Karbala: Beginning of Hostilities (P1)

In order to commemorate Ashura I wanted to give you a summary of detailed events of the Night of Ashura through to the day and beginning of hostilities. I am certain once we have the complete knowledge of what exactly happened on the day of Ashura it will help us gain a stronger connection to our Holy Imam as well as gaining a deeper understanding to why we mourn year after year.


1. No community in the existence of mankind has had to face the calamities of the day of Ashura. Any person, upon hearing of these events, is able to break down into tears and get extremely emotional so much so it is said even the decadent oppressor Umar ibn Saad wept upon the troubles of the Prophet's family.


"The day Husayn was martyred our eyes were injured and our relatives were dishonoured..." - Imam Al-Ridha (as)


Beginning of Hostilities


1. On the afternoon of 9th Muharram strict orders had arrived from Ibn Ziyad towards his Commander to commence the battle against the Prophet's family. They began the march forwards in order to fulfil their lust for blood against the standard bearers of truth and justice.

2. At that time, Imam Husayn was briefly asleep, outside his tent, with his sword upon his knees when his sister Zaynab (sa) heard the sounds and came to awaken him:

"My Brother, don't you hear the sounds which are getting nearer?" Lady Zaynab asked.
"I have seen the apostle of God in my sleep", replied the Imam.

At this moment the lady struck her own face and cried out in grief.

"You have no reason to lament sister, be quiet, may God have mercy on you".

Then he turned towards Abbas ibn Ali, his brother, "Brother, the enemy have come, so get ready; but first, you, yourself, ride out to meet them, to talk to them about what they have in mind and what appears appropriate to them and to ask about what had brought them against us."

3. Abbas (as) went with approx. 20 horsemen including Zuhair b. Al-Qain and the commander told them they were told by Ibn Ziyad to offer them the opportunity to surrender to their will or face getting attacked. Abbas ibn Ali told them to wait while he conveyed the message to Imam Husayn, to which they agreed.

Before returning Habib b. Mazahir addressed the enemy, reminding them about the hereafter:

"By Allah, the worst people to meet the Almighty and his Prophet and his partisans are those who spend their days and nights in allah's remembrance".

"O Ibn Mazahir do you claim to be purified?" - Azra b. Qais, an enemy soldier asked.

"O son of Qais, fear Allah, and do not be of those who help misguidance and falsehood and slay the purified progeny of the foremost Prophet", Zuhair b. Qain said, glancing towards Azra.

"You were a follower of Uthman in our opinion, what has happened to you?" Azra told him.

"By Allah, I did not write to Husayn and I did not send any messenger to him. But I met him on the way. When I saw him I was reminded of Allah's messenger and I understood what disloyalty and betrayal of trust you are committing. I saw you inclined towards the material world and I decided to help him, and join his entourage so that I may defend the rights of the Messenger of Allah's that you have trespassed", Zuhair clarified.

4. The respected Abbas went back and conveyed the message to Imam Husayn. Imam Husayn asked Abbas to persuade them to delay the battle until morning so they could spend the evening in prayer, insisting Allah knew how much he loved the prayer, recitation of God's words (Quran), invoking him and asking for forgiveness from him.

5. Fearing Ibn Ziyad's reaction, in case he would not be happy with any decisions, Ibn Saad referred to the judgement of Shimr so he could use him as back up just incase he made the wrong decision (in Ibn Ziyad's eyes). Shimr did not offer any suggestions. Amr ibn Zujjaij gave a speech towards the enemy demanding the matter be reported to Ibn Ziyad.

6. Ibn Ashath supported this view as he believed the Imam was not going to fight yet he just wanted respite. Ibn Ashath judged people according to the Kufans (residents of Kufa, Iraq) and therefore misjudged the Imam's intentioned and later revealed "By Allah, if I knew that they would act in that way, I would never have accorded them any respite".


