Imam Husain's (A.S.) Journey from Madinah to Makkah

Compiled By: Syed Ali Shahbaz
The month of Moharram is the month of mourning for the martyrs of the greatest ever tragedy the world has ever seen. It is the month on whose advent the faithful don black clothes and put up black banners on roofs, walls and streets, highlighting the words and objectives of the Chief of Martyrs, Imam Husain (AS) – the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). On the 2nd of Moharram, the day on which Imam Husain (AS) stepped on the fateful field of Karbala. When Imam Husain (AS) arrived in Iraq with his family and companions in 61 AH, Karbala had neither any population of note nor any urban settlement. The Imam called for the chiefs of the local Bani Asad tribe and bought the vast tract on which the battle would take place and where the martyrs would be buried. It was after his martyrdom and burial in Ha\'er that Karbala gradually took up the shape of a town. Perhaps a question might arise as to why within 50 years after the passing away of the Prophet, Muslims became so heartless that his grandson was killed cruelly in Karbala?
A glance at history unravels the sad turn of events. No sooner had the Prophet left the mortal world that a group of his companions usurped the political leadership of the Islamic state by depriving Imam Ali (AS), the divinely-designated vicegerent at Ghadeer-Khom, of his right to lead. Thereafter matters worsened, and the Omayyads, who before their belated conversion to Islam were the avowed enemies of the Prophet, were appointed as governors of the vast province of Syria. Here Mu’awiyya Ibn Abu Sufyan consolidated his rule, and during the caliphate of the Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali (AS), rebelled against the central authority. In 40 AH, Imam Ali (AS) was martyred in Kufa by a renegade, and Mw’awiyya taking advantage of the situation indulged in extensive propaganda as well as armed insurrection against the authority of the Prophet’s elder grandson and second Infallible Heir, Imam Hasan (AS).
The Imam realizing the sensitivity of the situation and in order to save Muslim blood resorted to a master stroke of strategy to unveil hypocrisy by conditionally relinquishing the caliphate with specified terms that Mu’awiyya will act according to the tenets of Islam, will not slander the memory of Imam Ali (AS), and will not appoint any successor as caliph. All these and other conditions were broken by Mu’waiyya, who in 60 AH, ten years after martyring Imam Hasan (AS) through poison, appointed his libertine son Yazid as caliph, but advised him against demanding allegiance from the Prophet’s younger grandson, Imam Husain (AS). However, contrary to the advice of his father, Yazid demanded allegiance and the Imam refusing to acknowledge his rule, decided to leave Medina and move to Mecca, which as the centre of pilgrimage where people from all over the Muslim world visit, would arouse conscience as to why the Prophet’s grandson had left his hometown and taken residence in this city. The journey of the Imam from Medina to Mecca and from Mecca to Karbala, which lasted 160 days, is thus full of lessons for us.
Imam Husain (AS) left Medina on Rajab 28 and arrived on the 3rd of Sha\'ban, incidentally his birth anniversary, in the holy city of Mecca – the inviolable place where the shedding of blood is divinely prohibited. In Mecca, the Imam stayed until 8th of Zil-Hijja, and on learning that Yazid had sent assassins disguised as pilgrims with daggers hidden inside the Ahram or the pilgrim attire, he decided to leave in order to prevent the Hajj rituals from such an abominable crime. He traveled to the plan of Arafaat, as the pilgrims do, and from here he changed his course towards Iraq. We should endeavor to study the objectives of the great movement of Imam Husain (AS). It was obvious that the society in those days was not the true Islamic society that the Prophet had established. The Omayyads by paying lip service to Islam had revived the ancient pagan customs. Under such circumstances, a personality like Imam Husain (AS) could not keep silent and witness these deviating and dangerous currents. The sermons, speeches, aphorisms and letters of Imam Husain (AS) during his journey from Medina to Karbala and until his martyrdom reflect the regrettable situation of that time of the Muslim society and the Imam\'s goal of his uprising.
Yazid had written to his governor in Medina, Waleed, to extract allegiance from Imam Husain (AS) without giving him respite. The Imam replied to Waleed: We are the family of the Prophet on whom God has bestowed His mercy. Islam started with our family and will be with us till the end. But the person that you want me to give allegiance is a drunkard, corrupt, and killer of innocent people. Is it right that a person like me give allegiance to a person like Yazid.
Thus Imam Hussein explicitly expressed his opposition to Yazid and did not recognize his rule. He recounted the merits of the Prophet\'s Ahl al-Bayt as the true and righteous leaders, thus exposing to all that unqualified elements are not entitled to the leadership of the Islamic state. The Imam knew that Yazid’s intention was to accomplish the objectives of his pagan grandfather Abu Sufyan in obliterating Islam and the Qur’an by taking over the caliphate.
