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Karbala
Umar and his army
were getting to Husayn’s camp when he ordered Abbas, Habib. B.
Mazahir, and Zahir b. Qays to go to them and check the issue
with them. Umar said to Abbas “Ibn Ziyad has asked me to suggest
you to submit and give up and if you reject I’ll fight with
you.” Abbas said “Let me check it with Husayn”. He came back to
the tents and his companions stayed there to resist against Umar.
Habib addressed Umar’s army and said “You are going to kill the
son of the prophet and his family. You will not meet
prosperity”. Somebody replied him “You were not among the shi’it
of this family”. Habib said” My position indicates if I’m
righteous or not. I wrote no letters to Husayn and made no
promises but I am supporting him now. I’ll sacrifice myself to
help him. You have ignored Husayn and his right way.” Abbas
reported the news to Imam Hysayn. He said “We have got to fight
with them. There is no other way around. Go to them and see if
you can postpone the war to tomorrow, I would like to have a
privacy to pray and talk with my God and recite Koran. Umar b.
Saad agreed with what Hysayn had said. May be he wanted to see
if Hysayn would be willing to change his idea and give up. On
the other hand, the night praying of Imam Hysayn and his
comrades indicated that they were righteous and if there were
any doubt among Umar’s army about the issue, it could be
vanished away. During the very night and until it’s tomorrow, at
the noon time, some individuals from Umar’s army joined Imam
Hysayn, among them the most famous was Hur. b. Yazid Riyahi.
During the night time. Hysayn. b. Ali was
repaying and thanking God. “I praise you and thank you, since
you bestowed us respect, and taught us Koran, wisdom and
enlightenment. Accept us among your believers and friends. My
followers are the best ones in the world and my family is the
kindest one.” Then he looked at his comrades and said “God
rewards you, you are allowed to leave me if you like there is no
obligation and you are free to go. It is dark and you can save
yourself. The enemy wants just me not you. if they arrest me,
they would not follow you”. the first one who spoke in favor of
Imam Husayn was Abbas. He manifested his loyalty. Then Muslim b.
Ausaje said, “We won’t leave you alone, I will fight with them,
even if they kill me and I woud be able to rise again an be
alive, I’ll do the same and I’ll help you the best.” Auhayr. B.
Qayn, another comrade stood up and said “it would be my pleasure
to be killed for you and your family to defend you and Islam.”
Qasem, Imam Hassan’s son who was a 13 year-old young man asked
his uncle if he would experience martyrdom or not. His majesty
answered, “How do you think of death”, “It will be sweeter than
honey to me if this is for you, uncle”. Qasem said. Then Imam
looked at him and answered “Yeah, you will experience it but
very harshly”, Qasem thanked God.
Imam Sajad says “When my father saw how loyal his
comrades were to him, asked them to raise their heads and watch
their own rank and position in the paradise, he showed them
their places.”
Then he ordered his group to prepare their
weapons and get ready for the war. They digged the ground around
the camp and made deep holes so that the enemy forces could not
cross the distance and attack the tents easily. He asked his
comrades to fill the holes with wood and burn them, and turn on
fire to show that Hysayn was still alive and the enemies were
not able to raid the tents. They resettled the tents so close to
each other that it was impossible for the enemy to pass through
them. This forced the enemy to fight them face to face. Then he
began reciting Koran and praying God up to the morning. In the
morning he rode on his horse and arranged his small army. He
appointed Zuhayr. b. Qayn as the holder of the left part and
Habib. b. Mazaheir at the right side. He gave Abbas the flag and
ordered his friends to make fire behind the tents so that the
enemy can not attack them from the backward. Umar b. Saad also
arranged his army and appointed the following people as the
commanders of his soldiers.
Abd. Allah. b. Zuhayr. Azdi, as the commander of
Medina forces. Qays b. Ashas. Was the head of people from Riayh
and Kunda. Abd alrahan b. Abi Sabra, was appointed as the
commander of Mazjah and baniasad and Hur. b. Yazid, Riyahi was
the commander of the right part while Shimr b. Zeljoushan was
commanding the left side of the big forces. Urwa. b. Qays Ahmasi
was ordered to rule over the cavalry forces and Umar’s released
slave, Darid carried the flag. The ground troops were commanded
by Shabs. b. Rabei.
Husayn’s group were not more than 72, while
30,000 enemies had besieged them and wanted to arrest them and
take them to Kufa. They thought the small group commanded by al-Husayn
were not able to resist against them. When the Kufa army got
very near, Imam rode on a camel and asked them to listen to him.
He wanted to advise them at the very last moment, may be some of
them would be more thoughtful about God and realize that the
direction they had taken was the wrong one.
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