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Imam Hussein leader of the martyrs

Written by the late Imam Mohammad Jawad Chirri

THE COMMEMORATION OF IMAM HUSSEIN HAS been observed by the followers of "Ahl Al-Beit" (members of the House of the Prophet) for centuries; yet many Muslims resent it, thinking that this commemoration divides or increases the division of the Muslims, To my understanding, this argument is unsound for the following reasons:

1. The lmam Hussein and his opponent Yazeed are on opposite ends of the Heavenly scale. There is no Muslim school that doubts the purity and qualification of the Imam. Righteous Muslims know that Imam Hussein is a dear grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, and that he is a leader of the youth of paradise. On the other hand, Yazeed is unacceptable to any Muslim. All Muslims condemn him, and will continue to do so, for his transgression and for the crimes he committed against Ahl Al-Beit. With such a clear distinction between the two parties, there should be no confusion among the Muslims on account of the commemoration of this great Imam. No Muslim party should be angered by hearing the truth about the Imam Hussein and his opponent Yazeed.

2. Imam Hussein and the rest of Ahl Al-Beit did not receive in their lives the fairness and respect due to them on the part of the Muslims, while the rest of the companions of the Prophet received of that as much as they deserved (or more). The members of the House of the Messenger were denied even the right to live or feel safe. The Muslims, therefore, should try to correct the mistake of history by uncovering the virtues of these distinguished people.

3. To keep the names of these people alive is in the interest of the Muslims. The Messenger of God, Mohammad, said when he was returning from his Valedictory Pilgrimage, while at Ghadir Khum:

"I am about to be called (by the Lord to depart from this world) and respond (to His call). I am leaving for you the Two Valuables (one of them is bigger than the other): The Book of God and the members of my House. Beware how you shall treat the two after me, because they will not part with each other until they join me on the Day of Judgment."

Thus, honoring their memories and informing people about them would be in accord with the advice of the Messenger, and would provide the Muslims with what they need of guidance.

4. The history of this great Martyr is a school for the seekers of the truth. Every Muslim can learn a great deal from the supreme sacrifice and courage of the Imam. The Muslims are still living under similar conditions now as before. Corruption is still prevalent in our society, and tyrants, like Yazeed, are no rarity in Muslim and non-Muslim countries, but we do not have men like the Imam Hussein. Fortunately, his commemoration is providing the Muslim world with some of his excellent students.

— Mohammad Jawad Chirri

1. AI-Hakim, Al-Mustadrak, part 3,p. 109
 

 


 

TO UNDERSTAND THE IMAM’S MARTYRTDOM

TO UNDERSTAND THE POSITION OF THE IMAM
Hussein and his tragedy, a few things should be mentioned:

A. There are certain natural rights which are inalienable, and they are in the faith of Islam inviolable. Of these rights are the right:

1. To live.

2. To enjoy the physical freedom. No one should be detained or jailed without conviction for violation of a Heavenly Law.

3. To administer one’s own private ownership freely.

4. To exercise political freedom. Everyone has the right to elect his choice to represent him and to make decisions on his behalf. To prevent people from exercising their political freedom by ruling them without their consent is a major sin in Islam.

5. To exercise religious freedom. The Holy Qur’an declared:

"There shall be no compulsion in religion. The truth stands clear from error."2

6. To enjoy freedom of speech.

7. To receive an equal share from public funds and properties. No one person or group has the right to usurp the shares of others.

8. To be treated equally with others in application of the heavenly law. None should escape a deserved penalty because of his political, social, or religious position. The Messenger of God declared in his sermon on the Mount of Arafat during his Farewell Pilgrimage:

"Your lives and properties arc as sacred and inviolable amongst one another until ye appear before your Lord, as this day and this month are sacred for all. And (remember) ye shall have to appear before your Lord, Who shall demand from you an account of all your actions. . . . Nothing which belongs to another is lawful unto his brother, unless freely given out of his goodwill. Guard yourselves from committing injustice."3

The faith of Islam sanctifies these rights and demands from every Muslim government to try to secure them. Islam is a religion of justice, and no justice can be realized when these rights are not secured.

B. A legitimate government can be realized through one of the two following ways:

1. By free election. When people elect a government, it becomes legitimate. This election amounts to an authorization on their part given to the government to rule them and restrict their freedom by their own choice. However, the legitimacy of such a government is contingent on two conditions. A: The absence of a government appointed by Ood. B: Its abiding by the teaching of the Holy Qur’an and the Messenger Mohammad.

2. "By God’s appointment through His Messenger." Just as we have the right to restrict our freedom by our own choice, our Creator, the Giver of this freedom, also

2. Chapter 2, verse 256.
3. Ameer Ali, The Spirit of Islam, chapter 9, pp. 113-114.


can restrict it. He can choose for us a government, and His choice is binding. He has the right, and He knows best. 

C. Of course, a government chosen by God would be entirely righteous, always endeavoring to secure for the people their natural right, and trying to enforce the Heavenly law and make justice prevalent in society. When the government is elected, it would be duty-bound to try to reach these goals to the best of its ability. In other words, it has to be a righteous government. Otherwise, it would be unconstitutional in the eyes of Islam. 

The Holy Qur’an declares the following:   
"And put not your trust in the wrong doers test the fire touches you. . .

