The Tragedy of Karbala

Product Information

If only death would cause my end today! After my mother Fatima, father Ali and brother Hassan (passed away), you alone were our support’. If Ibn Sad and Ibn Ziyad, after the martyrdom of Imam Husayn and his companions, had even as a matter of expediency, shown honor and respect to the Ahlul Bayt of the Holy Prophet and offered condolences to them for the tragedy which had been brought about by themselves. They did not prevent the burial of the martyrs but buried them earlier than their own soldiers, and sent the Ahlul Bayt to Madina directly from Karbala with due honor and respect.

In the Battle of Uhud which took place near Madina in the month of Shawwal 3 A.H. between the Muslims and the polytheists of Makkah, a group of forty Muslims disobeyed their commander owing to some misunderstanding. Consequently 700 Muslims, who were fighting against 3000 polytheists, were defeated after having gained victory over the enemy. More than 80 persons were martyred. The bodies of most of the martyrs were mutilated in such a way that a sister could not identify the body of her brother except by means of a defect in his finger. Notwithstanding this the Battle of Uhud and the martyrdom of more than 70 to 80 Muslim mujahids have not acquired the grandeur of the tragedy of Karbala. A powerful sermon by Bibi Zainab (AS) in Yazid's court has been preserved in history as a shining example of her defiance against powerful odds. Husayn's plan was to rendezvous with local resistance leaders from Kufa, gather the forces, & raise the standards of rebellion. These heinous acts which recoiled upon the enemy themselves and made the real position known to the people commenced from Karbala and continued up to Damascus. Yazid himself took part in these atrocities and had a share in the consequent disgrace for himself and his associates. South Asian philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal sees Husayn's sacrifice as being similar to that of Ishmael and compares Yazid's opposition to Husayn with the opposition of Pharaoh to Moses. [149] Urdu poet Ghalib compares Husayn's suffering with that of Mansur al-Hallaj, a tenth century Sufi, who was executed on a charge of claiming divinity. [150] Maqtal literature and legendary accounts

Chapter 22: Tragedy of Karbala Remains Unforgettable

Yes,” was the answer. “Then go to your people,” she said. But he was silent. She repeated it but he was still silent. A third time she said, “Glory be to God, servant of God, get up - may God give you health - (and go) to your people. For it is not right for you to sit at my door and I will not permit you to do it.” The message of Karbala is especially relevant to people struggling worldwide today, encouraging them to carry on believing that their sacrifice will indeed pay off in the future. By God, I was Ibn 'Aqil's messenger at the palace to see what was done to Hani'. When he was beaten and imprisoned I mounted my horse and was the first to enter the house to bring information of him to Muslim Ibn Aqil. There the women of Murad had gathered and they were crying out, “O tears of grief for him! O bereavement of him!” It had been reported to them that their colleague had been killed, and they regarded that as a great crime. Ubayd Allah was told that Madhhij were at the gate. He told the qadi Shurayh, “Go in to their colleague, look at him and then go out and inform them that he is still alive and has not been killed.”

Nakash, Yitzhak (1993). "An Attempt To Trace the Origin of the Rituals of 'Āshūrā". Die Welt des Islams. 33 (2): 161–181. doi: 10.1163/157006093X00063. Some sources dictate that Muawiya treated Hasan and his younger brother Husayn ibn Ali (l. 626-680 CE) with great reverence, and even showered them with gifts and favors. But in 670 CE, Hasan was poisoned by one of his wives for reasons highly debated. There is no direct historical evidence to suggest that Muawiya was involved in the murder, but considering that he stood to gain the most from it and that he would not have been able to appoint his son, Yazid (l. 647-683 CE), as his heir otherwise, it is only natural for historians to look at him with doubtful eyes. On the contrary the Ahlul Bayt showed perfect greatness and magnanimity and behaved as if nothing had happened and they had experienced no hardship. Most of the people were under the impression that they had been defeated and eliminated, but wherever they went they talked about their own success and the enemy's disgrace. It was only the organization of the caliphate which published this event in various regions of the Islamic territories although in a brief and ambiguous manner. This was done with two objects in view; firstly that the people should come to know about the leaders of the movement opposed to the government having been killed, and should take a lesson from it, and similar risings should not take place in future; secondly that the caliphate should show itself guiltless and innocent in the matter and the leaders of the movement should be depicted as adventurous and mischievous. Husayn bin Ali who was at the head of the rising was to be introduced as opposed to truth and a liar.What had been said with the lips could not be returned to the breasts and the scenes seen by the people and the speeches heard by them could not be wiped out from their memory. It was no longer possible that those, who had cried loudly in the bazaars, should once again consider the descendants of the Holy Prophet, about whom the verse of Purification ( 33:33) was revealed, rebellious and fit to be killed! Donaldson, Dwight M. (1933). The Shi'ite Religion: A History of Islam in Persia and Irak. London: Luzac. OCLC 459263076.

