The third Shiite imam Hussein: biography

One of the two main trends of modern Islam is Shiism. Imam Hussein was one of those people with whom the origin of this religious trend is connected. His biography can be quite interesting both to the common man in the street, and to people who are connected with scientific activity. Let's find out what Hussein ibn Ali brought to our world.

Pedigree

The full name of the future imam is Hussein ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib. He came from the Hashemite branch of the Arab tribe of the Quraysh, founded by his great-great-grandfather Hashim ibn Abd Manaf. To the same branch belonged the founder of Islam, the prophet Mohammed, who was simultaneously Hussein's grandfather (by his mother) and his uncle (by his father). The main city of the Quraish tribe was Mecca.

The parents of the third Shiite imam were Ali ibn Abu Talib, who was the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, and the daughter of the last Fatima. Their descendants are usually called Alids and Fatimids. In addition to Hussein, they also had an older son, Hasan.

Thus, Hussein ibn Ali belonged to the most noble, in Muslim terms, clan, being a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

Birth and youth

Hussein was born in the fourth year of the Hijra (632) during the stay of the family of Mohammed and his supporters in Medina after fleeing from Mecca. According to legend, the Prophet himself gave him a name, foretold a great future and death at the hands of representatives of the genus Umayyad. About the early years of the youngest son Ali ibn Abu Talib almost nothing is known, since at this time he was in the shadow of his father and elder brother.

On the historical arena, the future Imam Hussein comes out only after the death of brother Hassan and the Caliph of Mu'awiyah.

The emergence of Shiism

Now let's take a closer look at how the Shiite current of Islam arose, because this issue is closely related to the life and activities of Hussein ibn Ali.

After the death of the Prophet, the head of Muslims was elected at the meeting of the elders. He wore the title of caliph and was endowed with the fullness of religious and secular power. The first caliph became one of the close assistants of Mohammed Abu Bakr. Later, Shiites claimed that he usurped power, bypassing the legitimate challenger - Ali ibn Abu Talib.

After the short reign of Abu Bakr, there were two more caliphs, traditionally called righteous, until in 661 the ruler of the entire Islamic world finally elected Ali ibn Abu Talib, cousin and brother-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad himself, father of the future Imam Hussein.

But the power of the new Caliph refused to recognize the ruler of Syria Muavia of the Umayyad family, who was Ali's distant relative. They began to conduct military operations among themselves, which, however, did not reveal the winner. But in the beginning of 661 the Caliph Ali was killed by conspirators. His new son Hassan was elected the new ruler. Realizing that he could not cope with the experienced Muawiya, he transferred that authority, with the proviso that after the death of the former Syrian governor, she would return to Hassan or his descendants again.

However, already in 669 Khasan died in Medina, where, after the murder of his father, he moved with his brother Hussein. It is assumed that death came from poisoning. The Shiites see the culprits poisoning Muawiya, who did not want the power to slip away from his kind.

Meanwhile, more and more people have expressed dissatisfaction with the policy of Mu'awiya, grouping around the second son of Ali-Hussein, whom they considered to be the true governor of Allah on Earth. These people began to call themselves Shiites, which is translated from Arabic as "followers". That is, at first Shiism was more a political trend in the Caliphate, but over the years it increasingly took on a religious color.

The religious gap between the Sunnis, the supporters of the Caliph, and the Shiites grew more and more.

Prerequisites for confrontation

As mentioned above, until the death of the Caliph of Mu'awiyah, which happened in 680, Hussein played a not very active role in the political life of the Caliphate. But after this event, he fairly stated his claims to the supreme authority, as was previously agreed between Mu'awiyah and Hassan. This turn of events, of course, did not suit the son of Mu'awiyah Yazid, who had already taken the title of Caliph.

Hussein's supporters, the Shiites, declared him an imam. They claimed that their leader was the third Shiite imam, the first two considering Ali ibn Abu Talib and Hassan.