"And cooperate with each other in good doing and righteousness, and cooperate not in sinning and injustice  . ."

When we elect and obey a government that does not practice justice or enforce the Heavenly law, we would be putting our trust into wrong doers and cooperating with them in sin and injustice. The Holy Qur’an again declares:

"And whoever rules in opposite of what God revealed would be of the unbelievers."

Abu Bakr said in his first sermon as a caliph:

"Obey me as long as I obey God. When I disobey Him, you will owe me no obedience." 7

The Most Qualified to Rule
D. We can safely assume that the righteous persons who possessed the true knowledge of Islam and endeavored the most in the way of God were the truly qualified ones for the high office. They were the ones whom the Prophet Mohammad himself recommended, such as Ali who was declared by the Messenger as the leader of the Muslims: "Whoever I am his leader (by God’s authorization), Ali is his leader." And so were his two sons, about whom the Holy Prophet said:

"Hassan and Hussein are leaders of the youth of Paradise, and their father is better than both of theta." 8

The Most Unqualified

E. The most unqualified for the high office were those who fought the Messenger, such as Abu Sufyian and his son Muaweyah. These people were most notorious in their dedication to the destruction of Islam and its Prophet. They fought Mohammad for 21 years and ended their hostility only when the Prophet defeated them completely. With such a dark record, the members of the house of Abu Sufyian were expected to live in humility and weakness. On the other hand, Ali and his children, having such a glorious record, were expected to successively lead the Muslim state, assuring the continuity of the righteous Islamic regime which was commenced during the time of the Messenger.

Muaweyah
Unfortunately, what was expected did not happen, and the most unexpected took place. Only a few years after the death of Mohammad, his foes began to infiltrate the Muslim government. Muaweyah was appointed by Omar governor of Damascus and Jordan. When Omar died, Othman, the Third Caliph, kept Muaweyah in his position. With the passage of time Muaweyah became the

4. Chapter 11, verse 114.
5. Chaptcr5,verse3.
6. Chapter 5, verse 47.
7. Ameer Ali, Mukhtasar Tarikh Al-Arab (Translation by 
Riyad Raafat), p. 21.
8. Ibn Majah, his Sunan, Hadith 118.

ruler of the whole Muslim World. Thus, only 30 years after the death of Mohammad, his followers woke up to find themselves under the rule of his enemy.

Under the unconstitutionally imposed regime of Muaweyah, the righteous Muslims were denied all natural rights, including the ri5ht to live. Hijr Ibn Oday, a very pious and distinguished Muslim, was executed by Muaweyah for no reason other than being a sincere follower of the Imam Ali and a critic of the wicked regime. He, along with thirteen men were brought from Iraq to Syria to be told to repudiate the religion of Ali or die. Yet the religion of Ali is the religion of Mohammad. Hijr refused the demand. Consequently, he and six other persons with him were massacred near Damascus.9 Thousands and thousands of innocent people were executed in order to strengthen Muaweyah’s hold on the Islamic State.

Yazeed

Muaweyah chose his wicked son Yazeed to be his successor. With this, the situation went from bad to worse. Yazeed was extremely notorious and unscrupulous. The Muslims could not have had a worse fate. The reign of Yazeed lasted only three years, but it was a nightmare for the Muslim World. The public wealth became the exclusive property of the Omayyad dynasty. Yazeed’s motto was to jail on suspicion and kill on accusation. And he practiced that rather freely. The Kaaba, the Sacred House of God, was demolished by Yazeed’s army. The women of Medina, the city of Mohammad, were molested by Yazeed’s soldiers because the natives of the city revolted against his regime.

The Muslim government, within a few decades, found itself evolving regressively until it reached the climax of insanity; the worst of Mohammad’s enemies were now the leaders of his religion and the killers of his grandson, the Imam Hussein.

Our American-born Muslims may wonder: how did all that happen? They cannot conceive that Muslims, testifying that there is no God but the Almighty God and that Mohammad is the Messenger of God, would allow themselves to kill a beloved grandson of Mohammad. The fact is that these criminals were not real Muslims. They were of the type which we term "Fifth Column." Suppose that some subversive elements should infiltrate the government of the United States and succeed in taking over the government. Such elements would not be expected to respect the American Constitution, and the true Americans would suffer at their hands. This is exactly what happened to the Muslim State. Muaweyah and his family were enemies of Mohammad and his faith. They followed Mohammad only because they could not fight him. They could not kill Mohammad, but they were able to kill his children.

9. Al-Tabari, his History, part 5, pp. 276-277.

2   
THE MARTYR

THE MARTYR IMAM WAS BORN IN MEDINA IN
the fourth year after the Hijra of Mohammad. Thus, he lived withthe Holy Prophet about seven years. From every side he was surrounded with honor: His grandfather is the Messenger of God. His father is the great disciple of Mohammad, who had the unique honor of being taken by Mohammad as his brother and chosen by him for the Islamic leadership. His mother is Fatimah, the dearest daughter of Mohammad who is titled A1-Zahra (The Lady of Light).

