The details of the Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Imam Al-Husayn — may Allah raise his rank — stand as one of the most tragic and monumental events in Islamic history.
It is reported that on the night before Ashura — the 10th of Muharram — Imam Al-Husayn and his companions spent the night in deep worship, described as “their voices hummed like the buzzing of bees, with some in bowing, prostration, standing, or sitting in devotion.”
The Battle of Karbala
On Friday morning, 10th Muharram, 61 AH, Al-Husayn — may Allah raise his rank — organised his small band of followers for battle: thirty-two horsemen and forty infantry. He positioned Zuhayr ibn Al-Qayn on the right flank, Habib ibn Muzahir on the left, and entrusted his banner to Al-‘Abbas ibn Ali. He ordered their tents to be placed behind them and stacked firewood and reeds behind the tents, igniting them to prevent the enemy from attacking from the rear.
Umar ibn Sa’d organised the opposing army, placing Amr ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Zubaidi (instead of Al-Hurr ibn Yazid, who had joined Al-Husayn) on the right, Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan on the left, Azrah ibn Qays Al-Ahmasi over the cavalry, and Shabath ibn Rib‘i Al-Riyahi over the infantry, giving the banner to his freedman, Dhawayd.
Al-Husayn’s Final Appeal
Before battle commenced, Imam Al-Husayn decided to present the ultimate proof against Umar ibn Sa’d’s army. He rode forward with a few companions, including Burayr ibn Khudayr, whom he asked to address the enemy: “O people, fear Allah! The family of Muhammad ﷺ is among you — his descendants, his daughters, his sacred household. What will you do with them?”
The enemy responded with arrows, forcing Burayr to retreat. Al-Husayn then approached the ranks and saw them arrayed like a surging tide. He looked at Umar ibn Sa’d among the tribal chiefs of Kufa and said: “Praise be to Allah, Who created the world as an abode that passes and vanishes, changing its people from state to state…”
Shimr interjected: “O Husayn, what is it you say? Clarify so we understand.” Al-Husayn answered: *“Fear Allah, your Lord, and do not kill me. It is unlawful for you to spill my blood or violate my sanctity. I am the grandson of your Prophet, and my grandmother is Khadijah, the wife of your Prophet. Surely you have heard him say: ‘Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn are the masters of the youth of Paradise.’”
These reminders and appeals fell on deaf ears. The hearts of the enemy were hardened by the allure of worldly power and false authority.
Refusing to Start the Fight
When Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan and his men advanced, circling the tents and seeing the burning trench behind, Shimr uttered vile insults. Muslim ibn Awsajah prepared to fire an arrow, but Al-Husayn stopped him: “Do not shoot. I do not wish to be the first to strike.”
Shimr’s Assault
After Amr ibn Al-Hajjaj attacked Al-Husayn’s camp, Shimr charged the left flank with his men but was met with fierce resistance. None in Kufa’s army was more vicious than Shimr — so much so that he even attempted to assault the women in Al-Husayn’s camp, until some of Ibn Ziyad’s commanders rebuked him: “Have you become a terror to women, O Shimr?”
The Final Charge
The battle escalated quickly. It began with duels and soon turned into fierce combat. Al-Husayn’s companions fought with unmatched sacrifice, each giving his life to protect him. Al-Husayn himself did not initially fight but stood steadfast while his loyal men defended him to the last.
When all his companions had fallen, he went to his family in the camp, gathered his brothers, daughters, and children, bid them farewell, and asked them to remain silent. He requested an old, tattered garment, tore it and wore it under his clothes so that he would not be stripped of it — but even this they took, leaving him exposed on the plain of Karbala.
He held his infant son, Abdullah Al-Radhi‘, in his arms, seeking water for him: “If you will not have mercy on me, then have mercy on this child.” But the army debated and then Haramalah ibn Kahil shot an arrow that slaughtered the child from vein to vein while in his father’s arms.
His Final Stand
Left alone, wounded, Al-Husayn fought courageously despite his injuries. When he weakened, any man who approached him would turn away until Malik ibn Al-Yusr Al-Kindi struck him on the head. Others followed: Zar‘ah ibn Sharik cut his left shoulder, another man wounded him in his sacred neck, and Sinan ibn Anas Al-Nakha‘i thrust a spear into him, then shot him with an arrow. Saleh ibn Wahb Al-Mari struck him in the side, bringing him down from his horse.
