What happened on 9th Muharram?

The events of Karbala reflect the collision of the good versus the evil, the virtuous versus the wicked, and the collision of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) versus Yazid, the tyrant. Al- Hussain was a revolutionary person, a righteous man, the religious authority.

As the representative of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Hazrat Hussain’s main concern was to safeguard and protect Islam and guide fellow Muslims. On the other hand, the staying power of the ruler Yazid depended solely on the might of the sword. They used brute force to rule over the Muslim empire even by all possible illicit means.

However, only a few important events of the dreadful night are briefly related here. Since his arrival at Karbala on the 2nd Muharram, Hazrat Hussain used to gather all those who had accompanied him from Makkah, and address them after every night prayer, advising them to leave him to his own fate and to return to their homes, giving them every assurance that the consequences of his journey would be quite a different one from what had been imagined by them to be.

The Ninth of Muharram

On Muharram 9th, Shimr ibn Dhiljawshan arrived in Karbala with ʿUbaydullah ibn Ziad’s new directive to Umar ibn Saʿd. In the new directive, Ibn Ziad had ordered Umar ibn Saʿd to put more pressure on the Imam and his companions to force them to surrender. He had then added that, if they still refuse to surrender and swear allegiance to Yazid, Umar ibn Saʿd was to fight and kill them all.

Besieging Hazrat Hussain’s camp

On the day of Tāsūʿā [i.e. Muharram 9th] the enemy besieged the area where Hazrat Hussain and his companions had set up their camp in Karbala. They began deploying their troops to that area to begin the war with the Imam.

Muharram 9th is also the day that Shimr offered Abbas ibn Ali safe-conduct in return for leaving Hazrat Hussain. His offer, however, was vehemently rejected by Abbas.

As Abbas was angrily rejecting the offer of safe-conduct, Zuhayr ibn Ghayn was looking at him affectionately and, when he turned to him, Zuhayr said: “Let me tell you a story; I remember when your father wanted to get married, he asked his brother Aqīl who knew the Arab tribes well to find him a wife from a clan who were known for their bravery and valiance. I now believe he wanted to have a valiant son who would stay by Hazrat Hussain’s side in Karbala”.

The mobilization of troops to begin the war

After all avenues to peace had been exhausted and due to Hazrat Hussain’s invincible determination not to submit in humiliation to Yazid, Umar ibn Saʿd commanded his troops to march forward to begin the war.

Upon this command, one thousand cavalrymen and infantrymen marched toward Hazrat Hussain (RA) and his companions’ camp, shouting war cries so loudly that their ruckus could be heard from far away. Their war cries were also heard at Hazrat Hussain’s camp and they realized the war was to break out.

On Tāsūʿā evening when the enemy troops prepared to launch an attack, Abbas ibn Ali together with twenty other men went to confront them and thus the tragedy of Karbala began.