THE MATYRDOM OF IMAM HUSSAIN[RA]

The tragic event of karbala and the martyrdom of hazrat imam Hussain[ra] is undoubtedly an epoch making chapter in the history of humanity.this event easily exemplifies the true spirit and essence of islam,which is imperative in the present times. This event is not only famous because of the involvement of the scion of the most sacred family in islam,but also because it became a beacon of truth and humanity and had a strong impact on the religious and political history of islam.let us first examine the place of Hussain in the Islamic perspective,

Imam Hussain was born in the month of shaban 4 ah.he was named Hussain himself by the prophet .his father was hazrat ali[ra] and his mother was Fatima al Zahra[ra].imam Hussain grew under the loving care of the prophet.the prophet had un bounded love for his grandsons Hassan and Hussain.he always used to visit the house of hazrat Fatima[ra] and used to feed them with his own hands.the slight distress on their part used to make the prophet unhappy.it is evident by many hadith pertaining to Hussain.

Sometimes as the prophet[saw] lay in prostration his grandsons used to mount on his back.the prophet did not rise till they had descended.some times people questioned the prophet about it wondering whether any revelations were being received in prostration.the prophet used to reply"oh no!my sons got on my back and I did not like to put them down".

Likewise hazrat abu huraira ,once saw Hussain [ra] mounted on the back of the prophet whilst play.a person remarked,"what aremarkable ride".the prophet in turn replied"and what a remarkable rider".the prophet further said

"I love these two [Hassan and Hussain] and hold them dear,whoever does the same actually loves me and holds me dear.and may allah hold them dear[almustadarak al hakim 3.166,tirmizi,mishkat].similarly the prophet has stated"Hassan and Hussain are the leaders of the youth of paradise"[ibid].

A famous hadith of the prophet regarding Hussain is."Hussain is mine and I am of Hussain.his love is my love "[tirmizi,mishkat].hazrat Abdullah bin omar [ra] narrates that the prophet said"Hassan and Hussain are my flowers"[sahih bukhari].it has a profound meaning to it.as the flowers acquire their sustenance from the tree so the grandsons acquired the character from the prophet[saw].

Allah further glorified them in the quran .in surah ahzab v 33 ,allah declares

"o ahl bait of prophet[saw],allah wishes to purify you with a thorough purification"

When this ayah was revealed the prophet took ali,Fatima,Hassan and Hussain under his mantle and said"o allah these are my ahl bait.purify them"[sahih muslim 2'284,tirmizi, minhaj u sunnah ibn taimiyah].thus allah purified them from wordly desires,vices etc. by himself,

Moreover in surah aale imraan v 61 allah stated"then whoever disputes with you concerning him[jesus] .say o Muhammad call your sons and we call our sons,call your woman and we call our woman,call your selves and we call our selves.then pray and invoke the curse of allah on those who lie"

The verse was revealed when the Christians of najran did not accept that jesus had no share in divinity and would not accept any arguments in this context.allah ordered a spiritual contest between two parties.in this regard he took Hassan and Hussain as his sons,Fatima as the woman of household and ali as his self[sahih muslim,minhaj u sunnah ibn taimiyah vol 4 p34}.so the quran declares Hassan and Hussain as the sons of the prophet.furthermore allah made obligatory in the prayers to send blessings to aale rasool[saw].it shows their status in the eyes of allah and his prophet.allah in surah surah verse num ber 23 made it obligatory for every muslim to nurse love of ahl bait in their hearts and deeds in these words.

Say[o Muhammad saw] no reward I ask you except your love to my kin.

As the quran itself has proven the closest kin of the prophet by calling Hassan and Hussain his sons ,it leaves no room for imagination.this verse was revealed in mecca and the prophet was asked by a com panion at medina about the kin that the quran mentions he replied "ali,Fatima,Hassan and Hussain are my kin"[mustadarak al hakim}.furthermore ibn abbas[ra] and imam Hassan[ra] mentioned the aforesaid kin of the prophet in the quran as ahl bait[durre manthur vol6p 7,sawaiq al muhariqah p168]. Hadrat abu bakr[ra] used to

"I love the family of the prophet more than my own" and "love the ahl bait of prophet and fulfill their rights[sahih bukhari vol 1 p 526].not only were they to be loved the prophet declared them to be the suns of knowledges and guidances .the prophet said

"I leave behind me two things which if you adhere ,will guide you always out of ignorance and keep you on the path of allah.they are the book of allah,quran and my ahl bait[tirmizi,mishkat].at another place he said sunnah.so like the sunnah of the prophet they were beacon of guidance and nearness to allah.as far as the martyrdom of Hussain is considered ,one day umme salma[ra] saw tears strolling down the prophetic countenance and she asked the prophet[saw] the reason behind this sadness,the prophet replied that Gabriel informed me that my son Hussain will be matyred.{mishkat,albidayah].thus the first prophecy was made by the prophet himself and he was the first to testify it before anyone else.

