Historical Figure
Husayn ibn Ali (AS)
d. 680
Grandson of Muhammad and the 3rd Imam
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Biography
Husayn ibn Ali was an Alid political and religious leader. The second son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, as well as a younger brother of Hasan ibn Ali, Husayn is regarded as the third Imam in Shia Islam after his brother, Hasan, and before his son, Ali al-Sajjad. Husayn is a prominent member of the Ahl al-Bayt and is also considered to be a member of the Ahl al-Kisa and a participant in the event of the mubahala. Muhammad described him and his brother, Hasan, as the leaders of the youth of paradise.
In Their Own Words (5)
In a distant age and climate, the tragic scene of the death of Husein will awaken the sympathy of the coldest reader.
Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, vol. 2, p. 218
Associating with corrupt people makes you subject to suspicion.
Two signs of learned person are: acceptance of other people's criticism, and being knowledgeable about the angles and dimensions of rhetoric and debate.
Among the signs of a learned man is criticising his own words and being informed of various viewpoints.
I never revolted in vain, as a rebel or as a tyrant, but I rose seeking reformation for the nation of my grandfather Muhammad. I intend to enjoin good and forbid evil, to act according to the traditions of my grandfather, and my father ‘Alī ibn Abī Tālib.
Timeline
The story of Husayn ibn Ali (AS), told in moments.
Ashura, the annual commemoration of his death, is observed by millions of Shia Muslims worldwide with mourning rituals, passion plays, and processions. His shrine in Karbala, Iraq, draws millions of pilgrims each year.
His father Ali was assassinated while praying at the mosque of Kufa. Husayn's older brother Hasan negotiated a peace treaty with Mu'awiya, ceding the caliphate. Husayn honored the agreement and withdrew to Medina.
Refused to pledge allegiance to the new caliph Yazid I. Left Mecca for Kufa after receiving thousands of letters of support from Iraqi followers. He traveled with roughly 72 companions and family members, including women and children.
Killed at the Battle of Karbala. Outnumbered, cut off from water for days, his small band was massacred by an Umayyad army of thousands. His head was sent to Yazid in Damascus. The event became the defining tragedy of Shia Islam.
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