2)
The Background of Karbala
 IMAM
HUSAIN Imam
Husain was born to the daughter of the Prophet 
(Allah bless him and give him peace), Sayyida Fatima, in the month of Shaban 4
Hijra, Sayyiduna Hasan, Husain and Mohsin were three brothers. Mohsin passed away
in his infancy. When Sayyiduna Hasan, Imam Husain's older brother, was born, Sayyiduna
Ali named him Harb. When the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) enquired as to the chosen name, Sayyiduna
Ali said that the name 'Harb' had been chosen. However, the Prophet replied his
name should be 'Hasan'. When Imam Husain was born, Sayyiduna Ali again named Imam
Husain 'Harb'. The Prophet again said, "no his name is Husain." When the third
child was born Sayyiduna Ali again named him Harb, the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) again said, "No his name is Mohsin." Then
the Prophet said, "I have given the children the same names that the prophet Harun
(alai his sallam) gave his children." His childrens' names were Shaber, Sabbir,
and Moshabir, in other words Hasan, Husain, and Mohsin. The names Hasan and Husain
are from the people of Paradise. In the time of ignorance, before the time of
the Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) no one had been given these names. [Imam
Ibn Atheer narrates the above incident in his book, Usdul-Gabah] When
Imam Husain was born, the Prophet
(sallal ho alihi wasallam) came and recited the Adhan in his ear. Sayyiduna Hasan
and Husain had the likeness of the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace), Sayyiduna Hasan from the chest upwards looked
very similar to the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace), and Imam Husain looked identical from the
waist down to our Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace). Usdul
Gabah fi Ma'refat-i- Sahabah - biography of Sayyiduna Imam Husain by Allama Ibn
Atheer .
EXCELLENCE OF IMAM HUSAIN Hafiz
Ibn Katheer writes that one day an angel came and sat down by the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace). Our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said to Umme Salma (the wife of the Prophet
and the mother's of the believers), "we have a guest, do not let any one enter
as we are having a conversation." In the meantime Imam Husain, who at the time
was very young, entered the room, and as children do, Imam Husain climbed on top
of our Prophet's shoulder. The angel said "Do you love him"; Our Prophet replied
"Yes". The angel then said "Your followers will at a later time martyr him. If
you wish I can show you where he will be martyred. Our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said he would like to see where his grandson
would be martyred. The angel then waved his hand and brought some red soil and
said, "This is the place where he will be martyred." Our Prophet took some soil
from his hand and gave it to Umme Salma. She put the soil in a bottle. After
this it became known amongst the companions that Imam Husain would be martyred
in a place called Karbala. Our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) told them that if any of them are present
at the time, they should support him. Sayyiduna Anas bin Harris was with Imam
Husain in Karbala and was martyred. Once
when Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, was in Iraq and was
passing the field of Karbala with Abu Abdullah. He shouted, "O Abu Abdullah stop!
O Abu Abdullah go and stop near the river Euphrates". Sayyiduna Ali then said,
"One day I went to see the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) and he had tears in his eyes. When I asked
him why he had tears in his eyes, he said that the angel Gabriel had come to see
him and had told him that Husain will be martyred near the river Euphrates, and
the angel had given him some soil from there". In
another narration it is said that once Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased
with him, was passing by a place, he asked: "What is this place called? Someone
said, "This is Karbala." Sayyiduna Ali seighed, "O Karbala". He stopped there
and performed salah (prayer) and then said that the people who will be martyred
here will have the highest status among martyrs, after the companions, and they
will enter Paradise without any reckoning. While Sayyiduna Ali was there he pointed
to the place where Imam Husain would be martyred. The narrator confirms that Imam
Husain was in fact martyred in the exact spot Sayyiduna Ali had pointed to. Our
Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace) said, "Imam Husain and Sayyiduna Hasan are my two flowers of the
world." He also said, "Whoever loves them loves me and whoever hates them, hates
me. Abu Huraira, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, said that the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him
peace) looked towards Sayyiduna Hasan, Imam Husain and Sayyiduna Fatima and said,
"Whoever fights with you, I will fight with him and whoever loves you I will love
him." Sayyiduna
Abu Huraira, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, said, "One day the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him
peace) came to us, and on one of his shoulders was Sayyiduna Hasan and on the
other Imam Husain. On the way to us we saw that sometimes he would kiss Sayyiduna
Hasan and sometimes he would kiss Imam Husain. One person spoke and said, "Our
Prophet (Allah bless him and
give him peace) do you love them very dearly? The Prophet answered, "Yes, I love
them dearly. Whoever loves them I will also love him and whoever holds a grudge
against them, he in fact holds a grudge against me." Sayyiduna
Laila bin Murrah says, "The Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Husain is mine and I am his. Whoever
loves Husain, Allah Most High will love him because Husain is my grandson." Sayyiduna
Abu Sa'id Khudri says that the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Sayyiduna Hasan and Husain are
the leaders of the youth in Paradise. Rabi
bin Sa'd narrates that Imam Husain came into the Mosque. Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah,
who was the companion of the Prophet, said, "I have heard from the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) that whoever wants to see the leader of Paradise
should look at Husain." Sayyiduna
Abu Huraira, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, narrates that the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him
peace) said that he loved Imam Husain and Sayyiduna Hasan and whoever loved him
should love them. The Prophet made supplication to Allah Most High that I love
Hasan and Husain and hope you also love and protect them. He also narrates that
once Hasan and Husain came into the Mosque (Masjid-I-Nabawi) and the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) was performing his prayer. When he would
go into prostration Sayyiduna Hasan and Husain would jump onto his back, and when
our Prophet (Allah bless him
and give him peace) sat up from the prostration, he would slowly put them down.
When he would go into prostration again they would jump on his back again, until
he would finish the prayers. Sayyiduna Abu Huraira said that he went to the Prophet
and said, "Shall I take them to their mother as it is getting darker outside".
As soon as he finished saying this, a light lit up on the path from the Mosque
to the house of their mother (Fatima). The light was so strong that we could see
Sayyida Fatima's house from where we were sitting. The Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) said to his grandsons "You may go home now."
[Tareekh
Ibn Katheer by Hafiz Ibn Katheer - chapter on Karbala and Imam Husain ] These
Ahadith written by Hafiz Ibn Katheer in the excellence of Imam Husain have been
collected from Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmizi, Musnad Ahmed, and other books of Hadith.
These ahadith have been accepted as authentic ahadith by all of the following
scholars: (a)
Hafiz Ibn Taimiyah
(b) Hafiz Ibn Qayyim
(c) Hafiz Ibn Katheer
(d)
Qadi Shuwkani
(d) Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab.
Footnote: As some people do not accept the authenticity of a hadith unless it
is accepted by particular scholars. Therefore, we have taken all these Ahadith
from Hafiz Ibn Katheer's book rather than original books of Hadith. YAZID
BIN MU'AWIYAH Yazid
bin Mu'awiyah was the son of Amir, who was the companion of our Prophet
(sallalaho alihi wasallam). He was born in either 26th or the 27th year of the
Hijra. His mother, Maysun, was divorced from Amir but Yazid lived with his father.
