Imam Hussein Bin Ali (a.s.)

Role of Women in the Uprising

It is a historically foregone conclusion that Imam Hussein (a.s.) was fully aware of the fact that his opposition to the Ummayyad policy and the strong stance he took against it would only lead to his martyrdom in the way of Allah, whether he remained in the city of Medina, Mecca or any other city. But he wanted his martyrdom to have an impact on the life of the ummah as wide and great as the personal reward, comfort and eternal pleasure of Allah which he won. That is why he planned to foil all attempts of assassination against him, hatched by the Ummayyad rulers. That kind of death has no reverberations, or at least its consequences are quite limited. No turmoil would follow it as big as desired, nor would there be a furor that would be potential in the life of the ummah.

Thus, the key elements that would promote a historical shock in the body of the ummah, that would leave its marks on the present and future of the ummah, had to be ripened. Imam Hussein (a.s.) began preparing himself and his followers for a real battle between his camp, the camp of the faith, and the camp of falsehood led by the Ummayyad house. He called on the men to join the revolutionary forces. He spared neither tribes, nor the Arab neighborhoods which he passed by on his way to Iraq, without calling them to aid him and join his forces. Historically and horizontally, the outcry would be sharper. This fact made him to bring his womenfolk and children, though he was totally convinced that he would not survive the battle.

Imam Hussein (a.s.) had a conviction, to the point of certainty, that his women and those of his supporters would be taken captives and would be humiliated at the hands of the regime's stooges. But he also knew that this outrageous abuse would not be publically approved of. It would serve as a good and effective element in disclosing the nature of the Ummayyad policy and leave it, undisguised, before the masses. Shedding off the layers of humiliation and passivity, the Muslim conscience would be thrown into the center of the big challenge.

The women, on the other hand, played no less effective roles. In captivity they talked to the people, laid the facts bare before them, and unveiled the schemes and plots of the Ummayyad policy, both in Kufa and Syria. Through the speeches, discussions and tirades on the part of the women, Imam Hussein (a.s.) drove home his message. The reader will not remain in doubt as to why Imam Hussein (a.s.) brought with him his women to Karbala'.

Based on these considerations, we ascertain, without the slightest doubt, that the participation of the women in the Husseini revolution was planned and pondered over beforehand.

Hence, Imam Hussein's (a.s.) reply to his brother, Muhammad bin al-Hanafiyyah, who asked him why he was taking the women with him prior to his departure from Mecca, "Certainly, Allah desires to see them captive."(62)

We deem it of great use to quote texts from the addresses delivered by Zainab, the Great Lady, and the other virtuous women from the house of Imam Hussein (a.s.).

Zainab, the noble woman from the tribe of Bani-Hashim, the daughter of Fatima al- Zahra' and Imam Ali (a.s.), the sister of Imam Hussein (a.s.), stood among the Kufans, assuming her responsibility as the spokeswomen for her brother' s revolution, addressed them in these words:

"Praise be to Allah and divine blessings be sent on my grandfather, Muhammad, and his good and exemplary descendents. O People of Kufa! Do you shed tears? May your tears never dry up, and your loud lamentations never cease. You are like the woman that unravels to bits the thread which she has formerly spun. Your faith is nothing but deceit and betrayal. Are there any among you but the immodest, disgraced, proud, spiteful, idolator, enemy, and reviler? There are among you those who are as guileful plants growing in filth, or the silver on a grave.

"Certainly evil is that which your souls have sent before for you. Allah is displeased with you and in punishment shall you abide. Are you crying and wailing? Indeed, by Allah. Do cry endlessly and laugh but little, for your deed was so horrendously disgraceful that you will never be able to atone for it. How can you wash away the crime of murdering the scion of the Seal of the Prophets, the essence of the message, the lord of the youth in paradise, the refuge of your nobles, the refuge to whom you resorted during affliction, the bright divine proof of yours, and your master who spoke for you.

