The events of Karbala reflect the collision of the good versus the evil, the virtuous versus the wicked, the collision of Imam Husain (the head of virtue) versus Yazid (the head of impiety). Al-Husain was a revolutionary person, a righteous man, the religious authority, the Imam of Muslim Ummah. As the representative of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Imam Husain's main concern was to safeguard and protect Islam and guide fellow Muslims. On the other hand, the staying power of the rulers (Mu'awiya and his son Yazid) depended solely on the might of the sword. They used brute force to rule over the Muslim empire even by all possible illicit means.
Imam Husain as head of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) never recognized Mu'awiya nor his followers. Before him Imam Ali (a.s.) had fought battles against Mu'awiya because Mu'awiya continuously violated the Islamic principles. Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) had to swallow the bitter pill of making a peace agreement with Mu'awiya, in order to safeguard the security of the Ummah which was at stake. When Yazid son of Mu'awiya declared himself as a ruler over the Ummah, he demanded Imam Al-Husain's (a.s.) allegiance of loyalty. Imam Husain on his part flatly rejected Yazid's rule and behavior, for there was no way Yazid could represent Islam, it would be blasphemy. But Yazid, the tyrant ruler over the Ummah, was adamant in his demand, and tension between the two parties increased day by day.
Imam Husain was quick to realize that giving allegiance of loyalty to Yazid would serve no purpose but to jeopardize the survival of Islam. To safeguard and protect Islam, therefore, the Imam had no choice but to confront and collide with Yazid's rulership irrespective of consequences. Since Yazid had ordered his commanders to seize the Imam's allegiance of loyalty at any cost, even by brutal force, the commanders had to assemble a relatively large army, surrounding Imam Husain's camp in a desert called Karbala. Then they cut off the basic necessities to the camp, including access to water. The camp consisted of Imam Husain, his family, friends, and companions, all of whom stood fast and firmly with him. These braves would rather face death for the noble cause of Islam, than submit to the outrageous tyranny and the un-Islamic ways of Yazid.
proved to be a clash involving Islamic truths versus falsehood, right versus
wrong, belief versus disbelief, the oppressed versus the oppressor, faith
against brute force. Karbala was about standing in the face of oppression,
regardless no matter the cost. Thus, in Karbala, Al-Husain the 57 year
old grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), sacrificed his totality and all
he had, for one goal. This goal was to let the truth triumph over falsehood
eventually, and he did that brilliantly. His goal was to foil the plan
that Mu'awiya had expertly developed for his son, Yazid, which was to establish
a permanent Benu Umayya rulership over the Muslim Ummah (even by sacrificing
the Islamic principles), but doing it in the name of Islam. Brilliantly,
Imam Husain succeeded in foiling this plan and he exposed the disreputable
nature of Benu Umayya though this was at the expense of his life.
WHO WAS MU'AWIYA?
Mu'awiya was son of Abu Sufyan, a leader of Benu Umayya clan which was one of the clans of Quraish tribes. Mu'awiya grew up in a family known to be cunning, worldly, materialistic, and power hungry. Mu'awiya became Muslim only when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) triumphed over Mecca. Those who became Muslim in this manner were called Tulaqaa', (a term scornfully used for the disbelievers who became Muslims to save their lives). Mu'awiya, his father Abu Sufyan, his mother Hind, and his brother Yazid son of Abu Sufyan were all Tulaqaa'; Mu'awiya never forgot this stigma for the rest of his life; he could never shake it from his mind, thus a feeling of malicious vengeance always existed in his heart. Mu'awiya's character and aspirations were entirely opposite to that of his sister, Umm Habiba, who was one of the wives of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Unlike Mu'awiya, Umm Habiba was a sincere believer and a pious person.
Omar, the second
Khalifa, appointed Mu'awiya's brother, Yazid son of Abu Sufyan,
as the Governor of Syria when the Muslims captured that territory from
the Byzantines. Within a few years, Yazid son of Abu Sufyan died of a disease,
and Omar appointed Mu'awiya in his brother's place as the Governor. Upon
coming to power, Mu'awiya took advantage of the rich public treasury of
Syria using it personally to buy favors and influence people. Thus he built
a large base of support among some tribes, almost to the fanatic level.
