdullah and Ibn Abi Shabib Shakris servant, Shuzab, came to Imam Hussian to ask his permission to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving the valuable principles of Islamic political system. They too achieved martyred. This pattern of events was repeated again and again and may people were martyrdom in this way. MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAINS FAMILY When all his close friends and the followers who came with him had been martyred, the only people left were members of Imam Husains immediate family: his young sons, his brother and himself. One of Imam Husains sons, Ali Akbar, came to request Imam Husain to permit him to sacrifice himself in the cause of the Truth. Permission was granted and as he entered the battlefield, he killed many of Umar bin Sads men but they were too great in number and he suffered repeated attacks at their hands. Murah bin Munqad Abdi attacked Ali Akbar from behind with a spear which made him fall to the ground. When the people saw him falling to the ground, they ran to him and attacked him with swords and martyred him. Oun, Abdurrahman, and Jaffer went with Imam Husain to bring Ali Akbars body back to the tent. Abdullah bin Muslim then went to fight and was injured by Umar bin Subeah Saydanis arrow. He was on the ground. Umar saw his chance and shot another arrow and martyred Abdullah. The enemy were slowly surrounding them and Abdullah bin Qutbah Tai martyred Oun bin Abdullah bin Jaffer. Uthman bin Kahlid and Bisher bin Shawoth martyred Abdurrahman bin Aqeel. Abdullah bin Urah Kashee martyred Jaffer bin Aqeel. Qasim bin Hasan, Imam Husains nephew, went to fight and as soon as he entered the battlefield, Umar bin Sad bin Nafaill Azdi attacked him viciously from behind. Qasim fell to the ground and shouted O my uncle, O my uncle. When Imam Husain heard this he quickly went to his assistance and attacked Umar. Umar tried to save himself but his hand got injured and as he fell he shouted to his friends. His friends came in such a disordly fashion that a great commotion was caused by the galloping of so many horses and Umar was crushed to death by them. Imam Husain stood by Qasim and said How evil is this group, how bad are these people who have martyred you? Tomorrow on the Day of Judgement I will present you in front of Allah Most High and He will decide their fate. I have been forced into such a weak position that even when my nephew calls out to me for help I cannot help him. I have never before faced such helplessness, and I swear by Allah Most High that my enemies are great in number and my companions are few. While Imam Husain was talking to Qasim, he slowly passed away. Imam Husain carried his body on his back and brought him to where the bodies of Ali Akbar and other relatives had been kept. Abu Bakr bin Hasn was also attacked and martyred. MARTYRDOM OF ABDULLAH BIN HUSAIN For a short period of time the battle was less intense, Imam Husain walked out of the tent. After a while he sat down with his son, Abdullah bin Husain, in his lap. Abdullah bin Husain was four or five year old at that time. A person from Bani Asad shot an arrow which penetrated Abdullahs neck, and he was also martyred. Imam Husain looked up towards the sky and said O Allah Most High, if you do not help us we will be killed one by one, take revenge on these tyrant people. IMAM HUSAINS BROTHERS WERE MARTYRED Abbas bin Ali, Imam Husains brother called his two other brothers, Abdullah and Jaffer, and said, Let us fight the enemy who are against Allah Most High and his Prophet, even if we have to be martyred. They fought with their all hearts, until Hani bin Sabet martyred Abdullah bin Ali and Jaffer bin Ali. A person from the tribe of Bani, Abban bin Daram, attacked Uthman bin Ali and knocked him down. Then he got on top of his chest, cut off his head and martyred him. Another person from the same tribe martyred Muhammad bin Ali. Abu Bakr bin Ali was also martyred. IMAM HUSAIN WAS LEFT ALONE Imam Husains sons, nephews, brothers, relatives, friends and supporters - all had been martyred. Imam Husain was left alone. Imam Husain was thirsty and tired due to all the fighting. He started to go towards the river Euphrates so that he may have a drink. When he was close enough to have a drink, Haseen bin Numair shot an arrow that hit Imam Husain in the face. Imam Husain pulled the arrow out of his face and as he was wiping the blood, he kept saying; O Allah Most High punish those who are doing these evil things to the grandson