Generally speaking, history has shown us that after the passing away of every Prophet sent to a particular set of people, some ambitious people among them deviated from the pristine teachings of the Prophets. For instance, even the moment Hazrat Musa left his people for just forty days, the Children of Israel upon numerous favours of Allah upon them started worshipping a crafted cow.
In the light of this, the glorious Qur’an has categorically warned the Muslims:
وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَى أَعْقَابِكُمْ ۚ وَمَن يَنقَلِبْ عَلَى عَقِبَيْهِ فَلَن يَضُرَّ اللَّـهَ شَيْئًا ۗ وَسَيَجْزِي اللَّـهُ الشَّاكِرِينَ
Muhammad is but an apostle; [other] apostles have passed before him. If he dies or is slain, will you turn back on your heels? Anyone who turns back on his heels, will not harm Allah in the least, and soon Allah will reward the grateful [Qur’an 3: 144].
Unfortunately, many of the companions of the Prophet deviated from his path immediately after his death. Some even challenged his authority when he was on his deathbed in a popular incident referred to by Ibn Abbas as the calamity of Thursday (i.e. Raziyatu Yawm il- Khamis).
On this day, the Holy Prophet (PBUHH) requested writing materials in order to issue a statement that would prevent the Muslim nation from going astray forever. However, those present in the room began to quarrel about whether to comply with this request or not. And some of them disobeyed the Prophet and accused him of talking nonsense and that Qur’an is sufficient for them. The Messenger of Allah became very angry and ordered them out of his house without issuing any statement.
Immediately after the passing away of the noble Prophet of Allah, some of his companions deviated from his commandment the very moment of his death and they were busy on the leadership tussle at Saqiyah while the holy body of the Prophet was left unattended to except by his pure household.
Things were not going as expected and the members of the Prophet’s household were under a very tense situation. Hazrat Fatimah (the beloved daughter and the only surviving child of the Prophet) and her husband were treated unjustly. The house of Fatimah was attacked and set on fire based on the command of the Caliph. And this made Hazrat Fatimah to be so angry that she mourned daily until she met her father and she willed that her body should be buried secretly where no one knows. Thus, till the present, no one knows the actual grave of Hazrat Fatimah.
Why the Uprising of Imam Husain (a.s)?
This unfavourable condition continued until the reign of the leadership of Mu’awiyah son of Abu Sufiyah (who introduced kinship, not Caliphate) and his son; Yazid. At this moment, the name of Islam remained; the word ‘Islam’ persisted; but in reality, true Islam was no longer practiced. Instead of a government of justice, a government of oppression was established again. Instead of fraternity and equality, discrimination, division and separation reigned. Instead of wisdom, ignorance ruled.
Meanwhile, prior to the leadership of Mu’awiyah, Imam Hasan was the leader of the Muslim community but after six months, in order to save the blood of innocent Muslims, he decided to have a peace treaty with Mu’awiyah based on certain agreed terms. Imam Hasan released the mantle of leadership to Mu’awiyah with the condition that he or in case of his demise, Imam Husain would be the next leader. However, Mu’awiyah poisoned Imam Hasan and thereafter during the last part of his life appointed his son; Yazid who was a drunkard and who knew nothing about the religion as his successor. Mu’awiyah tried to get the allegiance of the Muslims for Yazid.
In the year 60 A.H, Mu’awiya died and Yazid became the leader of the Muslim community. He therefore wrote to Walid b. ‘Utba b. Abī Sufyān, who was in Medina (acting) on behalf of Mu’awiya, instructing him to get al-Ḥusain (peace be on him) to pledge allegiance to him.
إنّا لله وإنّا إلیه راجعون وعلی الإسلام السلام إذا بلیت الأُمّة براعٍ مثْل یزیدٍ
We belong to Allah and unto Him we shall return, and a farewell to Islam when the nation (the Muslim Ummah) is afflicted by a leadership like Yazid
Meanwhile, Imam Husain refused to give allegiance to Yazid and decided to move out of Medina to Makkah. In his message to his brother Muhammad Ibn Hanafiyah, he wrote:
إِنّی لَمْ أَخرُجْ أَشِراً و لا بَطِراً و لا مُفْسِداً و لا ظالِماً، إِنَّما خَرجْتُ لِطَلَبِ إلاصلاحِ فی أُمَّةِ جَدّی، أُریدُ أنْ آَمُرَ بالمَعروفِ و أنهی عَنِ المنکَرِ وَ اَسیرُ بِسیرَةِ جَدّی و أبی
I am not rising out of selfishness, or lust for power, nor to cause mayhem or pain. I rise looking for the correction in my grandfather’s Ummah. I want to enjoin goodness and forbid vices and move in the path of my grandfather and my father
In light of the analyses made on the social grounds of the uprising of Imam Husain (a.s), it is established that the divergence of the Islamic society from the religious and moral teachings of Islam was the main cause of his holy uprising. In addition, the reappearance of the values of the Age of Ignorance, pre-Islam tribal values for gaining power and returning tribal conflicts, especially between the two Hashemite and Umayyad branches, domination of worldliness over the Islamic society and drawing away from Islamic values due to prevalence and propaganda of Umayyads are considered among the causes of the decline of the Islamic society. In this situation which led to the caliphate of a non-religious person like Yazid, it was not unexpected to see the objection of Husain ibn Ali (a.s), who was among the noble people of the Islamic society, loved by people of his time and a person who claimed the caliphate following the will of the Prophet (PBUHH).
In summary, the uprising of Imam Husain, peace be upon him, was an uprising for the sake of Islamic values, understanding, faith, and dignity. It is for the people to be set free from corruption, subordination, lowliness, and ignorance. Imam Husain saw that things have changed in the society that the Prophet left. It is going towards the wrong direction, towards corruption. It is against the direction coveted by Islam and the prophet had preached. Thus, he rose to fight against these vices and to revive the pristine Islam, preached by the Prophet (peace be upon him and his pure household).
