Husayn's Sacrifice: What Really Happened in Karbala?
 |
| Husayn's shrine at Karbala (Iraq) |
Muhammad's Death: Shiite-Sunni Split
Prophet Muhammad passed away in 632 CE. After his death, majority of Muslims elected Abu Bakr - the Prophet's bosom friend - as the first Caliph of Islam. A minority had supported the right of Ali - the Prophet's son-in-law - as the immediate successor of the Prophet. But Ali had to give up and pay fealty to Abu Bakr when his wife Fatimah - Muhammad's beloved daughter - died mere six months after the departure of her dear father. Ali had two sons with Fatimah, namly Hasan and Husayn; the two grandsons of the Apostle.Uthman's Reign: Rise of Umayyads
After Abu Bakr (d. 634 CE), Umar (d. 644 CE) and Uthman (d. 656 CE) reigned over the Islamic Empire and stretched its boundaries from North Africa to West Pakistan. During the caliphate of Abu Bakr, Umayyads made a comeback into the politics after they had been disgraced by the Prophet's capturing of their economic stronghold Mecca (630 CE). Abu Sufyan, the Umayyad patriarch, had two sons, namely Yazid and Mu'awiyah. They governed Syria under the caliphate and Uthman, an Umayyad himself, extended the authority of Mu'awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan to the entire Levant, making him the strongest political figure after the Caliph himself and his secretary Marwan (the future khalifah).Uthman's Assassination: Ali Rises to Power
Muslims were uneasy with Uthman's government because he had installed his relatives on important official services. The corruption and bad governance of the Umayyad bureaucrats led people to rise against the Caliph and brutally assassinate him in his humble residence at Medina. Uthman was succeeded by Ali in a public gathering. Majority of Medinian Muslims agreed to install him as the fourth khalifah. Ali immediately decided to fire all Uthmanid governors including the mighty Mu'awiyah. Mu'awiyah refused to resign from his post on the basis that Ali was an (alleged) accomplice in the conspiracy to murder Uthman. After a series of battles between the Caliph of Medina and the Governor of Levant, Ali was killed by a rouge militant Abd al-Rahman ibn Muljim who was affiliated with the ultraconservative jihadist organization of Khawarij. Ali was succeeded by Muhammad's eldest grandson and the final Hashimite khalifah Hasan. Hasan was quick to make peace with Mu'awiyah and signed the famous Hasan-Mu'awiyah Treaty.
(Excerpt from Suyuti's Tarikh al-Khulafa [Pages #168-169])
Civil War Ends: Hasan-Mu'awiyah Treaty:
Some important points of Hasan-Mu'awiyah Treaty are as follows:
- Mu'awiyah will abide by the commandments of God and the sunnah of Muhammad.
- Mu'awiyah will not nominate anyone as his successor rather, when he dies, Hasan will resume the office
- Partisans (shi'an) of Ali will be given amnesty in Iraq and Hejaz.
- Ali and the Hashimites will not be abused in the presence of Hasan.
- Mu'awiyah should exclude what is in the treasury of Kufah, that is five million. So, handing over authority does not include it. Mu'awiyah should send Husayn one million every year; he should prefer the Hashimites in giving and gifts to the Umayyads, and should divide one million among the sons of those who were killed with the Commander of the faithful at the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffin, and should spend that from the taxes of Dar Abjard.
From Khilafah to Mulukiyah: Yazid's Ascendancy
 |
| Shiite Muslims paying homage to Husayn's grave |
In 661 CE, Hasan abdicated the throne of khilafah in favor of his Umayyad nemesis. In 670 CE, Hasan died of alleged poisoning. While Shiites suspect Mu'awiyah orchestrated the assassination, Sunni Muslims accuse the Caliph's son Yazid of planning the death of Muhammad's grandson. After Hasan, his younger brother Husayn became the leader of the Hashimites. Mu'awiyah died in the summer of 680 CE and his son Yazid became the second Umayyad Caliph.
Yazid's khilafah had been prepared for the young prince after the death of Hasan. Mu'awiyah broke all the articles of his treaty and commanded his governors to publicly insult Ali from the pulpits of the mosques. He murdered Shiite Muslims such as Hujr ibn 'Adi who was a sahabi of the Prophet and a supporter of Ali. When he wished to install his son as his heir-apparent, he used force and money to buy people's faith and made them support Yazid. When Yazid assumed the throne, he asked Medina's Governor Walid ibn 'Utbah to secure the loyalty of Husayn ibn Ali and Abdullah ibn Zubayr (another future Caliph), the two leaders he feared the most due to their popularity among Muslims. Husayn and Ibn Zubayr fled to Mecca with their friends and family. When the Muslims of Kufah heard of Husayn's denial to accept the legitimacy of Yazid's authority and his migration from Medina, they wrote to him and asked him to start an anti-Umayyad revolution from Kufah. Sulayman ibn Surrad and Hani ibn 'Urwah were the leaders of Kufah's pro-Alid troops.