Thus, the intensity of passions between the two parties grew, threatening to pour into armed confrontation.

The beginning of the uprising

And the uprising broke out. The rebellion began in the city of Kufa, which was located near Baghdad. The rioters believed that Imam Hussein was only worthy to lead them. They suggested that he become the leader of the uprising. Hussein agreed to take on the role of leader.

In order to reconnoitre the situation, Imam Hussein sent to Kufa his confidant, who was called Muslim ibn Akil, and himself spoke with supporters from Medina behind him. Upon arrival at the site of the uprising, the representative took an oath on behalf of Hussein from 18,000 inhabitants of the city, which he informed his master.

But the administration of the Caliphate did not sit idly by. To suppress the uprising in Kufa, Yazid appointed a new governor. He immediately began to apply the most stringent measures, as a result of which almost all supporters of Hussein fled the city. Before Muslim was captured and executed, he managed to send a letter to the imam, telling about the changed circumstances for the worse.

The Battle of Karbala

Despite this, Hussein decided to continue the campaign. He, along with his supporters, approached the town on the outskirts of Baghdad called Karbala. Imam Hussein together with the detachment met there numerous troops of the Caliph Yazid under the command of Umar ibn Sad.

Of course, the Imam with a relatively small group of his supporters could not resist the whole army. Therefore, he went to the talks, offering the command of the enemy's army to let him go with the detachment. Umar ibn Sad was ready to listen to Hussein's representatives, but other commanders-Shir and Ibn Ziyad-persuaded him to set such conditions upon which the imam simply could not agree.

The grandson of the Prophet decided to take an unequal battle. A red flag of Imam Hussein was flying over a small detachment of insurgents. The battle was short-lived, as the forces were unequal, but violent. The troops of the Caliph Yazid triumphed over a complete victory over the rebels.

Death of Imam

Almost all the supporters of Hussein, in the number of seventy-two people, were killed in this battle or captured, and then subjected to painful execution. Some were imprisoned. Among the dead was the Imam himself.

His severed head was sent immediately to the governor in Kufa, and then to Damascus, the capital of the Caliphate, so that the Yazid could fully enjoy the victory of the deity of Ali.

Effects

Nevertheless, it was the death of Imam Hussein that influenced the process of the future disintegration of the Caliphate, and even more than if he were still alive. The treacherous murder of the grandson of the Prophet and the blasphemous mockery of his remains caused a wave of discontent all over the Islamic world. The Shiites finally separated themselves from the supporters of the Caliph, the Sunnis.

In 684, the uprising under the banner of revenge for the martyrdom of Hussein ibn Ali erupted in the holy city of Muslims - Mecca. He was led by Abdullah ibn al-Zubair. For eight years he managed to hold power in the Prophet's hometown. In the end, the Caliph was able to regain control of Mecca. But this was only the first uprising from the series of riots that shook the Caliphate and passed under the slogan of revenge for the murder of Hussein.

The killing of the third imam was one of the most significant events in the Shiite teachings, which even more united the Shiites in the struggle against the Caliphate. Of course, the power of the Caliphs lasted more than one century. But, having killed the heir to the Prophet Muhammad, the Caliphate inflicted a mortal wound to himself, which in the future led to his disintegration. Subsequently, the Shiite states Idrisids, Fatimids, Buidov, Alidov and others formed on the territory of a once powerful state.

Memory of Hussein

The events connected with the murder of Hussein acquired the cult significance for the Shiites. It is they who are dedicated to one of the largest Shiite religious events - Shahsei-Vahsei. These are the days of fasting in which Shiites mourn over the murdered Imam Hussein. The most fanatical of them themselves inflict rather heavy wounds, as if symbolizing the sufferings of the third Imam.

In addition, the Shiites made a pilgrimage to Karbala, the place of death and burial of Hussein ibn Ali.

As we have seen, the personality, life and death of Imam Hussein lie at the basis of such a major Muslim religious movement as Shiism, which has a lot of followers in the modern world.