LIFE AND HISTORY OF IMAM HUSSAIN A.S

Al-HUSSAIN Ibn 'Ali Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada (A.S)
Name: HUSSAIN(AS)
Title: Sayyidu'sh-Shuhada'.
Agnomen: Abu 'Abdillah.
FATHER'S NAME: ALI AMIR AL-MOMININ.
MOTHER'S NAME: FATIMA (Daughter Of The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).
BIRTH: In Madina on Thursday 3RD Shaban 4 AH.
DEATH: Martyred in KARBALA (Iraq) At The Age Of 57,On Friday 10Th MUHARRAM 61 AH And Buried There.
In The House Of The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).which Presented The Best Image Of Both The Worlds The Heaven And The Earth A Child Who Benefited Humanity As If He Was A Divine Impression Reflecting The Earth Was Born On One Of The Nights Of The Month Of Shaban.His Father Was Imam Ali(A.S) The best Model Of kindness Towards His Friends And The Bravest Against The Enemies Of Islam and His Mother was Hazrat Fatimah(S.A) The Only Daughter of The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).who Had As Universally Acknowledged Inherited The Qualities Of Her Father.Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Is The Third Apostolic Imam.When The Good News Of His Birth Reached The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) He came To His Daughter's House Took The Newly-Born Child In His Arms Recited Adhan And Iqamah In His Right And Left Ears Respectively And on The 7Th Day Of His Birth,After Performing The Rites Of "Aqlqah" Named Him Al-HUSSAIN(A.S) In Compliance With ALLAH's Command.'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas Relates "On The Every Day when Imam HuSSAIN(A.S) was Born Allah Ordered Angel GIbriel To Descend And Congratulate The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).On His Behalf And on his own.
While Descending GIbriel Passed over An Island Where The Angel Futrus Had Been Banished Due To His Delay In Executing A Commission Assigned By ALLAH. He Was Deprived Of His wings And Expelled To The Island Where He Remained For Several Years Praying And worshipping ALLAH And Asking For His Forgiveness.When The Angel Futrus saw GIbriel, He Called Out,Where Are You Going O GIbriel? To This He Replied,HuSSAIN(A.S) The Grandson of MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) is Born And For This Very Reason ALLAH Has Commanded Me To Convey His Congratulations To His Apostle.Thereupon, The Angel Said,Can You Carry Me Also Along With You? May MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Recommend My Case To ALLAH.GIbriel Took The Angel Along With Him,came To The Holy Prophet,Offered Congratulations To Him on Behalf Of ALLAH And Himself And Referred The Case Of The Angel To Him.
The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).said To GIbriel Ask The Angel To Touch The Body Of The Newly-Born Child And Return To His Place In Heaven.On Doing This The Angle Re-Obtained His Wings Instantly And Praising The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) And His Newly Born Grandson Ascended Towards The Heaven.HASSAN And HUSSAIN(A.S) The Two Sons Of The Holy Imam "ALI IBNE ABI TALIB (A.S) And Hazrat FATIMA(S.A) Our Lady of Light Were Respected And Revered As The Leaders Of The Youths Of Paradise As Stated By The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) And His Progeny Had Openly Prophesied That The Faith Of Islam Would Be Rescued By His Second Grandson HUSSAIN(A.S) when Yazid Son Of MuaViayA would Endeavour To Destroy It.Yazid was known For His Devilish Character And Brutish Conduct.He was known As The Most Licentious Of Men.The People Having known And Understood The Character Of Yazid Formed A Covenant By Which MuaViya Could Not Appoint Yazid As His Successor.This Undertaking Was Given By Muaviyah To Imam HASSAN(A.S) From Whom MuaViya Had Snatched Power.Muaviyah Violated This Undertaking And Nominated Yazid Who Succeeded His Father.Immediately As He Came To Power Yazid Began Acting In Full Accordance With His known Character.He Started Interfering In The Fundamentals Of The Faith And Practiced Every Vice And Wickedness Freely With The Highest egree of impunity and yet held himself out as the successor of the Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Demanding Allegiance To Himself As The Leading Guide Of The Faith.