Yazid was a very clever, witty and intelligent boy. Yazid
had a passion for music and alcohol. He always had a hangover in the morning due
to his heavy drinking from the night before. When he hunted, he travelled with
many dogs and enjoyed watching animals fighting one another. His fondness of his
pets went to such extremes that his pets even travelled on horses laden with gold,
and when a pet died, he would mourn for it. Some historians claim that he died
due to one of his pets actually biting him while he was playing with it. However,
there are many versions as to how he actually died, and Allah ta'ala knows best.
Sayyidina Amir Mu'awiyah could do nothing but reprimand his son for his ways,
and offer him advice. He advised him repeatedly, "O my son, why do you indulge
yourself in these evil things? Your enemies will triumph at your actions, while
your friends will never respect you." As time progressed, so did the habits; all
the father could do was to advise him, while the son ignored the advice his father
gave. One
day, Yazid asked his father if after his earthly departure, he would be made the
King. Yazid promised that he would do nothing but righteous deeds and rule like
'Umar Ibin al-Khatab. Amir was so surprised that he responded by saying, "Sub-han
Allah! How can this be possible? I swear by Allah, the Most High, that I have
tried my very best to even come near to what 'Umar used to do, and I have not
been able to do that!" History proves that Yazid did not in fact implement the
Islmaic political, social and economic system like Umar Ibn al- Khattab. (Tarikh
ibn Kathir, Biography of Yazid bin Mu'awiyah) There
is also difference of opinion as to when Yazid died. Abu Bakra bin Ayash says
that the people took bay'ah with Yazid in 60 Hijra, and he died in Rabi-ul-Awwal
60 Hijra. But in fact he died on 15th Rabi-ul-Awwal 64 Hijra; and he was 48 years
old at that time. Lisanul Mizan Biography Yazid bin Mu'awiya by Hafiz Ibn Hajar
Asqalanee ALLEGIANCE
TO YAZID BIN MU'AWIY After
the death of Amir Mu'awiya may Allah Most High be pleased with him, his son Yazid
became the ruler of the Muslims. Most of the people had pledged their allegiance
to him. However, three of the companions of the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) in Madina had not done so. It was due to
this fact that Yazid wrote a letter to The governor of Madina who at the time
was Waleed bin Utbah. In it he wrote:
'My father has passed away, making me the King. I hope that you can convince these
three men to swear allegiance to me'. The
three Sahabah he made refernecnce to:
(1) Imam Husain, may Allah Most High
be pleased with him.
(2) Abdullah bin Zubair, may Allah Most High be pleased
with him.
(3) Abdullah bin Umar, may Allah Most High be pleased with him.'
When
Waleed bin Utbah received the letter, one of his friends Marwan was sitting with
him. He asked his advice on the matter of the allegiance of these three men. Marwan
said to The governor, "Send someone to call for Imam Husain and Abdullah bin Zubair
immediately, and order them to swear allegiance to Yazid. If they obey then leave
them, but if they refuse then you should have them killed. If they find out that
Amir Mu'awiya, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, has passed away each of
them will claim that they are the Amirs (leaders). Do not worry about Abdullah
bin Umar as he has no desire to fight or become a leader, unless all the people
get together and ask him to become their leader." IMAM
HUSAIN AND ABDULLAH BIN ZUBAIR WERE CALLED The
governor sent one of his men to call Imam Husain and Abdullah bin Zubair. He told
him that he would find them in the mosque since he had just left the Mosque himself
and had seen them sitting there. When the person reached the Mosque and told them
that The governor wanted to see them both, they replied that they would come soon.
When he left they discussed the reasons The governor would want to see them since
The governor himself had very recently left the mosque. When they could not come
up with any reason for his request to see them, they decided to leave and go home.
When Imam Husain arrived home he called all the males from the house and asked
them to accompany him to The governor's house." When they reached his house, Imam
Husain instructed them to wait outside, and only enter the house if he called
them or if The governor raised his voice. Imam
Husain entered the house of The governor. After greeting him, The governor and
Marwan gave him the letter which they had received from Yazid. After reading the
letter Imam Husain was saddened by the news that Amir Mu'awiya had passed away
and prayed to Allah Most High to shower his blessings upon his grave. The second
part of the letter concerned their allegiance. Imam Husain said that it was not
appropriate for a person of his status to pledge allegiance to Yazid secretely.
But if they were to gather all the people of Madina together to swear their allegiance
to Yazid, he would be the first among them to speak out about. The governor agreed
to invite the people in the following morning. But Marwan spoke up immediately
advising The governor, "Ask him to swear allegiance to Yazid now, otherwise you
will not be able to obtain allegiance from him later, until there are rivers of
blood flowing between you and him. If you do not do this, I will kill Imam Husain
right now." Imam Husain spoke with anger and said "Neither you or The governor
can kill me as Allah Most High is with me." Then Imam Husain left. On his departure
Marwan said to The governor, "You have made a grave error in letting Imam Husain
leave." Waleed said, "I swear by Allah Most High that I did not wish to kill Imam
Husain for the reason of allegiance. And I also swear that if I were given all
the possession of a kingdom I still would not have killed him." ABDULLAH
BIN ZUBAIR LEFT MADINA FOR MAKKAH After
Abdullah bin Zubair arrived home he hid inside. The governor sent his people a
number of times to call him. In the end they surrounded his house and called out
that if he did not come out they would come to see him the next morning. During
the night Abdullah bin Zubair came out very upset and told the people to tell
The governor that he would come the next morning to see him. During the night
Abdullah bin Zubair and his brother left for Makkah through a road which was not
very well known to the travellers. When The governor found out that he had been
tricked, he sent his men to find them, but by that time they had gone. When Abdullah
bin Zubair reached Makkah, some of his supporters were already there and he began
living in Makkah with them. The governor of Makkah, Umar bin Sa'id, used to come
to the Ka'bah to pray and circumblate it (do Tawaf). He would also lead the prayers.
Abdullah bin Zubair and his supporters refused to join them in prayers. IMAM
HUSAIN LEFT MADINA FOR MAKKAH After
Imam Husain left The governor's house, he returned home and discussed with his
brother what he should do. Imam Husain's brother, Muhammad bin Hanfiah, said,
"You should go to another city and send your representative to different cities
to convince people to swear their allegiance to you. If the people swear allegiance
to you then you should thank Allah Most High and if they decide to choose someone
else as their leader, it would still not affect your religion or the respect people
have for you. If you cannot do this then you should stay in the desert or the
mountains and send your representative to different cities, or even keep changing
cities until all the people in each town accept you as their leader. I am also
afraid that you may go to towns where only a few will support you and the majority
will oppose you. If there were a conflict between them I would not like you to
be there to get the blame." Imam Husain then asked his brother which city he should
go to. His brother replied, "Go to Makkah." ABDULLAH
BIN UMAR & ABDULLAH BIN ABBAS
Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Abbas were in Makkah at the time when Amir
Mu'awiyya passed away. They were coming towards Madina. Between the road from
Makkah to Madina they met Imam Husain and when they found out that Imam Husain
was intending to leave for Kufa, they dissuaded him form undertaking this journey.
