Incident of Karbala

The Incident of Karbalāʾ

I am finding myself compelled enough to put forward the correct authentic matter/narrations in front of you, otherwise, I did not need to mention such narrations. But the matter is of the honor of Ṣaḥābah at a first side and second, it is the matter of the honor of Āl al-Bayt, Janāb Ḥusayn and at third, it is the matter of the honor of the women who were with Janāb Ḥusayn and at fourth, it is the matter of the laypeople. Therefore, I'm compelled enough to put forward the reality of this matter in front of you. My brothers, at the time of Janāb ʿUthmān's martyrdom, Janāb ʿAlī was forced to take over the authority, he wasn't desirous of authority. Janāb ʿAlī; our fourth caliph, Ioving him is a sign of our īmān and we alḥamdulillāh love him from the depth of our hearts. We pray to Allāh that when death reaches us, may the love of Āl al-Bayt, Janāb ʿAlī, Ḥusayn, Ḥasan, and Fāṭimah be in our hearts. So, the point to make is that Janāb ʿAlī did not want authority. The bond of Janāb ʿAlī with Janāb ʿUthmān, Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq, Janāb Abū Bakr Ṣiddīq was exemplary.

A narration transmitted by Imām Muslim, narrated by Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās, who himself is from the Āl al-Bayt reports: “When Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq died, his dead body was there and people were coming to see him and supplicate, suddenly a person came and kept his hand on my shoulder, I saw and it was Janāb ʿAlī. He was saying, "ʿUmar! I was certain that you will be blessed with the companionship of both of your companions – meaning the companionship of Rasūlullāh and Janāb Abū Bakr – because I have heard several times from Rasūlullāh when he would mention good about both of you at the same time. He used to say like "I, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar went * I, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar came * I, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar exited from that place * I, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar entered that place" and then Janāb ʿAlī said there while standing, "ʿUmar! Today after you, now there is no one left to whom I would see and say that may my deeds be also like you! O ʿUmar! Only you were the one to whom I would see and wish that may my deeds be also like yours, but now after you, i.e., your death, no one is left...”

Who is testifying to this? Janāb ʿAlī! He is narrating and testifying to what Rasūlullāh used to say, and the one narrating from Janāb ʿAlī and testifying to his words is the one from the Āl al-Bayt; Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās! The deviant sects do not believe in him [Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās] to be from the Āl al-Bayt, but we do. This deviant sect doesn't believe in the wives of the Nabī to be from the Āl al-Bayt, but we do. Alḥamdulillāh our hearts are open, we believe in the Ṣaḥābah and also, we believe in the wives, children, and Muslim paternal uncles of the Nabī and their sons to be from the Āl al-Bayt. Who is praising Janāb ʿUmar? Janāb ʿAlī! this is the bond and relation of Janāb ʿAlī with Janāb Ṣiddīq, Janāb Fārūq, Janāb ʿUthmān.

When Janāb ʿUthmān was unjustly martyred, his house was around this al-Masjid al-Nabawī, and he was besieged. The water supply to him was stopped. No doubt Janāb Ḥusayn was oppressed and martyred unjustly, but keep this in mind that the oppression which has been done on Janāb ʿUthmān is more severe than the oppression done on Janāb Ḥusayn. The oppression on Janāb ʿUthmān is more extreme, if you have to make days annually then why don't you make it of Janāb ʿUthmān!? Janāb Fārūq was martyred, if you have to make days annually then why don't you make it of Janāb Fārūq!?

Who has more sadness about the death of the Nabī than the Ṣaḥābah? [Obviously no one] So if you have to make days annually then why don't you make it of the Nabī? Rather you celebrate the day of death of the Nabī as a festival, as his birthday! Anyways, we won't fight with the bidʿah (heresy in dīn) by introducing another bidʿah. We are not from those people who say that the 10th of Muḥarram is a holiday because of Janāb Ḥusayn so have holidays on the days when Janāb ʿUthmān, Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq were martyred. No! We won't fight against the bidʿah with another bidʿah. We will but rather say that neither introduce this new bidʿah nor let that bidʿah stay.

