The manipulation of historical facts and the distortion of the image of Islam is not a new phenomenon, especially with matters that rouse emotions in Islamic history. I am personally not aware of one that is more appealing to storytellers than the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn. For his martyrdom was truly a tragedy that has caused tears to flow and uprisings to erupt.

However, another disaster is that the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn has devolved into a Greek tragedy, one that pushes away those that are rational, due to the fabrications and distortions that have tarnished his great image. Does al-Ḥusayn need fabricators to make him great?! Is he not a leader of the youth of paradise?! If that is the case, then it is high time we strip ourselves from our subjective preconceptions and learn of his history through an academic lens.

This chapter,as short as it may be, shall be sufficient for the reader, for the lengthy versions are riddled with fabrications. If Allah wills, this chapter will provide the reader with a clear perspective of what exactly transpired.

Hussain Ibn Ali (RA) was one of the greatest leaders of his time. He was a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a son of Ali ibn Abi Talib(ra) and Muhammad's (saw) daughter Fatimah. He is an important figure in Islam as he was a member of the Household of Muhammad(saw) (Ahl al-Bayt) ..

Hussain and his brother Hasan were reportedly the last male descendants of Muhammad living during his lifetime and remaining after his death. There are many accounts of his love for them which refer to them together.

Abu Sa'eed (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:

"Al-Hasan and Al-Husain are the leaders of the youth of Paradise."

Narrated by Usaamah Ibn Zayd (Radi Allahu Anhu) who said: "I knocked on the door of the Prophet for a need and he said: "These (Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn) are my sons and my daughter's sons. O Allah, I love them, so love them, and love whoever loves them."

On 10 Muharram 61/10 October 680 in Karbala, near Kufa, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), Hussein b. Ali, was killed along with the close male relatives who were accompanying him. Throughout Islamic history this event had an important effect on religious, political, social and cultural developments.

Mu'awiyah, who was the governor of the Syrian region under Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, had refused Ali's demands for allegiance, and had long been in conflict with him.After Ali was assassinated and people gave allegiance to Hasan, Mu'awiyah prepared to fight with him. The battle led to inconclusive skirmishes between the armies of Hassan and Mu'awiyah. To avoid the agonies of the civil war, Hasan signed a treaty with Mu'awiyah, according to which Mu'awiyah would not name a successor during his reign, and let the Islamic community (ummah) choose his successor.

Shortly after the death of Hasan, Muawiyah started efforts to ensure that his son Yazid was accepted by the people as heir apparent to the caliphate, breaking the treaty.

Muawiyah is quoted in History of Islam by Robert Payne as telling his son Yazid to defeat Husayn—because Mu'awiyah thought he was surely preparing an army against him—but to deal with him gently thereafter as Husayn was a descendant of Muhammad(saw), but to deal with 'Abd Allah ibn al-Zubair swiftly, as Mu'awiyah feared him the most.

In April AD 680, Yazid succeeded his father as caliph. He immediately instructed the governor of Medina to compel Husayn and few other prominent figures to pledge their allegiance.

The most serious opponent of Yazid's appointment as heir were the important names in the opposition in the Hijaz, Hussein b. Ali, Abdullah b. Zubeyr, Abdullah b. Omar and Abdurrahman b. Abu Bakr. These, as children of the first Muslims who had witnessed the time of Prophet Muhammad(saw), were important personages in the era in which they lived.

Yazid put great importance on the allegiance of the leaders of the opposition in the Hijaz, as they were possible rivals. Thus, after not receiving pledges from Hussein b. Ali, Abdullah b. Zubeyir and Abdullah b. Omar, as soon as Yazid came to the caliphate he wrote a letter to the governor of Medina. In fact, he gave the order that if these men were not to pledge allegiance they should be attacked. Abdullah b. Omar, one of the opposition, stated that he would not oppose the general decision, and after the people had pledged allegiance he would too. Hussein and Abdullah b. Zubeyr answered the request of the Medina governor by taking separate roads and fleeing to Mecca. Their intention was not immediate rebellion, but rather to avoid being attacked by the governor of Medina. They thought that they would be able to move freely in Mecca where the House of Allah, the Kaaba, was located.

While in Mecca, ibn al-Zubayr, Abdullah ibn Umar and Abdullah ibn Abbas advised Husayn to make Mecca his base, and fight against Yazid from there.

