Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 2/148
Article 1 - Article 2 - Article 3 - Article 4 - Article 5 - Article 6 - Article 7 - Article 8 - Article 9 - Article 10 - Article 11 - Article 12
THE LIFE OF
IMAM HUSAIN (a)
by Dr. Haider Hussain Shamsi
( Excerpt from his book, "The Imams of the Ahlul Bayt " ).
The birth of second grandchild made the Prophet very happy. He
came to the house of Imam All and his beloved daughter Fatima
and named the newborn Husain.
It is quoted by many narrators that the Prophet often used to
carry his two grandsons on his shoulders. When people remarked
on how much he loved his grandsons, he used to say, "Hasan and
Husain are the two princes of the youth of paradise." People
also quote from him as praying to Allah by saying "O Allah,
befriend those who befriend them and be the foe to whoever
designs to hurt them."
Regarding Imam Husain, it is quoted from him saying, "Husain is
from me and I am from Husain." It can only be inferred that this
was the utterance of no ordinary man, out of love with the
progeny of his daughter, but that of the Prophet of Islam about
whom Allah says "Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught
but revelation that is revealed...... 111:3.
For about six years, his grandfather, the Prophet of Islam,
nurtured Husain just as his father had done before him. He was
one of the five included in the Qur'anic verse of Tat-heer. He
was the youngest of the representatives the Prophet of Islam
took with him at the Mubahala with the Christians of Najran. The
significance of this nurture and representation must not be
underestimated. When the time came, he laid down his life and
the lives of his family members, as well as his friends to
defend the Message of Islam.
THE LIFE OF HUSAIN
DURING THE TIMES OF IMAM ALI AND IMAM
HASAN
After the death of his grandfather, Imam Husain
grew up during the times of the first dm caliphs and saw the way
his father, Imam Ali, conducted his affairs. When he was elected
the Caliph to succeed Uthman, Husain actively participated in
all assignments given to him by his father, whether in the
mosque or in the battlefield.
Imam Husain manifested the acme of obedience towards Imam Hasan
during his brief caliphate, and helped him actively on whatever
was required of him. He concurred with him in the matter of the
truce with Muawiyah. He never raised his voice in the presence
of Imam Hasan, and would not interdict him when he was preaching
or was replying to questions.
When Imam Hasan was dying from poison, given to him according to
Muawiyah's plot, he called his brother Husain to his bedside and
passed the leadership of the faithful to him. Muawiyah, who had
taken his Treaty with Imam Hasan lightly, and had ignored it,
made another violation, and a fateful one which was to change
for ever the course of Muslim history, Muslim Ummah in the
future. In total disregard of his explicit understanding with
Imam Hasan that he (Muawiyah) was not to appoint his successor,
he decided arbitrarily to appoint his son Yazid to succeed him
as the ruler of the Muslim world. Yazid was known for his open
display of a vicious life. Even though some of his courtiers had
cautioned Muawlyah against it, he started the campaign to
recruit fealty for his son Yazid from all tribal chiefs and the
prominent companions of the Prophet who were alive at the time.
The Hashimite clan, led by Imam Husain refused to give their
pledge of fealty to Yazid.
Muawiyah lived for ten more years after the martyrdom of Imam
Hasan, but the Hashimite clan was not forced into submission or
subjugation. However, the verbal abuse and other tactics used to
reduce their influence continued. Imam Husain continued his
mission of peace and religious education to all those who sought
it from him.
THE CONFRONTATION WITH YAZID BIN MUAWIYAH
AND
THE TRAGEDY OF KARBALA
Yazid had been raised in a life of luxury, and
the principles or the practices of Islam were remote to him. He
had seen the success in his father's cunning maneuvers against
Imam Ali, and witnessed the insults slung at the Imam and the
Ahle Bait of the Prophet in the Friday congregational prayers.
He must have been made aware of Imam Ali's contributions towards
establishing the Islamic State under the Prophet of Islam, and
during which his pagan ancestors perished under the sweep of
Imam Ali's sword. History has accounted that eighteen of the
clan of Umayyah were slain in the Battle of Badr. Thus Yazid
could harbor no love for Imam Ali or his progeny. Now that he
himself controlled the vast Islamic empire, and that he himself
wielded absolute power, he had the
best opportunity of avenging the blood of his ancestors.
