The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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

He, peace be on him, went on from Batn al Aqaba until he

stopped at Sharaf (for the night).

At dawn he
ordered his boys to get

water and more (for the journeys When he continued from there
until

midday.

While he was journeying, one of his
followers exclaimed:

"God is greater (Allahu akbar)!"

"God is greater (AllAhu akbar)!" responded al-Husayn,
peace be

on him.

Then he asked: "Why did you say Allahu
akbar?"

"I saw palm-trees," answered the man.

"This is a place in which we never see a
palm-tree," a group of his

followers asserted.

"What do you think it is then?" asked al-Husayn,
peace be on him.

"We think it is the ears of horses," they answered.

"By God, I think so too," he declared.

Then
he said: "(So that) we

can face them in one direction (i.

e.

so that we
are not surrounded), we

should put at our rear whatever place of refuge (we can
find).

"

"Yes," said to him, "there is Dhu Husam over
on your left.

If you

reach it before them,it will be (in) just (the position) you

want.

" So he veered left towards it and we went in
that direction with

him.

Even before we had had time to change
direction the vanguard of

the cavalry appeared in front of us and we could see them
clearly.

We left the road and when they saw that we had moved off the
road,

they (also) moved off the road towards us.

Their
spears looked like

palm branches stripped of their leaves and their standards
were like

birds' wings.

Al-Husayn ordered his tents (to be
put up) and they

were erected.

The people came up; (there were)
about one thousand

horsemen under the command of al-Hurr b.

Yazid al-Tamimi.

(It

was) during the heat of midday (that) he and his cavalry
stood (thus)

facing al-Husayn, peace be on him.

Al-Husayn, peace
be on him, and

his followers were all wearing their turbans and their swords
(ready to

fight).

"Provide (our) people with water and let them quench
their thirst and

give their horses water to drink little by little," al
Husayn

ordered his boys.

They did that and they began
filling their bowls and

cups and took them to the horses.

When a horse had
drunk three or

four or five draughts, the water was taken away and given to
another

horse-until they had all been watered.

[ Ali b.

al Taan al Muharibi reported: ]

I was with al-Hurr on that day, I was among the last of his
followers

to arrive.

When al-Husayn, peace be on him, saw how
thirsty both I

and my horse were, he said: "Make your beast (rawiya)
kneel.

" I

thought rawiya meant water-skin so he said: "Cousin,
make your

camel (jamal) kneel.

" I did so.

Then he
said: "Drink.

" I did so, but

when I drank, water flowed from my water-skin.

"Bend your water-skin," said al-Husayn.

I
did not know how to do

that.

He came up (to me) and bent it (into the
proper position for

drinking).

Then I drank and gave my horse to drink.

Al-Hurr b.

Yazid had come from al-Qadisiyya.

Ubayd
Allah b.

Ziyad had sent al-Husayn b.

Numayr and ordered him
to take up (his)

position at al-Qadisiyya.

Then al-Hurr had been
sent in advance with

one thousand horsemen to meet al-Husayn.

Al-Hurr remained positioned opposite to al-Husayn, peace be
on

him, until the time for the midday prayer drew near.

Al-Husayn,

peace be on him, ordered al-Hajjaj b.

Masruq to
give the call to

prayer.

When the second call to prayer immediately
preceding the

prayer (iqama) was about (to be made) al-Husayn came out
(before

the people) dressed in a waist-cloth czar) and cloak (rida')
and

wearing a pair of sandals.

He praised and glorified
God, then he said:

People, I
did not come to you until your letters came to me,

and they
were brought by your messengers (saying), 'Come to

us for we
have no Imam.

Through you may God unite us under

guidance and
truth.

' Since this was your view, I have come to

you.

Therefore
give me what you guaranteed in your covenants

and (sworn)
testimonies.

If you will not and (if you) are (now)

averse to my
coming, I will leave you (and go back) to the place

from which I
came.

They were silent before him.

Not one of them said a
word.

"Recite the iqama," he said to the caller for
prayer (mu'adhdhin)

and he recited the iqama.

"Do you want to lead your followers in prayer?" he
asked al-Hurr

b.

Yazid.

"No," he replied, "but you pray and we will
pray (following the

lead of) your prayer.

"

Al-Husayn, peace be on him, prayed before them.

Then
he

returned (to his tent) and his followers gathered around him.

Al-Hurr

went back to the place where he had positioned (his men) and
entered

a tent which had been put up for him.

A group of
his followers

gathered around him while the rest returned to their ranks,
which

they had been in and which now they went back to.

Each
of them held

the reins of his mount and sat in the shade (of its body).

At the time for the afternoon (asr) prayer, al-Husayn, peace
be on

him, ordered his followers to prepare for departure.

Then
he ordered

the call to be made, and the call for the easr prayer was
made, and the

iqama.

