When Walid relayed Yazid’s request to him, this was his reply: “When you inform the people of Muawiya’s death and ask them to acknowledge Yazid’s authority, then call me too.
I will come to the mosque and address the people as to what I should do.”
In fact Yazid’s agents were busy hounding the Imam and he did not feel at all easy at this in the prevailing circumstances. Often he used to awaken the people from their deep slumber at nights and worshipped God near the grave of his grandfather, the Prophet.
It was the 3rd of Sha’ban in the year 60 of Hijra.
Imam Husayn left for Mecca and stayed there till the month of Dhul-Hijja in the same year. As the pilgrimage season approached he too readied himself to perform the Hajj ceremonies.
He put on the Hajj garb (Ihram) and stayed on till the 8th of that month engaged in prayer and worship.
From time to time he used to come amidst the people and talk to them.
He headed for Iraq even while his Hajj remained yet incomplete and unfinished. His journey to Iraq shows that there were matters of moment that were drawing him that way. He had received several invitations from Iraq, which he felt impelled to respond to by going over there.
The caravan of the revolution was on its way. Imam Husayn was its captain. The route was long and the journey arduous. Whenever and wherever he stopped he explained to people the reason for his mission at every stopping place, at every point where people thronged to welcome him the Imam enlightened them on the purpose of his journey and on the parlous state of events unfolding under Yazid’s dispensation. All along the route as he went by villages, dwellers both high and low, vagabonds and wanderers in the desert and even humble shepherds began to know of Yazid’s nefarious character and deeds.
But since the Imam could not enter the larger cities and towns on the way due to the presence of Yazid’s armed men, he chose to skirt them going through villages and plains.
Although there were many open-minded and well informed people in these cities and towns who were very much against Yazid’s atrocities and cursed, they were reluctant to come openly out on the Imam’s side for several reasons.
For one, they were not fully aware of the far-reaching implications if the Imam’s uprising. Secondly, many of them had reconciled themselves to living and adopting their lives within Yazid iniquitous rule.
And lastly it was sheer mental apathy and an unwillingness to take up something new, preferring to be content with what they were familiar with. But inspite of all this, there were still those, although a very few, who were prepared to leave all behind and join Husayn’s caravan of revolution.
As the caravan proceeded on its way distressing news kept reaching the Imam.
One of these had to do with the martyrdom of that great personality of Islam - - the brave, pious and straight forward one, Muslim bin Aqil of the house of Thalaiba. Muslim who was a cousin of the Imam was earlier sent by him to kufa as his deputy. He was martyred by the agents of Ibn Ziad, the governor of Kufa. Muslim stood out against the traitors with great courage up to the time of his martyrdom.
At long last the caravan kept moving closer to its destination, when it come to Halt on the west plain of Karbala’ on the first day of the month of Muharram in the year 61 of Hijra.
Imam Husayn ordered that tents be set up close to the banks of the river Furat (Euphrates). Days passed quickly by until it came to the ninth day (Tasu’a) when as evening set in soldiers sent by Yazid grouped in large numbers attacked the Imam’s camp.
The Imam sent Abbas, his brother and a few others to talk to those who commanded the enemy army.
It ended with Abbas proclaiming loudly to them the following: “We want from you the time tonight that Imam Husayn has asked me to request of you so that it may be offered up in prayer and worship of God. Tomorrow we shall meet again under an umbrella of swords.”
Night fell, embracing the desert in its spell.
All was silent, calm and eerily wonderful with full moon lighting up the scene like a premonition of what was to follow.
The Imam looked around seeing himself surrounded by his friends and relatives and spoke to them thus: “The covenant I overlook and now ignore, the oath of allegiance to me you have taken and yokes you to me I lift from you and leave you to yourselves. You are free, there is no obligation to bind you and I shall hold you no longer. You can go and leave me to myself. Leave this land availing yourself of the veil of night, which can act as cover for you taking any direction in which you wish to go.
I leave you to this night and to the tracks of the desert.
These soldiers of Yazid’s army have business with me, not with you.”
Death lay ahead, waiting. There was no victory. This was the meaning of the Imam’s words and they fell heavily indeed on those still captivated by the world and its several attractions. To die in the way of belief was not easy for one without belief. Where there was nothing to gain, there was no temptation. Sadly, there were several among the Imam’s entourage who were too weak and did not have the mettle to stay on. So they left betaking themselves and leaving the Imam.
But there were the few, and they stayed behind solid, unflinching and ardent in their faith, to which the greatest temptation was the very person of the Imam, himself. Death in a cause and for the sake of their religion was no cheap commodity - - it was far too precious and it was harder indeed to desert the Imam.
