Al-Husayn ibn 'Ali Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada (Peace be Upon 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 Upon 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 Mu'awiyah 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. (Shi'ite
Islam)
al-Imam
al-Husayn ibn 'Ali, peace be Upon 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.
* * *
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