Paying Allegiance To Yazid Was Nothing Short Of Acknowledging The Devil As Cod.If A Divine Personality Like The Holy Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Had Agreed To His Authority It Would Be Actually Recommending The Devil To Humanity In Place Of Cod.Yazid Demanded Allegiance From The Holy Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) who Could Have Never Agreed To It At Any Cost.The People Fearing Death And Destruction At The Hands Of The Tyrant Had Yielded To Him out of Fear.Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Said That Come What Ever May He Would Never Yield To The Devil In Place Of God And Undo What His Grandfather The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Had Established.The Refusal of The Holy Imam To pay Allegiance To This Fiend Marked The Start Of The Persecution Of The Holy Imam.As A Result He Had Retired To Medina Where He Led A Secluded Life. Even Here He Was Not Allowed to Live In Peace And Was Forced To Seek Refuge In Mecca Where Also He was Badly Harassed And Yazid Plotted To Murder Him In The Very Precincts Of The Great Sanctuary Of Kaba.
In Order To Safeguard The Great Sanctuary Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Decided To Leave MACCA or Kufa just A Day Before Tile Haj (pilgrimage).When Asked The Reason For The Mysterious Departure From Macca Foregoing The Pilgrim Age Which was only The Next Day Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) said That He Would Perform This Year's Pilgrimage At Karbala Offering The Sacrifice Not Of Any Animals But Of His kith And kin And Some Faithful Friends.He Enumerated The Names Of His kith And kin Who Would Lay Down Their Lives With Him In The Great Sacrifice At Karbala.The People Of Kufa Getting Tired Of The Tyrannic And Satanic Rule of Yazid Had written Innumerable Letters And Sent Emissaries To Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) To Come over And Give Them Guidance In Faith.Although Imam
HUSSAIN(A.S) knew The Ultimate End Of The Invitations He As The Divinely Chosen Imam Could Not Refuse To Give The Guidance Sought for.When The Holy Imam With His Entourage Had Reached karbala,His Horse Mysteriously Stopped And Would Not Move Any Further.Upon This The Holy Imam Declared, "This is The Land The Land Of Sufferings And Tortures.He Alighted From His Horse And Ordered His Followers To Encamp There Saying Here Shall We Be Martyred And Our Children Be killed.Here Shall Our Tents Be Burned And Our Family Arrested.This is The Land About Which My Grandfather The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Had Foretold And His prophecy Will Certainly Be Fulfilled.
On The 7th Of MUHARAM water Supply To The Imam's Carnp Was Cut And The Torture Of Thirst And Hunger Started.The Holy Imam's Camp Consisted Of Ladies Innocent Children Including Babies And Some Male Members Of The Holy prophet's Family Along With A Small Band Of some Faithful Friends Of Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) who Had Chosen To Die With The Holy Imam Fighting Against The Devil For The Cause Of ALLAH.
The Day of 'Ashura (10th of Muharram):
At Dawn The Imam Glanced Over The Army Of Yazid And saw Umar ibn Saad Ordering His Forces To March Towards Him.He Gathered His Followers And Addressed Them Thus Allah Has This Day Permitted Us To Be Engaged In A Holy War And He Shall Reward Us For Our Martyrdom.So Prepare Yourselves To Fight Against The Enemies Of Islam With Patience And Resistance. O Sons of The Noble And Self-respecting persons Be Patient Heath Is Nothing But A Bridge Which You Must Cross After Facing Trials And Tribulations So As To Reach Heaven And Its Joys.Which Of You Do Not Like To Go From This Prison (world) To The Lofty Palaces (Paradise ) ? Having Heard The Imam's Address All His Companions Were overwhelmed And Cried Out "O Our Master! We Are All Ready To Defend You And Your Ahlu BaIt And To Sacrifice Our Lives For The Cause Of Islam.Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Sent Out From His Camp One After An Other To Fight And Sacrifice Their Lives In The Way Of The Lord.Lastly When All His Men And Children Had Laid Down Their Lives Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Brought His Six Month Old Baby Son 'ALI ASGHAR And Offering Him On His Own Hands Demanded Some Water For The Baby,Dying Of Thirst.The Thirst Of The Baby was Quenched By A Deadly Poisoned Arrow From The Brute's Forces Which Pinned The Baby's Neck To The Arm Of The Helpless Father.At Last When The six Month Old Baby Also Was killed Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Addressed ALLAH "O Lord!Thy HUSSAIN Has Offered In Thy way Whatever Thou Hath Blessed Him with.Bless Thy HUSSAIN, O Lord! with The Acceptance Of This Sacrifice.
