Description

After the assassination of Hazrat Uthman (R.A), the third Caliph, in 656 CE, a power struggle ensued. Hazrat Ali (R.A), the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), became the fourth Caliph after a tumultuous election process marked by civil unrest. His leadership faced opposition from factions within the Muslim community, notably the supporters of Muawiyah, the governor of Syria, and a member of the Umayyad clan.

The tension between Hazrat Ali (R.A) and Muawiyah escalated into a full-scale conflict known as the First Fitna, which lasted from 656 to 661 CE. The conflict culminated in the Battle of Siffin, where Hazrat Ali’s (R.A) forces faced those of Muawiyah. The battle ended inconclusively, leading to a negotiated settlement known as the Arbitration of Adhruh in 658 CE, which further fractured the Muslim community.

After the martyrdom of Hazrat Ali (R.A) in 661 CE, his son Hazrat Hasan ibn Ali (R.A), who is often referred to as Imam Hasan (R.A), was initially recognized as the Caliph by a significant portion of the Muslim community. However, faced with the continued opposition from the Umayyad faction led by Muawiyah, and desiring to avoid further bloodshed among Muslims, Imam Hasan (R.A) entered a peace treaty known as the Treaty of Hasan (R.A) with Muawiyah in 661 CE. According to this treaty, Muawiyah would become the sole Caliph, and upon his death, the caliphate would be returned to the family of Hazrat Hasan (R.A).

The Battle of Karbala occurred within the crisis resulting from the succession of Yazid. In 676, Muawiyah nominated his son Yazid as his successor. As Yazid charged the governor of Medina, al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abu Sufyan, to secure allegiance from Imam Hussain (R.A), Ibn al-Zubayr (R.A), and Abd Allah ibn Umar (R.A), with force if necessary. Walid sought the advice of his Umayyad relative Marwan ibn al-Hakam, who suggested that Ibn al-Zubayr (R.A) and Imam Hussain (R.A) should be forced to pledge allegiance as they were dangerous, while Ibn Umar (R.A) should be left alone since he posed no threat. Walid summoned the two, but Ibn al-Zubayr (R.A) escaped to Mecca. Imam Hussain (R.A) answered the summons but declined to pledge allegiance in the secretive environment of the meeting, suggesting it should be done in public. Marwan told Walid to imprison or behead him, but due to Imam Hussain’s kinship with Hazrat Muhammad (SAW), Walid was unwilling to take any action against him. A few days later, Imam Hussain (R.A) left for Mecca without acknowledging Yazid. He arrived in Mecca at the beginning of May 680 and stayed there until the beginning of September.

Imam Hussain (R.A) had considerable support in Kufa, which had been the caliphal capital during the reigns of his father and brother. The Kufans had fought the Umayyads and their Syrian allies during the First Fitna, the five-year civil war that had established the Umayyad Caliphate. They were dissatisfied with Imam Hasan’s (R.A) abdication and strongly resented the Umayyad rule. While in Mecca, Imam Hussain (R.A) received letters from pro-Alids in Kufa informing him that they were tired of the Umayyad rule, which they considered to be oppressive, and that they had no rightful leader. They asked him to lead them in revolt against Yazid, promising to remove the Umayyad governor if Imam Hussain (R.A) would consent to aid them. Imam Hussain (R.A) wrote back affirmatively that a rightful leader is one who acts according to the Qur’an and promises to lead them with the right guidance. Then he sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to assess the situation in Kufa. Ibn Aqil attracted widespread support and informed Imam Hussain (R.A) of the situation, suggesting that he join them there. Yazid removed Nu’man ibn Bashir al-Ansari as governor of Kufa due to his inaction, and installed Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, then governor of Basra, in his place. As a result of Ibn Ziyad’s suppression and political maneuvering, Ibn Aqil’s following began to dissipate and he was forced to declare the revolt prematurely. It was defeated and Ibn Aqil was killed. Imam Hussain (R.A) had also sent a messenger to Basra, another garrison town in Iraq, but the messenger could not attract any followers and was quickly apprehended and executed.

