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The Everlasting Epic of Karbala
Compiled by: Ahmad Ahmadi Birjandi
Mu‘awiya died on the fifteenth of Rajab, 60 and his son, Yazid, succeded to the throne. First of all, he decided to secure al-Husayn (as)'s allegiance. To this end, he wrote a letter to Walid b. ‘Ataba, the governor of Medina, and demanded him to elicit allegiance from Husayn b. ‘Ali (as) as soon as possible, not allowing any delay in this respect. The same night, Walid sent an envoy to Imam al-Husayn (as) to invite him to his palace.
The Imam called a group of his kin and told them to get armed and accompany him to the governor's seat of rule, telling them that Walid had sent for him supposedly to ask him do something which he would be unable to do.
He advised them to keep his company to the gate of the palace and as soon as they heard him raising his voice enter the house and get rid of Walid. Then, Imam al-Husayn (as) went to Walid who received him warmly and humbly, then he read the letter and brought the issue of allegiance. Marwan b. Hakam was also present.
Imam al-Husayn (as) addressed Walid: “I do not suppose you would be content with my secret allegiance. If you want my allegiance, let it be sworn in the presence of people.†“Yes it is better,†responded Walid. To which the Imam (a.s.) added: “So, you'd better wait until tomorrow morning.'' Walid asked him to leave then to attend a public meeting the next day. Marwan said sycophantically: “Do not let Husayn b. ‘Ali leave. You will not find another chance like this. Either incarcerate him or have him swear allegiance, or behead him!†The Imam (as) rose to his feet, signs of fury in his countenance, saying:“Oh son of the blue-eyed woman, is that you or Walid who will kill me? I swear by God that you lied and sinned.†Having said this, he left them.
Since Imam al-Husayn (as) did not agree with allegiance, within a day, i.e. Friday night of Rajab 19, 60 AH (Dec. 29, 679), he left Medina for Mecca.
Before Imam al-Husayn (as) together with his family and some of his relatives left Medina, he bade farewell to the tomb of his noble grandfather (S), Fatimah (as), and his brother and wrote a testament to his brother Muhammad Hanafiya who was a noble, brave, and pious man, proclaiming in it both his uprising and the reason for his movement, clarifying that in this movement he had no goal but enjoining the good and forbidding the evil, and reviving the Religion of God and the way of his grandfather, the Apostle of Allah (S) and his father, ‘Ali Murtadha (as).
He also wrote a letter to Bani Hashim and called for help, and another letter to the people of Basra, explicating the philosophy of his movement.
Anyhow, Imam al-Husayn (as) who was the guardian of truthfulness and Islamic justice entered Mecca, which was frequented by Muslims from all over the Islamic lands, to take the required measures and to inform people, by eloquent sermons and letters and talks, of the hazards threatening Islam.
For several months he stayed in Mecca and made many negotiations and wrote many letters to introduce Yazid and to uncover his evil and ill-famed face and the wrongdoings of his functionaries.
Imam al-Husayn (as)'s stay in Mecca lasted until the time of Hajj pilgrimage.
Muslims from all over the Muslim world were entering Mecca in groups and were preparing to perform Hajj rituals. At this time, the Imam (a.s.) took advantage of any moment and position to propagate the religion, to guide the people and to clarify his sacred goals and the chaotic situation of Islam and the Muslims through giving speeches and writing letters. It was then that he found out that a number of Yazid's agents had set out for Mecca, apparently to perform Hajj but actually to assassinate Imam al-Husayn (as).
They had the mission to carry arms hidden under their pilgrimage garments to shed the pure blood of the Prophet (S)'s grandson in the Sanctuary of Ka‘ba. Consequently, the Imam performed the ‘Umra (minor Hajj) in lieu of Hajj of Tamattu‘ (major Hajj), after which he gave a short talk to a group of people and told them of his preparedness for martyrdom in order to revive his grandfather's religion, and asked the Muslims for help to this end.
The next day, Dhu'l Hijja 8, he set out for Iraq with a group of his companions and kindred. Some of the dignitaries tried to prevent his journey, however, the Imam (as) said: I will not swear allegiance to Yazid and confirm the rule of tyranny and corruption. Now, I leave Mecca to preserve the sanctity of the House of Allah.