Battle Delayed Until Morning




1. After most commanders expressed a willingness to postpone hostilities, Ibn Saad issued the permission via one of his men whom he sent to relay the message to the Imam's camp.

"O companions of Husayn ibn Ali, we will grant you a day until tomorrow. Then, if you surrender, we will send you to our governor, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad but if you refuse we will not leave you any longer".

Therefore the battle was postponed until the 10th of Muharram.


Imam's Permitted Companions to Leave


1. The Holy Imam gathered his companions and family and asked them to go anywhere they liked and to leave him alone in this night so he could worship Allah on his own. He also wanted them to be aware of his position so he stated:

"I glorify God with the most perfect glorification and I praise him in happiness and misfortune. O God, I praise you for blessing us with Prophethood, teaching us the Quran, and making us understand the religion. You have given us hearing, sight and hearts, and have made us among those who give thanks (to you). I know of no followers more loyal and more virtuous than my followers, nor of any House more pious and more close knit than mine. May God reward you well on my behalf. Indeed I do not think there will be any further days left to us by these men. I permit you to leave me. All of you go away with the absolution of you oath to follow me, for there will be no further obligation on you from me. Use it as a camel (to ride away in).

Each of you take the hand of one person from my family so that the almighty bestows each of you a mighty reward. After that you spread out in the land till the time the almighty makes the conditions favourable because these people do not want anyone except me and if they are able to get me they will not go after anyone else."




2. This statement from the Imam shows how much faith he had. He also made it clear to them that the definite result of the following day would be death if they chose to stay. This statement also shows his readiness and firm determination towards fighting for the truth in the face of death.

3. Imam Husayn gave them the evening darkness to go away so they shall not be ashamed to leave in front of him and to use the night as their veil.


Ahlulbayt Reply


1. Before completing his speech his family rose up and declined his offer. Abbas ibn Ali was the first to declare this, stating, "We will not leave you to make ourselves continue living after your passing away. May God never let us see such a thing".

2. Imam Husayn told the sons of his cousin Muslim, who was earlier killed by Ibn Ziyad in Kufa, to leave as "...enough of your family members have been killed".

They immediately declined, stating they would prefer to give their lives, family and property than face the same of those who deserted their beloved Imam, never striking swords along side him.


Companions Reply


1. The companions had true faith because of Imam Husayn's honesty, lofty principles and eagerness to fight for the truth. Their consciences were affected by this speech and here are some of their statements:

"Could we leave you alone? How should we excuse ourselves before God concerning the performance of our duty to you? By God, I will stab them with my spear until it breaks. I will strike them with my sword as long as the hilt is in my hand. If I have no weapon left to fight them with, I will throw stones at them until the time I am killed with you." - Muslim bin Ausaja

"By God, we will never leave you until God knows that we persevered through you the company of his Prophet in his absence. By God, if I knew that I would die and then be revived and then burnt and then revived and then scattered and that would be done to me 70 times, I would never leave you until I met my death fighting on your behalf. So how could I do it when there can only be one death, which is a great blessing and can never be rejected?" - Saeed bin Abdullah

"By God, I would prefer to be killed and then recalled to life; and then be killed a thousand times in this manner; and that in this way God, the mighty and exalted, should protect your life and the lives of these young men of your house." - Zuhair bin Qain




2. Imam Husayn's companions were extremely loyal, so much so that it has never been seen before. They were convinced that the Imam held responsibility before God and defending him was their honour.

3. Having tested these companions, the Imam found them to be the best in rightfulness and loyalty. They were eager for martyrdom in order to qualify for the bounties of the hereafter. After praying for them to be rewarded well by God, Imam Husayn's companions replied in unison, "Thanks be to Allah, that he favoured us with being your helpers and honoured us by Martyrdom in your company. Should we not be elated that we shall also live in your level, in your company?"

4. Muhammad bin Bashir, the Imam's most senior companion received news that his son had been taken prisoner in Rayy (Iran). The Imam thought he wanted to leave him and free his son yet Muhammad replied, "May the wild beasts devour me alive, if I leave you..."