Since his childhood he was foreseen by the Holy Prophet to be the future Martyr of Islam. Evidently, the Messenger was Divinely informed about the regressive evolution which was to take place a few decades after his death. He expected his grandson to rise against the regime which rules the Muslims contrary to the rules of Islam. Foreseeing the purity of this child, he spoke highly of him:

"Hussein is from me and I am from Hussein. May God love whoever loves Hussein."10

Again he said: "Hassan and Hussein are leaders of the youth of Paradise."11

10. Ibn Majah, his Sunan, hadith 144.
11. Ibn Majah, his Sunan, hadith 118, Ibn Al-Atheer, his 
Al Kamil, part 3,p.32.

tyranny and to bring them back to the right path. He never had any illusion about his inability to prevail physically against Yazeed who was in control of the Muslim World. The following recorded evidence testifies to his righteous objectives:

When the Imam refused to pledge his allegiance to Yazeed, he went to the tomb of his grandfather. He worshipped there most of the night, then slept there for a while. In his dream he saw the Messenger surrounded by the angels. The Prophet embraced him and said:

"My beloved Hussein, I foresee you when you will be, in the very near future, covered with your blood, slain at the land of Karbala, while thirsty, being deprived of water. This will be done to you by people who claim that they are from my followers."

The Imam in his dream looked at his grandfather and said:

"My grandfather, I ask you to admit me into your grave. I do not desire to go back to the earthly world!"

The Messenger of God answered him:

"My beloved Hussein, there are degrees which you will not acquire except through martyrdom."

When the Imam woke up, he realized what was to take place.

Before he departed to Iraq, he uttered the following words:

"I am as eager to join my ancestors as Jacob was eager to join Yousef. I visualize my body being dismembered by the wolves of the desert which shall fill from my flesh their empty abdomens and hungry stomachs. The pleasure of God is our pleasure. We are patient at His trial and He gives us the reward of the patient. (Men from) the flesh of the Messenger of God will never part with him. They will join him on the Day of Judgment, and he will be very pleased by the reunion."
 

3
THE IMAM’S 
JOURNEY TO IRAQ

DURING HIS SOJOURN IN MECCA, HE RECEIVED
many messages from the people of Iraq, asking him to come to them and pledging their full support and promising to die in his defense if necessary.

Muslim Ibn Aqeel

Upon receiving these messages, he sent to them a trusted Messenger from his own family, Muslim Ibn Aqeel, to appraise their situation.

Muslim arrived in Kufa after a difficult journey. Thousands of men pledged their allegiance to the Imam. Their enthusiasm made Muslim optimistic. He wrote to the Imam, advising him to come to Iraq. In spite of sensing the consequences, the Imam decided to respond to the Iraqis’ call.

His enemies were determined to eliminate him under any condition. Thus, he chose to expose them by facing them openly, rather than to be assassinated secretly, then no one will know who committed the unique crime of the centuries. His immediate aim was to free the Muslims from the Omayyad despotic regime (which represented the antithesis of Islam), by exposing them and making the world know that they were the killers of the Prophet’s grandson. Furthermore, he wanted to protect the sanctity of the Sacred Kaaba. Therefore, he wanted to avoid being assassinated in Mecca, Thus, he hurriedly began his journey to Iraq at night.

Ibn Abbas, a prominent relative of the Imam, days before his journey advised him not to go to Iraq because of their bad record of breaching covenants. The Imam promised him to reconsider the matter. When he was informed of the Imam’s departure on a certain night, he came to him while he was about to leave. When he reminded him of his promise to reconsider the matter, the Imam said:

"My grandfather gave me a directive, and I am going to carry it out."

Ibn Abbas asked: "Why should you take these women with you?"

"God has chosen to see them in captivity," the Imam replied.

It is reported that while the Imam was on his journey, he slept for a moment and when he woke up, Ali, his first son, overheard him uttering the traditional words which are usually said when an unpleasant event takes place:

"Certainly we belong to God and to Him we shall return. Praise be to God the Lord of the worlds."

When Ali marveled, the Imam said: "I saw in my dream a man riding a horse and saying: ‘These people are traveling and death is traveling with them.’ Thus, I realized that our souls are to be recalled."

Ali commented, "My father, may God show you no evil. Are we not on the right path?"

The Imam: "Yes, by the One to Whom the human souls return we are."

Ali: "Then, we shall not be concerned when we die for the truth."

14. I relied on Al-Tabari, his History, part 5, 
and lbn Al-Atheer, his History Al-Karnhl, part 3 
in most of the contents of the balance of this essay. 
The events, however, are recorded in many other 
books of Islamic History.

The Imam: "May God reward you on my behalf with the best reward."

Reversal in Iraq

While the Imam was at the start of his journey, the events in !raq took a sharp turn. Obeidullab Ibn Ziyad was appointed by Yazeed as governor of Kufa. Through his campaign of terror, the opposition was intimidated and Muslim Ibn Aqeel, representative of the Imam, was killed. When the Imam arrived to the borders of Iraq, he was intercepted by a thousand soldiers, commanded by Hurr Al-Riyahi. Their mission was to bring the Imam Hussein to Kufa by force and not let him go anywhere else, When the time of prayer came, all of them followed the imam. At the conclusion of the prayer, he addressed them:

"0 people, the Messenger of God said: Whoever sees an unjust ruler, legalizing what God prohibited, breaching the covenant of God, violating the precepts and instructions of His Messenger and administering the affairs of His servants by -sin and injustice, and does not try to change the situation by deed or word, he deserves from God what that ruler deserves. Certainly these people (the Omayyads) committed themselves to the obedience of Satan and the disobedience of God, They demonstrated corruption and refused to enforce the Heavenly law.