Al-Husayn, peace be on him, came forward,
stood and

prayed.

Then he said the final greeting (of the
prayer) and turned his

face towards them (al-Hurr's men).

He praised and
glorified God and

said:

People, if
you fear God and recognise the rights of those

who have
rights, God will be more satisfied with you.

We

are the
House of Muhammad and as such are more entitled to

the
authority (wilaya) of this affair (i.

e.

the
rule of the

community)
over you than these pretenders who claim what does

not belong
to them.

They have brought tyranny and aggression

among you.

If
you refuse (us) because you dislike (us) or do

not know our
rights, and your view has now changed from what

came to us
in your letters and what your messengers brought,

then I will
leave you.

"By God," declared al-Hurr, "I know nothing of
these letters and

messengers which you mention.

"

"Uqba b.

Siman," al-Husayn, peace be on
him, called to one of

his followers, "bring out the two saddle-bags in which
the letters to

me are kept.

"

He brought out two saddle-bags which were full of documents,
and

they were put before him.

"We are not among those who wrote these letters to
you," said al-

Hurr, "and we have been ordered that when we meet you we
should

not leave you until we have brought you to Kufa to 'Ubayd
Allah.

"

"Death will come to you before that (happens),"
al-Husayn, peace

be on him, told him.

Then he ordered his followers,
"Get up and get

mounted.

"

They got mounted and (then) waited until their women had been

mounted,

"Depart," he ordered his followers.

When they set out to leave, the men (with al-Hurr) got in
between

them and the direction they were going in.

"May God deprive your mother of you," said
al-Husayn, peace be

on him, to al-Hurr, "what do you want?"

"If any of the Arabs other than you were to say that to
me,"

retorted al-Hurr, "even though he were in the same
situation as you, I

would not leave him without mentioning his mother being
deprived

(of him), whoever he might be.

But by God there is
no way for me to

mention your mother except by (saying) the best things
possible.

"

"What do you want?" al-Husayn, peace be on him,
demanded.

"I want to go with you to the governor, Ubayd
Allah," he replied.

"Then by God I will not follow you.

"

"Then by God I will not let you (go anywhere else).

"

These statements were repeated three times, and when their

conversation was getting more (heated) al-Hurr said: "I
have not

been ordered to fight you.

I have only been ordered
not to leave you

until I come with you to Kufa.

If you refuse (to do
that), then take any

road which will not bring you into Kufa nor take you back to
Medina,

and let that be a compromise between us while I write to the
governor,

'Ubayd Allah.

Perhaps God will cause something to
happen which

will relieve me from having to do anything against you.

Therefore

take this (road) here and bear to the left of the road (to)
al Udhayb

and al-Qadisiyya.

"

Al-Husayn, peace be on him, departed and al-Hurr with his

followers (also) set out travelling close by him, while al
Hurr was

saying to him:

Al-Husayn, I
remind you (before) God to (think of) your

life; for I
testify that you will be killed if you fight.

"Do you think that you can frighten me with death?"
said al-

Husayn, peace be on him.

"Could a worse
disaster happen to you

than killing me? I can only speak (to you) as the brother of
al-Aws

said to his cousin when he wanted to help the Apostle of God,
may

God bless him and grant him and his family peace.

His
cousin feared

for him and said: 'Where are you going, for you will be
killed?' but he

replied:

I will
depart for there is no shame in death for a young

man,
whenever he intends (to do what is) right and he

strives like
a Muslim,

(Who) has
soothed righteous men through (the sacrifice

of) his
life, who has scattered the cursed and opposed

the
criminal.

If I live, I
will not regret (what I have done) and if

I die, I
will not suffer.

Let it be enough for you to

live in
humiliation and be reviled.

When al-Hurr heard that he drew away from him.

He
and his

followers travelled on one side (of the road) while
al-Husayn, peace

be on him, travelled on the other, until they reached Udhayb
al-

Hijanat.

Al-Husayn, peace be on him, went on to
Qasr Bani Muqatil.

He stopped there and there a large tent had (already) been
erected.

"Whose is that?" he asked.

"That belongs to Ubayd Allah b.

al-Hurr
al-Jufi," he was told.

"Ask him to come to me," he said.

The messenger went to him and said: "This is al-Husayn
b.

Ali,

peace be on them, and he asks you to come to him.

"

"We belong to God and to Him we shall return," said
'Ubayd

Allah.

"By God, I only left Kufa out of dread
that al-Husayn, peace

be on him, would enter Kufa while I was there.

By
God, I do not want

to see him, nor him to see me.

"

The messenger returned to him (al-H.

usayn).

Al-Husayn,
peace be

on him, rose and went over to him.

He greeted him
and sat down.

Then he asked him to go with him.

