Husayn Falls at Karbala: Islam's Defining Tragedy
Husayn ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, refused to pledge allegiance to Caliph Yazid I, whom he considered illegitimate. Traveling to Kufa with a small caravan of 72 followers and family members, he was intercepted by a Umayyad army of several thousand at Karbala in modern Iraq. Cut off from water for three days, Husayn and his men fought on October 10, 680 AD, and were slaughtered. Husayn was decapitated and his head sent to Yazid in Damascus. Women and children were taken captive. The massacre crystallized the Sunni-Shia split in Islam. For Shia Muslims, Karbala represents the ultimate sacrifice for justice against tyranny. The annual observance of Ashura, marked by mourning processions and passion plays, draws millions of pilgrims to Karbala's shrine every year.
October 10, 680
1346 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 10
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