"Your messages and messengers have informed me of your allegiance to me and that you would not let me down or withhold your help from me. If you are still on your allegiance, you will be well-guided. I am Hussein, son of Ali and son of Fatima the daughter of the Messenger of God. I shall be with you, and my family shall be with your families. Our fate will be one.

"If you repudiate your allegiance and break your covenant with me, it would not be the first time. You have done that to my father, to my brother, and to my cousin Muslim Ibn Aqeel. The deceived is the one who trusts you. You will be unfortunate, and you are the ones who stand to lose."

When he concluded his sermon, Hurr commented, "I remind you in the name of God to preserve yourself. I assure you that if you fight these people (the Omayyads) you will be killed."

The Imam replied, "Are you trying to intimidate me? Can your army do anything beyond killing me? I shall pursue my objective and death is not a shame to a person who intends to do good, and endeavors as a Muslim."

Then he offered them a peaceful solution: He would return to Mecca or Medina and they would return to Kufa. Thus, hostility would be avoided. Hurr refused the proposal and demanded that the Imam accompany them to Kufa, in compliance with the order of Ibn Ziyad. The Imam refused and Hurt insisted. Finally they agreed that the Imam will not be forced to go to Kufa, nor will he return to Medina. Thus, he continued his journey until he arrived to Karbala.

Ibn Saad

While the Imam was on his way to Iraq, Obeidullah Ibn Ziyad, the governor of Kufa, gathered a task force of four thousand soldiers to fight the Imam. Omar lbn Saad Ibn Abu Waqqass who was designated as governor of a province in Iran, was about to leave to his new post when his master Ibn Ziyad called upon him to command the sinister army. When he hesitated, he was given the choice between losing his post or fighting the grandson of Mohammad. Finally, he decided to go along with Ibn Ziyad. He left for Karbala where the Imam was sojourning.

Thus, the Imam with ninety of his companions and relatives had to face four thousand commanded by Ibn Saad, plus a thousand commanded by Hurr.

4

THE IMAM’S 
CAMPAIGN FOR PEACE

THE IMAM MET WITH IBN SAAD AND OFFERED him and his superiors proposals to avoid confrontation. He was willing to return to Medina or to go to one of the defensive borders of the Muslim State. Ibn Saad communicated the proposals to his superior Ibn Ziyad who turned them down and demanded from the Imam to surrender. As the Imam refused to surrender, Ibn Ziyad sent his directive to Ibn Saad to start a general offensive against the Imam and to prevent him and his party from getting any water from the Euphrates River which was only a mile away. The order was ruthlessly obeyed by Ibn Saad, starting from the 7th of Muharram, in the year sixty after the Hijrah of the Holy Prophet Mohammad.

Requested a Peace of One Night

To comply with Ibn Ziyad’s directive, Ibn Saad ordered the Army to march on the ninth of Muharram in the afternoon. The Imam asked him for a delay of one night to spend it in the worship of God. Ibn Saad hesitated and consulted Amr Ibn Hajjaj if he should honor the request. Amr advised him to honor it, saying: "If a man from the enemies of Islam makes such a request, you should not fail him. This is a grandson of Mohammad." Finally the Imam was granted a peace of one night.

At the Eve of Ashoora
(the Tenth of Muharram)

At night the Imam spoke to his companions and members of his house saying:

"I praise the Almighty God and thank Him for the pleasant and the unpleasant conditions. God, I thank Thee for honoring us with the Prophet hood and for giving us our hearing, sight, and mind; and for teaching us the Qur’an and enabling us to understand the religion. God, we ask Thee to include us among Thy thankful servants.

"I know of no companions more loyal and righteous than my companions; nor do I know kinder and more compassionate members than those of my house. May God reward you, on my behalf, with the best reward.

"I think that tomorrow is the day of confrontation, I permit you all to leave me. I advise you to scatter in towns, villages and cities. Each of you should take one of the members of my house with him. These people are seeking my blood. If they succeed, they will not seek the blood of anybody else."

His relatives refused to leave him and so did his companions.
Muslim Ibn Ousajah Al-Assady said:

"Shall we leave you without doing our utmost to protect you? By God, I shall not leave until I break my spear in their chests and hit them with my sword as long as its handle is in my hand. By God, if I do not have a weapon, I will hit with stones until I die in front of you."

The rest of the companions and the Hashimites expressed the
same determination.

During the night the Imam went around inspecting the area in preparation for the confrontation. With him was Zuhair Ibn Al-Quain. He told him;

"Now it is dark. Why don’t you leave? Feel not ashamed. These people do not seek the blood of any one except me."

Zuhair replied:

"Son of the Messenger of God, If I had to die seventy times for you, I would not leave you. Why should I leave you when I expect to die only once?"

The Imam‘s Peace
Offense on Ashoora
Before the Battle

The next day the Imam rode a camel, then he faced his opponents. He spoke to them saying:

"0 people, listen to me and be not hasty. I would like to leave no excuse for you. I want to explain to you the reason for my coming to you. If you believe in my word, you would be only fair. If you do not believe my statement, choose your course, along with your partners and be not hesitant. To God is my allegiance. He revealed the Book, and He befriends the righteous."