Ubayd Allah b.

al
Hurr repeated

what he had said before and sought to excuse himself from
what he

was asking him (to do).

"If you are not going to help us," al-Husayn, peace
be on him, said

to him, "then be sure that you are not one of those who
fight against

us.

For, by God, no one will hear our cry and not
help us without

being destroyed.

"

"As for that (fighting against you)," he replied,
"it will never

happen, if God, the Exalted, wishes.

"

Then al-Husayn, peace be on him, left him and continued to
his

camp.

Towards the end of the night, he ordered his
boys to get

provisions of water.

Then he ordered the journey
(to continue).

He set

out from Qasr Bani Muqatil.

['Uqba b.

Sim'an reported:]

We set out at once with him and he became drowsy while he was
on

his horse's back.

He woke up, saying: "We
belong to God and to Him

we will return.

Praise be to God, Lord of the
worlds.

"

He did that twice or three times, then his son, 'Ali b.

al-Husayn

approached him and asked: "Why are you praising God and

repeating the verse of returning to Him?"

"My son," he answered, "I nodded off and a
horseman appeared to

me, riding a horse and he said: 'Men are travelling and the
fates travel

towards them.

' Then I knew it was our own souls
announcing our

deaths to us.

"

"Father," asked (the youth), "does God regard
you as evil? Are we

not in the right?"

"Indeed (we are)," he answered, "by Him to
Whom all His

servants must return.

"

"Father," said (the youth), "then we need have
no concern, if we

are going to die righteously.

"

"May God give you the best reward a son can get for (his
behaviour

towards) his father," answered al-Husayn, peace be on
him.

In the morning, he stopped and prayed the morning prayer.

Then

he hurried to remount and to continue the journey with his
followers,

veering to the left with the intention of separating from
(al-Hurr's

men).

However al-Hurr b.

Yazid came
towards him and stopped him

and his followers (from going in that direction) and he began
to (exert

pressure to) turn them towards Kufa, but they resisted him.

So
they

stopped (doing that) but they still accompanied them in the
same way

until they reached Ninawa, (which was) the place where
al-Husayn,

peace be on him, stopped.

Suddenly there appeared a
rider on a fast

mount, bearing weapons and carrying a bow on his shoulder,
coming

from Kufa.

They all stopped and watched him.

When
he reached

them, he greeted al-Hurr and his followers and did not greet
al-

Husayn and his followers.

He handed a letter from
Ubayd Allah b.

Ziyad to al-Hurr.

In it (was the following):

When this
letter reaches you and my messenger comes

to you, make
al-Husayn come to a halt.

But only let

him stop in
an open place without vegetation.

I have

ordered my
messenger to stay with you and not to leave

you until he
brings me (news of) your carrying out my

instructions.

Greetings.

When al-Hurr had read the letter, he told them: "This is
a letter

from the governor Ubayd Allah.

He has ordered me to
bring you to a

halt at a place which his letter suggests.

This is
his messenger and he

has ordered him not to leave me until I carry out the order
with regard

to you.

"

Yazid (b.

Ziyad) b.

al-Muhajir al-Kindi
who was with al-Husayn,

peace be on him, looked at the messenger of Ibn Ziyad and he

recognized him.

"May your mother be deprived of you," he exclaimed,
"what a

business you have come to!"

"I have obeyed my Imam and remained faithful to my
pledge of

allegiance," (the other man) answered.

You have
been disobedient to your Lord and have obeyed

your Imam in
bringing about the destruction of your soul,"

responded
Ibn al-Muhajir.

"You have acquired (eternal)
shame

(for
yourself) and (the punishment of) Hell-fire.

What a

wicked Imam
your Imam is! Indeed God has said: we have made

them Imams
who summon (people) to Hellfire and on the Day of

Resurrection
they will not be helped.

(XXVIII, 41) Your Imam

is one of
those.

Al-Hurr b.

Yazid began to make the people stop in a
place that was

without water and where there was no village.

"Shame upon you, let us stop at this village or that
one," said al-

Husayn, peace be on him.

He meant by this, Ninawa
and al-

Ghadiriyya, and by that, Shufayya.

"

"By God, I cannot do that," replied (al-Hurr),
"for this man has

been sent to me as a spy.

"

"Son of the Apostle of God," said Zuhayr b.

al-Qayn,
"I can only

think that after what you have seen, the situation will get
worse than

what you have seen.

Fighting these people, now,
will be easier for us

than fighting those who will come against us after them.

For
by my

life, after them will come against us such (a number) as we
will not

have the power (to fight) against.

"

"I will not begin to fight against them," answered
al-Husayn.

That was Thursday, 2nd of (the month of) Muharram in the year
61

A.

H.

(680).

On the next day, Umar b.

Sad
b.

