Imam Hussain and the Battle of Karbala...!

My dear Steemians

Today I will give a brief introduction of Hussain and the tragic battle of Karbala. As the month of Muharram is here and I feel that most people are unaware of the incident happened in Karbala.

Edward Gibbon (English historian and member of parliament) said,

In a distant age and climate the tragic scene of the death of Hussain will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.

Hussain (Ra)The Martyr of Martyrs was a blessed grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad(PBUH), and son of Ali(Ra) the Fourth Caliph of Islam, and Muhammad's daughter, Fatimah(Ra), and brother of Hasan(Ra). He is a very important figure in Islam as he was a member of the Prophet Muhammad's family.

There was a peace treaty signed between Hasan and Muawiyah called "Hasan–Muawiya treaty", where it was mentioned that the latter should not designate anyone as his successor after his death. But after the death of Hasan, Muawiyah, considering that no one would be courageous enough to object to his decision, declared his son Yazid as his successor in 680 AD, breaking the treaty.

Hussain did not accept the request of Muawiyah for the succession of his son "Yazid" and considered this action a breach of the Hasan–Muawiya treaty. Yazid had been appointed as new Caliph by Muawiyah(Yazid's father), but Hussain did not give allegiance to Yazid because Yazid was a corrupt, oppressive, unjust and religiously misguided person. As a consequence of this breach, Hussain left Medina and took refuge in Mecca(trying to keep aloof from political involvement).

The people of Kufa City sent letters to Hussain and asked his help and pledged their allegiance to him. Hussain took a stand against Yazid’s illegitimate rule. As Hussain traveled towards Kufa City, at a nearby place known as Karbala(present-day Iraq), his caravan was intercepted by Yazid's army led by Al-Hurr, who blocked them from going towards Kufa and instead forcibly diverted them towards the desert town of Karbala and surrounded them there and blocked their access to the water supply.

The opposing forces of thirty thousand soldiers, which vastly outnumbered Hussain’s small tribe of seventy-two men and their families, were under strict orders not to leave. Yazid had sent orders that Hussain was not to be allowed to leave Karbala until he had taken an oath of allegiance.

Hussain said,

I will never give Yazid my hand like a man who has been humiliated, nor will I flee like a slave. I have not risen to spread evil or to show off. I only desire to enjoin good values and prevent evil.

Hussain was killed mercilessly and beheaded in the Battle of Karbala on 10 October 680 AD(10th of Muḥarram,مُـحَـرَّم‎ 61 AH) by Shimr, along with most of his family members and companions dead, including the women and children. Some were taken as prisoners (captive). Yet they died holding on firmly to their principles. The dead are widely regarded, admired and respected as martyrs by Muslims.

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Hussain's shrine in the city of Karbala, Iraq.

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Pilgrims from all over the world visit the Imam Hussain shrine to pay their respects in the city of Karbala, Iraq. It is one of the largest peaceful gatherings all over the world.

The annual memorial and commemorated for Hussain and his family and companions is the first month of the Islamic calendar, Muharram(مُـحَـرَّم), and the day he was martyred is the Ashura (10th Muharram, a day of mourning for Muslims). Today people pay homage to Hussain and annually mourn the tragic Battle of Karbala. His action at Karbala fueled the later Islamic movements. Hussain's suffering and death is a great symbol of sacrifice, courage and a struggle for right against wrong, and for the justice and truth against corrupt, unjust and falsehood. Hussain is a perfect example, that one man can stand alone against an army of thousands.

Holy Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) loved their grandsons like their own children as none amongst the male progeny of the Holy Prophet(PBUH) lived to adulthood and he himself said,

Every mother's children are associated with their father except for the children of Fatimah for I am their father and lineage. Thus descendants of Fatimah are descendants of Muhammad and part of his family(Bayt).

In another saying,

Whoever loves them loves me and whoever bears a grudge against them bears a grudge against me. Hussain is mine and I am Hussain’s. Whoever loves Hussain will be loved by Allah(God).

The Holy Prophet(PBUH) especially prayed for his grandchildren

O Allah(God), I love both of them, Thou, too, love them similarly.

Nelson Mandela said,

I had spent more than 20 years in prison, then on one night, I decided to surrender by signing all the terms and conditions of government. But suddenly I thought about Imam Hussain and Karbala movement, which give me strenght to stand for the right of freedom and liberation and I did.

Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Nation - India) said,

My faith is that the progress of Islam does not depend on the use of sword by its believers, but the result of the supreme sacrifice of Hussain(Ra). I learned from Hussain how to attain victory while being oppressed. If India wants to be a successful country, it must follow in the footsteps of Hussain(Ra).

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister) said,

Imam Hussain's sacrifice is for all groups and communities, an example of the path of righteousness.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad said,

The sacrifice of Hussain is not limited to one country or nation, but it is hereditary state of the brotherhood of all mankind.

Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar (Pioneer of the Khilafat Movement) said,

In the murder of Hussain, lies the death of Yazid, for Islam resurrects after every Karbala.

We should all follow his lesson of following right path, help others and stand against evil.