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Tragedy of Karbala as reported by the Sunnis (Part VIII)
Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan turned back against them but (some) of his
men were killed and the rest retreated to their positions. (The
number) of killed was apparent among the followers of al-Husayn,
peace be on him, because of the fewness of their number while it was
not so apparent among the followers of 'Umar b. Sa'd because of
their great number. The battle (continued to be) fought fiercely and
desperately. The number killed and wounded among the followers of
Abu 'Abd Allah al-Husayn, peace be on him, continued to grow until
the sun began to decline. Al-Husayn and his companions prayed the
prayer according to the rite of the prayer of fear.
Hanzala b. Sa'd al-Shibami advanced in front of al-Husayn, peace
be on him, and called out:
People of Kufa, O people fear for you the same (that happened)
on the Day of Parties. If earforyou on the Day of Summoning
[ XL : 30,32 ]. O people, do not kill al-Husayn, for God will
destroy you with punishment. He who forges a lie will be
disappointed. [ XX, 61 ]
He advanced and fought until he was killed, may God have mercy
on him. After that, Shawdhab, retainer (mawla) of Shakir, went
forward, (after saying): "Greetings, Abu 'Abd Allah and may God
store his mercy and blessings for you."
He fought until he was killed, may God have mercy on him. Then
came Abis b. Shabib al-Shakiri. He greated al-Husayn, peace be on
him, and fought until he was killed. Each man of (al-Husayn's)
followers continued to go forward and be killed until there only
remained with al-Husayn, peace be on him, the members of his own
House.
His son, Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on them, whose mother was
Layla daughter of Abu Murra b. Urwa b. Masud al-Thaqafi, was
(the next) to advance. He was one of the most handsome men of the
time. On that day he was nineteen years of age. He attacked the
enemy declaring:
I am Ali b. al-Husayn b. Ali. By the House of God, we
are those rightly (endowed) with the Prophet.
By God, the son of a spurious son will not judge us. I
will strike with my sword in defence of my father.
I will strike with the blow of a Hashimi, a Qurayshi.
He did that several times, and the Kufans were afraid to kill him.
Then Murra b. Munqidh al-Abdi saw him. He said: "May the
felonies of the Arabs come on me, if he gets past me doing the same as
he has been doing, (and) if I do not deprive his mother of him."
('Ali b. al-Husayn) continued to attack the enemy as he had been
doing but then Murra b. Munqidh came against him and stabbed
him. He was struck down and the enemy fell upon him, cutting him
with their swords. Al-Husayn, peace be on him, went out until he
stood over him and said:
May God kill (the) people who killed you, my son. How fool
hardy they are against the Merciful and in violating the
sacredness of the family of the Apostle, may God bless him
and his family.
His eyes filled with tears and he said: "There will (only) be dust on
the world after you."
Zaynab, the sister of al-Husayn, peace be on him, came hurrying
out, crying: "My brother, my nephew!"
She came up and threw herself on (her dead nephew). Al-Husayn
raised her head and then led her back to the tent. He told his young
(sons): "Carry your brother back."
They carried him and put him before the tent which they had been
fighting in front of. (Then) one of 'Umar b. Sad's men called 'Amr b.
Subayh shot an arrow at 'Abd Allah b. Muslim b. Aqil. Abd Allah
put his hand to guard his brow. The arrow struck his hand and
penetrated through his brow, and riveted the hand to it. He was not
able to move it when another man came down on him with a spear,
thrust it into his heart, and killed him.
Abd Allah b. Qutba al-Ta'i attacked Awn b. 'Abd Allah b.
Ja'far b. Abi Talib and killed him.
Amir b. Nashhal al-Tamimi attacked Muhammad b. Abd Allah
b. Ja'far b. Abi Talib and killed him.
Uthman b. Khalid al-Hamdam launched himself against 'Abd al-
Rahman b. 'Aqil b. Abi Talib, and killed him.
[Humayd b. Muslim reported:]
It was like that among us (i.e. many of al-Husayn's supporters had
been killed by 'Umar b. Sa'd's army) when a young lad came out
against us. His face was young like the first splinter of the new moon
and he carried a sword. He was wearing a shirt and a waistcloth (izar),
and a pair of sandals, one of whose straps was broken. 'Umar b.