Abdullah ibn abbas relates"one afternoon I dreamt of holy prophet [saw] standing disturbed and his hair tangled in dust.i asked the beloved[saw] the reason.he replied"o ibn abbas! My Hussain has been matyred."I remembered that day and when the news of the martyrdom came ,I came to know it was the same day"[mishkat vol 8 p140,tarrekh ibn asaqir,tarikh al khulafa].what a great martyrdom it had to be!

BATTLLE OF KARBALA AND MATRYDOM OF IMAM

HUSSAIN:-

Islam has always been a champion of the great moral and human values .It strives for a socioeconomic and political order with democracy at its core.The head of the state strives for this objective in all selflessness.The first example is that of the Prophet(saw) himself followed by the khulfai rashideen. the head of the state in the period of khulfai rashideen held power as a sacred trust.pious in his character he was the instrument of social control,eradicating the negative elements in the society,enjoying no special privelege for himself or his relatives. the khilfatat rashideen saw ended after 30

years as prophecised by the prophet(saw).in the reign of hazrat ali[ra] the region of Damascus under amir muawia[ra] rebelled against him.after the martyrdom of hazrat ali amir muawia took a large army against hazrat Hassan[ra] the newly chosen caliph.hazrat Hassan in order to avoid bloodshed among the muslims abdicated in the favour of amir muawia.that marked the beginning of the ommayad empire.

In the 60 ah ,yazid assumed the mantle of caliphate at Damascus the political seat of the then caliphate ,for which obstacles had been removed in the period of muawia [ra] itself.it was an undemocratic step as the nomination was contrary to the essence of islam.furthermore yazid was ayoung man of dissolute character given to the pleasures of the harem,wine and other wordly vices.born in 24 ah he had grown up in the lap of luxury. He had none of the qualities of the earlier kalifas,not even of his father muawia[ra].all the historians ,both from formative years like ibn saad ,tabari as well as well as that of the classical period like ibn khaldun are in consensus over this.he had a strong passion for wine,bodily pleasures, chase and a life of ease and merriment.as was his character he cared little for the moral code of the islam or the welfare of the state. At the time of his nomination ,the ummayad empire had become a centre of

wordliness ,ignorance ,corruption and devoid of character,which cut the basic roots of islam. The discipline of self abnegation,the strong faith and earnest endeavour,the freedom of expression and social equality ,which had been the motive forces of islam were divorced.they decay of moral had spread among the people as libertine governers presided over the states.the public treasury was used to meet the luxuries of the rulers and the bourgeious class of Damascus[which had emerged during the early rule of umayyads.]. human rights were violated and injustice was perpetuated.let me quote some examples in this regard.

Imam zuhri[ra] has narrated that at the time of the prophet[saw] and khulfai rashideen [ra],it had been a syatem that no unbeliever could be an inheritor of a non muslim and vice versa ,it was a sunnah.but ummayads abolished this policy.[albidayah wa alnihaya vol 8 p 13].

Another unislamic practice was the levying of a number of taxes that were not allowed in islam.umar bin abdul aziz[ra].abolished them in his reign but after his death these taxes were restored[tabari vol 5 p 32,ibn aseer tarikh al kamil vol 4p 163].similarly the caliph used to declare from his pulpit [which reflects thenature of the rule],"I have subdued you by sword and if you feel your rights are violated or if I don't fulfill your rights,then you

have no choice but to agree and except[albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8 p132].one of the most shameful practices of the early ummayad period was that the family of the prophet was cursed on the pulpits of the mosque.the family which has been blessed in islam. one of the companions of the prophet hujr bin adi[ra],raised a cry against this and was consequently beheaded by the governor of kufa. one of his companions abdr rehman bin Hassan on the orders of Damascus was buried alive.hazrat Abdullah bin umar[ra] and ummul momineen hazrat Ayesha[ra] grieved over this incident and condemned the incident, alongwith the muslim community.[tabari vol 4 p 190,ibn khaldun vol 3 p 13,alastaib vol 1 p 135].

There were vilation of human rights aswell as right to express as mentioned, ibn kaseer, in his famous historical work albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8 p 71-90 reports an incident in kufa when somebody in protest of the atrocities commited by the governor of kufa,a protestor threw a pebble at the governor ziad ibn abu sufyan as he passed a mosque.in retribution the governor ordered the closure of the mosque immediately and ordered the hands of everyone present to be cut. Consequently hands of 80 persons in the mosque were cut.it was an extreme unislamic judgement.when Hamadan which was under the rule of hazrat ali was attacked by ommayad

generals,small children were beheaded and muslim woman were taken as slaves and concubines.it was also contarary to the spirit of islam.[tabari vol 4 p 107,ibn aseer tarikh kamil vol 3.p 193]the caliph at Damascus turned a blind eye to the plea of people.[albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8p90].

One of the examples about the nature ommayad reign can be ascertained by the incident of ibn qais who was asked by the caliph about nominating yazid as the next caliph.qais replied" if we speak the truth we are afraid of you if we lie we are afraid of allah".[ibn aseer 3:251-50,

Albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8p 80].thus the opinion of the people was gagged and right of expression ,a fundamental right under islam, was denied.