Imam Hussain (R.A) was unaware of the change of political circumstances in Kufa and decided to depart. Abd Allah ibn Abbas (R.A) and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr (R.A) advised him not to move to Iraq, or if he was determined, not to take women and children with him. The sincerity of Ibn al-Zubayr’s advice has been doubted by many historians, however, as he had his own plans for leadership and was supposedly happy to be rid of Imam Hussain (R.A). Nevertheless, he offered Imam Hussain (R.A) support if he would stay in Mecca and lead the opposition to Yazid from there. Imam Hussain (R.A) refused this, citing his abhorrence of bloodshed in the sanctuary, and decided to go ahead with his plan.

Imam Hussain (R.A) left Mecca with some fifty men and his family on 9 September 680 (8 Dhu al-Hijjah 60 AH), a day before Hajj. He took the northerly route through the Arabian Desert. On persuasion of Imam Hussain’s (R.A) Cousin Abd Allah ibn Ja’far (R.A), the governor of Mecca Amr ibn Sa’id sent his brother and Ibn Ja’far after Imam Hussain (R.A) in order to assure him safety in Mecca and bring him back. Imam Hussain (R.A) refused to return, relating that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had ordered him in a dream to move forward irrespective of the consequences. At a place known as Tan’im, he seized a caravan carrying dyeing plants and clothes sent by the governor of Yemen to Yazid. Further on the way, at a place called Tha’labiyya, the small caravan received the news of the execution of Ibn Aqil and the indifference of the people of Kufa. Hazrat Hussain at this point is reported to have considered turning back, but was persuaded to push forward by Ibn Aqil’s brothers, who wanted to avenge his death; according to some scholars, these reports are doubtful. Later, at Zubala, Imam Hussain (R.A) learned of the capture and execution of his messenger Qays ibn Musahir al-Saydawi, whom he had sent from the Hejaz (western Arabia) to Kufa to announce his arrival. He informed his followers of the situation and asked them to leave. Most of the people who had joined him on the way left, while his companions from Mecca decided to stay with him. Ibn Ziyad had stationed troops on the routes into Kufa. Imam Hussain (R.A) and his followers were intercepted by the vanguard of Yazid’s army, about 1,000 men led by al-Hurr ibn Yazid al-Tamimi, south of Kufa near Qadisiyya. Imam Hussain (R.A) said to them:

“I did not come to you until your letters were brought to me, and your messengers came to me saying, ‘Come to us, for we have no imam. God may unite us in the truth through you.’ Since this was your view, I have come to you. Therefore, if you give me what you guaranteed in your covenants and sworn testimonies, I will come to your town. If you will not and are averse to my coming, I will leave you for the place from which I came to you.”

He then showed them the letters he had received from the Kufans, including some in Hurr’s force. Hurr denied any knowledge of the letters and stated that Imam Hussain (R.A) must go with him to Ibn Ziyad, which Imam Hussain (R.A) refused to do. Hurr responded that he would not allow Imam Hussain (R.A) to either enter Kufa or go back to Medina, but that he was free to travel anywhere else he wished. Nevertheless, he did not prevent four Kufans from joining Imam Hussain (R.A). Imam Hussain’s (R.A) caravan started to move towards Qadisiyya, and Hurr followed them. At Naynawa, Hurr received orders from Ibn Ziyad to force Hazrat Hussain’s caravan to halt in a desolate place without fortifications or water. One of Hazrat Hussain’s companions suggested that they attack Hurr and move to the fortified village of al-Aqr. Hazrat Hussain refused, stating that he did not want to start the hostilities. On 2 October 680 (2 Muharram 61 AH), Imam Hussain (R.A) arrived at Karbala, a desert plain 70 kilometers (43 mi) north of Kufa and set up camp.