Hazarat Imam Husayn (a-s) ibn ‘Ali (a-s) ibn Abī Tālib 8
January 626 – 10 October 680) (3rd/4th Sha'aban 4 AH – 10th Muharram 61 AH),
also spelled as Imam Husain (a-s), Imam Hussain was the son of Ali ibn Abi Ṭalib
(fourth Rashidun Caliph of Sunni Islam, and first Imam of Shia Islam) and
Fatimah Zahra (daughter of Muhammad) and the younger brother of Hasan ibn Ali.
Husayn is an important figure in Islam, as he is a member of the Ahl al-Bayt
(the household of Muhammad) and Ahl al-Kisa, as well as being the third Shia Imam.
Husayn is highly regarded by Shia Muslims because he refused
to pledge allegiance to Yazid the Umayyad caliph because he considered the rule
of the Umayyads unjust.As a consequence, he left Medina, his home town, and
traveled to Mecca. There, the people of Kufa sent letters to him, asking his
help and pledging their allegiance to him. So he traveled towards Kufa. At
Karbala his caravan was intercepted by Yazid I's army. He was killed and
beheaded in the Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH) by Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan,
along with most of his family and companions. The annual memorial for him, his
family, his children and his companions is called Ashura (tenth day of
Muharram) and is a day of mourning for Shiite Muslims. The killings at Karbala
fueled the later Shiite movements. Anger at Husayn's death was turned into a
rallying cry that helped undermine and ultimately overthrow the Umayyad
Caliphate.
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