It was in Ramadan 60 AH that the letters from Kufah started to arrive in Makkah, at the house of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu), where al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) was staying after his flight from Madinah. The letters were urging him to lead the Kufans into revolt against Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah, and assuring him of their loyalty and allegiance. Mu’awiyah (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) had died two months earlier, and there was much resentment for his son Yazid for whom the Bay’ah was taken as his (Mu’awiyah’s) successor. The people of Kufah especially were looking to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) for leadership, and soon there was stream of letters coming in from Kufah with messages that enthusiastically described the support he would receive from the Kufans.
Kufah was a unique place, and the Kufans a peculiar people. In 37 AH ‘Ali (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) shifted his capital from Madinah to Kufah, and ever since, that city became the home of those who claimed partisanship of the Ahl al-Bayt. After the reconciliation between al-Hasan (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) and Mu’awiyah (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) in 41 AH, many of those who had been in al-Hasan’s (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) army settled in Kufah. At the time of Mu’awiyah’s (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) death in 60 AH pro-’Ali sentiments were still to be found in abundance in Kufah. Thus, when the opportunity arose, the Kufans who still regarded themselves as the Shi’ah (supporters) of the Ahl al-Bayt, turned to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) to lead them against Yazid.
Al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) decided to send his cousin Muslim ibn ‘Aqil to investigate the situation in Kufah. If he found it feasible he would write to inform al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu), who would depart with his family from Makkah to join him there.
Muslim arrived in the month of Dhul-Qa’dah and when the Kufans learnt of his arrival, they presented themselves for the pledge. Soon there were 12,000 Kufans who had given their solemn oath to support and protect al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) with their lives and all they possessed. When this number rose to 18,000, Muslim felt confident enough to dispatch a messenger to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) informing him of the Bay’ah of the Kufans, and urging him to proceed from Makkah.
Rumors of what was happening in Kufah soon reached Yazid in Damascus. He immediately replaced Nu’man ibn Bashir (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu), the governor of Kufah, with the ruthless Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, with orders to find Muslim ibn ‘Aqil and kill him. Ibn Ziyad entered Kufah early in Dhul-Hijjah, accompanied by seventeen men on horseback. With the end of his turban drawn over his face he was unrecognizable, and the people of Kufah, who were expecting al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu), mistook Ibn Ziyad for al-Husayn. “Peace be upon you, o son of Rasulullah,” they hailed him. Thus it was that Ibn Ziyad learnt the truth of the rumors. It was only when one of his mounted men shouted at them, “Stand back! This is the governor Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad!” that the Kufans realized the seriousness of their blunder.
Ibn Ziyad sent a servant with a bag containing 3000 dirhams to pose as a newcomer from Syria eager to join the revolution and thereby discover the whereabouts of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. This betrayer located Muslim in the house of Hani ibn Urwah and took the pledge of allegiance at his hands. After staying with them for a few days he returned to Ibn Ziyad and informed him about their intrigue. Hani ibn Urwah was arrested. At first Hani denied all knowledge of Muslim, but when the “newcomer from Hims” was brought before him, he confessed, but still he refused to reveal the whereabout of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil.
In the meantime, Muslim came to hear about the arrest of Hani ibn Urwah. Realizing that the hour for a decisive encounter had arrived, Muslim raised his battle cry “Ya Mansur”. In response to his battle cry, 4000 men who had given (him) their oath of allegiance and loyalty to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) gathered around him and proceeded towards the governor’s fort.
Seeing the Kufans with Muslim ibn ‘Aqil at his gate, Ibn Ziyad sent some of the tribal leaders of Kufah to speak to them. The tribal leaders threatened them with severe punishment if they would pursue their revolt with Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Hence the mothers and fathers of the men discouraged them to go ahead with Muslim. In this way the resolve of the men who had taken a sacred oath of allegiance and pledged loyalty to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) proved to be cowards and deserted Muslim ibn ‘Aqil. Each followed the other and by sunset Muslim was left with only 30 men.
He led them in Maghrib prayer, and then moved away to the gateway of the Kindah quarter of Kufah. He went through the gate with no more than 10 men, and before he knew it, he was on his own (alone) in the streets of Kufah. Of all those who had so anxiously and enthusiastically written to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) to come and lead them in revolt against Yazid, and out of the 18,000 men who just days before placed their right hands in his solemnly pledging allegiance to the cause for which they had invited the grandson of Rasulullah, not a single one was there to offer Muslim ibn ‘Aqil the solace of their company or refuge from the night.