Abi Waqqas, set out

from Kufa with four thousand horsemen.

He stopped
at Ninawa and

sent for 'Urwa b.

Qays al-Ahmasi and told him:
"Go to him (al-

Husayn) and ask him: What brought you, and what do you
want?"

Urwa was one of those who had written to al-Husayn, peace be
on

him, and he was ashamed to do that.

The same was
the case with all

the leaders who had written to him, and all of them refused
and were

unwilling to do that.

Kathir b.

Abd Allah
al-Shabi stood up - he was

a brave knight who never turned his face away from anything -
and

said: "I will go to him.

By God, if you wish,
I will rush on him.

"

"I don't want you to attack him," said 'Umar,
"but go to him and

ask him what has brought him.

"

As Kathir was approaching him, Abu Thumama al-Saidi saw him

and said to al-Husayn, "May God benefit you, Abu Abd
Allah, the

wickedest man in the land, the one who has shed the most
blood and

the boldest of them all in attack, is coming towards you.

"

Then (Abu Thumama) stood facing him and said: "Put down
your

sword.

"

"No, by God," he replied, "I am only a
messenger.

If you will listen

to me, I will tell you (the message) which I have been sent
to bring to

you.

If you refuse, I will go away.

"

"I will take the hilt of your sword," answered (Abu
Thumama),

"and you can say what you need to.

"

"No, by God, you will not touch it," he retorted.

"Then tell me what you have brought and I will inform
him for

you.

But I will not let you go near him, for you
are a charlatan.

"

They both (stood there and) cursed each other.

Then
(Kathlr) went

back to Umar b.

Sad and told him the news (of what
had happened).

Umar summoned Qurra b.

Qays al-Hanzali and said to
him: "Shame

upon you Qurra, go and meet al-Husayn and ask him what
brought

him and what he wants.

"

Qurra began to approach him.

When al-Husayn, peace
be on him,

saw him approaching, he asked: "Do you know that
man?"

"Yes," replied Habib b.

Muzahir, "he
is from the Hanzala clan of

Tamim.

He is the son of our sister.

I
used to know him as a man of

sound judgement.

I would not have thought that he
would be present

at this scene.

"

He came and greeted al-Husayn, peace be on him.

Then
he

informed him of 'Umar b.

Sa'd's message.

"The people of this town of yours wrote to me that I
should come,"

answered al Husayn, peace be on him.

"However,
if now you have

come to dislike me, then I will leave you.

"

"Shame upon you, Qurra," Habib b.

Muzahir
said to him, "will

you return to those unjust men? Help this man through whose
fathers

God will grant you (great) favour.

"

"I will (first) return to my leader with the answer to
his message,"

replied Qurra, "and then I will reflect on my views.

"

He went back to 'Umar b.

Sa'd and gave him his
report.

"I hope that God will spare me from making war on him
and

fighting against him," said 'Umar and then he wrote to
'Ubayd Allah

b.

Ziyad:

In the name
of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

I am
(writing this from) where I have positioned myself,

near al
Husayn, and I have asked him what brought him and

what he
wants.

He answered: 'The people of this land wrote

to me and
their messengers came to me asking me to come and

I have done
so.

However if (now) they have some to dislike

me and (the
position) now appears different to them from

what their
messengers brought to me, I will go away from

them.

[Hassan b.

Qa'id al-'Absi reported:]

I was with 'Ubayd Allah when this letter came to him, he read
it

and then he recited:

Now when our
claws cling to him, he hopes for escape

but he will
be prevented (now) from (getting) any refuge.

He wrote to 'Umar b.

Sa'd:

Your letter
has reached me and I have understood what

you
mentioned.

Offer al-Husayn (the opportunity) of him

and all his
followers pledging allegiance to Yazid.

If

he does
that, we will then see what our judgement will be.

When the answer reached Umar b.

Sa'd, he said:
"I fear that

'Ubayd Allah will not accept that I should be spared
(fighting al-

Husayn).

"

(Almost immediately) after it, there came (another) letter
from Ibn

Ziyad (in which he said):

Prevent
al-Husayn and his followers from (getting) water.

Do not let
them taste a drop of it just as was done with

'Uthman b.

Affan.

At once Umar b.

Said sent Amr b al-Hajjaj with five
hundred

horsemen to occupy the path to the water and prevent
al-Husayn and

his followers from (getting) water in order that they should
(not)

drink a drop of it.

That was three days before the
battle against al-

Husayn, peace be on him.

Abd Allah b.

al-Husayn al-Azdi, who was numbered
among Bajila, called

out at the top of his voice: "Husayn, don't you see that
the water is

as if in the middle of heaven.

By God, you will not
taste a drop of it

until you die of thirst.

"

"O God, make him die of thirst and never forgive
him", cried al-

Husayn, peace be on him.