Basicofislam
sister
:salam2: KARBALA
UNMASKING THE OTHER VILLAINS
Retelling the tragedy of Karbala has traditionally been an important feature of Shi’i spirituality. The passion plays of Iran and the Indian subcontinent, the literature, both prose and poetry, composed upon the subject of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and the general atmosphere of mourning that reigns amongst the Shi’ah during the month of Muharram, all bear eloquent testimony to the importance of that event in the Shi’i calendar. To the Shi’ah, Ashura is probably the most important day of the year.
However, it is regrettable that despite the huge amount of attention the subject of Karbala enjoys, the event is persistently portrayed as two-sided. It is always depicted as Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu against Yazid, Right rising up against Wrong, the Quest for Justice against the Forces of Oppression. Many an opportunist has even gone to the extent of superimposing upon the event the theme of Shi’ah against Ahl as-Sunnah.
In this partial retelling that concentrates upon what actually happened at Karbala, and conveniently draws attention away from the other guilty party in the Ashura tragedy, lies another tragedy in itself. For while Sayyiduna Husayn’s martyrdom has been oft commemorated, and his physical opponents and killers identified, cursed and eliminated, no one has spared a moment’s anger for those who deserted him at the crucial hour. It is these men in the shadows, who squarely deserve to be called the real villains of karbala, upon whom this article seeks to cast light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was in Ramadan 60AH that the letters from Kufah started to arrive at the house of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdal-Muttalib in Makkah where Husayn ibn ‘Ali radiyallahu 'anhu was staying after his flight from Madinah, letters urging him to lead the Kufans into revolt against Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, and assuring him of their loyalty and allegiance. Mu’awiyah radiyallahu 'anhu died two months earlier, and there was much resentment for his son Yazid for whom the bay’ah was taken as his successor. The people of Kufah especially were looking at Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu for leadership, and soon there was a stream of letters coming in from Kufah. On certain days there would be as many as 600 letters, with messengers who enthusiastically described the support he would receive from the Kufans. Kufah was a unique place, and the Kufans a peculiar people. In 37AH Sayyiduna ‘Ali Radiyallaahu ‘anhu shifted his capital from Madinah to Kufah, and ever since that city became the home of those who claimed partisanship of the Ahl al-Bayt. After the reconciliation between Hasan radiyallahu 'anhu and Mu’awiyah radiyallahu 'anhu in 41AH many of those who had been in Sayyiduna Hasan’s army settled in Kufah. At the time of Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah’s death in 60AH pro-’Alid sentiments were still to be found in abundance in Kufah. At the time of Mu’awiyah’s death in 60 AH Kufah was still very strongly pro-’Alid. Thus when the opportunity arose the Kufans, who still regarded themselves as the Shi’ah (supporters) of the Ahl al-Bayt turned to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu to lead them against Yazid.
18 000 PLEDGE SUPPORT
Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu decided to send his cousin Muslim ibn ‘Aqil to investigate the situation in Kufah. If he found it feasible he would write to inform Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, who would depart with his family from Makkah to join him in Kufah. Muslim arrived in Dhul Qa’dah. The Kufans, when they learnt of his arrival, presented themselves at the residence of Muslim ibn ‘Awsajah al-Asadi where he was staying. Soon there were 12 000 Kufans who had given their solemn pledge to support and protect Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu with their lives and all they possessed. When this number rose to 18 000 Muslim felt confident enough to dispatch a messenger to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu informing him of the bay’ah of the Kufans, and urging him to proceed from Makkah.
YAZID ORDERS KILLING
Rumours of what was happening in Kufah soon reached Yazid in Damascus. He immediately replaced Nu’man ibn Bashir, the governor of Kufah, with the ruthless ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad with orders to find Muslim ibn ‘Aqil and kill him. Ibn Ziyad entered Kufah early in Dhul Hijjah, accompanied by seventeen men on horseback. With the end of his turban drawn over his face he was unrecognisable, and the people of Kufah, who were expecting Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, mistook him for Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. "Peace upon you, O son of Rasulullah," they hailed him. Thus it was that Ibn Ziyad learnt the truth of the rumours. It was only when one of his mounted men shouted at them, "Stand back! This is the governor ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad!" that the Kufans realised the seriousness of their blunder.
