Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 CE) was the second son of Ali and Fatima, a younger brother of Hasan and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He is the third Imam in Shia Islam, succeeding Hasan. Husayn is a prominent member of the Ahl al-Bayt and Ahl al-Kisa, and a participant in the Event of the mubahala. Muhammad described Hasan and Husayn as the leaders of the youth of paradise.
During Ali's caliphate, Husayn accompanied him in the military campaigns of the First Fitna. After the assassination of Ali, Husayn obeyed Hasan in recognizing the peace treaty with Mu'awiya. During the nine-year period between Hasan's abdication and his death, Husayn withdrew with his brother to Medina, seeking to remain removed from political involvement. Prior to his death, Mu'awiya appointed his son Yazid as his successor, making the caliphate hereditary. When Mu'awiya died, Yazid demanded that Husayn pledge allegiance to him, but Husayn refused and took refuge in Mecca.. While Husayn was in Mecca, the people of Kufa sent him numerous letters, inviting him to overthrow Umayyad rule, and pledging their allegiance to him.
Husayn first sent his cousin, Muslim ibn Aqil, to Kufa to assess the situation and the genuineness of their support. After receiving a favorable report from Muslim, Husayn accepted their invitation and traveled toward the city. On his way to Kufa with about 72 men, including his family members, Husayn's caravan was intercepted by a 1,000-strong army of the caliph. He was forced to head north and encamp at the plain of Karbala on 2 October, where another 4,000-strong Umayyad army arrived. Negotiations failed after the Umayyad governor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad refused Husayn safe passage without submitting to his authority, a condition declined by Husayn. The Battle of Karbala ensued on 10 October, during which Husayn was killed along with most of his family members and companions. In the subsequent Second Fitna, Kufan partisans organized two separate campaigns to avenge the blood of Husayn; the first one by the Tawwabin and the other one by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi and his supporters.
Husayn's death at Karbala gave the early political party of pro-Alids, which had not yet developed specific theological doctrines and set of rituals, a distinct religious identity and helped transform and consolidate it into a separate religious sect. Heinz Halm writes: "There was no religious aspect to Shi'ism prior to 680. The death of Husayn and his followers marked the 'big bang' that created the rapidly expanding cosmos of Shi'ism and brought it into motion."
Early life
Most narrations report that Husayn was born on the 3rd of Sha'ban 4 AH (11 January 626) in Medina and was still a child when his grandfather Muhammad died. He was the younger son of Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, and Fatima, the daughter of Muhammad, both from the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. Both Hasan and Husayn were named by Muhammad, although Ali had other names such as "Harb" in mind. Muhammad sacrificed a ram to celebrate Husayn's birth, and Fatima shaved his head and donated the same weight of his hair in silver as alms.
Husayn was raised in Muhammad's household during his early years. Madelung notes that numerous narrations show Muhammad's love for Hasan and Husayn. A widely-reported hadith in the canonical Sunni collection Sunan al-Tirmidhi describes Hasan and Husayn as the sayyids (“chiefs”) of the youth of Paradise.
Event of Mubahala
In the year 10 AH (631–632) a Christian envoy from Najran came to Muhammad to argue which of the two parties erred in its doctrine concerning Jesus. After likening Jesus' miraculous birth to Adam's creation — who was born to neither a mother nor a father— and when the Christians did not accept the Islamic doctrine about Jesus, Muhammad reportedly received a revelation instructing him to call them to Mubahala, where each party should ask God to destroy the false party and their families:
In Shia perspective, in the verse of Mubahala, the phrase "our sons" would refer to Hasan and Husayn, "our women" refers to Fatima, and "ourselves" refers to Ali. Most of the Sunni narrations quoted by al-Tabari do not name the participants. Other Sunni historians mention Muhammad, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn as having participated in the Mubahala, and some agree with the Shia tradition that Ali was among them. The verse "God wishes only to remove taint from you, people of the Household, and to make you utterly pure" is also attributed to this event, during which Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn stood under Muhammad's cloak. Thus the title, the Family of the Cloak, is related sometimes to the Event of Mubahala.
During the caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman During the reigns of Abu Bakr and Umar, Husayn was present at some events such as testifying about the story of Fadak. According to a narration, Husayn, while the second caliph was sitting on the pulpit of Muhammad and giving a speech, objected to him for sitting on the pulpit of Muhammad, and Umar also stopped his sermon and came down from the pulpit. During the caliphate of Uthman, he defended Abu Dharr, who was to be exiled from Medina.
According to several narrations, Ali asked Hasan and Husayn to carry water to Caliph Uthman and defend his residence when it was besieged by rebels. According to Vaglieri, by the time Hasan entered Uthman's house, Uthman had been assassinated. Another report says that Uthman asked for Ali's assistance. The latter send Husayn in response. Then Uthman asked Husayn if he was able to defend himself against the besiegers. Husayn demurred, so Uthman sent him back. It is also narrated that Uthman's cousin, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, said to Husayn: "Leave us, your father incites the people against us, and you are here with us!" Haeri writes that according to some narrations, Husayn or Hasan were wounded while defending Uthman.
