History Books

The prisoners were ordered to go to Yazid's main hall, and they were all tied together with one long rope. While they were marched towards the castle, they were beaten if they did not go fast. When they entered the castle and were in Yazid's presence...

The prisoners were ordered to go to Yazid's main h...

Ibn Ziyad sent a messenger to Yazid telling him of the events and waiting for his orders. Then he wrote a letter, tied it to a rock, and threw it into the place where the people of the House of the Prophet were imprisoned. It said, "A messenger has b...

Ibn Ziyad sent a messenger to Yazid telling him of...

Ibn Ziyad sat on his throne and the head of the Imam was between his hands. He had a stick and he hit the lips of the Imam with it. Zayd Ibn Arqam was standing nearby and suddenly said, "O, governor! Take away your stick from those lips! Indeed, I ha...

Ibn Ziyad sat on his throne and the head of the Im...

Mukhtar was imprisoned since the time of Muslim Ibn 'Aqil, but when the prisoners of Imam Husayn's camp in Karbala' arrived in Kufah, Ibn Ziyad ordered the guards to bring Mukhtar from prison and see. When the guards brought him to the governor, Mukh...

Mukhtar was imprisoned since the time of Muslim Ib...

THE NIGHT OF THE TENTH One of them asked, "What kind of revenge do you think God will take?" The Imam said, "Some of you will kill others and the punishment of God will come pouring down on you."That night, the sky was red like blood. It was the hard...

THE NIGHT OF THE TENTH One of them asked, "What ki...

When the captured prisoners went into Kufah on their way to Ibn Ziyad's castle, people were gathering to look and see whom the prisoners were. A lady came and asked, "Which war are you prisoners of?" They said, "We are the prisoners from the House of...

When the captured prisoners went into Kufah on the...

Yazid Ibn Ma'qil, from the army, called Burayr and said, "O, Burayr! How do you find what God did to you?" Burayr said, "God chose what is best for me and what is worst for you. You do not remember when you were criticizing Mu'awiyah and called him a...

Yazid Ibn Ma'qil, from the army, called Burayr and...

The Imam prayed with the rest of his followers. They prayed Salat al-Khawf (Prayer of Fear), a two-unit prayer for wartime. Two of his followers, Zuhayr and Sa'id, were in front of the Imam protecting him. The Imam's followers rotated, half prayed wh...

The Imam prayed with the rest of his followers. Th...

When Abu Thumamah al-Sa'di looked up at the hot sun, he realized it was noon, and said to the Imam, "O Imam! I think these people are not going to leave you alone, and I want to die for you before they reach you. But this is the time for prayer." The...

When Abu Thumamah al-Sa'di looked up at the hot su...

The followers of the Imam were few, but individually, people fought zealously, inflicting heavy casualties on the army. Then, the army chief yelled to his people, saying, "Do you know whom you are fighting? You are fighting those who want to die. No ...

The followers of the Imam were few, but individual...

Shimr was in charge of the attack on the left flank of the Imam's camp, but the Imam and his followers were well prepared. Shimr and his group attacked suddenly, without any success. 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umayr al-Kalbi went forward and killed nineteen hors...

Shimr was in charge of the attack on the left flan...

'Umar Ibn Said came forward, shot one arrow at the camp of the Imam, and said, "Bear witness with the governor that I was the first to shoot an arrow!" The army began and their arrows fell like rain. The Imam said to his people, "Get up to death, whi...

'Umar Ibn Said came forward, shot one arrow at the...

Imam Baqir says that on this day, the followers of Imam Husayn should offer condolences saying, "May Almighty God reward you on the massacre of Imam Husayn and make us all demanding his way with the Mahdi." Imam Kadhim never smiled during these ten d...

Imam Baqir says that on this day, the followers of...

This was the worst night for the People of the House of the Prophet. Women and children cried, the children screamed for water, and everyone was getting ready for the morning. Suddenly, Burayr said a joke to Ibn 'Abdul Rahman al-Ansari. 'Abdul Rahman...

This was the worst night for the People of the Hou...

The Imam gathered all of his followers and gave a sermon. He praised God and then said, "I praise God that He has given us the Prophet and He has taught us the Qur'an and religion. He has given us ears and eyes and hearts, and he has not made us idol...

The Imam gathered all of his followers and gave a ...

Thursday, the night of the ninth of Muharram, 'Umar ordered his entire army to attack the Imam's camp at once. The Imam was sitting, then said to his brother 'Abbas, "Go to them and see what they are up to." 'Abbas went with twenty followers. Among t...

Thursday, the night of the ninth of Muharram, 'Uma...

Shimr had a distant relation to 'Abbas on his mother's side. He wanted to divide Imam Husayn's family. Shimr went near the Imam's camp and yelled in a loud voice, "Where are the children of our sister?" 'Abbas and his brothers did not answer when the...

Shimr had a distant relation to 'Abbas on his moth...

The Imam sent Ibn Qurdah al-Ansari to 'Umar Ibn Sa'd to ask for a meeting between the two camps. He agreed and each of them came with twenty guards. The Imam said to his followers to wait behind, except for his brother 'Abbas and his son 'Ali. 'Umar ...

The Imam sent Ibn Qurdah al-Ansari to 'Umar Ibn Sa...

The Imam and his followers were totally cut off from water and their throats burned from thirst. At this point the Imam asked 'Abbas to bring some water for the women and children. 'Abbas and twenty others each took a water skin and, during the night...

The Imam and his followers were totally cut off fr...

On the second day of the holy month of Muharram, sixty-one years after the Prophet's migration from Mecca to Medinah, his grandson, Imam Husayn, gathered all of his relatives and family and said, "O God! We, the family of the Prophet Muhammad, were c...

On the second day of the holy month of Muharram, s...

At Karbala', Hurr and his army blocked the caravan of Imam Husayn from going any farther. Hurr said, "This is near the river and you cannot go farther." The horses of the Imam's group stopped, and Imam Husayn asked Zuhayr, "What is the name of this p...

At Karbala', Hurr and his army blocked the caravan...