He used this to his advantage in later years to form a network of informants
(spies) against Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) and their devotees.
When Imam Ali (a.s.) became Khalifa, he decided to remove Mu'awiya immediately, notwithstanding Mu'awiya's strong base of support. At that time, Mu'awiya had been the governor of Syria, Palestine, and Jordan for 17 years. Mu'awiya became defiant, he refused to obey Ali's orders. Brazen and unabashed, he even declined to recognize Ali or give allegiance of loyalty to him. Also in defiance, Mu'awiya established a parallel government in Greater Syria, and started a campaign of treacherous accusations and malicious rumors against Imam Ali (a.s.). He falsely blamed Imam Ali for the killing of Uthman, the third Khalifa, and urged people to take up arms against the Imam. He spread these notorious accusations constantly to incite an uprising against Ali (a.s.).
At the same time A'isha, the Prophet's widow, became highly vocal against Imam Ali (a.s.). She called for taking revenge for the blood of Uthman. As a result, a party of 3,000 insurgents supported by Sahaaba (Companions) such as Talha and Zubair, along with A'isha headed toward Basrah. The insurgents upon reaching Basrah clashed with the local authorities and finally occupied a portion of Basrah. Soon after the occupation these insurgents spread a reign of terror among the people, killing no less than 600 local Muslims, pilfering the treasury and stealing the arms supplies of the armory.
As a Khalifa
in charge, Imam Ali (a.s.) could not ignore the situation, he had to act
and restore peace and order. He ordered his forces to proceed to Basrah.
As the Imam's forces reached near Basrah, Imam Ali (a.s.) tried to persuade
the insurgents led by A'isha, Zubair and Talha to change their minds and
avoid confrontation, but he did not succeed. A battle broke out though
Zubair elected not to fight. Talha was wounded then bled to death. Thousands
of people lost their lives. A'isha fell down from the camel after it was
disabled; but luckily she was not hurt. Imam Ali asked Muhammad ibn
Abu Bakr, (A'isha's brother), to take A'isha to Basrah for a few days,
and from there to escort her to Medina with full honor and dignity. Upon
leaving Basrah Al-Hasan (a.s.) and Al-Husain (a.s.) accompanied the Prophet's
widow for some distance before bidding her farewell. Imam Ali (a.s.) stayed
in Basrah for a few weeks to restore law and order. He compensated for
the dead, and decided to forgive and absolve all who fought against him,
exactly as the Prophet (pbuh) had done when he triumphed over Mecca 40
BATTLE OF SIFFIN:
Upon returning to Kufa, Imam Ali (a.s.) immediately prepared for the anticipated clash with Mu'awiya. The defying Mu'awiya continued to violate the Islamic principles by personally using the public treasury for espionage and buying peoples' loyalty. The people of Syria fully believed him and the in false picture he presented. Ultimately this resulted in a confrontation called Battle of Siffin when the troops of the two sides met at Siffin. The battle saw ferocious fighting for nine days when Mu'awiya's forces were near collapse. His troops were fleeing and in disarray, and their retreat was in massive disorder, running helter skelter. Mu'awiya, alarmed, tense, and frightened, preparing to run away, when he learned of a clever trick. The trick was indecent and unbecoming, it was to make the Holy Quran as an instrument and exploit it, to use it as a tool to his advantage. Mu'awiya seized on this immediately and commanded his fighters to raise 500 Holy Qurans on tips of spears, in order to stun the troops of Imam Ali. As jolting as it was, this maneuver did break the onslaught and the momentum of Ali's fighters, for they were very pious men. But Imam Ali was quick to recognize this deceit, he knew how deceptive Mu'awiya was, and now that being near collapse, Mu'awiya wanted to save his neck at the expense of the Quran itself.