They reminded him of the flick-mindedness and betraying mentality of Kufans. Imam
Husain maintained that it was important to tear the mask of Islam from the face
of unIslamic rulers, and to alienate the Muslims from their misguided rulers.
He asserted that it was incumbent to uphold the banner of Islam and defend the
fundamental principles of Islamic political system. They had a long conversation
on this subject, and after a while they each carried on with their journey. When
Abdullah bin Umar and Abdullah bin Abbas reached Madina they swore allegiance
to Yazid. THE
NEW GOVERNOR OF MADINA Meanwhile,
Yazid found out that The governor of Madina had not forced Imam Husain or Abdullah
bin Zubair to accept Yazid as the true ruler of the Muslims. He terminated his
position as governor and appointed a new governor, Umar bin Sa'id al-Ashraq. The
new governor was appointed in the month of Ramadan in the 60th Hijra. As soon
as he became The governor he found out that Abdullah bin Zubair and his brother
Umar bin Zubair had a conflict between them. He saw an opportunity to exploit
their conflict for his own benefit and appointed Umar bin Zubair the chief of
the police force, and told him to arrest all of his brother's supporters. Some
of the people he arrested were regarded as very pious and holy men and some of
them were the companions or sons of the companions of the Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace). He arrested all of them and punished them
with 40 to 60 lashes per person. The
governor then called a meeting to discuss who should be sent to Makkah to arrest
Abdullah bin Zubair. Umar bin Zubair volunteered to go to Makkah to his brother.
The governor gave him an army of 700 men and ordered him arrest Abdullah bin Zubair
and his followers. When Umar bin Zubair was ready to leave with his army the friend
of the old governor (Marwan) said to Umar bin Zubair, "Makkah is a city where
even hunting a bird is Haram (forbidden), so how are you going to fight in Makkah?
Your brother Abdullah bin Zubair is a fragile old man of sixty. What risk can
he pose to somone in your position? Umar Bin Zubair said, "I swear by Allah Most
High that I will fight with my brother even if he is in the Ka'bah itself." While
this conversation was taking place, Abu Shureah Khuzaei, a companion of our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him
peace), said to The governor, "I have heard a Hadith from our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace), that fighting in Makkah is Haraam, even
for him it was only allowed for a very short time and then it was made Haraam
again. So you should not go to Makkah and fight." Upon hearing this, The governor
replied to Abu Shureah, "We know more about the respect of Makkah than you." Nevertheless,
Umar bin Zubair left towards Makkah with his army. When they neared Makkah they
camped outside and Umar bin Zubair sent a messenger to his brother. The messenger
said to Abdullah bin Zubair, " I have been sent to you by The governor of Madina
to arrest you and take you back with me, so that you may swear allegiance to him
in person as he will not accept it in writing or verbally. If you give yourself
up to me I will put a very thin collar round your neck so that it cannot be noticed
by your people and they will not lose respect for you. I will then take you back
to Syria to King Yazid. You and I both know it is forbidden to shed blood in Makkah."
When
Abdullah bin Zubair received this message from his brother he replied by saying,
" You have come here with the intention to fight so we will fight, I will send
my people to fight with you outside Makkah." Umar bin Zubair's army was defeated
in the battle; some of his army men either escaped or were killed, and others,
including Umar bin Zubair, were captured. Abdullah bin Zubair told his brother
that all of his followers would be lashed in the same way as Abdullah's supporters
were lashed in Madina previously. After the lashing took place Abdullah bin Zubair's
brother, Umar bin Zubair, died. IMAM
HUSAIN IN MAKKAH While
on his way to Makkah Imam Husain also met Abdullah bin Muti'; when he discovered
that imam Husain may undertake a journey to Kufa, he warned Imam Husain about
the Kufans, "Do not go near the city of Kufa under any circumstances because the
people of Kufa are very disloyal. The people of Kufa martyred your father, Sayyiduna
Ali, and also contested with your brother, Sayyiduna Hasan." He advised Imam Husain
not to leave the surroundings of Makkah under any circumstances. "You are the
leader of the Arabs, therefore whoever loves you and accepts you as their leader
will come to you without you having to go to them. Unless the people of Makkah
tell you to leave, do not leave Makkah", He added. After
listening to this advice Imam Husain carried on with his journey to Makkah and
remained and settled there. Time and time again people used to come to him and
tell him about the situation of Kufa and the evil ways of Yazid. At that time
Abdullah bin Zubair was also settled in Makkah and spent much time in the Ka'bah
praying and worshiping Allah. Abdullah bin Zubair recognised the higher religious
status and elevated rank of Imam Husain and knew that whilst Imam Husain was in
Makkah nobody was going to swear allegiance to him as the leader of the Muslims.
INVITATION
TO IMAM HUSAIN FROM THE PEOPLE OF KUFA When
the people of Kufa heard that Imam Husain had migrated to Makkah, they gathered
in Sulaiman bin Surad's house and discussed how to invite Imam Husain to Kufa
from Makkah. It was decided that a letter of invitation would be sent to Imam
Husain. In the letter they wrote: "Yazid has appointed Nu'man bin Bashir as The
governor of Kufa and none of us has sworn allegiance to him; nor do we pray any
salah, Friday prayer or Eid prayer behind him. If you come to us we shall swear
allegiance to you and we will remove him from his post." Signatures of many people
supported the letter. Within two days of sending this letter another letter was
sent again with similar contents to Imam Husain and this time backed by 150 signatures.
After that a third letter then a fourth, and so on; every two days a letter was
sent to Imam Husain. Some people even went to invite Imam Husain to Kufa in person.
On receiving all the letters and personal invitations, Imam Husain's opinion of
the people of Kufa began to change. Imam
Husain wrote a letter to the people of Kufa, stating that he appreciated the situation
in Kufa and was sending one of his cousins, Muslim bin Aqeel, to them, so he could
assess the situation of Kufa and inform him of his opinion. He further added that
he would himself come to Kufa soon because only he who follows the book of Allah
Most High and establishes justice in the country could be the leader of the Muslims.
MUSLIM
BIN AQEEL GOES TOWARDS KUFA Muslim
bin Aqeel left for Kufa with the letter. He reached Madina, which was on his journey;
he prayed salah in the Prophet's Mosque. After saying the prayer he acquired two
guides to go to Kufa with him. It seems that misfortune overtook Muslim bin Aqeel's
journey to Kufa; they ran out of water and the two guides passed away due to dehydration.