Soon after reaching the governor’s residence ‘Ubaydullah sent a servant of his own with a bag containing 3000 dirhams to pose as a newcomer from the Syrian town of Hims eager to join the imminent revolution, and thereby discover the whereabouts of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. He located Muslim in the house of Hani ibn ‘Urwah, and took the pledge of allegiance at his hands. The money he handed over to Abu Thumamah al-’Amiri who was acting as Muslim’s treasurer. After staying with them for a few days, during which he learnt most of what there was to know about their intrigue, he returned to Ibn Ziyad and informed him. Hani ibn ‘Urwah was arrested. At first he denied all knowledge of Muslim’s whereabouts, but when the "newcomer from Hims" was brought before him he confessed. But he still refused to reveal where Muslim ibn ‘Aqil was.
ALL ALONE
In the meantime Muslim came to hear about the arrest of Hani ibn ‘Urwah. Realising that the hour for a decisive encounter had arrived, he raised his battle cry ‘Ya Mansur", at which 4000 of the men who had given him their oath of allegiance and loyalty to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu gathered around him and proceeded towards the governor’s fort. When he saw Muslim ibn ‘Aqil with the Kufans at his gate, ‘Ubaydullah sent some of the tribal leaders of Kufah to speak with their people and draw them away from Muslim and warn them of the wrath that would descend upon them when the armies from Damascus arrived. Soon Muslim’s army was upon by mothers telling their sons, "Come home, there are enough other people here," and fathers ominously warning their sons, "What will happen tomorrow when the Syrian armies start arriving from Damascus? What will you do?" The resolve of the men who had taken a sacred oath to support and defend the cause of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and the Ahl al-Bayt against Yazid and his Syrian armies, the men upon the strength of whose oaths of allegiance and loyalty Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was at that very moment making his way to Kufah with his nearest and dearest, the resolve of those men of Kufah could not hold in the face of such threats and discouragement. One by one they deserted Muslim ibn ‘Aqil under the gates of the governor’s fort. At sunset he was left with only 30 men. He led them in Maghrib, and then moved away to the doorway of the Kindah quarter of Kufah. He went through that door with no more than 10 men, and before he knew it, he was all on his own in the streets of Kufah. Of all those who had so anxiously and enthusiastically written to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu to come and lead them in revolt against Yazid, and out of the 18 000 men who but days before placed their right hands in his, solemnly pledging allegiance to the cause for which they had invited the grandson of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, not a single one was there to offer Muslim ibn ‘Aqil the solace of their company or refuge from the night.
"KUFAN’S HAVE LIED"
Eventually, parched with thirst, he knocked at a door. The occupant, an old lady, took him in when she learnt that he was Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. She hid him away in her house, but her son, from whom she extracted a promise not to tell anyone of his presence there, waited only till the morning to take the news to the governor’s residence. The next thing Muslim realised was that the house was surrounded. Thrice he managed with his sword to drive the attackers out of the house, but when they started putting fire to the house he was forced to face them outside. It was only when ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ashath, one of those sent to arrest him, promised him the safety of his life, that he lowered his sword. It was a mistake, for they took away his sword and mounted him upon an ass to be taken to Ibn Ziyad. Muslim knew his death was at hand. Tears flowed from his eyes, not at his own fate, but at the thought of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his family travelling through the harsh, merciless desert towards a fate much more harsher and merciless, to an enemy firmly resolved to bring an end to his venture, and to the most treacherous of partisans whose desertion at the hour of need had brought his life to this tragic end. He begged Ibn al-Ash’ath to send someone to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu with the following message: "Ibn ‘Aqil has sent me to you. He says to you: ‘Go back with your family. Do not be deceived by the people of Kufah. They are those same supporters of your father from whom he so dearly wished to part, by death or by being killed. The Kufans have lied to me and have lied to you, and a liar has no sense.’
Later that day - the Day of ‘Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah - Muslim ibn ‘Aqil was taken up to the highest ramparts of the fort. As he was being led up, he recited the tahlil, tasbih, takbir and istighfar. His last words reflect his intense disappointment with the people of Kufah, "O Allah, You be the Judge between us and our people. They deceived us and deserted us." From high upon the ramparts his head fell down in the dust, in full view of those whose invitations and oaths of allegiance had given him so much to hope for, but whose cowardice and treachery had left him with nothing but despair. And Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was on his way...
‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad had entered Kufah with only seventeen men. For each man that came with him there was over a thousand who had taken the oath of allegiance at the hands of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Yet not a single sword was raised in his defence. Not a single voice had the courage to protest his execution. And these were the same men who had been telling Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, "Come, we are with you,"
Upon receipt of Muslim’s letter, Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu started making arrangements to travel to Kufah. He immediately dispatched a messenger, Qays ibn Mus-hir, to inform the Kufans of his imminent arrival. This messenger was captured by ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, who ordered him to mount the walls of the fort and publicly curse Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his father. Instead he praised Sayyiduna ‘Ali and Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhuma, telling them that Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was on his way, and exhorting them to assist him as they had promised. He ended his brief address by imprecating curses upon Ibn Ziyad. Upon the order of Ibn Ziyad he was flung from the ramparts and killed. Despite this impassioned plea, the men of Kufah were unmoved.
"DO NOT GO"
In Makkah, a number of the eminent Sahabah and children of Sahabah tried to dissuade Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu from going to Kufah, and reminded him of the fickleness of the Kufans with both his father and his brother. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, his own brother, Muhammad, and his brother-in-law and cousin, ‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far radiyallahu 'anhum all remonstrated with him and tried to persuade him not to go to Iraq. His mind, however, was made up. He set out from Makkah on the eve of Dhul Hijjah, not knowing of the sad end of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil.
"OUR SHI’A HAVE DESERTED US"
After an arduous journey of almost a month his party reached Iraq. It was there that he first heard of the treachery of the Kufans and the death of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Later he also learnt of the death of Qays ibn Mus-hir. A large number of desert Arabs had by that time attached themselves to his party, thinking that Kufah was already practically his. Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu addressed them saying, "Our Shi’ah have deserted us. Therefore, whoever wants to leave is free to do so." Soon he was left with only those who left Makkah with him. With them he continued towards Kufah.
Meanwhile Kufah was placed under heavy surveillance by Ibn Ziyad. When news of Husayn’s approach reached him, he dispatched a 4000 strong contingent, which was on its way to fight the Daylamites, to stop Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. This contingent was put under the command of ‘Umar ibn Sa’d. There can be little doubt that the Kufans witnessed the departure of this force from Kufah with their own eyes. This would be their last chance to honour the oaths of allegiance to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu which they had taken upon the hands of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. This was the final opportunity to rush to the side of the grandson of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. It was after all their invitations and assurances of support that encouraged him to abandon the safety of Makkah for the precarious battlefields of Iraq. But once again faithfulness, courage and commitment was found lacking in the people of Kufah. Only a handful emerged to join Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu at Karbala.
And when the sun set on the 10th of Muharram, it was too late for the faithless Shi’ah of Kufah to make amends, for the sands of Karbala was stained red with the blood of Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his seventy-one followers.
TAWWAABUN
Four years later the Shi’ah of Kufah attempted to make amends for their desertion of the family of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. There emerged a group of Kufans calling themselves the Tawwabun (Penitents) who made it their duty to wreak vengeance upon the killers of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. On their way to Syria in pursuit of Ibn Ziyad they passed by Karbala, the site of Sayyiduna Husayn’s grave, where they raised a great hue and cry, and spent the night lamenting the tragedy which they allowed to happen four years earlier. Had they only displayed that same spirit of compassion for Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu when he was so much in need of it, the history of Islam might have taken a different course.
If today ‘Ashura will be commemorated as a day of struggle and sacrifice, let it also be remembered as a day of treachery and desertion. When the names of Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, ‘Umar ibn Sa’d and Shamir ibn Dhil Jawshan are mentioned and curses invoked upon their memories, then let us not forget the treachery of the Shi’ah of Kufah. The time has long been due for the Shi’ah to reintroduce into their Ashura ceremonies an aspect that was in fact part of the very first commemoration ceremony of the Tawwabun. That lost aspect is the admission of their own guilt, along with that of Ibn Ziyad, Yazid and others, in the shedding of the holy blood of Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali radiyallahu ‘anhuma
UNMASKING THE OTHER VILLAINS
Retelling the tragedy of Karbala has traditionally been an important feature of Shi’i spirituality. The passion plays of Iran and the Indian subcontinent, the literature, both prose and poetry, composed upon the subject of the martyrdom of Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and the general atmosphere of mourning that reigns amongst the Shi’ah during the month of Muharram, all bear eloquent testimony to the importance of that event in the Shi’i calendar. To the Shi’ah, Ashura is probably the most important day of the year.