After his arrival in Mecca, Hussein started to get letters from Kufa, letters urging him to lead the Kûfans into revolt against Yazîd ibn Mu'âwiyah, and assuring him of their loyalty and allegiance. The people of Kûfah especially were looking at Hussain for leadership, and soon there was stream of letters coming in from Kûfah. On certain days there would be as many as 600 letters, with messengers who enthusiastically described the support he would receive from the Kûfans where many of his father's supporters lived. As the people who sent the letters were the leading members of the city, this implies that a large percentage of the people of Kufa supported Hussein.

When the invitations increased, Sayyidunâ Hussain decided to send his cousin Muslim ibn 'Aqîl to investigate the situation in Kûfah. If he found it feasible he would write to inform Hussain, who would depart with his family from Makkah to join him in Kûfah. Muslim arrived in in Dhul Qa'dah. The Kûfans, when they learnt of his arrival presented themselves at the residence of Muslim ibn 'Awsajah al-Asadî where he was staying. Soon there were 12 000 Kûfans who had given their solemn pledge to support and protect Hussain with their lives and all they possessed. When this number rose to 18 000 Muslim felt confident enough to dispatch a messenger to Hussain informing him of the bay'ah of the Kûfans, and urging him to proceed from Makkah.

Kûfah was a unique place, and the Kûfans a peculiar people. In 37AH Sayyidunâ 'Alî (radiyallâhu 'anhu) shifted his capital from Madînah to Kûfah, and ever since that city became the home of those who claimed partisanship of the Ahl al-Bayt. After the reconciliation between Hasan and Mu'âwiyah in 41AH many of those who had been in Sayyidunâ Hasan's army settled in Kûfah. At the time of Mu'âwiyah' s death in 60 AH Kûfah was still very strongly pro-' Ali. Thus when the opportunity arose the Kûfans, who still regarded themselves as the supporters of the Ahl al-Bayt, turned to Hussain to lead them against Yazîd.

The governor in Kufa when Muslim went there was Nu'man b. Beshir. Nu'man heard of Muslim's activities, and gave a speech in the masjid saying that people should not be involved in rebellion and that the cost of this would be great. Nu'man was not in favor of using violence against the opposition, and Yazid was informed of his soft approach by some spies. Yazid immediately dismissed Nu'man and had Ubeydullah b. Ziyad, the governor of Basra, made responsible for Kufa as well as Basra. The new governor was the son of Ziyad b. Ebih, who was accepted as one of the four Arab great intellectuals and known for his connections to the Umayyads; the new governor was also well known for not being afraid to use violence to protect the rule of the Umayyads.

Ubeydullah immediately took over the governor's palace and soon had the city under his control. Muslim secretly continued his activities after Ubeydullah's arrival in Kufa.

One by one the Kufans deserted Muslim ibn 'Aqîl under the gates of the governor' s fort. At sunset he was left with only 30 men. He led them in Maghrib, and then moved away to the doorway of the Kindah quarter of Kûfah.

He went through that door with no more than 10 men, and before he knew it, he was all on his own in the streets of Kûfah. Of all those who had so anxiously and enthusiastically written to Hussain to come and lead them in revolt against Yazîd, and out of the 18 000 men who but days before placed their right hands in his, solemnly pledging allegiance to the cause for which they had invited the grandson of Rasûlullâh , not a single one was there to offer Muslim ibn 'Aqîl the solace of their company or refuge from the night.

Eventually, parched with thirst, he knocked at a door. The occupant, an old lady, took him in when she learnt that he was Muslim ibn 'Aqîl. She hid him away in her house, but her son, from whom she extracted a promise not to tell anyone of his presence there, waited only till the morning to take the news to the governor' s residence. The next thing Muslim realized was that the house was surrounded. Thrice he managed with his sword to drive the attackers out of the house, but when they started putting fire to the house he was forced to face them outside. It was only when 'Abd ar-Rahmân ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, one of those sent to arrest him, promised him the safety of his life, that he lowered his sword. It was a mistake, for they took away his sword and mounted him upon an ass to be taken to Ibn Ziyâd.