Muslim bin Aqeel survived and reached an oasis and found water. Later, he wrote
a letter to Imam Husain explaining all the difficulties that he had encountered
during the journey to Kufa. In addition, he wrote that the journey was cursed
and requested for a proxy to be sent in his place. When
Imam Husain received the letter from Muslim bin Aqeel he replied by telling him
to stop being so cowardly and continue with the journey to Kufa. Upon receiving
this letter, Muslim continued with his journey to Kufa. It was 1st of Zil-Hijjah
60 A.H. when he reached Kufa. He settled in Kufa and the Shi'ah people used to
come and visit him. Muslim bin Aqeel used to read the letters from Imam Husain
to them. When the people would hear these letters, they would weep and pledge
to support Imam Husain to their last breath. THE
GOVERNOR OF KUFA WAS INFORMED Nu'man
bin Bashir was The governor of Kufa at the time and he had found out that Imam
Husain had sent Muslim bin Aqeel as his representative and that the Shi'ah people
of Kufa were visiting him and swearing allegiance to him. Upon hearing this The
governor gathered the people of Kufa and gave a a speech warning the people of
the consequences of opposing the government. He asserted, "Causing trouble, disturbance
and fighting amongst ourselves is not right. I will not fight, arrest or cause
any kind of hardship to any of you, even for suspicion, unless any of you start
a conflict or cause trouble. Also I will fight with the person who breaks the
allegiance with our King Yazid even if it means that I would personally have to
fight with him." After he had given this speech some of the members of his group
started saying to him, "You did not give strong indications in your speech and
because of this the enemy will be encouraged rather than frightened." The governor
replied to them saying, "I can show weakness and at the same time be obedient
to Allah Most High. I did not want to show the kind of strength with which Allah
Most High is not pleased with me." After
listening to The governor's reply Abdullah bin Muslim and Ammarah bin Waleed and
Amar bin Sa'd wrote a letter to the King Yazid, stating that Imam Husain had sent
a representative to Kufa and the Shi'ah people were swearing allegiance to him.
The governor gathered the people and gave a lecture and instead of discouraging
and frightening them he encouraged the enemies' hopes. "Therefore, if you feel
that you require the city of Kufa, then we suggest that you appoint a governor
who can implement your commands firmly, safeguard your city and keep the enemies
at bay." After reading this letter, Yazid asked advice from one of his men named
Sarjoon Roomi. ADVICE
OF SARJOON ROOMI Sarjoon
told the King he would give him the same advice he would have offered if his father
had been alive. Sarjoon instructed the King to appoint UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, the
present governor of Basra, the new Governor of Kufa. Yazid heeded this advice
despite the fact that he disliked UbayduLlah bin Ziyad. He wrote a letter to Yazid
stating, "I am appointing you as the new governor of Kufa, as well as Basra. You
may appoint someone else as your deputy in Basra. I would like you to go to Kufa
immediately and take full charge there. The situation is urgent because Imam Husain
has sent a representative, Muslim bin Aqeel, to Kufa on his behalf, who is seeking
allegiance from the people of Kufa and turning them against the government. I
give you full authority to deal with the matter as you see best; you may ask Muslim
bin Aqeel to leave Kufa, or you may execute him." When
UbayduLlah bin Ziyad received this letter from the King he gathered the people
of Basra and told them that he had been appointed the new governor of Kufa. He
appointed his brother, Uthman, as deputy governor of Basra. He instructed the
people of Basra not to cause any friction or rebel against the King since he would
not tolerate such actions and would execute anyone, even members of his family,
for causing such troubles. UBAYDULLAH
BIN ZIYAD GOES TOWARDS KUFA UbayduLlah
bin Ziyad departed for his journey to Kufa with some of his family members and
servants. When they had almost reached Kufa he separated from them and told them
to remian at the outskirts of Kufa, as he wanted to enter the city by himself.
When the people of Kufa saw UbayduLlah bin Ziyad entering the city they immediately
thought that it was Imam Husain, and started to sing a song welcoming him into
their city. " Welcome, son of our Prophet, welcome son of our Prophet." UbayduLlah
bin Ziyad did not respond to their chanting but continued riding his horse towards
The governor's house. When The governor of Kufa, Nu'man bin Bashir, heard all
the people singing in celebration of Imam Husain coming to Kufa, he got frightened
and locked the doors of his house thinking Imam Husain was here to take his position
and kill him. When UbayduLlah bin Ziyad reached his house and knocked on the door,
Nu'man would not open it. UbayduLlah bin Ziyad shouted that if he did not open
the doors then they would open the doors by force. When UbayduLlah bin Ziyad uttered
these words, someone from the crowd recognised his voice and said, "This is not
Imam Husain, it is UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, The governor of Basra". The crowd immediately
dispersed. Nu'man also heard this and he opened his doors to let UbayduLlah bin
Ziyad enter his house. The
next day UbayduLlah bin Ziyad told Nu'man to gather all the people of Kufa, and
he gave a speech telling them that he was the new governor of Kufa appointed by
the King. He told the people, " I will be lenient on the poor, and the people
who are loyal to the King, but I will arrest and punish anyone who shows disloyalty
to the King. They will feel my sword against their necks. I am here to implement
the laws and the orders of the King. I will live amongst you as a law-abiding
citizen." He gave a lengthy speech to the people. People who were in favour of
Muslim bin Aqeel began to feel frightened of UbayduLlah bin Ziyad. When Muslim
bin Aqeel heard that the people had been so frightened by the speech, he too felt
fear of the person whose house has was staying at. MUSLIM
BIN AQEEL MOVES PREMISES Muslim
bin Aqeel began making arrangements to move to someone else's house. He went to
Hani bin Urwah's house, and knocked on his door, asking whether he could stay
there. The expression on Hani bin Urwah's face told him he was not welcome. He
said, "You should not have come here as you might be creating trouble for me and
my family." Muslim bin Aqeel replied, "I have come to your house as a guest and
you are telling me that I am not welcome." Hani told him that if he felt that
way, he should come and live with him as his guest. After that Muslim bin Aqeel
began living there. UBAYDULLAH
BIN ZIYAD'S DETECTIVE SLAVE UbayduLlah
bin Ziyad asked one of his slaves to act as a detective to find out where Muslim
bin Aqeel was staying. He gave him 3,000 dinars and said "Use this money in any
way that will help you find the house where Muslim bin Aqeel is hiding." The slave
took the money and started the search. His first stop was at the Mosque as it
was time to perform salah, and while he was there he saw a person performing his
salah in the distance. He asked who it was, and was told that it was Muslim bin
Awsaja-Asdi, and that he was the right-hand man of Muslim bin Aqeel. When Awsaja-Asdi
finished saying his prayers the slave approached him and said, "I am a traveller
from Syria, and I am so honoured that Allah Most High has given me the love of
the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and
his family. I have found out that a relative of the Prophet is staying in Kufa
and the people of Kufa are swearing their allegiance to him. I will give you 3,000
dinars if you can tell me where he is. If you think I cannot be trusted or am
spying on behalf of the government, I am willing to swear by Allah Most High to
reassure you that all I want is to meet him. I would be very honoured if you could
arrange this." They had a lengthy conversation but Muslim bin Awsaja-Asdi disclose
Muslim bin Aqeel's residence. After that day they started to see each other on
a daily basis and became friends. Occasionally, Awsaja-Asdi took the slave with
him when he went to Hani's house. In the meantime, Hani had become very ill and
The governor, UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, came to visit him. At the same time another
person, Amarah bin Abdur-Rahman, was visiting Hani. He told Hani that it was the
perfect opportunity to kill The governor, but Hani refused saying, "No, he has
come to visit me." After
a few days another person called Shareek bin A'uoor who was well respected and
popular amongst the people also became ill, and came to live with Hani. When The
governor found out about his illness he sent a message to Shareek that he would
come to visit him that evening. Shareek bin A'uoor told Muslim bin Aqeel that
The governor was planning to visit him, and suggested they have him killed so
that Muslim could take his position as governor of Kufa and have complete control
over the city. Hani
was listening to all this; he warned them that the time was not right for this
action As the day passed and the evening approached The governor arrived to visit
Shareek at Hani's house. They welcomed him and greeted him as their guest. After
quite a lengthy stay he left. Shareek turned to Muslim bin Aqeel and said, "You
should have killed him while you had the opportunity." Muslim bin Aqeel replied,
"I did not kill The governor for two reasons. Firstly, Hani did not want any blood-shed
in his house and I have to respect that. Secondly, our Prophet
(p.b.u.h.) has told us that it is not permissible for a Muslim to kill another
Muslim." Within
three days Shareek's health had deteriorated rapidly and sadly he passed away.
