The basis of Imam Husayn’s revolution

In The name of Allah The Merciful and Kind

Among the many allegations and misconceptions regarding the reason why Imam Husayn the son of Ali and Fatimah (may peace be upon them) stood against Yazid  is that out of hunger for "political power" he refused to be under the authority of the "legitimate caliph" of his time. Some say he knew he was going to die so he technically "committed suicide" by intentionally going to Karbala the land where his destiny was to be killed which goes in line with another accusation that states that opposing the Caliph of your time is a major sin even if he may be a corrupt criminal. We will not be rebutting all these claims entirely in detail but I pray the following brief elucidation will probably explain the primary reason  why Abu Abdilllah Al-Husayn fought against the regime of Yazid.

 Before leaving for the city of Makkah to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, Yazid ordered assassins to kill Imam Husayn (a) when it became clear that a price was put on his head, Imam Husayn explained the purpose of beginning his journey when he told his brother Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah  “I rise for nothing but seeking reform in the Ummah of my grandfather the messenger of Allah”. From these words we can see that Imam Husayn (a) was not seeking political power or as some say that he was being rebellious for no cause but the words “Li-talabi Islahi fi Ummati Jaddi” (For the reformation of my grandfather's nation) clarify the intentions of him leaving the city of Makkah. He was on a mission to fight against injustice and oppression.

It is of great importance that I mention that when Imam Husayn had to leave the city of Makkah the followers of Yazid were told to "Kill him even if his hands are holding the Ka'bah" This is when he said “I’m leaving so that the sanctity of the Mosque of Allah cannot be violated” He regarded the Ka'bah Holy and pure as Islam teaches us that even an insect should not be killed when inside of the Holy Shrine of Masjidul Haram.
Imam Husayn then had to head for Kufa as both his Home Madinah and Makkah were not safe for him and his family then news reached the Imam that Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad's guards killed his cousin Muslim ibn Aqil, Hani ibn Urwah and many of his other close followers.

A thousand horsemen prevented Imam and his family from advancing towards Kufa. And when he heard about the brutal death of his cousin it left him with the last option to go to a dessert land that had no people living in it: Karbala. These soldiers increased in number as they reached four thousand fighters. Approximately Seventy accompanied the Imam and his family.
The leader of that army Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad commanded Imam Husayn to pledge allegiance to Yazid if not he was forced to kill him. Imam Husayn responded saying “Death in honor is better than a life of humiliation. And we are far from humiliation”. Imam Husayn reached complete certitude that he was ready to be a martyr. He did not care what Ibn Ziyad's troops were determined to do.

Then on the 10th of Muharram 61 AH, the Battle of Karbala began. This is the day when thousands of so called muslims waged war against the innocent Household of Prophet Muhammad (s). The day when the muslims were examined to sacrifice materialism for truth. The day when they had to choose between their very own luxurious lives and justice. The day when they had to choose between their profit or their Prophet. The day had to choose this world for the hereafter. And more than 20 thousand people chose their own pockets for justice. And only 72 spirits were harmonically reciting the slogan "Death in honor is greater than life in dishonor, and far we are from dishonor". The companions of Imam Husayn were men of resilience who never stood watching oppression prevail. They refused to be oppressed. They rejected dishonor and humiliation. They rebelled against a system of injustice. They stood firm in protecting their women and children. They revolted, they fought, they struggled and they embraced martyrdom. Swords were struck on them, their hands were cut off, arrows showered them. They all died. The only people who could fight now were the sons of Husayn the youngest and bravest a six month old baby: Ali Al-Asghar had to also participate in the war. It is sad mentioning this that the soldiers of Ibn Ziyad blocked Imam's family from reaching the river of Euphrates, they all remained thirsty for three days so when Imam Husayn thought maybe they would sympathize with his baby and give him water they struck the little baby with an arrow on the neck when all the Imam wanted was few drops of water to quench the babies thirst. His oldest son 18 years old son was struck with swords until he bled and breathed his last moments looking at his father express pride at his brave son.

When the children and all the companions of Al-Husayn were killed only he remained to protect the women and children, but this did not stop the enemies of Islam. They fought with the Imam sword by sword when they were too weak to defeat him in that way the archers shot arrows that could not be escaped. The Imam lost blood and strength as he fell on the ground bleeding severely. When they wanted to get the job done quickly they decapitated the head of Imam Al-Husayn. They decapitated all the heads of his companions and attached them to spears, as a flag of triumph.  They took the daughters, wives and those ill as captives, they kicked them, whipped them, spat on them, mocked them, laughed at them stripped them of their clothes celebrating and dancing and treating the Prophet’s household as spoils of war.

These people claimed Islam. They read the testimony of faith that “There is no God but Allah. And Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”. But look at what they did to the household of Rasulullah (s). They did all of that even when they knew the Holy Prophet (s) said "Hasan and Husayn are the masters of the youth of paradise".

Among the many things we learn from the history of this tragic event is that an oppressor is an oppressor whoever he may be and whatever religion he may claim to follow should be stood up against. Yazid and his army claimed to follow Islam but Imam Husayn (a) made sure that he will still revolt against him and fight to let other muslims live a life of peace, freedom and justice even if it takes sacrificing himself and his own children. This was the primary reason that Imam Husayn refused to pledge allegiance to the tyrant Yazid. This was the motive behind the Husayni revolution.This is the true definition of a Warrior (Mujahid) and a Martyr (Shahid)