Arrival of Yazid's Forces On Karbala
The Brute Ibn Ziyad at Kufa got the information of Imam Hussain's
getting out of the control of Hurr and also learnt that Imam
Hussain (pbuh) had camped near the river Euphrates known as the
Al-Qama.
On the 3rd of Muharram Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad sent an army
counting four thousand led by Umar son of Saad Abi Waqqas were the
first to move towards Karbala. His orders were to get Imam Hussain
(pbuh) to surrender to Yazid. When Imam Hussain (pbuh) refused,
Umar son of Saad told Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad to send more
troops. Ubayd Allah son of Ziyad ordered all the men in Kufa to
come out and join the army to fight against Hussain. Anyone not
doing so would be killed. Whoever brings the head of Hussain will
get a great prize and I will make him the Governor of Al-Ray
province.
Regiment after regiment began to pour in on the plain of Karbala
from all sides until they were thirty thousand (30,000) and
ultimately the enemy's forces compelled Imam Hussain (pbuh) to
shift his camp from the bank of the river to the interior of the
burning desert. Hussain's brother, the lion-hearted Abbas (pbuh),
objected to this demand from the enemy, claiming priority of
occupation and the right of the son of the Holy Prophet, the Holy
Imam (pbuh), to stay where he had first camped. When the enemy
wished to march towards the Holy Imam's camp, the brave Abbas at
once drew his sword and stood firm and shouted to the men: "If you
advance one step forward, you shall lay headless there."
Do you not see that truth is not being practiced and wrong
not being discouraged? The righteous believer is the one
who aspirers towards righteousness. I alone consider death
to be a prosperity, while living with the oppressors is
nothing but undesirable. Imam Hussain (p.b.u.h.) |
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Knowing the bravery, valor, and prowess of the valiant son of Ali,
the Lion of God, none cared to step forward. But Imam Hussain (pbuh)
called his Brother saying:
"Brother Abbas! Let not bloodshed be initiated from our side. Let
them occupy any place they like. They call themselves my
Grandfather's followers. Let them enjoy every comfort they want.
We shall suffer for them, being away from the water. When God is
with us, Brother, what if, the river is far away from us."
With these words, Imam Hussain (pbuh), in order to avoid
bloodshed, issued orders to shift this camp several miles into the
interior of the burning desert and it was immediately done. Also
Imam Hussain (pbuh) did not want the people to think that the
battle in Karbala was about water.
No room for any criticism left:
If the Holy Imam (pbuh) had stayed at Madina and got slain there,
it would have been said, why did he not migrate to Makkah to take
shelter in the Great Sanctuary there? He did go to the Kaaba and
if he had stayed there to be killed by Yazid's agents, it would
have been said why did he not leave the holy place to avoid
bloodshed in the Great Sanctuary? Imam Hussain (pbuh) left Makkah
too, even though it was the very eve of the pilgrimage. And if he
had gone to Kufa it would have been said why he went to a place
where his Deputy Muslim had been killed, and when he knew the
situation there. Imam Hussain (pbuh) avoided going to Kufa. Imam
Hussain (pbuh) also availed of the opportunity given by Hurr. Now
when the enemy became cruel, heartless and aggressive, he avoided
bloodshed by shifting his camp into the interior of the desert,
abandoning the bank of the river to the enemy.
Imam Hussain (A.S) besieged at Karbala:
When the whole plain of Karbala was full with Yazid's regiments
and the Imam Hussain's camp was totally surrounded by the enemy's
forces, Son of Saad the Commander of the Brute armies met Imam
Hussain (pbuh) on the banks of the river and demanded 'allegiance'
on behalf of the tyrant Yazid and said:
"If you pay homage to Yazid, everything will go well for you and
whatever worldly comforts and privileges you desire for, will be
at your disposal. Otherwise, it will end in a wholesale massacre
of yourself and all your dear ones here."
Imam Hussain (pbuh) firmly refused to pay the 'allegiance' saying:
"Tell Yazid to tempt with the worldly comforts to those who are
after this World. I am the Imam, the representative of the Apostle
of God. I shall never yield to the one who believe not in God and
who defied the Word of the Lord, in word and deed, and who spread
godlessness on the earth. Let any calamity befall on me and my
dear ones, the will of the Lord shall be followed. Hussain will
cheerfully meet any catastrophe but never surrender Truth to
falsehood."
Water supply to Imam Hussain's camp cut off:
At last on the 7th Muharram 61 Hijra the Commander of Yazid's
forces received orders to cut off all sources of supply to the
Holy Imam's camp and not allow even a drop of water to reach any
of the inmates therein. It can better be imagined than described
what the condition of Imam Hussain's camp would have been under
the scorching Arabian sun. The camp was in the midst of the
burning desert, with the heat-waves blowing from all sides. The
unavailability of water, with nothing to feed even the young
children, the wriggling of the babies for milk which the poor
mothers, who were themselves suffering from the killing thirst,
could not give, caused distress. What a torturous situation it
must be, and how did those Holy ones suffer all these unbearable
tortures, it is very difficult for any human mind to conceive, but
all these are facts which the Holy Imam (pbuh) and his Godly
companions suffered with wonderful fortitude and patience. Over
and above all these tortures, the sight of the enemy's forces
preparing all around for the massacre and a wholesale destruction
was there, before the ladies and the children in the besieged
camp. Hurr remembered how kind Imam Hussain (pbuh) was when he
needed water. He asked Umar son of Saad to give water to Imam
Hussain's camp or at least to the children, but Umar son of Saad
showed no pity.
All efforts of the enemy through
temptations, promises, persecutions and tortures, to persuade
the Holy Imam, to yield to Yazid were in vain. Even the killing
heat of the desert and the thirst of three continuous days
suffered by himself, his faithful companions, the helpless
ladies and even the innocent infants and the babies, could not
move the Holy Imam (pbuh) to effect the least change in the
strength of his will re-establish the Truth paying any price the
task might demand. On the 9th of Muharram a final warning was
sent to Imam Hussain (pbuh) from Umar son of Saad that if he did
not surrender, he would be killed. Imam Hussain (pbuh) refused
to bow down to his threats. The enemy's forces advanced towards
the camp of the Holy Imam (pbuh) to affect a wholesale massacre
of all the inmates therein. Imam Hussain (pbuh) sent word to the
enemy's Commander, Umar son of Saad through the brave Abbas (pbuh)
with the request for a night's time to spend it in his last
prayers to the Lord which was at first refused but ultimately
with much reluctance granted.
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