Everything HUSSAIN(A.S) Could Do Till Now Was Through Thy Help And By Thy Grace.Lastly Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Came Into The Field And Was killed The Details Of Which Merciless Slaughter Are Heart Rending.The Forces Of Yazid Having killed Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Cut And Severed His Head From His Body And Raised It On A Lance.The Severed Head Of The Holy Imam Began Glorifying Allah From The Point Of The Lance Saying "Allahu Akbar" All Glory Be To Allah Who Is The Greatest!After The Wholesale Merciless And Most Brutal slaughter of The Holy Imam With His Faithful Band,The HelpLess Ladies And Children Along with The Ailing Son Of Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Imam 'Ali ZAINU-L-ABIDIN(A.S),were Taken Captives.
Some Sayings Of The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) During His Lifetime With Reference To Imam HUSSAIN(A.S):-
1:- IMAM HASSAN And HUSSAIN(A.S) Are The Leaders Of The Youths Of Paradise.
2:- IMAM HUSSAIN(A.S) Is From Me And I am From HUSSAIN(A.S) Allah Befriends Those who Befriend HUSSAIN(A.S) And He Is The Enemy Of Those Who Bear Enmity To Him.
3:- Whosoever Wishes To See Such A Person Who Lives On Earth But Whose Dignity Is Honoured By The Heaven Dwellers Should See My Grandson HUSSAIN(A.S).
4:- O My Son!Thy Flesh Is My Flesh And Thy Blood Is My Blood Thou Art A Leader The Son Of A Leader And The Brother Of A Leader Thou Art A Spiritual Guide,The Son Of A Spiritual Guide And The Brother Of A Spiritual Guide;Thou Art An Apostolical Imam The Son Of An Apostolical Imam And the brother of an Apostolical Imam;Thou Art The Father Of Nine Imams,The Ninth Of Whom Would Be The Qa'im (The Last Infallible spiritual Guide).
5:- The Punishment Inflicted On The Murderer Of IMAM HUSSAIN(A.S) in Hell Would Be Equal To Half Of The Total Punishment To Be Imposed On The Entire Sinners Of The World.
6:- When The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Informed Hazrat Fatima(S.A) Of The Martyrdom In Store For His Grandson She Burst Into Tears And Asked "O My Father! When Would My Son Be Martyred? In Such A Critical Moment,Replied The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) "When Neither I Nor you Nor ALI(A.S) Would Be Alive.This Accentuated Her Grief And She Inquired Again"Who Then O My Father Would Commemorate HUSSAIN's(A.S) Martyrdom? The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Said "The Men And The Women Of A Particular Sect Of My Followers Who Will Befriend My AHLUL-BAIT Will Mourn For HUSSAIN(A.S) And Commemorate His Martyrdom Each Year In Every Century.
Ibn Saad Narrates From As-habi Imam 'ALI(A.S) While On His Way To Siffin Passed Through The Desert Of Karbala There He Stopped And Wept Very Bitterly.When Interrogated Regarding The Cause Of His Weeping He Commented That One Day He Visited The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) And Found Him weeping.When He Asked The Apostle Of ALLAH As To What Was The Reason Which Made Him Weep,He Replied "O ALI(A.S) GIbriel Has Just Been with Me And Informed Me That My Son HUSSAIN(A.S) would Be Martyred In Karbala A Place Near The Bank Of The River Euphrates.This Moved Me So Much That I Could Not Help Weeping.Anas ibn Harith Narrates One Day The Holy Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) As Cended The Pulpit To Deliver A Sermon To His Associates While Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) And Imam HaSsan(A.S) Were Sitting Before Him.When His Address Was Over,He Put His Left Hand on Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) And Raising His Head Towards Heaven Said:"O My Lord! I Am Muhammad (P.B.U.H) Thy Slave And Thy Prophet,And These Two Are The Distinguished And Pious Members Of My Family who would Fortify My Cause After Me.O My Lord!GIbriel Has Informed Me That My Son HUSSAIN(A.S) would Be killed.O My Lord!Bless My Cause In Recompense For HUSSAIN's(A.S) Martyrdom Make Him The Leader Of The Martyrs Be Thou His Helper And Guardian And Do Not Bless His