The Invitation from Kufa and the March
After Muawiya’s death in 680 CE and the accession of his son Yazid, tens of thousands of Kufans wrote to al-Husayn inviting him to lead them. His cousin Muslim ibn Aqil went ahead to verify support — and initially reported mass enthusiasm. Al-Husayn set out from Medina to Mecca, then toward Kufa.
When Muslim ibn Aqil was arrested and executed in Kufa, and the city’s support collapsed under the new governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, al-Husayn received news but continued. His companions and some family members urged retreat; he refused to give allegiance to Yazid and pressed on.
Karbala (‘Ashura, 10 Muharram 61 AH / October 10, 680 CE)
The army of Yazid, commanded by Umar ibn Sa’d, surrounded the camp of al-Husayn at the plain of Karbala and cut off their water supply for three days. Al-Husayn made several speeches:
“Know that this lowly world has changed, turned its back, and come with its remains, and nothing remains of it but a drink from a dirty cup — a life like a pasture of harm. Do you not see that truth is not acted upon and falsehood is not stopped? The believer should long to meet Allah. I do not see death but as happiness and living with oppressors but as misery.”
He offered his companions permission to leave under cover of night; all stayed. On ‘Ashura, after combat began, al-Husayn’s companions fell one by one. Al-Husayn was the last to be killed.
The Legacy
Karbala became the founding event of Shia Islam’s theology of suffering, martyrdom, and resistance to unjust authority. It is commemorated annually on ‘Ashura in Muharram across Shia and some Sunni communities. In Ismaili tradition, the Imam’s standing against injustice — even at ultimate cost — is the permanent principle that Karbala exemplifies, not merely a historical event to lament.
See also: Karbala, Ahl Al Bayt, Seerah Hasan Ibn Ali, Seerah Fatima Zahra, Seerah Zaynab, Fitna Islamiyya