Though he was quite sure that he would be killed, he was insisting on starting his uprising and standing his ground till the tragically inevitable end.
Why did he insist so? Rather, why was the uprising?
Without Imam Husain's revolution, the way represented by the Ummayad being in all its deviations, oppression and corruption, was the one which represented Islam in the minds of mankind till the present time
Imam Husain (A.S.), the second son of Imam Ali (A.S.), and the grandson of the holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), was a pure page of the book of Islam, and a vivid translation of its goals and concepts. That is why he first one who responded to the call of faith in his time. In order to honor his commitments to the Shar'ia, he had no other way before him other that of uprising. Without it there would be no reforms. The first communiqué of his uprising incarnated this fact with all its positive implication:
"And I am not taking up arms in order to make merry, or be ecstatic over what I possess. I am not making mischief, nor exercising oppression. But, I am ready to fight for the sole goal of seeking reform of the Ummah of my grandfather, the Prophet of Allah (S.A.W.). I want to enjoin good and forbid evil and guide the affairs of the people as my grandfather, and my father, Ali bin Abi Talib(A.S.) were doing."
These are the basic justifications which gave Imam Husain (A.S.) and his followers the right to start their uprising. An uprising which still echoes in the minds of the people today. It is the revolution that immortalized Islam and inspired the revolutionaries throughout the ages, to defend Islam and fight heroically in the battle of sacred jihad against the unjust and oppressors.
Wind of the Uprising:
Shortly after the death of Mu'awiya, his son, Yazid, took over. He ordered his governors to take the pledge of allegiance to him from the pepole. He focused on Imam Husain (A.S.), in particular, due to the Ummayad conviction that he was the unshakable resisting force among the opposition. Once they subjugated him, all dams before them would collapse.The opposition, minus Imam Husain (A.S.), would be easily subdued.
Instantly, Yazid wrote to the governor of the city of Madinah, Walid bin Utba, to take the pledge of allegiance from the people of Madinah, in general, and from Imam Husain (A.S.), in particular. Indeed, Imam Husain (A.S.) explained his refusal of giving the pledge of allegiance to Yazid. He said to Yazid's governor in Madinah, Walid:
"Yazid is a corrupt man, who imbibes wine, puts to death the soul which Allah forbids to be harmed and declares his debauchery in public. A man like me would never give pledge of allegiance to him."
In return, Imam Husain (A.S.) explained the qualifications of the leader to whom the pledge of allegiance should be given, in his letter addressed to the inhabitant of Kufa:
"By my life, what is the Imam except one who judged by the Book of Allah, one who upholds justice, one who professes the religion of truth, and one who dedicates himself to the essence of Allah."
That was the starting point of the rejection of the policy of treachery and oppression. Imam Husain (A.S.) made up his mind to shoulder his responsibility to challenge the oppressors, as he was the legitimate Imam of the Ummah and the righteous with the faith.
He went to the tomb of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.), his grandfather and offered prayer beside it. Then, he raised his hands in prayer:
"O Allah! This is the grave of Your Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), and I am the son of the daughter of Your Prophet. You know what I am going through. O Allah! I love good and detest evil. I beseech you, O! The Lord of glory and honor, and adjure You by this grave and its contents, to choose for me whatever pleases You and Your Prophet."
Imam Husain (A.S.) hastened to gather the members of his family and the loyal among his companions. He told them about his decision to move to Makkah, the sanctuary of Allah.
The objectors increased in number. They beseeched him to yield. They were helpless and thought he would be killed in vain.
Imam Husain (A.S.) was too determined to back down.
The caravan of Imam Husain (A.S.) marched towards Makkah. The name of Allah was on his tongue, and his heart was filled with love of Allah. Upon entering Makkah, he recited the glorious verse:
"And when he turned his face towards Madyna, he said: Maybe my Lord will guide me in the right path."
He stayed at the house of Abbas bin Abdul-Muttalib. Throngs of the faithful gathered to welcome him.
The news of the Imam's (A.S.) departure form Madinah and his refusal of giving the pledge of allegiance to Yazid spread. Thus, different delegations and letters of support for him began to reach him from diverse lands. As a result, he (A.S.) began to send books and letters of answer in which he called them to revolt and overthrow the power of Yazid and deposit his allegiance which was brought through force, terror, bribery and tricks. A result of this movement was that the spirit of revolution began to spread in lraq.