Mohammad Hanfiyah, a son of Imam Ali (AS) through a different wife, suggested to Imam Husain (AS) not to stay in a specific place and relocate to some far off lands where he can build his base and invite people towards his cause, and even if the people do not support him, at least he could be safe from harm. The Imam said that even if no place remains safe for him in the entire world, he will not acknowledge Yazid’s rule. He told Mohammad Hanafiyah: God bless you brother, you did your duty but I better know my duty and I have decided to move to Mecca with my true followers. We are prepared for this journey. The Imam, however, told Mohammad Hanafiyah to stay and send him the reports of everyday events that passed in Medina during his absence. He told him that the only person who was capable of fulfilling this sensitive and dangerous responsibility of reporting about the reaction of the regime in Medina and the opinion of the masses there, as an aware and well-informed observer, was Muhammad Hanafiyah. Therefore he had to stay behind and carry out this duty assigned to him. Before his departure, Imam Husain (AS) visited the tomb of his grandfather Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), where he prayed saying: O My God! This is the tomb of Your Prophet and I am the son of the Prophet\'s daughter. You know the course of events. O My God! I strive to enjoin the good and forbid the wrong. O God Almighty! I ask You, for the honour and dignity of this tomb and who reposes in peace in it, to keep on the path which makes You and Your Prophet content.
After settling down in Mecca, he sent a letter to Medina that read: “In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful. This contains that which has been willed by Husain Ibn Ali to his brother Mohammad Hanafiyah. Verily Husain (AS) bears witness that there is no Lord except Allah and bears witness that Mohammad (SAWA) is the Messenger of Allah, and righteously chosen by Him. And that paradise and hell are truth, and without doubt the Day of Resurrection will come. And Allah will raise all those in the graves.â€‌
The Imam then expressed the aim of his uprising against the corrupt and illegal rule of Yazid Ibn Mu’awiyya, saying that he had not risen to spread unrest, evil or oppression, but for the betterment of the Ummah of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) in order to restore the originality of the religion of Islam, forbid evil, and enjoin good, as was the manner of the Prophet and Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS). The Imam then added that the one accepts the words of truth is surely guided by Allah, while the one who betrays or oppresses him, will be shunned and will be shown forbearance until eventual judgment by Allah the Best Judge.
While leaving Medina, Imam Husain (AS) had recited ayah 21 of Surah Qesas pertaining to the fleeing of Prophet Moses from Egypt along with his determination to confront the tyrannical Pharaoh. The ayah says: “So he left the city, fearful and vigilant. He said, â€کMy Lord! Deliver me from the wrongdoing lot.â€‌
On the 3rd of Sha’ban, that is 5 days later the Imam reached, and recited ayah 22 of Surah Qesas, which also pertains to Prophet Moses: “And when he turned his face toward Midian, he said, â€کMaybe my Lord will show me the right way.â€‌
By reciting these two ayahs of the same Surah, while leaving Medina, and on reaching Mecca, the Imam intended to say that like Moses, he had become a stranger in his own community because of the oppression of the regime and the indifference of the people of Medina, who despite his constant warnings of the dangers threatening the community had turned a deaf towards the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA). Imam Husain (AS), like Prophet Moses was leaving his homeland and taking refuge in another city in pursuit of highest objectives for the sake of God.
According to the famous Iranian historian, Abu Ja’far at-Tabari, who lived over a millennium ago, after his arrival in Mecca, Imam Husain (AS) wrote a letter to the people of Basra as follows: \"Surely Allah has chosen Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) above all His creatures and granted him (the prestige of) Prophethood and chose him for the Apostleship. Then the Almighty took him towards His mercy (death) after the Prophet having guided all people towards the truth, and after having propagated the message for which he was sent. Thus we are his Ahl al-Bayt (Household), friends, vicegerents and his successors and are more worthy of succeeding him than anyone else. Then the nation has tried to precede us in this matter and we helplessly withdrew to avoid dissentions. We cherish peace although we consider ourselves more worthy and deserving of it (caliphate) than them. I have sent towards you my messenger and I invite you to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (practice) of the Prophet, for I see that the Sunnah has been destroyed and innovations have crept up. Hence if you pay heed to my words and obey my command, then I shall guide you to the Righteous path. And peace upon you and Allah\'s blessings and mercy.\"
The letter was sent by the Imam through Sulayman Abu Razeen, who was detained by the tyrannical governor of Basra, Obaidollah ibn Ziyad and unjustly hanged.
As is clear from the contents of this letter, the Imam while inviting the people of Basra to rise up for the sake of truth informed them of the chaotic situation of the times and the stark deviation that had crept in. At the same time, he made them aware of the position of the Ahl al-Bayt, who along with the holy Qur’an, were specified by the Prophet as Thaqalayn or the Two Preciously Weighty things for guidance from going astray. Imam Husain (AS) explains that if earlier the Ahl al-Bayt had kept silent, it was just for the reason of preventing sedition and worsening the situation. But now the situation was different since Islam was exposed to distortion, and the behaviour and practice of the Prophet was being openly replaced by the pagan customs of the days of Jahiliyya. In such a situation, it is the duty of the faithful to stand up against the oppressors for the sake of Islam and humanitarian values.