A lot people came to Hani's house to pay their respects and also came to see Muslim
bin Aqeel. Amongst these visitors was Muslim bin Awsaja-Asdi who used to come
and bring the slave (detective) along with him. The slave had been continuously
reporting back to Ibn Ziyad and informing him of Muslim bin Aqeel's activities.
As
Hani's health improved he began attending meetings at The governor's house daily
as he had done before Musim bin Aqeel's arrival in Kufa. However, as time progressed
he began using the excuse that he was ill so that he would not have to attend
the meetings. But the slave would report back and tell The governor that there
was nothing wrong with Hani and that he was lying. One day The governor asked
the people why Hani had not been attending the daily meetings. They answered that
he was not feeling well. The governor said, "I have evidence to believe that he
is not ill at all and he meets a lot of people daily in his own house. I would
like one of you to go and call him, and tell him that The governor would like
to see him." HANI
WAS ARRESTED When
Hani arrived at The governor's house he was arrested and questioned about why
he had opposed King Yazid, and why he had alllowed Muslim bin Aqeel to stay at
his house, and why he had held meetings in his home trying to persuade others
to also oppose Yazid. Hani denied the allegations but The governor told him that
he had got the information from someone who attended those meetings. Hani told
The governor that his informant was lying, upon which The governor pointed to
his slave and asked Hani if he recognised him. Hani had no choice but to confirm
that he did, but swore by Allah that he had not invited Muslim bin Aqeel into
his house, but had felt too ashamed to turm him away when he presented himself
as a guest. He promised that he would immediately tell Muslim bin Aqeel to leave
his house, but The governor replied, " I cannot let you go until you hand Muslim
bin Aqeel over to me." However, Hani refused to hand Muslim over to him saying
that Muslim was his guest and if he handed him over, he may be executed. An argument
ensued between the two during which The governor threatened to have Hani killed.
Hani reminded him that he had a large tribe of followers who would not allow The
governor to get away with such an evil act.
Because Hani refused to comply with the authorities, The governor ordered that
he should be locked up in prison. By the time the news of Hani's arrest reached
his tribe, it had been exaggerated to the degree that people were saying that
he had been executed. When Hani's people heard of this they came and surrounded
The governor's house. The governor started to panic. He called the judge of Kufa,
Qadi Shuraih, to come and tell Hani's people that he was alive and had been detained
temporarily. After listening to Qadi Shuraih's version of events, the people dispersed.
MUSLIM
BIN AQEEL SURROUNDS THE GOVERNOR'S HOUSE When
Muslim bin Aqeel heard of what had happened he gathered together all 18,000 people
who had sworn allegiance to him, and who were from different tribes. Four thousand
of them were already at Hani's house and soon all 18 thousand men had surrounded
The governor's house. The governor saw that he could not contend with such a vast
crowd as his police force consisted of only 30 men, so he locked himself inside
his house. The people surrounded the house all day. The
governor again managed to fool the people and exploit the situation to his advantage.
He knew that among the people in his presence were leaders of some of the well-known
tribes, so he told them to climb on the walls of his house and instruct the people
of their tribes to leave Muslim bin Aqeel and go home. Those who followed their
instructions and went home would be pardoned by The governor and the King, but
those who did not would be arrested and punished. The leaders managed to convince
their followers to go home, and the crowd began to disperse. PEOPLE
OF KUFA BROKE THEIR PROMISE Eventually
there were only a few people left with Muslim bin Aqeel. He thought he might as
well tell these people to go to their homes and he should go to the Mosque. When
he turned to go to the Mosque only 30 men had remained with him. By the time he
had reached the Mosque he turned to look back and saw that he was left alone.
He
decided to enter the Mosque and say his prayers. Afterwards, he left the Mosque
and started to walk through the streets of Kufa like a stranger who had just entered
the city. Whilst walking around he became very thirsty; he reached a house and
knocked on a door to ask for some water. A woman named Tu'ah answered the door.
Her son worked for The governor as a detective. Muslim bin Aqeel asked the woman
for some water and the woman gave him some. After quenching his thirst he sat
down at her doorstep to have a rest. Tu'ah asked him if he had a home in the city.
Muslim bin Aqeel did not answer her question. She asked the same question again.
After she had asked him a number of times, he replied, "I do not have any home
or relative in this town. I would appreciate it if you could provide me refuge
in your house, maybe I will be able to repay you for this favour." Tu'ah invited
Muslim bin Aqeel into her home and told him that he could stay in a part of the
house which was reserved for guests. She then offered him some food but Muslim
bin Aqeel did not feel like eating. Up until now she was not aware of who he was,
and decided to ask "Who are you?" Muslim bin Aqeel told her who he was, and also
said that he had been abandoned by the people of Kufa. Tu'ah's
son, Bilal, came back from work and noticed that every now and then his mother
would go to the part of the house that was reserved for guests. He asked his mother
why she kept going there. She made him promise that he would not tell anyone what
she was about to tell him. She told him that she had invited Muslim bin Aqeel
to stay in their house as a guest and had agreed to give him refuge. After listening
to his mother, Bilal became very quiet. MUSLIM
BIN AQEEL WAS ARRESTED The
governor came out of his house when he saw that the crowd had dispersed, and made
an announcement that he wanted everyone to gather at the Mosque. When all the
people had gathered at the Mosque The governor began his speech and stated, "All
the people who have supported Muslim bin Aqeel are forgiven. Muslim bin Aqeel
had tried to turn the people against the government but had not succeed. At present
he is hiding in someone's house in our city. I will give the person who finds
him a reward for any information leading to his arrest. I will also give pardon
to the person whose house he is seeking refuge in. I have informed the police
to block all the exits leaving out of Kufa to stop Muslim bin Aqeel escaping.