Consequently the early rule of the umayyads led to the discord among clans and regions which manifested in the later period of the ummayad empire.at the time of abdul mulk bin marwan clans used to pray separately in single mosques and each clan had its own imam presiding over the prayers.consequently there used to be more than single pulpits in the mosque.furthermore, yousuf al hajjaj a governor of abdul malik strictly ordered that no non arab could lead the prayers at the mosques.[albidayah wa alnihaya vol 10 p 45,trikh al dimashq ibn asakir ,iqdul fareed vol 2 page 223].jazia was imposed on the non

muslims who had converted to islam.again an unislamic and cruel step contrary to the spirit of islam. [ibn aseer vol 4 p 79].the historians have recorded many such things of this nature during the ummayad and in the later abbasid period.

Prophet's [saw] prophecy about this regime:-

Our prophet who was knowledge personified was made cognizant about these occurrences by allah.the prophet[saw] had consequently warned about these periods.in the book of hadith sahih bukhari vol 2 p 1046 :-

Abu hurira relates that the messenger of allah[saw] predicted that my ummah will be murdered at the hands of young foolish rulers of quraish.

Imam ibn hajar asqalani the famous muhaddith who has written the best commentary of sahih bukhari ,fatah ul bari records this hadith of bukhari and mentions "the prophet has said that my ummah will be murdered at the hands of young foolish rulers of quraish [imaratul sabiyan].if you accept their authority then your faith will be destroyed and if you don't accept their authority they will destroy you.abi shaiba[ra] has further mentioned this rule of foolish young men of quraish and foremost among them was yazid bin muawia.he was just like as the

prophet[saw] had described.[fatah ul bari vol 8 p 13,al asabah vol 4 p 207].the same words are found in the work of another muhaadith allama badruddin aini in his sharah bukhari umdattul qari vol 24 p 180.

Furthermore hazrat abu huraira [ra] used to roam the streets praying that god save him from the rule of 60 ah [rule of yazid].when injustice will rule and violence will be perpetuated.also hazrat abu saeed khudri [ra] reports the same hadith about the reign of 60 ah.[albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8 p231,kanzul aamal vol 6 p 25].the famous muhaddith from subcontinent shah wali ullah muhaddis dehalvi,abdul haq muhaddis dehalvi have recorded this hadith in their books.

The above hadith were general ones.there are also hadith that are specific about the rule of yazid bin muawia.for example hazrat abu obaidah[ra],hazrat abu dardah[ra],hazrat abu zar[ra] narrate that the prophet of allah[saw] said"my nations matter will remain on justice until a person who belongs to bani ummayah will spoil it and his name will be yazid.[albidayah wa alnihayah vol 8 p 231,sawaiq al muhariqa p 219,tarikh al khulafa,majmaul zawaid vol 5 ]

The prophet had also informed some companions about the martyrdom of imam hussain pertaining to revolting against this regime.imam bukhari has narrated in tarikh

al kabir that anas bin harith[ra] related that he heard the prophet[saw] say."verily,my son Husain will be killed in the land called karbala ,whoever among you is present at that time must go and help him.anas was matyred at kerbala.[ibn asakir vol 14 p223,al mustadarak hakim vol 3 p 179]

The quran says:-

Don't transgress the limits that allah has prescribed.whoever transgresses the limits is dhaalim[has commited cruelty][the cow albakrah verse 229].

Whoever judges not as allah has prescribed is non believer,a dhaalim,and fasiq [surah almaidah verse44,45,47]

Safeguard yourself against tagoot[albainah verse 5]

Tagoot means that personality whoever transgresses the limits prescribed by allah,whoever makes other people his subjects by oppression,whoever perpetuates injustice[tafseer tabari vol 3 p 13 ]

Similarly prophet david was instructed by allah the glorious as the quran mentions

O david,we made you a khalifa therefore by guidance be a judge among the people and don't follow your desires otherwise you will be led astray from the path of allah.[surah almaidah];

One thing to contemplate here is that allah instructs a prophet to adhere to his bounds otherwise destruction will result .the same applieswith all intensity to all human beings whether kings or

subjects.that is why allah declares to all the people in the glorious quran in these words.

Don't subject youself to sinners [al dahr verse 24].

Similarly on the same lines the prophet advised his ummah in the following words:-

The greatest jihad is one fought against a cruel and injust ruler.

Whoever among you sees something wrong or evil going on he should try to stop it from the strength of his arm.if he does not have a strength to fight against iut he should try to stop it by using his tongue and if he does not possess the strength of speech against it he should try to consider it evil it at heart ,eventhough this is the weakest of faith[mishkat,abu dauood,tirmizi,ibn majah].

Imam Hussain being strong in faith just like his grandfather used both the strength of his arm as well that of his tongue against the negative elements of the ummayad rule prevalent at that time,thereby following both the quran and the hadith.after all he was the beacon of faith ,an example of what rasoolallah[saw] had preached.

