Al-Husayn ibn Ali Sayyidush-Shuhada (Peace be Upon him) [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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 Muawiyah 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. (Shl''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.

(A Brief History of The Fourteen Infallibles, p. 95-110)