5. It is stated between 10 and 20 people left the camp of Imam Husayn during the night. Among these was Firaas Makhzoomi who was a close relative of the Imam, through his grandmother Umme Hani, daughter of Ali ibn Abu Talib. It is stated he did not realise the extent of disbelief (of God) within the forces of the Ummayads and was fearful of death.


Imam Exposes Kufans


1. Imam Husayn told his companions how he had been deceived by the Kufans.


"They wrote to me only to deceive me and get into the good books of Muaweyah's son".


2. Most letters sent by Kufans to Imam Husayn were sent on the order of Yazid so that the Imam would come to them and be killed. They had not written to him on the basis of faith or with any aims of justice.


Imam Speaks of His Death


1. On a separate occasion Imam Husayn came to his tent and began to search for his sword whilst uttering the following poem:


"Time, shame on you as a friend! At the day's dawning and the sun's setting,
How many a companion or seeker will be a corpse! Time will not be satisfied with any substitute.
The matter will rest with the mighty one and every living creature will have to journey along my path."


These words were overheard by his son, Imam Zaynul Abideen and his sister Zaynab who were present in his tent. The 4th Imam controlled his tears yet Lady Zaynab could not control herself, instead getting up, her eyes filled with tears exclaimed, "What a grief and what a sorrow! Would that death deprived me of life today. O dear Husayn! As if today have died my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah, my mother Fatima Zahra, my father Ali and my brother Hassan. O my surviving one and the guardian of those who survive!"

Upon hearing these words, Imam Husayn consoled his sister and told her not to let the Satan take her patience away.


2. Once she became certain her brother would be killed, Lady Zaynab along with the other ladies of the camp became extremely grief stricken. The Imam ordered them to not tear their clothes nor scratch their face when would be killed.


Precautionary Steps


1. The Imam did not want his camp to be victim of an ambush during the night and therefore surveyed his area with his companion Nafe bin Hilal and took the following steps:

a) The Imam ordered everyone to bring their tents closer together. They were not arranged in a single row; rather they were bunched together in a few lines so that if they remained within their tents the enemy could only approach them from one side.

b) Imam Husayn ordered a trench to be dug up at the back of the tents (on his family's side) and for it to be filled with firewood which could be lit during the battle.

(i) This way the women and children would not be harmed during battle as the enemy would not be able to cross the burning ditch.
(ii) This way there would only be one front of attack. If this step was not taken the enemy would have easily been able to surround them and the battle would not have lasted a full day.


Night of Worship


1. It is said the sound of worship in this night was like the "humming of bees". Everyone prostrated towards their lord, recited Quran and begged for his forgiveness and mercy. No one slept on this night for any moment.


Over-joyous Companions


1. It is stated in this night, whilst some companions chose not to, others were extremely joyful such as Habib who stated:

"What can be more joyful than this? By Allah, very soon these oppressors shall fall upon us with their swords and at that time we shall take the Horul Ein (Houris of paradise) within our bosoms."


Shimr Ridicules Imam Husayn


1. Upon hearing the following words uttered by Imam Husayn in prayer, the accursed Shimr bin Zil Jaushan laughed:

"And not let those who disbelieve think that our gathering them respite is better for their souls; We grant them respite only that they may add to their sins; and they shall have a disgraceful chastisement. On no account will Allah leave the believers in the condition which you are in until he separates the evil from the good".


Imam's Dream


1. During the night, Imam Husayn dozed off after having deadly pains. He awoke and told everyone that he saw dogs attacking him and the one who would kill him would have leprosy spots on his face. Furthermore, the Imam told everyone he had seen the Holy Prophet and he had said:

"My son, you are the martyr of the Ahlulbayt. The folks of the heavens and the higher worlds are talking among themselves about your arrival. Tonight you shall dine with us. Hurry up, do not delay."

Upon hearing this a deep sorrow fell upon everyone as they knew the ending of their time in this world was coming close.