61 AH AND THE BATTLE OF KARBALA [abrief account]:-

Yazid acquired the caliphate for which ummayad forces had strived prior to death of his father amir muawia[ra]in 61 ah.at the time of death am ir muawia [ra] had left a will to yazid instructing him to be respectful towards hazrat husain as he was from the ahl bait of the beloved prophet[saw].but on acquiring the caliphate the first order gave from the pulpit of the caliphate at Damascus was contrary to what islam as well as his father had preached to him.the first order was on these lines

From caliph yazid bin muawia to governor of medina walid bin uqba.secure bayyah[allegiance] from Hussain ibn ali,Abdullah ibn zubair

and Abdullah bin umar with force and don't let them get away from it.[tabari,tarikh al kamil ibn asee,albidayah ibn kaseer]

As already expected and predicted by his father amir muawia[ra], ibn zubyr[ra] and imam Hussain[ra] did not comply with the order of yazid

And Abdullah ibn umar complied with the order, thinking it was better to enter into political machinery and try to help it run with Islamic guide lines.imam Hussain after consulting with his family members and friends decided it was better to avoid bloodshed in the holy city of medina, a city where the prophet preached,where he was given refuge,where quranic revelations were received,a place where Hussain had mounted on the shoulders of his grandfather[saw].after offering his salutations and prayers at the tomb of the prophet [saw] he left medina with a heavy heart.this would be the last time the soil of medina will bear his footsteps and the companions of the prophet[saw] at medina will beheld his countenance,he never came back.

As already planned the imam Hussain left for mecca ,another holy city.ibn zubayr[ra] had already reached there.people residing at mecca thronged around imam Hussain hearing about his departure from medina and subsequent arrival.imam Hussain believed that the city of mecca being the city of peace and the coming month of dhil hajj being also one of peace in which fighting is prohibited in islam ,will help keep violence at bay as it was not his intention.his refusal for the allegiance to yazid would have been the beacon to others in itself.at this junction the people of kufa professed his support to imam Hussain and promised his safety there.among them were reliable men like a companion of prophet sulaiman ibn surad al khizai,may allah be pleased with him.[tabari,siyar al nubala imam dhahabi].on the otherside there were plans formulated at Damascus about murder of imam Hussain in the garb of hajis and many men under the command of the new governor of medina amr bin saeed[as yazid had dismissed the previous one for letting Hussain go away from medina] had already

proceeded towards mecca.the situation deduced serious contemplation from Hussain ibn ali.on one side he depised the sanctity of kabaa being put under threat of war and on the other side kufa promised safety. People like ibn abbas[ra] etc tried to stop Hussain from proceeding to kufa because the character of the people of kufa was famous for duality and deceit.it needs to be mentioned here that imam Hussain[ra[ himself did held the kufans in apprehension and to test their professed support sent his cousin muslim bin aqeel[ra] to kufa to vindicate their professed their support.

MUSLIM BIN AQEEL IN KUFA:-

Muslim[ra] on reaching kufa was received by the people with a welcome befitting a king.people all animation thronged around him professing their support,both with their hearts as well as swords to imam Hussain[ra].on the other hand yazid was informed with the affairs of kufa,by his supporters.he at once dismissed numan bin basher[ra] from the post of governor and after consulting his secretary john a non muslim, appointed ibn ziad his cousin known for his cruelty,with the following orders "I have received the news of muslim being in kufa,gathering the support of people for Hussain.you should immediately go there and squash this support.kill muslim and send me his head"[tabari,ibn aseer vol 4p 9].it needs to be mentioned that muslim bin aqeel had meanwhile sent a letter to imam Hussain[ra] attesting to the support of the people of kufa to the family of the blessed prophet[saw].

On reaching kufa ibn ziad gave the people a stern warning warning them of dire consequences in case of support to Hussain [ra] and promise of gold if they adhered to yazid and his governor.Alas, the people of kufa possessed neither strength of character,nor courage or constancy.the threat and lure of gold did its trick.their support and loyalty for imam Hussain diminished and their enthusiasm rubbed off.doors of support were closed on muslim [ra] and only a handful of

supporters were left with him.clandestinely he took refuge in the . of hani bin arwah a staunch supporter of the blessed family of the prophet[saw].a spy was engaged by ibn ziad to locate the whereabouts of muslim[ra]. With deciept he became acknowledged about the hide out of muslim and conveyed this information to ibn ziad,in turn the governor arrested hani bin arwah[ra] and sent a force to capture muslim[ra].muslim had no other option than to vacate the premises of hani[ra] and send someone to imam Hussain informing about the desertion of the people of kufa.unfortunately there was no person to support him.alone he roamed the out skirts of the kufa secretly till an old woman after coming to know he was related closely to the prophet[saw] gave him refuge under her poor cottage.but her son already on the look out for muslim ,lured by the promise of gold came to know about it and immediatetly conveyed this to iobn ziad.troops surrounded the cottage and muslim though alone faced them valiantly but was seriously injured.he was taken to ibn ziad whilst profuse bleeding.on the orders of the governor he was thrown down from the roof of the palace and as he lay in the throes of death his head was cut off .hani bin arwah[ra] was also beheaded and both the heads were sent to yazid and the bodies were displayed on the market square as a lesson for the residents[tabari,ibn aseer,albidayah].ibn ziad also informed the yazid about the affairs.