As soon as he assumed the reins of the empire, Yazid decided to
either obtain the pledge of unconditional submission from the
Imam or to have him executed. His father had warned him about
the steadfast nature of the Imam. It was not possible for the
Imam to accept the wicked ruler as his religious leader; and he
was also aware that Yazid would have him killed for this. In
fact, Yazid
had given specific orders to his cousin, Walid bin Uqba bin Abu
Sufyan, the governor of Madinah that if the Imam did not submit
to his orders, he should be killed and his head be sent to him (Yazid)
for confirmation.
The Imam did not wish to be killed by a political plot in
Madinah. He decided to leave the relative comfort of his home in
Madinah and marched towards Makkah on Rajab 28,60AH. He care
fully selected those who would accompany him in his fateful
journey.
Upon arrival of the Imam's group in Makkah, Sa'id bin As, the
governor of Makkah vacated his seat and rushed to Madinah to
send first hand information to Yazid. Yazid appointed Umar bin
Sad as governor of Makkah, again with the same specific orders
against the Imam.
Yazid had realized that it was extremely difficult to have the
Imam assassinated in Madinah or Makkah, and that it would be
relatively easy to carry out his wicked plot elsewhere. Twelve
thousand letters were sent to the Imam, inviting him to come to
Kufa and establish the righteous rule of true lslam. Some of
these letters were signed by the respected companions of the
Prophet. Imam Husain was duty bound to respond to the call from
the faithful.
The Imam sent his cousin Muslim bin Aqeel to Kufa to size up the
apparent support for him. Muslim hurried to Madinah to pack for
his long trip to Kufa, and took with him two of his young sons,
Muhammad and Ibrahim aged 7 and 8 year respectively. As Muslim
arrived in Kufa, he was greeted by thousands of apparent
supporters. He sent a letter to the Imam saying that indeed
there was a large enough support and that the people wanted the
Imam to come and lead them on the path of Righteousness.
Yazid was waiting for his plan to mature. He sent Ubaidullah bin
Ziyad to
take charge from Nu'man bin Bashir, kill Muslim and send his
head to him
Damascus.
In the large mosque of Kufa, Muslim led the prayers with a huge
number of apparent supporters. When Muslim turned to face the
congregation at the end of his prayers, he found just a handful
of believers staying behind him. Alas! It was too late to inform
the Imam of the treachery of the Kufans. Muslim was unable to
fight his way out of Kufa and was killed. This was followed by
the
slaughter of both of his young sons.
The Imam was in Makkah for about four months. He found that he
could not perform his Hajj with safety. Yazid had sent his men
disguised as pilgrims, with orders to kill Imam Husain. He
decided that he would not have his blood spilled in the Holy
Sanctuary. He only performed the Umrah instead of the full
rituals of Hajj, and started his fateful march towards Kufa. His
long supplication in Arafat is the epitome of the sincerity in
prayers and exhibition of devout faith in the Will of Allah.
Umar bin Sa'd knew the price of failure. His counter part in
Madinah had failed to kill the Imam or to prevent him from
leaving. He sent Yahya bin Sa'id to stop the Imam from leaving
Makkah. However, he was unable to stall or stop the Imam who
continued his journey towards his destination.
While he was well on his way, he leamt of the martyrdom of his
cousin Muslim bin Aqeel. At that point, there was no turning
back for the Imam. He decided to continue his march to face his
destiny. On the way, he was intercepted by the army of Hurr,
which forced the Imam's caravan away from Kula on to a different
direction, till it arrived in Karbala, a dreaded waterless
desert.
It was in this wilderness that the small caravan of the
righteous Imam was deprived of their basic necessities of food
and water in the desert heat, and of their right to a safe
passage out of the oppressive regime of Yazid. They were denied
access to any support from their well wishers, and were instead
encircled by a massive army of professional soldiers and were
ruthlessly killed in
the desert of Karbala on Muharram 10, 61 AH. In this massacre,
eighteen Hashimites lost their lives. They were sons and grand
sons of Ali, Ja'fare Tayyar and Aqeel, from the progeny of Abu
Tallb, the protecting guardian of the Prophet of Islam.
After the bloody battle, the martyrs were beheaded and their
bodies were run over by the mounted soldiers. The tents were put
to flame and the belongings of the survivors were looted. The
survivors were first led to Kufa and then onwards to Damascus
via a less frequented route, lest there be reprisals from the
believers for the massacre of the family of the Prophet.