Then he praised God and His Messenger and said:

"0 people, remember who I am and search your conscience. Think if it is legitimate for you to shed my blood. Am I not a son of the daughter of your Prophet and son of .his executor, his cousin and the first believer in God and His Messenger? isn’t Hamzah, the Leader of Martyrs, the uncle of my father? Isn’t Jaafar, the Flier in Paradise, my uncle? Did you not hear the famous statement of the Prophet Mohammad who said to me and to my brother: ‘You are leaders of the youth of Paradise?’

"If you believe that what I say is true, it would be better for you. By God, I never deliberately spoke an untrue word since I knew that God dislikes untruth. If you do not believe me, there are men among you who can inform you of the truth of my statement. Ask Jaber Ibn Abdullab, Abu Sa-eed, Sahl Ibn Saad, Zaid Ibn Arkam, and Anass. They will inform you that they heard it from the Messenger of God. Isn’t this sufficient to prevent you from shedding my blood?

"If you doubt my words, do you doubt that I am a son of the daughter of your Prophet? By God, there is not in the East or the West a son of the daughter of the Prophet other than I. Do I owe you a blood that you want to avenge? Do I owe you a fund that I took from you? Do I owe you a compensation for violation of a right?"

They did not answer him.

Zuhair Ibn Al-Qain

Before joining the Imam, Zuhair Ibn Al-Qain was from the Anti-All party. Zuhair was returning to Iraq from a pilgrimage when the Imam was traveling on the same road. He avoided being with him in one place because he did not want to meet him. One day, by necessity, he was compelled to camp at the same place where the Imam was camping. There the Imam asked Zuhair to come to him. He could not turn him down and went to him reluctantly. When he came back, he was very cheerful. He told his wife to go to her people and bade her and the people with him a goodbye. When they inquired about the reason, he told them:

"One time we were in Balenger defending Islam. We defeated our enemies, and acquired valuable spoils We were very pleased with what we acquired of wealth. Salman, Al-Farisi (a famous Persian companion of the Prophet Mohammad) was with us. He told us: If you live until you join the youth of Mohammad in defending him, you should be more pleased than you are with these spoils."

Zuhair's Effort for Peace

Zuhair joined the Imam until he came to Karbala and on the tenth of Moharram he wanted to speak to the enemies of the Imam in order to leave no excuse for them. He stood up and said:

"People of Kufa, I advise you to protect yourselves from the punishment of God. It is the duty of every Muslim to advise other Muslims. Now we are still brothers in religion until the sword comes between us. When the sword comes between us, our relation will be severed. We will become one community and you will be another community. God has tried you and us with the progeny of Mohammad to see what shall we do to them.

"We invite you to defend the grandson of Mohammad and leave the tyrant and the son of the tyrant Obeidullah Ibn Ziyad. You do not gain anything out of them except evil. They puncture your eyes, cut your hands and legs, disfigure you and crucify you on the trunks of palm trees. They killed the best of you, such as Hijr Ibn Oday and his party and Hani, son of Orwa and others like him."

They did not listen to him and cursed him. Shimr Ibn Thul-Joushan said to him, "God will kill you and your Imam within one hour." Zuhair retorted:

"Are you trying to intimidate me? By God, I prefer to die with Hussein rather than to live with you forever."

Then he raised his voice saying:

"Servants of God, be not detracted of your religion by deception of this savage. By God, the intercession of Mohammad will not reach people that shed the blood of his children and members of his house and their companions and helpers who defend them."

Hurr Al-Riyahi Repents

Hurr Ibn Yazeed Al-Riyahi, who intercepted the imam, prevented him from returning to Medina and brought him to Karbala, now came to the moment of truth. He knew that he was guilty, but he never expected Muslims to do what they were about to do: shedding the blood of the grandson of Mohammad. A relative of his, observing that he was trembling, said to him: "If I am asked who is the bravest man in Kufa, I will not pass you. Are you afraid of this tiny group? It would not be but one hour when you see all of them dead."

Hurr replied:

"I am about to make a decision. I am trying to choose between Paradise and Hell, and my soul does not prefer anything to Paradise."

He crossed to the Imam’s camp, putting his hands over his head, looking down and saying:

"My God, to Thee I repent. I have frightened the hearts of Thy righteous servants."

When he faced the Imam, he said:

"Son: of the Messenger of God, I am the one who prevented you from returning to Medina and brought you to this place and barred you from leaving. By God, I did not think that these people would reject your offer and choose to fight you. I thought that I can go along with them, believing that they will not harm you. Now I realize I was wrong. Now I want to be with you and die for you. Will God accept my repentance?"

"Yes," the Imam said, "If you repent, God will accept you."

Hurr ‘s Effort for Peace

Then Hurr faced the enemies and asked them:" Would you not accept any of the proposals which this

man offered in order to avoid yourselves committing the crime of fighting him?"

Ibn Saad (their commander): "I do, but the governor does not."

Hurr continued:

"People of Kufa, may your mothers be bereaved by your death. You invited this righteous servant of God and when he came, you let him down. You told him that you are going to kill yourselves in his defense, and now you came to kill him. You are suffocating him, surrounding him, and preventing him from seeking in the vast earth of God a place of safety for himself and his family. He has become a captive, unable to defend himself.

