Karbala
Brief: This is just to give you an idea of the war and the hatred of Yazid towards
Ahlebait. This paragraph does not even reflect 1% of the attrocities and hardship that Hussain and the children of the Holy Prophet underwent during Karbala. This is just the outlines. Karbala is the merciless revenge taken with the children of the Holy Prophet and Imam Ali. This war took place in 61H at Karbala in Iraq. Imam Hussain took his entire family & friends that includes men, women & children with him. Total men who fought the war on his side were 72 who were in the age between 6 months and 100 years. They were not soldiers but were mere companions who fought against 300,000 Yazid's well trained and well armed and well defined armies. The caravan of Hussain travelled from Medina to Karbala, Iraq. It took 6 months to reach there on horses and camels. The caravan reached Karbala on 3rd Moharrum. The enemy forces of Yazid also gathered in Karbala. They stopped the water on Hussain's caravan from 7th of Moharrum. Exactly what Mua'via did on Ali's soldiers in the Battle of Siffeen. The night of 9th Moharrum was a strange and unbelievable to mankind. Everybody in Imam Hussain's camp are spending their night in prayers with distinct signs of satisfaction on their faces and anxiously waiting for the sun to rise. Imam Hussain informed all his companions that whoever accompany him will meet the certain death. Imam Hussain sujjested his companions to leave him, whoever wants to leave him and no questions would be asked. He even put off the lamp to avoid them from feeling ashamed. When Imam Hussain put on the lamp again, he saw his companions unmoved. They said that they feel privilege to die with Imam Hussain protecting Islam from Yazid than living under the rule of Yazid. Ladies are preparing their young ones for the next day. They are instructing their young ones to be the first to go to the war before others. Children are happily and boldly walking in the camps with their hanging swords. Children of Bibi Zainab and Imam Hassan are ready with the swords hanging from their waist touching the ground. The chilren were so small. The sorrowful day of the 10th Moharrum came and everybody offered Fajr prayers.
Here I would perticularly like to talk about one soldier of Karbala. His name is Hurr. He clearly showed the people of two sides of the war. He clearly showed the war between the two ideologies. Hurr was the commander of a very strong military unit of Yazid's army. He had his first encounter on his way to Karbala. When Hurr's men and horses were thirsty, Imam Hussain and Hazrat Abbas offered them water that they were carrying. Hurr's army drank the water to their fill and the horses of Hurr's army drank the water till the animals turned their faces away from the water by themselves. And upon reaching Karbala, Hurr masterminded to remove Hussain's camps from the waterfront. Imam Hussain ordered Hazrat Abbas to remove the camps from the water-front as the war of Karbala was not on the issue of water. The camps were removed. He masterminded to stop water supply to Hussain's camps. He masterminded all the possible attrocities and strictnesses on Hussain's camps till the night of 9th Moharrum. On that night he realised his mistakes and Hussain's holy intentions of protecting Islam from Yazid for Allah SWT. He felt sorry for himself and repentance was eating up the heart of this soldier at the realisation of his mistakes. It did not take Hur very long to resolve his mental conflict. He tied his hands and took his son and his servant and walked towards Hussain's camp. He opted for the certain death being on the Hussain's side than Yazid's earthly intentions of material gains. He opted to die like a brave soldier than to be a coward army commander of Yazid's army. He changed his destiny from certain Hell to certain Heaven. Hurr fell on his knees of Imam Hussain, cryied and begged Imam Hussain to forgive him. Imam Hussain lifted him embraced him and said 'O Hurr, my noble friend, I forgive you for whatever you have done to me and to the children of the Holy prophet and also pray Allah SWT to forgive you'.
The unfortunate sun of the 10th Moharrum, 61H came up. Hurr requested Imam Hussain to go first. Hurr came in front of the Yazid's army and addressed them. He told them that they are doing a serious mistake by fighting against Hussain and Ahlebait. He reminded them Prophet's hadith that Hussain is the 'Leader of the youths in Heaven'. He told them their place in Hell for doing that. His words were casting effect on Yazdi's army. Amr-e-Saad ordered to attack Hurr and Hurr offered his sacrifice after fighting a brief battle. The whole day from Dawn till Dusk Hussain's friends and then family members fought and offered their sacrifices.
