“In the Battle of Siffin, I was among the troops of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) and in the contingent of Ammar Yasir[1]. At noon, under the scorching heat, we sat in the shade of the banner. Suddenly, we saw a man cutting through the ranks and approaching us. When he reached us, he asked, ‘Which one of you is Ammar?’
One of the companions of Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), who was present in the Battle of Siffin, continues: ‘Ammar responded, “I am.” The man said, “I have a question… When I left my house this morning to join the battlefield, I was convinced that Ali (peace be upon him) represents truth and Muawiyah represents falsehood and misguidance. But upon arriving here, I became confused! Muawiyah’s army also calls the adhan, bears witness to the oneness of God, and the prophethood of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), performs prayers, and recites the Qur’an. In short, they possess what we do. I was disturbed and thought, are we here to fight those who pray and recite the Qur’an? Distraught, I approached Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him), and he directed me to you.”
Ammar replied, “Do you see that black banner ahead of us? Do you know who holds it?” The man responded, “It is held by Amr ibn al-As[2].” Ammar said, “Know this: alongside the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), I have fought against this same banner three times—at Badr, Uhud, and Hunayn. Today, I fight against it once more. Be assured, that banner today, as before, represents shirk (polytheism), and this banner under which we stand represents tawhid (monotheism)[3][4].”
Muawiyah, a fierce enemy of the Prophet and his Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), had succeeded in maintaining his position among the people through deception and outward displays of religiosity. Yet, in truth, Muawiyah sought to extinguish the light of Islam, aiming to dismantle prophethood and erase God’s name from existence.
Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), like his esteemed father and brother (peace be upon them), recognized the need to confront this deadly corruption. However, he did not see an armed uprising against Muawiyah as beneficial for Islam and the Muslims. This was because Muawiyah was not widely recognized for who he truly was; the people perceived him as a pious and committed adherent to prayer and the Qur’an, questioning why they should fight him.
Therefore, it was necessary for the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him), like Imam Hasan (peace be upon him), to make peace with Muawiyah and extract commitments from him, allowing him to openly and flagrantly violate them. This would expose his disbelief and hypocrisy to the people, paving the way for resistance against the Umayyads.
After Muawiyah, Yazid—a shameless and immoral figure—assumed power. Yazid openly drank wine and recited blasphemous verses, declaring, “The Hashimites played with kingship. No angel descended, nor was there any revelation[5].”
When Yazid, through the governor of Medina, proposed allegiance to Imam Husayn (peace be upon him), the Imam replied, “When leadership of the ummah falls into the hands of a ruler like Yazid, one should bid farewell to Islam[6].”
This statement underscores that the main motive behind the historic self-sacrifice and martyrdom of Sayyid al-Shuhada (peace be upon him) in 61 AH was the preservation of Islam and the prevention of the extinguishment of the voice of revelation, prophethood, and the Qur’an by the Umayyads. The phrase “like Yazid” indicates that Imam Husayn (peace be upon him) did not rise merely against Yazid as an individual, but against Yazid’s ideology and actions. Whoever embodies these traits and opposes God’s religion becomes the adversary of the Imam, prompting his resistance.
Although Yazid has long perished and decayed in the dust of his grave, his ideology and deeds persist in the world until the advent of Imam al-Mahdi (peace be upon him). Followers of Husayn (peace be upon him) must continuously reject them. Hence, the annual commemoration of Ashura and the renewal of allegiance during Arba’een serve to respond to the call to revive true Islam, ensuring that Husayni thought remains alive.
(Adapted from the book “Husayn (peace be upon him): Lamp of Guidance and Ark of Salvation” by Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Diya’ Abadi, with minor edits.)
Footnotes:
[1] Ammar ibn Yasir, a great companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), stood by the Prophet from the early days of the mission in Mecca. He was among the first believers and participated in various battles alongside the Prophet after the migration.
[2] Amr ibn al-As was a close ally and senior commander of Muawiyah, credited with devising the ploy of raising Qur’ans on spears during the Battle of Siffin. He also represented the Syrians during arbitration after Siffin.
[3] Waq‘at Siffin, p. 321.
[4] Ammar held a prominent position among Muslims and the Prophet’s companions, so much so that he was seen as a symbol of truth and a standard for discerning the righteous path. The Prophet extolled Ammar’s faith and steadfastness, describing him as a constant companion of truth. Accordingly, Ammar identified the Umayyad banner and forces at Siffin as a continuation of the Qurayshi forces that had opposed Islam in the battles of Badr, Uhud, and Hunayn.
[5] “The Hashimites played with kingship… No angel descended, nor was there any revelation.” (Ihtijaj of Tabarsi, Vol. 2, p. 307)
[6] “Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Peace be upon Islam if the nation is afflicted with a ruler like Yazid.” (Luhuf, p. 24)