"You have prevented him from getting water from the Euphrates River of which Muslims and non-Muslims and swines and dogs drink. Look at the members of his family, they are dying of thirst. Woe to you, for your ugly reward to your Prophet Mohammad by doing what you are doing to the members of his House. May God prevent you from drinking on the Day of Judgment, if you do not repent and change your attitude,"

As he finished his address, they started to shoot at him.
 

5
THE BATTLE
WAHAB IBN HUBAB WAS A CHRISTIAN. HE
became a Muslim through a dream in which he was advised by Jesus to join the Imam Hussein. He and his mother and his wife joined the Imam’s camp on the day of Ashoora. He defended the Imam until he lost his hands and died. Then his wife later joined in the defense.

Hurt, Zuhair, Muslim Ibn Ousaja and the rest of the companions demonstrated a great strength and courage. They prevailed over their opponents in all duels. Observing the heavy losses in his camp at the hands of the Imam‘s companions, Amr Ibn Hajaj warned his soldiers, saying:

"Do you know whom you are fighting: You are fighting the heroes of Kufa and men who are willing to die. Shoot at them. Fight them collectively. Throw stones at them, but do not make any duel with them. Be not in doubt about the ones who departed from religion."

Hearing these words, the Imam asked Him:

"Are we or you the ones who departed from religion? When your souls leave your bodies while you are on your evil doing, you will know the answer."

Muslim Ibn Ousaja

While the battle was in progress, Muslim Ibn Ousaja was mortally wounded. Coming to him while he was dying, the Imam said:

"God, have Thy Mercy upon Muslim. There are some who reached their destination, and others who are still awaiting."

Habeeb Ibn Muthaher, leader of the Imam’s companions said:

"Muslim, I am deeply saddened by your death, but you ought to be cheerful. You are going to Paradise, Had I not known that I am following you, I would have loved to hear from you all what you want me to do after you."

Muslim opened his eyes while dying and said to Habeeb:

"I ask you to defend him (pointing to the Imam). Die for him."

Habeeb replied: "Yes, I will."

Some of the enemies were pleased by the death of Muslim, but Shibth Ibn Rib-ee, one of their chiefs was not pleased. He said to those who were around him:

"May your mothers be bereaved by your death. You kill yourselves by your own hands and you humiliate yourselves for other people. Are you cheerful by killing a man like Muslim who had such a brilliant record in Islam?"

Shibth used to say after the events of Karbala:

"The people of Kufa will never have the blessing of God. It is amazing that we fought with Ali and his son Hussein against the house of Abü Sufyan for five years; then we turned to the son of Ali, the best of the people of the earth, and killed him to please the house of Abu Sufyan and Ibn Ziyad the son of Sumayah, the unchaste woman. How tremendous our departure from the right path is!"

One of the enemies raised his voice, saying: "Hussein, you are going to Hell."

The Imam retorted: "You are the one who deserves it. What is your name?"

The man replied: "I am Ibn Houza." (Houza means possession.)

The Imam said: "God, possess him by the fire."

Ibn Houza charged towards the Imam, but his horse jumped, and he fell down, but his leg remained fixed by the stirrup of the horse. The horse went around hitting his body by the ground and throwing him on stones until his leg was severed; then he died.

Messrouk Ibn Wa-il was with the enemies, looking for some material gain. When he witnessed this event, he said:

"I have seen from the people of the House of Mohammad a miracle. I shall never fight them."

Unique Prayer

In the middle of the heated battle, Abu Tamamah Al-Sa-idi turned his face to the Imam saying: "Son of the Messenger of God, the time of prayer has come. I want to pray with you before I die."

The Imam said: "You remembered the prayer. May God write you among the praying and remembering people."

Then he asked Sa-eed Hanafi to shield him against the darts while praying. Sa-eed stood intercepting the arrows by his own body until he fell down saying: "God, bear witness for what I suffered of pains, while protecting the member of the House of Thy Prophet."

Habeeb

Ibn Nameer shouted: "Hussein pray. Your prayer will not be accepted."

Habeeb Ibn Muthahir, the chief of the companions of the lmam, answered him: "You alleged that the prayer is not acceptable from the members of the House of the 

Messenger of God, and it would be accepted from an animal such as you?"

Ibn Nameer charged against Habeeb, and Habeeb hit the face of his horse with his sword. The horse jumped and Ibn Nameer fell down but his men rescued him. Habeeb fought very bravely despite his old age. Finally, they overwhelmed him and killed him.

Hurr and Zuhair went on fighting together. They prevailed over many of their enemies. Finally, they, as the rest of the Imam’s companions, were overwhelmed and died. Now the turn of the eighteen members of the house of the Imam had come.

All Son of the Imam

The first one of them was Ali, the first son of the Emam. Ali stood up in front of his father unable to ask his permission for entering the battle. He knew how hard it was for his father to see him die. The great father looked at his son saying:

"God, be witness against them. Here is a young man who resembles Thy Prophet in appearance, manner and speech. He is entering the battle. Our Lord, count them totally, and destroy them individually. They have invited us, promising their support and now they are marching to destroy us."