Murderers.Sir Muhammad Iqbal says: Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Uprooted Despotism Forever Till The Day Of Resurrection.He Watered The Dry Garden Of Freedom with The Surging Wave Of His Blood And Indeed He Awakened The Sleeping Muslim Nation.If Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Had Aimed At Acquiring A Worldly Empire, He would Not Have Traveled The way He Did (From Medina To Karbala').HUSSAIN(A.S) weltered In Blood And Dust For the sake of Truth.Verily He Therefore Became The Bed Rock "Foundation" Of The Muslim Creed La ILa Ha ILLai Allah (There is No God But Allah).Khwaja MUinuDin Chishti Says He Gave His Head But Did Not Put His Hand Into The Hands Of Yazid.Verily, HUSSAIN(A.S) is The Foundation of La ILa Ha ILLa Allah.HUSSAIN(A.S) is Lord And The Lord of Lords.HUSSAIN(A.S) Himself Is Islam And The Shield of Islam.Though He Gave His Head for Islam But Never Pledged Yazid.Truly HUSSAIN(A.S) is The Founder of "There is No Deity Except Allah.Brown In His A Literary History Of Persia Writes As A Reminder The Blood Stained Field Of Karbala Where The Grandson Of The Apostle Of God Fell At Length Tortured By Thirst And Surrounded By The Bodies Of His Murdered kinsmen Has Been At Any Time Since Then Sufficient To Evoke Even In The Most Lukewarm And Needless The Deepest Emotion The Most Frantic Grief And The Exaltation Of Spirit Before Which Pain Danger And Death Shrink To Unconsidered Trifles.Yearly on The Tenth Day Of MUHARRAM The Tragedy Is Rehearsed In Persia In India, In Turkey, In Egypt, Wherever A SHIA Community Or Colony Exists As I write It All Comes Back The Wailing Chant The Sobbing Multitudes The white Raiment Red With Blood From Self Inflicted Wounds The Intoxication Of Grief And Sympathy.Allama Tabatabai writes:
Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) (SayEdu-sh-Shuhada'The Lord Among Martyrs) The Second Child Of IMAM ALI(A.S) And Fatima(S.A) was Born In The Year 4 AH And After The Martyrdom Of His Brother Imam HaSsan Mujtaba(A.S) Became Imam Through Divine Command And His Brother's will.Imam HUSSAIN(AS) was Imam For A period Of Ten Years All But The Last Six Months Coinciding With The Caliphate Of MuaViya.Imam HUSSAIN(AS) Lived Under The Most Difficult Outward Conditions Of Suppression And Persecution.This was Due To The Fact That First of All Religious Laws And Regulations Had Lost Much Of Their Weight And Credit And The Edicts Of The UmaId Government Had Gained Complete Authority And Power.Secondly MuaViya And His Aides Made Use Of Every Possible Means To Put Aside And Move Out Of The Way The Household Of The Prophet And The SHIA And Thus Obliterate The Name Of 'ALI And His Family.And Above All MuaViya wanted To Strengthen The Basis Of The Caliphate Of His Son Yazid.who Because of His Lack Of Principles And Scruples was Opposed By A Large Group Of Muslims.
Therefore,In Order To Quell All Opposition, MuaViya Had Undertaken Newer And More Severe Measures.By Force And Necessity Imam HUSSAIN(A.S) Had To Endure These Days And To Tolerate Every kind Of Mental And Spiritual Agony And Affliction From MuaViyah And His Aides until In The Middle Of The Year 60 AH MuaViyah Died And His Son Yazid Took His place.Paying Allegiance (bay'ah) was An Old Arab Practice Which Was Carried out in Important Matters Such As That Of kingship And Governmentship.Those Who Were Ruled And Especially The Well known Among Them Would Give Their Hand In Allegiance Agreement And Obedience To Their king or Prince And In This way would Show Their Support For His Actions.Disagreement After Allegiance Was Considered As Disgrace And Dishonour For A People And Like Breaking An Agreement After Having Signed It Officially It Was Considered As A Definite Crime Following The Example Of The Holy Prophet people Believed That Allegiance when Given By Free Will And NMot through force, carried authority and weight. Muaviya Had Asked The Well known Among The People To Give Their Allegiance To Yazid But Had Not Imposed This Request upon Imam HUSSAIN(AS).