Imam Husain (A.S.) monitored the reactions of the Muslims throughout the Islamic provinces towards the ascension of Yazid to the office of caliphate. Kufa, the capital of lraq, was witnessing a revolutionary movement and a remarkable political shake-up. After long periods of terror and suppression the opposition forces stirred seeing it the golden chance to free themselves from the yoke of the tyrants. At the head of these revolutionaries were the followers of the Ahlul-Bait (A.S.). They held an emergency meeting to discuss the mounting tension in Kufa and the responsibility they should take vis-à-vis the change in the government, after Yazid bin Mu'awiya had taken the affairs of the Ummah into his own hands.
After reaching a consensus on this point, the leading men of Kufa wrote a letter in which they declared their total and final rejection of the Ummayad rule and they knew no substitute for Imam Husain (A.S.). Then letters poured in from Kufa carrying the urgent call of the Kufans for Imam Husain (A.S.) to join them, to take office as the caliphate and Imam of the Muslims. The wave of support for Imam Husain (A.S.) was so massive that a list of the tribes waiting for his arrival, totaling 100,000 fighters, was prepared.
With him, Imam Husain (A.S.) dispatched a special letter to the people there, and particularly their chiefs. He explained the qualifications of his envoy, and the nature of his mission. He was to closely examine the situation and describe precisely what was going on there.
Kufa welcomed Muslim bin Aqil as any loyal and dutiful following would. The pledge of allegiance was taken from Imam Husain (A.S.). Muslim, by now, was convinced that the change was on behalf of Ahlul-Bait (A.S.) and the message of Allah, the Exalted. It was by no means something common and could not be ignored. It was a truth, tangible and subjective. They should quickly deal with the situation before something happens and spoils the opportunity.
And so Muslim, may Allah be please with him, saw it fit to dispatch an account to Imam Husain (A.S.) about the direction of the de facto situation. In his account he called him to come to Kufa. He wrote:
"Certainly, the man sent by a caravan in a desert to explore the way ahead of it will never lie to those who had sent him. All the people of Kufa are with you. Eighteen thousand of them have given their pledge of allegiance to me. So make haste and come to us as soon as you read this letter of mine. And peace and the blessings of Allah be on you."
In the meantime, Imam Hussen (A.S.) thought it would be wise to contact the chiefs of Basra and discuss with them his decision to oppose deviation and injustice. He wrote to them. Yazid bin Mas'ood sent a letter in which people spoke much about the loyalty of the tribes of Tamim and Bani Sa'd to Ahlul-Bait (A.S.). Quite painfully and regrettably, his letter arrived too late.
Thus, Nahshali's troops were late to arrive. The man was so shocked at the news of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (A.S.) that he died. He had missed the opportunity to help the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Kufans's Regression:
At first, the authorities of the Ummayad party were panic stricken at the great success achieved by the faith and its real representative, Imam Husain bin Ali (A.S.). The top leaders of the Ummayad party held a meeting, and discussed what would their next step be. They decided to provide Yazid bin Mu'awiya with the latest news, and the actual situation in the city of Makkah. They wrote a letter to their master in Syria telling him of all successive developments in Kufa.
Yazid was flustered at the news. His special advisor suggested that Ubaidulla bin Ziyad should be the governor of Kufa. Ibn Ziyad was murderous, the emptiness of his hears of such human emotions as mercy or compassion and his black hatred for the household of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) made him a prime candidate for the job.
Ibn Ziyad received the decree issued by Yazid appointing him the new governor of Kufa. Installing his brother in his place in Basra, he hurriedly headed for Kufa leading a 500-strong division from the Ummayad army.
Accompanying him were also certain eminent chiefs of Basra who had influence over the Kufans due to their blood relations.
In Kufa, Ibn Ziyad gathered the people, and addressed them. He promised those who sided with the Ummayad's handsome rewards. He threatened the opponents of the Ummayad dynasty with harsh punishments, i.e. death. Under coercion, he ordered the tribal chiefs to present lists of the names of those who overstepped the Ummayad redline. Otherwise, they would be crucified at the door of their houses.
Thus, an atmosphere of heavy gloom set in on the city. The scales of power tipped in favor of the Ummayad house, represented by Yazid. The Shi'ite leaders and the loyalists to the movement of Islam represented by Imam Husain (A.S.) were rounded up.
Fear spread its wings, and despair descended on the hearts of the people. Events took so vicious a turn that the tribes began to prevent their chiefs from opposing the Ummayads in any form. Mothers locked up their children lest they help Muslim bin Aqeel. Those who were after wealth hastened to the governor's mansion, happy with the abundant money Ibn Ziyad lavished on them. Practically, the society of Kufa was torn into shreds.