Ali understood from these words the permission of his father. He entered the battle and showed tremendous courage and strength. He prevailed over many of his opponents. He came back to his father complaining of his thirst.

"My father, thirst is killing me: and the weight of the armor is weakening me. Is there any way to have a drink of water?"

The Imam wept and said:

"Son, go back to the battlefield. I hope that before

sundown, your grandfather will give you a drink after

which you will never feel thirsty."

All went back resuming his endeavor. While he was fighting, Murrah Ebn Munqith attacked him from behind, and so did many others. They cut him into pieces. When the Imam saw his son dismembered, he said:

"May God destroy people who killed thee. . . life to me has no value after your death."

Abbas, Brother of the Imam

The members of the house of the Imam one after another fought courageously and fell on the battlefield one after the other. The last one was Al-Abbas, the carrier of the banner of the imam. He came to his brother asking his permission and the Imam reluctantly permitted him. There was about a mile between the Imam’s camp and the Euphrates River from which he and his party were prevented since the seventh day of Muharram. Knowing the thirst of the children, he wanted to bring some water to them. He went towards the river, and amazingly he was able to make thrust into the hostile army and reach the river. He brought some water. But while he was coming back, he was intercepted and attacked by many men. He fought courageously until he died after he lost his arms.

Infant

The Imam brought an infant of his, whose name was Abdullah. Carrying him on his hands, he spoke to the enemies saying:

"Suppose our adults are guilty. What is the guilt of the children? Would you not allow a drink of water for this infant?"

They disputed among themselves. But finally the child received an arrow in his neck and died. The Imam filled

his hand with the blood of the infant and poured it on the ground saying:

"Lord, if Thou have withheld victory from us,
make it for our best, and punish these unjust people."

The Imam

The lmam himself was very thirsty. He tried to reach the river and succeeded. While he was trying to drink, a man from the tribe of Darim shot at him. The arrow hit the mouth of the Imam. He filled his hands with blood and threw it towards the sky, saying:

"God, I complain to Thee what is being done to the son of the daughter of Thy Prophet. Lord, count them totally, destroy them individually and leave none of them without penalty."

The one who shot at him lived a short time. He was stricken with the sickness of thirst. He was constantly drinking and complaining of thirst until he died.

The Imam now was facing the whole army. They attacked him from the right and the left and he counterattacked the two sides one after another and forced each side to retreat.

Finally he could not ride his horse, because of the many wounds he sustained. In spite of that, he remained as present-minded and courageous as ever. He fought on his feet as he did on his horse. An eye-witness described him:

"I have never seen an outnumbered person as calm and courageous as the Imam Hussein. The foot soldiers attacked him time and again. ‘Whenever he counterattacked them they ran away like goats running from a lion."

Heavily bleeding and exhausted, he lay down on the sand. Zeinab, his sister, came out saying:

"May Heaven fall on the earth. Omar (Ibn Saad), should Hussein be killed while you are looking at him?"

Omar wept and turned his face from her. Finally he and his army committed the most terrible crime in the history of mankind. They killed the beloved grandson of their own Prophet, and without letting him take a drink of water.

6
Conclusion
AS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FAITH OF Islam required a great deal of endeavors and sacrifices, its preservation and continuity required equal sacrifice and endeavors on the part of the true Muslims.

Needless to say, the spread of the Doctrines of Islam and the establishment of an Islamic State based on those Doctrines were not easy tasks. It took a great deal of endeavors and sacrifices on the part of the Holy Prophet Mohammad, the righteous members of his House, and his good companions. The opponents of Islam were violent and numerous. The Muslims were overwhelmingly outnumbered. They were subjected to fierce attacks for more than two decades.

The Muslims finally won the struggle, conquered their enemies and removed the barriers which prevented Islam from spreading throughout the Arabic Peninsula. The wave of Islam swept into it many of its old enemies who adopted the new Faith, but many of them were not genuine in their conversion. They declared their Islam and kept their hostile feelings towards the Prophet and his religion.

They managed (after the death of the Holy Prophet Mohammad) to infiltrate the Islamic Regimes during the days of Omar and Othman, as subversive elements. They 

became extremely powerful in the Islamic State, and finally reached the high office of the caliphate.

Their aim was not to follow or enforce the Islamic Rules. It was rather to satisfy their desire for authority at the expense of Islam. They were ready to revise the Faith of Islam and to legalize what it prohibited.

These elements could not destroy Islam from without. They wanted to destroy it from within.

The Holy Prophet Mohammad had foreseen that through the light of God and His Revelation. He forecast battles for correction of deviation and misinterpretation movements similar to the battles of the establishment of the revealed rules of the Holy Qur’an.

Al-Hakim recorded in his Mustadrak, part 3, p. 139, that Abu Saeed Al-Khidri reported that the Messenger of God said: "Au shall fight for the interpretation of the Holy Qur’an as I fought for its Revelation."

People are mostly followers of their leaders. When a Muslim government is unrighteous, it becomes possible for it to interpret the Holy Qur’an and hadiths of the Prophet in a way that agrees with its wrong policy which does not agree with the true Islamic teaching.

Such a government would be more dangerous to Islam than a non-Muslim government. A non-Muslim government would not be able to interpret for the Muslims their religion because the Muslims would not trust such a government on their faith and its interpretation.