He Had Especially Old Yazid in His Last Will That If HUSSAIN(AS) Refused To Pay Allegiance He Should Pass Over It In silence And overLook The Matter For He Had Understood Correctly The Disastrous Consequences Which Would Follow if the issue were to be pressed.But Because Of His Egoism And Recklessness Yazid Neglected His Father's Advice And Immediately After The Death Of His Father Ordered The governor Of Medina Either To Force A pledge Of Allegiance From Imam HUSSAIN(AS) or Send His Head To Damascus.After The Governor of Medina Informed Imam HUSSAIN(AS) of This Demand The Imam in order To Think Over The Question Asked For A Delay And Overnight Started With His Family Toward Macca.He Sought Refuge In The sanctuary of God Which In Islam is The official Place of Refuge And Security.This Event OCcurred Toward The End Of The Month of Rajab And The Beginning of Shaban of 60 AH.For Nearly Four Months Imam HUSSAIN(AS) stayed in Macca in Refuge.This News Spread Throughout The Islamic world.On The One Hand Many people who Were Tired Of The Iniquities Of MuaViya's Rule And were Even More Dissatisfied When Yazid Became caliph Corresponded With Imam HUSSAIN(AS) And Expressed Their Sympathy For Him.On The Other Hand A Flood Of Letters Began To Flow Especially From Iraq And Particularly The City Of Kufah Inviting The Imam To Go To Iraq And Accept The Leadership Of The Populace There With The Aim Of Beginning An Uprising To Overcome Injustice And Iniquity.Naturally Such A Situation Was Dangerous For Yazid.
The stay of Imam HUSSAIN(AS) In Macca Continued Until The Season For Pilgrimage When Muslims From All Over The World Poured In Groups Into Macca In Order To Perform The Rites Of The Hajj.The Imam Discovered That Some Of The Followers of Yazid Had Entered Macca As Pilgrims Hajj with The Mission To kill The Imam During The Rites of Hajj With The Arms They Carried Under Their Special Pilgrimage Dress (Ehram).The Imam Shortened The Pilgrimage Rrites And Decided To Leave.Amidst The Vast Crowd of People He Stood Up In A Short speech Announced That He Was Setting out For Iraq.In This Short Speech He Also Declared That He Would Be Martyred And Asked Muslims To Help Him In Attaining The Goal He Had In View And To Offer Their Lives In The Path Of God.On The Next Day He Set Out With His Family And A Group of His Companions For Iraq.Imam HUSSAIN(AS) was Determined Not To Give His Allegiance To Yazid And knew Full Well That He would Be killed.
He was Aware That His Death Was Inevitable In The Face Of The Awesome Military Power Of The Umayyads Supported As It Was By Corruption In Certain Sectors spiritual Decline And Lack Of will power Among The people Especially In Iraq.Some Of The Outstanding People of Macca Stood In The Way Of Imam HUSSAIN(AS) And Warned Him Of The Danger Of The Move He was Making.But He Answered That He Refused To Pay Allegiance And Give His Approval To A Government Of Injustice And Tyranny.He Added That He knew That Wherever He Turned or went He Would Be killed.He would Leave Mecca In Order To preserve The Respect For Tabuse of God And Not Allow This Respect To Be Destroyed By Having His Blood Spilled There.
While on The Way To Kufah And Still A Few Days Journey Away From The City He Received News That The Agent Of Yazid in Kufah Had Put To Death The Representative Of The Imam In That City And Also one of The Imam's Determined supporters who was A well known Man In Kufah.Their Feet Had Been Tied And They Had Been Dragged Through The streets.The City And Its Surroundings were Placed Under Strict observation And Countless Soldiers of The Enemy were Awaiting Him.There was No Way Open To Him But To March Ahead And To Face Death. It was Here That The Imam Expressed His Definitive Determination To Go Ahead And Be Martyred And So He Continued on his journey.Approximately Seventy kilometers From Kufah In A Desert Named Karbala' The Imam And His Entourage were surrounded By The Army Of Yazid. For Eight Days They stayed In This spot During Which The circle Narrowed And The Number Of The Enemy's Army Increased.Finally The Imam, with His Household And A small Number of Companions were Encircled By An Army of Thirty Thousand Soldiers.During These Days The Imam Fortified His position And Made A Final selection of His companions.At Night He Called His Companions And During A short Speech Stated That There was Nothing Ahead But Death And Martyrdom.