Sa'd b. Nufayl al-Azdi said to me: "et me attack him." I said:
Praise be to God, what do you want to do that for? Leave
him. While even one of the family of al-Husayn remains,
that will be enough to take vengeance on you for his (death).
But he insisted: "By God, let me attack him."
So he rushed against him and did not turn back until he had struck
his head with his sword and split it in two. The young lad fell face
downwards and he called out: "O uncle!"
At this, al-Husayn, peace be on him, showed himself just like the
hawk shows itself. He launched into attack like a raging lion and
struck Umar b. Sad b. Nufayl with his sword. That man tried to fend
off the blow with his arm but his arm was cut off from the elbow, and
he gave a great shriek (of pain) which was (even) heard by the people
in the camp. As al-Husayn, peace be on him, turned away from him,
the cavalry of Kufa attacked in order to save him but they (only
succeeded) in trampling him to death beneath the horses' hooves, and
the dust rose.
I saw al-Husayn, peace be on him, standing by the head of the
young lad, looking at his feet and al-Husayn, peace be on him was
saying:
May the people who have caused your death perish. For
the one who will oppose them on the Day of Resurrection
on your behalf will be your grandfather (Ali, or great
grandfather, i.e. the Prophet).
Then he continued:
By God, it is hard on your uncle that you called him and
he did not answer you, or rather he answered but your cry
was (too late) to help you. For by God, those who kill his
relatives are many but those who help him are few.
Then he carried him in his arms. It is just as if (even now) I am
looking at the two legs of the boy making marks (as they trail) on the
ground. He took him and put him with his son, 'Ali b. al-Husayn, peace
be on them both, and the other members of the household who had been
slain. I asked about the boy and was told that he was al-Qasim b. al-Hasan
b. Ali b. Abl Talib, peace be on them.
Then al-Husayn, peace be on him, sat in front of the tent. He
brought his son, 'Abd Allah b. al-Husayn, peace be on him, who was
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(just) a baby and sat him on his knee. But one of the Banu Asad shot
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an arrow which slaughtered the child. Al-Husayn, peace be on him,
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caught the child's blood in the palm of his hand. When his palm was
full, he poured (the blood) on to the ground and said:
O Lord, if it be so that You have kept the help of Heaven
from us, then let it be because (Your purpose) is better
than (immediate help). Take vengeance on these people who
are (such) oppressors.
Then he carried the child and laid him with the (other) members of his
household who had been slain.
(Just then) Abd Allah b. Uqba al-Ghanawi shot an arrow at Abu
Bakr b. al-Hasan b. Ali, peace be on them, and killed him. When
al-Abbas b. Ali saw the number of his family who had been killed,
he said to his brothers on his mother's side, Abd Allah, Ja'far and
Uthman:
My brothers through my mother, go forward so that I may see
that you have remained true to God and His Apostle. For you
have no children (to defend).
Abd Allah, may God have mercy on him, advanced and fought
fiercely. He exchanged blows with Hani' b. Shabib al-Hadrami and
Hani' killed him. After him Ja'far went forward and Hani' also killed
him. Khawali b. Yazid al-Asbahi, may God curse him, went against
Uthman who had taken the place of his brother. He fired an arrow at
him and brought him down. One of the Banu Darim attacked him
(while he was down) and cut off his head.
The group then launched an attack against al-Husayn, peace be on
him, and cut off his access to his camp. His thirst became severe, and
he set off towards the dam, trying to reach the Euphrates. In front of
him was his brother, al-'Abbas. However, the calvary of Ibn Sa'd,
may God curse him, blocked his route. Among these was a man from
the Banu Darim; he said to (the cavalry):
Woe upon you! Prevent him from reaching the Euphrates, don't
let him get water.
Then al-Husayn, peace be on him, cried out: "O God, I am
thirsty." The Dariml became angry and shot an arrow at him which
lodged in his throat. Al-Husayn, peace be on him, pulled out the
arrow and held his hand below his throat. Both his palms were filled
with blood which he shook away, then he said:
O God, I complain to You about what is being done to the son
of the daughter of Your Prophet.
Then he returned to his position, while his thirst had become (even
more) severe.
