The History of Karbala

The History of Karbala0%

The History of Karbala Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Information Centre (Bristol)
Category: Imam Hussein

The History of Karbala

Author: Abu ‘Ammar
Publisher: The Islamic Information Centre (Bristol)
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The History of Karbala
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The History of Karbala

The History of Karbala

Author:
Publisher: The Islamic Information Centre (Bristol)
English

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We don't accept some contents of this book. All contents belong to the author's views not our.

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 reciteTasbeah (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.

KARBALA

PLACE OF KARBALA

When they reached Nineveh the governor of Kufa sent a letter to Hur with a messenger stating that Imam Husain and his people should be taken to an open place where there is no water or shelter. The letter also stated that the messenger was to stay with Hur until governor’s ordered had been carried out. When Hur informed Imam Husain of governor’s letter, Imam Husain said, “Let us stay here and do not give us too much trouble, and if you cannot do this then let us go to a Gatheria Mashifiya.” (This was a place where there were trees and water ). Hur said, “You know that I cannot do this as The governor has sent a messenger to watch over me and ensure I obey his orders.”

Zuhair bin Keen who was from Imam Husain`s group said, “My village is very near and if you wish we could go there. My advice is that we should start a battle with Hur’s men now, as tomorrow the governor will send more men and it will be impossible to defeat them.” Imam Husain said that he did not want to start the battle. Zuhair bin Keen then suggested, “We should leave for my village because Hur and his army will try to stop us, and then we can fight with them and you would not have started the fight. Although there are already thousands of them, their numbers are increasing daily.” Imam Husain continued with the journey and eventually on 2nd Muharram 61 Hijra they reached Karbala.

UMAR BIN SA`D ARRIVES AT KARBALA

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Umar bin Sa`d was the son of one of the companions of our Prophet (p.b.u.h.). He lived in Kufa. The governor told him that a movement had emerged against the government in Dalam and he should go there and destroy it. He would be given an army of 4,000 men and after he has destroyed this movement he will be appointed as the new governor of the province of Rayye.” When Umar bin Sa`d was ready to leave, Ibn Ziyad suddenly changed his mind and said, “Instead of going to Dalam, go to Karbala where Imam Husain has gone and is camping and is trying to mobilize the people against this government.” Umar bin Sa’d said, “If I have to go into battle or arrest Imam Husain then I am not willing to go.” The governor said, “You know that I have appointed you the governor of Rayye. I will suspend you and not give you the governorship of Rayye unless you do as I demand.” Umar bin Sa’d asked for sometime to reconsider his options. He thought very deeply and asked his friends and advisers on what he should do. Deep down inside he did not want to go and his advisers also told him not to go as Imam Husain was the grandson of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.). He went to Ibn Ziyad and recited a poem saying, “I have two options before me. One is that I become governor of Rayye and fulfil my desires. Secondly, I should confront Imam Husain and kill him in battle and be hated amongst all the people and enter into Hell.” After reciting this poem he said to Ibn Ziyad, “I am not going to fight against Imam Husain and I do not want your governorship of Rayye but if you send so and so he will go and fulfil your orders.”

Ibn Ziyad said, “If you do not want to go then go home, I do not require your advice on who to send or who not to send. I am above you in rank and have greater knowledge on these matters than you do.” When the governor said this, Ibn Sa`d was startled; he began to reconsider his position. After careful consideration he decided to take the post and become in charge of the army. He got his men ready and left for Karbala. Upon reaching Karbala he met Imam Husain and enquired, “Why did you come to Kufa?” Imam Husain replied, “I came to Kufa because I was invited through letters, messages and personal invitations and now that I have reached here you do not want me to be here.”

Ibn Sa`d said that he would write a letter to his governor Ibn Ziyad to see what he would like Imam Husain to do. Imam Husain said, “Could you write in your letter that if you do not let us enter Kufa then would you please let us return to Makkah because I dod not want to cause anarchy in the country.” When Ibn Ziyad received the letter from Ibn Sa`d, he wrote back saying, “Tell Imam Husain to swear allegiance to King Yazid. If he does, then we shall come to an agreement but if he does not then we shall fight with him and his people. We will also stop their supply of drinking water.” Ibn Sa`ad sent 500 of his men with Umar Ibn al-Hajjaj as their leader. On 7th of Muharram he was given orders to go to the river and stop Imam Husain and his people from obtaining any water from it. When Imam Husain and his men started to run out of water from their containers, Imam Husain told his brother to take 20 people with him and go to the river Euphrates to get some water. On the way back from the river Imam Husain`s brother and the people with him were attacked by the enemy. After this incident Imam Husain sent Umar bin Qurza to go and see Umar Bin Sa`d, and tell him that Imam Husain would like to have a meeting with him. Both Imam Husain and Umar Bin Sa`ad met and had a long discussion and then went back to their own camps. They had several meetings like this and then Umar Bin Sa`ad wrote a letter to Ibn Ziyad.

In the letter he stated, “I feel that we will not have to go into battle with Imam Husain and his followers because Imam Husain has made three requests, and if we agreee to any one of these requests then this problem can be solved.