Distressed Ladies of the Ahlulbayt


1. The ladies of the Prophet's house were very distressed as they kept thinking about the impending doom. They did not know what their fate would be after being separated from their guardian and that they would be in foreign lands. They were surrounded by a cruel enemy.

2. The enemies of the Ahlulbayt spent their night rejoicing and one battalion under the command of Urwah bin Qais kept an eye of the camps incase someone tried to join the Imam and also to stop anybody escaping.


Application of Perfume

1. The Holy Imam set up a tent in the early morning in which he placed a musk of perfume. One after another, everyone entered the tent and applied the fragrance their bodies in order to prepare themselves for death and martyrdom for the sake of Allah.







ASHURA (10th Day)


1. Imam Zaynul Abideen (as) said of Ashura:


"There is no day like the day of the Martyrdom of Husayn. When 30,000 mercenaries attacked him while claiming to be from this community and each of them was trying to obtain divine proximity by shedding the blood of his eminence even though he reminded them of the almighty but they did not accept his advice and killed him most unjustly".


2. Imam Husayn and his companions recited morning prayer with dry ablution (tayyamum) as water was cut off by the enemy since the 7th day. Before their prayers could be completed, the enemy banged out the drums of war whilst chanting, "Either we shall fight or sacrifice our lives for the order of Ibn Marjana (Ibn Ziyad)".

3. The chief of the nobles, Imam Husayn emerged, glanced at the desert and saw the soldiers wielding their swords and spears in order to get a good price from the son of Marjana (Ibn Ziyad). Imam Husayn asked for a copy of the Quran, placed it on his head, and with complete humility recited:

"O God, it is you in whom I trust amid all grief. You are my hope amid all violence. You are my trust and provision in everything that happens to me, no matter how much the heart may seem to weaken it, trickery may seem to diminish my hope in it, the friend may seem to desert me in it, and the enemy may seem to rejoice in it. It comes upon me through you and when I complain to you of it, it is because of my desire for you, you alone. You have comforted me in everything and have revealed its significance to me. You are the master of all grace, the possessor of all goodness and the ultimate resort for all desire."


Burning of Firewood


1. The Imam then ordered for the firewood behind the tents to be lit and prevented the enemies from attacking from the rear.

2. Upon seeing this, some enemies came towards the camp of Imam Husayn, shouting like animals.

3. Shimr called out "Husayn, are you hurrying towards the fire (of hell) before the day of judgement?" to which the Imam replied, "Son of a goat-herdess you are worthy to be burnt by that". Muslim bin Ausaja wanted to shoot an arrow at him but was prevented by the Imam who stated he was unwilling to begin the fighting.

4. Another degraded decadent, Muhammad bin Ashath came towards the Imam and shouted, "Husayn, now you shall go to hell". The Imam told him, "May the almighty curse you, your father and your community. O son of the sinful apostate and enemy of Allah, the Prophet and the Muslims".

5. Abdullah bin Hawza attempted to also come and insult the Imam. The Imam made it clear he was going towards his God willingly and cursed him. Upon hearing this curse, his horse became upset and dropped Abdullah from his horse. Muslim proceeded to cut his right left while his left was stuck to the horse. The horse dragged him back towards his camp and died on the way, hitting his head on every stone along the way.

6. Masruq b. Hadhrami, upon seeing these actions, became guilty and ran away from the battlefield, for he became fearful of God's wrath.

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Camp Preparation


1. Both camps became ready. Imam Husayn prepared his 72 riders and foot soldiers. Zuhair bin Qain was put in charge of the right wing and Habib bin Mazahir the left. The centre was left for the Ahlulbayt and the standard was entrusted to his brother, Abbas b. Ali (as).

2. Ibn Saad put Amr b. Hajjaj in charge of the right wing and Shimr b. Zil Jaushan in command of the left. Urwah b. Qais was put in charge of the mounted fighters whilst Shabt b. Rabi was in charge of the foot soldiers. He gave his standard to his slave, Duraid.