Despite the extreme odds the Imam had faced in this
confrontation, his strategy did not let this event emerge in the
history as merely quelling of an insurgence from a dissident
group against the power of the ruler of the time. Instead, he
laid down his life and the lives of his family and friends as
sacrificial offerings whose blood was spilled on the hot desert
sand for no political ambition.
The survivors after the blood bath consisted of Ali ibn
al-Husain, the sick young son of Imam Husain, who was unable to
go out in the battle-field, but now had to assume the role of
leadership, bound in shackles and hand-tied; Zainab binte Ali,
the sister of the Imam; the widowed ladies and a bunch of
children. The courageous captives could neither be silenced by
the force of the army nor by the pain of the massacre of their
loved ones they had just witnessed. They continued to introduce
themselves at every stop made by the caravan, and in the court
of Yazid the tyrant in Damascus. Whereas some members of this
little 'army' of the righteous had fought in the battlefield
with sermons and sword, the captives continued their mission by
eloquent sermons to the masses
who gathered along the route. This not only told people on what
had happened to the family of the Prophet, but also served to
rekindle life of faith in the dead conscience of the Muslims of
the time.
Whereas the kingdom of the tyrant is long gone, the candles of
Faith left burning by the Imam and his companions enlighten the
conscience of Islam each time this story is told and retold. The
annual commemoration of this event with energy and commitment by
the devout believers that has survived through centuries despite
the forces of oppression, is nothing less than a miracle. The
believers continue to take out processions to demonstrate
against tyranny, injustice and oppression against the bearer of
the Truth. They congregate in gathering places and retell the
painful story of the struggle between vice and virtue. They deny
themselves comfort, food and water to relive the pain and
suffering of their beloved Imam, his innocent family and his
companions.
CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT EVENTS
Rajab, 60 AH
Muawiyah bin Abu Sufyan died at the age of 75
years. Yazid wrote to the governor of Madinah, Walid bin Uqba to
obtain the oath of fealty from Imam Husain. The Imam refused to
relinquish his religious obligation to those who were steadfast
in their practice of the Truth, and did not submit to the
demands of Yazid.
Rajab 28,60 AH
The Imam gathered his select group of family and friends and
left Madinah for Makkah.
Sha'ban 3,60 AH
The Imam arrived at Makkah. Sa'id bin As vacated his seat in
Makkah, and arriving at Madinah, reported the popularity of the
Imam among the Makkans. Yazid appointed Umar bin Sa'id as
governor of Makkah and gave the same orders to him regarding the
Imam. Imam Husain stayed in Makkah for approximately four
months. It was here that the Imam received some twelve thousand
letters petitioning him to come to Kufa and take charge of their
religious needs.
Bound by his obligation to uphold the Truth and to serve Islam,
the Imam had to respond to this apparently massive appeal by the
people. He dispatched his beloved cousin Muslim bin Aqeel to
Kufa to reassure the petitioners that he was prepared to come
and live among them as they had wished. Thousands of Kufans
apparently rallied behind Muslim. Encouraged by such response,
Muslim wrote a letter to the Imam and appraised him of the
situation in Kufa.
As the dates for Haj neared, Yazid sent Umar bin Sa’id with
thirty Khawarij assassins and three hundred additional trained
Syrian soldiers disguised as pilgrims to kill the Imam during
the Haj.
Zil Haj 8,60 AH
The Imam received the letter written by Muslim calling him to
come to Kufa. Realizing the gravity of the plot to assassinate
him in Makkah during Haj, the Imam performed Umrah (the lesser
Haj) and left for Kufa.
Zil Hajj 9,60 AH
Muslim bin Aqeel and his two young sons were killed and beheaded
in Kula. The Imam leamt of the martyrdom of Muslim and his
children when he had already covered his journey half way to
Kula.
Muharram 1, 61 AH
The caravan of the Imam saw the crescent of Muharrmn at the
caravan stop known as Sharaf, at the out-skirts of Kufa. Hurr
bin Riyahi, with his detachment of over one thousand soldiers
stopped the Imam and diverted him towards the wilderness of
Karbala.
Muharram 2
The Imam pitched his tents near the bank of Euphrates River. Now
that he had fulfilled his obligation to the petitioners and,
having written replies to as many of the letters as he could, he
called upon them to come forward to fulfill their obligation
towards him. On order from his commander-in-chief, Hur had the
Imam remove his tents away from the waters of the Euphrates
River.
