Saturday 10 December 2011

The Martyrdom of Husayn (May Allah be pleased with him)

Q; brother I was just listening to one sheikh that Hussain RA did know that he is going to be assassinated at place of Karbala. Because the prophet Muhammad SW had already predicted his assassination. What is source of this claim is it authentic or not

A; All-Praise is due to Allah,

Al-Husayn Ibn Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was martyred in Karbalaa' on the tenth of Muharram when he was 56 years old. The main reason was that he refused to pledge allegiance to Yazeed Ibn Mu’aawiyah after his father Mu’aawiyah chose him as the Caliph and people acknowledged him for a Caliph.

Al-Husayn Ibn Ali was one of four who refused to acknowledge Yazeed Ibn Mu’aawiyah for Caliphate. The other three were Abdullah Ibn Umar, Abdullah Ibn az-Zubayr and Abdur Rahmaan Ibn Abi Bakr.

Yazeed sent an order to al-Waleed Ibn Utba, the ruler of Madeenah to take a pledge to him (Yazeed). In the meantime, messages came from Iraq asking al-Husayn to come and to stay with the people there. He took his whole family and when he reached Karbala’a, close to Koofah, Abdullah Ibn Zeyaad’s army attacked and killed him and many members of his family. Indeed, Allaah honored al-Husayn and his family with martyrdom by these people.

Although al-Husayn’s killing was an event which saddened and depressed all Muslims, these are no Islamic rules related to it. Some people believe wrongly that the day of his martyrdom should be celebrated by showing great sorrow, beating oneself … etc. All this has nothing to do with Shariah. In fact, it is nothing but innovations in Islam which are forbidden.

Muslims lived many sad events before the murder of Al Husayn, the most important being the death of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the death of Caliph Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the murder of the three other Caliphs . If Muslims had to have some special rituals to show sadness and sorrow on the anniversary of these occasions, they would spend most of their lives in mourning. Such remembrances have nothing to do with the true religion.

In fact, it is so far from the guidance and conduct of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) lost seventy of his companions, Allaah be pleased with them, among whom was his uncle Hamzah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Uhud and a similar number in Bi’ir Ma’oonah and he did not make from any of the two days a yearly occasion to mourn or show sadness and grief.

Allah Knows best…

(See Islamweb Fatwa: 142320)

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