With that in mind, Ali (a.s.) urged his generals not to halt, but to keep fighting since victory was almost at hand. Alas, Ali's generals and fighters were in shock, for the sight of the Holy Quran high on spear heads was startling to say the least. They could not take it. Not willing to fight, they wanted to accept Mu'awiya's offer to halt the fighting and negotiate instead. The termination of the battle in this manner and the consequences thereof proved to be disastrous to say the least, especially for Ahlul Bayt and Islam.
It is said
that there was a conspiracy between Amr Ibnil Aas of Mu'awiya's
side, and Ash'ath Ibn Qais, a General in Imam Ali's camp, who was
working as a spy against Ali, secretly working as an agent for Mu'awiya.
In this battle 45,000 men lost their lives in Mu'awiya's camp, and about
25,000 in Ali's (a.s.) camp. Many men of high caliber from both sides died,
especially Ammar Ibn Yasir, the great Companion of the Prophet (pbuh),
who was 90 years old and fought on Imam Ali's side against Mu'awiya.
Imam Ali's (a.s.) generals, who stopped the battle to negotiate with Mu'awiya, did not pick the right person for the negotiation. They unyieldingly refused to accept Imam Ali's choice, instead they picked Kufa's Governor, Abu-Musa Ash'ari, an incompetent Governor who had been previously dismissed from office by Imam Ali. Mu'awiya appointed Amr Ibnil Aas, a shrewd and cunning man, to be his representative in the negotiation. Negotiation between the two sides did not take place for about one year.
When the two negotiators came face to face, it was clear that Ash'ari's capability was no match for his opponent Ibnil Aas. In the negotiations, Ash'ari proposed that, both Mu'awiya and Imam Ali (a.s.) were to abdicate and to let the people hold election for the Khilaafah. Amr Ibnil Aas, a deceptive man at best, quickly agreed to Ash'ari's proposal and asked Ash'ari to first announce the agreement. Ash'ari stood up and announced, "O people, we have agreed not to consider Ali or Mu'awiya for Khilaafah. You may choose or elect whomever you think is fit." The cunning Amr Ibnil Aas stood up next to say, "O people! I won't consider Ali for the Khilaafah. But Mu'awiya, in my opinion, is the person for that office!" Upon hearing this (and feeling deceived), the people screamed disapprovingly, an uproar was the result. Imam Ali's (a.s.) camp was in shock, they were double-crossed, deceived and lied to, they felt deeply cut. Amr's double crossing and deception was simply beyond their imagination. They left the place bewildered and utterly disappointed. Because of this a large group of Imam Ali's supporters defected to form a separate group called Kharijies, meaning the Outsiders.
became fanatically opposed to Imam Ali and Mu'awiya. Some of their members
met secretly in Mecca and drew a plan to assassinate Ali (a.s.) in Kufa,
Mu'awiya in Syria, and Amr Ibnil Aas in Egypt. Three fanatics took the
responsibility, they were to attack their victims in the morning, the same
day, as the would-be victims were going to the mosque to lead the morning
salat. Ibn Muljim attacked and fatally wounded Imam
Ali (a.s.), whereas Mu'awiya escaped with a light wound of his buttock.
Amr Ibnil Aas was ill that day and his replacement was killed by the Khariji.
Imam Ali (a.s.), in wounded condition, conferred the Imamah and the reign
of the Islamic nation to his 37 years old son Al-Hasan.
