Imam Hussain
No discussion about the Ahlulbayt or Imam Mahdi can be complete without reference to Imam Hussain and his extraordinary sacrifice at the Battle of Kerbala.
His martyrdom at this battle changed the course of Islam and it has informed and inspired Muslims and non-Muslims alike for centuries.
(A) Early Life
Imam Hussain was the second son of Imam Ali and Lady Fatema, and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S). He is a forbear of Imam Mahdi, and he is considered by Shia Muslims to be the third of the twelve Imams.
Hussain was born in the year 626 AD, year 4 AH in the Islamic calendar. When the Prophet visited Hussain after his birth, he was informed by Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) that Hussain would be martyred at the hands of his own community in the land of Karbala. The Prophet cried profusely at the news*.
The Prophet was devoted to Hussain, and to Hussain’s older brother Hassan. Although they were his grandsons, he described them as his sons, and “the masters of the youth of Paradise“. It was Hussain whom the Prophet carried in his arms when he arrived for the famous contest of Mubahala against the Christians of Najran.
Hussain’s grief knew no end when both the Prophet and his mother Lady Fatema died within 6 months of each other, in the year 632 AD, when Hussain was just 6 years old.
From his childhood into adulthood, he was raised in the city of Medina under the tutelage of his father Ali and his brother Hasan.
Hussain gained a reputation for generosity, valour and scholarly service to the community. He later moved with his family to the town of Kufa, in modern-day Iraq, which was the seat of Ali’s caliphate.
(B) A Community Divided
Upon the Prophet’s demise, there were disagreements as to who should lead the Muslim community, despite the Prophet’s nomination of Ali as his successor and ‘Amir ul-Momineen‘, or Commander of the Faithful. As the standard bearer of the Muslim army and its greatest warrior, Ali had made many enemies amongst the Arabian tribes. Others were simply unwilling to accept that the leadership of the ‘Ummah‘, the Muslim community, should reside exclusively in the Prophet’s Hashemite family. Enmity towards Ali was compounded by his predilection to stamp out corruption, to treat everybody equally, and to follow the rule of law without fear or favour.
In the 24 years after the Prophet’s passing, there were three successive caliphs from amongst his companions. It was a period of relative calm, during which the boundaries of the Muslim world expanded considerably. Upon the assassination of the third caliph, the community clamoured for the leadership of Ali, and he duly assumed the caliphate in 656 AD (36 AH). However, enmity towards Ali was so entrenched that several wars were launched against him, the principal protagonist of which was Mu’awiya, the governor of Syria. Mu’awiya claimed the caliphate for himself and his Umayyad clan. Imam Ali also faced dissent from a violent extremist group known as the Kharijites. Such conflicts led to Ali’s martyrdom at the hands of an assassin in 661 AD (40 AH).
With internal divisions rife, and a dearth of loyal supporters, Imam Ali’s older son Imam Hasan, the second Imam, felt that he had no choice but to sign a peace treaty with Mu’awiya. Under the terms of the treaty, Mu’awiya agreed to rule in accordance with Islamic principles, to refrain from persecuting the followers of the Imams, and crucially, to ensure that the caliphate would revert to back to the Imams upon Mu’awiya’s death. However, Mu’awiya publicly recanted the treaty soon after it was signed, and proceeded to break his promises. Imam Hasan was killed by poisoning in 670 AD (49 AH), and Mu’awiya lived on until 680AD, whereupon his son Yazid took the reins of power.
The dye was cast for the fate that would await Imam Hussain.
(C) Kerbala
Yazid was a corrupt and tyrannical ruler, feared and hated for his ruthlessness. Imam Hussain, by contrast, was hugely respected and admired for upholding the virtuous traditions of his father and grandfather. Unpopular outside his sphere of influence, Yazid sought legitimacy by forcing Imam Hussain and other prominent dissidents to pay allegiance to him. Imam Hussain was thus faced with a choice: pay allegiance and live a life of comfort, or refuse to do so and face dire consequences. Hussain stood firm and refused to bow to Yazid.