Abdullah bin Zubair Azadi was put in command of the Medina division, Qais b. Ashath in charge of the Rabia division, Abdur Rahman in charge of the Asad division whilst Hurr bin Riyahi was in charge of the Hamadan division.


Imam's Attempts at Salvation for the Enemy


1. The Imam (as) alongside his companions attempted to awaken the souls of those in front of them, to make them aware of the sin they were about to indulge in and to make them aware that the Earth itself may split into pieces, mountains may crash.

2. The Imam rode towards the enemy and began to speak:


"O people of Iraq. Listen to my words and do not hurry to attack me so that I may remind you of the duties you have towards me and so that by telling you the true circumstances I may free myself from any blame in your attacking me. If you give me justice, you will become happier through that. If you do not give me justice of your own accord as individuals, then agree upon your affairs and your associates; let not you affair be in darkness to you. Then carry it out against me and do not reflect any further. Indeed my guardian is God, who created the book, he takes care of the righteous".

3. The ladies of the Imam's camp heard this and began to weep. Upon hearing them, Imam Husayn sent Hadhrat Abbas to tell them to stop as they would weep a lot more later on.

4. Once the camps were silent again, the Imam praised God, invoked blessings on the Prophets, angels and all messengers. The Imam then carried on speaking in a very eloquent manner:

"O people, the almighty Allah created the world and made it an abode of death and destruction. And it takes it's inmates from one place to another. Deceived is the one who is deceived by it. He is corrupted who has been corrupted by it. Hence this world must not deceive you. As it cuts off the hope of all those who rely on it and whosoever is greedy about it, fails. I see you that you gathered upon a matter with which you have made the almighty wrathful upon you, that he has turned away his merciful face from you and has decreed his revenge on you. The best lord is our lord and the worst servants are you. You agreed to obey and brought faith in Muhammad, the Prophet, and now you are the same people who marched against his progeny and intend to eliminate them. The satan has you under his control and he has made you forgetful of the remembrance of God. Thus, woe be upon you and what you have intended. We belong to Allah and to him we shall return.

They are those who have disbelieved after their acceptance of faith. Keep aloof from these oppressors."




5. The Holy Imam counselled them and threatened them with future losses and the deception of the material world. He made it clear they would now be targets of everlasting wrath from God. He continued:

"Trace back my lineage and consider who I am. Then look back at yourselves and remonstrate with yourselves. Consider whether it is right for you to kill me and to violate the honour of my womenfolk. Am I not the son of the daughter of your Prophet, of his testamentary trustee (wasi) and his cousin, the first of the believers in God and the man who first believed in what his apostle brought from his lord? Was not Hamzah my uncle? Was not Ja'far, the one who flies in heaven, my uncle? Have you not heard the world of the apostle of God concerning myself: 'These are the two leaders of the youths of the inhabitants of heaven?'

Whether you believe what I am saying, it is the truth, for by God, I have never told a lie since I learnt that Got hated people who told them. There are those amongst you, those who if you asked, would tell you: Ask Jabir ibn Abdullah, Abu Said Al-Khudri, Sahl bin Sad, Zaid bin Arqam and Anas bin Malik to tell you that they heard these words from the apostle of God, concerning myself and my brother. Is there not sufficient in this to prevent you from shedding my blood?"


6. No discourse like this would be possible from any other person in such a situation where most would get tongue tied. The Imam had come with presence of mind and created a revolution of views in their ranks. He asked them to understand the logic of it all yet those who were in pure darkness had covered their conscience and reason.


7. After interrupting Shimr added:

"If I understand what you are saying, then I only worship God (very shakily) on the edge" (Shimr)


"I think that you worship God on seventy edges. You do not understand what he is saying for God has input ignorance upon your heart", Habib replied.

