Library Islam Islam: Faith, Practice & History Part III: History Lesson 41 2. Karbala & His Imamat
2. Karbala & His Imamat
- Details
- Hits: 3323
2. Karbala & His Imamat
In his late teens and early twenties, he also observed the suppression and persecution under which his father lived during the reign of Mu’Äwiyah. As you have already read in the last lesson, Imam Zaynu ’l-‘Ä€bidÄ«n was the only son of Imam Husayn to survive, for his other two brothers ‘Ali Akbar and ‘AlÄ« Asghar who was a suckling baby were martyred during the event of Karbala. The Imam had also accompanied his father on the journey that terminated fatally in Karbala, but because of severe illness and the inability to carry arms or participate in fighting he was prevented from taking part in the holy war and being martyred.
The Yazidi forces had taken the womenfolk of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) as captives to Kufa and from there to Damascus with the intent of humiliating the holy family and also presenting them as an example for any potential opposition to Yazid’s rule. But Allah had planned it otherwise: the journey of the captives turned, instead, into an opportunity for the Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) to present their innocence to the people, convey the message of Husayn and enlighten the masses about the atrocities of the Yazidi regime. The caravan of the captives from Ahlul Bayt exposed the true face of Yazid and his establishment. The most important role played in this awakening of the masses was by Zaynab bint ‘Ali, Husayn’s sister, and Imam Zaynu ’l-‘Ä€bidÄ«n.
The speeches of the holy Imam in the city of Kufa, in the court of Ibn ZiyÄd (the governor of Kufa), in Damascus and in the court of Yazid himself are excellent examples of how Imam Zaynu ’l-‘Ä€bidÄ«n was able to gain victory for Husayn and expose the tyranny of Yazid. And all this was done while he was a prisoner!
Here we shall just present a part from the speech given by Imam Zaynu ’l-‘Ä€bidÄ«n in the court of Yazid in response to a speech by a speaker of the establishment who had tried to create hatred in the minds and hearts of the audience against Imam ‘Ali bin Abi TÄlib and his family. The Imam went on the pulpit shackled in chains and introduced himself as follows:
“...Those who know me, they know me...And those who do not know, then listen:
I am the son of Mecca and Mina; I am the son of zamzam and Safa; I am the son of the noble one who placed the black stone in the Ka’bah; I am the son of the one who put on the ihram and did tawaf; I am the son of the one who was taken from Masjidul Haram to Masjidul Aqsa [in mi’raj]; I am the son of one on whom Allah sent revelations;
I am the son of Husayn who was killed in Karbala; I am the son of Muhammad al-Mustafa; I am the son of FÄtimah az-ZahrÄ’; I am the son of Khadija al-Kubra;
I am the son of the one who was killed and left in a pool of his own blood; I am the son of the one who was left without a shroud and without burial; I am the son of the one who was killed thirsty...”
He soon turned the tide against Yazid; the entire audience started to cry in sympathy for the Imam and his family. It was such speeches that forced Yazid to publicly disown the actions of his own men.
After spending a period in imprisonment, the Imam and the womenfolk of Ahlul Bayt (a.s.) were sent with honour to Medina because Yazid wanted to conciliate public opinion.
