Foreword

Imam al-Husayn’s Personality

The martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn

Yazid and His Household

Abu Sufiyan, Yazid’s Grandfather

Mu‘awiyah, Yazid’s Father

The Illegitimacy of Yazid’s Caliphate

Ibn Taymiyyah’s defence of Yazid

Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah and the Massacre of the People of Medina

Mourning and Lamentation

Mourning from the Viewpoint of Reason

Mourning as a Manifestation of Love and Hatred

The Psychology of Mourning

Reciting Elegies

Reciting Elegies in the Form of Prose

Reciting elegies in the form of poetry

Crying

Crying from the Viewpoint of the Holy Qur’an and Traditions

The Effects of Crying

The Reasoning behind Crying about the Sufferings of the awliya’ of Allah

A Historical View of Crying for the Sufferings of Allah’s Awliya’

Crying while Mourning for Imam al-Husayn

Examining Opposing Claims

Pretending to Cry while Mourning for the Awliya’ of Allah

The Effects of Ashura

Prostration on the Soil of Karbala (The Land of Imam al-Husayn’s Martyrdom)

Responses to Doubts

Who Killed Imam al-Husayn (as)?

Did Imam al-Husayn (as) have Prior Information about his Martyrdom?

Did Allah Leave Imam al-Husayn (as) Unaided?

Why Did Imam al-Husayn (as) Bring his Family to Karbala?

Why did Imam al-Husayn (as) give his Companions Permission to Leave?

Why did Muslim ibn ‘Aqil not kill ‘Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad in Hani’s House?

Why Didn’t Abu al-Fadl Drink Water?

Is Obeying a Tyranical Ruler Incumbent upon Muslims?

Why did Imam al-Hasan (as) Make Peace while Imam al-Husayn (as) Rose up in Arms?

What is the Ruling Regarding the Fast of ‘Ashura?

A detailed account of the life of Imam Husayn (a) and his personality,
the tragedy of Karbala and the sacrifice of the Imam (a) and his
companions, and a detailed analysis of Shi’i behaviours, like mourning
and crying to refute the doubts of being un-Islamic.


The Uprising of Ashura and Responses to Doubts