"What an awful sin you did commit! Away with you, there will be no forgiveness for you. Certainly, your efforts failed, your hands suffered loss, and your bargain was brought to naught. You have made yourselves deserving of the wrath of Allah. Abasement and humiliation have been brought down upon you.

'Woe to you! Do you know how you tore the liver of the Prophet of Allah? Whom of his womenfolk you exposed? What blood of his you shed? What honor of his you defamed?

"Your deed is most certainly so dangerously ugly and foul, that it filled the earth and sky with its putridness. Are you surprised that it rained blood? Certainly, the punishment of the Hereafter is infinitely more abasing, and you shall not be helped. Do not make light of the delay of punishment in that it is not hastened by the fear of missing the taking of revenge. Most surely Allah is watching..."(63)

Zainab, the Great Lady, alerted the people of Kufa of their crime and punishment and of their responsibilities. The situation was critically dangerous, she told them, after their murdering of Imam Hussein (a.s.). A massive wave of anger went through the masses against the Ummayyad policy and its decision-makers.

Then, it was the turn of Fatima, daughter of Imam Hussein (a.s.), to talk to the Kufans. She said:

"...O people of Kufa! O you who are cunning, treacherous, and arrogantly proud. We are the household who are being put to the test (of guiding you to the right path), and put you to the test (of following us). He made our trial good. He imparted His knowledge and sagacity to us. We are certainly the store of His knowledge, the utensil of His sagacity and wisdom, and the divine proof on earth for His servants. Allah honored us with His honor and preferred us over lots of the people He created, by means of His Prophet (s.a.w.). But you charged us with falsehood, and disbelief.

You viewed it permissible to fight us, and considered our property as loot, as if we were of Turkish extraction or from the city of Kabul, as you had killed our grandfather not so long ago. Your swords are still dripping with our blood, Ahlul-Bait, due to a deep-rooted rancor. Your eyes delighted, and your hearts rejoiced at our death. You were certainly audacious towards Allah.

You plotted, but Allah is the best of plotters. So, do not let yourselves induce you to exalt in the blood of us which you shed, and the money of us which you plundered, for the horrible misfortune and great calamities that have befallen us are ordained before Allah brings them into being. That is easy for Allah; so that you may not grieve for the good things you miss, or be overjoyed at what you gain, Allah does not love the haughty and vainglorious...

"Woe to you! Wait for the imprecation and chastisement. It is as if I were witnessing the vengence descending on you repeatedly from Heaven. Allah will exterminate you by what your hands had won and make some of you taste severe punishment at the hands of others. Then you will eternally abide in the painful chastisement on the Day of Judgement. That is because you have wronged us terribly. May Allah curse the oppressors."(64)

In Damascus, the role of the women took a clearer shape. Many discussions, hectic arguments and speeches were made. The women were on the offensive. They assailed the tyrants with sharp words. Yazid bin Mu'awiyah was particulary attacked. Let us take, for example, in the presence of Yazid. It is a brightly unique example of pioneering jihad with words:

"Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. Blessings be sent on the Messenger of Allah and all his household. Truthful, indeed, are the words of Allah:

"The evil was the end of those who did evil, because they rejected the sings of Allah and used to mock them." Holy Qur'an (30:10)

"Do you think, Yazid, that since you have literally imprisoned us, having us being driven forward as if we were bondsmaids, we are humiliated in the sight of Allah and you are honored in His eyes and that is because of your great status you enjoy in Allah's eyes? And so you put on airs, and looked happily and joyfully proud. That is because you have the world at your feet, your affairs arranged and sorted out, and you have our right to rulership unjustly taken on your behalf. Wait! Wait! Have you lost sight to what Allah had said:

"And let not those who disbelieve think that Our granting them respites is better for their souls; We grant them respite only that they may add to their sins; and they shall have a disgraceful punishment." Holy Qur'an (3:178)