Hussain made Abbas-ibn-Ali, the commander of his army. But never gave him the sword to fight. Hussain knew that giving the sword to Hazrat Abbas is like giving the sword into the hands of Hazrat Ali. Like the other wars, Karbala would have been won and Karbala would have been forgotten like the other wars of Islam. This war was for the establishment the values of Islam and for the establishment of the recognition of the Hazrat Mohammad as the Prophet of Allah and for the establishment of Wahi and Quran to be remembered till the Doomsday. That could be achieved only by offering sacrifices because achievements are done by sacrifices only. The little children in Hussain's camp were out of water for three days in the hot desert. Their throats went dry and they were carrrying small water cups made from clay and were crying 'Oh thirst', 'Oh thirst'. This time Hazrat Abbas's face was red with anger and fury and the brave son of Hazrat Ali was impatient to go to war and bring water to for the children. He requested Bibi Sakina the daughter of Imam Hussain to get him the permission from her father. Bibi Sakina, who was just 4 years of age, requested Imam Hussain to let Hazrat Abbas go and bring water for the children. When Imam Hussain realised that the time for the great sacrifice of Hazrat Abbas has come. He gave permission to Hazrat Abbas to go and get water but he didn't allow him to fight and gave him no sword. Hazrat Abbas went to the water-front with the water bag on the horseback with no sword. The enemies left their positions and ran away just by seeing Hazrat Abbas. He got down from his horse and filled the bag with water. Then he climbed onto his horse and lifted his hand to show the enemies that the lake is in his control without having a sword in his hand. Abbas, who was also thirsty for 3 days could have drank water first, but he didn't do that because his master was thirsty and the children of the Holy Prophet were also thirsty in the camp. The enemies were asked to attack Abbas and the water bag with arrows and spears. The water from the bag drained out and the master did not give him the permission to fight, so he felt no reason to return back to the camp. Hazrat Abbas sat on his horse doing nothing. Then the enemies realised that he had no water-bag, no sword and he is neither running away nor fighting, they gathered around him and attacked him with arrows spears and swords. Hazrat Abbas ibn-Abi Talib's hands and legs were cut off and he fell down from the horse on the head. Imam Hussain loved him so much, he cried a lot and said that his back is broken upon Abbas's loss.
Ali Akbar, the son of Imam Hussain went to the war. He looked exactly like the Holy Prophet. His appearance and his hair was exactly like the Holy Prophet. Muslims always said that whenever they wanted to remember the Holy Prophet, they used to look at Ali Akbar. Yazid-ibn Mua'via and his army did not hesitate to kill the replica of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Mohammed Mustapha SW.
The last person to go to war was Imam Hussain. He was over 60 years old and was hungry and thirsty for 3 days in the desert. He brought the dead bodies of his soldiers from morning till Asr time. He took out the spear from the heart of his own son, Ali Akbar. He removed the arrow from the throat of his 6 month old son. He removed the arrows from the eyes of his own brother, Hazrat Abbas. He brought the bodies of the children of Bibi Zainab. He brought everybody. Now he goes to war. He took the names of each of his dead soldier and attacked the enemy. It is recorded that he killed more than 6,000 enemies. The enemies were running away from the fury of attack from Hussain. He were thrown back and were touching the limits of Koofa. It was the Asr time and enemies thought that only way to stop Hussain was to give Azan. When Imam Hussain heard the Azan, he put away the sword. The enemies gathered and started throwing arrows and stones first. So many arrow were penetrated on his body that he came down he was lying on the arrows penetrated in him. Finally, Shimr killed Imam Hussain when Imam in the state Sajda. The words that were there on the lips of Imam Hussain was, "O Allah, please forgive the ummat of the Holy Prophet". After the enemies did so much to Imam Hussain, even then he prays Allah to forgive this Ummat. Imam Hussain has shown that level of patience, endurance and forgiveness.
After Imam Hussain was Martyred, the camps of the ladies of Ahlebait were lit by the blazing fire. The heads of the Martyrs were beheaded from their bodies and were lifted on the spears by Yazid's army. Imam Hussain buried his 6 month old son, Ali Asghar, who was killed by Hurmula in the same war earlier. This was the only 6 month old Martyr who was buried by Imam Hussain in Karbala. When the enemies did not find the head of little Ali Asghar, they started digging the soft ground with the spears. At one place the spear came out strained with blood on it. So the enemy threw his spear stronger and deeper into the soil and pulled out 6 month old Ali Asghar from the tiny grave with the spear stucked in his stomach, and then the innocent martyr was beheaded and his head lifted on the spear. O'my God!! How many times was this little one killed. Horses were run on the beheaded bodies of the Martyrs of Karbala.