Crimson Scriptures: The Battle of Karbala
Husayn sent his cousin Muslim ibn 'Aqil - also his paternal cousin - to investigate and make sure that Kufans would not betray Husayn like they'd betrayed Ali and Hasan before. At Muslim's arrival, people started swearing allegiance to Husayn and soon he gathered some eighty thousand promises. Then, he wrote to Husayn and asked him to leave Mecca and enter Kufah. Husayn was advised against leaving Mecca by his well-wishers but he took his band of friends and family (more than a hundred people) and began his journey to Kufah that had to be terminated when Yazid's Governor Ibn Ziyad sent an army of four thousand under the command of Umar ibn S'ad to intervene Husayn's march. Umar's general Hurr ibn Yazid successfully convinced Husayn to land in Ninevah also known as Karbala, an act that later embarrassed Hurr and changed his heart to such as extant that the general broke from his troops and fought for Husayn. In the Muharram of the 61st year of Hijrah, Husayn's caravan made a stop at Karbala. Negotiations took place between Husayn and Ibn S'ad. Ibn S'ad, on the orders of his commander Ibn Ziyad, wanted Husayn to pay fealty to Yazid. Husayn constantly refused after which water of Euphrates was blocked for his people.On the 10th of Muharram (called the day of 'Ashur), Husayn's army was attacked by the Umayyads. Husayn's family and friends fought with much valor and they all were slaughtered mercilessly with their heads severed to be put atop lances. In the end, only Husayn was left with his half-brother 'Abbas. Husayn was the last person to fight the Umayyads and get killed. When he died, his family was plundered, women captured and his only surviving son Ali al-Sajjad (also known as Zayn al-'Abidin) arrested. The daughters of the Hashimites were taken to the palace of Ibn Ziyad at Kufah and subsequently to that of Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah at Damascus. Yazid, at first, showed his displeasure at what Husayn had did and, during his conversations with Ali al-Sajjad and Husayn's sister Zaynab, rebuked them sharply for rebelling against him. But then he became sympathetic and released the women. They were taken back to Medina where Ali al-Sajjad became one of the most pious and highly-learned ulema among Muslims. He survived the downfall of Yazid and the end of Sufyanids.
After Karbala: Yazid's Tenure
 |
| A re-imagination of Husayn's last moments on his horse Dhu'l-Jinnah |
Husayn's death triggered a proper revolution in Hejaz. Medina broke their loyalty to Yazid and rose against his tyrannical regime. Yazid's troops, commanded by Muslim ibn 'Aqabah invoked a mass massacre in Medina, an incident known as Harrah (Savagery). Ibn Zubayr claimed to be the genuine khalifah and sought refuge in the holy sanctuary of Mecca. Yazid sent Husayn ibn Numayr with an army that raided Mecca and surrounded the metropolis. They bombarded the city to force defeat upon Ibn Zubayr. Even the building of K'abah was damaged because of that attack. In the end, Yazid died and the news of his demise made his army back off. Ibn Zubayr gradually got control of Iraq and Hejaz, the provinces that were previously waiting for Husayn to rise in power. Husayn's death left a power cleavage in the Muslim politics filled in by Ibn Zubayr. But Ibn Zubayr then had to face Mrawan and his son Abd al-Malik. During the civil war between Zubayrids and Marwanids, the Muslims of Kufah who had failed to support Husayn after requesting him to enter their city, decided to avenge his death. They were lead by Ibn Surrad. Ibn Surrad organized these "Avengers" and they christened their party Tawwabeen (Repenters). After Ibn Surrad, Mukhtar al-Thaqafi became their commander. Using the name of Husayn's another half-brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyah, Mukhtar secured the loyalty of Iraqis. He captured Kufah and murdered most of the soldiers involved in the Battle of Karbala. He killed Ibn S'ad and Ibn Ziyad as well. Then he was defeated by Ibn Zubayr's brother Mus'ab. In turn, Zubayrids were defeated by Abd al-Malik who soon became the sole master of the entire Umayyad Kingdom.
Comments
Post a Comment