of your beloved Prophet. Punish those who are using force against me. Later, Shimar got ten of his men and went towards Imam Husains tent. Imam Husain admonished them saying, Dont you have any shame? Are you not afraid of the Hereafter? Have you lost all sense of humanity? Tell your men not to harm the women and children. When noone answered him, Imam Husain picked up his sword and started to fight. Shimar had with him Abdur Rahman bin Jofee, Qasam bin Nazeed Jofee, Sahleh bin Wahhab, Sinan bin Ans Nakhee, Khowlah bin Yazid Asbahee, and he shouted to them to surround Imam Husain, and kill him. When they tried to surround Imam Husain, he attacked them and they all fell to the ground. In the end they all attacked him simultaneously. Even then Imam Husain fought them off. While this was happening, Sayyiduna Zaineb (Imam Husains sister) came out of her tent to see what all the commotion was about. When she saw that her brother was being attacked, she looked up towards the sky saying, O sky, why dont you fall down on the earth when they are attacking Imam Husain? She saw Umar bin Sad and said to him, Ibn Sad, my brother Husain will be martyred before your very eyes. Do you not have any shame? Upon hearing this Umar bin Sads eyes filled with tears and they rolled down into his beard. He had nothing to say in his defence and turned away from Sayyiduna Zaineb. Imam Husain continued fighting, determined not to surrender to those who had marked the beginning of Monarchism in Islam.He said to them, You are hungry for my blood. I swear by Allah Most High that Allah Most High will not be pleased with you. Allah Most High will punish you for my death and he will take revenge before you even realise that He has done it. And I swear by Allah Most High that if you kill me the doors of bloodshed will be opened on you, and there will be many killings amongst your people. Why? Because you are trying to kill an innocent person, and that is not permissible in Islam. When Imam Husain told them this, not one person answered him. Meanwhile, Imam Husain was still protecting himself in the fight. In the back of their minds all of the soldiers had the thought that they should not be the one to actually kill him. In their hearts they knew that he was the grandson of the Prophet (Sallal laho alhi wasallam) and nobody wanted to be the person remembered and cursed until the Day of Judgement for killing Imam Husain. MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSAIN Shimar shouted to his men, How cowardly you all are? You cannot even kill an injured person. There are so many of you that if all of you were to throw one stone at a time he would be killed and buried. So what are you doing? Attack him at once and kill him instantly. When Imam Husain heard that Shimar was urging the people to attack him, he said, The prophecy of the Prophet has come true. The Prophet had said that he was looking at a white dog that was sniffing at the blood of his family. The reason Imam Husain said this was because Shimar had leprosy. When they heard this they started to attack. Some of them started to shoot arrows at Imam Husain. Zurah bin Sahreek Tamimi attacked Imam Husain on his right shoulder, causing him deep and serious wounds. After that Sinan bin Anas Nakhee threw a spear at Imam Husain. The sheer force made Imam Husain fall to the ground, and Khowla bin Yazid Asbahi came forward with the intention of cutting off Imam Husains head. At that time Imam Husains whole body was shaking. Sanan said to Khowla, You get back, I will cut his head off. He came forward and cut Imam Husains head and separated it from his body. They started to divide Imam Husains belongings amongst themselves. Baher bin Kab took Imam Husains shirt, Qais took Imam Husains shoes and Aswad Azdee took his sword. There were spear wounds , and forty-three sword wounds on Imam Husains body.Umar bin Sad ordered ten horsemen to ride over Imam Husains body at such a speed that the meat would be separated from the bones. During the course of the battle 72 people had been killed from the opposite side, and 88 people had been martyred from Imam Husains side. Umar bin Sad led the funeral prayer for his deceased and buried them and left Imam Husain and his followers as they were. According to the Islamic calendar, it was the time of the Friday prayer on the 10th of Muharram in 61 Hijrah when Imam Husain was martyred.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 00:09:15 +0000
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