"If you are in any doubt about this, you are in doubt that I am the son of the daughter of the Prophet. By God, there is no other son of a Prophet, other than me, among you and the people from the East to the West. Shame on you, are you seeking retribution from me for one of your dead whom I have killed, or for property of yours which I expropriated, or for a wound which I have inflicted?" Imam Husayn added.

8. The Imam called upon the commanders Shabth bin Rabi, Hijar bin Abjar, Qais bin Ashath and Yazid bin Harith and asked them why they wrote to him pleading with him to come and telling him there was an army waiting for him. They were shameless and outright lied to which the Imam was astonished.

9. The ignorant soldiers rejected the call of the Imam. The deceiving Qais attempted to say that Imam Husayn rejected the call of his cousins yet the Imam made it clear he would take reguse with his lord and always stand up for the truth, highlighting regimes would change and kingdoms would get diminished yet immortal words shall remain forever, words based on truth, humanity, nobility and courage.


Zuhair bin Qain's Speech


"O people of Kufa! Beware of the divine chastisement. It is the duty of every Muslim to dispense good counsel to his muslim brother. So far we were brothers in one faith till hostilities had not emerged between us and you are deserving of good counsel from us. When swords are drawn, it is the end of security. We shall become one community and you another. The almighty Allah has tested us and you through the progeny of his messenger so that it be seen how we behave. We invite you to help them and leave off the obedience of the tyrant Yazid and Ubaydullah Ibn Ziyad as you shall see nothing during their regimes except evil. You shall be blinded, maimed, cut up into pieces and impaled on date palms like your elders and reciters of Quran like Hujr bin Adi, Hani bin Urwah and others like them were dealt with."


1. This speech uses all proofs and contains the call of truth with all its dimensions and meanings. It also explained to them that the aim of the speech was to fulfil a religious duty (one Muslim to another). This speech also made it clear the roots of brotherhood would be cut up and each community would become a distinct group reminding them for their need to love the Prophet's progeny.

2. Zubair also highlighted the tyranny of the Umayyads and how they had dealth with some of the most righteous personalities to have lived. But within moments of his speech being concluded he was ridiculed and threatened, adding, "We are such that we shall kill your friend and his companions or we shall make him and his friends surrender to Ibn Ziyad".

3. Zubair replied to them with logic. He stated the progeny of the Prophet were more deserving of friendship and support. He also stated that the accursed Yazid would accept their obedience even without the killing of Imam Husayn.

4. Many of the soldiers became bewildered. Shimr, afraid that they may head towards peace, shot an arrow in the direction of Zubair in order to shut him up. However Zubair denounced him as less than cattle and challenged him to recite more than two verses of the Quran. At this point Imam Husayn realised Zubairs speech was having no effect and sent one of his companions to tell him to stop.


Burair's Speech


1. Burair bin Khudhair, a prominent Sheikh, exhorted the army, expressing the greatness of the Prophet and his family to which they replied, "O Burair you have talked a great deal. Do not say anymore. Husayn shall suffer thirst in the same way as before him one had to bear the thirst".

2. Burair reminded them of their pledges and letters sent to the Imam yet they were committed to sin and denied. At this point the Imam realised he was having no effect and therefore went away from them while they shot arrows towards him.


Final Speech of Imam Husayn


1. For the final time the Imam tried to bring his enemies onto the path of salvation and fulfil his duty. He came with the book of Allah (Quran) opened before him, wearing the turban of Prophet Muhammad, and armed with the weapons of his grandfather also. He exuded such awe that all foreheads humbled before him and eyes dared not to look upon him.

