Islamic In the name of the Most High

Imam Husain
Information
Center

The Grandfather of Husain P.2

History of Imam Husain P.3
Understanding Husain P.5
FAQ about Islam P.8

For the past several decades, the name “Husain” has been ever prevalent in the West-
ern media. Various kings, presidents, politicians, and other leaders around the world
have “Husain” (or some alternate spelling) as part of their name.
In the Muslim world, the 5 most common names are Muhammad, Ali, Fatima,
Hasan, and Husain. Why are these names so important? Who were these people?
On average, most people have heard of the name “Muhammad”, but the other names
remain generally unknown.
Understanding why these names are so important to Muslims is key in building in-
terfaith friendships around the world. According to Gallup Poll estimates, there are
approximately 1.3 billion Muslims around the world. With world population estimates
at 6 billion people, statistics indicate that one in every five people is in fact a Muslim.
The history of who Husain was, what he did, and why he did it are key compo-
nents to Islamic history, and have lasting repercussions throughout the world, in-
cluding modern day Iraq.
 Page 2

Family Tree
The mausoleum of
Adam
Imam Husain in
Noah
modern day Iraq
Karbala contains, besides the grave of
Abraham Husain and his brother, the grave of all
his 72 companions in Karbala. In par-
ticular, besides Imam Husain's grave
Ismail Isaac are the graves of his two sons Ali Ak-
bar and 6-month old infant Ali Asghar
Moses

David Who is Muhammad? What is a “Prophet”?

Muhammad, though the fate of the world. what is used to de-
Soloman endeared and respected When he had reached scribe a messenger of
by Arabs for his wis- the age of 40 and was God. Prophets,
Mary
dom and virtues, pre- engrossed in his usual throughout history
ferred solitude and prayer to God at his have been sent by
Jesus
kept his distance from retreat in the Cave of God, to represent His
the polytheist society. Hira, the Archangel affairs on Earth. They
Muhammad Gabriel, appeared with include such figures as
Disgusted with the the first verses of the Adam, Noah, Abra-
Fatima Ali corruption throughout Holy Qur'an and or- ham, Moses, and Jesus.
society, he used to re- ders for the Holy Prophets are consid-
Hasan Husain
tire to the Cave of Prophet Muhammad: ered to be brothers to
Hira, in a mountain a one another, and all
The Ahlul Bayt few miles from his "Recite in the name of your members of the same
home tome of Mecca, Lord Who created. ... Re- true religion of God,
Muhammad meditating God's Maj- cite and your Lord is most passing on the same
esty and worshipping Generous..." message throughout
Fatima Him. Over time, Mu- Holy Qur'an (96:1-5) history.
Ali hammad spent more While the Prophets
Hasan and more time reflect- With these verses, acted as messengers of
Husain ing on the divinity of Gabriel announced to God and leaders to hu-
God, and it went to the Muhammad that Al- manity, the
point where he would mighty God had de- Prophethood ended
Prophet Muhammad
spend an entire month cided that it was time with Prophet Muham-
and his immediate fam-
in that cave, praying to to spread the message mad. After him, how-
ily members are re-
God and contemplat- of Islam to the masses. ever, God continued to
ferred to as the “Ahlul
ing guidance for the In the coming years, leave just and pious
Bayt” and hold a special
deviated people. Muhammad’s Pro- leaders on the earth,
place in the hearts of all
phetic mission changed each one called
Muslims. Their role in
Finally the day dawned society dramatically. “Imam” (literally:
Islamic history is re-
which would change A “Prophet” is “Leader”).
membered with great
pride.
www.IslamicInformationCenter.org