During the caliphates of Ali and Hasan
During the caliphate of Ali, Husayn, along with his brothers Hasan and Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, and his cousin, Abd Allah ibn Ja'far were among Ali's closest allies. He remained alongside him, accompanying him in the battlefields. According to a report by al-Tabari, Husayn was among Ali's major supporters who were cursed by Mu'awiya. After the assassination of Ali, the Kufans gave allegiance to Hasan. In response, Mu'awiya marched on Kufa with a large army. Consequently, Hasan signed a peace treaty in which he abdicated the caliphate to Mu'awiya, who would allow the Islamic community () to choose his successor.
Madelung believes that Husayn did not recognize this treaty at first, but pressed by Hasan, accepted it. Later on, when several Shia leaders suggested him to conduct a surprise attack on Mu'awiya's camp near Kufa, he refused, stating that as long as Mu'awiya was alive, he would abide by the terms of the treaty. After signing the peace treaty, Mu'awiya delivered a sermon in Kufa in which he declared that the provisions of the treaty were void. Husayn wanted to respond, but Hasan refused to do so. Husayn then left Kufa for Medina along with Hasan and Abd Allah ibn Ja'far. He adhered to the terms of the treaty even after Hasan's death.
During the caliphate of Mu'awiya According to Shia sources, Husayn was the third Imam for a period of ten years after the death of his brother Hasan in 670. Except for the last six months, this coincided entirely with the reign of Mu'awiya.Tabatabaei, (1979), p. 196. In the nine-year period of his abdication, Hasan and Husayn retreated to Medina, trying to keep aloof from political involvement for or against Mu'awiya. Sentiments in favor of the rule of Ahl al-Bayt occasionally emerged in the form of small groups, mostly from Kufa, visiting Hasan and Husayn asking them to be their leaders – a request to which they declined to respond. When Hasan was poisoned, he refused to tell Husayn the name of his suspect in fear of provoking bloodshed.
After the death of Hasan, when the Kufans turned to Husayn for an uprising, Husayn instructed them to wait as long as Mu'awiya was alive due to Hasan's treaty with him. Meanwhile, Marwan reported to Mu'awiya the frequent visits of Alid partisans to Husayn. Mu'awiya instructed Marwan not to clash with Husayn, and wrote a letter to Husayn in which he "mingled generous promises with the advice not to provoke him." Later on, when Mu'awiya secured pledges of allegiance for his son, Yazid, Husayn was among the five notables who did not give his allegiance, as nominating a successor was in violation of Hasan's peace treaty with Mu'awiya. Before his death in April 680, Mu'awiya cautioned Yazid that Husayn might challenge his rule and instructed him to defeat him if they did. Yazid was further advised to treat Husayn with caution and not to spill his blood, since he was Muhammad's grandson.
Uprising
Refusal to give allegiance to Yazid Immediately after Mu'awiya's death on 15th of Rajab 60 AH (22 April 680), Yazid charged the governor of Medina, al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan, to secure allegiance from Husayn with force if necessary. Yazid's goal was to take control of the situation in the city before the people became aware of Mu'awiya's death. Yazid's concern was especially about his two rivals for the caliphate, Husayn and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who had previously renounced his succession. Husayn answered al-Walid's summons but declined to pledge allegiance in the secretive environment of the meeting, suggesting it should be done in public. Marwan ibn al-Hakam advised al-Walid to imprison him, but due to Husayn's kinship with Muhammad, al-Walid was unwilling to take any action against him. A few days later, Husayn left for Mecca without acknowledging Yazid. He arrived in Mecca at the beginning of May 680, and stayed there until the beginning of September. He was accompanied by his wives, children and brothers, as well as Hasan's sons.
Invitations from Kufa Husayn had considerable support in Kufa, which had been the capital of his father and brother during their rule. The Kufans had fought the Umayyads and their Syrian allies during the First Fitna. They were dissatisfied with Hasan's abdication and resented Umayyad rule. While in Mecca, Husayn received letters from the Kufans asking him to lead them in revolt against Yazid, promising to remove their governor if Husayn would consent to aid them. Husayn wrote back affirmatively and sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil to assess the situation in Kufa. Ibn Aqil attracted widespread support and advised Husayn to join them there.
Yazid removed Nu'man ibn Bashir from the governorship of Kufa due to his inaction and installed Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, the governor of Basra, in his place. As a result of Ibn Ziyad's suppression and political maneuvering, Ibn Aqil's following began to dissipate, and he was forced to declare the revolt prematurely. It was defeated and Ibn Aqil was killed. Husayn was unaware of the change of political circumstances in Kufa and decided to depart. Abd Allah ibn Umar and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr advised him not to move to Iraq, or, if he was determined, not to take women and children with him. He also offered Husayn support if he would stay in Mecca and lead the opposition to Yazid from there. Husayn refused this, citing his abhorrence of bloodshed in the holy sanctuary, and decided to go ahead with his plan.
Journey to Kufa Husayn prepared to depart for Kufa on the 8th or 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah 60 AH / 10 or 12 September 680. Instead of performing Hajj, he performed Umrah, and in the absence of the governor of Mecca, Amr ibn Sa'id ibn al-As, who was performing Hajj on the outskirts of the city, secretly left the city with his companions and family. Fifty men from Husayn's relatives and friends – who could fight if needed – accompanied Husayn, including women and children. He took the northerly route through the Arabian Desert.