Life and Character
Husayn ibn Ali was born in Medina in 4 AH (626 CE). He grew up in the household of the Prophet, who expressed immense love for him and his brother Hasan: kissing them, carrying them, saying they were “the fragrance of this world for me.” Husayn was known for his generosity, piety, courage, and the same combination of outer leadership and inner spirituality that characterized his father Ali.
After the martyrdom of his brother Hasan (49 AH), Husayn became the senior member of the Prophet’s household and the recognized Imam for those who followed the nass chain.
The Road to Karbala
When the Umayyad Caliph Muawiya died in 60 AH (680 CE), his son Yazid ibn Muawiya claimed the caliphate. Yazid was widely regarded as morally unfit — publicly known for drinking, irreligion, and arrogance. He demanded that Husayn pledge allegiance (bay’a) to him.
Husayn refused. His refusal was not merely political — it was a principled stand on the legitimacy of leadership. He wrote his famous statement: “And indeed I do not see death except as happiness and life with the oppressors except as distress.”
The people of Kufa (Iraq) sent Husayn thousands of letters pledging support and inviting him to come and lead them. Husayn sent his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil ahead to verify the support. Initially 18,000 Kufans pledged — but when Yazid’s governor Ibn Ziyad arrived and threatened them, they melted away. Muslim ibn Aqil was captured and executed.
Despite learning of Muslim’s death, Husayn continued his journey toward Kufa with his family and a small group of companions.
Karbala — 10 Muharram 61 AH
On the plains of Karbala (near present-day Karbala, Iraq), Husayn’s small group of approximately 72 fighters and family members were surrounded by an army of 30,000 under Umar ibn Sa’d, acting under Ibn Ziyad’s orders.
Water was cut off from Husayn’s camp for three days. On ‘Ashura (the 10th of Muharram), after morning prayer, the battle began. By the evening, all 72 of Husayn’s male companions and family members — including sons, brothers, nephews, and companions — had been killed. Husayn himself was the last to fall, killed after fighting alone.
His head was taken to Yazid’s court in Damascus. The women and children of the Prophet’s family — including Zaynab bint Ali and Imam Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin, who survived due to severe illness — were taken as captives to Damascus.
The Significance
For the Ismaili Bohra tradition: Husayn’s martyrdom is the supreme historical example of shahada (witnessing/martyrdom) — holding to truth at infinite personal cost. The Bohra commemoration of Muharram, the recitation of marthiya (elegies), and the majlis (gatherings) of the first ten days of Muharram are among the most emotionally and spiritually significant events in the Bohra calendar.
Imam Husayn held the nass from his brother Hasan, and passed the nass to his son Imam Ali Zayn al-‘Abidin, continuing the chain toward Imam al-Tayyib and the Fatimid Imams.
See also: Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Karbala, Nass, Wasiyyat, Understanding Walayah, Bohra History, Prophet Muhammad