The fateful day dawned. The Imam mustered his small force, which was in stark contrast to the thousands arrayed on the enemy side, and readied them to do battle.
And then it began in earnest. It was the force of faith on one side against the forces of tyranny on the other.
The Imam’s was a small force but they were fighting a holy war and defending a cause. Hence this gave them an unimagined and extraordinary burst of strength helping them to fight bravely.
Each warrior killed several of the enemies with ease. There were 72 men on the Imam’s side as against the thousands of Yazid’s men.
It was not here a question of numbers - - it was that of belief, faith and a cause.
Faith shone out fully among that small group - - it was bright and brilliant. The enemy lacking any kind of belief and lacking in the strength that only faith can give were confused by the astounding courage of that small force confronting them and were overtaken by a nameless dread.
This was why the Imam’s men were able to penetrate deep into the heart of Yazid’s army.
Wherever they thrust, they caused a rout and consternation among the enemy, many of which the Imam’s men killed until they were martyred.
It will be in point to digress hereto see what it was that made such a battle possible unequal though the forces were, what it was in the environment and upbringing of the Imam’s followers that made such singular and indomitable courage possible. One knows all too well that Islam has restricted such lax sports as gambling but encouraged others like horse riding and archery. The purpose, of course, was to encourage skill in such sports, but beyond this Islam finds a deeper purpose, which is to develop such noble qualities as fearlessness, strength and courage under all circumstances and in particular to stand opposed to the enemy and to tyranny in every form.
There is a well-known saying of the Imam wherein he says, “you should take care of the health of your bodies as long as you are alive.” The idea was to be able to live pure, clean lives and build up strength against abominations and the evil of what is inimical to such a life, as is tyranny.
Those present on that Ashur’a day with Imam Husayn were trained under his father Ali bin Talib and dyed in these manly virtues.
They had seen and been with the best of soldiers and generals of Islam.
In their hearts there still shone forth the flame of a burning love and affection for the Prophet and his family made them desire death in preference to a life without them.
Sincerity was their currency and faith that which moved in their very veins.
They were in fact the heroes of history and its pride.
That night was a time of waiting which they spent in polishing their swords even as they kept reciting verses from the holy Book and saying their prayers.
They were those who were enchanted by truth, as if the very taste of truth were always upon their tongues.
All was action to them and they waited the moment of great action. They waited awake till dawn for the moment they looked forward keenly to. A blood - red dawn broke forth with the rising of the sun in the East and enfolded the earth with its red-shot colour and Husayn took his small brave force out into the field of battle to confront the forces the dark forces of evil. A’bes bin Abi SHabib Shakery one of the companions asked his friend Shozab, a scholar, what his feelings were at the time and he said he was proud to be in the company of the Prophet grandson and more to be among those who were going into martyrdom.
A’bes then said this was just what he felt too about him. Both then took the Imam’s permission and leave before proceeding into the battle and martyrdom. It was the custom then to first take leave of the Imam before battle and A’bes addressed him thus: “O Husayn, there is none more dear to me in all the world than you.
Had I the power I would have rescued you from the clutches of these tyrants.
I have nothing now but the breath of this life, which stirs within my body and this I offer in sacrifice to you and your father’s religion.” With these stirring words he bade farewell to the Imam and rode out into the field. Rabee bin Tameem one of Yazid’s men had this to say of him: “When I saw A’bes I recognized him as I had know him before. I have not known anyone to be more courageous.
So, I shouted, “This is the lion,” in order to alert my colleagues.”
A’bes as he strode in stood out alone as none among Yazid’s men dared confront him. Omar Sa’ad, Yazid’s commander was furious at this and ordered a group of his men to surround and attack him with another group throwing stones at him.
A’bes seeing that there was no one prepared to combat him singly with the sword but that he was being got at in this cowardly way with stones flung at him, removed his coat of armor and walked into the thick of the enemy with nothing else but his sword and fought bravely on.
Of this scene Rabee bin Tamim narrates: “By God, I saw that in whatever direction A’bes went there were hundreds of men scattering in a mad stampede.
The enemy saw that he could not be overcome and so they surrounded him from every side.
As he had received great many wounds from the stones flung at him and with sword cuts, he fell.
A little later I saw a group with one holding his severed head and each claiming to have killed him.”
To this their commander Omar Sa’ad said: “None of you singly has killed him. All of you together alone were able to kill him.”
Another of the brave ones was Abu Thamameh Saidari. As noon approached he went to the Imam and said: “O Husayn, these men will kill you. As long as I am alive I will not allow them to do this.
I should be killed first.
I want to pray my last noon prayers behind you.”