He Added That Since The Enemy was Concerned Only with His Person He would Free Them From All Obligations so That Anyone who wished could scape In The Darkness Of The Night And Save His Life.Then He Ordered The Lights To Be Turned out And Most Of His Companions Who Had Joined Him For Their Own Odvantage Dispersed.Only A Handful of Those who Loved The Truth About Forty Of His Close Aides And Some of The Banu Hashim Remained. Once Again The Imam Assembled Those who were Left And put THem To A Test.He Addressed His Companions And Hashimite Relatives saying aAgain That The Eemy Was Cncerned only Wth His Person.Each Could Benefit From The Drkness of The Night And Escape The Danger.But This Time The Fithful COmpanions of The Imam Answered aEch In His own way That They would Not Deviate for A Moment From The Path of Truth of Which The Imam was The Leader And oWuld never leave him alone. They said they would defend his Household to the last drop of their blood and as long as they could carry a sword. On tHe Ninth Day Of The Month The Last Challenge To Choose Between "Allegiance Or war" was Made By The Enemy To The Imam.The Imam Asked For A Delay In order To worship overnight And Became Determined To Enter Battle on The Next Day.
On The Tenth Day of MUHARRAM of The Year 61(680) The Imam Lined up Before hTe Enemy with His small Band of Followers Less Than Ninety persons consisting of Forty of His Companions Thirty Some Members of The Army of The Enemy That joined Him During The Night And Day of war And His Hashimite family of Children Brothers, Nephews, nieces And Cousins.That Day They Fought From Morning Until Their Final Breath,And The Imam The Young Hashimites And The companions were All Martyred.Among Those killed were Two children of Imam HASSAN(AS),who were only Thirteen And Eleven Years old;And A five year old Child And A suckling Baby Of Imam HUSSAIN(AS). The Army of The Enemy After Ending The war Plundered The Haram Of The Imam And Burned is Tents.They Decapitated the bodies of the martyrs, denuded them and threw them to the ground without burial.
Then They Moved He Members Of The Haram All Of Whom Were Helpless Women And Girls Along With The heads of the martyrs, to Kufah. Among the prisoners there were three male members: a twenty-two years old son of Imam Husayn who was very ill and unable to move, namely, 'Ali ibn al-HUSSAIN(AS), the fourth Imam; his four years old son, Muhammad ibn 'Ali, who became the fifth Imam; and finally Hasan al-Mujtaba, the son of the second Imam who was also the son-in-law of Imam HUSSAIN(AS) and who, having been wounded during the war, lay among the dead. They found him near death and through the intercession of one of the generals did not cut off his head. Rather, they took him with the prisoners to Kufah and from there to Damascus before Yazid. The event of Karbala', the capture of the women and children of the Household of the Prophet, their being taken as prisoners from town to town and the speeches made by the daughter of 'Ali ZAINAB, and the fourth Imam who were among the prisoners, disgraced the Umayyads.
Such Abuse Of The Household of The Prophet Annulled The propaganda Which Muaviyah Had Carried out for years. The matter reached such proportions that Yazid in public disowned and condemned the actions of his agents. The event of Karbala' was a major factor in the overthrow of Umayyad's rule although its effect was delayed. It also strengthened the roots of Shi'ism. Among its immediate results were the revolts and rebellions combined with bloody wars which continued for twelve years. Among those who were instrumental in the death of the Imam not one was able to escape revenge and punishment.
Anyone Who Studies Closely The History Of The Life Of Imam HUSSAIN(AS) And Yazid And The Conditions that prevailed at that time, and analyses this chapter of Islamic history, will have no doubt that in those circumstances there was no choice before Imam Husayn but to be killed. Swearing allegiance to Yazid would have meant publicly showing contempt for Islam, something which was not possible for the Imam, for Yazid not only showed no respect for Islam and its injunction but also made a public demonstration of impudently treading under foot its basis and its laws. Those before him, even if they opposed religious injunctions, always did so in the guise of religion, and at least formally respected religion. They took pride in being companions of the Holy Prophet and the other religious figures in whom people believed.