Meanwhile the people had surrounded al-Abbas and cut him off
from (al-Husayn). Single-handed he began to attack them until he
was killed, may God have mercy on him. The two who took part in
killing him were Zayd b. Warqa al-Hanafi and Hahm b. al-Tufail al-
Shabsi, after he had been covered with wounds and could not move.
[ The account of al Abbas death is missing from Tabari ]
When al-Husayn, peace be on him, came back from the dam to his
tents, Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan advanced towards him with a group
of his followers and surrounded him. The fastest of them was a man
called Malik b. al-Nusayr al-Kindi. He cursed al-Husayn, peace be on
him, and struck him on the head with his sword. (Al-Husayn) was
wearing a cap. (The sword) went through it right into his head and
made it bleed. The cap was filled with blood.
Al-Husayn, peace be on him, said to him:
May you never eat or drink with your right hand! May God
gather you (on the Day of Judgement) with those people who
are wrong-doers.
Then he threw away the cap and called for a cloth which he tied around
his head. Then he called for another cap, put it on and bound it (in
place).
[ The above portion is missing from the account of Tabari ]
Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan and those who were with him had
withdrawn from him to their (earlier) positions. After a short delay
they came again against him and surrounded him. 'Abd Allah b. al-
Hasan b. Alieace be on them, came out against them, he was only a
boy, not yet mature enough to leave the women. He rushed forward
until he stood beside his uncle, al-Husayn, peace be on him. Then
Zaynab, the daughter of Ali, peace be on him, came after him to stop
him, and al Husayn, peace be on him, told her to stop him. However
he refused (to take any notice of her) and determinedly prevented her
(from taking him away). He said: "By God, I will not leave my
uncle."
(At this) Abjar b. Ka'b rushed towards al-Husayn, peace be on
him. With sword (in hand), the young lad said to him: "Woe upon
you, you son of an impure woman, are you trying to kill my uncle?"
Abjar struck at him with his sword. The boy tried to fend off (the
blow) with his arm. The sword cut through (his arm) to the skin (on
the other side). There was the arm hanging (by the skin). The boy
cried out: "O my mother!" Al-Husayn took hold of him and
embraced him. He said to him:
My nephew, try to bear what has come to you and be comforted with
the news that God will unite you with your righteous ancestors.
Then al-Husayn, peace be on him, raised his hand and said:
O God, even as You have made life pleasant for them for a time,
divide them into factions and make them follow the ways of
factions and let their rulers never be pleased with them. They
summoned us so that they might support us and then they became
hostile to us and killed us.
[ Abjar is mentioned as Bahr in Tabari ]
The foot-soldiers launched an attack from right and left against
those who were left with al-Husayn, peace be on him, until only a
group of three or four remained with him. When al-Husayn, peace be
on him saw that, he called for a pair of dazzling Yemen trousers
(sarawil). He tore them and put them on. He tore them so that he
should not have them plundered after he had been killed. When al-
Husayn, peace be on him, was killed, Abjar b. Kab set on him,
plundered him of the trousers and left him naked. After that the two
hands of Abjar b. Ka'b, may God curse him, became so dry in the
summer that they were like sticks and then soaking wet in the winter
so that they sprinkled drops of water and puss, until God destroyed
him.
When nobody except a group of three members of his family was
left with al-Husayn, peace be on him, he moved against the people,
while the three protected him until (all) three were killed. Al-Husayn,
was left alone. Despite being weighed down by wounds in his head
and body, he began to strike against them with his sword and they
scattered, to right and left, away from him.
Then Humayd b. Muslim said:
By God, I have never seen such persistence. His sons have been
killed, and the members of his household and his followers, yet
he is still as brave as ever and he has not allowed his spirit
to leave him. When the soldiers attack him, he fights back with
his sword and scatters them to right and left of him like goats
when a wolf comes upon them.
When Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan realised (the position), he called
for the cavalry and they came up at the rear of the foot-soldiers. He
ordered the archers to shoot at (al-Husayn) and they showered him
with arrows until he became (quilted with arrows) like a hedgehog (iZ
with spikes).
He drew back from them and they stood facing him. His sister
Zaynab, came to the door of the tent and called out to 'Umar b.
