What Happened in Karbalāʾ with Imam Hussain (AS)?
In 61 AH (680 CE), the desert of Karbalāʾ witnessed a defining moment in Islamic history. Imam Hussain (AS), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, refused to give allegiance to Yazid ibn Muʿāwiyah, a ruler whose corruption and oppression threatened the very foundations of Islam. To submit would have meant legitimising tyranny, so Imam Hussain (AS) declared:
Arabic: «مِثْلِي لَا يُبَايِعُ مِثْلَهُ»
Transliteration: Mithlī lā yubāyiʿu mithlahu
English: “A man like me can never give allegiance to a man like him.”
Answering calls of support from Kūfah, Imam Hussain (AS) left Madinah with his family and a small group of loyal companions. But Yazid’s governor in Kūfah, ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād, dispatched troops to block his path and forced him to camp at Karbalāʾ. The Umayyad army, commanded by ʿUmar ibn Saʿd, besieged Imam Hussain (AS) and denied him and his family access to water from the Euphrates.
For several days, Imam Hussain (AS), his household, and his seventy-two companions endured thirst and exhaustion under the scorching sun. On the 10th of Muḥarram (ʿĀshūrāʾ), the battle erupted. One by one his companions and family were martyred — including his sons, brothers, and even his infant son, ʿAli al-Asghar (AS). Ultimately, Imam Hussain (AS) himself was struck down after a day of fierce resistance. According to early reports, he was killed by Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan, acting under the orders of ʿUmar ibn Saʿd and Ibn Ziyād, representing Yazid’s regime.
Though Yazid sat far away in Damascus, his command chain was clear: Ibn Ziyād gave the orders, ʿUmar ibn Saʿd commanded the field, and Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan delivered or directed the final act.
After the massacre, Lady Zaynab (SA) and the surviving family of the Prophet ﷺ were taken captive and paraded to Kūfah and Damascus. If Karbalāʾ was written in blood by Imam Hussain (AS), it was preserved in words by Lady Zaynab (SA). Through her fearless speeches, she exposed the crimes of the Umayyads, declaring: “By Allah, you will never erase our remembrance.” Her courage ensured that the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (AS) became an enduring legacy.
Thus, Karbalāʾ was not a battle for power but a stand of faith against tyranny. The martyrdom of Imam Hussain (AS) remains the eternal symbol of truth over falsehood, justice over injustice, and dignity over oppression — a message that continues to inspire Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Evidence
Qur’anic Verse on Martyrdom
Arabic: «وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ الَّذِينَ قُتِلُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَمْوَاتًا بَلْ أَحْيَاءٌ عِندَ رَبِّهِمْ يُرْزَقُونَ»
Transliteration: Wa-lā taḥsabanna alladhīna qutilū fī sabīli ’llāhi amwātā, bal aḥyāʾun ʿinda rabbihim yurzaqūn
English: “Do not think of those who are slain in the way of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive, with their Lord, receiving provision.”
📖 Reference: Qur’an 3:169
The Prophet’s ﷺ Love for Imam Hussain (AS)
Arabic: «حُسَيْنٌ مِنِّي وَأَنَا مِنْ حُسَيْنٍ، أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ مَنْ أَحَبَّ حُسَيْنًا»
Transliteration: Imam Hussainun minnī wa-anā min Imam Hussain, aḥabba ’llāhu man aḥabba Imam Hussainā
English: “Imam Hussain is from me, and I am from Imam Hussain. Allah loves whoever loves Imam Hussain.”
📖 Reference: Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3775 (ḥasan ṣaḥīḥ); Sunan Ibn Mājah 144; Musnad Aḥmad (#17597/#17795)
Arabic: «مَنْ أَحَبَّ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ فَقَدْ أَحَبَّنِي، وَمَنْ أَبْغَضَهُمَا فَقَدْ أَبْغَضَنِي»
Transliteration: Man aḥabba al-Ḥasan wa’l-Hussain faqad aḥabbanī, wa man abghaḍahumā faqad abghaḍanī
English: “Whoever loves Hasan and Imam Hussain has loved me, and whoever hates them has hated me.”
📖 Reference: Sunan Ibn Mājah 143; Musnad Aḥmad #7876
Prophecy of Karbalāʾ & the Soil of Imam Hussain (AS)
Arabic: «إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ أَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّ هَذَا (الْحُسَيْنَ) يُقْتَلُ بِأَرْضٍ يُقَالُ لَهَا كَرْبَلَاءُ»
Transliteration: Inna Jibrīla akhbaranī anna hādhā (Imam Hussain) yuqtalu bi-arḍin yuqālu lahā Karbalāʾ
English: “Indeed, Jibrīl informed me that this Imam Hussain will be killed in a land called Karbalāʾ.”