So anyways, when Janāb ʿUthmān was besieged and the water supply was stopped from him, then at that time the Ṣaḥābah who defended Janāb ʿUthmān, from them were the two sons of Janāb ʿAlī; Janāb Ḥasan and Ḥusayn. But it is another thing that Janāb ʿUthmān didn't want to have bloodshed, corruption, or fighting, because of him, therefore he asked them to go back. But the point to make is that their bond is powerful that both of the sons of Janāb ʿAlī; Ḥasan and Ḥusayn came to defend Janāb ʿUthmān. When Janāb ʿUthmān was martyred and Janāb ʿAlī was compelled to take over the authority – but those corruptors, mischievous people who did corruption by martyring Janāb ʿUthmān, they did not let the circumstances be rectified, rather they promptly joined Janāb ʿAlī's army so then he may not take revenge from them.

Amīr Muʿāwīyyah has a closer and deeper relationship with Janāb ʿUthmān considering the tribe and blood relation, he had this request to take qiṣāṣ i.e., taking revenge by killing who did the crime of killing, from the killers of Janāb ʿUthmān but Janāb ʿAlī had this opinion that once circumstances are settled and authority is completely in his hand, then he will take revenge on the killers of Janāb ʿUthmān. So, this was the dispute. On one side was Janāb ʿAlī who was the fourth caliph, from Āl al-Bayt, whose place and rank is very high amongst the Ṣaḥābah, and at the other side was Amīr Muʿāwīyyah, who although can't beat Janāb ʿAlī in the rank and place he is also from the Ṣaḥābah. And we have to keep our tongues closed, neither we will speak against Janāb ʿAlī nor Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah.

One of the great Imāms said once, that we should be grateful to Allāh that we were not in that era, that our sword didn't get used on any Ṣaḥābah, neither Janāb ʿAlī nor Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah. Now Allāh did His favor upon you by keeping your swords and hands saved from being used [against the Ṣaḥābah], now you control [protect] your tongues! My brothers! I sentimentally request to you that do not try to be a judge in the matters of the Ṣaḥābah. Many people tried to become a judge in these matters and by this, they deviated far away. Because when you try to become a judge in the matters of the Ṣaḥābah, you do what? you destroy and ruin your Ākhirah (Hereafter) by speaking badly about one Ṣaḥābah and oppressing another. That's why we should not judge between the Ṣaḥābah.

Imām Abū Zurʿah is a very great imam and a muḥaddith, he said that those people who speak against the Ṣaḥābah, do this, the secret behind this is that they know that Qurʾān and Aḥādīth reached us through Ṣaḥābah, these Ṣaḥābah are our testifiers, these people want us to attack badly our testifiers, to stigmatize them. And such people who do these things are zindīq (having no religion/dīn), mulḥid (atheist). And when Abū Ḥanīfah's great student, Imām ʿAbdullāh b. Mubārak was asked about what he says regarding Amīr Muʿāwīyyah,

do you know what he answered? You will find this in 'al-Bidāyah al- Nihāyah of Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr, that He [Imām ʿAbdullāh b. Mubārak]

said that you dare to ask me about that person who prayed Ṣalāh behind the Nabī and who, when the Rasūlullāh (Messenger of Allāh) being an imām said, " samīʿ Allāh liman ḥamidah" meaning that may Allāh listen to the duʿāʾof the one who does ḥamd and thanāʾ and Amīr Muʿāwīyyah said rabbanā wa laka al-Ḥamd" meaning that O Allāh! All kinds of [perfect and complete] praise and glorification are for You solely! behind his imām Janāb Rasūlullāh "

When Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. Mubārak was asked whether Amīr Muʿāwīyyah is better or ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz - you would surely know who is ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz, is known as "Khalīfah al-Rāshid (the rightly guided caliph)", his era was a golden era, an era of justice. He was very rich [considering his family background], but as soon as he became the king, khalīfah, he promptly got himself rid of money. During his caliphate era, he looked and dealt with everyone fairly and with justice, doesn't matter if anyone was his relative or a stranger, His caliphate era, his kingship is indeed exemplary. His kingship-era's examples are quoted. Therefore, someone asked whether Amīr Muʿāwīyyah is better or ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz because the questioner knew that some abusers talk about Amīr Muʿāwīyyah and on the other hand, no one talks badly about ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz although Amīr Muʿāwīyyah is from the Ṣaḥābah (Companions) and on the other hand ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz is not from the Ṣaḥābah but rather he is a tābiʿī (student of ṣaḥābah) - He answered, “There is no comparison between these two! This question cannot even exist because one is a Ṣaḥābī and the other one is a tābiʿī, this comparison cannot even be made!”