Tomorrow a house-to-house search for him will commence." The
following morning Bilal went to the governor's house to inform him that Muslim
bin Aqeel had been seeking refuge in his house. When the governor heard about
this he immediately sent 72 of his policemen to arrest Muslim bin Aqeel. When
the police reached Bilal's house they asked Muslim bin Aqeel to hand himself over
to them. When they heard no reply from the house, they entered and tried to confront
Muslim bin Aqeel to arrest him but Muslim bin Aqeel forced them out of the house.
The police tried to enter the house on several occasions but the outcome was always
the same. Finally Muslim bin Aqeel was struck on the face by the sword of Bakar
bin Humran. His upper lip was cut and two of his teeth were broken. Upon this
he retaliated and struck Bakar bin Humran across the shoulder with his sword,
causing him to fall to the ground. The officers then climbed onto the roof of
the house and started to throw stones and fire balls inside the house. Muslim
bin Aqeel got on top of the roof of the house and started to fight with the police.
One of the people named Mohammed bin Ash'at called out to Muslim bin Aqeel and
told him to stop fighting and come down and promised he would offer him protection.
As there were so many policemen opposing him, Muslim bin Aqeel decided to come
down. He was reciting a poem as he decended. The
meaning of the poem was:
"Everyone must die one day, but I do not wish to
die, as I am afraid that I will be branded a liar and will not be given protection.."
Muhammad bin Ash'at said, "I promise that I will not go back on my word." Muslim
bin Aqeel was so tired from fighting that he had to lean against a wall to rest.
Some friends of The governor were present at the time and asked Muslim bin Aqeel
to hand over his sword. They assured him that if he accompanied them to the governor's
house, he would be guaranteed protection and would not be harmed. They
sat Muslim bin Aqeel on a donkey and took him towards the house of the governor.
Tears were flowing from Muslim bin Aqeel's eyes. Amer bin UbayduLlah asked him,
"Why are you crying? You are the one who wished to take control of Kufa. Those
who try to gain power will always have obstacles in their way which cause them
problems." Muslim bin Aqeel replied, "I am not crying for myself, but because
I have written to Imam Husain telling him to come to Kufa. At that time the people
were pledging allegiance to Yazid. . He should be getting ready to leave for Kufa
and he does not even know that the people of Kufa have broken their allegiance.
I am afraid that Imam Husain will be treated in the same way I am being treated."
Then he turned towards Muhammad bin Ash'at and said, "Do you remember your promise
about giving me refuge, and also that The governor will not harm me. I know that
you will not be able to keep that promise. The governor will have me executed.
I would like you to do me one favour. Could you write a letter from me to Imam
Husain telling him not to come towards Kufa." Muhammad bin Ash'at promised he
would do that for Muslim bin Aqeel. When
they reached The governor's house Muhammad bin Ash'at said "Wait outside. I will
go and inform The governor that we have captured Muslim bin Aqeel." When he went
inside and told the governor, he also told him that he had promised that he would
give Muslim bin Aqeel refuge and that he would not harmed. The governor said,
"Who are you to make such promises? You were sent to arrest him not to protect
him. Go and bring him to me." The governor then sent his men outside to bring
Muslim bin Aqeel in front of him. When Muslim bin Aqeel entered the room he did
not say salaam. Footnote:
One of his men asked why he had not greeted The governor with salam . He replied,
"How can I greet him when he is going to execute me, if he were not then I would
greet him with plenty of salaams." When the governor heard this he replied "There
is no doubt that I am going to have you executed." Muslim bin Aqeel said, "I knew
this would happen to me." He then asked permission to make the last testimony,
and the governor granted him permission. As Muslim bin Aqeel was looking around
he saw that one of his relative, Umar bin Sa'd was standing amongst the crowd.
Muslim bin Aqeel called him over. Before he walked over to Muslim bin Aqeel, Umar
bin Sa'd looked at the governor to see his reaction. The governor knew that he
was looking at him for his permission to have a conversation with Muslim bin Aqeel.
The governor told Umar Bin Sa'd that he may proceed. They
went into the corner of the room and had a long conversation. At the end Muslim
bin Aqeel asked whether he could do him a few favours. First he said "I have borrowed
'X' amount of money from so and so; could you repay them. Second, when the governor
executes me could you take my body and bury me. Third, can you write a letter
to Imam Husain telling him that when I arrived in Kufa I was greeted with respect
and comfort, and in no time I had more than 18,000 people swearing allegiance
to him, daily the numbers were increasing. But they have now all broken their
promises and their allegiances and run away. Tell him that I will be executed
soon and I am writing to him so that he does not come to Kufa as the situation
here is really bad. After he had made his requests, they both came back. The governor
asked Umar Bin Sa'd what Muslim bin Aqeel had been saying to him. He told him
everything. The governor told him that he could do as he wished about paying the
money back and about writing the letter to Imam Husain, but refused to give permission
to bury Muslim bin Aqeel's body. The governor started to abuse Muslim bin Aqeel
in front of everyone and ordered him to be taken to the roof of the building and
executed. Muslim bin Aqeel started to recite Tasbeah (prayers) as he was being
led up to the roof. When they reached the top of the building they executed him
and threw his body into the street. The governor ordered Hani to be brought and
also executed in the same manner. The date was 9th Zil-Hijjah 60 Hijra. IMAM
HUSAIN RECEIVES MUSLIM BIN AQEEL'S LETTER AND DECIDES TO GO TO KUFA
Imam Husain received Muslim bin Aqeel's letter, in which he had written that more
than 18,000 people had sworn allegiance to him and the numbers were increasiung
daily, and had encouraged him to come to Kufa immediately. After reading this
letter Imam Husain firmly decided to leave for Kufa. The people again tried to
dissuade him, reminding that the Kufans could not be trusted and would turn against
him at any time. Imam Husain's friends would come up to him individually and aske
him not to undertake this journey. Abdullah bin Umar came to Imam Husain and said,
"It is not in your character to become a very powerful man. Also remember that
Allah Most High asked our Prophet
(p.b.u.h) whether he would chose worldly possession or the Hereafter, and the
Prophet replied that he wanted to enjoy the hereafter. You are also a part of
the Prophet's family, therefore you should not get so involved in the material
aspect of this world." After saying this he started to cry. After listening to
Abdullah bin Umar, Imam Husain also had tears in his eyes, and said that although
his advice had been sound, he had already made up his mind to go to Kufa. Abdullah
bin Zubair also came and said, "Stay in the province of Hijaz (Makkah) and continue
seeking allegiance from the people of Makkah." Imam Husain replied to Abdullah
bin Zubair saying "Our Prophet
(p.b.u.h.) has said that one day the Kabah will be insulted by a lamb (man) and
I do not want to be that lamb (person) that is why I am leaving Makkah. In any
case, you should be happy that I am embarking on such a good cause." Footnote:
What Imam Husain meant that he did not want to cause of any bloodshed in Makkh.