Muharram 3
Umar bin Sa'id arrived with an army of twenty two thousand
soldiers. Habib ibne Mazaahir was able to recruit ninety
committed believers from the tribe of Bani Asad to come out 'in
support of the Imam, but Ibne Ziad sent an army of four hundred
soldiers to prevent them from reinforcing the Imam.
Muharram 4
Ibne Ziad addressed a large congregation of worshippers in Kufa
and urged ail those who had pledged fealty to Yazid, to come out
and join his forces to eliminate the (little) army of the Imam.
Shimr came out, and he was despatched with an army of thousand
strong. Ibne Rikab was sent out with two thousand men; Ibne
Numair was given an army of four thousand soldiers. Ibne Rabina
was given three thousand men; and Ibne Kharsha' two thousand
armed soldiers.
Muharram 5
Sha'bath was despatched to Karbala with additional four thousand
men. Urwah bin Qais was sent to join the others with four
thousand soldiers. Ibne Anas was armed with ten thousand
soldiers, Muhammad bin al-Ash'ath had one thousand men and
Abdallah bin Hasein was given one thousand soldiers.
Muharram 6
Yazid's forces were further augmented with ten thousand soldiers
under Khuli bin Yazid Asbahi; three thousand men under Ka'b bin
Hurr; one thousand men under Hujaj bin Hurr. Additional men and
supplies were sent over to support the enormous gathering of
forces against the tiny caravan of the Imam. Ibne Ziad wrote to
Umar bin Sa'd that he had been given enough supplies and man
power to carry out his assignment, and that he must not delay or
fail in it.
Muharram 7
Umar bin Hujaj was posted with four hundred of the best soldiers
to guard the banks of river Euphrates. Additional forces were
deployed to support the men under Umar bin Hujaj, four thousand
soldiers were sent under Hajar and one thousand soldiers under
Sha'bath bin Rabei. Having thus secured their positions around
the riverbanks, the opponents of the Imam started off with
verbal provocations.
Muharram 8
Water supply in the camp of the Imam was totally depleted. Abbas
bin Ali, brother of the Imam, along with some companions was
sent to get some water. He was successful in this mission. It
was at this mission that he became known as "Saqqa-e Haram" (the
Water Bearer of the family).
Next morning the Imam made a formal plea for water for the
thirsty children in the camp, but his plea was denied. The Imam
ordered that a trench be dug between the camp and the enemy and
for digging a well for water. The companions of the Imam
attempted to a dig a well for water, but in vain.
Muharram 9
Imam Husain, accompanied by Abbas, again appealed to Ibne Sa'd
for water but it was turned down. Both returned to the camp
without water. Abbas and other strong members of the camp dug
four other wells for water and saw water at the last attempt.
However, before the thirsty children could have a sip, the enemy
swarmed in and refilled the wells with the excavated dirt. A
fifth attempt was foiled with brutal force.
The Imam went out again, re-introduced himself with details
about himself, his illustrious parents and his noble
grandfather, the Holy Prophet of Islam, and asked the so called
'Muslims' in the opposite camp to allow him to obtain water for
his companions on humanitarian grounds. His convincing address
melted many hearts and there was some stir in the ranks. Shimr
warned Umar bin Sa'd that if he wavered in carrying out the
orders to kill Imam Husain without delay or compromise, he would
be relieved of the charge.
With the final orders from Ibne Ziad on the ultimate fate of the
Imam, Shimr offered Abbas and All Akbar safe passage out of
Karbala, but these gallant soldiers of Truth refused to forsake
the flag-bearer of Righteousness. Just prior to dusk, Shimr
instigated an attack on the camp of the Imam. However, upon the
request of the Imam, Abbas was able to win a reprieve from Ibne
Sa'd on their final onslaught till the next morning.
The Eve of Muharram 10
The Imam addressed his friends and family and clarified his
position to all of them. He told them that since the enemy
wanted his head for refusal to accept Yazid as his superior, all
others could leave the camp and save their lives. His devotees
were deeply saddened at this address and reassured him that they
had absolutely no doubt that they were on the right path, and
there was
nothing in the world that would make them forsake him at that
hour.
Burair Hamdani could not bear the painful cries of the thirsty
children. He went out with some companions to obtain water. The
Imam sent Abbas for help. After a bloody fight in which some of
the valuable companions lost their lives, they were able to
return with only one bag full of water.
On reaching the camp, over twenty children rushed with their
little cups for water. Unfortunately, this precious bag of water
fell to the ground and its contents spilled on the desert sand.
