Day of Ashura (events): Difference between revisions

[[File:واقعه طف.jpg|250px|thumbnail|right|The old painting shows the battle field where the fight between [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]] and the Army of [[Yazid b. Mu'awiya]] happened.]]

At the other side of the battlefield, [['Umar b. Sa'd]] did his prayer and assigned the commanders of his army who were (according to the famous report) 4000 people. He assigned [['Amr b. Hajjaj al-Zubaydi]] as the commander of the right wing, [[Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan]], the commander of the left wing, [['Uzrat b. Qays al-Ahmasi]], the commander of the horsemen and [[Shabath b. Rib'i]] as the commander of the foot soldiers.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 395-396; al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 422-426</ref>

Then, the Imam (a) stood in front of the army of the enemy and advised them to justice in a loud voice so that most soldiers of the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd hear him. He began with the praise of God and introduced himself that he (a) was the son of [[Lady Fatima|the Prophet's (s) daughter]] and [['Ali (a)]], caliph and cousin of the [[Prophet (s)]] and that [[Hamza]], the [[Sayyid al-Shuhada]], and [[Ja'far al-Tayyar]] were his uncles. He (a) then narrated a [[Hadith]] from the Prophet (s) saying, "al-Hasan (a) and al-Husayn (a) are masters of the youths in Paradise" and took alive companions of the Prophet (s), [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari]], [[Abu Sa'id al-Khudri]], [[Sahl b. Sa'd al-Sa'idi]], [[Zayd b. Arqam]] and [[Anas b. Malik]] as witnesses.

After Imam's (a) speech, [[Zuhayr b. Qayn]] addressed the people from Kufa and spoke about Imam's (a) virtues and advised them.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 424-427</ref> In the middle of the speech of Imam (a), [[Shimr]] said that he did not understand anything from Imam's (a) speech and also replied to the speech of Zuhayr by obscenities.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 397; al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 425-426</ref>

In the morning of 'Ashura when Imam al-Husayn (a) called, "Is there any helper to help me?", [[Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi]] heard him (a) and he was touched by these words, and when he saw the people of Kufa serious for fighting Imam al-Husayn (a), left their army and joined the camp of Imam (a).<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 427; al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad. ''al-Irshad''. vol, 2. p, 99; al-Kharazmi, al-muwaffaq b. Ahmad. ''Maqtal al-Husayn''. vol, 2. p, 9</ref> It is narrated that after the beginning of the battle, Hurr asked the Imam (a) to allow him attack the army of Kufa before other companions of Imam (a) and Imam (a) allowed him. He did so and was martyred. It is said in some reports that Hurr was martyred in the middle of the day of 'Ashura.<ref>al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad. ''al-Irshad''. vol, 2. p, 104</ref>

The war began when [['Umar b. Sa'd]] called his slave Durayd (Dhuwayd) and told him, "O Durayd, bring the standard forth!" Then 'Umar b. Sa'd shot an arrow and said, "Be witness before Amir ('Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad) that I was the first person who shot an arrow." Then, his companions began shooting arrows together.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 398; al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 429-430; al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad. ''al-Irshad''. vol, 2. p, 101</ref>

Once again 'Amr b. al-Hajjaj and his soldiers attacked Imam's (a) companions and fought them for about an hour and had to retreat again. In that fight, Muslim b. 'Awsaja al-Asadi was martyred.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 400; al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 435-436; al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad. ''al-Irshad''. vol, 2. p, 103-104</ref> So, it was said that the first martyr among the companions of the Imam (a) was Muslim b. 'Awsaja.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 400</ref>

After shooting arrows, Yasar, the slave of [[Ziyad b. Abih]] and Salim, the slave of [['Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]] came forth and asked for a combatant. [[Habib b. Muzahir]] and [[Burayr b. Khudayr]] wanted to go to the battle but the Imam (a) did not allow them. 'Abd Allah b, 'Umayr wanted to go and asked Imam (a) for permission and the Imam (a) accepted.

After the attack of [['Amr b. al-Hajjaj]], [[Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan]] together with the left wing of the army of 'Umar b. Sa'd attacked the left side of the army of the Imam (a) and faced with great resistance of Imam's (a) companions.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 436-438</ref>

Before the noon on the day of 'Ashura, the enemy began an all-out attack on the army of Imam al-Husayn (a) and attacked the Imam (a) and his companions from every direction. Imam's (a) companions engaged in a fierce fight with them,  and the horsemen among the companions of Imam (a) who were no more than 32, showed such a courage that made the great army of Kufa very tired so that [['Uzrat b. Qays]], the commander of the horsemen of the army of [['Umar b. Sa'd]] had to ask him for help.<ref>al-Baladhuri, Ahmad ibn Yahya. ''Ansab al-ashraf''. vol, 3. p, 400; al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 436-437; al-Shaykh al-Mufid, Muhammad b. Muhammad. ''al-Irshad''. vol, 2. p, 104</ref>

'Umar b. Sa'd called for [[Husayn b. Tamim]] and sent him to 'Uzrat b. Qays with armored horses and 500 archers and when they reached near the Imam (a) and his companions, they began shooting arrows toward them.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 436-437</ref>

The war intensely continued until the mid-day.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 437-438</ref> Until then, many of the companions of Imam (a) were martyred. In those attacks, in addition to [[Muslim b. 'Awsaja]], [['Abd Allah b. 'Umayr al-Kalbi]] was martyred in the left wing of the army by [[Hani b. Thubayt al-Hadrami]] and [[Bukayr b. Hay al-Taymi]].<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 437; Ibn Athir. ''al-Kamil fi al-tarikh''. vol, 4. p, 68</ref> [['Amr b. Khalid al-Saydawi]], [[Jabir b. Harith al-Salmani]], Sa'd the slave of [['Amr b. Khalid]] and [[Majma' b. 'Abd Allah 'A'idhi]] and his son, [['A'idh b. Majma']] were also martyred in the fights with the enemy.<ref>al-Tabari, Muhammad b. Jarir. ''Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk''. vol, 5. p, 446</ref> Some other companions of Imam (a) who have been counted by some historians as fifty were also martyred during this time.<ref>Ibn A'tham Kufi. ''al-Futuh''. vol, 5. p, 101</ref>