The loyalists to the call of Islam, who were still free, adopted secrecy in their contacts with Muslim. He ordered them so, under the pressure of the new conditions.
The spies of the Ummayad's local terrorist lost no time in spreading throughout the city and Ibn Ziyad had made use of every possible means of trickery to get out of the crises. He floated rumors, by his spies and followers, that a tremendous Ummayad army was at the threshhold of Kufa. Rumors were soon on every lip. Gossip increased and terror ruled. Women prevented their sons from joining Muslim, and those who already were with him were forced to quit. Men discouraged their sons and brothers from taking part in the military actions.
The situation further deteriorated. Many people left Muslim's army, and panic prevailed. Inducement and discouragement of the opponents succeeded. Muslim, eventually, was left with a few loyalists who engaged the Ummayads in street fighting. They made the neighborhood of 'Kinda' their base. Muslim fought in a rarely seen reckless and courageous way.
After all had deserted him or been killed he fought the Ummayad police alone. Finally he was overcome and promised safety. When he was brought before Ziyad he refused to honor the promise of safety given by the police and ordered Muslim to be executed. After dictating his last will, Muslim was taken to the torrents of the palace and thrown down. Later he was beheaded. His head, along with the head of Hani were sent to Yazid in Syria.
Thus, the two pillars of the Islamic movement in Kufa were torn down. The movement of Muslim and Hani, two of its greatest field leaders in Iraq. Kufa was humiliated with defeat and the darkness of terror descended on it. The tyrants seized control of lives of the people.
En Route to Iraq:
The Ummayad were extremely worried at the news of the success of Husain (A.S.) in Makkah. He had won over nearly the whole city. Fearing the spread of the opposition movement, Yazid dispatched an army from Syria. He appointed Umar bin Sa'id as its commander-in-chief.
Imam Hussen (A.S.) received word that the Ummayad army was on its way to Makkah. Given the Ummayads disrespect of the Sacred House of Allah, he had decided to leave the city. It was impossible for him to allow the sacredness of the city to be violated because of him. In advance, he knew of his inevitable fate in Iraq. He expressed it in the speech he delivered in Makkah before he left. He said:
"Praise be to Allah. What Allah desires is certainly done. There is no power but in Allah. Blessings of Allah be on His Messenger. Death had been decreed on man, as the necklace encircles a girl's neck. How great is my desire to see my predecessors. It is as strong as Ya'qoob's (Jacob) desire to see (his son) Yusuf (Joseph).
"It is better for me to face my death. It is as if I am seeing now my members being torn to pieces by by the wolves of the desert, in a place between Nawawees and Karbala'. They will fill their empty stomachs and their hungry bellies. There is no escape from a day decreed by the divine pen."
On the eighth day of the month of Dhul-Hijja (the day the pilgrims get ready to perform hajj), in the year of 60 A.H., Imam Husain (A.S.) caravan set out.
En route to Iraq he would ask the travelers he met about Iraq and the current situation there. The only reply was: "The people were with the Ummayad, but their hearts were with him!"
He was sure that the faith would be revived after his death and there was no defender of the faith next to him. It is because of these considerations that he went on to achieve the real, historical victory. Only with shedding his blood and sacrificing his soul and those who were with him from the descendants of the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.), Islam would be immortalized.
In Karbala':
It was Thursday, the 2nd of Moharram 61 A.H. Imam Husain (A.S.) and his companions and his righteous family dismounted and camped at the deserts of Karbala' in order to be a symbol for free men, and a slogan for the revolutionaries throughout the ages and generations.
On the other hand, the Ummayad authorities, at the helm of which stood Ubaidulla Ziyad in Kufa, started sending reinforcements and mobilizing more forces for Karbala'. Ibn Ziyad replaced Umar bin Sa'd as the new commander of the army.
Umar later yield to Ubaidulla's desire when the latter threatened to deprive him of the ruler ship of Ray. Umar had been struggling with two question: Submission to the life of this world or refusing worldly temptations and refraining from warring with Imam Husain (A.S.). Finally, the first question triumphed and he decided to take part in the battle against him.
He expressed that struggle in two lines of verse:
"Could I decline the governor ship of Ray, while it is my dread, or should I return blamed for killing Husain? Should I kill him, then I wind up in the fire, which has no veil, while the governor ship of Ray is the refreshment of my eye."
Umar is not but a model for those men who fought Imam Husain (A.S.), and what they bear of villainous intentions and mean goals.