However, it is regrettable that despite the huge amount of attention the subject of Karbala enjoys, the event is persistently portrayed as two-sided. It is always depicted as Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu against Yazid, Right rising up against Wrong, the Quest for Justice against the Forces of Oppression. Many an opportunist has even gone to the extent of superimposing upon the event the theme of Shi’ah against Ahl as-Sunnah.
In this partial retelling that concentrates upon what actually happened at Karbala, and conveniently draws attention away from the other guilty party in the Ashura tragedy, lies another tragedy in itself. For while Sayyiduna Husayn’s martyrdom has been oft commemorated, and his physical opponents and killers identified, cursed and eliminated, no one has spared a moment’s anger for those who deserted him at the crucial hour. It is these men in the shadows, who squarely deserve to be called the real villains of karbala, upon whom this article seeks to cast light.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was in Ramadan 60AH that the letters from Kufah started to arrive at the house of ‘Abbas ibn ‘Abdal-Muttalib in Makkah where Husayn ibn ‘Ali radiyallahu 'anhu was staying after his flight from Madinah, letters urging him to lead the Kufans into revolt against Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, and assuring him of their loyalty and allegiance. Mu’awiyah radiyallahu 'anhu died two months earlier, and there was much resentment for his son Yazid for whom the bay’ah was taken as his successor. The people of Kufah especially were looking at Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu for leadership, and soon there was a stream of letters coming in from Kufah. On certain days there would be as many as 600 letters, with messengers who enthusiastically described the support he would receive from the Kufans. Kufah was a unique place, and the Kufans a peculiar people. In 37AH Sayyiduna ‘Ali Radiyallaahu ‘anhu shifted his capital from Madinah to Kufah, and ever since that city became the home of those who claimed partisanship of the Ahl al-Bayt. After the reconciliation between Hasan radiyallahu 'anhu and Mu’awiyah radiyallahu 'anhu in 41AH many of those who had been in Sayyiduna Hasan’s army settled in Kufah. At the time of Sayyiduna Mu’awiyah’s death in 60AH pro-’Alid sentiments were still to be found in abundance in Kufah. At the time of Mu’awiyah’s death in 60 AH Kufah was still very strongly pro-’Alid. Thus when the opportunity arose the Kufans, who still regarded themselves as the Shi’ah (supporters) of the Ahl al-Bayt turned to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu to lead them against Yazid.
18 000 PLEDGE SUPPORT
Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu decided to send his cousin Muslim ibn ‘Aqil to investigate the situation in Kufah. If he found it feasible he would write to inform Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, who would depart with his family from Makkah to join him in Kufah. Muslim arrived in Dhul Qa’dah. The Kufans, when they learnt of his arrival, presented themselves at the residence of Muslim ibn ‘Awsajah al-Asadi where he was staying. Soon there were 12 000 Kufans who had given their solemn pledge to support and protect Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu with their lives and all they possessed. When this number rose to 18 000 Muslim felt confident enough to dispatch a messenger to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu informing him of the bay’ah of the Kufans, and urging him to proceed from Makkah.
YAZID ORDERS KILLING
Rumours of what was happening in Kufah soon reached Yazid in Damascus. He immediately replaced Nu’man ibn Bashir, the governor of Kufah, with the ruthless ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad with orders to find Muslim ibn ‘Aqil and kill him. Ibn Ziyad entered Kufah early in Dhul Hijjah, accompanied by seventeen men on horseback. With the end of his turban drawn over his face he was unrecognisable, and the people of Kufah, who were expecting Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, mistook him for Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. "Peace upon you, O son of Rasulullah," they hailed him. Thus it was that Ibn Ziyad learnt the truth of the rumours. It was only when one of his mounted men shouted at them, "Stand back! This is the governor ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad!" that the Kufans realised the seriousness of their blunder.
