لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Imam Hussain(A.S.)
AL-HUSAYN IBN 'ALI SAYYIDU'SH-SHUHADA (Peace be on him)
Name: al-Husayn. Title: Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada'. Agnomen: Abu
'Abdillah. Father' s name: 'Ali Amir al-Mu'minin. Mother's name:
Fatimah (daughter of the Holy Prophet). Birth: In Medina on
Thursday, 3rd Sha'ban 4 AH. Death: Martyred in Karbala' (Iraq) at
the age of 57, on Friday, 10th Muharram 61 AH and buried there.
IN THE house of the Holy Prophet, which presented the best
image of both the worlds - the heaven and the earth- a child who
benefited humanity as if he was a Divine Impression reflecting
the earth, was born on one of the nights of the month of Sha'ban.
His father was Imam 'Ali, the best model of kindness towards his
friends and the bravest against the enemies of Islam, and his
mother was Hadrat Fatimah, the only daughter and child of the
Holy Prophet, who had as universally acknowledged, inherited the
qualities of her father. Imam Husayn, is the third Apostolic
Imam. When the good news of his birth reached the Holy Prophet,
he came to his daughter's house, took the newly-born child in his
arms, recited adhan and iqamah in his right and left ears
respectively, and on the 7th day of his birth, after performing
the rites of 'aqlqah, named him al-Husayn, in compliance with
Allah's command. 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas relates: On the very
day when Imam Husayn was born, Allah ordered angel Gabriel to
descend and congratulate the Holy Prophet on His Behalf and on
his own. While descending, Gabriel passed over an island where
the angel Futrus had been banished due to his delay in executing
a commission assigned by Allah. He was deprived of his wings and
expelled to the island where he remained for several years
praying and worshipping Allah and asking for His forgiveness.
When the angel Futrus saw Gabriel, he called out, ' Where
are you going, O Gabriel?' To this he replied, ' Husayn, the
grandson of Muhammad is born, and for this very reason Allah has
commanded me to convey His congratulations to His Apostle.'
Thereupon, the angel said, ' Can you carry me also along with
you? May Muhammad recommend my case to Allah.' Gabriel took the
angel along with him, came to the Holy Prophet, offered
congratulations to him on behalf of Allah and himself and
referred the case of the angel to him. The Holy Prophet said to
Gabriel, 'Ask the angel to touch the body of the newly-born child
and return to his place in Heaven.' On doing this, the angle
re-obtained his wings instantly and praising the Holy Prophet and
his newly- born grandson, ascended towards the Heaven. Hasan and
Husayn, the two sons of the Holy Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib and
Hadrat Fatimah, our Lady of Light, were respected and revered as
the 'Leaders of the Youths of Paradise' as stated by the Holy
Prophet. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace be on him and his
progeny, had openly prophesied that the faith of Islam would be
rescued by his second grandson Husayn, when Yazid, son of
Mu'awiayh, would endeavour to destroy it. Yazid was known for his
devilish character and brutish conduct. He was known as the most
licentious of men. The people having known and understood the
character of Yazid, formed a covenant by which Mu'awiyah could
not appoint Yazid as his successor. This undertaking was given by
Mu'awiyah to Imam Hasan from whom Muawiyah had snatched power.
Mu'awiyah violated this undertaking and nominated Yazid who
succeeded his father. Immediately as he came to power, Yazid
began acting in full accordance with his known character. He
started interfering in the fundamentals of the faith and
practiced every vice and wickedness freely with the highest
degree of impunity and yet held himself out as the successor of
the Holy Prophet, demanding allegiance to himself as the leading
guide of the faith. Paying allegiance to Yazid was nothing short
of acknowledging the devil as Cod. If a divine personality like
the holy Imam Husayn had agreed to his authority, it would be
actually recommending the devil to humanity in place of Cod.