"Is it fair, son of the people, whom the Prophet (s.a.w.) had set free, to protect your women and bondsmaids, and to drive the daughters of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) as captives, after you have unveiled them and exposed their faces? Is it fair that the enemies should drive their mounts from one country to another, while being stared at by the people of the houses which line the roads, and those who live wandering from one place to another, their faces scrutinized by the near and the far-off, the base and the noble, with no one of their protectors to defend them, and no man of theirs to guard them? But how could those who threw up the livers of pure men, and who grew up feeding on the blood of the martyrs, guard themselves against evil....?"(65)

"It is enough for you to have Allah as a Judge, the Prophet of Allah a foe and Gabriel a helper of the Prophet. The one who appointed you, (a caliph) [she refers to his father Mu'awiyah] and helped you to seize control over the Muslims, will surely know what a bad substitute the wrongdoers had. Who is worse, and more deviant, you or your father? I am surely belittling you. I do not see that scolding you is something awfully discouraging. I certainly know whom I am addressing. It is you who has left Muslim's eyes tearful, and their chests heated, whenever they remember Imam Hussein."(66)

"Plan your plots, and do you best, for, by Allah, who had honored us with the revelation, the Book, the prophethood, and preference over other people, you will never attain our status, nor will you reach our end, nor will you erase our end, nor will you erase our remembrance. The disgrace you brought upon yourself will never be washed off. Are not your views but hollow and worthless? Are not your days but numbered? Will not your party be but scattered men on the day when the caller will call out, 'May Allah curse the aggressive oppressor..."(67)

These are only a few fragments of the tempestuous statements made by Zainab and her sisters in the way of jihad. We have made a mention of it to ascertain that the women played a highly effective media role in explaining the objectives of the uprising, disclosing the plight of Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) and their right to manage the affairs of the people. The women succeeded in uncovering the deviated policy adopted by the Ummayyad house to steer the life of the people as they wished, mislead the ummah, and deceive the weak-willed people among the ummah.

RESULTS OF THE UPRISING

Elsewhere, we have explained that Imam Hussein's (a.s.) uprising aimed, first and foremost, at creating an environment suitable for the making of an anti-Ummayyad wave which would finally wash the Ummayyad entity away and put the ummah back on the track of guidance.

The final result came as the Imam had planned and hoped for. In no time, Imam Hussein (a.s.) along with his followers were made martyrs by the masses. The Ummayyads lost their raison d'être. Naked as they stood before the ummah, they were discovered as holding beliefs contradictory to Islam, and to the vital interest of the ummah. Even those who took part in the tragedy of Taf on behalf of the Ummayyads had undergone a drastic wild change under the swipes of their conscience and new found inner reawakening.

As a result, the Muslim society witnessed a violent shake up, expressed in a series of popular uprisings, including the Tawwabeen (penitents) uprising in Iraq, and that of al-Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, who totally liquidated the clique which was responsible for murdering Imam Hussein (a.s.) and his companions.

If these uprisings could not put an end to the Ummayyad rule, they practically served as marks of the change which the ummah had undergone. Anti-deviation opposition was on the rise, and the ummah, as a whole, was taking a different stance; one against the Ummayyad aggressive policy.

The Abbasid movement made good use of the rising anti-Ummayyad passion among the people and called for the support of Ahlul-Bait (a.s.). That set the scene for the Abbasids to eventually liquidate the Ummayyad entity. They, however, were also avid enemies of Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) and were responsible for the martyrdom of thousands of their Shi'a.

In conclusion, we can say that Imam Hussein's uprising had practically foiled the Ummayyad policy to derail the Islamic march and plunge the ummah, once more, into the darkness of ignorance. The uprising did that by reviving the spirit of jihad in the ummah and adopting the choice of rejection, perseverance, and challenge towards the current of aberration.

Peace be on the dozens of martyrs, Abu-Abdullah Hussein (a.s.), the grandson of the Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.). We make a covenant with him to follow in his footsteps on the path of sacred jihad.

And we promise to be loyal to him, and to ready ourselves to sacrifice ourselves in defending the great message of Islam. And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds.