Muslim had bought alonwith him two sons Muhammad and Ibrahim[ra] on his arrival he had kept them with the qadi of kufa. The qadi on becoming cognizant of the situation, sent them to a place on the outskirts of the kufa so that they could join the caravan to medina.unfortunately the caravan did not come and being only 6 and four years of age they lost their way in the city.a woman gave refuge to them but they were captured and consequently these innocent children were murdered.their heads were taken in a sack to governor and their bodies were thrown in a river.[rozatul shuhada p 150].

HUSSAIN'S DEPARTURE TO KUFA:-

Meanwhile Hussain[ra] being in oblivion about the murder of muslim,set for kufa with his family as he had received a nod of approval from muslim earlier.he sent qais ibn musahar to meet muslim bin aqeel but he was captured and matyred.hussain left mecca on 9th dhil hajj unable to complete hajj as the secret measures were made to murder him while practicing hajj.it was suggested by well wishers to stay at mecca but he replied that he wont put the sanctity of kaaba at stake.furthermore he replied that he had seen the blessed prophet[saw] in a dream ordering him to do something which he will guard in his heart [tabari vol6 p 219,ibn aseer tarikh alkamil].hussains family accompanied him.

On the way zuhar ibn qain met Hussain and sided with him.at thalabia re received the news of death of muslim bin aqeel.he addressed his followers in this manner

"our supporters have deserted us.you are free to depart.anyone who chooses to leave me can go.many people bid goodbye to Hussain [some history books even mention some of them siding with yazidi army lateron],but his family members and close associates stayed with him[tabari vol6 p29,albidayah vol 8p169]after continuing with his journey a band of thousand army led by hur bin yazid surrounded him .it was instructed them to surround them and take them as prisoners.hussain [ra] did not comply with it and on insistence of hur, decided to abandon the march to kufa.he set forth towards towards other direction with hur followinghim.at nainawah anorder came to hur from ibn ziad to surround Hussain and take him to a place where the land was arid and water was not close.hur had to comply with the order and consequently advised Hussain to comply with him.

Earlier At a place called qassar bin maqtal Hussain arose from a short nap and said ina illahi wa ina illahi rajiun[from allah we come to allah we return].his son inquired about it.hussain replied"son, I saw a horse rider riding ahead in a dream and saying that people move onwards

and death moves towards them".hussains son on hearing about it knew that martyrdom was ahead.he asked Hussain if they were not on the right path.imam aali muqaam replied that they were surely and that is why they did not care for death.before the dream Hussain had made his mission known to the world at maqaam beeza.in a sermon before the enemy army he said the words which will become his impersonation before the world:-

Criticizing yazid he said"o people ! the prophet [saw] says that whoever comes across a ruler who perpetuates cruelty and transgresses the divine limits,breaks the convenant made with allah,violates the prophet's traditions and rules over the people with coercion,if he does not oppose the ruler with word and deed,allah will not grant him a good effort in the here after.look!they have become the followers of the devil and are opposing allah's commandments.c orruption has appeared.they are violating the rights of people.the lawful is made unlawful and unlawful is deemed as lawful.at another place he further criticized yazid's rule in these words:-

you witness the existing state of affairs.the world has changed its colours.it is completelety devoid of virtue.only the sediment is left.alas !dont you see that the truth has been relegated to the background.falsehood is deliberately being acted upon.there is none who could prevent the wrong doing.it is high time a believer should try to defend the truth for the sake of allah.i wish to die a matyrs death.it is an offence in itself,to live with oppressors.[ibn aseer tarikh al kamil vol 4p20,tabari vol5p15].

Eventually on2and muharram61 ah Hussain with his entourage reached the forlorn arid plain of karbala ,which was situated a long distance from river Euphrates the only source of water,with a hill in between the two.hussain asked a passerby the name of the place and on being informed about it sighed deeply and said to his colleagues "camp here,it is the promised place".it was the place where hazrat

ali[ra],during one of the battles had pointed to his colleagues"it is the place of the stay of their[hussain's] caravan,it is where they will camp and it is the place where every sand grain will be quenched by their blood.the family of the prophet will be matyred here.[khsais al kubrah vol 2p 169,siral shahadatain p31].next day with the order of ibn ziad omar ibn saad arrived with an army of thousands at karbala.umar never wanted the situation to take a serious turn.no sooner he arrived ,he sent a messenger to imam Hussain questioning his arrival,to which the imam replied that the people of kufa had called him and due to their desertion he was ready to go back.omar ibn saad made ibn ziad cognizant of this discussion hoping that some solution will come off.but ibn ziad commanded ibn saad to force allegiance to yazid from Hussain and his comrades and also to cut the water supply to Hussain by blocking the banks at river Euphrates.[tabari vol 4p234,ibn aseer vol 4 p22,albidayah].