After leaving Medina, Imam Husain (AS) arrived in Mecca, and stayed for four months in this city which houses the sanctuary of God. The news spread throughout Arabia that the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) was in Mecca, and as the season for the annual Hajj pilgrimage drew near, more and more people became eager to visit the holy city.
They were tired of the tyranny of the rule of Mu’awiyah and were even more disturbed that a Godless libertine like Yazid had taken power. Many notable people corresponded with Imam Husain (AS) and expressed their support and sympathy for him. A flood of letters began to flow, especially from Iraq and particularly from the city of Kufa, inviting the Imam to come and deliver them from oppression by rebuilding the Islamic state. Naturally such situation was dangerous for Yazid. The stay of Imam Husain (AS) in Mecca continued until the season of pilgrimage when Muslims from all over the Islamic world came to Mecca to perform the Hajj. From Mecca, the Imam sent his cousin, Muslim Ibn Aqeel to Kufa to assess the situation.
In late Ramadhan, Muslim started for Iraq. Muslim entered Kufa on the fifth of the month of Shawwal. According to the narration of Tabari, he resided at the house of Mukhtar bin Abi Ubaydah and the followers of the Ahl al-Bayt came to visit him. Then when a group of people gathered, he read the letter of Imam Husain (AS) to them, hearing which they started weeping. Then Abess Ibn Abi Shabeeb Shakiri arose and after Praising and Glorifying Allah said, “Now then! I do not speak for the people, nor am I aware as to what is conآ­cealed in their hearts, and thus I do not want to deceive you. By Allah! I only say that which is in my heart. By Allah! I shall respond to you whenever you call out, and shall fight your enemies by your side. And in your presence I shall strike them with the sword until I meet Allah, and I do not intend anything except Allah’s favor (in lieu of all this).â€‌
Then Habib Ibn Mazaher stood up and said, “May Allah’s blessings be upon you! You have revealed concisely whatever you had in your mind. I swear by Allah, besides Whom there is no other Deity, that I too am of the same belief as of this man (referring to Abis who preceded him)â€‌, and then he repeated what Abess had said.
According to Shaikh Mufid in the book al-Irshad, eighteen thousand men swore the oath of allegiance to Muslim and hence he wrote to Imam Husain (AS) informing him about their oath, and invited him to come to Kufa. This letter was written by Muslim some twenty seven days before his martyrdom.
During these days, the Imam learned that Yazid had sent assassins disguised as pilgrims, with weapons concealed in their Ahraam, to kill him. Realizing the sanctity of the divinely inviolable status of the Ka’ba and its environs he decided to leave Mecca. Moreover, he knew that his martyrdom among the pilgrims would not serve any purpose. When asked the reason for the mysterious departure, Imam Husain (AS) said that he would perform this year\'s pilgrimage in the desert of Karbala, offering the sacrifice of not any animals, but himself and his family and friends. Giving a short speech in the vast crowd of people, he announced that he was setting for Iraq, and said he would be martyred. He asked people to join him in attaining the goal of offering their lives in the path of God. Some of outstanding people of Mecca stood in the way of Imam Husain and warned him the danger of the move he was making, according to their own thinking. But he answered that he refused to pay allegiance and to give his approval to an unjust regime based on tyranny. He added that wherever he would go, he would be killed, so he would leave Mecca in order to preserve the respect for the House of God, and not to allow this respect be destroyed by letting his blood spilled there. Abdullah Ibn Zubayr, who has also sought refuge in Mecca from Yazid, was happy that the Prophet’s grandson was leaving the holy city. He was jealous of the Ahl al-Bayt and knew that as long as Imam Husain (AS) was in their midst, people will never pay any attention to him.
While on the way of Kufa, the Imam received the sad news that under the pressure of Yazid\'s agents, after the tyrannical Omayyad governor of Basra, Obaidollah Ibn Ziyad had been appointed governor of Kufa as well, the Kufans had deserted his representative. Because of threats and bribes some of the people of weak faith had joined the Yazid\'s army against him. He learned of the tragic martyrdom of Muslim Ibn Aqeel in Kufa. There was no way for Imam to turn back from martyrdom for the sake of God and humanitarian values. Leaving Mecca from the plain of Arafaat on the 8th of Zilhijja, just one day before the Hajj, the letter left a letter for the people. The letter read: \"I have not risen to stir emotions, to play with oppression. I want to bring the Ummah back to the path of Amr-bi’l-Marouf & Nahi An’il Munker. I want to lead them to the path of my Grandfather and my father Ali Ibn Abi Talib.\"