Yazid demanded allegiance from the Holy Imam Husayn, who could
have never agreed to it at any cost. The people fearing death and
destruction at the hands of the tyrant had yielded to him out of
fear. Imam Husayn said that come what- ever may, he would never
yield to the devil in place of God and undo what his grandfather,
the Holy Prophet had established. The refusal of the Holy Imam to
pay allegiance to this fiend, marked the start of the persecution
of the Holy Imam. As a result he had retired to Medina where he
led a secluded life. Even here he was not allowed to live in
peace, and was forced to seek refuge in Mecca where also he was
badly harassed, and Yazid plotted to murder him in the very
precincts of the great sanctuary of Ka'bah.
In order to safeguard the great sanctuary, Imam Husayn decided
to leave Mecca for Kufah just a day before tile haj (pilgrimage).
When asked the reason for the mysterious departure from Mecca
foregoing the pilgrim- age which was only the next day Imam
Husayn said that he would perform this year's pilgrimage at
Karbala', Offering the sacrifice not of any animals, but of his
kith and kin and some faithful friends. He enumerated the names
of his kith and kin who would lay down their lives with him in
the great sacrifice at Karbala'. The people of Kufah getting
tired of the tyrannic and satanic rule of Yazid, had written
innumerable letters and sent emissaries to Imam Husayn to come
over and give them guidance in faith. Although Imam Husayn knew
the ultimate end of the invitations, he as the divinely chosen
Imam could not refuse to give the guidance sought for. When the
Holy Imam with his entourage had reached karbala', his horse
mysteriously stopped and would not move any further. Upon this
the holy Imam declared: This is the land, the land of
sufferings and tortures. He alighted from his horse, and
ordered his followers to encamp there saying: Here shall we be
martyred and our children be killed. Here shall our tents be
burned and our family arrested. This is the land about which my
grandfather the Holy Prophet had foretold, and his prophecy will
certainly be fulfilled.
On the 7th of Muharram water supply to the lmam's carnp was
cut and the torture of thirst and hunger started. the holy Imam's
camp consisted of ladies, innocent children including babies and
some male members of the Holy prophet's family; along with a
small band of some faithful friends of Imam Husayn who had chosen
to die with the Holy Imam, fighting against the devil for the
cause of Allah.
The Day of 'Ashura (10th of Muharram):
At dawn the Imam glanced over the army of Yazid and saw 'Umar
ibn Sa'd ordering his forces to march to- wards him. He gathered
his followers and addressed them thus: Allah has, this day,
permitted us to be engaged in a Holy War and He shall reward us
for our martyrdom. So prepare yourselves to fight against the
enemies of Islam with patience and resistance. O sons of the
noble and self-respecting persons, be patient ! heath is nothing
but a bridge which you must cross after facing trials and
tribulations so as to reach Heaven and its joys. Which of you do
not like to go from this prison (world) to the lofty palaces
(Paradise ) ? Having heard the Imam's address, all his
companions were overwhelmed and cried out, O our Master! We
are ail ready to defend you and your Ahlu 'I-hayt, and to
sacrifice our lives for the cause of Islam. Imam Husayn
sent out from his camp one after an- other to fight and sacrifice
their lives in the way of the Lord. Lastly, when all his men and
children had laid down their lives, Imam Husayn brought his
six-month old baby son 'Ali al-Asghar, and offering him on his
own hands, demanded some water for the baby, dying of thirst. The
thirst of the baby was quenched by a deadly poisoned arrow from
the brute's forces, which pinned the baby's neck to the arm of
the helpless father. At last when the six-month old baby also was
killed, Imam Husayn addressed Allah: O Lord! Thy Husayn has
offered in Thy way whatever Thou hath blessed him with. Bless Thy
Husayn, O Lord! with the acceptance of this sacrifice.
