One of the two main currents of modern Islam is Shiism. Imam Hussein was one of those people with whom the birth of this religious trend was associated. His biography can be quite interesting both to a simple layman, and to people who are associated with scientific activity. Let's find out what Hussein ibn Ali brought to our world.
Pedigree
The full name of the future imam is Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib. He came from the Hashemite branch of the Arab Quraish tribe, founded by his great-great-grandfather Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. The founder of Islam, the prophet Mohammed, belonged to the same branch, which was attributed to Hussein at the same time as grandfather (by mother) and uncle (by father). The main city of the Quraish tribe was Mecca.
The parents of the third Shiite imam were Ali ibn Abu Talib, who was the cousin of the prophet Muhammad, and the daughter of the latter Fatima. Their descendants are usually called Alids and Fatimids. In addition to Hussein, they also had the eldest son - Hassan.
Thus, Hussein ibn Ali belonged to the most noble, according to Muslim concepts, family, being a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Birth and youth
Hussein was born in the fourth year of Hijrah (632) during the stay of the family of Muhammad and his supporters in Medina after fleeing Mecca. According to legend, the Prophet himself gave him a name, predicted a great future and death at the hands of representatives of the Umayyad clan. About the early years of the youngest son of Ali ibn Abu Talib, almost nothing is known, since at that time he was in the shadow of his father and older brother.
The future imam Hussein enters the historical arena only after the death of his brother Hassan and the Caliph Muaviya.
The rise of Shiism
Now let's take a closer look at how the Shiite trend of Islam arose, because this issue is closely related to the life and work of Hussein ibn Ali.
After the Prophet’s death, the head of the Muslims was elected at a meeting of elders. He bore the title of Caliph and was endowed with the fullness of religious and secular authority. The first caliph was one of the close associates of Muhammad Abu Bakr. Shiites later claimed that he had usurped power, bypassing the legitimate pretender - Ali ibn Abu Talib.
After the short reign of Abu Bakr, there were two more caliphs who were traditionally called righteous until, in 661, Ali ibn Abu Talib, cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad himself, father of the future imam Hussein, was finally elected.
But the power of the new caliph was refused to recognize the ruler of Syria, Mu'awiyah of the Umayyad family, who was a distant relative of Ali. They began to wage war among themselves, which, however, did not reveal a winner. But at the beginning of 661, Caliph Ali was killed by the conspirators. The new ruler was elected by his eldest son Hassan. Realizing that he could not cope with the experienced Muawiya, he transferred power to him, on the condition that after the death of the former Syrian governor, she would again return to Hassan or to his descendants.
However, already in 669, Hassan died in Medina, where, after the murder of his father, he moved with his brother Hussein. It is believed that death occurred from poisoning. Shiites see the perpetrators of the poisoning of Mu'awiyah, who did not want the authorities to elude his family.
Meanwhile, more and more people showed dissatisfaction with the politics of Muawi, grouping around Ali’s second son, Hussein, whom they considered Allah’s true governor on Earth. These people began to call themselves Shiites, which is translated from Arabic as "followers." That is, at first Shiism was more likely a political trend in the Caliphate, but over the years it increasingly took on a religious color.
The religious gap between the Sunnis, Caliph supporters, and the Shiites has grown more and more.
Confrontation Background
As mentioned above, before the death of the Caliph Muawiyah, which happened in 680, Hussein did not play a very active role in the political life of the Caliphate. But after this event, he rightly declared his claims to the supreme power, as was previously agreed between Muawiya and Hassan. Such a turn of events, of course, did not suit the son of Muawiya Yazid, who had already managed to take the title of caliph.
Hussein's supporters, Shiites, declared him imam. They claimed that their leader was the third Shiite imam, the first two counting Ali ibn Abu Talib and Hassan.
Thus, the tension between the two parties grew, threatening to result in armed confrontation.
The beginning of the uprising
And the rebellion broke out. The rebellion began in the city of Kufa, which was located near Baghdad. The rebels believed that only Imam Hussein was worthy to lead them. They invited him to become the leader of the uprising. Hussein agreed to take on the role of leader.
In order to investigate the situation, Imam Hussein sent his close associate to Kufa, whose name was Muslim ibn Akil, and he himself came out with supporters from the Medina behind him. Upon arrival at the site of the uprising, the representative took the oath on behalf of Hussein from 18,000 residents of the city, about which he informed his sovereign.
But the Caliphate’s administration was also not idle. To suppress the uprising in Kufa, Yazid appointed a new governor. He immediately began to apply the most stringent measures, as a result of which almost all of Hussein's supporters fled the city. Before Muslim was captured and executed, he managed to send a letter to the imam telling about the changed circumstances for the worse.
Battle of Karbala
Despite this, Hussein decided to continue the campaign. He, along with his supporters, approached the town called Karbala located on the outskirts of Baghdad. Imam Hussein, together with the detachment, met there numerous troops of the Caliph Yazid under the command of Umar ibn Sad.
Of course, an imam with a relatively small group of his supporters could not resist the whole army. Therefore, he began negotiations, offering the command of the enemy army to let him go together with the detachment. Umar ibn Sad was ready to listen to the representatives of Hussein, but other commanders - Shir and ibn Ziyad - convinced him to set conditions that the imam simply could not agree to.
The grandson of the Prophet decided to accept an unequal battle. The red flag of Imam Hussein fluttered above a small detachment of rebels. The battle was short-lived, as the forces were unequal, but furious. The troops of the Caliph Yazid triumphed in complete victory over the rebels.
Imam's death
Almost all of Hussein's supporters, in the amount of seventy-two people, were killed or captured in this battle, and then suffered a painful execution. Some were imprisoned. Among the dead was the imam himself.
His severed head was sent immediately to the governor in Kufu, and then to Damascus, the capital of the Caliphate, so that Yazid could fully enjoy the victory of the Ali clan.
Effects
Nevertheless, it was the death of Imam Hussein that influenced the process of the future collapse of the Caliphate, and even more than if he had survived. The treacherous murder of the Prophet’s grandson and the blasphemous mockery of his remains caused a wave of discontent throughout the Islamic world. Shiites completely separated themselves from the Caliph's supporters - the Sunnis.
In 684, an uprising under the banner of revenge for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali broke out in the holy Muslim city of Mecca. He was led by Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. For eight years he managed to maintain power in the hometown of the Prophet. In the end, the caliph was able to regain control of Mecca. But this was only the first rebellion from a series of rebellions that shook the Caliphate and held under the banner of revenge for the murder of Hussein.
The murder of the third imam was one of the most significant events in the Shiite doctrine, which further rallied Shiites in the fight against the Caliphate. Of course, the power of the caliphs lasted for more than one century. But, having killed the heir to the prophet Muhammad, the Caliphate inflicted a mortal wound on itself, which in the future led to its decay. Subsequently, the Shiite states of Idrisides, Fatimids, Buids, Alids and others were formed on the territory of a once powerful power.
The memory of Hussein
Events related to the assassination of Hussein acquired cult significance for the Shiites. It was dedicated to them one of the largest Shiite religious events - Shahsey-vahsey. These are fasting days in which Shiites mourn for the murdered Imam Hussein. The most fanatical ones themselves inflict quite severe wounds on themselves, as if symbolizing the suffering of the third imam.
In addition, Shiites made a pilgrimage to Karbala - the place of death and burial of Hussein ibn Ali.
As we have seen, the personality, life and death of Imam Hussein underlie such a major Muslim religious movement as Shiism, which has many followers in the modern world.