And when a similar question was asked from Muʿāfah b. ʿImrān, he answered that the dust that entered the nostrils of Muʿāwīyyah when he was with the Nabī (Prophet), that dust is even better than ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz! [Amīr Muʿāwīyyah] is a Ṣaḥābī, my brothers! ṢAḤĀBĪ! A ṢAḤĀBĪ IS A ṢAḤĀBĪ! Doesn't matter even if that Ṣaḥābī is less in rank than other Ṣaḥābah but considering other people, he is very high in rank. So, focus on these words that the dust that entered the nostrils of Muʿāwīyyah when he was with the Nabī (Prophet), that dust is even better than ʿUmar b. ʿAbdul ʿAzīz! My brothers! Amīr Muʿāwīyyah is that person to whom the Nabī gave duʿāʾ that “O Allāh! Make him [Amīr Muʿāwīyyah] the one who guides and is guided and give guidance to more people by him.” This is transmitted in Tirmidhī and is ṣaḥīḥ. Who made the duʿāʾ? Rasūlullāh. So, my brothers, this Amīr Muʿāwīyyah and the other is ʿAlī, and they both had these their own stances, out of them both, ʿAlī's stance was closer to the truth, and Janab Amīr Muʿāwīyyah got mistaken but this mistake is based on ijtihād.

It comes in a Ḥadīth that the Nabī said that when a ruler makes an ijtihād and that ijtihād comes in agreement with the Qurʾān and Ḥadīth, then for him is double reward and the one who tries to reach the truth and makes an ijtihād but errs, he will still be rewarded a single reward. So, Janāb ʿAlī was closer to the truth as some of the aḥādīth indicates but both sides were Muslims, Moʾmin. I am not saying this from myself rather Qurʾān says this,

Sūrah Ḥujurāt الحجرات ٤٩:٩

That if two Muslim groups or parties fall to fighting, then make peace between them both.

And my brothers! It is transmitted in Bukhārī and Muslim, that when Janāb Ḥasan came to the Nabī whilst he was giving a sermon, Nabī carried him and said at that time, “My son [grandson] is a leader. I am hopeful that by him, Allāh taʿālā will make peace between two Muslim groups.” Rasūlullāh has said two "Muslim" groups, and history tells - I will mention later on - which two groups were these. So anyways my brothers, some misunderstanding occurred between Janāb ʿAlī and Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah. Then time passed and [a time came when] Janāb ʿAlī was martyred by the Khawarij. These Khawārij prepared three men and they used to say - we ask Allāh's refuge from this - that the root of the fitnah is Janāb ʿAlī, Amīr Muʿāwīyyah and ʿAmr b. al- ʿĀṣ.

These Khawārij prepared three men for suicide attack [on these three Ṣaḥābah especially] and all these three men were set on the journey on the same day and they all three had to suicide attack on the same one day. Due to this attack, Janāb ʿAlī was martyred. Amīr Muʿāwīyyah was not present that day at the place of attack. And ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ got attacked and injured but didn't get martyred. So, the ones who did these attacks were Khawārij. ʿAbd al-Raḥmān b. Muljim was the one who killed Janāb ʿAlī. So anyways my brothers, Janāb ʿAlī was martyred and after his death, his son Janāb Ḥasan was appointed as a caliph. Therefore, our fourth caliph is Janāb ʿAlī and the fifth is Janāb Ḥasan. For six months Janāb Ḥasan fulfilled his responsibilities being a caliph but the disputes with Amīr Muʿāwīyyah stayed still. Janāb Ḥasan headed towards Syria with his army because the capital of Amīr Muʿāwīyyah was Syria, Dimashq and Janāb ʿAlī's was Kūfah. The very first person to change capital from Medinah to Kūfah was Janāb ʿAlī. So anyways, Janāb Ḥasan went with his army, but he changed the commander of his army. The previous commander was very much inclined towards the fight but the new commander was not very much inclined towards the fight. Janāb Ḥasan has this desire in his heart that peace may be made. Meetings occurred there [in Shām], [and eventually,] Janāb Ḥasan abandoned the caliphate and accepted Amīr Muʿāwīyyah as a caliph and handed over the caliphate to him. And this is an incident of the year 40 AH, from that time Muslims again became one. Disputes stayed from the year 35 AH till 40 AH, actually, Janāb ʿAlī was a caliph but on the other hand Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah was also running a particular land. But when Janāb Ḥasan's time came, he abandoned his caliphate for Amīr Muʿāwīyyah. Now Janāb Ḥasan would be thinking good of such a person to whom he has handed over the rulership, caliphate? Obviously, he did think of him [Amīr Muʿāwīyyah] as good that's why he handed over the caliphate to him otherwise he would have got himself killed, and martyred, but would have never handed over the caliphate to him. So anyways, Muslims once again got united.

Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah's era is from 40/41 AH till 60 AH. So, our fifth caliph is Janāb Ḥasan and the sixth is Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah. In 56 AH, Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah thought to allocate his successor. Now there was a task to assign someone worthy as his successor, there were many examples to follow in front of him. One was that when Nabī died, he didn't directly explicitly allocate anyone as his successor but although he did give signs for Abū Bakr to be the rightful. When Janāb Abū Bakr's turn came, he explicitly allocated Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq as his successor. When Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq's turn came, he did not allocate anyone as his successor explicitly, he stayed silent in this matter. Rather he appointed six men to allocate a caliph from amongst them. So, all three times, of Rasūlullāh, Janāb Abū Bakr, and Janāb ʿUmar Fārūq, a different way was adopted. And when Janāb ʿUthmān and Janāb ʿAlī's turn came, they didn't allocate their successors. When Janāb Ḥasan's turn came, he, in his life, handed over authority, caliphate, and leadership, to Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah. When Amīr Muʿāwīyyah's turn came, he thought to allocate his successor in his life. And this way has been adopted by Janāb Abū Bakr also before, but the difference is that Janāb Abū Bakr didn't allocate his son as his successor although Janāb Amīr Muʿāwīyyah whose capital was in Dimashq, Shām, he thought that if he will allocate his son as his successor, then circumstances would stay peaceful but if anyone else would be allocated, then probably disputes may start again and circumstances may get worse. This was his ijtihād, and there can be a possibility of a mistake in ijtihad, but his intentions were pure. Anyways, he said that he will allocate his son; Yazīd, as his successor. And following this, he ordered the governors of different cities to take bayʿt from all major people of the city. Janāb Ḥusayn didn't give bayʿt and some other Ṣaḥābah also didn't give bayʿt.

When death reached Amīr Muʿāwīyyah and his son took over the authority, he sent a message to the governors that now bayʿt should be given to him from scratch because now he has actually taken over the authority. Therefore, every governor took bayʿt from all of the major people of his area. When the governor of Medinah received this letter, he asked for Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. Zubayr and Janāb Ḥusayn. Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. Zubayr asked for a night to be given to him so he may think and then respond but he left for Makkah from Medinah that night. When Janāb Ḥusayn was asked to give the bayʿt, he said if he will give bayʿt in the name of Yazīd, he would do it publicly in front of all in broad daylight and not secretly in the darkness of the night, Janāb Ḥusayn also left for Makkah from Medinah that night. And the month was of Ḥajj. On the other hand, this all reached the people of Kūfah and they started writing letters on letters to Janāb Ḥusayn that they do not consider Yazīd as their caliph rather that they consider Husayn as their caliph so they invited him to Kūfah, on the promises that they will give bayʿt to him and so he will become their ruler. They wrote so many letters that they reached the number of 500. When the letters reached 500 in number, Janāb Ḥusayn was compelled to think about this. He sent his paternal uncle's son; Muslim b. ʿAqīl to analyze the situation in Kūfah. When Muslim b. ʿAqīl entered Kūfah, and people welcomed him warmly and gave bayʿt on his hand in the name of Janāb Ḥusayn. The whole of the Kūfah was with Muslim b. ʿAqīl and Janāb Ḥusayn. Muslim b. ʿAqīl wrote a letter to Janāb Ḥusayn inviting him to travel to Kūfah and that the people of Kūfah are ready to welcome him, they are not ready to accept anyone as their leader except him. On receiving this letter, Janāb Ḥusayn planned to leave Makkah.