From This It Can Be Concluded That The Claim of Some Interpreters Of These Events Is False when They say that the two brothers, HASSAN and HUSSAIN(AS) had two different tastes and that one chose the way of peace and the other the way of war, so that one brother made peace with Muaviyah although he had an army of forty thousand while the other went to war against Yazid with an army of forty. For we see that this same Imam Hussain(as), who refused to pay allegiance to Yazid for one day, lived for ten years under the rule of Muaviya in the same manner as his brother who also had endured for ten years under Muaviyah, without opposing him. It must be said in truth that if Imam Hasan or Imam HUSSAIN(AS) had fought Muaviya they would have been killed without there being the least benefit for Islam. Their deaths would have had no effect before the righteous appearing policy of Muaviya a competent politician who emphasized his being a companion of the Holy Prophet, the "scribe of the revelation," and "uncle of the faithful" And Who Used Every stratagem possible To preserve A Religious Guise For His Rule.Moreover With his ability to set the stage to accomplish his desires he could have had them killed by their own people and then assumed a state of mourning and sought to revenge their blood, just as he sought to give the impression that he was avenging the killing of the third caliph. (Shl'ite Islam)
al-Imam al-HUSSAIN ibn 'Ali, peace Be Upon Him said:
Beware of your Apologies; for a true Believer does not Sin And Does Not Have To Apologize Whereas The Hypocrite Commits Sins Everyday and apologizes everyday.
When other people Turn To You In Need Consider It A Favour Of Allah.Do Not Be Wearied Of This Favour Or It Will Move On To Someone else.
Experience Enhances The Intellect.

MUHARRAM HISTORY

MUHARRAM is The First Month of The Islamic Calendar. On The First Day of Muharram, The Islamic New Year is Observed By Muslims. The Islamic Calendar is a lunar Calendar, And is 11 to 12 days shorter Than The Solar Year. Hence it is a Little Different from The Gregorian Calender That is Used in The Western Nations. When Compared With The Gregorian Calendar; which is a Solar Calendar, The Lunar Month Of MUHARRAM Shifts From Year To Year.
The Month of MUHARAM is Of Great Religious Significance To Islamic People The World Over. It Is Held To Be The Most Sacred of All The Months; Excluding Ramadan. The Word MUHARRAM is Often Considered Synonymous With ;ASHURA; The Tenth Day Of The MUHARRAM Month.
;AshuRA; is A Highly Important Day For Both Sects Of Islam The SHIAS And The Sunnis. The SHIA Muslims
Believe That HuSSAIN IBNE ALI(AS), The Grandson Of The Islamic Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H), Became A Martyr At The Battle Of KARBALA on The Tenth Day Of MUHARAM in 61 AH(680 AD).
The Pre,Islamic Period in The Arabian Peninsula Was The Era Of Warring Tribes. In The Absence Of A Strong Leadership, There Were Conflicts And Battles On Minor Issues. But Fighting Was Prohibited in Four Months Of The Year. These Months, of Which MUHARAM Was one, Were Considered Sacred. MUHARAM is So Called Because it was Unlawful To Fight During This Month, The word is Derived From The Word ,haram, Meaning Forbidden. This Period Of Inactivity Was A Necessity In Heavily Decorated Replicas Of The Tomb Of The Imam And His Family Are Made For MUHARRAM The Era of Warring Tribes. The Tradition Was Maintained Even After The Advent Of Islam,Though Provisions To Accommodate And Accept War in Special Situations,Like A Threat To The Sovereignty of An Empire,Were introduced. The Gory Battle of KARBALA Was Fought Against This Law And Tradition of Islam. The Inhabitants on The Banks of Rivers Euphrates And Tigris Were Traditional Rivals. Their Animosity was Contained To Some Extent By MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H). But When His Son-in-law IMAM ALI(AS) Was The Caliph"Muslim Civil And Religious Leader Considered To Be ALLAH's Representative on earth" The Old Enmity Re-Surfaced.IMAM ALI(AS) Had Two Descendants, Imam Hussain(AS) and Imam Hassan(AS). Hussain(AS) was The Ruler of The Part Of The Empire known Today As Iran. The Other Part In Modern Iraq Was Ruled By The Umayyads.Hussain(AS) Was Called upon By The Shias of Kufa,A Small Town in The Umayyad kingdom,To Accept Their Allegiance And Claim His Place As The Leader Of The Islamic Community. This was Against The Wishes Of The Ruler Of Kufa,Yazid,Who instructed His Governor,Ibn-e-Ziad To Take Appropriate Action.Meanwhile,in Response To The Call of The Shias,Hussain (AS)Accompanied By His Family Members,Headed For Kufa.When They Reached Karbala,En Route To Kufa,The Forces Of The Governor Surrounded Them And Their 70 Men.Hussain(AS)His Family And His Troops were Tortured And killed,And Hussain's(AS) Head was severed And Presented To The king.They Received No Help From The Shias of Kufa.