Researching the legacy of Imam Husain
History has shown
us that the path of truth
and justice has always
been the most difficult
to tread. Each religion
has an event that stands
out and speaks to hu-
manity of the battle be-
tween right and wrong.
Judaism commemo-
rates the torture of Han-
nah and her seven sons
at the hands of the
Greek king Antiochus
when they refused to
break Jewish laws. In
Christianity we find the
crucifixion of Jesus by
the Roman king as an-
other example of the
triumph of truth over
falsehood. Islam’s exam-
ple of selfless sacrifice in
the face of tyranny and
fallacy is that of the
martyrdom of Imam
Husain by Yazid.
Imam Husain was
For similar packets on Islamic historical figures, such as
Moses, Jesus, and more check out
www.IslamicInformationCenter.org
Page 3 Alternative
Spellings
Mohamad
Mohammad
Mohammed
Muhammad
Muhamad
Mohamed
Mohamet
Mehmet
Ali
the grandson of the of the Umayyad Dynasty. Aly
Prophet of Islam, son of
his beloved daughter
Along with his father and
grandfather, the family Aley
Fatima and Ali. From was known to be open
the moment of his birth, enemies of the Prophet Fatima
Imam Husain was sur- and his family. When he Fatimah
rounded by role models
that exuded the con-
came to power he began
changing the rules of Is-
Fatema
cepts of patience, cour- lam; making that which is
age, perseverance, and unlawful to be lawful and Hasan
integrity.
To address and chal-
vice versa.
Rightly so, true Mus-
Hassan
lenge all manners of lims were outraged at his
corruption and oppres- decrees, which were Husain
sion with bravery was slowly corrupting the Hussain
the way of the Prophet message of Islam. Husein
and the way of the However, anyone that Hosein
Prophet’s family. After
the death of the
spoke out against him
was arrested and tor- Hussein
Prophet, Imam Husain tured. He realized he Hosain
witnessed the martyr- needed the support of Hosayn
dom of his mother, fa-
ther, and brother re-
the Prophet’s family to
legitimize his caliphate,
Hossain
spectively as they were and decided that Imam
slain protecting and Husain should pay alle- Why are there so many
preaching true Islam. giance to him. He or- ways to spell the same
Yazid Ibn Muawiyah dered his men to get this name?
was the second Caliph support, by any means In the Arabic language,
the spelling and pronuncia-
tion of these names is
quite clear, however, when
transliterated into the Eng-
lish alphabet, various dif-
ferences arise based upon
the conversion method used.
 Page 4