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In Makkah, due to the month of Ḥajj, Ṣaḥābah were present. When Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās got to know about this all, he stopped Janāb Ḥusayn and said that he should not go otherwise it won't be good because everyone was seeing that Yazīd has become a ruler, if anyone will become a new ruler in Kūfah, then obviously civil unrest will take place. Therefore, Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAbbās said [to Janāb Ḥusayn] that if I did not have fear of people watching, I would grab your hair and never let you go [to Kūfah].

By the time this reached ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar that Janāb Ḥusayn is going to Kūfah, Janāb Ḥusayn went too far away from Makkah. He still sat on his ride and followed Janāb Ḥusayn on the journey of three nights. And he said to Janāb Husayn, “Remember that Allah gave your grandad the choice to choose between the world and the Hereafter, that if you want the world, choose it, and if you want the Hereafter, then choose it. Your grandad chose the Hereafter and left the world. Do not go to Kūfah” but Janāb Ḥusayn said, "People are waiting for me, I will go". Thereafter, Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar hugged Janāb Ḥusayn and started crying and said, I am bidding farewell to you and I am seeing that you would be killed."

Janāb Abū Saʿīd Khudrī said to Janāb Ḥusayn, "Ḥusayn do not go. [Don't forget] the people of Kūfah are the same people who martyred your father [ʿAlī]. These people of Kūfah are the same people about whom your father; Janāb ʿAlī said, "O people of Kūfah! I am annoyed by you and you are annoyed by me, I hate you and you hate me". These same people are the people of Kūfah. Do not get trapped in their speech, do not go”. Janāb ʿAbdullāh b. Zubayr also tried his best to stop him [from going], but Janāb Ḥusayn did go anyways.

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On the other hand, in Kūfah when Muslim b. ʿAqīl was being given bayʿt, at that time the governor of Yazīd; Noʿmān b. Bashīr was present in Kūfah. Noʿmān b. Bashīr was analyzing the situation but he stayed as if he is not seeing because he didn't want to say anything to the people of Janāb ʿAlī. So, he stayed [normal] and didn't worry about the situation. Somehow this report reached Yazīd and Yazīd then promptly removed Noʿmān b. Bashīr from the governorship and informed the governor of Baṣrah; ʿUbaydullāh b. Ziyād that Kūfah is also now under his responsibility and that he must not let anyone invade Kūfah. When Ibn Ziyād reached Kūfah he had his face hidden in the darkness of night, he would pass by people and wherever people were sitting in a gathering, small circles, he would say Salām to them, and people would reply saying, "wa ʿalykum al-Salām O grandson of Rasūlullāh" because they would assume that perhaps Janāb Ḥusayn has reached.

From this, Ibn Ziyād was analyzing how dangerous the conditions are and how dearly people are waiting for Janāb Ḥusayn. He returned to his palace after analyzing everything and ordered his slave to spy and observe who is the mastermind of this whole matter. Therefore, his slave started acting as if he has come from Shām with three thousand dīnār for Janāb Ḥusayn to help him and do his bayʿt, so he asked people to tell him where is Janāb Ḥusayn. People trusted him and took him to Muslim b. ʿAqīl. He did bayʿt on Muslim b. ʿAqīl's hand and Muslim b. ʿAqīl was staying in Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah house. So, he [Ibn Ziyād's slave] would come daily there and analyze who are the major people behind this all. When he was able to understand the matter completely, he returned to Ibn Ziyād, and then [following this] Ibn Ziyād arrested Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah and asked him to tell where is Janāb Ḥusayn. Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah said, “I do not know”. On this, Ibn Ziyād called his slave, after seeing his slave, Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah got extremely worried and understood that this slave used to come to his home as a spy! Ibn Ziyād then again asked now tell where is Muslim b. ʿAqīl, to which Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah replied that “By Allāh! Even if Muslim b. ʿAqīl would be sitting beneath my foot, even then I would not step up”, meaning that he would not reveal his location in any way. Ibn Ziyād tortured Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah, but Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah did not tell where is Muslim b. ʿAqīl. But somehow ʿ Ubaydullāh b. Ziyād came to know where Muslim b. ʿAqīl was and on the other side Muslim b. ʿAqīl also got to know that Ḥānī b. ʿUrwah has been arrested. Muslim b. ʿAqīl, with an army of one thousand people, – in some narrations, the number is more – reached the palace of Ibn Ziyād and besieged him, but Ibn Ziyād was a very sharp and intelligent person. The major people of Kūfah were present in his palace. Ibn Ziyād said to them that if they will obey his order, he would reward them and if they will not obey his order, then an army is almost going to reach there from Shām, and he would punish them severely. Therefore, he told them to compel all men of their tribe who are in the army of Muslim b. ʿAqīl, to go back.