He intended to go to Kufah, but Abdullah ibn Abbas and other elders opposed this decision and warned him of the dangers of doing so. Al-Hussein, after performing Istikhara prayers, decided to go to Kufah. Hanaway, W. L. Jr. (1991). "Marthiya in Persian literature". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.& Pellat, Ch. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid (2nded.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp.608–609. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.Maqtal later entered Persian, Turkish, and Urdu literature, and inspired the development of rawda. [79] Marthiya and rawda Praise be to God since he has not been killed,” answered Amr Ibn al-Hajjaj and his colleagues. Then they went away. Tears started flowing from Hazrat Imam Husain’s (ra) eyes. Zainab (ra) also started crying. Hazrat Imam Husain (ra) told her to be patient and said, ‘One day we all have to return to our Lord. Promise by God that after my death you will not act contrary to the example of the Holy Prophet (sa). Do not defame anyone or say anything untowardly.’ Zakeri, Mohsen (1995). Sāsānid Soldiers in Early Muslim Society: The Origins of ʿAyyārān and Futuwwa. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. ISBN 978-3-447-03652-8.

After the White Revolution reforms of the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, which were opposed by the Iranian clergy and others, Ruhollah Khomeini labelled the Shah as the Yazid of his time. [140] [141] Condemning the Iranian monarchy, Khomeini wrote: "The struggle of al-Husayn at Karbalâ is interpreted in the same way as a struggle against the non-Islamic principle of monarchy." [142] Opposition to the Shah was thus compared with the opposition of Husayn to Yazid, [143] and Muharram ritual gatherings became increasingly political in nature. [144] According to Aghaie, the Shah's hostility towards various Muharram rituals, which he considered to be uncivilized, contributed to his fall. [145] The Islamic republic that was established after the revolution has since promoted Muharram rituals. The clerics encourage public participation in elections as a form of "political activism" comparable to that of Husayn. [146] Martyrdom spirit influenced by the death of Husayn was frequently witnessed in Iranian troops during the Iran–Iraq war. [147] [148] In literature and art Hazrat Imam Husain (ra) and the courageous and valiant companions battled against an army of 4,000. One by one, they continued to embrace the status of martyrdom. This army of savages did not even spare the beloved family of the Holy Prophet (sa) :20 of them were martyred on the plains of Karbala. Hazrat Imam Husain (ra) was now left alone. He went towards the river to quench his thirst, when an arrow hit himin the face, causing blood to spurt out like a fountain. Still he fought valiantly – until his last breath. He said to the enemy: Once again Hussein demanded safe passage to a peaceful place from the enemy, however they insisted he pledge allegiance to Yazid first. Haywood, J. A. (1991). "Marthiya in Urdu literature". In Bosworth, C. E.; van Donzel, E.& Pellat, Ch. (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam. Volume VI: Mahk–Mid (2nded.). Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp.610–612. ISBN 978-90-04-08112-3.According to Wellhausen, the compassion that Yazid showed to the family of Husayn, and his cursing of Ibn Ziyad was only for show. He argues that if killing Husayn was a crime its responsibility lay with Yazid and not Ibn Ziyad, who was only performing his duty. [84] Madelung holds a similar view; according to him, early accounts place the responsibility for Husayn's death on Ibn Ziyad instead of Yazid. Yazid, Madelung argues, wanted to end Husayn's opposition, but as a caliph of Islam could not afford to be seen as publicly responsible and so diverted blame onto Ibn Ziyad by hypocritically cursing him. [3] According to Howard, some traditional sources have a tendency to exonerate Yazid at the cost of Ibn Ziyad and lower authorities. [85] Modern historical views on motivations of Husayn Madelung, Wilferd (1997). The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64696-0. Lammens, Henri (1921). Le Califat de Yazid Ier (in French). Beirut: Imprimerie Catholique Beyrouth. OCLC 474534621. Ali’s elder son Hassan appointed as Imam and Caliph. But Muawiya in Syria continued his efforts to become the ruler of all the Muslims so the internal fights continued. Hassan was soft in heart and did not like the further shedding of Muslims blood. He made a peace treaty with Muawiya with some conditions and stepped down and Muawiya became the Caliph the ruler of all Muslims. This act was disliked by the Banu Hashim and the Rivalry turned into Umayyah vs. Ahle Bait (family of the Prophet) and a large group of supporters of the family of prophet emerged called Shia. Later Hassan is poisoned and killed in 670 AD dominant opinion is that he was poisoned by his wife on instigation from her close relatives from Banu Ummayah. After this Hussein bin Ali becomes Imam of Ali’s followers. Yazid’s succession to Muawiyah