Build-Up
Imam Hussain received multiple letters from his followers in the town of Kufa asking him to visit them and to provide guidance and leadership. Facing death threats in his home town of Medina, and seeking to avoid bloodshed in the holy sanctuary of Mecca, Imam Hussain decided to travel to Kufa.
The caravan of Imam Hussain numbered little more than 100. It was composed of his family members – women, children and babies amongst them – and several dozen companions.
They surrounded Imam Hussain, refusing to let him move forward or retreat, and they cut off his access to the River Euphrates. The Imam’s camp soon ran out of water.
The leader of Yazid’s army, Umar Ibn Saad, gave Imam Hussain a final ultimatum: pledge allegiance to Yazid, or face death. The Imam refused.
The Battle
On the morning of 10th October 680 CE, 10th Muharram 61 AH in the Islamic calendar, the army of Yazid started the battle by firing arrows towards Imam Hussain’s camp. The Imam’s faithful companions strode in battle courageously in defence of their Imam, and several fought the enemy in single combat, but all were eventually killed.
Then came the turn of the Imam’s family members: amongst them, his beloved son Ali Akbar, who was the image of the Prophet; his 13-year old nephew Qasim; and his heroic brother Abbas, the Imam’s flag bearer and the bravest of warriors. All fought with valour, but all were killed in front of the Imam.
Towards the end of the day, Imam Hussain carried his 6-month old baby son Ali Asgher out of the camp. It had been three days since the camp had run out of water and the infant was dying of thirst. The Imam asked the soldiers of Yazid’s army for a few drops of water for the baby.
With dissent brewing in Yazid’s camp at this sorry sight, Umar Ibn Saad gave a signal to his archer Harmala, who fired a three-pronged arrow that struck the baby’s neck, killing him instantly whilst was in the arms of the Imam.
The Imam, heartbroken, returned to his camp and dug a makeshift grave with his sword, in which he buried his son. He then bade farewell to the womenfolk and those who were left at the camp.
Wearing the Prophet’s turban and carrying his father’s sword, the Imam mounted his horse and went out to face the enemy alone. He made a final call: “hal min nasirin yansurna”. Is there a helper? He was met with silence.
With the ferocity of a lion, he engaged the enemy soldiers. Contemporary war reporters recorded that they had never witnessed such valour and courage from a man who had lost so many of his nearest and dearest in so short a space of time.
The Imam was eventually surrounded. Pelted with rocks and arrows, he fell from his horse. Hussain lay strewn on the sands of Karbala while the enemy soldiers, in a frenzy, beat him, striking him with swords and arrows. The Umayyad commander Shimr Ibn Al-Jawshan then sat on the Imam’s chest and, in a heinous act that will live in infamy, decapitated him. The last surviving grandson of the Prophet was thus martyred by the very community that purported to follow his grandfather.
For the women and surviving children of the Imam, the aftermath of the battle was terrible. Their tents were set on fire and they were beaten. They were then chained and made to walk from Kerbala to Kufa, and then onto Syria, the seat of Yazid’s throne, where they were paraded and mocked before the masses.
Legacy of Kerbala
For Muslims, and in particular for Shias, the tragedy of Kerbala is one that imbues their worldview as an abiding lesson in the dignity of self-sacrifice, and the importance of standing against injustice at any cost, including martyrdom.
According to traditions, the tragedy also resonates deeply with Imam Mahdi. It is said that, like the Imams who preceded him, he laments the events of that day, mourns the martyrs and cries bitterly for Imam Hussain and those of his camp who were slain. Several Hadith make clear that Imam Mahdi will make frequent reference to Kerbala upon his return.
* references: al-Mustadrak al-Sahih, al-Hafidh al-Hakim al-Nisapouri, v. 3, p. 176, al-Musannaf, al-Hafidh abu Bakr bin abi Shaibah, v. 12