Sad b. Abi Waqqas: "Woe upon you, Umar. Is Abu Abd Allah
being killed while you (stand by and) watch?" But Umar did not
answer. Then she called out: "Woe upon you (all), is there not a
Muslim among you?" But no-one answered.
Then Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan shouted at the foot soldiers and
the Calvary: "Why are you waiting for the man? May your mothers be
deprived of you!" So they attacked him from every side.
Zura b. Sharik struck him on the left shoulder-blade and cut into
it. Another of them struck him on the shoulder. He fell prostrate on
his face. Sinan b. Anas al-Nakhai stabbed him with a spear and killed
him. Khawali b. Yazid al-Asbahi hurried to him and bent down to cut
off his head but he trembled (too much). Shamir said to him: "May
God crush your arm why are you trembling?" Then Shamir bent
down and decapitated him. He lifted the head (and handed it) to
Khawati saying: "Take it to the commander 'Umar b. Sa'd."
Then they began to plunder (the body of) al-Husayn, peace be on
him. Ishaq b. al-Hayat al-Hadrami, may God curse him, took his
shirt. Abjar b. Ka'b, may God curse him, took his trousers. Akhnas
b. Marthad, may God curse him, took his turban. One of the Banu
Darim took his sword. They plundered his saddle and his camel
and they looted his womenfolk.
[ The name of the plunderers and the plundered objects are different
in Tabari ]
[Humayd b. Muslim reported:]
By God, I did not see one of his women or daughters or the women
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
of his family who did not have her clothes ripped from her back,
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taken away and removed from her forcibly. Then we came to Ali b.
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al-Husayn, peace be on them both. He was stretched out on a bed and
he was very ill. Shamir had a group of foot-soldiers with him and they
asked him, "Shall we kill this sick one?" I said: "Praise be to God, will
boys be killed (too)? This is only a youth even though he is what he
is." And I went on (arguing) until I had moved them away from him.
Then 'Umar b. Sa'd arrived and the women cried out and wept in
his face. He ordered his followers: "None of you should enter the
tents of these women nor disturb this sick boy." The women asked
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him to return what had been taken from them so that they could
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clothe themselves again. So he commanded that whoever had taken
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any of their belongings should return them to them. But by God,
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none of them returned anything. He then entrusted charge of the
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main tent and the tents of the women to a group (of men) who were
; with him. He said: "Guard (the women) so that none of them may
leave and do not harm them."
After this, he returned to his tent and called out to his followers:
"Who will volunteer (to go) to al-Husayn and make his horse trample
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
on (al-Husayn's body)?" Ten volunteered. Of these, Ishaq b. Hayyat
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
and Akhnas b. Marthad trampled on (the body of) al-Husayn with
their horses until they had broken and bruised his back. Umar b.
Sad despatched on that day-it was the day of 'Ashura', - the head of
al-Husayn, peace be on him, with Khawali b. Yazid al-Asbahi and
Humayd b. Muslim al-Azdi, to Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad. Then he
^^^^^^^
ordered the heads of the remainder of his followers and members of
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his House (who had been slain) to be cut off. There were seventy-two
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heads. He sent Shamir b. Dhi al-Jawshan, Qays b. Ash'ath and Amr
b. al-Hajjaj with these. They journeyed until they brought them to
Ibn Ziyad. He ('Umar b. Sad) remained there for the rest of that day
and the next day until just after midday. Then he summoned the
people for the journey, and set out towards Kufa. He took with him
the daughters and sisters of al-Husayn, peace be on him, together
with 'Ali b. al-Husayn, peace be on him. The latter was still sick with
a dysentry and was almost on the point of death.
When Ibn Sad departed, some of Banu Asad, who had been
staying at al-Ghadiriyya went to al-Husayn, peace be on him, and his
followers. They performed the funeral prayer over them. Then they
buried al-Husayn at the place where his tomb still is, and they buried
his son 'Ali b. al-Husayn al-Asghar (the younger) at the foot of the
body. They dug around the area next to the two feet of al-Husayn,
peace be on him, for the martyrs from his House and his followers.
They gathered them together and buried them all together. However,
they buried al-Abbas b. 'Ali, peace be on them both, in the place
where he was killed, on the road to al-Ghadiriyya, where his tomb
still is.
[ These details are not given by Tabari ]
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