Husayn was two days' journey away from Kufa when he was intercepted by the vanguard of Yazid's army; about 1000 men led by Hurr ibn Yazid Al-Riyahi. Husayn asked: "With us or against us?" Hurr replied: "Of course against you, oh Aba Abd Allah!" Husayn said: "... So if you are different from what I received from your letters and from your messengers then I will return to where I came from." Hurr refused Husayn's request of his return to Medina and told him: "No, but select a way neither toward Kufa nor Madina enabling me to find a pretense before ibn Ziyad that you would have disagreed with me on the way." After receiving a threatening letter from ibn Ziyad to halt them, Hurr prevented Husayn from moving to any direction and let them know the new order from ibn Ziyad. Then Husayn ibn Ali gave a speech to his companions and said:
"... It has happened from the events what you have seen. And the world has been changed and become abominable and its goodness turns ... 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." Some of his followers asserted their loyalty and he started moving. Hurr was continuously preventing them to move further or was making them deviate from their way.
Husayn ibn Ali, his family and his supporters arrived at Karbala on Muharram 2, 61AH (October 2, 680 CE). He was forced to pitch a camp on dry, bare land and Hurr stationed his army nearby. Ibn Ziyad appointed Umar ibn Sa'ad to command the battle against Husayn ibn Ali. Umar ibn Sa'ad was not a military man but he was famous for being a clergyman. At first he rejected the leadership of the army but he accepted after Ibn Ziyad threatened to depose him from the governorship of Ray city. Umar ibn Sa'ad moved towards the battlefield with a 4000 men army and arrived at Karbala on Muharram 3, 61AH (October 3, 680 CE). Ibn Ziyad was continuously sending reinforcements to his army such that they became a 20,000 army on Muharram 6, 61AH[17]. It finally reached around 30,000 horsemen and infantrymen. Ibn Ziyad asked Shabath ibn Reb'ei, also another clergyman of Kufa, to join Umar ibn Sa'ad. At first he feigned illness but finally accepted. He together with 1000 horseman was dispatched toward Karbala.
Water blockade
Ibn Ziyad sent a brief letter to Umar ibn Sa'd that commanded: "Prevent Husayn and his disciples from accessing water and do not allow them to drink a drop of water; the same as Uthman was treated." In this letter he falsely accused Husayn and his father of being responsible for what rebels did with Uthman before. On Muharram 7 (October 7, 680 CE), ibn Sa'ad ordered 500 horsemen to cut Husayn's camp off from the Euphrates to stop them from accessing water. The camp now had no supply of water and the enemy hoped to force Husayn to surrender on account of thirst. One of the disciples of Husayn ibn Ali asked Husayn's permission to negotiate with Umar ibn Sa'ad about obtaining access to water and Husayn accepted. He met Umar ibn Sa'ad but ibn Sa'ad refused to allow Husayn access to any water. Husayn ibn Ali ordered his half brother Abbas ibn Ali to conduct a night mission to the Euphrates to get water. Abbas ibn Ali with 30 horsemen and 20 infantrymen carrying 20 water skins advanced toward the front lines of the enemy Euphrates by night. The infantrymen quickly destroyed the formation of 500 enemy horsemen and succeeded in filling their water skins but they were counter attacked by a massive brigade on their way back. Abbas ibn Ali and his horsemen managed to stop their enemies and his infantrymen rejoined Husayn's army. Miraculously there were no casualties in Husayn's army even though the entire battlion of 500 horsemen had been decimated. This prompted Ibn-e-Saad to increase the guard on Euphrates from 500 to 3000. The water blockade continued up to the end of the battle on Muharram 10 night (October 10, 680 CE).
Reconciliation negotiations
Overnight negotiations between Husayn ibn Ali and Umar ibn Sa'ad has been reported. Husayn was trying to cause ibn Sa'ad to change his mind. Finally Umar ibn Sa'ad agreed to Husayn's proposal that the siege be lifted so that Husayn, his family, and his companions could leave Iraq. He sent word to ibn Ziyad, asking him to ratify the offer. Ibn Ziyad liked the proposal, but another Umayyad grandee, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan, vetoed it and advised ibn Sa'ad to offer surrender to Husayn. Ibn Ziyad sent letter to Umar ibn Sa'ad and ordered him to destroy Husayn if he do not surrender or be dismissed from all services and Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan will lead the army. Shimr delivered the letter to ibn Sa'ad in Karbala. Ibn Sa'ad showed his protest against Shimr's idea since he was sure that Husayn will never surrender. But accepted orders of ibn Ziyad and appointed Shimr as commander of infantrymen.