"May destruction and sorrow afflict you, O people! After calling me eagerly when I hastened to respond to you, you have drawn out your swords on me? Have you inflamed the fire against us and for the benefit of your enemies that we had ignited for your and our enemies, without there being any justification for you in that? O do you have hope in it, against your friends you have prepared? Or that if you have hope from them that you have gathered against your friend. Should you not be troubled by hardships when the sword is not yet drawn and no sort of harm has been caused to you? And nothing has been given to it, but you hastened to him like the green locusts and you have come to him like the falling of moths into the fire. At that time you broke the pledge. This humiliation afflicted you because of that. O slaves of the community, outcasts of the tribes and those who have distanced from the book of Allah and the sunnah! Woe be upon you! Will you support these people and deny your assistance to us? Indeed by Allah, is it a betrayal of trust among you that your roots have become firm on it and your branches have matured and become strong on it and you have put forth the worst of the fruits, such that you aggrieve one who looks and you become the diet of every usurper.

Verily, this wicked one son of the wicked one has put forth two options: be killed by the sword or be humiliated. Never! I shall never opt for degradation! Allah, his Prophet, believers, the pure ones, the purified, the exalted and the noble souls would never accept it from me, that I should prefer the humiliation of a decadent person instead of martyrdom of great men. I shall fight with these family members in spite of the scarcity of their number and despite the fact that the Kufans have withdrawn their support for us".

2. After this the Holy Imam recited to following poem of Faruta bin Muradi:

"If we are able to vanquish them, we have vanquished them before also many times and if we are defeated we shall not be of the vanquished ones.

Fear does not come upon us. It is our death and the wealth of others.

Tell those who ridicule to take lesson from us as they shall see what we have seen".


3. After the poem the Imam continued:


"..after that you shall not remain but as much as one who mounts the horse and it rotates like a hand mill on you and it's pivot shakes you up.

I have heard from my grandfather, the Messenger of Allah. Therefore sit together and think and decide upon this matter so that your actions may not make you full of remorse. And then you do whatever you want with me without giving further respite.

"Surely I rely on Allah, my Lord and your Lord; there is no living creature but He holds it by it's forelock; Surely my lord is on the right path".

Raising up his hands in prayer, Imam Husayn recited:

"O Allah! Prevent the clouds from raining on them and make them suffer a famine like that of the time of Yusuf. O Lord! Impose the slave of Hajjaj bin Yusuf on them so that he may make them taste all kinds of disgrace and indignity and injustice and oppression as they have rejected me and they have left me without friends. Our Lord! On Thee do we rely and to Thee we turn, and to Thee do we turn".

4. Imam Husayn had exploded like a volcano, displaying amounts of will power and determination never seen before by man.

He made the following points:


a) Imam Husayn condemned them severely because when they had written to him their enemies were trying to force their will and humiliate them whereas the Imam hastened to help them and instead they did a U-turn.

b) Imam Husayn expressed deep regret in their assistance to the Umayyads. They themselves had no hope or aspirations within that regime; a regime that neither acted with justice nor spread any truth.

c) Imam Husayn denounced their evil traits which had made them ignorant towards the truth. They had left Quran and truth and instead become sinners and much more.

d) Imam Husayn wanted and did make it clear that a person of his lofty status could not ever give allegiance to a bastard man who instead wanted to humiliate the Imam. The Imam himself was made to make humanity and lofty values prominent.

e) Imam Husayn made it clear that he would enter the battlefield with his family, all of whom considered death as nothing but a consequence.

f) Imam Husayn told the army of Ibn Saad what would happen to them in the future. He informed them they will be ruled by a tyrant who would give them severe punishment. In addition, not much time had passed that Mokhtar rose up against them and butchered them with fury.

5. Once again the army was bewildered and thrown into confusion.


Hurr's Response



1. Hurr became affected by the speech of Imam Husayn so much so that there was a tug of war going on within his soul. We had to decide whether he would choose to be the commander of this regime which trusted him yet face eternal punishment or join Imam Husayn and the depleted numbers with him and sacrifice himself for truth and justice.

2. Hurr went to Ibn Saad and asked him if there was any other way and what was to be expected. Ibn Saad made it clear there would be no other ending instead replying, "It will be a terrible battle, the least part of which will be heads falling and severed hands flying through the air".

