Battle of Karbala

The Battle of Karbala (Arabic: مَعْرَكَة كَرْبَلَاء, romanized: Maʿrakat Karbalāʾ) was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 AH of the Islamic calendar) between the forces of the second Umayyad caliph Yazid I (r. 680–683), and a small army led by Husayn ibn Ali, second son of Ali and grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at Karbala, in modern-day southern Iraq. Prior to his death, the Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I (r.^[1]

Background

After the assassination of the third caliph Uthman ibn Affan by rebels in 656, Ali ibn Abi Talib, a cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, was proclaimed as the fourth caliph in Medina. Ali's legitimacy as caliph was denounced by Uthman's kinsman Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, the long-time governor of Syria. When Ali was assassinated in 661, his eldest son Hasan succeeded him but soon signed a peace treaty that handed over power to Mu'awiya on the condition that Mu'awiya be a just ruler and that he would allow his successor to be chosen through shura (consultation).^[1]

Prelude

On his succession, Yazid tasked the governor of Medina, al-Walid ibn Utba ibn Abi Sufyan, to secure allegiance from Husayn and Ibn al-Zubayr, with force if necessary. Al-Walid sought the advice of his Umayyad relative Marwan ibn al-Hakam, who suggested that Ibn al-Zubayr and Husayn should be compelled to pledge allegiance as they were dangerous, while Ibn Umar should be left alone since he posed no threat. Al-Walid summoned the two, but Ibn al-Zubayr escaped to Mecca.^[1]

Journey towards Kufa

Husayn left Mecca with a group of fifty men and his family on 9 September 680 (8 Dhu al-Hijjah 60 AH), a day before the Hajj pilgrimage. He took the northerly route through the Arabian Desert. At the urging of Husayn's cousin Abd Allah ibn Ja'far, the governor of Mecca, Amr ibn Sa'id al-Ashdaq, sent his brother and Ibn Ja'far after Husayn to assure him of his safety in Mecca and persuade him to return.^[1]

Battle

After the morning prayer on 10 October, both parties took up battle positions. Husayn appointed Zuhayr ibn al-Qayn to command the right flank of his army, Habib ibn Muzahir to command the left flank, and his half-brother Abbas as the standard bearer. Husayn's companions, according to most accounts, numbered thirty-two horsemen and forty infantrymen; although forty-five horsemen and one hundred foot-soldiers, or a total of a few hundred men have been reported by some sources.^[1]

Death of Husayn

The Umayyad soldiers hesitated to attack Husayn directly, but he was struck in the mouth by an arrow as he went to the river to drink. He collected his blood in a cupped hand and cast towards the sky, complaining to God of his suffering. Later, he was surrounded and struck on the head by Malik ibn Nusayr.^[1]

Aftermath

Seventy or seventy-two people died on Husayn's side, of whom about twenty were descendants of Abu Talib, the father of Ali. This included two of Husayn's sons, six of his paternal brothers, three sons of Hasan ibn Ali, three sons of Jafar ibn Abi Talib, and three sons and three grandsons of Aqil ibn Abi Talib. Following the battle, Husayn's clothes were stripped, and his sword, shoes and baggage were taken.^[1]

Tawwabin uprising

In Kufa, prominent Alid partisans felt guilty for abandoning Husayn after having invited him to revolt. To atone for their perceived sins, they initiated the Tawwabin movement, under Sulayman ibn Surad. While Iraq was under Umayyad rule, the movement remained underground, but after the death of Yazid in November 683, the people of Iraq drove out the Umayyad governor Ibn Ziyad.^[1]

Revolt of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi

Mukhtar was an early settler of Kufa, having arrived in Iraq following its initial conquest by the Muslims. He had participated in the failed rebellion of Muslim ibn Aqil, for which he was imprisoned by Ibn Ziyad, before being released after the intervention of Abd Allah ibn Umar. Mukhtar then went to Mecca and had a short-lived alliance with Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr, who had established himself in Mecca in opposition to Yazid.^[1]

Primary and classic sources

The primary source of the Karbala narrative is the work of the Kufan historian Abu Mikhnaf titled Kitab Maqtal Al-Husayn. Other early monographs on the death of Husayn, which have not survived, were written by al-Asbagh ibn Nubata, Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi, Ammar ibn Mu'awiya al-Duhni, Awana ibn al-Hakam, al-Waqidi, Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, Nasr ibn Muzahim, and al-Mada'ini; of these al-Asbagh's monograph was perhaps the earliest. Although Abu Mikhnaf's date of birth is unknown, he was an adult by the time of the revolt of Ibn al-Ash'ath, which occurred in 701, some twenty years after the Battle of Karbala.^[1]