ENDNOTES

  1. Al-Tabrasi, I'lam al-Wara bi A'lam al-Huda (Acquainting the People to the Leaders of Guidance), p. 217.

  2. Ashi'a min Hayat al-lmam al-Hassan bin Ali (a.s.) (Glimpses of the Life of Imam Hassan bin Ali (a.s.), (Tehran: Al-Balagh Foundation).

  3. Sahih Muslim (The Authentic Book of Tradtions Compiled by Muslim) Merits of the Companions of the Prophet (s.a.w.), Sahih al-Tirmidhi, vol. 2, Musnad Ibn Hanbal, Mustadrak al-Sahihain (The Book Which Collects the Traditions Left Out by the Two Authentic Books of Tradition), Majma' al-Bayan (Collector of Eloquence), etc.

  4. Fadha'il al-Khmasah min al-Sihah al-Sittah (Merits of the Five in the Six Authentic Books of Traditions), vol. 1, p.244. It refers to the great books which confirm this narrative. Among them are: Tafsir al-Zamakhsahri (Qur'anic Exgesis by al-Zamakhshari), Sahih Muslim, Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Al-Durr al- Manthoor (The Scattered Pearls), by al-Suyooti, al-Fakhr al-Razi, and al-Tirmidhi.

  5. Fadha'il al-Khamsah, vol. 1, p. 259, quoted from Hilyat al-Awliya' (Ornament of the Saints), vol. 3, p.201, and from al-Durral-Manthoor, by al-Suyooti, Usd al-Ghabah (Lions of the Jungle), Mustadrak al-Sahihain, Tafsir Ibn Jabrir al-Tabari (Qur'anic Exegesis by al-Tabari with differences in words and narratives.

  6. Fadha'il al-Khamsah, vol. 3, pp. 263.

7 I'lam al-Wara (Merits of the Two Grandsons of the Prophet (s.a.w.)), al- Tabrasi, p. 219.

  1. Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah (The Important Chapters), Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki.

  2. Tathkirat al-Khawas (Admonishing the Prominent People), The Prophet of Allah's love for Hassan and Hussein (a.s.).

  3. Ashi'a min Hayat al-Imam al-Hassan bin Ali (a.s.), Al-Balagh Foundation,

  4. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah (Bright Memorial Services), Sayyid Muhsin al-Amin.

  5. Kashf al-Gummah fi Ma'rifat al-A'immah (Removing the Grief by Knowing the Imams), Scholar al-Arabali, vol. 2, p.274.

  6. Manaqib Aal Abi-Talib (Virtues of the Family of Abu-Talib (a.s.)), His Good Traits, Ibn Shahrashoob.

  7. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah, vol. 1, Fourth Majalis, and Tadhkirat al-Khawas, Ibn al-Jawzi, p. 245.

  8. Ahlul-Bait, Imam's Modesty and Asceticism, Abu Alam.

  9. Manaqib aal Abi Talib, His Good Traits.

  10. Kash al-Gummah, vol. 2, p. 141.

  11. Ahlul-Bait, His Knowledge and Eloquence, Abu Alam.

  12. Tuhaf al-Uqool (Treasures of Minds), Ibn Shu'bah al-Harrani, 5th ed., p. 174, Chapter of "What was Narrated about Hussein (a.s.).

  13. Ibid., p.175.

  14. His address before the battalion of al-Hurr bin Yazid al-Riyahi, Al-Watha'iq al-Rasmiyyah li-Thawrat al-Imam al-Hussein (a.s.) (The Official Documents of Imam Hussein's Revolution) Abdul-Karim al-Qazwini, vol. 1.

  15. Al-Watha'iq al-Rasmiyyah, and Hadith Karbala' (Story of Karbala'), Abdul-Razzaq al-Muqarram, p. 134.

  16. Sahih Muslim, vol. 2. Reported in different ways in slightly different words, al- Tirmidhi and Abu-Dawood.

  17. Yanabi' al-Mawaddah (Spring of Love), Shaikh al-Qandoozi, 77th Part, vol. 3.

  18. Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, reported on the authority of al-Hamwini, Muwaffaq bin Ahmad al-Khawarizmi, and Saleem bin Qais al-Hilali.