The children and the daughters of the Holy Prophet were beaten, belongings snatched and the camps were lit with fire. The children of the holy prophet ran from one camp to the other. The necks of the ladies were tied to the hands of the children so that they walk half bent. Our 4th Imam was the only male survivor as he was very sick and could not even stand up on his own strength. He was put chains on the legs and his neck with metal thorns on it and the flesh came out as he walked in the hot sun. The metals in his neck became hot in the hot sun and burnt his injured neck.
The children of the Holy Prophet were tied to camels and were taken from Karbala to Koofa, and then from Koofa to Syria to Yazid's palace covering thousands of miles bare footed in the hot sun. When they couldn't walk fast the children of the Holy Prophet were beaten till they bled. The daughter of Imam Hussain, Bibi Sakina was just 4 years old. She was slapped and her earrings snatched by Shimr. She was beaten mercilessly repeatedly and was tied with her face down on the back of the camel and the camel was run so fast that her chest was injured and she died upon reaching Syria in the jail due to Yazid's attrocities. Soldiers carried the heads of the Martyrs on the spears in the front of the caravans. Insults were done, fun was made throughout the whole route with the children of Ahlebait and to the heads of the Martyrs.
There were more than 60 children who were very small in the caravan when they came to Karbala. Till 10th of Moharrum only one gave his sacrifice ie., Ali Asghar the 6 month old son of Imam Hussain. All the children were alive till that evening. Then the caravan left from Karbala to Koofa and then Koofa to Syria. Just see the route and the distance covered by Ahlebait with their hands tied and on foot, on the map. Remember that they passed through desert. By the time it reached Syria there were only 4 children alive. All of them fell down from the bare backs of the camels and died on the route. The enemies did not even stopped to bury them. Some children fell down but did not die and they were very weak to get up. When Bibis wanted to pick them up, they were kicked and beaten. Enemies did not stop for the children but left them to die in the hot sun in the hot desert. They were in a hurry to reach Syria and see Yazid with their victory.
There was tragedy after tragedy. The caravan reached the city of Syria. The distance from the city to the palace of Yazid is just 30 minits by walk and the Caravan of the Holy Prophet took 48 hours to reach there. On the route the caravan was repeatedly stopped and children of the Holy Prophet were hurled insults, were laughed at and were hurled with stones and dates. The children of the Holy Prophet, the Ahlebait were put into dark cells and the food given to them was so little that it was not even sufficient for the children. Bibis were just left with water for many days. The attrocities were not yet over, they were much more. The children were beaten when they cried. Bibis were beaten to stop children from crying. I don't even have enough words to describe them, but this is just to give you the idea of hatred that Yazid had towards the family(ahlebait) of the Holy Prophet. He did not spare even the elderly women and the children of the Holy Prophet who was 'Rahmatullil Alameen'.
Although Yazid was pleased with the attrocities, on the other hand the sufferrings of Ahlebait was making room into the hearts of the people on the way from Karbala to Koofa and Koofa to Syria and now in Syria. People could figure out the rulers and the prisoners, they saw Bibi Zainab, the brave daughter of Ali and Imam Sajjad (Zainul Abedeen), the son of Imam Hussain and Ahlebait enroute.
Yazid called the prisoners (Ahlebait) in his court and insulted them. Then Bibi Zainab gave a long sermon proving Ahlebait's purity, exactly like Bibi Fatima gave the long sermon in the court of the first Khalifa when her 'Fadak' was snatched away. People of Syria understood that the prisoners are none other than the pure Ahlebait. They were angry and started revolting against Yazid and his government. Yazid's own wife was the first to revolt against Yazid when Bibi Zainab was insulted in the court. Now everybody is against Yazid. Very soon, Yazid came before my 4th Imam with folded hands and requested him to leave Syria in the middle of the night as soon as possible as his life and his rule was in great danger.
The children of the Holy Prophet of Islam returned to Madina and Yazid's rule perished due to the revolution by his own people. The Islam brought by the Holy Prophet was preseved from the destruction of Yazid and his cruel ideologies. Imam Hussain and Ahlebait paid the heavy price to preserve Islam, the devine religion.
Even after all those activities, Yazid's name is taken with great respect and he is in the list as a 6th Holy Khalifa of the Muslim Ummah & they still boast of "Holding rope of Ahlebayt". What a justification!