Husayn ibn Ali

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This article is about Imam Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib (625 – 680). For the modern political figure (1852 – 1931), see Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca.
Husayn
Born 3rd Shabaan 4 AH/625 AD
in Madinah
Died 10th Moharram 61 AH/680 AD
Kerbela,Iraq
Spouse Shahrbanu bint Yazdgerd III
Rubab binte Umrao Al Qais
Children Ali ibn Hussein
Ali Akbar ibn Husayn
Ali Asghar ibn Husayn
Sukayna binte Hussein
Fatima Sughra binte Hussein
Parents Ali ibn Abi Talib
Fatimah bint Muhammad

Ḥusayn ibn ‘Alī ibn Abī Ṭālib (حسين بن علي بن أﺑﻲ طالب)‎ (third of Shaban 625, at Medina - tenth of Muharram 680, at Karbala) was the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the son of Ali, the first Imam, and the fourth Caliph, and Muhammad's daughter Fatima Zahra. Hussein ibn Ali is revered as a martyr who fought tyranny, as the third Imam by most Shi’a Muslims[1], and as the second Imam by the majority of Ismaili Shi'a Muslims.[citation needed]

He refused to pledge alligiance to Yazid I, the Umayyad caliph. As a consequence, he was killed by Yazid's army in the Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH).[2] The anniversary of his martyrdom is called Ashura and it is a day of mourning and religious observance for Shi'a Muslims. Revenge for Husayn's death was turned into a rallying cry that helped undermine the Umayyad caliphate and gave impetus to the rise of a powerful Shia movement.[1]

Contents

[edit] Birth and childhood

See also: Ahl al-Bayt and Hadith of the Cloak

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Husayn
Grandson of Muhammad Third Twelver Imam
Second or third Ismaili Imam

Muhammad · Fatimah

Ali · Hasan · Husayn
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According to the most reports, Imam Hussain ibn Ali was born on 5 Sha'aban 4 AH/10 January 626 CE. Another report mentions the middle of Jumada al-awwal 6AH/beginning of October 627 CE as his date of birth. [3]

He and his brother Imam Hassan were the only descendants of Prophet Muhammad who remained alive. Many of the accounts about Prophet Muhammad's treatment of his grandsons and his great love for them deal with them together and at times confuse them.[3] Prophet Muhammad is reported to have said that "whoever loves them [his grandsons] loves me and whoever hates them hates me" and "al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the sayyids of the youth of Paradise". The latter saying has been particularly important for Shias who used it in support of for the right of Muhammad's descendants to the imamate. Prophet Muhammad, according to other traditions, is pictured with his grandsons on his knees, on his shoulders, or even on his back during the prayer at the moment of prostrating himself. [4] According to Madelung, Muhammad loved them and declared them as his Ahl al-Bayt frequently. The Quran has accorded the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet an elevated position above the rest of the faithful.[5]

In addition to these traditions, a number of traditions also involve presence of angels. From a Muslim point of view, these traditions do not create any problem but to non-Muslims they as appear legends created under the Shi'i influence.[4]

[edit] The Incident of Mubahala

Main articles: Mubahala and Hadith of Mubahela

According to hadith collections, it is narrated that during the 9th - 10th year after hijra an Arab Christian envoy from Najran (currently in northern Yemen and partly in Saudi Arabia) came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning Jesus.[6] After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's creation[7], Muhammad called them to Mubahala (Cursing), where each party should ask God to destroy the lying party and their families. Muhammad, to prove to them that he is a prophet, brought his daughter Syedda Fatimah(Taiba,Tahira) and his surviving grandchildren,Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain ibn Ali, and Ali ibn Abi Talib and came back to the Christians and said this is my family (Ahl al-Bayt) and covered himself and his family with a cloak.[8] The Christian envoy, the traditions add, declined to take part in Mubahala and chose instead to pay tribute.