  19. Yanabi' al-Mawaddah, Shaikh al-Qandoozi. Accounts about the Twelve Imams with their full names, vol. 3.

  20. lbn Abul-Hadid, Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah (Explanation of the "Peaks of Eloquence"), vol. 16, p. 15, 1959 ed., Ihya' al-Kutaun al-Arabiyyah Publishing House.

  21. Ibid., vol. 2, p. 86.

  22. Ibid., vol. 11, p.45.

  23. Ibid.

  24. Ibid., p.43.

  25. Thawrat al-Hussein (Revolution of Hussein), Revival and Exploitation of Tribal Bigotry, Muhamamd Mahdi Shams al-Deen, p. 61, (Beirut: Al-Andalus Publishing House).

  26. Al-Sifr al-Qayyim li al-Imam al-Hussein (a.s.) (The Invaluable Book of Imam Hussein (a.s.)), Abdullah al-Alaili, and Ma'a al-Hussein fi Nahdhatih (With Hussein in His Uprsing), Asad Haidar.

  27. Abdullah al-Alaili, Al-Imam al-Hussein, and al-Mas'oodi Murooj, al-Dhahab (Tracts of Gold), Life of Yazid.

  28. Al-Hurr bin Yazid al-Riyahi subsequently deserted the forces of Yazid and was among the first martyrs of the battle of Karbala'.

  29. Murooj al-Dhahab, Al-Mas'oodi.

  30. Maqtal al-Hussein (The Story of the Martyrdom Of Imam Hussein (a.s.)), Sayyid al-Moosawi al-Muqarram, p. 194.

  31. Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah (The Important Chapters), Account of His Journey to Iraq, lbn al-Sabbagh, and Maqtal al-Hussein, al-Muqarram, p.

  33. Al-Irshad (Guidance), Narratives about Hussein bin Ali (a.s.), Shaikh al- Mufid, p. 183.

  34. Maqtal al-Hussein, Abdul-Razzaq al-Muqarram, p. 147 41. Al-Watha'iq al- Rasmiyyah li-Thawrat al-Hussein, Abdul-Karim alQazwini, p. 36. Quoted from Maqtal al-Khawarizimi.

  35. Al-Fusool al-Muhimmih, Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki.

  36. Al-Irshad, Account of Hussein's Journey to the City of Medina, p.

  38. Ma'a al-Hussein fi Nahdhatihi, In Kufa, Asad Haidar.

  39. Al-Watha'iq al-Rasmiyyah, Abdul-Karimm al-Qazwini. Quoted from al- Tabari.

  40. Ibid.

  41. Al-Irshad and Ma'a al-Hussein fi Nahdhatih. Reported in slightly different words.

  42. Al-Irshad. An account about Muslim bin Aqeel, p. 188.

  43. Maqtal al-Hussein, p. 177.

  44. Ibid., Uprising of Muslim, p. 179.

  45. Ibid., p. 180.

  46. Maqtal al-Hussein (a.s.), p. 193.

  47. Ibid., p.197.

  48. Ibid., p. 195.

  49. Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh (The Complete Accounts of History), Ibn al Athir, p. 39.

  50. Ibid.

  51. Ibid., p.40.

  52. Ibid., p. 43.

  53. Al-Irshad, p.226.

  54. Maqtal al-Hussein (a.s.), Sayyid Ibn Tawoos, pp. 32-33.

  55. Al-Irshad, p. 223.

  56. Maqtal al-Hussein (a.s.), p. 223.

  57. Maqtal al-Hussein (a.s.), p. 195. Quoted from Bihar al-Anwar (Seas of Lights), vol. 10, p. 184.

  58. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah, vol. 1, p. 130.

  59. Ibid., p. 131.

  60. Ibid., p. 146.

67 Extracts from the address of Zainab in Damascus. It is reported in full in al- Ihtijaj (Protests with Citation of Evidence).