PEACE AGREEMENT BETWEEN IMAM AL-HASAN AND MU'AWIYA:
Imam Hasan (a.s.) faced extremely difficult conditions from the start. He observed that fear, anxiety and much distress were ever present in Kufa, Basrah, Medina and other towns. The anxiety, uncertainty and insecurity were caused by Mu'awiya's ill dealing of sincere Muslims. Mu'awiya had spread secret agents all over to defame Ahlul Bayt. Imam Hasan knew that his father Imam Ali (a.s.) had stood like a lion in all difficulties and fought battles against Mu'awiya, but these confrontations had resulted in heavy casualties on both sides. A mass scale family devastation was visible everywhere. Considering all circumstances, Imam Hasan (a.s.) discussed the matter with his brother Husain (a.s.) and other relatives. He revealed to them that in order to end the bloodshed and to provide a reasonable safety and security to the Ummah, he would make a peace agreement with Mu'awiya and abdicate until after Mu'awiya's death. After a few days of careful consideration, Imam Hasan (a.s.) accepted an agreement as per the terms dictated by the Imam and agreed to by Mu'awiya. Four noteworthy terms of this agreement were:
In the meantime
Mu'awiya, unabashedly elected to disregard the terms of his treaty with
Imam Al-Hasan. a) He sent secret agents to terrorize, kidnap, or even kill
innocent people specially those who were loyal to Ahlul Bayt (a.s.). b)
Instead of helping the needy with the public treasury, Mu'awiya's governors
and their surrogates used the public treasury for personal use, freely
and excessively as they wished. c) Freedom suddenly died, and dictatorship
took its place. d) Mu'awiya gathered a very large number of collaborators
who unabashedly would do any thing for money.
MU'AWIYA'S PLOT TO POISON IMAM HASAN (a.s.):
It was Mu'awiya's ardent desire to impose his son Yazid (who had been named after his uncle) upon the Muslims by making him the succeeding Khalifa, despite the fact that Yazid was the playboy of the time, with many evil habits including gambling, heavy drinking, and indulgence in the pleasures of the flesh. But the peace agreement would not permit Mu'awiya to appoint Yazid as his successor, (According to the agreement Imam Hasan would immediately become Khalifa upon Mu'awiya's death). Therefore, it was obvious to Mu'awiya that, if Al-Hasan did not outlive him, Mu'awiya could do as he pleased. Thus Mu'awiya planned to kill Imam Al-Hasan in order to pave the way for his son Yazid to be his successor.
Mu'awiya sent one of his agents to contact Imam Al-Hasan's wife Joda who was the daughter of Al-Ash'ath (once a secret agent for Mu'awiya against Imam Ali in the Battle of Siffin). Joda was asked a small favor, i.e., to put a little poison in Al-Hasan's food, and in return Mu'awiya would give her a large sum of money and also make her wife of his son Yazid. She found the offer too attractive to ignore, and foolishly agreed to accept it. A few days later, she mixed poison in honey and gave it to the Imam. As soon as the Imam took the poisoned honey he became seriously ill. Sensing that his death was imminent, the Imam designated his brother Al-Husain (a.s.) to be the third Imam. Although Imam Al-Hasan knew he was poisoned, he did not reveal that to anyone but to his brother Al-Husain.
One thing Al-Hasan had wished was to have his burial by the side of his grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Imam Husain made all the arrangements to fulfill that wish but Mu'awiya's governor over Medina did not let that happen and used military force to stop it. Imam Al-Hasan was 47 year old when he died of poisoning.
Medina was never the same without Imam Hasan (a.s.). Everyone missed him dearly. People at first did not believe Mu'awiya poisoned Imam Al-Hasan, but soon found out the truth.
(a.s.) was designated as the 3rd Imam he was 46 years old. Imam Husain
(a.s.) carried on with his mission of teaching Islam as before. A large
number of people kept coming to see him and to learn from him. This process
continued for several years when people began to hear an ugly rumor that
Mu'awiya wanted his son, Yazid, to succeed him.
MU'AWIYA DESIGNATES YAZID AS SUCCESSOR:
Mu'awiya began a campaign to introduce Monarchy into the structure of Islam. To have Monarchy, by force or otherwise is alien to Islam, an innovation in religion, simply not acceptable. Everyone knew that, for Islam does not subscribe to any form of Royalty through inheritance or Monarchy. In Islam it is supposed to be Shura.
Mu'awiya sent his agents to the prominent members of the communities to
obtain allegiance of loyalty to his son Yazid. But Yazid was evil, of the
drinking type, incompetent, contemptible, and a pleasure-seeking person.
People knew that. So the people protested vigorously. There was anger everywhere.