Who was Husain continued …

When Imam Husain found out what Yazid wanted of him, he absolutely refused...
necessary… even if it meant killing Husain. imprisoned. The heads of the innocents along with
When Imam Husain found out what Yazid the chained survivors were marched to Damascus to
wanted of him, he absolutely refused. History quotes meet Yazid.
Husain as saying “A man like me can never submit Following the massacre at Karbala, Muslims were
to a man like him”. At the same time, the citizens of horrified that Yazid had so mercilessly and blatantly
an Iraqi city, Kufa found themselves in need of killed the Prophet’s family, and rebelled against him.
trustworthy leadership, and Their eyes were opened to the
sent hundreds of letters to importance of preserving Islam
Husain begging him to lead Satellite image of modern day Karbala as the Prophet had taught it
their community. and remaining confident in
Husain had a difficult speaking the truth even under
decision to make. Yazid’s extreme torture as Imam
intentions were well known, Husain had experienced.
but Husain had no way to The martyrdom of Imam
fight back. He decided to Husain is remembered today
make the ultimate sacrifice, because it conveys the spirit of
and despite the danger, set struggle and protest against in-
off for Kufa, stopping at a justice, untruth, and corrup-
small strip of land called tion. It is an example that can
Karbala along the way. be applied in any context and
Upon arrival in Karbala, in any time period. The idea
Husain and his family were that one must fight for one’s
immediately besieged by approximately ten thousand beliefs and values regardless of the obstacles is the
of Yazid’s soldiers. They were ordered to submit to message of Karbala. Imam Husain sacrificed his life,
Yazid’s rulership or die. Over the coming days, and that of his sons, nephews, and friends.
Husain asked his followers to flee into the safety of The womenfolk of Imam Husain’s camp re-
the night, and escape the forces of the surrounding mained loyal to the cause of truth even as they were
military. made to constantly suffer in doing so.
He knew the military only wanted him, and that Karbala has taught us that every land will have a
his friends and family need not suffer. He warned Yazid, and so every land should have a Husain that is
them, that once he was killed, they would be impris- willing to rise up against the dissolution of truth and
oned and tortured. Despite these warnings, not a lead.
single person left the camp of Imam Husain, and a It is a missive to all people regardless of religion
portion of Yazid’s army defected to help Husain. to find a cause that we believe in and fight for it
Imam Husain’s camp was cut off from obtaining through our words, our actions and our deeds even
water and soon ran out of food. On the tenth day when others are unwilling and fearful to take up the
Imam Husain and 72 of his followers fought against mantle.
thousands of Yazid’s soldiers. The Danish philosopher Kierkegaard said “The
One by one, each man fell until only Imam tyrant dies and his rule ends, the martyr dies and his rule be-
Husain remained. The grandson of the Prophet too gins.” and so is the case with Imam Husain. Though
was finally killed, and in the most brutal and cruel he was martyred over 1300 years ago, his noble death
way possible. The bodies of the innocents were be- has inspired seekers of peace and justice to struggle
headed and trampled with horses. Imam Husain’s on the path of truth, for he proved that the voice of
camp was burnt down and the women and children one honest person will always ring clear in the end.
 Page 5 Commemoration
of Imam Husain’s
If Husain fought to quench sacrifice
his worldly desires, then I Muharram is the first
do not understand why his month of the Islamic
sisters, wives and children calendar, and the first
accompanied him. It stands ten days of Muharram
are marked by Mus-
to reason therefore that he lims around the world
sacrificed purely for Islam in remembrance of
Imam Husain’s sacri-
Charles Dickens fice that took place in
the first ten days of
Muharram centuries
Imam Husain b. ‘Ali – The Model for Human kind; ago. The tenth day is
Researching the legacy of Husain referred to as
“Ashura” and is espe-
History bears testi- nition as the undisputed promoting society. He cially tragic, as this is
mony to the fact that ruler of the Muslims, publicly ridiculed the the day that Husain,
thirty years after the Yazid not only tried to traditions of the his children, and his
death of the Prophet consolidate his own po- Prophet Muhammad companions were
Muhammad (peace be sition but also tried to and sought to forcibly killed.
upon him) in 632 C.E., strengthen his tribe’s impose his tyrannical
the Umayyad dynasty vicious stronghold over rule by threatening to
Muslims around the
came to power. They the Islamic empire. kill those who opposed
ruled the Islamic empire However, a leader in him. world, in each of the
with brutal force and Islam is required to be a It is within this con- 52 Muslim countries,
tyranny, bearing little or source of emulation for text that we must exam- and more than 130
no concern for the Is- his citizens and an ex- ine the actions of Imam other countries around
lamic principles that the emplar par excellence. His Husain (AS). As the the world remember
Prophet had striven so duties include not only grandson of the Husain every year in
hard to establish. that of ensuring that Is- Prophet, he felt it his Muharram, keeping in
Mu’awiya b. Abu Su- lamic law (shari‘a) is im- duty to safeguard the mind an important
fyan, who founded the plemented, but he is divine principles which proverb:
Umayyad dynasty and also required to exercise had been revealed to his
proclaimed himself the temporal and spiritual grandfather. That Imam
sole ruler of the Mus- authority. In order to Husain saw himself as
Every day is Ashura,
lims, appointed his son guide the Muslims, the an upholder and de- Every land is Karbala
Yazid to succeed him. leader must therefore fender of Islamic princi-
After coming to possess the most exem- ples can be seen in a let- The meaning of this
power in 680 C.E., plary moral traits. ter that he wrote to the proverb is that it is im-
Yazid sought to legiti- Yazid, on the con- people of Basra. The portant to remember
mize his position as the trary, openly flouted Is- Imam states that he the message and sacri-
leader of the Muslims by lamic laws. He was more chose to stand up for fice of Husain in every
seeking support and al- concerned with hedon- the rights of the Mus- aspect of life, and to
legiance from the Mus- ism, drinking wine, and lims because “the tradi- use it as an inspiration.
lims. By seeking recog- womanizing than with tions of the Prophet had
 Imam Syed Naqvi
Chairman - Islamic
Information Center I learned from Husain
“Throughout history,
many people have tried to
how to be oppressed, yet
abuse the name of victorious
Husain, monsters like Mahatma Ghandi
Saddam for example,
who were actually against
the ideology of Imam
Husain. On the contrary, Imam Husain b. ‘Ali cont...
Imam Husain’s mission
was about peace, about
the love of God, about been killed (by the journey to Kufa despite oppression. As he said:
helping people. That’s the Umayyads) and innova- the dangers that he fore- “I do not view death
beauty of his message.” tions revived.” saw. He was intercepted except as a path to ev-
A careful analysis of at al-Qadisiyya by a erlasting happiness
Edward Gibbon the speeches and letters small detachment of while living under the
(1737-1794) Consid- preserved by our pri- troops under the com- oppressors is abject
ered the greatest Brit- mary sources indicate mand of Hurr. It was at humiliation.”
ish historian of his that Husain perceived this point that Husain Imam Husain’s noble
time. the need to revive the began addressing the companions shared his
"In a distant age and religious conscience of enemy. He explained his determination and were
climate the tragic scene of the Muslims. His actions stance, stating that prepared to die for his
the death of Hosein will indicate that he was Yazid was trying to es- cause. On the fateful
aware of the fact that a tablish an unjust and morning of the 10th of
awaken the sympathy of
victory achieved corrupt society and that Muharram, Husain
the coldest reader." [The through military he had violated all moral stood in front of his tent
Decline and Fall of the strength and might is and religious norms. with a very small army.
Roman Empire, London, always temporal because Imam Husain clearly Preparing himself for
1911, volume 5, pp. 391 another power can, in enunciated that he the forthcoming en-
-2] the future, bring it down would never submit to counter, he delivered a
in ruins. oppression and tyranny. series of speeches and
Thomas Carlyle But a victory As he stated when he admonitions to his ene-
"The best lesson which we achieved through suffer- was asked to pay alle- mies.
get from the tragedy of ing and sacrifice is ever- giance to Yazid: “Those He repeatedly ex-
Karbala is that Husayn lasting and leaves a per- like me can never give plained to them why he
and his companions were manent imprint on hu- allegiance to those like refused to submit to
man consciousness. him.” Yazid and reminded
the rigid believers of
It was because of the Although Husain them of his close prox-
God. They illustrated desire to revolutionize was denied water for imity to the Prophet
that numerical superiority the minds of the feeble- three days under the Muhammad. He also
does not count when it minded Muslims on the scorching sun of Ker- told them that he would
comes to truth and false- one hand and to check bala, he remained reso- never submit to Yazid
hood. The victory of the gradual decadence lute and firm in his prin- rather, he would submit
Husayn despite his mi- of Islamic principles on ciples. He preferred to God only.
nority marvels me!" the other that Husain honorable death than One by one,
embarked on a fateful life under tyranny and Husain’s brave compan-

