Description

After the harrowing Battle of Karbala, where the noble Imam Hussain (R.A) and his devoted companions valiantly stood against tyranny and oppression, the aftermath is filled with sorrow and reflection. Seventy or seventy-two people died on Imam Hussain’s (R.A) side, of whom about twenty were descendants of Abu Talib (R.A), the father of Hazrat Ali (R.A). This included two of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) sons, six of his paternal brothers, three sons of Imam Hasan ibn Ali (R.A), three sons of Jafar ibn Abi Talib (R.A), and three sons and three grandsons of Aqil ibn Abi Talib (R.A). Following the battle, Imam Hussain’s (R.A) clothes were stripped, and his sword, shoes and baggage were taken. The women’s jewelry and cloaks were also seized. Shimr wanted to kill Imam Hussain’s (R.A) only surviving son Hazrat Ali Zayn al-Abidin (R.A), who had not taken part in the fighting because of illness but was prevented by Ibn Sa’d. There are reports of more than sixty wounds on Imam Hussain’s (R.A) body, which was then trampled with horses as previously instructed by Ibn Ziyad. The bodies of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) companions were decapitated. There were eighty-eight dead in Ibn Sa’d’s army, who were buried before he left. After his departure, members of the Banu Asad tribe, from the nearby village of Ghadiriyya, buried the headless bodies of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) companions.

Imam Hussain’s (R.A) family, along with the heads of the dead, were sent to Ibn Ziyad. He poked Imam Hussain’s (R.A) mouth with a stick and intended to kill Hazrat Ali Zayn al-Abidin (R.A) but spared him after the pleas of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) sister Bibi Zaynab (R.A). The heads and the family were then sent to Yazid, who also poked Imam Hussain’s (R.A) mouth with a stick. When Imam Hussain (R.A) was beheaded, the Umayyad soldiers robbed his camp, and detached the heads of Imam Hussain (R.A) and his fallen companions, which they then elevated on spikes for exhibition. Yazid was compassionate towards the women and Hazrat Ali Zayn al-Abidin (R.A). One of his courtiers asked for the hand of a captive woman from Imam Hussain’s (R.A) family in marriage, which resulted in heated altercation between Yazid and Bibi Zaynab (R.A). The women of Yazid’s household joined the captive women in their lamentation for the dead. After a few days, the women were compensated for their belongings looted in Karbala and were sent back to Medina. Before going to Medina, they returned to Karbala and Imam Ali Zayn Al Abidin (R.A) was able to place the head of Imam Hussain (R.A) back with the body for burial. Imam Hussain (R.A) was buried at Karbala, Iraq.

A few prominent Alid supporters in Kufa felt guilty for abandoning Imam Hussain (R.A) after having invited him to revolt. To atone for what they perceived as their sin, they began a movement known as the Tawwabin, under Sulayman ibn Surad, a companion of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), to fight the Umayyads. As long as Iraq was in Umayyad hands, the movement remained underground. After the death of Yazid in November 683, the people of Iraq drove out the Umayyad governor Ibn Ziyad; the Tawwabin called on the people to avenge Imam Hussain’s (R.A) death, attracting large-scale support. Lacking any political program, they intended to punish the Umayyads or sacrifice themselves in the struggle. Their slogan was “Revenge for Hussain”. Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, another prominent pro-Alid of Kufa, attempted to dissuade the Tawwabin from this endeavor in favor of an organized movement to take control of the city, but Ibn Surad’s stature as a companion of Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) and an old ally of Hazrat Ali (R.A), prevented most of his followers from accepting Mukhtar’s proposal. Although 16,000 men enlisted to fight, only 4,000 mustered. In November 684, the Tawwabin left to confront the Umayyads, after mourning for a day at Imam Hussain’s (R.A) grave in Karbala. The armies met in January 685 at the three-day Battle of Ayn al-Warda in present-day northern Syria; most of the Tawwabin, including Ibn Surad, were killed. A few escaped to Kufa and joined Mukhtar.

Mukhtar was an early settler of Kufa, having arrived in Iraq following its initial conquest by the Muslims. He had participated in the failed rebellion of Muslim ibn Aqil, for which he was imprisoned by Ibn Ziyad, before being released after the intervention of Abd Allah ibn Umar. Mukhtar then went to Mecca and had a short-lived alliance with Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who had established himself in Mecca in opposition to Yazid. After Yazid’s death, he returned to Kufa where he advocated revenge against Imam Hussain’s (R.A) killers and the establishment of an Alid caliphate in the name of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) half-brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya (R.A) and declared himself his representative. The defeat of the Tawwabin left the leadership of the Kufan pro-Alids in his hands. In October 685, Mukhtar and his supporters, a significant of number of whom consisted of local converts (mawali), overthrew Ibn al-Zubayr’s governor and seized Kufa. His control extended to most of Iraq and parts of northwestern Iran. His attitude towards mawali, whom he awarded many favors and equal status with Arabs, provoked a rebellion by the dissatisfied Arab aristocracy. After crushing the rebellion, Mukhtar executed Kufans involved in the killing of Imam Hussain (R.A), including Ibn Sa’d and Shimr, while thousands of people fled to Basra. He then sent his general Ibrahim ibn al-Ashtar to fight an approaching Umayyad army, led by Ibn Ziyad, which had been sent to reconquer the province. The Umayyad army was routed at the Battle of Khazir in August 686 and Ibn Ziyad was slain. Meanwhile, Mukhtar’s relations with Ibn al-Zubayr worsened and Kufan refugees in Basra persuaded Mus’ab ibn al-Zubayr, the governor of the city and younger brother of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, to attack Kufa. Facing defeat in open battle, Mukhtar and his remaining supporters took refuge in the palace of Kufa and were besieged by Mus’ab. Four months later, in April 687, Mukhtar was killed while some 6,000–8,000 of his supporters were executed. According to Mohsen Zakeri, Mukhtar’s attitude towards mawali was one of the reasons behind his failure, as Kufa was not ready for such “revolutionary measures”. Mukhtar’s supporters survived the collapse of his revolution and evolved into a sect known as the Kaysanites. The Hashimiyya, a splinter group of the Kaysanites, was later taken over by the Abbasids and eventually overthrew the Umayyads in 750.

The tragic loss of life, including that of Imam Hussain (R.A) himself, serves as a profound reminder of the enduring struggle for justice and righteousness. Amidst the grief and devastation, the legacy of Karbala emerges as a beacon of resilience and unwavering commitment to truth. As the followers of Imam Hussain gather to mourn and honor the sacrifices made on that fateful day, they also find solace in the timeless message of standing up against injustice, no matter the cost. The events of Karbala continue to resonate deeply within the hearts of believers, inspiring them to uphold the values of compassion, integrity, and courage in the face of adversity.