[edit] Husayn and caliphate

In Islamic heritage, we notice that successorship of a prophet had always been by explicit declaration by the prophet himself, like Aaron was declared the successor of Moses, by none other than Moses. Also, the successors to most of the prophets of semitic religions had been from the bloodline of the prophets. This was a tradition firmly established as the will of God. And this was perhaps, the most logical cause of confusion as to who should lead the Muslims after the demise of their prophet. However, discarding the tradition of successorship, a caliph was elected by highly regarded political figures of the earliest Muslim community.

This led to a feeling among some Muslims that Ali, Husayn's father was, by implication of the Islamic tradition, rightful successor of the prophet and was denied his right. This belief was reinforced by the incident of Ghadir Khumm. However, Ali maintained that although a right of the successor, leadership of the Muslim state was not to be perceived as successorship to the prophet since Islam was meant to be faith and not state. Thus, he stood firm as the bearer of Imamate while not the bearer of caliphate nor did he pledge his allegiance to his predecessors. In 656, when Uthman, the third caliph was killed by a revolting mob, all those who rejected Ali's claim earlier, came to him and pleaded of him to take up the position of the head of the temporal state. He was a caliph for four years and four months only, during this short period he faced continual challenges from the group of Muawiyah and other contenders. In 661 Ali was assassinated by Ibn Muljim, in the mosque of Kufa.

Ali's followers, Shia, proclaimed that his eldest son Hassan, who was the successor to Ali's Imamate should be the caliph and the Islamic tradition must not be discarded again. Muawiyah had fought Ali for the leadership of the empire and now prepared to fight Hassan. After a few inconclusive skirmishes between the armies of Hassan and Muawiyah, Hassan reminded his followers of Ali's position that Imamate is sufficient for successorship of the prophet and that leading the Muslim state was not a criterion. Thus, to avoid agonies of another civil war, he signed a treaty with Muawiyah and relinquished the control of what had turned into an Arabian kingdom; while not having pledged his allegiance to Muawiyah. Even after taking such a stance, Hassan was poisoned and killed in 669 by Muawiyah. This left Husayn as the head of the Alids, the successor to Hassan's Imamate.

[edit] Muawiyah era

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See also: Muawiyah I and Umayyad

Part of a series on
Shi'a Islam
Ahl al-Kisa

Ahl al-Kisa
Muhammad
Ali · Fatimah
Hasan · Husayn
The Four Companions

The Four Companions
Salman al-Farsi
Miqdad ibn Aswad
Abu Dharr al-Ghifari
Ammar ibn Yasir
Beliefs & Practices

Succession of Ali
Imamate of the Family
Mourning of Muharram
Light of Aql · Ismah
Tawassul
Views

The Qur'an · Sahaba
Mu'awiya I
Abu Bakr · Umar
History

History of Shia Islam
Ghadir Khumm
First Fitna · Second Fitna
The Battle of Karbala
Holy Days

Eid ul-Fitr · Eid al-Adha
Eid al-Ghadeer
Ashura · Arba'een
Mawlid · Al-Mubahila
Branches

Twelver · Ismaili · Zaidi
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When Imam Hassan ibn Ali agreed to a peace treaty with Muawiyah I, the first Umayyad caliph, he left Kufa and went to Medina with his brother Imam Husayn. [9] Imam Husayn stayed in Madina until Muawiyah died in 680.

He 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 Umayyad government had gained complete authority and power. Secondly, Mu'awiyah 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 lovers of Imam Ali and his sons and thus obliterate the name of Ali and his family.[10] Muawiyah I ordered for public curses of ' Ali and his major supporters including Imam Husayn and his brother.[3]

According to Shia and Sunni belief Imam Husayn became the third Imam for a period of ten years after death of his brother Imam Hassan in 669. All of this time but the last six months coinciding with the caliphate of Mu'awiyah.[11]On his way toward Kufa, Husayn encountered the army of Ubayd-Allah ibn Ziyad, the governor of Kufa, which was led by Hurr. When he clashed with them he quoted[citation needed]:

"... Don't you see that the truth is not put into action and the false is not prohibited? The believer has got to be fond of meeting his God justly. So I do not consider the death but blessedness and living with the oppressors other than abjectness."

