(al-Ashura is the tenth day of every Muharram which is the first month in the Islamic calender)
Who Was al-Husayn?
Al-Ḥusayn was the son of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib and Fāṭimah, the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ. He was born in 4 AH and was greatly loved by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said:
'Ḥasan and Ḥusayn are the leaders of the youth of Paradise.'
(Tirmidhī, 3768 – Sahīh)
He grew up in the household of the Prophet ﷺ and was known for his piety, knowledge, and bravery.
Before the Tragic Event at Karbala
After the martyrdom of ʿAlī (r.a) and then the death of al-Ḥasan (r.a) (who made peace with Muʿāwiyah (r.a) to preserve Muslim unity), Muʿāwiyah ruled the Muslims. Before his death in 60 AH, he appointed his son Yazīd as successor—a move that was politically controversial but not a consensus-level crime. Some companions accepted Yazīd’s leadership; others—including al-Ḥusayn—objected due to his lack of qualification.
The people of Kūfah (Iraq), who were notorious for their betrayal of ʿAlī and al-Ḥasan, invited al-Ḥusayn to come and lead them in revolt against Yazīd. Al-Ḥusayn initially sent his cousin Muslim ibn ʿAqīl to assess the situation. Muslim received thousands of pledges. However, when Yazīd’s governor ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād arrived in Kūfah, he suppressed the support violently, executed Muslim ibn ʿAqīl, and the people of Kūfah turned their backs on al-Ḥusayn, just as they had done with his father and brother.
Despite warnings from the Sahābah (e.g., Ibn ʿAbbās, Ibn ʿUmar, Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī) not to go to Kūfah, al-Ḥusayn proceeded with a small group of family and loyal supporters.
What Really Happened at Karbala
On 10th of Muḥarram, 61 AH, at a place called Karbala, al-Ḥusayn and around 70-80 companions and family members were surrounded by the army of ʿUbaydullāh ibn Ziyād, led by ʿUmar ibn Saʿd. Despite al-Ḥusayn’s efforts to negotiate, the army, under pressure to force allegiance or kill him, denied them water and eventually attacked.
Al-Ḥusayn was killed brutally, along with most of the men with him. His family members, including women and children, were taken prisoner. This was a crime and a calamity that grieved the Ummah.
Sunnah Point-of-View
Murder of al-Ḥusayn was a great crime
Sunni scholars like Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Kathīr, and al-Dhahabī agree that the killing of al-Ḥusayn was unjust and evil, and that those who ordered or carried it out were sinful oppressors.
Yazīd is not declared a kāfir
Ahl al-Sunnah do not excommunicate Yazīd, nor do they curse him. The majority hold that while he bore some responsibility, he did not order the killing directly and was not present. His leadership was not ideal, but that does not justify the Shīʿah view that he is eternally damned or that he was the epitome of kufr.
The people of Kūfah bear primary blame
Sunni historians consistently state that the Kufans betrayed al-Ḥusayn, having invited him and then abandoned him. They wrote to him, then fought him. Even some of the Shīʿah scholars like al-Mufīd admits this in Shīʿah sources.
No exaggeration, rituals, or innovation
Ahl al-Sunnah mourn the incident, but do not perform rituals of beating themselves, cursing Sahābah, or reinventing ʿĀshūrā’ as a day of grief and lamentation. The Prophet ﷺ fasted on ʿĀshūrā’, and we continue that Sunnah — we do not turn it into a theatrical day of sorrow.
Shia Claims and Answers to Them
Claim: “All the Sahābah were against al-Ḥusayn.”
False. Many Sahābah advised him for his safety, not out of enmity. None of the noble Sahābah participated in his killing.
Claim: “Sunni Muslims support Yazīd.”
False. Sunni scholars like Ibn al-Jawzī and Ibn Taymiyyah severely criticized Yazīd. However, they upheld justice by not cursing or slandering without clear evidence.
Claim: “ʿĀshūrā’ should be a day of mourning and self-beating.”
The Prophet ﷺ said about ʿĀshūrā’:
Claim: 'This is a day when Allah saved Mūsā and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people.' (Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 1130)
There is no authentic Sunnah about mourning on this day, and no self-beating or wailing is allowed in Islam.
Claim: “The Ahl al-Bayt are oppressed only by Sunnis.”
The biggest historical betrayals of Ahl al-Bayt came from Shīʿī Kūfans themselves. They betrayed ʿAlī, abandoned al-Ḥasan, and killed al-Ḥusayn.
The deviant Shīʿah main sect like the Ithna-Ashari, and the sub-sects, has developed a wide array of rituals, myths, and beliefs around the tragedy of Karbala, which go far beyond the historical reality of the martyrdom of al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī (رضي الله عنه). These beliefs are not rooted in the Qur’an or authentic Sunnah, but in fabricated narrations, folk tales, and politicized theology meant to elevate the Ahl al-Bayt in a way that distorts Islam.
