am not rising (against Yazid) as an insolent or an arrogant person, or a mischief-monger or tyrant. I have risen (against Yazid) as I seek to reform the Ummah of my grandfather. I wish to bid the good and forbid the evil." [4]
Hussain (A) was killed on the battlefield as he did Sajdah. His head was removed from his body on the plains of Kerbala, mounted on a spear, and paraded through villages and towns as it was taken to Damascus and presented at the feet of Yazid.
Why remember Ashura ?
Why is Husain (A) regarded as the "leader of the martyrs" ? It is because he was not just the victim of an ambitious ruler. There is no doubt that the tragedy of Kerbala, when ascribed to the killers, is a criminal and terrible act. However when ascribed to Husain (A) himself, it represents a conscious confrontation and a courageous resistance for a sacred cause. The whole nation had failed to stand up to Yazid. They had succumbed to his will, and deviation and regression towards the pre-Islamic ways were increasing.
Passiveness by Husain (A) in this situation would have meant the end of Islam as we know it. Thus Husain (A) took upon himself the responsibility of the whole nation. The greatest tragedy was that one who stood up for the noblest of causes, the defence of Islam, was cut down in so cruel a manner.
It is for this reason that the sacrifice of Husain (A) is commemorated annually throughout the Muslim world. Our sorrow never abates as we relive the tragedy. As Allama Iqbal says in his Baqiyat (in Urdu):
Ronay wala hoon Shaheed-e-Kerbala key gham men main,
Kya durey maqsad na dengey Saqiye Kausar mujhey
I am one who weeps at the plight of the Martyr of Kerbala
Won't the reward be given to me by the Keeper of Kauser (Imam Ali (A))
The commemoration of Ashura on the 10th of Muharram every year serves to remind us of the sacrifices of the family of the Prophet (S). It also makes us aware of the people, then and now, who tried to destroy Islam and the family of the Prophet (S) and all that they stood for - as well as those who watched, listened and did nothing.
References:
[1] Ibn Majah: Sunan, Hadith 144.
[2] Ibn Jarir: Tarikhu'l Umam wa'l Muluk, vol.13, p.2174.
[3] Sayyid ibn Ta'us: Maqtalu'l Husain, pp.10-11
[4] Al-Khatid al-Khuwarazmi: Maqtalu'l Husain ,vol.1, p.88.
1. The grave of Imam Hussain (A)
2. The grave of Abbas (A)
3. Habib bin Mazahir - Left Flank
4. Bani Hashim - Centre of Army
5. Zuhair bin Qayn - Right Flank
6. The tents of Ahlul-bayt (A)
7. The place of Hur bin Yazid al-Riyahi
8. The grave of Hur bin Yazid al-Riyahi
9. The road Kerbala - Kufa - Damascus
10. The Village of Ghadhiriyya
11. Bridge leading to Kufa
12. The hillock of Zainabiyya
13. The well dug by Abbas (A)
14. The trench surrounding the camp
15-19. The army of 'Umr bin Sa'd
20-28. The reserves of the army of Yazid
29. Shimr bin Dhil Jawshan with his army
30. The tent of (the accursed) Shimr
31. Hajjar bin Abjad with a large army
32. The tent of 'Umr bin Sa'd
33. The River Euphrates
Tale of Hussain's Martyrdom
Contents
Translators Note
Foreword
Introduction
Part 1 - Deliberation and Preparation
Part 2 - The Arena (The desert of Kerbala, Iraq)
Part 3 - Meeting the Enemy
Part 4 - Hussain, the Grandson of the Prophet (S)
Part 5 - Warning to the People of Kufa
Part 6 - Water is Denied
Part 7 - Hussain's Sermon
Part 8 - Al-Hur bin Yazid seeks Forgiveness
Part 9 - Is there any amongst Man to help us ?
Part 10 - The Martyrs Die - One by One
Part 11 - The Martyrdom of Ali al-Akbar
Part 12 - The Campaign of the Abi Talibs
Part 13 - The Killing of Al-Abbas and his Brothers
Part 14 - Abbas - the Lion Roars
Part 15 - The Infant Martyr
Part 16 - Imam Hussain in the Battlefield
Part 17 - Surrounded by the enemies of Islam
Part 18 - Hussain is killed on the Plains of Kerbala
Part 19 -
Hussain (A) was killed on the battlefield as he did Sajdah. His head was removed from his body on the plains of Kerbala, mounted on a spear, and paraded through villages and towns as it was taken to Damascus and presented at the feet of Yazid.
