
Shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq
During the first 10 days of the month of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar, Shiites attend nightly majlises which recount the horrific events that took place on that same night centuries past. The final and 10th day is known as Ashura, the day when Imam Hussain was killed and the battle won by Yazid and his forces.
Imam Hassan and Imam Hussein were the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad, the sons of the Prophet’s beloved daughter Bibi Fatima and her husband Imam Ali.
Imam Ali had been appointed fourth caliph but was murdered in a mosque
in Kufa, Iraq, in 661 CE. Imam Hassan briefly succeeded his father but
soon ceded to Muawiyah, who had been the Governor of Syria until Imam Ali had ousted him. Muawiyah was the first of the Umayyad dynasty.
During Imam Ali’s reign Muawiyah had refused to acknowledge him as
leader. The two even clashed at the inconclusive Battle of Siffin in
what is now Syria in 657 CE. However, wanting peace, Imam Hassan signed
an agreement with Muawiyah that accepted his current rule but required
that power be transferred to himself upon Muawiyah’s death, or to his
younger brother Imam Hussein if he were not alive. Yet following Imam
Hassan’s death, Muawiyah violated their agreement and unjustly named his
own son Yazid his successor.
The Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala
in 680 CE resulted from a power struggle between Imam Hussein and a
wary Yazid for control of the calipahte. Yazid demanded Imam Hussein’s
endorsement. As a member of the Prophet’s family and holding true
spiritual leadership, this would have validated Yazid’s reign. He was
outraged when the Imam refused.