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Tragedy of Karbala as reported by the Sunnis (Part I)

In this series we provide the history of the events of
Karbala as recorded

by the Sunnis.

Although dampened, and sometimes
inaccurate on the favor of

the tyrants, such Sunni documents are the lasting testimony
for the

undeniable horrible massacre of the household of the Prophet
(PBUH&HF).

The

information, unless otherwise specified, are from the History
of al-Tabari.

Few remarks on the History of al-Tabari by the Sunni
scholars.

Shibli

Numani wrote:

Among books of historical character,
an authentic and very

comprehensive book is that of the
Imam al Tabari, known was Tarikh

Kabir.

Al Tabari is a
writer whose scholarly attain- ments and whose

sure and extensive knowledge are
unanimiuosly recognised by the

traditionists.

His
commentary by far is the best of the commentaries.

The well known traditionist, Ibn
Khuzaima, says that he knew no man

learned than al Tabari.

Al
Tabari died in the year 310 A.

H - 921 C.

E.

Some traditionists, al Sulaimani in
particular, have remarked that al

Tabari coined traditions for the
Shia.

Regarding this charge against

al Tabari, Allama al Dhahabi, in his
Mizan al-I'tidal says:

This
is an allegation based on false misgivings.

The
fact is that

Ibn
Jarir is one of the most trust worthy Imam.

al-Dhahabi has further remarked:

All
the authentic and comprehensive books of history, such as

Tarikh
al Kamil and those written by Ibn al Athir, Ibn Khuldun,

Abual
Fida etc, are based on his work and abridged Tarikh of al-

Tabari.

Sunni reference: Sirah al-Nabi -- The Life of the Prophet, by
Shibli

Numani, English version, v1, p25

The Martrydom foretold

On the death of Muawiya, when Imam Hussain (as) refused to

pledge his allegiance to Yazeed, he went to the tomb of his

grandfather, Prophet Muhammad (saw, pbuh&hf).

He
worshipped

there for the most of the night, and also slept there for

a while, in his dream he saw the Messenger of Allah, May

Allah bless him and his cleansed progeny, surronded by
angels.

The Prophet (saw, pbuh&hf) embraced him and said:

My
beloved Hussain, I
foresee you when you

will be, in
the very near future, covered
with

your blood, slain
at the land of Karballa, while

thirsty, being
deprived of water.

This will be done

to you by people
who claim that they are from my

followers.

Imam Hussain (as) in his dream looked at his grandfather and

said:

My grandfather, I
ask you to admit me into your grave.

I do
not desire to go back to the
earthly world.

The Messenger of Allah (saw, pbuh&hf) answered him:

My beloved Hussain,
there are degrees which you will not

acquire except
through martyrdom.

Before he departed to Iraq, he uttered the following words:

I am as eager to
join my ancestors as Jacob was eager

to join Yousef.

I
visualize my body being dismembered

by the wolves of
the desert which shall fill from my

flesh their empty
abdomens and hungry stomachs.

The

pleasure of God is
our pleasure.

We are patient at His

trial and he gives
us the reward of the patient.

(Men

from) the flesh of
the Messenger of God will never part

with him.

They
will join him on the Day of Judgement,

and he will be
very pleased by the re-union.

Yazid's efforts for allegiance

According to Hisham b.

Muhammad (al Kalbi) - Abu
Mikhnaf: Yazid

succeeded at the beginning of the month of Rajab in the year
60

(April 8, 680).

Al Walid b.

Utbah b.

Abi
Sufyan was governor of

Medina, al Numan b.

Bashir al Ansari of al Kufah,
Ubaydallah b.

Ziyad of al Basrah, and Amr b.

Said b.

al
as of Mecca.

Yazid's

only concern, when he assumed power, was to receive the oath
of

allegiance from the individuals who had refused to agree with

Muawiyah's demand for this oath of allegiance from Yazid.

Muawiyah

had summoned the people to give an oath of allegiance to him
that

Yazid would be his heir.

Yazid's concern was to
bring their attitude

to an end.

When he wrote to al Walid, he wrote to him on a patchment as
small as

a rat's ear :

Seize Husayn,
Abdallah b.

Umar, and Abdallah
b.

al Zubayr

to give the oath
of allegiance.

Act so
fiercely that they

have no
chance to do anything before giving
the oath of

allegiance.

Peace
be with you.

Therefore, al Walid sent in the night for al Husayn, peace be
on him,

and summoned him (to attend).

Al Husayn, peace be
upon him, was aware

of what he wanted and so he called a group of his retainers
and ordered

them to carry arms.

Imam Hussain, peace be upon him, said:

Al Walid has
summoned me (to come to him) at this
time (of

night).

I
cannot be sure that he might not
burden me with

a matter I may
be unwilling to respond, he is
unpredictable

man,
so remain with me.

When I go to him,
sit at the door.

If you
hear my voice raised, come in
to prevent him from

(doing anything
to) me.

Al Husayn, peace be upon him, went to al Walid, and Marwan b.

al
Hakam

was with him.

Al Walid gave him news of the death
of Muawiya and al

Husayn replied with the formula:

We belong to God and to Him we will return.

Then al Walid read out Yazid's letter and his order to get
the pledge of

allegiance from him.

Then al Husayn said to al
Walid:

I do not see that
my pledge of allegiance to Yazid in private

would be
sufficient.

Wouldn't you prefer
me to give it in

public so that
people are aware ?

Indeed, said al
Walid

So see what you
think about that in the morning, suggested al

Husayn, peace be
on him.

Go, then, in the
name of God but come to us when the people

gather, said al
Walid.

By God,
interrupted Marwan, if al Husayn leaves you now without

giving the
pledge of allegiance, you will never have the
same

power over
him untill there is a
great number of slain men

between you and
him.