As This Tragic Incident Happened on The Tenth Day of MuHARAM Shia Muslims consider This A Day of Sorrow. They Commemorate The Martyrdom of Hussain(AS) As A Religious occassion Called "MUHARRAM" (Named After The Month Of Its Observance). The occassion Starts on The 1st Day of MUHARRAM,And Lasts For 10 Days Until 10th of MUHARAM.As MUHARRAM Approaches,They Put on Black Clothes,As Black is Regarded As A Color of Mourning.During The Entire 10 Day Period,They keep Themselves Away From Music And All Joyous Events "e.g.Weddings" That Can Distract Them in Anyway From Fhe Sorrowful Remembrance Of That Day.During Each Of The First Nine Days of MUHARAM,"MAJLIS" (Assemblies) Are Held Where SHIA Orators Vividly Depict The Incident Of The Martyrdom of Imam Hussain(A.S) And His FAMILY.Mainstream SHIA Muslims Fast Until The Evening.On "ASHURA",Devoted Muslims Assemble And Go Out in Large Processions.They Parade The Streets Holding Banners And Carrying Models Of The Mausoleum of Imam Hussain(A.S) And His People,Who Fell At Karbala.Some SHIA Sects Observe "ASHURA" By Beating Themselves With Chains In Public,Cutting Themselves with knives And Sharp Objects And Holding Mournful Public Processions.This Is An Expression Of Their Grief On The Death of Their Favourite Leader Hussain(A.S),Considered To Be The Representative Of ALLAH.(But No Shiite Scholar Affirms Any Extreme Behavior That Harms The Body And SHIA Leaders Consider Such Acts As "HARAM",or Forbidden.) It Is A Sad Occasion And Everyone in The Procession Chants "Ya Hussain(A.S)" Wailing Loudly.Generally A White Horse Is Beautifully Decorated And Included In The Procession.It Serves To Bring Back The Memory Of the Empty Mount Of Imam Hussain(A.S) After His Martyrdom.Drinking Posts Are Also Set Up Temporarily By The SHIA Community Where Water And Juices Are Served Ao All,Free Of Charge.
While SHIA Muslims Consider "MUHARRAM" To Be A Sorrowful Occassion,Sunni Muslims Observe It As A Festival And Look At"ASHURA"As A Happy Day Though The Religious Aspect Remain Intact.Pious Sunnis keep A Fast"roja" on "ASHURA" As Per The "Hadith"A Tradition Based On Reports Of The Sayings And Activities Of MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) And His Companions, of Prophet MUHAMMAD(P.B.U.H).According To The "Hadith" The Prophet(P.B.U.H) The Jews Fasting On The 10Th Of MUHARAM To Commemorate Their Liberation From Egyptian Slavery And The Extermination of The Army Ff The Pharoah In The Waters of The Red Sea.Prophet MOHAMMAD(P.B.U.H) Liked The Custom For He Believed That It Was ALLAH who Saved The Israelites From Their Enemy In Egypt. He Started To Fast On The Same Day As The Jews But He Planned To Fast On The 9Th And 10Th From The Following Year.But Death Came In Between Him And His Pious Wish.Usually,Sunni Muslims Are Recommended To Fast Either On The 9Th And 10Th Of MUHARAM Or On The 10Th And 11Th Of MUHARRAM.