THE STORY OF KARBALA - PART 1/07

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Mu'awiyah died in the month of Rajab, in the 60th year of Hijra (April 680 A.D.). Husayn had now reached the mature age of 57.
Soon after Mu'awiyah's death Yazeed succeeded to the throne of Damascus. One of the first things he did was to order Waleed, the governor of Madinah, to summon Husayn to his presence and ask him to swear allegiance to Yazeed. Waleed did this. Husayn came to his presence with his brothers and nephews. Waleed stated the purpose of the meeting. Husayn very diplomatically refused to oblige.

When Waleed asked Husayn for Yazeed's Ba'ya (allegiance to one's authority), Husayn replied that since he was the senior most member in the Prophet's house at that time, his Bay'a should be much more publicly acknowledged. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to ask the question again in the mosque at a general gathering. Waleed agreed to this. Marwan, another infamous Umayyad, was sitting there. He said to Waleed:

" If Husayn is allowed to leave now, you shall never get hold of him. Either ask him to swear allegiance to Yazeed now or have him killed."

Husayn became angry at this and asked Marwan to shut up. When Husayn's voice reached outside of the house where his relatives were waiting, they all rushed into the house. Both Waleed and Marwan were intimidated and Husayn and his family members left the house.
This scene is not very different from what happened fifty years ago at the door of Fatima Zahra. Husayn was being threatened for his life for ba'ya exactly like Imam Ali had been threatened for his life for bay'a.
Times had changed but policies remained the same. Faces were different but questions and answers remained the same.

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