📖 Reference: Musnad Aḥmad (vol. 3 p. 242; vol. 6 p. 294); al-Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr; al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak 4:398
Arabic: «أَخَذَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ تُرْبَةً مِنْ كَرْبَلَاءَ فَشَمَّهَا ثُمَّ بَكَى»
Transliteration: Akhadha Rasūl Allāh ﷺ turbah min Karbalāʾ fashammahā thumma bakā
English: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ took some soil from Karbalāʾ, smelled it, and wept.”
📖 Reference: Musnad Aḥmad (vol. 6 p. 294); al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak 4:398
Lady Zaynab’s (SA) Defiance
Arabic: «فَكِدْ كَيْدَكَ وَاسْعَ سَعْيَكَ وَنَاصِبْ جَهْدَكَ، فَوَاللهِ لَا تَمْحُو ذِكْرَنَا وَلَا تُميتُ وَحْيَنَا»
Transliteration: Fakid kaydak wa’sʿa saʿyak wa nāṣib jahdak, fawa’Llāhi lā tamḥū dhikranā wa lā tumītu waḥyanā
English: “Plot as much as you wish, strive as hard as you can, exert your efforts — by Allah, you will never erase our remembrance, nor will you kill our message.”
📖 Reference: Biḥār al-Anwār 45:135; Ibn Ṭāwūs, al-Luhūf p. 150
Arabic: «أَتَبْكُونَ؟! فَوَاللهِ لَا تَمْحُونَ عَارَهَا إِلَى أَبَدِ الدَّهْرِ»
Transliteration: Atabkūna?! Fawa’Llāhi lā tamḥūna ʿārahā ilā abad al-dahr
English: “Do you weep? By Allah, your shame will never be washed away for eternity.”
📖 Reference: al-Luhūf by Ibn Ṭāwūs, p. 150
Conclusion / Summary
The tragedy of Karbalāʾ was not merely a historical event but a moral stand for truth over tyranny. The Prophet ﷺ’s love for Imam Hussain (AS), his prophecies of Karbalāʾ, and Lady Zaynab’s (SA) fearless defiance ensure that Imam Hussain’s (AS) sacrifice remains at the heart of Islamic identity. For Shia Muslims, Karbalāʾ is the epicentre of faith — symbolising justice, dignity, and resistance against oppression.
Quick FAQ
Q: Who killed Imam Hussain (AS)?
Imam Hussain (AS) was killed at Karbalāʾ by the Umayyad army under the orders of ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād, governor of Kūfah, and commanded by ʿUmar ibn Saʿd. The fatal blow is most often attributed to Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan. (For other narrations and variant reports, see the References note at the end of this article.)
Q: Was Imam Hussain’s (AS) stand political or religious?
It was both — Yazid’s rule corrupted Islam’s moral foundation, so Imam Hussain (AS) stood to protect the dīn.
Q: Did the Prophet ﷺ know about Karbalāʾ?
Yes — multiple narrations show that Jibrīl informed him, and he wept over the soil of Karbalāʾ.
Q: Why do Shia Muslims focus so much on Karbalāʾ?
Because it was the defining moment of truth versus tyranny, with Imam Hussain (AS) sacrificing everything to preserve Islam.
References
- Qur’an 3:169 — Martyrs are alive with their Lord.
- Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3775 — “Imam Hussain is from me and I am from Imam Hussain.”
- Sunan Ibn Mājah 118, 143, 144 — virtues of Imam Hasan and Imam Hussain (AS).
- Musnad Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal — multiple routes: vol. 3 p. 242; vol. 6 p. 294; #7876, #17597, #17795.
- al-Ḥākim, al-Mustadrak — vol. 4, p. 398.
- al-Ṭabarānī, al-Muʿjam al-Kabīr — prophecy of Karbalāʾ.
- al-Ṭabarī (via Abū Mikhnaf) — early Karbalāʾ narrative (72 companions).
- al-Majlisī, Biḥār al-Anwār — vol. 45, p. 135 (Lady Zaynab’s sermon).
- Ibn Ṭāwūs, al-Luhūf — p. 150 (Lady Zaynab’s defiance).
Note on the killing of Imam Hussain (AS):
Early sources differ on who struck the fatal blow. Some reports attribute it to Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan (who also decapitated the body), while others mention Sinān ibn Anas al-Nakhaʿī as the one who pierced Imam Hussain (AS) with a spear. Both are recorded in the Akhbār Abī Mikhnaf tradition preserved by al-Ṭabarī, as well as later historical works. All accounts agree the killing was carried out under Yazid’s authority, through the orders of Ibn Ziyād and the command of ʿUmar ibn Saʿd.