Al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was the younger son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah, the Prophet's (ﷺ) daughter. He grew up in Medina with his brother al-Hasan, in the love of their grandfather.
In 680 he was killed at Karbala, in Iraq, with most of the men of his family. It is one of the saddest days in the history of Islam. This guide is about his faith, and the tragedy that Muslims everywhere still grieve.
At a glance
- The Prophet's (ﷺ) grandson, born in Medina, the younger brother of al-Hasan.
- The Prophet (ﷺ) called him and his brother his two sweet-smelling flowers in this world.
- He and al-Hasan are the leaders of the young men of Paradise.
- Anas ibn Malik said that he looked very like the Prophet (ﷺ).
- On the tenth of Muharram in 680 he was killed at Karbala, with about seventy of his family and companions.
- c. 626
Born in Medina, the son of Ali and Fatimah. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Childhood
The Prophet (ﷺ) calls al-Hasan and al-Husayn his two sweet-smelling flowers in this world. Sahih al-Bukhari 3753
- 632
His grandfather dies, and months later his mother Fatimah. Sahih al-Bukhari 4240
- 661
His father Ali dies. His brother al-Hasan makes peace, and they live in Medina. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 680
Yazid becomes ruler. Al-Husayn refuses to give him his pledge. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 680
Letters from Kufa invite him to Iraq. He sets out with his family. Encyclopaedia Britannica
- 10 October 680
The tenth of Muharram, in the year 61. He is killed at Karbala with about seventy of his family and companions. Encyclopaedia BritannicaSahih al-Bukhari 3748
Dates are in the Common Era. Early dates are approximate.
The Prophet's (ﷺ) two flowers
Al-Husayn was born in Medina around 626, a little after his brother al-Hasan. The Prophet (ﷺ) loved the two boys deeply. He called them his two sweet-smelling flowers in this world. Encyclopaedia BritannicaSahih al-Bukhari 3753
He also said that al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the leaders of the young men of Paradise. Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3768
The companions saw the Prophet's (ﷺ) face in him. Anas ibn Malik, who had served the Prophet (ﷺ), said that al-Husayn looked very like him. Sahih al-Bukhari 3748
He lost his grandfather when he was about six, and his mother, Fatimah, a few months later. Sahih al-Bukhari 4240
A life in Medina
After their father, Ali, died in 661, al-Hasan made peace so that Muslims would stop fighting Muslims. Al-Husayn lived on in Medina, the city of his grandfather, for nearly twenty years. Encyclopaedia BritannicaAl-Hasan ibn Ali
In 680 Mu'awiya died, and his son Yazid became ruler. Al-Husayn refused to give Yazid his pledge, and he left Medina for Mecca. Encyclopaedia Britannica
The road to Karbala
From Kufa, in Iraq, came many letters. The people who wrote them promised to stand by him, and they asked him to come and lead them. He sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil ahead to see how things stood. But the governor of Kufa, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, took hold of the city, and Muslim ibn Aqil was killed. Encyclopaedia Britannicaal-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
People who loved al-Husayn begged him not to go. Among them was Abdullah ibn Abbas, the Prophet's (ﷺ) cousin, who asked him at least not to take the women and children. He set out all the same, with his family and a small band of companions. al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
On the way he learned that Kufa had turned against him. On the plain of Karbala, beside the river Euphrates, an army stopped him. It was about four thousand strong, sent by Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad under the command of Umar ibn Sa'd. Al-Husayn had about seventy-two men. Encyclopaedia Britannicaal-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
The tenth of Muharram
The army cut his camp off from the river. For days the men, women and children had almost no water. al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
On the night before the battle, al-Husayn told his companions that they were free to leave under cover of the dark. Few of them went. They spent that night in prayer. al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
On the tenth of Muharram, in the year 61, the fighting began. It was 10 October 680. One by one his companions fell, and then the men of his own family: his sons, his brothers, his nephews and his cousins. Al-Husayn, the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), was killed last. About seventy men died with him. Encyclopaedia Britannicaal-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
His head was carried to Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad in Kufa. The governor poked at its face with a stick. Anas ibn Malik was there. He said that al-Husayn looked more like the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) than the others did. Sahih al-Bukhari 3748
The women and children were taken as captives to Kufa, and then to Damascus. Among them were his sister Zaynab and his son Ali, who had been too ill to fight and survived. Later they were sent home to Medina. Encyclopaedia Britannicaal-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 19
Think not of those who are slain in Allah's way as dead. Nay, they live, finding their sustenance in the presence of their Lord;
A wound that has never closed
The killing of al-Husayn shocked the Muslims of his time. A man from Iraq once asked Abdullah ibn Umar, the son of Umar, whether a pilgrim may kill a fly. Ibn Umar said that the people of Iraq asked about the blood of a fly, yet they had killed the grandson of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Then he recalled that the Prophet (ﷺ) had called al-Hasan and al-Husayn his two flowers in this world. Sahih al-Bukhari 3753
Muslims of every school still remember Karbala with sorrow. The Prophet's (ﷺ) own grandson and his family were killed by an army of Muslims. Nothing can excuse it.
Al-Husayn met it with faith. He would not give his pledge where he believed it was wrong, and he held firm to the end. The Qur'an teaches believers what to say when such a loss comes:
To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return
What we can learn
Al-Husayn grew up in his grandfather's love, held to what he believed was right, and met death with faith.
- Love the Prophet's (ﷺ) family. He loved his grandsons, and called them his flowers.
- Never shed innocent blood. Karbala is a warning of what people do when power matters more to them than Allah (﷾).
- Hold to what is right. He would not give his word where he believed it was wrong.
- Meet loss with patience. To Allah (﷾) we belong, and to Him is our return.