Emotions went sky high. To calm people down, at least temporarily, Mu'awiya
decided to send his son Yazid to Mecca for the pilgrimage. Yes, Yazid did
go to Mecca but only after taking alcohol with him as well as a chorus
of girls for his entertainment.
Mu'awiya was getting older day by day. At the age of 75, he became seriously ill. He was nearing death. He lay weak and lifeless as if something was choking and strangling him. He felt tortured and tormented, and continuously cried for mercy. He was in terrible pain. He wanted to die but death would not come close to him. His conscience tormented him for the calamities that he brought upon the Islamic Ummah specially Ahlul Bayt. Mu'awiya suffered in agony for many many days. His suffering continued until he breathed his last. At the time of his death, the 30 year old Yazid was nowhere near him, he had gone for fun on a hunting trip.
that Mu'awiya's brother was by the name of Yazid, and he had named his
son after his brother.)
YAZID BECOMES RULER:
Upon Mu'awiya's death, Yazid, 30 years old, managed to impose himself on the people and become the Khalifa. At first people refused to accept him as a representative of the Prophet (pbuh) and Islamic Ummah, but Yazid approached people in mosques for their favors. Like his father Mu'awiya, Yazid used all possible means like bribery, coercion, pressure, threats, and force to receive the people's acceptance of him as the legitimate ruler. Many people were worried, threats to their lives and livelihood was too menacing, so they grudgingly and reluctantly gave in. But, Imam Husain (a.s.) and his family (who practiced Islam in its true sense), did not give in. As the true representative of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Al-Husain flatly refused accepting Yazid either as a Khalifa or a leader of Islam. Despite Yazid's intimidating military power the Imam stood firm in his resolve and chose to challenge Benu Umayya's authorities.
Yazid commissioned Waleed Ibn Ut'ba, his Governor over Medina, to ask for Imam Husain's allegiance of loyalty or else upon refusal, his head. Waleed invited Al-Husain to a meeting for the purpose. Imam Husain did not give his word at the meeting and decided to leave Medina along with his family to proceed to Mecca. When Al-Husain reached Mecca he received 12,000 letters from Kufa urging him to go to Kufa to be their leader, and be the Khalifa. Imam sent an emissary, his cousin Muslim Ibn Aqeel, to Kufa to ascertain first-hand information about the situation in Iraq. In the mean time Yazid spread a network of informants and secret agents in Mecca to assassinate the Imam during pilgrimage. Imam learned about the spies, and carefully evaluated the situation in Mecca. Imam Husain knew that Yazid son of Mu'awiya had no regard for Islamic values and teachings, that he would do anything to enforce his tyrannical rule. Imam Husain also knew that giving allegiance of loyalty to an imposter like Yazid would certainly place Islam at great jeopardy. Therefore he decided to leave Mecca for Kufa to prepare for a confrontation with Yazid and his forces.
and relatives urged Imam Husain not to go to Kufa, but he insisted on going.
Imam Husain, along with family, friends, and companions began the journey
toward Kufa (1,100 miles) in a long caravan in the blistering heat of summer.
ON THE WAY TO KARBALA:
During the early phase of the journey the caravan met Al-Farazdaq (a famous poet) at a place called al-Sifah. Al-Farazdaq advised the Imam not to go to Kufa because though people's hearts were with him (Imam), their swords would be against him. But the Imam continued with the journey, and he received the first letter from his emissary Muslim Ibn Aqeel with good news. The letter indicated that the people were more than ready to welcome the Imam in Kufa and were looking forward to his leadership. Imam Husain decided to send another emissary to Kufa with a message. The caravan kept proceeding toward Kufa. Many days passed but the Imam did not receive any more responses from Muslim Ibn Aqeel.
In Kufa Muslim Bin Aqeel with the help of Mukhtar Al-Thaqafi and Hani Ibn Urwah continued to hold secret meetings with the supporters of the Imam. Within a short time the gatherings started to gain momentum. Yazid through his spies and informants learned about Muslim's successes in Kufa. He appointed the tyrant Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad to replace al-Nu'man Ibn al-Basheer as Governor of Kufa.