Eventually, parched with thirst, he knocked at a door. The occupant, an old lady, took him in. When she learnt that he was Muslim ibn ‘Aqil, she hid him away in her house, but her son, from whom she extracted a promise not to tell anyone of his presence there, waited only till the morning to take the news to the governor’s residence. The next thing Muslim realized was that the house was surrounded. Thrice he managed with his sword to drive the attackers out of the house, but when they started putting fire to the house he was forced to face them outside. It was only when Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash’ath, one of those sent to arrest him, promised him safety, that he lowered his sword. It was a mistake; they took away his sword and he was taken to Ibn Ziyad. Muslim knew his death was at hand. Tears flowed from his eyes, not at his own fate, but at the thought of al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) and his family traveling through the harsh, merciless desert towards a fate more harsh and merciless, to an enemy firmly resolved to bring an end to his venture, and the most treacherous of partisans whose desertion at the hour of need had brought his (Muslim ibn ‘Aqil) life to this tragic end. He begged Ibn al-Ash’ath to send someone to al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) with the following message: “Ibn ‘Aqil has sent me to you. He says to you: ‘Go back with your family. Do not be deceived by the people of Kufah. They are those same supporters of your father from whom he so dearly wished to part, by death or by being killed. The Kufans have lied to me and have lied to you, and a liar has no sense.’”
Later that day, the Day of Arafah (the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah), Muslim ibn ‘Aqil was taken up to the highest ramparts of the fort. As he was being led up, he recited the Tahleel, Tasbeeh, Takbeer and Istighfar. His last words reflect his intense disappointment with the people of Kufah, “O Allah, You be the Judge between us and our people. They deceived us and deserted us.” From high upon the ramparts his head fell down in the dust, in full view of those whose invitations and oaths of allegiance had given him so much hope, but whose cowardice and treachery had left him with nothing but despair.
Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad had entered Kufah with only seventeen men. For each man that came with him there was over a thousand who had taken the oath of allegiance at the hands of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil, yet not a single sword was raised in his defense. Not a single voice had the courage to protest his execution. And these were the same men who had been telling al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) , “Come, we are with you.”
Meanwhile upon receiving Muslim’s letter, al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) started making arrangements to travel to Kufah. He immediately dispatched a messenger, Qays ibn Mus-hir, to inform the Kufans of his imminent arrival. This messenger was captured by Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, who ordered him to mount the walls of the fort and publicly curse al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) and his father. Instead he praised ‘Ali (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) and al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu), telling the Kufans that al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) was on his way. He exhorted them to assist him as they had promised. He ended his brief address by imprecating curses upon Ibn Ziyad. Despite this impassioned plea, the men of Kufah were unmoved. Upon the order of Ibn Ziyad he was flung from the ramparts and killed.
In Makkah, a number of the eminent Sahabah and their children tried to dissuade al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) from going to Kufah, reminding him of the fickleness of the Kufans in regards to both his father and his brother. ‘Abdullah ibn Abbas, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah, Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, his own brother Muhammad, and his brother-in-law and cousin ‘Abdullah ibn Jafar (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhuma) all remonstrated with him and tried to persuade him not to go to Iraq. His mind, however, was made up. He set out from Makkah on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, not knowing of the sad end of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil.
After a difficult journey of almost a month, al-Husayn’s (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) party reached Iraq. It was there that he first heard of the treachery of the Kufans and the deaths of Muslim ibn ‘Aqil and Qays ibn Mus-hir. Prior to his arrival in Iraq a large number of desert Arabs had attached themselves to his party, thinking that Kufah was already (practically) his. Al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) addressed them, saying, “Our Shi’ah (supporters) have deserted us. Therefore, whoever wants to leave is free to do so.” Soon he was left with only those who left Makkah with him, and together they continued towards Kufah.
Meanwhile Kufah was placed under heavey surveillance by Ibn Ziyad. When news of al-Husayn’s (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) approach reached him, he dispatched a 4000 strong contingent, which was on its way to fight the Daylamites, to stop al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu). This contingent was put under the command of ‘Umar ibn Sa’d. There can be little doubt that the Kufans witnessed the departure of this force from Kufah with their own eyes. This was the final opportunity to rush to the side of the grandson of Rasulullah. It was after all, their invitations and assurances of support that encouraged him to abandon the safety of Makkah for the precarious battlefields of Iraq. But once again faith, courage and commitment were found lacking in the people of Kufah. Only a handful emerged to join al-Husayn at Karbala’.
When the sun set on the 10th of Muharram, it was too late for the faithless Shi’ah of Kufah to make amends, for the sands of Karbala’ were stained red with the blood of al-Husayn (Radia-Allaahu ‘anhu) and his seventy-one followers. [Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir]
Source: "Who Killed Al-Hussein (Radia-Allaahu ‘Anhu)" available at 4theseekeroftruth.com from a pamphlet published by Mabarrat Aal wal-As-hab
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