Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

6. If (as is the usual allegation) the Shi'as were responsible for killing Imam Hussain (as) then why did the majority Ahlul'Sunnah not come to his aid? After all they were in the majority, there were millions of such individuals, what was their position at that time?

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Why muslims did not help Imam Hussain

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The first thing that we must bear in mind is that at the time of Hadrat Hussain (r.a.), there was no such thing as Shias or Sunnis! They were all muslims! Muawiya appointed his son Yazid as the Khalifa in Shaam, which was absolutely against the principles of the Quran and Sunnah; and thus the majority of the true believers did not recognize Yazid as the new Khalifa. History has recorded that when the believers from Makkah and Medina went to the court of Muawiya and subsequently Yazid, they addressed them as “ya malak” (O King)!

In Medina, when the true believers like Hadrat Hussain (r.a.), Abdulla ibn Abbas, Abdulla ibn Zubair, Abdulla ibn Umar, etc. heard about this appointment, they were all concerned with this transfer of leadership by appointment, and they all refused to pay allegiance to the new leader. The majority of the muslims looked towards Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) for leadership, and wanted to choose him as their leader.

During this time, the people of Kufa sent a letter to Hadrat Hussain (r.a.), and invited him to Kufa so that they could give him their allegiance. Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) accepted the invitation to go to Kufa, against the advice of the majority of the believers, who warned him that the people of Kufa were not reliable and they might succumb to the power and/or the greed of worldly benefits offered by Yazid. They requested Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) to stay in Medina and organize a revolt from there with the muslims, who would support him.

But as it happened, Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) went with his family and some supporters to assess the condition in Kufa. History has recorded that Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) never intended to go to Kufa to wage a revolt, nor to fight a war. He was only going there on the invitation of the people of Kufa. And once the caravan of Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) reached Kufa, the people of Kufa betrayed him: some of them succumbed to the power and might of the armies of Yazid, while others were swayed by the worldly benefits offered.

Hadrat Hussain (r.a.), being the noble soul that he was, and having the power of Truth with him, refused to accept Yazid as the new leader. He argued justifiably and in Truth, that the leader of the muslims must be chosen with the will of the people, and refused to pay allegiance to the leadership of Yazid. The armies of Shaam, did what unjust kings do, and crushed the rebellion; and in the process martyred most of the noble family of Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) and took the rest as prisoners! To this day, the episode of the martyrdom of Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) in the fields of Kerbala are remembered as the darkest days in the History of the Muslims. All the schools of thought are unanimous to this day that Hadrat Hussain (r.a.) was on the side of the Truth, and Allah honored him and his family and chose them as His martyrs in the Cause of Allah. May Allah reward the noble martyrs of Karbala and grant them the highest position in Paradise.

When the news reached the muslims in Medina and the rest of Arabia, they were shocked and saddened by the brutality and the murder of the noble members of the Prophet’s household! These muslims united and organized a revolt against the tyranny of the leadership in Shaam. Although this revolt was soon controlled, the anger of the muslim did not dissipate, and after several tries, they succeeded in overthrowing the leadership at the time of Yazid’s son.

What we must remember at all times is that the deen of Islam was completed, the Quran revealed, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) was established at the time of the death of the Prophet (saws). Whatever happened after the death of the Prophet (saws) is the History of the Muslims, and this is in the knowledge of Allah Alone. Allah will not hold us accountable for the deeds of these people, nor ask us about them on the Day of Judgment. We will be asked about our deeds and what did we do for the cause of Islam.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 2 Surah Baqarah verse 134: They were a people who passed away. They shall receive the reward of what they earned, and you shall have the reward of what you will earn. And you will not be questioned as to what they did.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother in Islam,

Burhan