Everything Husayn could do till now was through Thy help and
by Thy Grace. Lastly, Imam Husayn came into the field and
was killed, the details of which merciless slaughter are heart
rending. The forces of Yazid having killed Imam Husayn, cut and
severed his head from his body and raised it on a lance. The
severed head of the Holy Imam began glorifying Allah from the
point of the lance saying, 'Allahu Akbar'. All glory be to
Allah Who is the Greatest! After the wholesale, merciless
and most brutal slaughter of the Holy Imam with his faithful
band, the help- less ladies and children along with the ailing
son of Imam Husayn, Imam 'Ali Zaynu 'l-'Abidin, were taken
captives.
Some Sayings of the Holy Prophet During his
Lifetime with Reference to Imam Husayn:
1. Hasan and Husayn are the Leaders of the Youths of Paradise.
2. Husayn is from me and I am from Husayn, Allah befriends those
who befriend Husayn and He is the enemy of those who bear enmity
to him. 3. Whosoever wishes to see such a person who lives on
earth but whose dignity is honoured by the Heaven- dwellers,
should see my grandson Husayn. 4. O my son! thy flesh is my flesh
and thy blood is my blood; thou art a leader, the son of a leader
and the brother of a leader; thou art a spiritual guide, the son
of a spiritual guide and the brother of a spiritual guide; thou
art an Apostolical Imam, the son of an Apostolical Imam and the
brother of an Apostolical Imam; thou art the father of nine
Imams, the ninth of whom would be the Qa'im (the last infallible
spiritual guide). 5. The punishment inflicted on the murderer of
Husayn in Hell would be equal to half of the total punishment to
be imposed on the entire sinners of the world. 6. When the Holy
Prophet informed Hadrat Fatimah of the martyrdom in store for his
grandson, she burst into tears and asked, O my father !
when would my son be martyred? In such a critical
moment, replied the Holy Prophet, When neither I nor
you, nor 'ALI would be alive. This accentuated her grief
and she inquired again, Who then, O my father, would
commemorate Husayn's martyrdom? The Holy Prophet said,
The men and the women of a particular sect of my followers,
who will befriend my Ahlul-Bayt, will mourn for Husayn and
commemorate his martyrdom each year in every century.
Ibn Sa'd narrates from ash-Sha'bi:
Imam 'Ali, while on his way to Siffin, passed through the
desert of Karbala', there he stopped and wept very bitterly. When
interrogated regarding the cause of his weeping, he commented
that one day he visited the Holy Prophet and found him weeping.
When he asked the Apostle of Allah as to what was the reason
which made him weep, he replied, O 'ALI, Gabriel has just
been with me and informed me that my son Husayn would be martyred
in Karbala', a place near the bank of the River Euphrates. This
moved me so much that I could not help weeping.
Anas ibn Harith narrates:
One day the Holy Prophet ascended the pulpit to deliver a
sermon to his associates while Imam Husayn and Imam Hasan were
sitting before him. When his address was over, he put his left
hand on Imam Husayn and raising his head towards Heaven, said:
O my Lord! I am Muhammad Thy slave and Thy Prophet, and
these two are the distinguished and pious members of my family
who would fortify my cause after me. O my Lord! Gabriel has in-
formed me that my son Husayn would be killed. O my Lord! bless my
cause in recompense for Husayn's martyrdom, make him the leader
of the martyrs, be Thou his helper and guardian and do not bless
his murderers.
Sir Muhammad Iqbal says:
Imam Husayn uprooted despotism forever till the Day of
Resurrection. He watered the dry garden of freedom with the
surging wave of his blood, and indeed he awakened the sleeping
Muslim nation. If Imam Husayn had aimed at acquiring a worldly
empire, he would not have traveled the way he did (from Medina to
Karbala'). Husayn weltered in blood and dust for the sake of
truth. Verily he, therefore, became the bed-rock (foundation) of
the Muslim creed; la ila ha illai Allah (There is no god but
Allah).
Khwaja Mu'inu 'd-Din Chishti says:
He gave his head, but did not put his hand into the hands of
Yazid. Verily, Husayn is the foundation of la ila ha illa Allah.