Letters of Invitation from the People of Kufa
In the five-year period of ‘Ali (as)'s fair and impartial rule, the people of Kufa had partly become familiar with his virtues and had witnessed his piety, asceticism, and justice. They heard of Imam al-Husayn (as)'s abstention from swearing allegiance to Yazid and his going to Mecca. Thus, they wrote many letters to him and invited him to Kufa.
First, Imam al-Husayn (as) sent his cousin, Muslim b. ‘Aqil, who was an efficient, brave, and self-sacrificing man to Kufa to verify the genuineness of their invitation. The Kufans apparently welcomed him warmly and 12 thousand of them swore allegiance to him, eagerly looking forward to the arrival of Imam al-Husayn (as). Muslim b. ‘Aqil wrote to the Imam informing him of the favorable situation of Kufa and the people's enthusiasm for his visit.
On the other hand, the administration of the Umayyads which was frightened by this invitation got embarrassed and appointed ‘Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, who was a ruthless and murderous man, as the governor of Kufa. ‘Ubayd Allah went to Kufa and dispersed the people from around Muslim b. ‘Aqil by threat and deception, so that the latter was eventually left alone.
At last, the blood thirsty troops of ‘Ubayd Allah besieged Muslim who stood up to them bravely and with amazing resistance, but finally was arrested and killed as a martyr. Hurr b. Yazid Riyahi, who later on joined the companions and martyrs of Karbala, was assigned to block the road on Husayn b. ‘Ali (as) who was on the way to Kufa; however, being decisive in self-sacrifice and fighting against Yazid, although he got informed on the way to Kufa of his cousin's death, he continued his way toward Kufa.
Hurr planned, by the order of ‘Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad, to persuade Imam al-Husayn (as) to surrender, but the Prophet (S)'s grandson refused to give up. He turned his way to another direction and arrived in a land called “Karbala†on the second of Muharram.
Before arriving in Karbala, Imam al-Husayn (as) delivered a sermon in a place called “Baydha†addressing Hurr and his troops and those present at the place, and elaborated on his sacred movement and its causes. The following are excerpts of that sermon: “O people! Whoever sees that a ruler is tyrannizing and violating the Divine laws, committing perjury and opposing the traditions and sira of the Apostle of Allah (S), and not to prevent his wrongdoing, verily God will punish him along with the tyrant.†Then, pointing out Yazid's despotism, he went on to say: “They have given up the obedience to God and taken to obey Satan.
They regard as lawful what is ordained unlawful by God and as unlawful what is ordained lawful by God. Now, as the son of ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (as) and Fatimah al-Zahra (as) daughter of the Apostle of Allah (S), I am the most competent of all to make a stand against all these... If you are ready, as you have written in your letters, to help me, you will achieve eternal bliss.â€
Imam al-Husayn (as), then, said the noon and afternoon prayers in the residence of Sharaf together with his companions and troops of Hurr b. Yazid. After prayers the Imam (as) said: “O people! If you are pious and regard the truth as belonging to the people of truth, this will please God. We, the household of the Prophet (S), are more competent to be your leaders and Imams than the ones who are now in charge and practicing tyranny and oppression. If your opinion is different from what is implied from your letters, I will return.â€
Hurr b Yazid said: “I swear by God that I am not aware of these letters.†The Imam (as) ordered one of his companions to bring two packs of the Kufans’ letters to Hurr. He said he did not know anything about those letters and that he was commissioned to take him to Ibn Ziyad. The Imam (as) told him: “Death is closer to you than this mission.â€
Then he ordered his companions to mount the horses and return. Hurr tried to stop the Imam (as) and supposedly began to advise him, saying: “I swear you by God not to wage war; otherwise, you will be killed.†The Imam (as) retorted indignantly: “Are you frightening me of death? Do you think you will be relieved and your problems solved by killing me?â€
All those who were present heard the precious words of the Imam (as). But there was only one conscious and living heart that heard him and was influenced, and that was Hurr himself, who joined the camp of al-Husayn (as) in the morning of ‘Ashura and was martyred in the way of Imam al-Husayn (a.s.).
On Thursday of Muhararm 2, 61 AH/ October 2, 680, Imam al-Husayn (as) stopped in an area of Naynawa called Karbala, where he set up the tents of his pure household. The next day four thousand troops led by ‘Umar b. Sa‘d arrived from Kufa and positioned before the Imam (as).