Therefore, those major people would come out and call all of the men of their tribe to go back. The people of Kūfah, who gave bayʿt and said that they will die but not leave [Janāb Ḥusayn's side], suddenly started turning their backs and by the night, only thirty men were left with Muslim b. ʿAqīl, and after some more time, that thirty also left, and only Muslim b. ʿAqīl was left alone wandering in the streets of Kūfah to get any refuge. But no one was ready to give him refuge. These people; who wrote letters, wanted to make [Janāb Ḥusayn] their leader, who wanted to fight with Yazīd, they did this with the cousin of Janāb Ḥusayn; Muslim b. ʿAqīl. Muslim b. ʿAqīl knocked at one door, and an old lady came out. Muslim b. ʿAqīl asked for refuge and narrated the whole matter to her. She gave the refuge and hid him in the home. She brought food and water for him. And the son of that lady went to Ibn Ziyād and told him that Muslim b. ʿAqīl is hidden in our home. Ibn Ziyād arrested him and wanted to hang him to death but Muslim b. ʿAqīl requested for some time to be given to him and he was granted it. There, the son of Saʿd b. Abī Waqās, Janāb ʿUmar was present. Muslim b. ʿAqīl said to him that the closet to me here is only you, I will give you a message to convey to Janāb Ḥusayn. Janāb ʿUmar complied. Then Janāb ʿUmar said that I wrote a letter to Janāb Ḥusayn that the people of Kūfah are ready to die for you, therefore, come here these people will appoint you as their caliph, leader, - but now you convey this message to him that "never come. Do not put yourself and your family in danger, go back." Janāb Muslim b. ʿAqīl was martyred and Janāb ʿUmar conveyed that message to Janāb Ḥusayn. When Janāb Ḥusayn received this message, he wanted to go back but sons of Muslim b. ʿAqīl said that they won't go back unless they have taken revenge for their father. Janāb Ḥusayn said if they won't go back then he also with them, therefore they all continued the way. On their way, they met with a poet who was coming from Kūfah, Iraq, whose name was Farazdaq, he was a great poet of the Arabic language, and he met Janāb Ḥusayn with much respect. Janāb Ḥusayn asked what is the condition of the people of Kūfah, to which he replied that their hearts are with you but their swords are with Banī Ummaīyyah. What does this mean? This means that when the fight will take place, they will kill you but from the heart, they love you! This is the kind of love that nowadays people do whilst doing mātam (harming themselves).

So anyways what is that poet saying? That their hearts are with you but their swords are with Banī Ummaīyyah. Janāb Ḥusayn said Allāh al- Mustaʿān, meaning Allāh will help. He continued the journey until reached a place called Qāṭfiyyah, where there was an army of one thousand men of Ibn Ziyād present whose commander was Hurr b. Yazīd al-Tamīmī. He asked Janāb Ḥusayn to go back because he didn't want to get into any trial. Janāb Ḥusayn said he won't return. Janāb Ḥusayn would try to go ahead and Hurr b. Yazīd al-Tamīmī would try to stop him. Janāb Ḥusayn then went to him and scolded him saying, may your mother find you lost, get away! To which Hurr b. Yazīd al-Tamīmī replied that if someone other than you would have said this to me, I would have answered back to him and to his mother too, but I can't do this with you because your mother is a leader of women of all the worlds.