Husayn is lord and the lord of lords. Husayn himself is Islam and
the shield of Islam. Though he gave his head (for Islam) but
never pledged Yazid. Truly Husayn is the founder of There
is no Deity except Allah.
Brown in his A Literary History of Persia writes:
As a reminder, the blood-stained field of Karbala' where the
grandson of the Apostle of God fell at length, tortured by thirst
and surrounded by the bodies of his murdered kinsmen, has been at
any time since then sufficient to evoke, even in the most
lukewarm and heedless, the deepest emotion, the most frantic
grief and the exaltation of spirit before which pain, danger, and
death shrink to unconsidered trifles. Yearly, on the tenth day of
Muharram, the tragedy is rehearsed in Persia, in India, in
Turkey, in Egypt, wherever a Shi'ite community or colony exists;
. . . As I write it all comes back; the wailing chant, the
sobbing multitudes, the white raiment red with blood from self
inflicted wounds, the intoxication of grief and sympathy.
Allamah Tabatabai writes:
Imam Husayn (Sayyidu sh- Shuhada', the lord among
martyrs), the second child of 'ALI and Fatimah, was born in
the year 4 A H, and after the martyrdom of his brother, Imam
Hasan Mujtaba, became Imam through Divine Command and his
brother's will. Imam Husayn was Imam for a period of ten years,
all but the last six months coinciding with the caliphate of
Mu'awiyah. Imam Husayn lived under the most difficult outward
conditions of suppression and persecution. This was due to the
fact that, first of all, religious laws and regulations had lost
much of their weight and credit, and the edicts of the Umayyad
government had gained complete authority and power. Secondly,
Mu'awiyah and his aides made use of every possible means to put
aside and move out of the way the Household of the Prophet and
the Shi'ah, and thus obliterate the name of 'Ali and his family.
And above all, Mu'awiyah wanted to strengthen the basis of the
caliphate of his son, Yazid. who because of his lack of
principles and scruples was opposed by a large group of Muslims.
Therefore, in order to quell all opposition, Mu'awiyah had
undertaken newer and more severe measures. By force and necessity
Imam Husayn had to endure these days and to tolerate every kind
of mental and spiritual agony and affliction from Mu'awiyah and
his aides-until in the middle of the year 60 AH, Mu'awiyah died
and his son Yazid took his place. Paying allegiance (bay'ah) was
an old Arab practice which was carried out in important matters
such as that of kingship and governmentship. Those who were
ruled, and especially the well-known among them, would give their
hand in allegiance, agreement and obedience to their king or
prince and in this way would show their support for his actions.
Disagreement after allegiance was considered as disgrace and
dishonour for a people and, like breaking an agreement after
having signed it officially, it was considered as a definite
crime. Following the example of the Holy Prophet, people believed
that allegiance, when given by free will and not through force,
carried authority and weight. Mu'awiyah had asked the well-known
among the people to give their allegiance to Yazid, but had not
imposed this request upon Imam Husayn. He had especially told
Yazid in his last will that if Husayn refused to pay allegiance
he should pass over it in silence and overlook the matter, for he
had understood correctly the disastrous consequences which would
follow if the issue were to be pressed. But because of his egoism
and recklessness, Yazid neglected his father's advice and
immediately after the death of his father ordered the governor of
Medina either to force a pledge of allegiance from Imam Husayn or
send his head to Damascus. After the governor of Medina informed
Imam Husayn of this demand, the Imam, in order to think over the
question, asked for a delay and overnight started with his family
toward Mecca. He sought refuge in the sanctuary of God which in
Islam is the official place of refuge and security. This event
occurred toward the end of the month of Rajab and the beginning
of Sha'ban of 60 AH. For nearly four months Imam Husayn stayed in
Mecca in refuge. This news spread throughout the Islamic world.