Here is a summary of key Shīʿah beliefs and practices surrounding Karbala, and a Sunnah response to each:
Āshūrā’ as a Day of Grief and Mourning
Shīʿī Belief:
The 10th of Muḥarram (ʿĀshūrā’) is the darkest day in history, marking the death of al-Ḥusayn.
It is commemorated with wailing, crying, beating the chest (latm), self-flagellation, and even cutting oneself with swords and knives (tatbīr).
Black clothes are worn; celebrations and weddings are forbidden during this time.
Sunnah Response:
The Prophet ﷺ fasted on ʿĀshūrā’ in gratitude to Allah for saving Prophet Mūsā and the Israelites from Firʿawn.
“We are more deserving of Mūsā than them (the Jews).” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 2004)
The Prophet ﷺ never instructed mourning on this day, nor did the Companions or the Ahl al-Bayt.
Self-harm (tatbīr) and wailing (niyāḥah) are strictly prohibited in Islam:
'He is not from us who slaps the cheeks, tears clothes, and calls with the call of jāhiliyyah.' (Bukhārī & Muslim)
The Soil of Karbala (Turbah al-Ḥusayn)
Shīʿī Belief:
Karbala’s soil is sacred. It is believed to have healing power and is used in prostration during ṣalāh.
Prayer beads and turbah (clay pieces from Karbala) are commonly used.
Some claim every land cries except Karbala, and the soil glows red with blood during ʿĀshūrā’.
Sunnah Response:
There is no basis in the Qur’an or Sunnah for taking specific soil as sacred.
Prostration is to be on the earth, but not on any specific place, certainly not clay from a particular region.
The Prophet ﷺ never used Karbala soil, and this practice was unknown to the Salaf.
These ideas resemble pagan relic worship, not Islam.
Pilgrimage (Ziyārah) to Karbala
Shīʿī Belief:
Visiting the shrine of al-Ḥusayn in Karbala is more rewarding than Hajj to Makkah, according to Shīʿī texts.
Some narrations claim that a single step taken toward Karbala earns major forgiveness, or that the angels are stationed there in constant worship.
Example from Shīʿī book Wasa’il al-Shīʿah:
"The reward of visiting the grave of al-Ḥusayn is greater than 70 accepted Ḥajj."
Sunnah Response:
This is clear fabrication and extreme exaggeration.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
'Do not undertake a journey except to three mosques: al-Masjid al-Ḥarām, this mosque of mine (in Madinah), and al-Aqṣā.' (Bukhārī & Muslim)
No Companions, including ʿAlī (r.a), al-Ḥasan, or even surviving family of al-Ḥusayn, ever treated Karbala as a place of pilgrimage.
Myths and Miracles of Karbala
Shīʿī Claims:
Angels came down to weep at Karbala.
The skies rained blood when al-Ḥusayn was killed.
All Prophets wept for al-Ḥusayn.
The earth refused to swallow the blood of al-Ḥusayn.
These are reported in Shīʿī books like Bihār al-Anwār, Al-Kāmil fi al-Tārīkh, Irshād al-Mufīd, etc.
Sunnah Response:
These are fabrications with no basis in authentic history or hadith.
Islam forbids superstition, and the religion is based on authentic revelation, not emotional folk tales.
Tragedy does not justify inventing miracles to glorify one’s sect.
Karbala as a Central Religious Theme
Shīʿī Belief:
Karbala is not just an event; it is a cosmic struggle of good vs evil.
Al-Ḥusayn is seen as a savior, and Yazīd as the personification of devil and tyranny.
Some sects of Shīʿah consider al-Ḥusayn’s blood to be a means of intercession, or that Imāms suffered for the salvation of the Ummah (similar to Christian theology of crucifixion).
Sunnah Response:
This is ghuluw (exaggeration), which the Prophet ﷺ warned against:
'Beware of exaggeration in religion, for those before you were destroyed because of exaggeration.' (Ibn Mājah, 3029)
Al-Ḥusayn was a noble martyr, not a savior or semi-divine figure.
No Companion viewed Karbala as a religious axis or theological framework. The religion is complete through Qur’an and Sunnah, not martyrdom mythology.
Sources: Ibn Kathīr, Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, vol. 8
Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhāj al-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah
Al-Dhahabī, Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalā’
Al-Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī
Ibn al-Jawzī, Al-Muntaẓam
Ibn Ḥajar al-ʿAsqalānī, al-Iṣābah fī Tamyīz al-Ṣaḥābah
Shīʿī Sources Promoting The Beliefs About Aashuraa:
Bihār al-Anwār – by al-Majlisī (highly revered by the Shia but full of unreliable and fabricated reports)
Al-Kāmil fī al-Tārīkh – by Ibn al-Athīr (used by both Sunnis and Shīʿah but requires scrutiny)
Wasa’il al-Shīʿah – a key jurisprudence book with extreme views on ziyārah and Karbala
Ziyārah al-ʿĀshūrā’ – a popular devotional prayer full of curses on Sahābah
A related article: Some Crimes of the Shia Sect