3. Once he was sure they would fight the Imam, Hurr broke ranks which surprised Muhajir bin Aws so much so that he stated: "By God, I have never seen you act like this before. If I was asked who was the bravest of the Kufans I would not normally neglect to mention you. What is this I see in you today?"

Hurr replied, "By God, I find myself between heaven and hell and I shall not prefer anything to paradise even though I am cut to pieces and burnt".

4. Hurr galloped on his horse towards the Imam, full of shame and regret and said in a loud voice, "O my Lord! I am turning towards you while I have terrified your saints and the son of your Prophet, Aba Abdillah. I have repented, would I be forgiven?"

After arriving Hurr asked for repentance explaining he would never have stopped the Imam's way had he known the position they had reached (to kill him). The Imam became glad and accepted his repentance.

5. After his acceptance, Hurr told the Imam of a dream he had on the preceding night:

"Last night I saw my father in a dream that he was asking me: What are you doing these days and where are you? I replied: I was in pursuit of Husayn. He told me: Woe be on you, what has happened to you. Are you pursuing Husayn, the son of Allah's messenger?

I request you to grant the permission to fight so that I may be the first to be killed in your service just as I was the first one to attack you?"


Hurr's Speech


1. After gaining permission from the Imam in order to speak to the enemy, as he felt he could perhaps make a difference, Hurr went towards them and began to address them:

"People of Kufa, your mothers will be deprived of their sons and tears will come to their eyes. Have you summoned this righteous man? But when he as come to you, have you handed him over to him enemies? Did you claim that you would fight with your own lives for him and then have you begun to attack him in order to kill him? You have laid hold of his life; you have seized his throat; you have encircled him on every side in order to prevent him returning to God's land (Hijaz).

He has come into your hands like a prisoner who no longer has the power to use his own life and cannot defend it against harm. You have prevented him, his womenfolk, his children and his people from getting the water of the Euphrates which Jews, Christians and Magians may drink and which the pigs and dogs of Sawad drink. They (Imam Husayn's family) are likely to die of thirst. How wickedly you have treated the offspring left by Muhammad. May God not give you water to drink on the day of thirst if you do not repent from your current attitude and make amends for it".


2. The army of Ibn Ziyad began to shake as many of them were having a mental tussle as Hurr yet responded towards their selfish desires. Some even shot arrows towards him as their argument.

3. 30 riders joined Imam Husayn's camp as a result of Hurr's speech. Before leaving they told the enemy, "The son of Allah's messenger has presented you 3 proposals yet you did not accept any of them."


THE BATTLE


1. All the efforts Imam Husayn made in order to keep the peace were defeated as Ibn Saad did not want to prolong the battle any longer as he was afraid his army may split into two opposing groups and the desertion of the 30 rides towards Imam Husayn had shaken him.

"Testify to the Governor that I was the first to fire to Husayn" - Umar Bin Saad


2. Bin Saad wanted everyone to see this so that the soldier's could eventually relay the message to Ibn Ziyad. Ibn Ziyad did not trust him and therefore Umar Bin Saad wanted to gain his trust so he could become the ruler of Ray (Iran).

3. Arrows began raining upon the side of Imam Husayn from the direction of Umar Bin Saad. So many arrows had come in from the enemy towards that side that not one man was left without an arrow related injury. This also destroyed the argument for peace and self defence became obligatory upon the true Muslims.

Therefore Imam Husayn replied, "O noble souls, arise as these arrows shot by those people are targeting you".

4. The companions of the great Imam came forward and began a battle that lasted some time. Never has a battle like this occurred before because one side were 32 horsemen and 40 foot soldiers whereas on the other was a well equipped army of thousands and thousands (approx. 30,000) yet these brave souls fought valiantly and in such an outstanding manner that minds are still perplexed by it to this very day.

5. The Imam's companions fought this way because they had absolute faith and believed they were fighting for the sake of God (Allah). In this way they gave such honour to the Islamic community that has not been seen ever since and could never be equalled. No such gift has been given to humanity throughout it's history.