Part of his speech on Ashura[citation needed]:

"... Lo and behold; an ignoble (i.e ibn Ziyad), son of other ignoble (i.e. Ziyad ibn Abihi), has entangled me in a bifurcation, between either unsheathing the swords or accepting abjectness. And far be it that we accept abjectness. Allah abominates that for us, plus his proph­et, believers, the chaste pure gentlewomen, those who do not accept oppression as well as the souls who do not submit to meanness abominate it. They disapprove that we prefer obedience of scrooges to the best sites of murder. Beware; I assault you together with this family while they are few and when the helpers deserted. ... "

On October 10 680(Muharram 10, 61 AH), he and his small group of companions and family members, who were between 108 and 136 men of Husayn ibn Ali (the grandson of Muhammad). [12][13], fought with a large army of perhaps 4,000 men under the command of Umar ibn Sa'ad, son of the founder of Kufah. Husayn and all of his men were killed. The bodies of the dead, including that of Husayn, were then mutilated.[14]

Today, the death of Hussein ibn Ali is commemorated during every Muharram, with the most important of these days being its tenth day, Ashura.

[edit] Burial

Husayn's body is said to have been buried in Karbala, near the site of his death. Most accounts say that his head was later retrieved and interred with his body. The Imam Hussein Shrine was later built over his grave; it is now a holy site of pilgrimage for Shia Muslims.

[edit] Commemoration of Hussein ibn Ali

Main article: Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali

Husayn's body is said to have been buried in Karbala, near the site of his death. The Imam Hussein Shrine was later built over his grave; it is now a holy site of pilgrimage for all Muslims.

[edit] Shi'a views of Hussein

Shi'ahs regard Hussein as an Imam (lord of the spiritual kingdom) and a martyr.He is believed to be the third imam. He set out on his path in order to save Islam and the Ummah from annihilation at the hands of Yazid. According to Shi'a belief he was a willing sacrifice to religious necessity, and Shi'as view Hussein as an exemplar of courage and resistance against tyranny. Ashura, a day of mourning and self-reflection, is held in honor of his suffering.

As a reward for Hussein's suffering, he will be allowed to intercede for the faithful on the day of judgment.[15]

The saying, "Every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala," is a reminder to live one's life as Hussein did on Ashura, with total sacrifice to Allah and for others. This saying also signifies "We must always remember, because there is suffering everywhere".

[edit] See also

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b "al-Hussein ibn 'Ali". Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved on 2007-10-12. 
  2. ^ Gordon, 2005, pp. 144-146
  3. ^ a b c Madelung, Wilferd "HOSAYN B. ALI". Iranica. Retrieved on 2008-01-12. 
  4. ^ a b L. Veccia Vaglieri, (al-) Hussain b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib, Encyclopedia of Islam
  5. ^ Madelung (1997), pp. 14-16
  6. ^ Qur'an 3:61
  7. ^ Qur'an 3:59
  8. ^ See:* Sahih Muslim, Chapter of virtues of companions, section of virtues of Ali, 1980 Edition Pub. in Saudi Arabia, Arabic version, v4, p1871, the end of tradition #32
    • Sahih al-Tirmidhi, v5, p654
    • Madelung, 1997, pp. 15 and 16
  9. ^ Madelung (1997), p0. 324 and 325
  10. ^ Tabatabaei, (1979), p.196
  11. ^ Tabatabaei, (1979), p.196</ref

    [edit] The significance of Husayn's allegiance

    Muawiyah chose to proclaim his son Yazid as the heir to his throne, and the alleged leader of the Muslim state. Yazid realized that unless Husayn, the grandson of the prophet and the legitimate successor to Hassan, submits to his command, his caliphate would not be deemed legitimate due to the clause in Hassan's treaty with Muawiyah which forbade Muawiyah from appointing a successor to himself. Thus, he tried several times to force Husayn into pledging allegiance to him.