On the one hand many people who were tired of the iniquities of
Mu'awiyah's rule and were even more dissatisfied when Yazid
became caliph, corresponded with Imam Husayn and expressed their
sympathy for him. On the other hand, a flood of letters began to
flow, especially from Iraq and particularly the city of Kufah,
inviting the Imam to go to Iraq and accept the leadership of the
populace there with the aim of beginning an uprising to overcome
injustice and iniquity. Naturally, such a situation was dangerous
for Yazid. The stay of Imam Husayn in Mecca continued until the
season for pilgrimage when Muslims from all over the world poured
in groups into Mecca in order to perform the rites of the hajj.
The Imam discovered that some of the followers of Yazid had
entered Mecca as pilgrims (hajj) with the mission to kill the
Imam during the rites of hajj with the arms they carried under
their special pilgrimage dress (Ehram). The Imam shortened the
pilgrimage rites and decided to leave. Amidst the vast crowd of
people he stood up in a short speech announced that he was
setting out for Iraq. In this short speech he also declared that
he would be martyred and asked Muslims to help him in attaining
the goal he had in view and to offer their lives in the path of
God. On the next day he set out with his family and a group of
his companions for Iraq. Imam Husayn was determined not to give
his allegiance to Yazid and knew full well that he would be
killed. He was aware that his death was inevitable in the face of
the awesome military power of the Umayyads, supported as it was
by corruption in certain sectors, spiritual decline, and lack of
will power among the people, especially in Iraq. Some of the
outstanding people of Mecca stood in the way of Imam Husayn and
warned him of the danger of the move he was making. But he
answered that he refused to pay allegiance and give his approval
to a government of injustice and tyranny. He added that he knew
that wherever he turned or went he would be killed. He would
leave Mecca in order to preserve the respect for t}abuse of God
and not allow this respect to be destroyed by having his blood
spilled there. While on the way to Kufah and still a few days
journey away from the city, he received news that the agent of
Yazid in Kufah had put to death the representative of the Imam in
that city and also one of the Imam's determined supporters who
was a well-known man in Kufah. Their feet had been tied and they
had been dragged through the streets. The city and its
surroundings were placed under strict observation and countless
soldiers of the enemy were awaiting him. There was no way open to
him but to march ahead and to face death. It was here that the
Imam expressed his definitive determination to go ahead and be
martyred; and so he continued on his journey. Approximately
seventy kilometers from Kufah in a desert named Karbala', the
Imam and his entourage were surrounded by the army of Yazid. For
eight days they stayed in this spot during which the circle
narrowed and the number of the enemy's army increased. Finally
the Imam, with his Household and a small number of companions
were encircled by an army of thirty thousand soldiers. During
these days the Imam fortified his position and made a final
selection of his companions. At night he called his companions
and during a short speech stated that there was nothing ahead but
death and martyrdom. He added that since the enemy was concerned
only with his person he would free them from all obligations so
that anyone who wished could escape in the darkness of the night
and save his life. Then he ordered the lights to be turned out
and most of his companions, who had joined him for their own
advantage, dispersed. Only a handful of those who loved the truth
about forty of his close aides and some of the Banu Hashim
remained. Once again the Imam assembled those who were left and
put them to a test. He addressed his companions and Hashimite
relatives, saying again that the enemy was concerned only with
his person. Each could benefit from the darkness of the night and
escape the danger. But this time the faithful companions of the
Imam answered each in his own way that they would not deviate for
a moment from the path of truth of which the Imam was the leader
and would never leave him alone. They said they would defend his
Household to the last drop of their blood and as long as they
could carry a sword. On the ninth day of the month the last
challenge to choose between allegiance or war was
made by the enemy to the Imam. The Imam asked for a delay in
order to worship overnight and became determined to enter battle
on the next day. On the tenth day of Muharram of the year 61(680)
the Imam lined up before the enemy with his small band of
followers, less than ninety persons consisting of forty of his
companions, thirty some members of the army of the enemy that
joined him during the night and day of war, and his Hashimite
family of children, brothers, nephews, nieces and cousins. That
day they fought from morning until their final breath, and the
Imam, the young Hashimites and the companions were all martyred.