Because it was the month of summer in arabia,the absence of water in the hussaini camp created a stir.small children could not bear the thirst of the desert.hazrat abbas[ra] famous for his bravery in Arabia,the brother of imam Hussain[ra] cut through the enemy ranks and defeated them and bought back some bags of water.it will be the last from the river as no further water would be made available to them.it was the 7 th of muharram[tabari,ibn khaldun,ibn aseer,albidayah].because of this feat hazrat abbaas[ra] was called saqqa the bringer of water.on the other hand the atmosphere was charged with the question of the allegiance to yazid.imam Hussain asked ibn saad to meet him in private.both of them brought with them twenty horsemen [the very proof the conversation would not comply with the order of allegiance].both imam Hussain [ra] and ibn saad left their men and talked in private.authetically imam Hussain [ra] put forward two proposals before the army general.1/to let him go from where he had come 2/to allow him to go some place in the expanse of the empire which included Damascus where he could be allowed

dialogue with yazid or someplace where he could live in peace and see what the people decide.[tabari,ibn aseer tarikh al kamil,ibn khaldun,albidayah wa alnihayah,tarikh islam imam dhahabi,tehzeeb ul tehzeeb,muruj ul zahab masudi, al muntaqa,ibn saad tabaqat,minhajul sunnah ibn taimiyah].the refusal of imam Hussain to the bayyah [allegiance ]to yazid had been predicted by the prophet himself ,kaab bin ujra [ra] relates the prophet had said"whoever does not support the rule of imarat sabiyan[foolish boys yazid etc] is of me and I am of him"[kanzul aamal vol 5 p447].moreover,uqba bin samaan a servant boy of Hussain who was among those who survived karbala massacre has said that he was with Hussain in kerbala and heard all his sermons and speeches and he never said I will give my hand in the hand of yazid[tarikh al kamil ibn aseer vol 4 p 48,tabari vol 6p314,albidayah ibn kaseer vol 8p175,tadhkira khwas p 141].

In the proposals to ibn saad Hussain had tried to keep his stand alive as the beacon of rightenouss and faith.dialogue with yazid would have meant his entrance in the heart of Damascus and any harm to Hussain would have led the blame on yazid himself,besides dialogue would have avoided the bloodshed possibly and it was a chance given by Hussain to yazid to avoid his place in history as being the most hateful person in muslim history.it in itself shows the character he had earned from the mercy to both worlds ,the prophet[saw].but to ummayads it would still have meant that the position of Hussain remained exemplary to others,inciting the refusal of allegiance to yazid.ibn ziad when he received these conditions from ibn saad at first wanted to let Hussain go off,as peace and reconciliation was possible,but shimr bin zil zoushan reprimanded himsaying"without making Hussain submit to your order[of allegiance to yazid] your position will remain weak.order them to obey your order and surrender".ibn ziad with shimr and ordered ibn saad to make Hussain[ra] comply with the order and surrender.otherwise they should be attacked their heads cut off,their body should be trampled with horses as they deserved it because they

were rebels as they had challenged the authority of the state[by refusing the allegiance].[tabari,ibn aseer,ibn khaldun,albidayah].furthermore shimr was himself send to karbala as an aid to the army.

The army of yazid made a preliminary movement towards the cam p of Hussain[ra] ,meanwhile Hussain saw the prophet[saw] in the dream informing him that he will join him soon.he asked ibn saad to postpone the battle for tomorrow[10th of muharram] so that Hussain and his companions could pray that night as it was their last.ibn saad disgruntled at shimr ,agreed to this request.

Before the night had acquired the deepest colour of darkness,Hussain collected all his family and colleagues and pleaded with them

"all praise is to allah the merciful.i have never seen more faithful companions and family members than you people.i appreciate your support.but these enemies are after my blood and tomorrow I will meet allah.i allow and plead you to leave me and save your lives as they only want my head.i bless you all"

At this the younger brother of imam Hussain hazrat abbas[ra] stoodup and replied"o leader of the truth,my brother .we will never leave your side .swords may cut us into pieces and our blood may quench this desert but we will remain with you till the last puff of breath."

Similarly the companions of imam Hussain,replied"o grandson of the prophet[saw],the leader of the blessed family of prophet[saw],how can we leave you in the hands of the enemy.what will we answer to allah and his prophet on the day ofjudgement.by allah,if we are given a hundred lives by allah it will be a great honour just to extinguish the flame of those lives in your journey.we will see to it that the family of the prophet[saw] is not harmed till our eyes have the faculty of sight in them,till our bodies possess last breath of life in them[tabari,tarikh al

kamil ibnaseer,ibn khaldun].so the imam Hussain and his supporters spent the night in prayers and forgiveness.