On the other hand, when the leadership is hypocrite appearing as Islamic, concealing its unbelief and controlling the national forces and wealth, it would be able to subdue any Muslim opposition by its controls of Muslim forces. It would be able through the sources of its propaganda to confuse the truth with the falsehood.

It was of the most dangerous development in our history that the rulers used the Holy Qur’an against itself and the hadith of the Prophet against his very teaching. It became prevalent among our masses that a Muslim ruler was to be obeyed by the people even when he was wrong. They quoted from the Holy Qur’an for this false doctrine the following verse:

 "0 you who believe, obey God and His Messenger and the people of authority from among you, ."

The beginning of the verse which commands us to obey God and His Messenger contradicts the obedience of a

transgressor ruler who legalizes what is forbidden in Islam. When we obey this Ruler, we would be disobeying God and His Messenger. Despite all of this, Muslim masses and scholars took the end of the verse and overlooked its beginning. They ignorantly or deliberately identified the obedience of God and his Messenger with the obedience of the unjust rulers. Thus, when a transgressor ruler kills innocent Muslims because they are opposed to his un-Islamic behavior, his action would be justified.

Muslim in his Sahih (part 12, page 40) reported the following: "Abdullah Ibn Omar came to (his cousin) Abdullah Ibn Mutee when the Battle of ‘Al-Harrah’ took place. (In this Battle, the sacred City of the Prophet was defiled by Yazeed’s army and its righteous people were massacred.) Spread the cushion for Abu Abdul-Rahman (Abdullah lbn Omar), Abdullah Ibn Mutee said to his aides. But Ibn Omar said to him: 1 did not come here to sit down; I came to report a hadith. I heard the Messenger of God saying: ‘Whoever stands in open disobedience (of a caliph to whom he owes obedience) will meet God on the Day of Judgment lacking any excuse. And whoever dies owing no allegiance to a caliph, dies in a pre-Islamic state.’

By reporting this hadith, Ibn Omar was trying to prevent his cousin Ibn Mutee from revolting against Yazeed, urging him to give allegiance to the wicked caliph who demolished the Kaaba, defiled the sanctity of Medina, and killed the lmam Hussein.

This shows that it was possible for a hypocritical government to cancel Islam gradually, and to deviate completely from the path of the Prophet Mohammad.

Muaweyah fought the Imam Ali in a war in which 45,000 Muslims died. And the Muslims of his province did not see any wrong in what Muaweyah and they had done. Yet, the Holy Qur’an (chapter 4, verse 93) declares that whoever deliberately kills one believer, he would live eternally in Hell.

The consequence of such attitude by the Muslims in obeying corrupt leaders is that an un-Islamic ideology would be accepted and a real Islamic ideology would be rejected. The majority of the Muslims would be supporters of a corrupt ruler and ready to fight his opponents who see in his words and deeds the antithesis of the Islamic teaching. Yet these opponents are usually afraid to defy such an unjust ruler, because he controls the military and financial power of the nation.

Under such circumstances, it would be necessary for the leader of the opposition to do what is beyond his ability. His followers arc less than a minority and the government is despotic, determined to eliminate any opposition, by the most savage means.

The Imam Hussein realized that the Omayyad leadership is ready to change the Faith of Islam and to abolish it. Nothing would be prohibited or too sacred to a man like Muaweyah, who tried to kill by thirst, the Imam Ali and his army, including the two grandsons of the Prophet: Imam Hassan, and Imam Hussein.

The Imam Hussein knew that Yazeed was, by far, less religious than his father Muaweyah.

The whole nation had failed to stand up to Yazeed. They succumbed to his will and agreed with him. As deviation and revision became the normal way of life in the Islamic government, the future outcome became obvious. Revision, deviation and regression towards the pre-Islamic state would continue until gradually the Faith was abolished.

Witnessing the failure of the whole nation, the Imam took upon himself to do alone what the whole nation could not do. One man carries the responsibility of the whole Muslim World. Should he fear to do so, the continuity of Islam would be in a serious jeopardy. The continuity of Islam needed a protector. It needed the unique


 

hero to expose to the eyes of the sleeping Muslims the great danger of the Omayyads to Islam.

That could be done only by a unique sacrifice. No one could do that but the grandson of the Messenger of God who is the son of the Imam Ali and the Lady of Light Fatima daughter of the Messenger of God. As the Holy Prophet Mohammad fought for the establishment of the Faith, his grandson fought for the continuity of the Faith.

The Imam exposed the wicked regime by facing the forces of Omayyad in the open on the land of Karbala; by offering his sacred blood and that of the members of his house which is the blood of the Prophet and by Omayyad’s taking into captivity the grand-daughters of the Prophet, driving them from one city to another.

He showed the Muslim World that the Omayyads do not recognize any Islamic Law. Therefore, they could not be trusted with religion. He proved to the Muslims that the Omayyads had taken Islam as a hiding screen behind which the disbelief in Islam was concealed.

By his unique martyrdom the Imam laid the foundation of The School of Heroism whose graduates, from all generations, would not be intimidated by death. These people are the ones capable of reshaping the world and securing the continuity and progress of the Faith.

The Imam secured the continuity of Islam and defeated the biggest force of revisionism. Thus, he is entitled to be called: Redeemer of Islam.