Meanwhile, as Al-Husain's caravan got closer to its destination (Kufa), coming to a place called Zubalah, Imam Husain unexpectedly received shocking news. The shocking news was about Muslim Ibn Aqeel and the person who provided him shelter, Hani's Ibn Urwah, both of whom were arrested and beheaded by the Governor Ibn Ziyad. Mukhtar was also arrested and imprisoned and tortured by Ibn Ziyad.
gathered his companions and disclosed to them about the bad news, and said,
"Our Shi'a have deserted us, those of you who prefer to leave us may do
so freely and without guilt." Becoming scared, some companions left the
caravan. Imam Husain continued with the journey along with close companions
and family members until he was face to face with 1,000 horsemen led by
Hur al-Riyahi representing the enemy. The enemy army blocked the
camps of Imam Husain (a.s.) from advancing. Tension started to rise between
the two. The Imam addressed the enemy explaining to them his motives for
going to Kufa, that it was in response to the invitation of the people.
He even showed them a bagful of letters he received from Kufa. Hur said
that he and his men were not the writers of those letters. Imam told them
that if they did not like him to advance with the journey, he was prepared
to return to Hijaz. Hur replied, "We are commissioned to follow you until
we take you to Governor Ibn Ziyad, and suggested to the Imam to go towards
a station which is neither Kufa nor Medina." Imam Husain found the proposal
fair and turned the caravan away from Kufa. Hur and his army marched parallel
to the Imam. The two sides reached a village called Nainawa where Ibn Ziyad's
messenger (Yazid's governor over Kufa) delivered a message to Hur. The
message read, " ...force Husain to a halt. But let him stop in an open
space, without vegetation or water." Hur conveyed the contents of the letter
to Imam Husain. The Imam, his family and companions defiantly resumed their
journey and reached a place where another enemy force blocked their move
and forced them to stop. When Imam Husain learned that the place was called
Karbala, he felt he reached the destination and ordered his
camp to be setup. That day was 2nd of Muharram, Hijri 61.
Upon learning that his army had succeeded to lay a siege around the Imam's camp, Governor Ibn Ziyad sent additional military units to Karbala and appointed Umar Ibn Sa'ad in charge. Imam Husain (a.s.) opened a dialogue with Umar Ibn Sa'ad and convinced him to lift the siege so that the Imam with his family and companions could leave Iraq. Umar Ibn Sa'ad liked the Imam's proposal and sent a message to Governor Ibn Ziyad notifying him about the results of the talks with Imam Husain (a.s.). Ibn Ziyad also found the Imam's proposal acceptable. However before agreeing to it officially, Shimr Bin Dhil-Jawshan, opposed it strongly. As a result Ziyad wrote a letter to Umar Ibn Sa'ad commanding him to either go to war with Imam Husain (a.s.) or be relieved of his duties as commander of the army and Shimr would not only replace him but despatch Ibn Sa'ad's head to Kufa.
Umar Ibn bin Sa'ad got the letter. After pondering over the consequences he decided to fight Imam Husain (a.s.). On the 7th day of Muharram he moved his troops closer to the camp and began to surround the Husaini camp. Ibn Sa'ad laid a blockade around the camp to cut it off from access to the river Euphrates, to deprive it of water in a move to force them to surrender.
Two days later,
(on the 9th of Muharram), the enemy's military forces closed in on the
camp of Imam Husain (a.s.). Imam asked his brother, Abbas, to talk to Ibn
Sa'ad and request a delay of the aggression by one night. Umar Ibn Sa'ad
agreed to the demand. He ordered his troops to delay the aggression till
next morning. Imam Husain and his pious companions spent that night in
prayers. During the night the Imam told the companions, " ....the enemy
is interested in none but me, me alone. I'll be most delighted to permit
each and every one of you to go back, and I urge you to do so...." All
companions screamed in response, "By Allah, never, never! We will either
live with you or die together with you."
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