On the morning of Ashura, Sayyid al-Shuhada (Imam Hussein, peace be upon him) organized his companions, who were thirty-two cavalry and forty foot soldiers. He appointed Zohayr to lead the right wing of the army, Habib to lead the left wing, and entrusted the flag to his brother Abbas (peace be upon him). He positioned the tents behind the army and dug a trench behind the tents, filling it with reeds and firewood, which he set ablaze, so that the enemy could not attack from behind the tents.
Omar ibn Sa’ad also arranged his army, which numbered thirty thousand on that day. He appointed Amr ibn Hajjaj to lead the right wing, Shammar ibn Dhil-Jawshan to lead the left wing, and appointed Urwah ibn Qays to command the cavalry and Shabath ibn Rib’i to lead the foot soldiers. He entrusted the flag to his servant[1].
When Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) looked at the enemy’s army, he raised his hands in supplication and said:
“O God! You are my refuge in every sorrow, my hope in every misfortune, and my weapon and protector in every calamity. When crushing grief overwhelmed me, and hearts were paralyzed, and all possible solutions were blocked, I turned to You, complaining of my agonizing griefs, and I cut off all hope from others. It was You who removed my grief and distress. You are the possessor of every blessing and the ultimate goal and destination for me.”[2]
After that, Imam (peace be upon him) called for his mount and mounted it. He then spoke loudly so that everyone could hear him:
“O people of Iraq! Listen to my words and do not act hastily, so I may fulfill my duty of advising you and explaining to you the reason for my journey to this land. If you accept my reason and agree with me, and you come to me with fairness, you will have found the path to happiness. But if you reject my reason and do not act justly, then all of you can unite and do what you have decided against me, and do not give me respite. My supporter is the God who revealed the Qur’an, and He is the protector of those with noble souls.”[3]
There was a brief silence, and then the Imam praised God, sent blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and upon the angels and the prophets. He then said:
“O people! Tell me: Who am I? Then reflect upon yourselves and rebuke yourselves, and see if it is right for you to kill me and break my sanctity! Am I not the son of the daughter of your Prophet? Am I not the son of [Ali], the trustee and cousin of your Prophet? Am I not the son of the one who, before all others, believed in God and before all others, confirmed the Prophet’s message? Is not Hamza, the chief of martyrs, my uncle? Is not Ja’far al-Tayyar, who flies in heaven with two wings, my uncle? Did you not hear the Prophet say about me and my brother, ‘These two are the masters of the youth of Paradise’?”
“If you believe my words, the things I have mentioned are undeniable truths. For from the day I realized that God returns the harm of lies upon those who speak them, I have never lied. And if you disbelieve me, there are people among you who, if you ask them, will testify that they heard this from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Ask Jabir ibn Abd Allah Ansari, Abu Sa’id Khudri, Sahl ibn Sa’d Sa’idi, Zayd ibn Arqam, and Malik ibn Anas. They will tell you that they heard this from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him). Does this not stop you from spilling my blood?”
Then Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said: “If you doubt the words of the Prophet about me and my brother, do you doubt this truth that I am the son of the daughter of your Prophet? I swear by God, there is no one in the entire world, among you or others, who is the son of the daughter of a Prophet except me. Woe to you! Have I killed anyone among you whose blood you seek to avenge by killing me? Have I taken anyone’s wealth or caused you harm to deserve such punishment?”
None of them answered him. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) then addressed them and said:
“O Shabath ibn Rib’i, O Hajjaj ibn Abjar, O Qays ibn Ash’ath, O Yazid ibn Harith! Did you not write to me, saying that our fruits have ripened, our trees are green and flourishing, and we are eagerly awaiting you, and we have equipped soldiers ready for you in Kufa?”
Qays ibn Ash’ath replied, “We do not know what you are saying, but if you hear from us, submit to Yazid, for they seek nothing but your satisfaction.”…
Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) said, “By God, I will not lower my hands in submission to them, nor will I flee from the battlefield like slaves. I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord, from the one who distorts my words, and I seek refuge in my Lord and your Lord from the evil of every arrogant person who has no belief in the Day of Judgment.”
Then he dismounted his camel. At that moment, the enemy forces began advancing toward him, and their horses charged forward. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) called for the horse of the Messenger of God (peace be upon him) and the Prophet’s helmet, armor, and sword. He donned the Prophet’s battle attire, mounted the horse, and stood before the enemy forces.
Then, Harb ibn Yazid joined him, and Omar ibn Sa’ad commanded his army to attack. Two men, named “Salim” and “Yasar,” entered the battlefield, and the fighting began.
Shammar and Amr ibn Hajjaj called out to their forces, saying, “These are men who will resist until the end of their lives; no one should fight them alone.” After these words, Omar ibn Sa’ad’s army surrounded Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) army on all sides, trapping them. Shammar attacked the left wing of Imam Hussein’s army, while Amr attacked the right wing. However, Imam Hussein’s companions remained steadfast, sitting on their knees, and repelled the attacks with their arrows. This first assault, known as the first attack of the enemy, showed the small number of Hussein’s (peace be upon him) army.
Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) prayed the Dhuhr prayer at the earliest time. Before and during the prayer, skirmishes took place between the enemy and those who were protecting the Imam. After the Dhuhr prayer, the fighting continued until no one from Imam Hussein’s (peace be upon him) companions remained. Therefore, the women of the Prophet’s household entered the battlefield. They too were martyred.
Then Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) cried out: “Is there anyone to defend the family of the Messenger of God? Is there no one to answer our cry for help for the sake of God? Is there no ally who will help us, hoping for God’s reward?”
The cries and wailing of the women became loud. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) went to the tents to calm the women and took his infant son from his sister Zainab. But the infant, Ali Asghar, was struck by an arrow from Harmala, and the arrow struck his throat. Imam Hussein (peace be upon him) held the blood of his son’s throat in his hands and scattered it into the sky, saying: “This tragedy is also easy for me, for God is a witness to it.”…
(Excerpted from the book “Absar al-‘Ayn fi Ansar al-Hussein,” by Sheikh Muhammad Samawi)[4]
Footnotes:
[1] Irshad, vol. 2, p. 95
[2] Irshad, vol. 2, p. 95
[3] Irshad, vol. 2, p. 95
[4] The above text is taken from the Persian translation of the mentioned book, translated by Mr. Abbas Jalali, published under the title “Sulhshuran Tuf.”