10 OF MUHARRAM THE CLASH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL:-

The next day as the sun rose to meet the gloomy and forlorn sky, imam hussains son ali akbar[ra] whose countenance had a remarkable likeness to the prophet[saw] and for which he was called humshakal e rasool[saw] called the men to prayer by reciting the azan.it was Friday.it was the day which the followers of truth will always remember,the caravans of rightneouss will always follow its stars and humanity will always shed tears.on one side were hussains seventy two men which consisted of old men of nin ety like habib ibn muzahir[ra],children of nine years as qaim ibn Hassan[ra] ,the young men of 18 years like ali akbar[ra] all thirsty and hungry from three days but all steadfast on the path of truth and on the other side was the army of omar ibn saad consisting of thousands of men all well armed and well fed.in the army of Hussain habib led the left wing while as zaheer was given the right wing and hazrat abbas[ra] was the flag bearer and hence after the battle was called 'alamdaar'.as the two armies stood poised against each other, imam Hussain stepped out and addressed the enemy for the last time,making them aware of their evil stand and his position .the yazidi army in turn asked him to surrender to yazid or ibn ziad as they will honour him[worldly].to this Hussain replied that he will not offer his hand in the hand of govt.[pay allegiance to yazid].[ibn aseer tarikh al kamil,tababri,ibn khaldun].

Hur bin yazid a unique story:-

Hur bin yazid the army general of yazid who was the first person to surround Hussain with troops felt ashamed of his act .in fact he had had no such feeling that the martyrdom oh Hussain will come into being.he felt ashamed of himself.he was known for his bravery in kufa.on seeing him anxious a person from yazid army muhajir bin aus became perplexed about it and inquired about this from hur.hur replied that he

was considering a choice between hell and paradise .at last he declared that he had choosen paradise and will support Hussain[ra] even if he is cut to pieces.he admonished the army of yazid for their conduct and he was met with arrows.he turned his horse and stood infront of imam Hussain and said" o grandson of prophet [saw]. Iam sorry for my conduct as I was the one who surrounded you with armies.please forgive me and let me offer my life for you".imam Hussain blessed him and he joined imam hussains ranks.[tabari,albidayah]

Battle starts:-

Umar ibn saad strung his bow and shot the arrow at the camp of Hussain[ra] and with it the battle started.at first as was the custom of Arabia single combats started but hussains men defeated them at this.umar bin hajjaj an army general of the yazid army admonished umar ibn saad in these words"they are brave men and don't fear death .attack them collectively and massacre them as Hussain has challenged the imam[yazid] and deserted the community[by refusing allegiance to yazid.[tabari,tarikh al kamil ibn aseer,ibn khaldun].

Thus heeding to his advice an all out attack was made on the camp of Hussain.muslim bin ausja[ra] became the first matyr in the camp of Hussain.the horses of Hussain army were rendered useless under the severe attack.and shortly afterwards the tents of Hussain were burnt.at this stage zuhyr bin qain[ra] launched a severe attack at the opposition and in turn many brave men of Hussain fell fighting valiantly.one of them was Abdullah bin amir.his brave wife umm wahab stood in the battle field wiping the dust from the face of her matyr huband but shimr killed her.zuhr prayers approached and a request was made to the enemy forces in this context which was denied.meanwhile habib ibn muzahir and hur ibn yazid repelled the attack led by ibn numair but died valiantly in this endeavour[may allah be pleased with them].at zuhr time Hussain offered prayers while zuhair ibn qain engaged the enemy forces.his right arm was rendered useless and he

sustained injuries but he fought till the last and he was beheaded by the army.after the prayers the men from the clan of ghiffar and jabr decided that the should mount an all out attack on yazidi forces.jabri brothers looked forlorn at this juncture imam Hussain inquired about this.they repled"o grandson of prophet[saw],it is not about our lives were are sad but it is about you.we could do nothing to save the grandson of the prophet who is surrounded by enemy".after this conversation both of them went in the army ranks and fought valiantly till their heads were cut off.

Now all the loyal companions of Hussain were killed one by one and among his family only a few members remained.ali akbar[ra] aged eighteen son of imam Hussain[ra] took leave of his father and fought till he fell from his horse.as he was reputed in Arabia as having facial resembelence to the prophet nobody was prepared to behead him.at last marra bin manqaz al abadi beheaded the youthful ali akbar[ra].

Thereafter other scions of the hashmite blood and members of ahl bait were massacred.till nobody except hazrat abbas[ra] the younger brother of imam Hussain and qasim bin Hassan a lad of 9 years remained.at this juncture seeing the parched children ,hazrat abbas alamdar [ra] resolved to get water for the children as he had succeeded earlier.taking water bags with him he fought the army till he reached the river bank breaking the cordon of enemy there single handedly and filled the water bags but could not drink himself as the sight of children and imam Hussain conjured before him.he could not drink water while the others were thirsty.he proceeded with water towards the camp of husain where the children awaited him .the enemy clearly estimated that fighting with swords was not viable as the towering abbas[ra] like his father ali[ra], tore them single handedly.a shower of arrows were shot by the yazidi army rendering his arms useless .abbas let go one of the bags and held the other by his mouth .but the arrows pierced the water bags and consequently

it spilled.it dented the hope of abbas who was surrounded by the enemy collectively and his arms were cut and his head was taken as a trophy.what a faithful brother and comrade.