Why remember Ashura ?
Why is Husain (A) regarded as the "leader of the martyrs" ? It is because he was not just the victim of an ambitious ruler. There is no doubt that the tragedy of Kerbala, when ascribed to the killers, is a criminal and terrible act. However when ascribed to Husain (A) himself, it represents a conscious confrontation and a courageous resistance for a sacred cause. The whole nation had failed to stand up to Yazid. They had succumbed to his will, and deviation and regression towards the pre-Islamic ways were increasing.
Passiveness by Husain (A) in this situation would have meant the end of Islam as we know it. Thus Husain (A) took upon himself the responsibility of the whole nation. The greatest tragedy was that one who stood up for the noblest of causes, the defence of Islam, was cut down in so cruel a manner.
It is for this reason that the sacrifice of Husain (A) is commemorated annually throughout the Muslim world. Our sorrow never abates as we relive the tragedy. As Allama Iqbal says in his Baqiyat (in Urdu):
Ronay wala hoon Shaheed-e-Kerbala key gham men main,
Kya durey maqsad na dengey Saqiye Kausar mujhey
I am one who weeps at the plight of the Martyr of Kerbala
Won't the reward be given to me by the Keeper of Kauser (Imam Ali (A))
The commemoration of Ashura on the 10th of Muharram every year serves to remind us of the sacrifices of the family of the Prophet (S). It also makes us aware of the people, then and now, who tried to destroy Islam and the family of the Prophet (S) and all that they stood for - as well as those who watched, listened and did nothing.
References:
[1] Ibn Majah: Sunan, Hadith 144.
[2] Ibn Jarir: Tarikhu'l Umam wa'l Muluk, vol.13, p.2174.
[3] Sayyid ibn Ta'us: Maqtalu'l Husain, pp.10-11
[4] Al-Khatid al-Khuwarazmi: Maqtalu'l Husain ,vol.1, p.88.
1. The grave of Imam Hussain (A)
2. The grave of Abbas (A)
3. Habib bin Mazahir - Left Flank
4. Bani Hashim - Centre of Army
5. Zuhair bin Qayn - Right Flank
6. The tents of Ahlul-bayt (A)
7. The place of Hur bin Yazid al-Riyahi
8. The grave of Hur bin Yazid al-Riyahi
9. The road Kerbala - Kufa - Damascus
10. The Village of Ghadhiriyya
11. Bridge leading to Kufa
12. The hillock of Zainabiyya
13. The well dug by Abbas (A)
14. The trench surrounding the camp
15-19. The army of 'Umr bin Sa'd
20-28. The reserves of the army of Yazid
29. Shimr bin Dhil Jawshan with his army
30. The tent of (the accursed) Shimr
31. Hajjar bin Abjad with a large army
32. The tent of 'Umr bin Sa'd
33. The River Euphrates
Tale of Hussain's Martyrdom
Contents
Translators Note
Foreword
Introduction
Part 1 - Deliberation and Preparation
Part 2 - The Arena (The desert of Kerbala, Iraq)
Part 3 - Meeting the Enemy
Part 4 - Hussain, the Grandson of the Prophet (S)
Part 5 - Warning to the People of Kufa
Part 6 - Water is Denied
Part 7 - Hussain's Sermon
Part 8 - Al-Hur bin Yazid seeks Forgiveness
Part 9 - Is there any amongst Man to help us ?
Part 10 - The Martyrs Die - One by One
Part 11 - The Martyrdom of Ali al-Akbar
Part 12 - The Campaign of the Abi Talibs
Part 13 - The Killing of Al-Abbas and his Brothers
Part 14 - Abbas - the Lion Roars
Part 15 - The Infant Martyr
Part 16 - Imam Hussain in the Battlefield
Part 17 - Surrounded by the enemies of Islam
Part 18 - Hussain is killed on the Plains of Kerbala
Part 19 -
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