www.IslamicInformationCenter.org

Imam Husain b. ‘Ali – The Model for Human kind cont...
ions died infront of his eyes. He wit-
nessed the fall of every one of them,
running to the battlefield to retrieve the
dead ones and lining their bodies in a
row in a tent. As the day grew hotter,
the fighting became more fierce. Even
‘Ali Asghar (also called Abd Allah), a
six-month-old baby, was not spared.
An arrow struck him killing him in his
father’s arms.
Alone and weary, exhausted and de-
jected, Imam Husain consoled the grief
stricken women and children for what
would befall them after his demise. Af-
ter bidding them farewell for the final
time, Husain confronted the Umayyad
army. Attacked from all sides with
stones, spears and arrows, the Imam
finally succumbed while his womenfolk
and children witnessed the horrific
scene.
Husain though, remained resolute to
the very last. He invoked God saying:
“O God, You are my only trust in
every calamity, You are my only
hope in every hardship; You are the
only promise in anxiety and distress
in which the hearts become weak
and human actions become feeble,
in which one is deserted and for-
saken by his friends.”
As the enemy encircled Imam
Husain to deal the final blows, Zaynab,
Husain’s sister, came out of her tent
and cried out to ‘Umar b. Sa‘d the com-
mander-in-chief, “Will Husain be killed
while you are standing by and watch-
ing?” Zaynab’s pleas were to no avail.
Husain’s head was cut off and raised on
a spear as a sign of victory for the
Umayyad army. The women and chil-
dren were enslaved and taken to Yazid
in Damascus.
Husain, it is true, was slain in the
plains of Kerbala. But memories of his
Page 7
supreme sacrifices have remained alive.
His death stirred the consciousness of
the Muslims in general and the people
Kufa in particular. Many of them rose
against the Umayyads, avenging
Husain’s death.
The tragedy of Kerbala will evoke
and stir the minds of even the coldest
and most stone hearted reader. For
Imam Husain’s supreme sacrifice pro-
vided a model for all the oppressed na-
tions of the world, showing how,
through struggle and sacrifice, truth will
finally triumph over falsehood. This is
shown by the fact that today Imam
Husain is regarded as a hero and cham-
pion of truth whereas Yazid is por-
trayed as the chieftain of oppression
and vices.
To you, O Imam Husain, we send
our salutations and greetings. The mes-
sage and principles you fought for will
forever remain alive.
Let us end by quoting Imam
Husain’s words which best describe the
motives for his actions:
“If the religion of Muhammad can-
not be saved except by my being
killed, then O swords come and get
me!”
Dr. Takim is a professor of Islamic Studies at
the
Sayings of Imam
Husain
“O God, what did he find
who lost you, and what did
he lose who found you?”
“Some people worship God
to gain His gifts; this is the
worship of the merchants.
Some worship Him to
avoid His punishment; this
is the worship of the
slaves. Some worship Him
solely to show gratitude to-
wards Him; this is the wor-
ship of the free!”
“Death with dignity is bet-
ter than life with humilia-
tion.”
“One who pursues a goal
through sinful ways, will
ironically distance himself
from that goal, and will ap-
proach what he was afraid
of.”
“Wisdom will not be com-
plete except by following
the truth.”
“The most generous person
is the one who offers help
to those who do not expect
him to help.”
 Page 8

Frequently Asked Questions

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