Day of Ashura | Why did Imam Hussain move to Karbala?

Why did imam Hussain move to Karbala? Why did Imam Hussain rise up? Did Imam Hussain sacrifice his life?

Ashura – The holy shrine of Imam Hussain (PBUH) in Karbala

Imam Hussian (PBUH) was the prophet Muhammad’s grandson, who left the Hajj pilgrimage and moved to Iraq with all of his family and friends, then he was surrounded by  Yazid’s army of 30,000 people on his way, in the land called Karbala, so there were no way out for Imam Hussain and all his 72 friends except defending themselves. They fight with no water for three days and all of them were killed and beheaded on the day of Ashura and all their women and children were captured and moved to Syria along with the heads.

Did Imam Hussain knew his fate in Karbala? 

Not only Imam Hussain knew that he will be killed on the day of Ashura in Karbala but also all the Prophets of God knew about the detail of this catastrophe and all cried for Imam Hussain (PBUH).

Ashura – The name of Imam Hussain (PBUH) in Araic

But why did Imam Hussain move to Karbala?

There were three causes for Imam Hussain’s movement or in a better word, Imam Hussain revolution which we have already explained it in a post before. The causes were gained from a book written by a great Iranian philosopher and cleric, professor Mortaza Motahari.

The summary of these three causes were as follows:

1. Imam Hussain moved because he did not not want to pay allegiance to the tyranny of the time,
2. About 100,000 people of Kufa had sent 18,000 letters to Imam Hussain and invited him to Iraq to re-establish an Islamic government,
3. Imam Hussain wanted to reform the Muslim community of his grandfather and promote virtue and prevent vice

Which one was the main reason of Imam Hussain’s revolution?

Why did Ashura happen? The three causes of Imam Hussain revolution

In the previous post, I made an image about why Imam Hussain (PBUH) rose up as stated in his will, but that was not the only reason for Imam Hussain to revolt.

The holy shrine of Imam Hussain (PBUH) in Karbala, Iraq. A photo taken in Muharram 2016

There are three main causes explained in Martyr Mortaza Motahhari’s book written according to the Islamic quotes for why Imam Hussain rose up against Yazid’s government and why Ashura happened.

1-Imam Hussain rejected to pledge allegiance to the immoral and non-Muslim man such as Yazid who wanted to be a ruler of Muslim community despite the threatens made by Yazid’s government because swearing allegiance to Yazid indicated not only accepting Yazid as a ruler but also accepting the wrong way of succession determination was being established for the first time by Yazid’s father in the Muslim community. The thing that was not permitted in Islam and both Shia and Sunni sects.

2-About 100,000 people of Kufa sent 18,000 letters to Imam Hussain and invited him to come to Iraq and re-establish an Islamic government, although they forgot their invitation and leave Imam Hussain to be alone against the 30,000 people of Yazid’s Army and even they helped the Army!  This invitation cause Imam to have no choice other than to accept their request

3- Reforming the Muslim community and promoting virtue and preventing vice was the third and the main reason for Ashura uprising. Imam Hussain had found about his cousin, Moslem (the son of Aghil), martyrdom on the way to Kufa, therefor Imam could have refused the invitation sent by the people of Kufa and come back to Mecca,  but he did not stop going to Kufa until Yazid’s Army stop him and his companions in a land called Karbala. Imam Hussain himslef stated this main reason openly in his will to his brother before traveling to Kufa. You can see a part of Imam Hussain will in the following image:

“I did not rise up for the cause of wickedness, amusement, corruption or oppression, but I rose up to reform the Muslim community of my grandfather [Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)]. I want to promote virtue and prevent vice.”

اني لم اخرج اشرا و لا بطرا و لامفسدا و لاظالما انما خرجت لطلب الاصلاح

في امة جدي و اريد ان امر با لمعروف و انهي عن المنكر

Bihar Al-Anvar: V.44, P. 329

 

-Read more explanation in this book (The Truth Hussain’s (A.S) Revolt) which I found on the internet and It is an English translation and abstract of the original book written by martyar Mortaza Mutahhari, an Islamic philosopher who Imam Khomeini invited all the people to read his books.