The
reason Imam Husain told Abdullah bin Zubair this was that he knew that he wanted
to become leader of Makkah and was himself seeking the allegiance of the people
of Makkah. Imam Husain also knew that while he was in Makkah Abdullah bin Zubair
would not be able to take allegiance from the Makkans. The next day Abdullah bin
Abbas came to see Imam Husain and asked him whether he was leaving for Kufa .Imam
Husain replied "This is true; I am going to Kufa because the people of Kufa dearly
request me to come and help them overthrow Yazid, and Muslim bin Aqeel has reassured
me about the sincerity of the people of Kufa. Abdullah bin Abbas said, "If they
sincerely wanted you to come to Kufa, the people of Kufa by now should have overthrown
the governor and made the position of governor vacant for you. You should write
to them telling them that if they want you to come to Kufa then they should vacate
the position of the governor and his house for you. If you go there while the
governor is still there then they are not your supporters but your enemies, and
they are inviting you to your death. If you still insist on going then my advice
will be not to take your wife and children but to go on your own, as I am afraid
that you are going to be martyred in Kufa. And after your death they will miss
you dearly and if they are not present there they will not suffer as much harm.
If you insist on leaving Makkah then I advise you to go to Yemen as there is plenty
of land and mountains there where you can stay. Also from there you can send your
representatives to different cities on your behalf to take allegiance for you."
The
reason he advised him to go to Yemen was that Imam Husain's father, Sayyiduna
Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with him, was appointed the judge of Yemen
by our Prophet (p.b.u.h.) and
therefore Imam Husain would have had a lot of supporters there, and those people
would have helped Imam Husain to overthrow the unjust ruler, Yazid. After listening
to all this Imam Husain said, "I am still determined to go to Kufa." When Abdullah
bin Abbas felt that Imam Husain had made up his mind, he rose and said, "O Martyr,
I leave you in the hands of Allah Most High," as he knew in his heart that when
Imam Husain reached Kufa his supporters would leave him and expose him to the
governor's brutalities, and he would be killed. IMAM
HUSAIN LEFT MAKKAH FOR KUFA Imam
Husain gathered all his family members and his friends and followers who were
going with him and left for Kufa. When the governor of Makkah, Amir bin Sa'id,
found out about Imam Husain's decision, he tried to stop him as he thought that
he would take over Kufa and overthrow the governor there. He sent his police to
stop and arrest Imam Husain. There was a greater struggle between the two sides,
but eventually Imam Husain and his supporters were able to defeat the police and
continue with their journey to Kufa. Along the route they frequently met travellers
who pleaded Imam Husain not to undertake this journey as no reliance could be
placed upon the promises made by the Kufans. IMAM
HUSAIN MET FARZOOQ During
the journey, Imam Husain met with a poet called Farzooq who was on his way to
Makkah. Imam Husain asked about the conditions of Kufa. He said, "Listen to me
carefully, as I have only just left the city. The people's hearts are still with
you, but because of the fear of Yazid, their swords are with Yazid. If the time
comes when you need them to fight with you, they will take the side of the government."
Imam Husain replied, "Whatever fate is going to bring us will be from Allah Most
High. If the people are with me it will be a gift from Allah Most High, and we
will thank Allah Most High although Allah Most High does not need our thanks.
If fate is written against us and the people turn against us then we will be patient."
LETTER
FROM ABDULLAH BIN JAFFER Abdullah
bin Jaffer was in Makkah. He was the brother in-law of Imam Husain as he was married
to Imam Husain's sister,Zainab. When he found out that Imam Husain had left Makkah
and gone to Kufa, he wrote a letter and sent it to him with his two sons, Oun
and Muhammad. In the letter he wrote:
"By Allah Most High I am pleading with you to come back to Makkah and not go to
Kufa, as when you reach Kufa you will be killed and your family will be destroyed.
And Allah forbid, if you are martyred then your light of guidance, which is shining
on the world, will extinguish. When the people are in desperate trouble they come
to you in hope of seeking protection, and you are the beaconlight of faith and
the centre of the Believers' hopes. So please do not delay in returning back to
Makkah. I have left Makkah to meet you on the way."
When Imam Husain read the letter he did not take much notice of it but instead
he told his two nephews, "I had a dream and saw our Prophet
(Allah bless him and give him peace) and he has given me an order. Whether I will
benefit or not I will obey what our Prophet has said. His nephews asked "What
is the dream?" He replied, "I have not told anyone nor will I tell anyone until
I meet my Lord." After that they carried on with the journey to Kufa and he took
his nephews with him. UbayduLlah
Bin Ziyad, the governor of Kufa, found out the Imam Husain was fast approaching
Kufa. He sent his forces out to the entrance of Kufa and told them that if Imam
Husain or any of his representatives tried to enter Kufa they should be arrested
and brought to him. MARTYRDOM
OF QAIS BIN MUSHIR Qais
bin Mush'ir was one of the people with Imam Husain. Imam Husain wrote a letter
to the leaders of the tribes of Kufa, and said to Qais, "Take this letter to the
leaders of the tribes of Kufa and tell them that I will reach Kufa in a few days
time." When Qais was near the entrance of the gate of Kufa, the governor's men
arrested him and took him to the governor. The governor read the letter and told
him that he was going to execute him unless he climbed on top of the house and
shouted abuse to Imam Husain so that everyone could hear. Only then will he forgive
him and spare his life." Qais got on top of the roof and started to shout, "O
people listen to me. Imam Husain has arrived and is very near Kufa. Obey him,
as his mother was the daughter of our Prophet
(p.b.u.h.) and his father was Sayyiduna Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with
him, and may Allah Most High curse and destroy this governor, as he is a liar
and a cheat." When the governor heard this he ordered his men to throw Qais off
the roof. One of the governor's men pushed Qais off the roof; and he fell so hard
that both his arms and legs were broken and he split his skull open, as a result
of which he was martyred. Imam Husain continued with his journey and sent another
person named Abdullah bin Baqtr, with a similar letter to take to Kufa and give
to the leaders of the tribes. He was also arrested and taken to the governor and
executed in the same way as Qais was. IMAM
HUSAIN WAS INFORMED OF THE DEATH OF MUSLIM BIN AQEEL Imam
Husain found out about Muslim bin Aqeel's death at a place called Tha'labiyya
where he met a person who had recently come from Kufa. He explained in great detail
to what had been happening in Kufa; how the people had left Muslim bin Aqeel and
later how the governor martyred him. Afterwards he started to give advice, "If
I were you I would not go to Kufa. You have no support left there and the governor
knows that you are coming to Kufa and is prepared to fight with you until you
surrender to the will of Yazid; he will execute you and your followers in the
same way as he executed Muslim bin Aqeel."
Imam Husain, for a moment, began to reconsider his decision to go to Kufa. At
the same time Muslim bin Aqeel's sons rose and said, "We swear by Allah Most High
that we will seek revenge on behalf of our father or die in the attempt and we
will not leave until then." Imam Husain said, "There is no no charm in life without
you." Some of the other people in the alos said, "We should carry on with the
journey to Kufa, as there is a lot of difference between you and Muslim bin Aqeel.