From that day on, frequent negotiations took place which resulted in proposing that Imam al-Husayn (as) get prepared to surrender and to swear allegiance to Yazid. Husayn b. ‘Ali (as) said: “I will not tolerate baseness, neither will I go hand in hand with Yazid. I regard death in the path of Allah nothing but happiness, and life with the tyrants nothing but destruction and wretchedness.â€
As the poem goes: The man of God does not submit to degradation, Man is free to acquire dignity or disgrace.
Finally, on the day of ‘Ashura (Muharram 10, 61 AH), the most tragic event and at the same time the most outstanding epic in the history of Islam and the world occurred. Imam al-Husayn (as) and his children and companions stood out firmly to the cost of their lives and embraced all kinds of afflictions and hardships in order to restore Islam and to set up the truth; they sacrificed their loved souls to pull down the tyranny palace of the cruel and corrupt dynasty of the Umayyads and to reveal to people the hideous face of the oppressors.
Throughout the day of ‘Ashura, Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) encountered disasters and hardships, the smallest of which would have been enough to render a man helpless. However, this man of truth, with his thorough faith and trust in God, stood up to all those afflictions and sufferings honorably and did not surrender his body and soul to disgrace and degradation. With full bravery he said: “I swear to God that I will not stretch my hand in begging before you, and will not flee from you like slaves.†Anyhow, the battle started quite fiercely on the day of ‘Ashura. The retainers, companions, and the Bani Hashim, each in turn, fought with several of the enemy troops, while chanting brief rhetoric epic verses by means of which they would clarify the reality of their uprising and express the reasons for their support of Imam al-Husayn (as).
Hadhrat Zaynab (as), Imam al-Husayn (as)'s sister, was, in this awesome situation, engaged in pacifying the women and children of Imam al-Husayn (as) and helping him and assisting in gathering the sacred bodies of the martyrs, and above all, taking care of Imam's son, Hadhrat Sajjad (as), who was due to Divine expediency sick and feverish in those days. She did all this as steadfastly as a mountain, and at the same time maintained her patience and tolerance as she was aware of the ending and the secret of Imam al-Husayn (as)'s great uprising.
The more the pressures intensified and the close companions of the Imam were martyred and their number decreased, the more would Imam al-Husayn (as) become cheerful and smile at the beauty of martyrdom. The battle continued until the afternoon of ‘Ashura. Almost eight hours of incessant hand-to-hand fighting and attacking of thirty thousand troops against seventy two people, was carried out.
What an astonishing event! One person versus a full scale army! Indeed, Husayn (as) drank up the bitter goblet of love and lay down his head on the hot soil of Karbala, while all his body was strewn with painful wounds and blood was flowing down as if from fountains. In this state, however, he was – as always – in remembrance of his Beloved, the Almighty Allah, and praying as follows: “I am content with your ordinance and decree, and patient with the disasters You send on me; I have no beloved and goal but You, O Helper of those who call for help.â€
After that, the tents were set on fire, the pure household of Sayyid al-Shuhada were taken captive, and then taken to Kufa, Sham, and finally to Medina. These are events which are heart-rending and bringing blood to the eyes of his Shi‘ites and lovers.
Some Sayings of Hadhrat Sayyid al-Shuhada (as):
1. People are slaves of the world, with the religion only at the tip of their tongues; as long as it provides for their material life they stick to it but once they are afflicted (and the religion contradicts their interests), then the number of real religious people will diminish.
2. When there comes a trial, people can be known (it will then be known who is really faithful).
3. Benevolence and good-doing must like the rain of mercy fall upon both the acquainted ones and the strangers.
4. On the journey to Karbala, he said: “Verily, this world has turned upside down and bizarre; its good has vanished and nothing is left but a little moisture like that remaining inside a bowl, and a troublesome life. Truly, I see death but happiness and life with tyrants but misery...
5. He said to the man in his presence who was speaking ill behind another man: “Keep away from backbiting, since it is the food for the dogs of the Hell.â€
6. God's gradual leading man to perdition (istidraj) is in that He gives him abundant bounties and takes away from him the [chance of] thankfulness.
7. He said: It is not that doing favor to the unworthy is wasteful, benevolence is like a fast rain which falls upon both good and evil.
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