[Shaykh continues the lecture the next day at al-Masjid al-Nabawī, and before resuming the history of Karbalāʾ, he says]

Although, some friends have advised me to not touch this topic [of the battle of Karbalāʾ], this topic, this topic is very dangerous, people think bad of you and leave you, and recently one of the scholars talked about the topic of Yazīd, people stopped listening to his lessons anymore but my brothers, I assume that the people sitting in front of me [Shaykh was giving this lecture in al-Masjid al-Nabawī] are intelligent, people of thought and knowledge. When discussion will take place in the light of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth, they will understand and accept the truth, because this won't be my speech but rather of Qurʾān and Ḥadīth. My brothers, you know that in today's era, the word "Yazīd" has become a synonym of Kufr (disbelief), when they want to say kāfir to anyone — we ask Allāh's refuge from this — they call them Yazīd and the word of "Yazīdīyyah" is used. On this month [Muḥarram], much evil speech is used for Yazīd. Why? Because they [the deviant sect] say that Yazīd is the one who killed Janāb Ḥusayn. My brothers, all of you present here are from those who bring īmān on the respected Ṣaḥābah and their offspring too, so from your mouth, such a thing doesn't look good. Such a thing doesn't look good from your mouth to say without any reference, any evidence that Yazīd ordered to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn. First, you must prove where it comes from that Yazīd ordered this! I'll try to put forward the actual correct incident leaving all fabrications.

The love, and respect for Janāb Ḥusayn and his place being the leader of youth, his being the flower of Nabī, is all at their own place without any doubt, his virtuous are too many, but the issue is that did Yazīd order to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn? This is the main question. So, my brothers, Janāb Ḥusayn used to live in Madinah, the people of Kūfah wrote letters that he should come there, and they would make him their leader. Janāb Ḥusayn went there, but the people of Kūfah betrayed him, the people who today claim to love him are the people who betrayed him, they left him helpless.

The governor of Yazīd in Kūfah was ordered to not let the rulership of Janāb Ḥusayn be established in Kūfah, revolt should not start. Yazīd didn't order to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn rather he ordered for his rulership to not be established. Now my brothers, in that time, there were no mobile phones, fax machines, or telephones, rather news used to reach another city after many days. So anyways, after some time, a large army of four thousand men reached whose commander was ʿUmar b. Saʿd b. Abī Waqās, he was prepared by Ibn Ziyād to go for a jihād towards Raī, but when this issue [of Janāb Ḥusayn] started, therefore Ibn Ziyād ordered him to first solve this matter and then go to jihād. Therefore, ʿUmar came and had dialogues with Janāb Ḥusayn. Janāb Ḥusayn is a Ṣaḥābī, grandson of Rasūlullāh, from the Āl al-Bayt, and ʿUmar is a son of Saʿd b. Abī Waqās.

Janāb Ḥusayn put forward three suggestions from which the matter would be resolved; 1) Let me go back to Madinah, Makkah. 2) If you won't accept the first suggestion then let me go with you on jihād where fighting against Kuffār (disbelievers) is taking place so I may get martyred fighting. 3) and if you do not even accept the second suggestion, then let me go to Yazīd so I may do bayʿt on his hand.

ʿUmar said this is approved by me, I will send a message to Ibn Ziyād and he would send a message to Yazīd. When the message was received by Ibn Ziyād, he became very happy and approved it but the people who stay with the king; the courtiers, these people are very peculiar kind of people, so there was also such a courtier whose name you might have heard; Shimar also pronounced as Shamar, he said that “no Ibn Ziyād! Only forgive [Janāb] Ḥusayn if he surrenders himself to you.” Ibn Ziyād became very happy and agreed. When this reached Janāb Ḥusayn, he said I will never surrender myself to Ibn Ziyād. Thereafter, Ibn Ziyād ordered Shimar to take over the leading, be a commander and remove ʿUmar and solve the issue.