Soon after reaching the governor’s residence ‘Ubaydullah sent a servant of his own with a bag containing 3000 dirhams to pose as a newcomer from the Syrian town of Hims eager to join the imminent revolution, and thereby discover the whereabouts of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. He located Muslim in the house of Hani ibn ‘Urwah, and took the pledge of allegiance at his hands. The money he handed over to Abu Thumamah al-’Amiri who was acting as Muslim’s treasurer. After staying with them for a few days, during which he learnt most of what there was to know about their intrigue, he returned to Ibn Ziyad and informed him. Hani ibn ‘Urwah was arrested. At first he denied all knowledge of Muslim’s whereabouts, but when the "newcomer from Hims" was brought before him he confessed. But he still refused to reveal where Muslim ibn ‘Aqil was.
ALL ALONE
In the meantime Muslim came to hear about the arrest of Hani ibn ‘Urwah. Realising that the hour for a decisive encounter had arrived, he raised his battle cry ‘Ya Mansur", at which 4000 of the men who had given him their oath of allegiance and loyalty to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu gathered around him and proceeded towards the governor’s fort. When he saw Muslim ibn ‘Aqil with the Kufans at his gate, ‘Ubaydullah sent some of the tribal leaders of Kufah to speak with their people and draw them away from Muslim and warn them of the wrath that would descend upon them when the armies from Damascus arrived. Soon Muslim’s army was upon by mothers telling their sons, "Come home, there are enough other people here," and fathers ominously warning their sons, "What will happen tomorrow when the Syrian armies start arriving from Damascus? What will you do?" The resolve of the men who had taken a sacred oath to support and defend the cause of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and the Ahl al-Bayt against Yazid and his Syrian armies, the men upon the strength of whose oaths of allegiance and loyalty Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was at that very moment making his way to Kufah with his nearest and dearest, the resolve of those men of Kufah could not hold in the face of such threats and discouragement. One by one they deserted Muslim ibn ‘Aqil under the gates of the governor’s fort. At sunset he was left with only 30 men. He led them in Maghrib, and then moved away to the doorway of the Kindah quarter of Kufah. He went through that door with no more than 10 men, and before he knew it, he was all on his own in the streets of Kufah. Of all those who had so anxiously and enthusiastically written to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu to come and lead them in revolt against Yazid, and out of the 18 000 men who but days before placed their right hands in his, solemnly pledging allegiance to the cause for which they had invited the grandson of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, not a single one was there to offer Muslim ibn ‘Aqil the solace of their company or refuge from the night.
"KUFAN’S HAVE LIED"
Eventually, parched with thirst, he knocked at a door. The occupant, an old lady, took him in when she learnt that he was Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. She hid him away in her house, but her son, from whom she extracted a promise not to tell anyone of his presence there, waited only till the morning to take the news to the governor’s residence. The next thing Muslim realised was that the house was surrounded. Thrice he managed with his sword to drive the attackers out of the house, but when they started putting fire to the house he was forced to face them outside. It was only when ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ashath, one of those sent to arrest him, promised him the safety of his life, that he lowered his sword. It was a mistake, for they took away his sword and mounted him upon an ass to be taken to Ibn Ziyad. Muslim knew his death was at hand. Tears flowed from his eyes, not at his own fate, but at the thought of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his family travelling through the harsh, merciless desert towards a fate much more harsher and merciless, to an enemy firmly resolved to bring an end to his venture, and to the most treacherous of partisans whose desertion at the hour of need had brought his life to this tragic end. He begged Ibn al-Ash’ath to send someone to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu with the following message: "Ibn ‘Aqil has sent me to you. He says to you: ‘Go back with your family. Do not be deceived by the people of Kufah. They are those same supporters of your father from whom he so dearly wished to part, by death or by being killed. The Kufans have lied to me and have lied to you, and a liar has no sense.’
Later that day - the Day of ‘Arafah, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah - Muslim ibn ‘Aqil was taken up to the highest ramparts of the fort. As he was being led up, he recited the tahlil, tasbih, takbir and istighfar. His last words reflect his intense disappointment with the people of Kufah, "O Allah, You be the Judge between us and our people. They deceived us and deserted us." From high upon the ramparts his head fell down in the dust, in full view of those whose invitations and oaths of allegiance had given him so much to hope for, but whose cowardice and treachery had left him with nothing but despair. And Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was on his way...
‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad had entered Kufah with only seventeen men. For each man that came with him there was over a thousand who had taken the oath of allegiance at the hands of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Yet not a single sword was raised in his defence. Not a single voice had the courage to protest his execution. And these were the same men who had been telling Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu, "Come, we are with you,"
Upon receipt of Muslim’s letter, Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu started making arrangements to travel to Kufah. He immediately dispatched a messenger, Qays ibn Mus-hir, to inform the Kufans of his imminent arrival. This messenger was captured by ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, who ordered him to mount the walls of the fort and publicly curse Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his father. Instead he praised Sayyiduna ‘Ali and Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhuma, telling them that Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu was on his way, and exhorting them to assist him as they had promised. He ended his brief address by imprecating curses upon Ibn Ziyad. Upon the order of Ibn Ziyad he was flung from the ramparts and killed. Despite this impassioned plea, the men of Kufah were unmoved.
"DO NOT GO"
In Makkah, a number of the eminent Sahabah and children of Sahabah tried to dissuade Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu from going to Kufah, and reminded him of the fickleness of the Kufans with both his father and his brother. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, his own brother, Muhammad, and his brother-in-law and cousin, ‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far radiyallahu 'anhum all remonstrated with him and tried to persuade him not to go to Iraq. His mind, however, was made up. He set out from Makkah on the eve of Dhul Hijjah, not knowing of the sad end of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil.
"OUR SHI’A HAVE DESERTED US"
After an arduous journey of almost a month his party reached Iraq. It was there that he first heard of the treachery of the Kufans and the death of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Later he also learnt of the death of Qays ibn Mus-hir. A large number of desert Arabs had by that time attached themselves to his party, thinking that Kufah was already practically his. Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu addressed them saying, "Our Shi’ah have deserted us. Therefore, whoever wants to leave is free to do so." Soon he was left with only those who left Makkah with him. With them he continued towards Kufah.
Meanwhile Kufah was placed under heavy surveillance by Ibn Ziyad. When news of Husayn’s approach reached him, he dispatched a 4000 strong contingent, which was on its way to fight the Daylamites, to stop Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. This contingent was put under the command of ‘Umar ibn Sa’d. There can be little doubt that the Kufans witnessed the departure of this force from Kufah with their own eyes. This would be their last chance to honour the oaths of allegiance to Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu which they had taken upon the hands of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. This was the final opportunity to rush to the side of the grandson of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. It was after all their invitations and assurances of support that encouraged him to abandon the safety of Makkah for the precarious battlefields of Iraq. But once again faithfulness, courage and commitment was found lacking in the people of Kufah. Only a handful emerged to join Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu at Karbala.
And when the sun set on the 10th of Muharram, it was too late for the faithless Shi’ah of Kufah to make amends, for the sands of Karbala was stained red with the blood of Sayyiduna Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu and his seventy-one followers.
TAWWAABUN
Four years later the Shi’ah of Kufah attempted to make amends for their desertion of the family of Rasulullah sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam. There emerged a group of Kufans calling themselves the Tawwabun (Penitents) who made it their duty to wreak vengeance upon the killers of Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu. On their way to Syria in pursuit of Ibn Ziyad they passed by Karbala, the site of Sayyiduna Husayn’s grave, where they raised a great hue and cry, and spent the night lamenting the tragedy which they allowed to happen four years earlier. Had they only displayed that same spirit of compassion for Husayn radiyallahu 'anhu when he was so much in need of it, the history of Islam might have taken a different course.
If today ‘Ashura will be commemorated as a day of struggle and sacrifice, let it also be remembered as a day of treachery and desertion. When the names of Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, ‘Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, ‘Umar ibn Sa’d and Shamir ibn Dhil Jawshan are mentioned and curses invoked upon their memories, then let us not forget the treachery of the Shi’ah of Kufah. The time has long been due for the Shi’ah to reintroduce into their Ashura ceremonies an aspect that was in fact part of the very first commemoration ceremony of the Tawwabun. That lost aspect is the admission of their own guilt, along with that of Ibn Ziyad, Yazid and others, in the shedding of the holy blood of Sayyiduna Husayn ibn ‘Ali radiyallahu ‘anhuma