Muslim knew his death was at hand. Tears flowed from his eyes, not at his own fate, but at the thought of Hussain and his family traveling through the harsh, merciless desert towards a fate much more harsher and merciless, to an enemy firmly resolved to bring an end to his venture, and to the most treacherous of partisans whose desertion at the hour of need had brought his life to this tragic end. He begged Ibn al-Ash'ath to send someone to Hussain with the following message: "Ibn 'Aqîl has sent me to you. He says to you: 'Go back with your family. Do not be deceived by people of Kûfah. They are those same supporters of your father from whom he so dearly wished to part, by death or by being killed. The Kûfans have lied to me and have lied to you, and a liar has no sense.'"

Later that day —the Day of ' Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah— Muslim ibn 'Aqîl was taken up to the highest ramparts of the fort. As he was being led up, he recited the tahlîl, tasbîh, takbîr and istighfâr. His last words reflect his intense disappointment with the people of Kûfah, "O Allâh, You be the Judge between us and our people. They deceived us and deserted us." From high upon the ramparts his head fell down in the dust, in full view of those whose invitations and oaths of allegiance had given him so much to hope for, but whose cowardice and treachery had left him with nothing but despair. And Hussain was on his way...

Ubaydullâh ibn Ziyâd had entered Kûfah with only seventeen men. For each man that came with him there was over a thousand who had taken the oath of allegiance at the hands of Muslim ibn 'Aqîl. Yet not a single sword was raised in his defense. Not a single voice had the courage to protest his execution. And these were the same men who had been telling Hussain, "Come, we are with you.

Upon receipt of Muslim's letter, Sayyidunâ Hussain started making arrangements to travel to Kûfah .

He immediately dispatched a messenger, Qays ibn Mus-hir, to inform the Kûfans of his imminent arrival. This messenger was captured by 'Ubaydullâh ibn Ziyâd, who ordered him to mount the walls of the fort and publicly curse Hussain and his father. Instead he praised Sayyidunâ 'Alî and Sayyidunâ Hussain, telling them that Hussain was on his way, and exhorting them to assist him as they had promised. He ended his brief address by imprecating curses upon Ibn Ziyâd. Upon the order of Ibn Ziyâd he was flung from the ramparts and killed. Despite this impassioned plea, the men of Kûfah were unmoved.

In Makkah, a number of the eminent Sahâbah and children of Sahâbah tried to dissuade Hussain from going to Kûfah, and reminded him of the fickleness of the Kûfans with both his father and his brother. 'Abdullâh ibn 'Abbâs, 'Abdullâh ibn 'Umar, Jâbir ibn 'Abdillâh, Abû Sa'îd al-Khudrî, his own brother, Muhammad, and his brother-in-law and cousin , 'Abdullâh ibn Ja'far all remonstrated with him and tried to persuade him not to go to Iraq. His mind, however, was made up. He set out from Makkah on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, not knowing of the sad end of Muslim ibn 'Aqîl.

After an arduous journey of almost a month, his party reached Iraq. It was there that he first heard of the treachery of the Kûfans and the death of Muslim ibn 'Aqîl. Later he also learnt of the death of Qays ibn Mus-hir. A large number of desert Arabs had by that time attached themselves to his party, thinking that Kûfah was already practically his. Hussain addressed them, saying, "Our Supporters from Kufah have deserted us. Therefore, whoever wants to leave is free to do so." Soon he was left with only those who left Makkah with him. With them he continued towards Kûfah.

A troop of 1,000 people, headed up by Hur b. Yazid, who had been appointed by Ubeydullah to render Hussein ineffective, met Hussein. During the talks they held Hussein reminded the others that the people of Kufa had invited him themselves, but Hur said that it was his duty to take him to Kufa. When Hussein refused to comply with this, it was agreed that they would go to a place near Kufa and they would wait for Ubeydullah b. Ziyad's decision once he had been informed of the situation. This is how Hussein went to Karbala accompanied by Hur b. Yazid's soldiers. The soldiers of Hur prayed behind Hussein where they rested; in other words, they showed him respect. Ubeydullah, learning that Hussein was staying in Karbala, appointed the son of Sa'd b. Abi waqas, Omar, as commander against Hussein.

Meanwhle Kûfah was placed under heave surveillance by Ibn Ziyâd. When news of Hussain's approach reached him, he dispatched a 4000 strong contingent, to stop Hussain. This contingent was put under the command of 'Umar ibn Sa'd.

