In the Realm of the Husseini Epic by Abdul Sattar Al-Jabri 8

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**In the Realm of the Husayni Epic (8)**
*Abd al‑Sattar al‑Jabiri*

**The Trial of al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) and the Trial through Him**

The open movement of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) against the Umayyad authority began in Rajab of the year 60 AH after the death of Mu‘awiyah and the pressure exerted by Yazid upon him. Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) left Medina for Mecca following a verbal dispute between him and the governor of Medina. He remained in Mecca from the end of Rajab until the eighth of Dhu al‑Hijjah, known as the Day of Tarwiyah.

During this period, Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) called upon the people to rise against oppression and tyranny and to reject the rule of Yazid, due to his open immorality and corruption and the clear lack of his qualifications to manage the affairs of the Muslims. In that time, the pilgrims performing the lesser pilgrimage (‘umrah) from different parts of the Muslim world—as well as those who had come to perform the obligation of Hajj—witnessed the call of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) to revolt against the unjust ruler. This was in addition to the people of Mecca, Medina, Kufa, and Basra, for they were directly connected with the cause of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him).

Thus, the entire Islamic world was tested through Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him). The pilgrims of ‘umrah and Hajj, along with the people of the Hijaz and the Iraqis, were all aware of what the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) was calling for. On his way from Mecca to Iraq, he called the people of the regions through which he passed to support him, and many people initially followed him. However, when they learned of the killing of the envoys of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) sent to Kufa and Basra, they dispersed and abandoned the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him).

This large segment of society was tested by the call of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) but failed in this divine test when it abandoned supporting the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) and his call to establish justice, enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong. They were an امتداد (continuation) of the same society that abandoned the Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali (peace be upon him), after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

In contrast to them, the family of Abu Talib accompanied the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him), along with his loyal companions and the women of his household. They acted under the banner of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) in order to halt the movement of deviation within social reality and to redirect the compass of society back to the right path. This was with regard to the **social dimension of the trial**.

As for the **trial of the ruling authority**, God also tested them through the movement of Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him). They were required to take a position: either to respond to the call of the Master of Martyrs (peace be upon him) or to enter into war against him in defense of their deviant methodology and worldly interests. The Umayyad court and its followers chose their benefits, their interests, and their corrupt path over responding to the call of truth.

On the other hand, Imam al‑Husayn (peace be upon him) himself was tested by the الأمة (the Muslim community). Deviation from the path of truth, law, and justice had reached a level that could no longer be ignored. The choice before him was either to remain silent and allow falsehood to triumph—thereby distorting Islam just as other religions had been distorted at the hands of deviant authorities and court scholars, until nothing would remain of religion except its name—or to declare a revolution against oppression and injustice in circumstances whose outcome on the battlefield was already known, especially since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) had foretold his martyrdom.

Thus, he chose to fulfill his duty toward the principles and values of religion and to save society from the claws of misguidance, deviation, and the worship of tyrannical power.