Choice between life and death
On the 9th of Muharram (October 9, 680 CE) which is called Tasua'a, the Husayn camp was completely besieged and had exhausted its water. Their only choice was between surrender or death. Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan approached the camp of Husayn ibn Ali and yelled: "Where are my nephews Abd-Allah, Ja'far, Abbas and Uthman?" He described the sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib from Fatima binte Hizam, nicknamed Umm-al-Banin, as his nephews since Umm-al-Banin was from his tribe. They replied and Shimr said: "You nephews of mine; you are in protection and do not be murdered for the sake of Husayn and obey the chief of the believers, Yazid." But all of them refused to leave Husayn ibn Ali and Shimr went away angrily. Umar ibn Sa'ad received an order from ibn Ziyad to start the battle immediately and not to postpone it further. The army started stealthily advancing toward Husayn's camp on the afternoon of Tasua'a. At this time Husayn sent Abbas ibn Ali to ask ibn Sa'ad for another delay, until the next morning, so that he and his men could spend the night praying. Ibn Sa'ad agreed the respite. Husayn then told his men that he did not intend to surrender, but to fight. Since they were so heavily outnumbered by the enemy, all of them were sure to die. On the night before the battle, Husayn gathered his men and told them that they were all free to leave the camp in the middle of the night, under cover of darkness, rather than face certain death if they stayed with him. None of Husayn's men wished to defect. Instead they stated their wish to be killed repeatedly in the name of Husayn if they were brought back to life by Allah. Husayn and his followers held a vigil to pray all night. Some guards from ibn Sa'ad's army who were patrolling that night joined Husayn's army. They were said to be as many as 32 men. Husayn ibn Ali ordered his fighters to dig a trench around their tents by night and to fill it with firewood and dried shrubs to prevent the enemy from flanking them or infiltrating the camp. Only one passage was left open. Ibn Sa'ad's army did not notice this activity till next morning.
Day of battle
On Muharram 10 called Ashura, Husayn ibn Ali prayed Morning Prayer with his companions. He appointed Zuhayr ibn Qayn to command the right flank, Habib ibn Muzahir to command the left flank and his half-brother Abbas ibn Ali as standard bearer of his army. Also he ordered to set the trench around their tents on fire. The companions of Husayn ibn Ali were 32 horsemen and 40 infantrymen. According to another tradition from Mohammad ibn Ali, they were 45 horsemen and 100 infantrymen. On the other side, Umar ibn Sa'ad reorganized his army and nominated various commanders among them were Hurr ibn Yazid as commander of men from Tamim and Hamdan tribes, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan as commander of left flank and Shabath ibn Reb'ei as commander of infantrymen.
Lectures prior to engagement
Burayr ibn Khudhayr, Zuhayr ibn Qayn and Husayn ibn Ali made speeches to the Kufan army immediately before the military engagement. They were trying to exhort the Kufans not to fight Husayn and remind them of their invitations letters as well as Husayn's family tie with Muhammad. Husayn ibn Ali addressed:
"... 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. ...
The battle starts
Ibn Sa'ad advanced and fired an arrow at Husayn's army, saying: "Give evidence before emir that I was the first thrower." Then his army started showering Husayn's army with weapons. Both sides began fighting. Successive assaults resulted in the death of a group of Husayn's companions. Then Husayn ibn Ali called the people around him to join him for the sake of Allah and to defend Muhammed’s family. His speech affected Hurr ibn Yazid Al-Riyahi, the commander of the Tamim and Hamdan tribes who had stopped Husayn from his journey. He abandoned ibn Sa'ad and galloped his horse to Husayn's small force and told him: "May I be sacrificed in your place! I am the one who prevented you from returning and severely treated you. I swear by Allah, I did not know they were going to do in this way. And now I am returning to Allah. So, do you think if any return can be imagined for me?" Husayn replied: "Yes. Allah will return to you. So, dismount." Then Hurr asked Husayn to let him to fight to the death. Afterwards Husayn cleaned dust from his face when he found his corpse and said: "You are noble in this world and the next, as your mother named you." The first skirmish was between the right flank of Husayn ibn Ali's army with the left of the Syrian army. Astonishingly 32 men under the command of Zuhayr ibn Qain inflicted a major defeat on at least 4000 men. They quickly retreated and broke the pre-war pact of not using arrows & lances. This pact was made in view of the small number (72) of Husayn's companions. Thereafter almost all of Husayn ibn Ali's companions were killed (including Husayn's infant boy Ali Asghar) by the onslaught of arrows or lances. In order to prevent random and indiscriminate showering of arrows on Husayn's camp which had women and children in it, Husayn's followers went out to single combats. Men like Burayr ibn Khudhayr, Muslim ibn Ausaja and Habib ibn Muzahir were slain in the fighting. They were attempting to save Husayn's life by shielding him. Every casualty had a considerable effect on their military strength since they were vastly outnumbered to begin with. Husayn ibn Ali ordered Zuhayr ibn Qayn and Said ibn Abd-Allah to stand in front of him enabling him to say a Zohr prayer on the battlefield. They shielded him with their bodies until Said ibn Abd-Allah was killed by multiple arrows. Historians say that Husayn's companions were coming, one by one, to say goodbye to him, even in the midst of battle. They reassured him that: "... We are following you" and adding: "And among them (believers) is one who fulfilled his vow, and among them is one who waits (to fulfill their vows). And they did not change (their vows), any change"[
Death of the men from Banu Hashim
After almost all of Husayn's companions were killed, his relatives asked his permission to fight. The men of Banu Hashim, the clan of Muhammed and Ali, went out one by one. Ali Akbar ibn Husayn, the youngest son of Husayn, was the first one who received permission from his father.[Casualties from Banu Hashim were sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib, sons of Hasan ibn Ali, Son of Husayn ibn Ali, Son of Abd-Allah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi-Talib and Zainab bint Ali, sons of Aqeel ibn Abi Talib, as well as a son of Muslim ibn Aqeel.
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