History of the Shrine
of Imam alHussein (as)
Unlike any other city, Karbala has its
named engraved in the memory of generations, and in the expanse of the
Muslim world...
Believers remember that name with sorrow and distress, for they remember
the history of the master of all martyrs, Imam Husain, peace be upon
him, and his sacrifice for Islam.
The wave of visitors never stopped coming to Karbala, from the time the
Umayyad and Abbaside caliphs prevented the construction of the shrines
to the time the believers were able to build the precinct, despite the
hardships and difficulties imposed on them.
And today, since Karbala is witnessing new calamities, and the
mausoleums of Imam Husain [a] and his companions are subjected to
destruction and neglect, and visitors are prevented from reaching that
place, it is suitable to familiarize ourselves with Karbala...
Two main roads lead the visitor to Karbala. One is from the Iraqi
capital Baghdad, through Al-Musails, and the other is from the holy city
of Najaf. However, either one excites the visitor with its greenish
scenery along the sides.
Upon reaching Karbala, the holy place would draw the visitor's attention
to its glorious minarets and domes shining due to the light of its lord.
At the city's entrance, the visitor finds a row of houses decorated with
wooden columns, and while proceeding further towards the holy mausoleum,
he sees architechture similar, to some extent, to modern ones.
Upon reaching the holy shrine, one finds himself in front of a boundary
wall that surrounds wooden gates covered with glass decorations, and
when one enters one of those gates, he enters a precinct surrounded by
small rooms called "Iwans".
The holy grave is located in the middle of the precinct, surrounded by
square shaped structures called "Rawaq".
The grave itself is located in the middle of the grave site with golden
windows around it, with beautiful illumination. It really is something
great to see.
"Karbala" Origin & Meaning
There are many opinions among different investigators, as to the origin
of the word "Karbala".
Some have pointed out that "Karbala" has a connection to the "Karbalato"
language, while others attempt to derive the meaning of word "Karbala"
by analyzing its spelling and language. They conclude that it originates
from the Arabic word "Kar Babel" which was a group of ancient Babylonian
villages that included Nainawa, Al-Ghadiriyya, Karbella, Al-Nawaweess,
and Al-Heer. This last name is today known as Al-Hair and is where Imam
Husayn's [a] grave is located.
The investigator Yaqut al-Hamawy had pointed out that the meaning of
"Karbala" could have several explanations, one of which is that the
place where Imam Husayn [a] was killed is made of soft earth - "Al-Karbalat".
Other writers made the connection between the name and the disastrous
event which painted the desert with blood, and so the word "Karbala" was
said to compose of two Arabic words: "Karb" meaning grief and sorrow,
and "Balaa" meaning affliction. Such a connection, in fact, has no
scientific evidence, since Karbala was known as such even before the
arrival of Imam Husain, peace be upon him.
Martyrdom and popularity
Karbala was at first an uninhabited place and did not witness any
construction activity, although it was rich in water and its soil
fertile.
Following the tenth of Muharram 61 AH (680 AD), after the martyrdom of
Imam Husain [a], people from far as well as tribes living nearby started
visiting the holy grave.
A lot of those who came, stayed behind and/or asked their relatives to
bury them there after their demise.
Despite many attempts by successive rulers, such as Al-Rashid and Al-Mutawakkil,
to put a restriction on the development of this area, it has nonetheless
spread with time to become a city.
Bounty of visiting Imam Husayn(as)
There is a lot of benefit and great spiritual reward in visiting the
grave of Imam Husain [a]. The Prophet [s] has said of his grandson Imam
Husain [a]: "Husain is of me and I am of him". Several narrations
mention that visiting the grave of Imam Husain [a] relieves one of
worldly afflictions as well as those after death.
Believers, therefore, come from all parts of the world all year round to
receive the honour of visiting Imam Husain [a], particularly during the
first ten days of Muharram (Ashura) and the twentieth of Safar (the
fourtieth).
One common Iraqi custom during that season is to go walking from Najaf
to Karbala, reflecting their strong adhesion to and adoption of the
morals and principles for which Imam Husain [a] struggled and attained
martyrdom.
Mausoleum of Imam Husain, peace be upon him
The historian Ibn Kuluwayh mentioned that those who buried Imam Husain
[a], made a special and rigid construction with signs above the grave.
Higher and bigger constructions above the grave started during the
ruling of Al-Saffah, but Harun al-Rashid later on, put heavy
restrictions to prevent people from visiting the grave.
At the time of Al-Mamun, construction around the grave resumed until the
year 236 AH when Al-Mutawakkil ordered the destruction and digging of
the grave, and then filling the pit with water. His son, who succeeded
him, allowed people to visit the grave site, and since then building the
precinct to the grave increased and developed step by step.
On the other hand, the historian Ibn Al-Athir, stated that in the year
371 AH, Aadod Al-Dawla Al-Boowayhi became the first to largely lay the
foundations for large scale construction, and generously decorated the
place. He also built houses and markets around the precinct, and
surrounded Karbala with a high boundary wall turning it into a strong
castle.
In the year 407 AH, the precinct caught fire due to the dropping of two
large candles on the wooden decorations, but Hasan ibn Fadl (the state
minister) rebuilt the damaged sections.
History has recorded the names of several rulers who shared the honour
of widening, decorating or keeping the precinct in good condition.
Amongst them is Fateh Ali al-Qajari, who in 1250 AH ordered the
construction of two domes. One over Imam Husain's [a] grave and the
other over his brother Abu al-Fadl Abbas [a].
The first dome is 27 meters high and completely covered with gold. At
the bottom, it is surrounded with 12 windows, each of which is about
1.25 m away from the other, from the inside, and 1.30 m from the
outside.
The mausoleum has an area of 59 m / 75 m with ten gates, and about 65
rooms (I wans), well decorated from the inside and outside, used as
classrooms for studying.
As for the grave itself, in the middle of the precinct, it is called the
"Rawda" or garden and it has several doors. The most famous one is
called "Al-Qibla" or "Bab al-Dhahab". When it is entered, one can see
the tomb of Habib ibn Madhahir al-Asadi, to the right hand side. Habib
was a friend and companion of Imam Husain [a] since their childhood. He
was one of those who was honoured with martyrdom at the Battle of
Karbala.
The resting place of Abbas b. Ali, peace be upon him
Abu al-Fadl Abbas, peace be upon him, was the brother of Imam Husain [a]
and Imam Husayn [a] and the standard-bearer of Imam Husain [a] in the
Battle of Karbala. He is well known in history for his velour, loyalty
and similarity to his father, the Lion of God, Ali b. Abi Talib, peace
be upon him.
The grave of Abbas [a] received similar attention as that of Imam Husain
[a]. In the year 1032 AH, the King Tahmaseb ordered the decoration of
the grave's dome. He built a window on the 'darih' around the grave and
organized the precinct. Other similar activities were done by other
rulers.
As a matter of fact, Karbala contains, besides the grave of Imam Husain
[a] and his brother, the grave of all the 72 martyrs of Karbala. They
were buried in a mass grave which was then covered with soil to the
ground level. This mass grave is at the foot of Imam Husain's [a] grave.
In particular, besides Imam Husain's grave are the graves of his two
sons Ali Akbar and 6-month old Ali Asgher. |