On the other hand,qasim bin Hassan tried to stop his uncle Hussain from being killed but the enemy mercilessly beheaded him.after that they killed the six month old baby of Hussain ali asgar.[ibn aseer tarikh al kamil].

Imam aali muqaam[ra] knew his hour had come.parched with thirst and riddled with wounds he stood with calm dignity which stuck terror in the hearts of the enemy.abdullah bin amar who fought from the opposition narrates in tabari,that he never saw a person so brave as Hussain.alone, facing an enemy of thousands ,parched with thrist,seeing his kith and kin being killed infront of his eyes,he fought like a loin.thomas Carlyle has called Hussain the bravest man to have fought a battle.as the grandson of the prophet fought he received arrows and swords with valour.at last an arrow pierced his throat and he fell from the horse.nobody was ready to behead Hussain[ra] at last shimr the accursed himself beheaded the hero of humanity.[tabari,ibn aseer,albidayah].

After this massacre the heads of all the matyrs were put on lances as trophies and their bodies were trampled by horses to bits.besides their tents were burnt and looted and the remaining woman and children were taken as captives.the holy heads were displayed in the kufa and after that they were sent to Damascus on the spears wre they were displayed in the markets and the royal court .after that the heads were buried in Syria.

Aftermath:-

The martyrdom of Hussain had its effect.imam dhahabi narrates in siyar al nubala vol 4 p 38:-

Yazids reign began with the killing of imam Hussain and ended with the battle of al harra,so the people hated him and he was not blessed with a long life.there were many revolts against him after husain's revolt such as the people of medina who rose for the sake of allah and people of mecca under ibn zubyr[ra].

In mecca as the news of imam hussain's martyrdom reached Abdullah ibn zubair[ra] assembled the people and criticized the people of Iraq not aiding Hussain[ra].he further exemplified hussains stand by saying"the army of yazid aid to Hussain if you give your hand in the hand of government[allegiance to yazid].we will give you safety ,which he declined and fought even though they were less in number"[tabari,ibn aseer tarikh al kamil vol 4 p 40].this led to the revolt against yazid by meccans.

After the incident of karbala,yazeed appointed his cousin uthman bin Muhammad as governor of medina and asked him to secure bayya[allegiance ]from the people of medina.he prepared a delegation from medina and sent it to Damascus.after their return Abdullah bin khanzalah[ra] announced in medina that yazid was a drunkard,a fasiq commiting incest.he has no consideration for ummah[tabari,ibn kathir,ibn aseer,ibn saad].the people of mecca and medina revolted against him .yazid sent muslim bin uqba with a huge army .he tried to secure that allegiance for yazid in such a manner that people were his slaves and he could do with them as he pleased.albidayah vol 8 p1146,fatah ul bari].

Furthermore many sahaba were killed,thousand woman and children were made slaves.they pillaged the holy cities of mecca and medina even stoning the kaaba whose walls were destroyed as a result.

Ibn aseer in albidayah vol 8 p1146 states

"yazeed committed a major sin by attacking medina .this was a most horrible mistake.many companions of the prophet[saw] were

killed their children were slaughtered.wehave already mentioned that he killed imam Hussain through ibn ziad.yazid wanted to secure his governance but allah gripped him as he grips the oppressors."

Yazid died in 63 ah while in an orgy of drunkness[tabari].his son muawia refused to occupy the throne as he criticized his father as the killer of ahl bait and a debauch.[sawaiq al muhariqa p 134,tareekh al khamees vol2 p301,hayaat al haiwan vol 1 p 88].thus the name of yazid lasted till his death and he was depised by muslims .As for his murderers they suffered terrible deaths at the hands of people.the battle of medina is called al harra battle.

Imam Hussain by his martyrdom influenced the entire history.his martyrdom became the example for those who strive for truth and humanity.imam aali muqaam [ra] took a direction and himself became a direction to others.after his martyrdom the custom of bayya [allegiance ] became unrelevant.the caliphate remained in name only and became more correctly kingship,the caliph no longer remained the spiritual leader of the ummah although some good charactered kings like umar bin abdul aziz[ra] ascended its pulpit.even non muslims like Gandhi,tagore,Charles dickens,Edward gibbon heralded Hussain [ra] an an icon of humanity.he became the perfect example of a muslim for the entire world.his martyrdom was not for any sect.it was the martyrdom for the whole humanity.the glowing tribute from sheikh moinuddin chisti ajmeri[ra],the founder of islam in india sums it all

Shah ast Hussain,badshah ast Hussain

Hussain,divinity-kneaded love,emperorDeen ast Hussain ,deen panah ast Hussain

Hussain himself faith,faith saviourSar daad na daad dast dar dast yazid

Hussain sacrificed his self,but to yazid did not offer hand to admitHaqa ki binai la illah ast Hussain.

There is no god but allah stamped Hussain.

Mohsin ali.