Now before the people of Shimar came to fight, the time for ẓuhar - ʿaṣr Ṣalāh had entered. This point is important to be listened carefully. Those who say that water supply was stopped — there is no doubt in this that Janāb Ḥusayn was oppressed, he was martyred unjustly, his place and rank is too much, he is from the Āl al-Bayt and his love lives in our heart and is a part of our īmān — but only that much matter should only be narrated which really happened. The situation was such that, that the time for ẓuhar ʿaṣr Ṣalāh had entered so Janāb Ḥusayn started praying ṣalāh, and they also came behind him to pray Ṣalāh. Janāb Ḥusayn asked them to pray Ṣalāh behind their own Imām, i.e., commander, but they refused saying we will pray behind you. So they prayed ẓuhar and even ʿaṣr Ṣalāh behind Janāb Ḥusayn. After that, they were about to come at night to fight, but Janāb Ḥusayn sent his man to request for some time to be given to me, I want to do ʿibādah (worship) of Allāh at night, pray Ṣalāh, built connection with my Rabb at night. [He was granted the request], he kept doing ʿibādah the whole night. The next day — those who say forty days this and that happened, [this is all lie fabricated] there is no long term matter, indeed whatever happened was oppression on Janāb Ḥusayn but only that much matter should be narrated which really happened, do not exaggerate. —

So, the fight took place the next day, seventy-two men were with Janāb Ḥusayn and the opposite side had five thousand men. Janāb Ḥusayn took out the letters and said O people of Kūfah! You wrote letters to me, you asked me to come here, you said you will make me caliph, you said you do bayʿt to death even, but no one from them was affected except only thirty people who left the army of Shimar and joined the army of Janāb Ḥusayn... One of these thirty was Hurr b. Yazīd al-Tamīmī. So now the number of men in Janāb Ḥusayn's army was approximately a hundred. The fight started, one by one all men of Janāb Ḥusayn's army were martyred, until the time came that only Janāb Ḥusayn and his son who is known as Zaynul ʿĀbidīn was left who was sick. They [the Shimar's army] did not say or do anything with the sick one. If they had to stop water supply from the children then they would have martyred this sick kid too — we ask Allāh's refuge — but they said nothing to him. And then when only Janāb Ḥusayn was left, no one dared to touch Janāb Ḥusayn. Shimar scolded his army and asked them to go ahead and end the matter. And then, some people say that it was the bad destined Shimar who martyred Janāb Ḥusayn and some say it was Sinān b. Anas al-Nakhʿī who martyred him, anyways, Janāb Ḥusayn was martyred unjustly.

Indeed to Allāh we belong and to Him we return.

My brothers, Janāb Ḥusayn is a martyr, was oppressed, is a leader of youth in Jannah, from Āl al-Bayt, and as I have said before too that his love is settled in our hearts and is a part of our īmān. But a few questions arise here, 1) Who is the killer of Janāb Ḥusayn? Is Yazīd the killer of Janāb Ḥusayn? My brother, Imām Ibn Kathīr and Abū Ḥāmid Ghazālī — Ghazālī's name you probably have listened — they both write that it is proven from no authentic chain of narration that Yazīd ordered to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn. Yazīd did send Ibn Ziyād to rectify the situation and to not let any new rulership be established there, but to order to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn, this never happened. And when Janāb Ḥusayn's head was put in front of Ibn Ziyād, he; the bad destined, would touch Janāb Ḥusayn's face with a stick, there one Ṣaḥābī was present who said that this is that face on this Nabī kissed in front of me. So this impertinent was Ibn Ziyād. To say that this head [of Janāb Ḥusayn] was sent to Shām is totally wrong, Janāb Ḥusayn was buried in Kūfah along with his head. And to say that the women who were with Janāb Ḥusayn went to Shām and Yazīd raped them, is also absolutely wrong. Rather, these women were highly respected and Yazīd showed much grief to them and said that if I would be in place of the bad destined Ibn Ziyād, I would never martyr Janāb Ḥusayn.

Yazīd said he would never martyr Janāb Ḥusayn. So. he showed sadness on this martyrdom and anger [on Ibn Ziyād]. I am not justifying Yazīd, no doubt many other ways and solutions, and many alternatives could have been adopted, but only that much blame should be put on Yazīd the much as he deserves. He has never explicitly ordered to martyr Janāb Ḥusayn, that being said no doubt in comparison to Janāb Ḥusayn, Yazīd is nothing, not even equal to a dust of Janāb Ḥusayn's feet.