Among those killed were two children of Imam Hasan, who were only
thirteen and eleven years old; and a five-year-old child and a
suckling baby of Imam Husayn. The army of the enemy, after ending
the war, plundered the haram of the Imam and burned his tents.
They decapitated the bodies of the martyrs, denuded them and
threw them to the ground without burial. Then they moved the
members of the haram, all of whom were helpless women and girls,
along with the heads of the martyrs, to Kufah. Among the
prisoners there were three male members: a twenty-two years old
son of Imam Husayn who was very ill and unable to move, namely,
'Ali ibn al-Husayn, the fourth Imam; his four years old son,
Muhammad ibn 'Ali, who became the fifth Imam; and finally Hasan
al-Mujtaba, the son of the second Imam who was also the
son-in-law of Imam Husayn and who, having been wounded during the
war, lay among the dead. They found him near death and through
the intercession of one of the generals did not cut off his head.
Rather, they took him with the prisoners to Kufah and from there
to Damascus before Yazid. The event of Karbala', the capture of
the women and children of the Household of the Prophet, their
being taken as prisoners from town to town and the speeches made
by the daughter of 'Ali, Zaynab, and the fourth Imam who were
among the prisoners, disgraced the Umayyads. Such abuse of the
Household of the Prophet annulled the propaganda which Mu'awiyah
had carried out for years. The matter reached such proportions
that Yazid in public disowned and condemned the actions of his
agents. The event of Karbala' was a major factor in the overthrow
of Umayyad's rule although its effect was delayed. It also
strengthened the roots of Shi'ism. Among its immediate results
were the revolts and rebellions combined with bloody wars which
continued for twelve years. Among those who were instrumental in
the death of the Imam not one was able to escape revenge and
punishment.
Anyone who studies closely the history of the life of Imam
Husayn and Yazid and the conditions that prevailed at that time,
and analyses this chapter of Islamic history, will have no doubt
that in those circumstances there was no choice before Imam
Husayn but to be killed. Swearing allegiance to Yazid would have
meant publicly showing contempt for Islam, something which was
not possible for the Imam, for Yazid not only showed no respect
for Islam and its injunction but also made a public demonstration
of impudently treading under foot its basis and its laws. Those
before him, even if they opposed religious injunctions, always
did so in the guise of religion, and at least formally respected
religion. They took pride in being companions of the Holy Prophet
and the other religious figures in whom people believed. From
this it can be concluded that the claim of some interpreters of
these events is false when they say that the two brothers, Hasan
and Husayn, had two different tastes and that one chose the way
of peace and the other the way of war, so that one brother made
peace with Mu'awiyah although he had an army of forty thousand
while the other went to war against Yazid with an army of forty.
For we see that this same Imam Husayn, who refused to pay
allegiance to Yazid for one day, lived for ten years under the
rule of Mu'awiyah, in the same manner as his brother who also had
endured for ten years under Mu'awiyah, without opposing him. It
must be said in truth that if Imam Hasan or Imam Husayn had
fought Mu'awiyah they would have been killed without there being
the least benefit for Islam. Their deaths would have had no
effect before the righteous appearing policy of Mu'awiyah, a
competent politician who emphasized his being a companion of the
Holy Prophet, the scribe of the revelation, and
uncle of the faithful and who used every stratagem
possible to preserve a religious guise for his rule. Moreover,
with his ability to set the stage to accomplish his desires he
could have had them killed by their own people and then assumed a
state of mourning and sought to revenge their blood, just as he
sought to give the impression that he was avenging the killing of
the third caliph. (Shl'ite Islam)
al-Imam al-Husayn ibn 'Ali, peace be on him, said:
Beware of your apologies; for a true believer does not sin and
does not have to apologize, whereas the hypocrite commits sins
everyday and apologizes everyday.
When other people turn to you in need, consider it a favour of
Allah. Do not be wearied of this favour, or it will move on to
someone else.
Experience enhances the intellect.
(A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles, p. 95-110)