No one could get their thirst quenched. After that event, the
Imam ordered every one to return to their respective tents and
spend the remaining night in prayers, glorifying Allah and the
Holy Prophet.
Muharram 10: Morning
At daybreak, the army of Ibne Sa'd got organized to run down the
Imam's camp. The Imam got up from his prayers and hurriedly
organized his ranks. He ordered to light up the ditch he had
prepared earlier, and ordered Abbas to try yet another time to
dig a well for water. A well was dug but there was no water in
it.
The army encircled the camp of the Imam. The Imam and his
companions tried to avert war and requested safe passage out of
Yazid's dominion but the bloodthirsty enemy would listen to none
of it. Hurr who had enough time to reflect over his conduct,
became perplexed. His conscience rebuked him for having forced
the Imam to follow the desert route to Karbala instead of Kufa.
He came to realize the just stand of the Imam, and walked away
from the ranks along
with his son, and joined the Imam's camp.
Hurr was well received by the Imam. He asked for his
forgiveness, and for his permission to go and sacrifice his life
in defense of the Imam and his cause. The Imam not only excused
him but also expressed his helplessness to even offer a cup of
water to his guest.
Ibne Sa'd shot his first arrow over the Imam's camp, which was
then followed by a rain of arrows by his army. Hurr and his son
were amongst the first to lay their lives in Karbala defending
the Truth.
At the initiation of the battle some of the Imam's companions
fought with such an energy and valor that Ibne Sad realized that
it would cost him a lot of lives and time before he could carry
out his ultimate goal of killing Imam Husain. He ordered his
best marksmen to use their skills to eliminate his opponents in
Imam Husain's camp. This strategy paid him off by shooting down
about fifty percent of the Imam's supporters.
The Imam came out with about thirty-two of his surviving force
and fought the enemy with great bravery on all fronts. Ibne Sa'd
again ordered his marksmen to do their precision shooting that
reduced the Imam's ranks to only a handful of men who were
injured and were unmounted.
Muharram 10: Mid-day
Imam Husain and his remaining companions gathered to offer their
Zuhr prayers. Two of the companions shielding the Imam died
receiving arrows and spears on their bodies. As the prayer
finished, another companion received his martyrdom. After the
last of his companions had received their martyrdom, Imam
Hussain was left with only the members of his family.
Abbas was killed at the bank of the river attempting to secure
water for the remaining family and children. Imam Husain's son
Ali Akbar was killed in battle. The Imam took his infant son Ali
Asghar, only six months old, to the battlefield to show his
enemies that the infants are innocent by all laws of humanity
and that they should give water lest the child died of water
deprivation. The throat of the infant was pinned down over the
Imam's shoulder with
an affow from Hurtnala, the best marksman from Ibne Sa'd's army.
.
At the end, the Imam came out to fight a lonely but brave
battle, cutting down many in the process. He himself received
many wounds, and innumerable arrows pierced his body. As he fell
down from the back of his horse, he bowed down in sajdah
(prostration to Allah) and reached out to the Almighty, seeking
His Grace and praying for accepting his service. Shimr
slaughtered the
Imam, and separated his head from his body. The headless body of
the Imam and other martyrs was then run over by the mounted
soldiers before returning to their ranks.
Muharram 10: Evening
The army now over-ran the camp and snatched every belonging the
bereaved women and children had. The tents were put to flame,
women were beaten and children teased and slapped. It is said
that later in the evening, Hurr's widow brought food and water
to the smoldering encampment of widows and beleaguered children.
Muharram 11
The survivors were marched towards Kufa, women on camels without
seats and the only adult male survivor, Ali Zain al-Abideen
afoot, hand tied and in shackles. The captives were kept in jail
in Kufa for a few days and then carried to Damascus via a less
frequented route.
Rabi-ul Awwal 16, 61 AH
The caravan of the survivors of the Imam's army arrived in
Damascus. The duration their captivity in Damascus is uncertain.
By some accounts, it was for of about one year, after which they
were then sent back to Madinah via Kufa.
HOME - NEWSLETTERS - BOOKS - ARTICLES - CONTACT - FEEDBACK
DISCLAIMER:
All material published by Al-Huda.com / And the Message Continues is the sole responsibility of its author's).
The opinions and/or assertions contained therein do not necessarily reflect the editorial views of this site,
nor of Al-Huda and its officers.