His requests are:

1. Allow him to return to Makkah where he had come from.

2. Allow him to join one of the forces that are in Jihad with

the non-believers, so he may fight along side them.

3. Take him to king Yazid in Syria so he may personally

have a conversation with him.

NOTE: In some narrations Imam Husain has asked to let him go to Yazid so he could swear allegiance to him. But this narration is not authentic, if he had said this then there was no need for the war to take place because this was what the government wanted. This narration has been rejected by Uqbah bin Saman, who was reported to be present with Imam Husain during all meetings and claimed that he did not say such a thing.

When Ibn Ziyad read this letter he said, “I accept these requests because the letter which has come to me is from a person who is thinking of the best interests of the government and the people.”

SHIMAR BIN ZIL JAWSHAN`S ADVICE

Shimar bin Zil Jawshan was present when Ibn Ziyad read the letter. He stood up and said to Ibn Ziyad, “How can you let someone leave who has come to overthrow you? He is in your area at the moment, in your grip, I swear by Allah Most High that if he leaves now without swearing allegiance to you, he will become more powerful than you. He will gather a large number of his followers and then you will not be able to stop him fulfilling his ambition. I advise you to force him to pledge allegiance to you at this moment and if he refuses then you should punish him. If you forgive him and let him go then you will be blamed. I swear by Allah Most High again that I have also found out that there have been meetings going on at night between Imam Husain and Umar bin Sa'd. From this you can imagine that they are conspiring against you.”

LETTER OF IBN ZIYAD

Shimar’s advice appealed to Ibn Ziyad and he gave him a letter to take to Umar bin Sa’d. In the letter he told Umar bin Sa’d, "I did not send you to talk to Imam Husain and waste time pleading with him on my behalf. I ordere you to attack and kill Imam Husain and his followers if they refused to pledge their allegiance to me. After you have killed them, I want you to decapitate them, cut off their noses and ears and poke out their eyes, so that they are not recognisable. That is the punishment they deserve for rebelling against the government. Then take their bodies and throw then into an open field and ride your horses over them at high speed so that their flesh is separated from their bones. If you obey my orders, then you will be rewarded with gifts from me, but if you do not then I am immediately suspending you from your post and appointing Shimar in charge of the army." Ibn Ziyad also told Shimar that he would be appointed commander of the army if Umar bin S’ad failed to comply with his orders.

Shimar took this letter to Umar bin Sa’d. After reading the letter Umar bin Sa’d said, “I thought Ibn Ziyad might compromise and make peace with Imam Husain but I did not expect him to react in such a cruel manner.” Shimar said, “You were mistaken then. Now tell me whether you are going to obey his orders or will I have to kill you and cut your head off and send it to Ibn Ziyad?”

Umar bin Sa'd assured Shimar that he would obey Ibn Ziyad’s orders. Then Shimar called some of his relatives who were in Imam Husain’s group; their names were Abdullah, Abbas, Jaffer, and Uthman. He said, “Come with me and live a life of peace and tranquillity.” They replied, “You are cursed and evil, we are not going to come with you. We will stay with Imam Husain. If we come with you we will be punished with Hellfire, and if we stay with Imam Husain then we will enter Paradise.”

Imam Husain and some of his followers were sat outside their tents at the time of Asar prayers. They saw that Umar bin Sa`ad was coming towards them with some of his followers. Imam Husain’s brother Sayyiduna Abbas said, “I have a feeling the people who are coming towards us are here to fight. Get up and get ready to attack them,” Imam Husain told them to prepare for the battle. His brother said, “Let me go first and ask why they have come.” Sayyiduna Abbas took twenty people with him and said to Umar bin Sa'd “What is your reason for coming her?” Umar bin Sa'd replied that he had come to inform Imam Husain of the contents of the letter which Ibn Ziyad had sent. Upon finding out Ibn Ziyad’s intentions, Imam Husain told Sayyiduna Abbas to tell Umar to give them until tonight to make Dua (supplication), recite the Qur'an and perform Salah (prayers). Whatever is destined to happen tomorrow will happen. Umar agreed to give them until the morning to prepare for the battle. They each returned to their own tents.

IMAM HUSAIN GAVE A TALK TO HIS COMPANIONS

Imam Husain gathered all his people together and said, “All praise to Allah Most High, and praise to Allah Most High that he gave my grandfather the Prophet hood. And O Allah Most High I thank you for the fact that I was born into the family of the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) and for giving us the Holy Qur’an. O people! You have been very loyal to me, you have stayed with me through good and bad. My sons and my relatives are all related to the Prophet (sallal laho alihi wa sallam) and are all pious people.

“O People! I had a dream last night and in it I am looking at someone in the distance mounted on a horse and he was saying to me that people are moving, and death is following them. And I also saw the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) who said tomorrow evening we would be meeting together. As you know these people are thirsty for my blood, they want to kill me. I give you my permission to go back to Makkah because they only want to kill me. I am happy with you all and willingly give you permission to go.”

When they heard this they all spoke together and told him that they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for him. “We swear to Allah Most High that wherever you go we will go with you; whatever hardship you endure, we will suffer with you. What use are our lives without you?” When he heard them say this he told them to go to their tents.