Imprison the man and don't
let him leave

you untill
he has paid homage (to Yazid), or you have executed

him.

At that al Husayn said:

O son of a foreign
woman, would you or he kill me? By God you

are a liar.

With that he went out and walked away accompanied by his
retainers

untill he reached his house.

You disobeyed me,
Marwan told al-Walid, No by God he will

never give you the
same opportunity over his life.

Then blame someone
other than yourself, said Marwan

Replied al Walid:
Indeed, you had chosen for me something which

would have
involved the destruction of my own faith.

By
God, I

would not want all
the worldy wealth and dominion which the sun

rises and sets
over, (if it involved) killing al Husayn.

Glory

be to God, should
I kill al Husayn because he said 'I will not

swear
allegiance" By God, I do not think that
on the Day of

Resurrection a
man who is (responsible) for the
blood of al

Husayn (will
weigh) little in the scale of God.

"

Al Husayn, peace be upon him, spent that night at his house.

It
was the

night of Saturday when there were three days left on the
month of Rajab

in the year 680.

Al Walid b.

Utba was
occupied with sending to Ibn al

Zubayr about the pledge of allegiance to Yazid, and with his
refusal to

come to them.

Ibn al Zubayr left Medina at night
heading for Mecca.

In

the morning al Walid sent men after him, he sent a party of
eighty horse

men under the command of a retainer of the Banu Umayya.

They
pursued him

but did not catch up with him, so they returned.

Towards the end of Saturday he sent men to al Husayn, peace
be upon him,

to bring him to pledge allegiance to al Walid on behalf of
Yazid b.

Muawiya.

Al Husayn peace be upon him, said to them:

Come in the
morning.

Then you will have time to consider
the

situation and so
shall we.

They left him that night without insisting upon him.

He,
peace be upon

him, left under the cover of the night, it was the night of
Saturday

night with two days left in the month of Rajab, and he headed
towards

Mecca accompanied by his sons, his brother's (al Hasan's)
sons and his

brothers.

There was most of the House except for
Muhammad b.

al Hanafiyya.

Al Husayn, peace be upon him, left for Mecca reciting:

Then he left it
out of fear while he kept on the lookout.

He

said: My Lord,
save me from the unjust people.

[ XXVIII 21 ]

He kept to the high road and the members of the house
suggested:

If you had avoided
the high road like Ibn al Zubayr did, the

search party could
not follow you.

No by God, he
replied, I will not leave untill God judges what

He will judge.

When al Husyan, peace be upon him, entered Mecca, his entry
occured on

the night of Friday (i.

e Thursday), 3rd of the month of
Shaban.

As he

entered, he recited:

And when he set
out towards Madyan, he said: Perhaps my Lord

will guide me in
the right path.

[ XXVIII 22 ]

Then he stayed there and its inhabitants began to visit him
frequently, as

did those who had some to make the lesser pilgrimage and
other people from

far and wide.

Ibn al Zubayr had settled himself
there, near the Ka'ba,

where he used to stand in prayer and perform the
circumbulation.

He came

to visit al Husayn, peace be upon him, with the others who
came to visit

him.

He used to come to him at intervals of two
consecutive days, and

sometimes between the two day interval.

He was the
most troublesome of

God's creatures to Ibn al Zubayr, who realized that the
people of Hijaz

would not pledge allegiance to him as long as al Husayn,
peace be upon him,

was in the land.

He was more capable of commanding
the people's obedience

than him, and was more respected.

Muslim b.

Aqil is sent to Kufa

In response to the messages that Imam Hussain received from
the people

of Iraq, asking him to come to them and pledging their full
support and

promise to die in his defense, that goes as follows

In the name of
God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

To al Husayn b.

Ali,
peace be upon them

From Sulayman b.

Surad,
al Musayyib b.

Najaba

Rifa'a b.

Shaddad
al bajali, Habib b.

Muzahir and the

believers and
Muslims of his Shia among the Kufans.

Greetings, we praise
God before you, other than Whom

there is
no deity.

Praise be to
God Who has broken

your
enemy, the obstinate
tyrant who had leapt upon

this
community, stripped it of its
authority , plundered

its fay
and seized control of it
without its consent.

Then
he had killed the choice
members of it and had

preserved
the wicked members of it.

He
made the property

of God
a state (divided) among its tyrants
and wealthy.

He was
destroyed as Thamud were destroyed.

(Now) there is

no Imam over us.

Therefore come; through you, may your God

unite us
under truth.

Al Numan b.

Bashir is in
the governers

palace and we do
not gather with him for the Friday (service).

Nor do we
accopmany him (out of the mosque) for the
Festival

service.

If
we learn that you will come to us, we will drive

him away untill
we pursue him to Syria, if God the Exalted,

wills.

Imam Hussain's (as) reply was as follows

In the name of
God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

From al Husayn b.

Ali,

To the leaders of
the believers and the Muslims

Hani and Said have
brought me your letters; they are the last

two of your
messengers who have come to me.

I have
understood

everything which
you have described and mentioned.

The (main)

statement of your
great men is: "There is no Imam
over us.

Therefore come;
through you, may God unite us under truth and

Guidance.

"
I am sending you my brother, Muslim b.

Aqil, who is

my cousin and my
trusthworthy (representative) from my House.

If he writes to me
that the opinions of your leaders and the

men of wisdom and
merit among you is united in the same way as

the messengers who
have come to me have described and as
I

have read in your
letters, I will come to you speedily, God

willing.

For
by my life, what is the Imam except who
judges

by the Book, one
who upholds justice, one who professes the

religion
of truth, and one who
dedicates himself to the

essence of God.

Greetings.