The choice of Omar b. Sa'd as the head of the army was not a coincidence. The appointment of someone who was equal to Hussein, of the Quraysh, had great importance in keeping control of the soldiers. Omar, with an army of 4,000 people, went to Karbala where Hussein was. Ubeydullah used pressure and managed to force many people to join the army, including those who had invited Hussein to Kufa. At this time, many hundred people who were on their way to join Hussein, seeing the seriousness of the situation, left him.

There can be little doubt that the Kûfans witnessed the departure of this force from Kûfah with their own eyes. This would be their last chance to honor the oaths of allegiance to Hussain which they had taken upon the hands of Muslim ibn 'Aqîl. This was the final opportunity to rush to the side of the grandson of Rasûlullâh . It was after all their invitations and assurances of support that encouraged him to abandon the safety of Makkah for the precarious battlefields of Iraq. But once again faithfulness, courage and commitment was found lacking in the people of Kûfah.

Only a handful emerged to join Hussain at Karbalâ.

It is likely that Omar b. Sa'd did not think that things would develop in such a way that they would end with the murder of Hussein. Perhaps he thought that after the problem was solved with talks, he would be able to return to his duty. In fact, immediately after Omar b. Sa'd arrived in Karbala, the talks began. Hussein stated that he had been invited by the people of Kufa, and that as he could not fulfill what the invitation required, he was requesting permission to return. Ubeydullah b. Ziyad was informed of Hussein's request; he in turn requested the allegiance of Hussein to Yazid. After this, Hussein suggested three alternatives to Omar: he could return to Medina, or he could go to Damascus to speak with Yazid or he should be given permission to go to one of the border regions to wage jihad against the infidels. According to reports, Ubeydullah demanded that Hussein surrender to Omar; if he did not then battle would commence.

The idea of "surrendering to Ubeydullah" was offensive to Hussein and he refused to do so. When he understood that battle was unavoidable, Hussein told those who were with him that they could leave before the fighting started; in fact, he stated that Ubeydullah was only interested in himself, and thus he recommended that they save their lives by going. However, when those who are close to him refused to leave, the small number of men, only as many as would make up a detachment, were put into military order.

Before the conflict began, there were talks in which the other side was reminded of Hussein's position and that of his father, as well as the promise he had given to the people of Kufa; unfortunately, these were not very effective. Only Hur b. Yazid and a few people who thought like him showed a reaction when Hussein's reasonable suggestions were not accepted, crossing over to his side and dying during the battle. After the battle started, those who were close to Hussein were killed, one by one, in front of his eyes. Then one of the arrows hit Hussein and the grandson of the prophet (saw) was martyred in such a way no one could ever imagined.

And when the sun set on the 10th of Muharram, it was too late for the faithless Shî'ah of Kûfah to make amends, for the sands of Karbalâ was stained red with the blood of Sayyidunâ Hussain and his seventy-one followers.

Four years later the Shî'ah of Kûfah attempted to make amends for their desertion of the family of Rasûlullâh . There emerged a group of Kûfans calling themselves the Tawwâbûn (Penitents) led by Sulaiman ibn Surad who made it their duty to wreak vengeance upon the killers of Hussain. On their way to Syria in pursuit of Ibn Ziyâd they passed by Karbalâ, the site of Sayyidunâ Hussain' s grave, where they raised a great hue and cry, and spent the night lamenting the tragedy which they allowed to happen four years earlier. Had they only displayed that same spirit of compassion for Hussain when he was so much in need of it the history of Islâm might have taken a different course.

It is reported that Immediately after the killing of Hussein, the sounds and screams of remorse filled Kufa. When those who had survived Karbala were brought to Kufa, the women came out of the houses and began to cry. When they saw this they said "Are they crying for us? Well, then, who murdered us?" confused by their contradictory behavior.

After learning of the death of Husayn, Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr (ra) collected the people of Mecca and made the following speech:

O people! No other people are worse than Iraqis and among the Iraqis, the people of Kufa are the worst. They repeatedly wrote letters and called Imam Husayn to them and took bay'at (allegiance) for his caliphate. But when ibn Ziyad arrived in Kufa, they rallied around him and killed Imam Husayn who was pious, observed the fast, read the Quran and deserved the caliphate in all respects.

After his speech, the people of Mecca joined him to take on Yazid. When he heard about this, Yazid sent a force to arrest him, but the force was defeated.

The Karbala event was an important reason leading to the creation of the Shiite belief as a major sect; formerly this had only been political sect.

May Allah Have mercy on us all and guide us whenever we go astray.