Home > Husayn bin Ali

Husayn was the second son of Ali and Fatima. He was beloved by his grandfather Muhammad and many stories tell of a great resemblance between Husayn and Muhammad. There are numerous hadith that talk about Husayn and his elder brother Hasan and express the love that Muhammad had for them. In one of these hadith the Prophet said 'Hasan and Husayn are like my two sweet bazels in this world'.

After the death of his father Ali in 661, the succession to the Caliphate was undetermined, and a conflict existed between those who thought Muawiyah should be the caliph, and those who felt that the son of Ali should succeed him. Husayn's elder brother, Hasan, chose not to pursue the issue. However, when Hasan died in 669, Husayn took up his claim to the caliphate amid charges that the then caliph ( Yazid, the son of Muawiyah) was corrupt.

Husayn thus led an insurrection and received support from the people of IraqThe Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing the ancient region of Mesopotamia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west and Iran to. However, when his forces met those of Yazid at Karbala, he was betrayed by those who had come to his aid. Husayn and most of his family were massacred at the battle. Husayn himself was decapitated and his head was delivered to Yazid. This event is known as AashurahThe Day of Aashurah sometimes spelled Ashurah or Aashoorah falls on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar. It commemorates the death of Husayn bin Ali, the grandson of Muhammad and the third Imam of the Shi'as, at the Battle of Karbala in the y and is a holy day for the Shia.

This episode of Husayn's life is of special importance to many Muslims for its tragedy and for the bravery of Husayn in the face of an overwhelming opponent. The Festival of MuharramThe Festival of Muharram ( Arabic: or ) is an important period of mourning in the Shi'ite branch of Islam. It signifies the Karbala tragedy when Husayn bin Ali, a grandson of Muhammad, was martyred. This festival is observed in the first month of the Hijr is held in honor of his sacrifice.

His shrineA shrine is a holy or sacred place sometimes dedicated towards a certain god, goddess, saint, or similar religious figure. As distinguished from a temple, a shrine is usually located because it houses a particular relic or cult image which is the object o is in KarbalaKarbal (; also transliterated as Kerbala or Kerbela is a city in Iraq, located about 100 km southwest of Baghdad at 32. The estimated population in 2003 was 572,300 people. It is the capital of Al Karbala Province. Shi'a Muslims consider it to be one of t, IraqThe Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing the ancient region of Mesopotamia. It shares borders with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the south, Turkey to the north, Syria to the north-west, Jordan to the west and Iran to, where his body is buried. His head is buried in Egypt.