The people will change their minds when they would see you there and will come
and support you and seek revenge for Muslim bin Aqeel's death." Imam Husain started
to head towards Kufa. Along
the journey Imam Husain and his group came to a place called Zubala, there he
received information about the death of the two representatives whom he had sent
earlier to Kufa. (Qais and Baqtr). When Imam Husain heard this he was greatly
saddened and went into bereavement . He gathered the people together and told
them about the problems that they were going to face when they reached Kufa. He
also said, "Those who were to be trusted proved unfaithful, many of you might
want to leave and can gladly do so." A lot of people had joined Imam Husain along
the journey thinking that he would gain full control of Kufa, and when they reached
Kufa they would benefit from this. But when they heard this they started to disperse
slowly until the only people left were those who had initially come with Imam
Husain from Makkah.
They continued with the journey, and met a person called
Abdullah bin Muti'. He said the same about Kufa, and also gave his view that they
should turn back and not go to Kufa, because at this time the governor and his
people were still afraid of Imam Husain and his followers, and if they were to
go there now, the governor of Kufa would have victory and become more oppressive
towards the people, and also more powerful. HUR
TA'MEMI CAME
Haseen bin Numear was put in charge of the police and was ordered to stop people
entering Kufa. He found out that Imam Husain was very near Kufa and appointed
Hur the leader of an army of 1,000 men, sending him towards Imam Husain to arrest
him and his followers. When Hur reached Imam Husain he told his men to surround
him and his followers. Imam Husain instructed his people to set up camp there,
and upon noticing this Hur also commanded his army to camp in the area and keep
Imam Husain and his followers surrounded so that they could not escape. Both groups
stayed in their respective camps. The time for Zohar prayer approached, and a
member of Imam Husain's group gave the call for prayer. Upon hearing this Imam
Husain came out of his tent and approached Hur, telling him: "I did not come here
of my own accord but was called by the people of Kufa. They sent me messages and
letters and even came in person to invite me to Kufa. If you insist that I should
return to Makkah and not go to Kufa then you should give me permission to go back."
Imam Husain then went back to his camp and prepared to lead the Zohar prayer.
Hur and his army also performed the prayer behind Imam Husain. After the prayer
Imam Husain and Hur returned to their respective camps. Similarly, when the time
for Asr prayer arrived, Imam Husain led Hur and his army as well as his own followers
in prayer. After performing the prayer, Imam Husain addressed Hur and his army,
saying: "O people, fear Allah (swt) and recognise the truth so that Allah will
be pleased with you. At the moment, power lies in the hands of Yazid and his governors,
but they are cruel people who lie to you, and they have no right to rule over
you. We are your rightful rulers, but if you do not recognise that right, and
do not wish for us to become rulers, or do not recognise the messages that were
sent to me, then let me and my people return to Makkah."
Hur said "I swear by Allah Most High that I have no knowledge about the letters
and messages that you keep referring to." Upon hearing this, Imam Husain put his
hand inside his satchel and pulled out all the letters and threw them towards
Hur, saying, "These are the letters I keep referring to". Hur said "I have been
ordered to arrest you and take you to UbayduLlah bin Ziyad, the governor of Kufa."
Imam Husain replied, "I would rather die than surender to your governor." Imam
Husain told all his people to gather their belongings and prepare to return to
Makkah. Upon hearing this Hur ordered his men to surround Imam Husain and his
people and forceyfully take them to Kufa if they refused to go voluntarily. Hur
suggested to Imam Husain that he should write a letter to Yazid in Syria and said
he himself would write to UbayduLlah bin Ziyad explaining the situation and hopefully
some agreement could be reached. Imam Husain once again started to get ready to
leave, and Hur again stopped them from leaving. Then Imam Husain turned to Hur
and his men and delivered a speech: "Our Prophet
(p.b.u.h.) has said that whosoever comes across a cruel and wicked ruler who does
not follow the commands of Allah (swt) and his Prophet
(p.b.u.h); who makes Halal (permissible in Islam) that which Allah has declared
Haram (not permissible in Islam) and vice versa; who oppresses people and commits
sins and does nothing to prevent the wrongs being committed, if that person does
not oppose the ruler with his words and actions, he will have to account for his
deeds in the same way that the ruler will have to account for his deeds. Look!
the ruler and the governors have stopped following the commands of Allah Most
High and have started to follow the ways of Satan and have no respect for Islam,
for this reason the Prophet's family have a greater right to rule than the king.
I
repeat that I have not come here of my own accord, I have been asked to come to
Kufa, so that the people can swear their allegiance to me so do not be in contempt
of me. If you fulfil your promises then Allah Most High will be pleased with you.
As you are well aware, I am the son of Ali, may Allah Most High be pleased with
him, and my mother, Fatima, may Allah Most High be pleased with her, is the daughter
of our Prophet (p.b.u.h.).
My family and I are with you and you should not break your promises by treating
us badly. However, breaking promises would be nothing new to me as you have broken
promises made to my father and my brother Hasan, and Muslim bin Aqeel, may Allah
Most High be pleased with all of them. It is a shame that you are not acting in
accordance with your religion. Promise breakers are only a loss to themselves,
and I hope and pray that Allah Most High will protect me from your evil ways."
Hur
said, "I again swear by Allah Most High that if you wage a battle with my men,
you shall be the one who will be defeated and killed." Imam Husain angrily replied,
"Are you trying to frighten me from death, I am not afraid to die as death will
come to all of us one day." Upon hearing this Hur was speechless. Nevertheless,
he still told his men to continue surrounding Imam Husain and his men. FOUR
PEOPLE CAME FROM KUFA TO JOIN IMAM HUSAIN Imam
Husain saw four or five people approaching him on camels at a distance from the
direction of Kufa. When they neared the camp, Hur tried to stop them and told
them that they could not see Imam Husain and his men. When Imam Husain heard this
he said to Hur, "Let them through because they are my supporters and have come
to see me. If you do not let them in then we shall be forced into battle right
now." After some consideration Hur let them through. Nafi' bin Hilal, one of the
four men who came from Kufa, told that the well-to-do people of Kufa had been
bought by the governor and had turned against him and the poor people of Kufa
had also left him because of the fear of the governor but in their hearts they
were still with him. Nafi' then went on to explain what had happened to Qais and
Baqtr, and how the governor had executed them. Imam Husain tried to stop the tears
coming to his eyes but was hurt and saddened too deeply to stop them flowing.
Another person who had come was Tarmah bin Addi'. He advised Imam Husain that
because he did not have a large number of people with him to defeat the governor
and his men, he should go with him to where his tribe was. Tarmah was from a place
which was safe from attack because it was behind a mountain and his own tribe
of more than 20,000 people would do everything in their power to help Imam Husain.
After realising that Imam Husain would not consider going with him Tarmah left.
Imam Husain continued heading towards Kufa and reached a place called Qasr Bani
Muqatil by evening. In the morning Imam Husain and his people performed Fajar
prayer and decided to go back to Makkah, but Hur and his army would not let them
move towards Makkah. After some time, they reached a place called Nineveh. | 
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