    Yazid had claimed that Islam was no more than a game of the Hashimites to attain temporal power and in the face of such a claim, had the grandson of the prophet of Islam submitted to Yazid, it would conclusively affirm Yazid's position about genuineness of Islam.

    [edit] Leaving Medina

    In order to avoid being forced to submit, Husayn left Madina for Mecca. It is to be noted that Husayn had sufficient supporters in Hijaz whom he could easily mobilize, but did not.

    The people of Kufa had sent several letters to Husayn, inviting him to fill the void left by demise of Hassan and to lead them in religious affairs. Yazid, who was already paranoid, perceived this a danger to his throne. He plotted to kill the grandson of the prophet during the Hajj, in the precincts of the Holy Kaaba, thus defiling and desecrating it.

    In order to avoid this sacrilege, Husayn took along his wifes, children, a few friends and relatives and headed towards Kufa to fulfill the responsibility of the bearer of Imamate and to fulfill his destiny as was prophesied by his grandfather, Mohammad.

    On his way, he was offered military support by the tribe of Banu Tayy as well as sanctuary in their hills from where he could (if he wanted to) safely lead a revolt and overthrow Yazid. But Husayn refused the offer and continued his journey with his few companions.

    It thus becomes clear that the objective of Husayn's campaign was not caliphate. It was the honor of prophet Mohammad which he stood for.

    [edit] Battle of Karbala

    The Shrine of Imam Hussain ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq
    The Shrine of Imam Hussain ibn Ali in Karbala, Iraq
    Main article: Battle of Karbala

    At the Battle of Karbala it is recorded that seventy two people were martyred. <ref>http://www.al-islam.org/short/sorrows/names.htm</li> <li id="cite_note-11">'''[[#cite_ref-11|^]]''' [http://www.porsojoo.com/en/node/70869 در روز عاشورا چند نفر شهید شدند؟]</li> <li id="cite_note-12">'''[[#cite_ref-12|^]]''' [http://www.velaiat.com/shshow.asp?rsabs=43&id=kash فهرست اسامي شهداي كربلا]</li> <li id="cite_note-Battle_of_Karbala-13">'''[[#cite_ref-Battle_of_Karbala_13-0|^]]''' {{cite encyclopedia | title=Battle of Karbala | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica Online | accessdate=2007-10-13|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9044710/Battle-of-Karbala}}</li> <li id="cite_note-14">'''[[#cite_ref-14|^]]''' Margaretha T. Heemskerk, ''Suffering'', Encyclopedia of the Qur'an </li></ol></ref>

    [edit] References

    Books
    Encyclopedia

    [edit] External links

    See the articles and books of Battle of Karbala, Day of Ashura, Mourning of Muharram and Maqtal Al-Husayn in the relevant articles.

    Preceded by
    Hasan ibn Ali    		 Twelver-Zaidi-Mustaali Imam
    669–680    		 Succeeded by
    Ali ibn Hussein
    Preceded by
    Hasan ibn Ali    		 Nizari Ismaili Imam
    669–680
    v • d • e
    List of the List of casualties at the Battle of Karbala

    Imam Husayn | al-Abbas ibn Ali | Ali Akbar ibn Husayn | Ali Asghar ibn Husayn | Qasim ibn Hassan | Abd-Allah ibn Hassan | Uthman ibn Ali | Abdullah ibn Ali | Jafar ibn Ali | Qasim ibn al-Abbas | Al-Fadl ibn al-Abbas | Muhammad ibn Abdullah | Aun bin Abd-Allah | Habib ibn Muzahir | Zuhayr ibn Qayn | Muslim ibn Ausaja | Nafey ibn Halal Jamali | Hajjaj ibn Masrooq | Borair ibn Khozair | Hurr