Yazid b. Ziyad b. Muhasir
 Mausoleum of martyrs of Karbala | |
| Companion of | Imam al-Husayn (a) |
|---|---|
| Teknonym | Abu l-Sha'tha' |
| Well Known As | Abu l-Sha'tha' al-Kindi |
| Religious Affiliation | Shi'a |
| Lineage | Kinda |
| Death/Martyrdom | 61/680 |
| Cause ofDeath/Martyrdom | Martyred in the Battle of Karbala |
| Burial Place | Shrine of Imam al-Husayn (a), Karbala |
Yazīd b. Zīyād b. Muhāṣir (Arabic: یَزید بن زیاد بن مُهاصِر), known as Abū l-Shaʿthāʾ al-Kindī (Arabic: أبُوالشَعثاء الکِندی), was one of the martyrs of Karbala. He was in the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd at first, but when found that Imam al-Husayn's (a) proposals were rejected, he left Ibn Sa'd and joined the army of the Imam (a).
Name, Kunya, and Lineage
Yazid b. Ziyad b. Muhasir was from the Kinda tribe from the Banu Bahdala clan. His kunya was Abu l-Sha'tha'.[1]
Before the Event of Ashura
There are two accounts of when he joined Imam al-Husayn (a):
On one account, he left Kufa before al-Hurr b. Yazid and his army approached the caravan of Imam al-Husayn (a), and then joined the Imam (a).
According to another account, he accompanied the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd from Kufa to Karbala. But when he found that Imam al-Husayn's (a) proposals were rejected, he joined the army of the Imam (a).[2]
When 'Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad sent a letter to al-Hurr b. Yazid, Abu l-Sha'tha' recognized the person who delivered the letter since they were from the same tribe, and so he told him: “May your mother sit in mourning for you! What is the message that you delivered?” He replied: “I obeyed my imam (leader, that is, Ibn Ziyad) and stayed loyal to my allegiance to him”. Abu l-Sha'tha' said: “you have disobeyed God and obeyed your imam to your own destruction and you have gained shame and fire. Have not heard God's words, ‘we made them imams (leaders) inviting to fire, and on the Day of Resurrection they will not be helped?”[3].[4]
The Event of Karbala
On the Day of Ashura, he fought while riding his horse. When his horse was slaughtered, he squatted near Imam al-Husayn (a) and threw 100 arrows to the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd. After throwing each of the arrows he sang paeans.
Observing his attempts, Imam al-Husayn (a) prayed for him in this way: “O God! Make his arrows hit the targets and reward him with the Heaven”.[5]
When Abu l-Sha'tha' ran out of arrows, he stood up and said: “Only five arrows did not hit the targets”. He then attacked the enemy with his sword while reciting the following paeans:
- I am Yazid and my father is Muhasir, I am braver than a lion,
- God! I am Husayn's helper, and I have abandoned Ibn Sa'd.
He fought until he was martyred.[6]
Notes
References
- Ḥāʾirī Shīrāzī, Sayyid ʿAbd al-Majīd. Dhakhīrat al-dārayn fīmā yataʿalaq bi maṣā'ib al-Ḥusayn (a) wa asḥābih. Edited by Muḥammad Bāqir Duryāb. Qom: Zamzam-i Hidāyat, [n.d].
- Samāwī, Muḥammad al-. Ibṣār al-ʿayn fī anṣār al-Ḥusayn (a). Qom: Zamzam-i Hidāyat, 1384 Sh.
- Ṭabarī, Muḥammad b. Jarīr al-. Tārīkh al-umam wa l-mulūk. Beirut: Muʾassisat al-Aʿlamī li-l-Maṭbūʿāt, 1403 AH.