Surrounded by enemies, Al-Husayn struggled for breath while his nephew, Abdullah ibn Al-Hasan — still a boy — rushed from the women’s quarters to stand by his uncle. Zaynab bint Ali tried to stop him, but he refused: “By Allah, I will never leave my uncle!” As a sword came down on Al-Husayn, the boy cried out: “Woe to you, will you kill my uncle?” He raised his hand to block the blow, severing his hand to the skin. Haramalah then shot an arrow, killing the child in Al-Husayn’s lap.
Shimr and a band of Ibn Sa‘d’s army, including Abu Al-Janub Abd Al-Rahman ibn Ziyad, Qusham ibn Amr ibn Yazid, Saleh ibn Wahb Al-Yazni, Sinan ibn Anas Al-Nakha‘i, and Khawli ibn Yazid Al-Asbahani, surrounded the dying imam. When none dared finish him, Shimr yelled: “What are you waiting for?” He ordered Khawli to behead him. Khawli descended but trembled in fear. Shimr cursed him, descended himself — or it is said Sinan ibn Anas did so — and severed the head of Imam Al-Husayn, handing it to Khawli.
His noble body bore 34 spear wounds, 33 sword strikes, and countless arrow injuries. They stripped him of his garments and left him exposed on the earth.
The Aftermath
Seventy-two of Al-Husayn’s men were martyred. Ibn Sa‘d’s forces lost eighty-eight men. The severed head of Al-Husayn was sent the same day to Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad in Kufa with Khawli ibn Yazid Al-Asbahani and Humayd ibn Muslim Al-Azdi. The heads of the youths of Banu Hashim and Al-Husayn’s companions — seventy-two in total — were sent to Kufa by Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan, Qays ibn Al-Ash‘ath, and Amr ibn Al-Hajjaj.
Eighteen from the household of Abu Talib fell with Al-Husayn: among the sons of Ali ibn Abi Talib — Al-Husayn himself, Ja‘far, Al-‘Abbas, Abu Bakr, Muhammad, and ‘Uthman; from Al-Husayn’s sons: Ali Al-Akbar, Abdullah; from Al-Hasan’s sons: Abdullah, Al-Qasim, Abu Bakr; from Aqil’s sons: Ja‘far, Abdullah, Abdur-Rahman, and Muslim ibn Aqil (martyred in Kufa); from Abdullah ibn Ja‘far’s sons: Awn and Muhammad. All from the noble house of the Prophet ﷺ gave their lives in this unequal battle.
The Lament of Sayyidah Zaynab
After Al-Husayn’s martyrdom, Sayyidah Zaynab — may Allah raise her rank — emerged from her tent, crying out to her grandfather ﷺ: “O my grandfather Muhammad! Angels of the heavens send blessings upon you. Here is your Husayn, cut into pieces, drenched in blood. Your daughters are captives, your offspring slaughtered, left to the wind — O Muhammad!”
It is said that when Al-Husayn was killed, the skies turned red, stars were visible in daylight, and the angels wept for him with true tears. Blood would appear beneath every stone lifted. A Christian monk who saw a column of light descend from the heavens upon Al-Husayn’s severed head embraced Islam.
The Divine Retribution
Allah swiftly avenged his oppressors: some died of thirst, the same water they denied Al-Husayn, grandson of the Prophet ﷺ , whose blessed hands once gushed water. Others burned to death, were struck by lightning, or died with their faces darkened. His stand was never for division or worldly gain but for the victory of truth, the defeat of falsehood, and the rectification of what tyrants had corrupted in his grandfather’s Ummah.
Key References
- Al-Bukhari, Sahih Al-Bukhari, Dar Al-Fikr, 1411H, no. 3748
- Al-Tabari, Tarikh Al-Tabari, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, 1407H, vol. 6, pp. 309–393
- Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Hadi, Opposition Stances During Yazid’s Reign, Al-Maktabah Al-Makkiyah, pp. 362–366
- Al-Mizzi, Tahdhib Al-Kamal, Beirut, 2nd ed., 1403H, 6/422
- Ibn Kathir, Al-Bidayah wa’l-Nihayah, Dar Al-Rayan, 1408H, vol. 11, pp. 510–512
- Al-Haythami, Majma‘ Al-Zawa’id, Dar Al-Rayan, Cairo, Dar Al-Kitab Al-Arabi, Beirut, vol. 9, p. 139
- Ibn Al-Athir, Al-Kamil fi Al-Tarikh, Dar Ihya’ Al-Turath Al-‘Arabi, Beirut, 1408H, vol. 2, p. 582
