What were the reasons for Imam Hussain (alayhis salam)’s protest? Why was it necessary for him to put himself, his family and his companions in a situation that would lead only to martyrdom and sufferings? It is momentous for us to fully understand, not just believe, why Imam Hussain (a.s.) rose against Yazid.
Verse 104 of Surah Aale ‘Imraan says, ‘There has to be a nation among you summoning to good, bidding what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. It is they who are felicitous.’ This verse lays out the need to do Amr bil Maaruf and Nahi anil Munkar i.e. encouraging others to do good and stopping them from doing bad. And this is exactly what Imam Hussain (alayhis salam) undertakes.
To completely comprehend this, let’s discuss the pre-existing conditions in the year 60 after Hijra and also examine why Imam Hussein is considered the ‘warith’ or heir of all the prophets.
We know that Allah sent 124,000 messengers to guide humankind. They preached the religion of God, invited people toward His Oneness, and toward the goodness. But they were like teachers for different grade levels. The earlier ones spoke of basic teachings and those who came later brought more comprehensive Shariat from God. Hazrat Mohammad Mustafa (s.a.w.w.), our last prophet, completed the religion of Allah and provided the latest version of the Holy Book. He established an Islamic rule in Madinah which was a perfect model and the standard for an Islamic government.
But what happened after the demise of the Holy Prophet? Did the person who he nominated to lead the Muslim Ummah after him receive his rightful position? No! Imam Ali (a.s.), who was declared as the ‘Master’ (man kuntu maulaho fahaza aliyun maula…..) by the Holy Prophet to succeed him, was not given that position. The condition of the Ummah, or State, had started to deteriorate during the rule of the first three Caliphs before Imam Ali was made the caliph. He had hardly fixed the harms done before he was martyred. The person who disobeyed and fought with Imam Ali (a.s.) was Muawiya, who was the governor of Syria. He made peace with Imam Hasan (a.s.) but secretly prepared grounds for his own son Yazid’s succession.
In mid Rajab, 60 A.H., Muawiya died and his son Yazid became the ruler of the whole Islamic world. The areas that comprised of the Islamic world at that time were all of the Arabian Peninsula, some parts of Northern Africa, Iran, Iraq, Syria, etc. Imagine for a second in your mind the qualities you would expect for the leader of such a vast Muslim world to have. We will soon glimpse what Yazid had to offer.
Yazid sent letters to all the governors of these regions informing them about the demise of his father and announcing his succession to power. Before his death, Muawiya had already taken the oath of allegiance from all but three of the prominent people in the Muslim world for his son. These were Abdullah ibne Umar, Abdullah ibne Zubayr and Imam Hussain ibne Ali (a.s.).
Yazid, in his letters to the governors, instructed them that the oath of allegiance must be forced upon the three people who had refused to give allegiance earlier. All but one gave in eventually.
An oath of allegiance (bay’at) is intended to endorse someone, like modern-day voting. By pledging allegiance to Yazid, the people of the Muslim world had endorsed and accepted the most corrupt person to be their caliph. Yazid openly committed his vices, like drinking alcohol, and ran a corrupt governmental system. But he went even further when he denied the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.w.) and the genuineness of the Holy Quran.
We know that Imam Hussain (a.s.) was residing in Madinah at that time. The evening that the governor of Madinah, Walid ibne Utba, received the letter from Yazid to get the ‘bay’at’ from the remaining three people, he immediately sent for them to come see him. When the courier arrived at Masjid-e-Nabavi where Imam Hussain (a.s.) was sitting with ibne Zubayr, the Imam foresaw the reason for the summons. He told ibne Zubayr that they are being called to do bay’at as Muawiya has died. Imam Hussain (a.s.), accompanied by armed relatives and companions, went to see Waleed. Imam directed them to wait for him outside and to come inside only if the need arises.
As Imam Hussain (a.s.) had predicted, the governor of Madinah informed him of Mauwiya’s death and demanded an oath of allegiance for Yazid from him. Imam told him that allegiance should be in front of everybody and not in secrecy. When Waleed could not say anything, the Imam started to get up to leave. At that moment, Marwan, Waleed’s right hand man, gestured to Waleed to slay Hussain according to Yazeed’s orders and not allow him to get away.
Imam saw this, and spoke in a loud voice, ‘Are you going to kill me…’ He went on saying, ‘…we are the family of the prophethood, treasure of risalat; angels used to visit our home; Allah’s blessings are upon us, Allah commenced Islam from our family and it will remain with our family for ever.
‘But Yazeed, for whom you are demanding allegiance, is a drunkard, killer of innocent people, one who trampled Allah’s commands, and commits crimes openly. A person like me can never pay allegiance to person like him. You and I will wait for that day and we’ll see who is more deserving of the caliphate and allegiance.’ By this time, the people who were waiting outside heard Imam’s voice and came in and the governor couldn’t fulfill his plan.
We discussed how the foundation of the religion of Islam was laid through the efforts of all the Anbiya, the prophets. All the labors and pains that they endured would have gone to waste if a person like Yazid stayed in power. Since he was not a believer, he would change the laws of Islam, spread more corruption and sinful ways of life in the society. True Islam would have vanished in a few decades. This is why when we say in the Ziarat that Imam Hussain (a.s.) is the heir or warith of the Prophets, it is because he saved the religion whose seed was sown by them. He protected the tree of their efforts.
Let us now analyze the words of the Imam in reply to the governor of Madinah.
Imam Husain (a.s.) was very clear on the fact that Yazid’s government was illegitimate. Although there were many causes that lead to the uprising and martyrdom, the most important goal of this great jihad was to remove the dominance of illegal and substandard usurpers who did not tolerate any opposition. They were planning their own plots behind the mask of Islam.
He introduced himself and explained his position. One might wonder why was he praising himself. Consider this example: when there is a job opening and you submit your resume, do you not talk about the qualifications or experience you have? It is not regarded as bragging, but is considered stating the facts. Was Imam Hussain (a.s.) not the most eligible person to lead the Muslim ummah? He introduced himself as the family of the prophet, and one who learnt the knowledge of Islam from the Prophet. This family were the most pure of the people, and Hussain was one of the Five for whom Allah says He created this world. Was, then, Yazid with all his faults, sinful life, corruption, and oppression more deserving to be the caliph? Could he lead the nation; defend the borders, implement Qur’anic laws and so on?
Everybody else was quiet; no one protested. Should Imam had stayed silent too? Was it not his duty to speak up and reject the bay’at? Some people even advised him to escape to another country and save his life, but was it not important to disregard the safety of himself and his family to save Islam?
Hence, a person like Imam Hussain (a.s.), the embodiment of goodness, a masoom, the perfect role model; should have risen against the corrupt and evil authority and rejected allegiance to him. This is what we learn from history: never to give in to pressures of evil and corruption (batil).
The complete religion of Islam was the product of the hard work of the previous prophets and to save Islam was to protect the legacy of these messengers. A person like Imam Hussain (a.s.) could not pay allegiance to a person like Yazeed. For this reason, he had to rise against him in a way that would shake the conscious of the Muslims and bring out the true picture of the Yazeediat.
Reference:
Najmi, Mohammad Sadiq. “خطبات امام حسین (ع) — مدینہ سے کربلا تک”