DID THE SHIAS MARTYR THEIR IMAM AT KARBALA?

[Taqavi]

Were the Soldiers Coming from Kufa to Fight Imam Husayn (AS) Shia? Is It True That the Shia Martyred Their Imam for Financial Gain and Ubayd Allah's Bribes?

 

To understand whether the troops of Kufa at Karbala were Shia and whether the Shia killed their Imam for financial gain, one must examine the social structure of Kufa, the political climate of that era, and the composition of Umar ibn Sa'd's army. Kufa in 60 AH was not a monolithic Shia society, but rather a tribal city with diverse and often conflicting groups; Sharif al-Qurashi detailed and analyzed these tribes individually in Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn (AS). [1] Many true Shia had been suppressed, exiled, or killed by the Umayyad regime in the years leading up to Ashura. [2]

1. Demographics of Kufa and the Composition of Umar ibn Sa'd's Army

Kufa was a city composed of various Arab tribes, mawali (non-Arab clients), warriors, new converts to Islam, and various other groups. Intense tribal factionalism ran rampant among them; in this regard, Ibn Abi al-Hadid writes that toward the end of Imam Ali's (AS) rule, corruption had become widespread among the people of Kufa who belonged to numerous tribes. A person from his own tribe's quarter would walk into the homes of another tribe and loudly call out to his tribe to incite strife, saying, for instance, "O Nakha'! O Kindah!" The members of the tribe where he was shouting would swarm him and beat him. He would then return to his own tribe for support, leading them to draw swords against each other and spark civil conflict. [3]

In such a city, the devoted Shia of the Ahl al-Bayt constituted only a small fraction of the population; many tribes harbored Uthmanic or Umayyad leanings, while others were completely indifferent. Therefore, being a "Kufan" was not equivalent to being a "Shia." [4]

Historical sources state that Umar ibn Sa'd's army was formed of various contingents that joined him daily from Kufa. Al-Baladhuri writes that under Ibn Ziyad's orders, groups of twenty, thirty, fifty, and one hundred men were dispatched daily from Kufa toward Umar ibn Sa'd's army.[5] This army was assembled through financial inducements, threats, and security pressures exerted by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad. He bought off the tribal leaders with money and promises of government offices, leaving the common people—who were subordinate to their tribal chiefs—with no choice but to follow.

It is also worth mentioning that Umar ibn Sa me's army included soldiers from Syria, meaning not all troops were from Kufa. Shaykh al-Saduq narrates in Al-Amali that the forces under the command of the enemies of God, Sinan ibn Anas and Shimr ibn Dhi al-Jawshan, included a group of Syrian people. [6]

2. The Status of the True Shia in Kufa

During the eras of Amir al-Mu'minin (AS) and Imam Husayn (AS), the people of Kufa fell into two categories:

Shia in the General Sense: A broad term applied to those who, during the events of early Islam—particularly after the assassination of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan—supported Ali's (AS) caliphate and combined this support with criticism of Uthman's conduct, even if they did not believe in the divine, immediate Imamate (Nass) of Ali (AS) and his descendants. On this basis, even many who accepted the caliphs prior to Ali (AS) (Sunnis) were referred to as "Shia" out of affection for the Ahl al-Bayt (AS). [7]

Shia in the Specific Sense: Applied to followers of the Shia school of thought in contrast to the followers of Sunni Islam; these were those who believed in the divine, immediate Imamate of Ali (AS) and his descendants after the Noble Prophet (SAW). [8]

The dedicated Shia loyal to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS) were under severe oppression in the years leading up to Ashura, and the most destitute of people at that time were the people of Kufa. Mu'awiyah appointed Ziyad ibn Sumayyah as governor of Kufa while simultaneously placing Basra under his command. Ziyad aggressively hunted down the Shia. He knew them personally, as he had been among the supporters of Imam Ali (AS) during his caliphate. Thus, he tracked them down wherever they were and executed them, threatened them with death, or expelled them from Iraq to the extent that no prominent Shia remained in Iraq. [9]

Consequently, the specific Shia never participated in Umar ibn Sa'd's army, as many of them had been killed prior to the tragedy of Ashura—such as Hani ibn Urwah[10]—while others were held in Ibn Ziyad's prisons, such as Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. [11] In other words, the specific Shia were either alongside the Imam in his army and ultimately attained martyrdom, were imprisoned and besieged by Ubayd Allah and Yazid, or arrived at Karbala after the tragedy had already taken place.

3. The Role of Financial Bribes and Worldly Promises

Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, fully aware of Kufa's tribal dynamics, coerced the tribal leaders into compliance with worldly inducements. For instance, when Ubayd Allah ordered Umar ibn Sa'd to prepare to confront and fight Imam Husayn (AS), Umar initially refused. Ubayd Allah then told him to forfeit his appointment as governor of Rayy. Umar requested a night to deliberate, and after the granted period, yielded out of fear that the governorship of Rayy would be confiscated, agreeing to stand against and fight Imam Husayn (AS). [12] The common people, dependent on their tribal chieftains, either joined the army or remained silent out of fear for their lives and property.

Imam Husayn (AS), addressing the Kufans in Umar ibn Sa'd's army, said: "Whoever disobeys my command shall be among the destroyed; and all of you have disobeyed my command and closed your ears to my words. Your sustenance has been tainted with the unlawful (Haram), and your bellies are filled with the unlawful; hence, God has sealed your hearts. Woe unto you! Will you not pay heed? Will you not listen?" [13]

This narration from Imam Husayn (AS) serves as clear testimony that the Umayyad regime, possessing a deep understanding of Kufa's tribal structure, deployed "poisoned economics" and financial temptation as the most effective tool to neutralize the camp of truth. By accusing Umar ibn Sa'd's army of feeding on the unlawful, the Imam (AS) unveiled the reality that Ibn Ziyad's worldly promises were not merely bribes, but a "dehumanizing" process targeting the Kufans' discernment, insight, and even spiritual hearing. In fact, this narration proves that the livelihood dependence of society's populace on state-salaried tribal leaders forged a chain of fear and greed so absolute that their collective conscience was entirely blocked against illicit gifts. Consequently, it was not the clear word of the Proof of God (Hujjat Allah), but merely the preservation of worldly interests that became their guiding compass, ultimately dragging them from standing with the truth to becoming pawns in their own moral collapse.

Conclusion

Based on authoritative historical evidence, the troops of Kufa who were present at Karbala were not the "Shia of Imam Husayn (AS)"; rather, they were a composite of diverse tribes, regime forces, and coerced individuals. The true Shia were either imprisoned, executed, or forcibly prevented from being present. Thus, the claim that "the Shia killed their Imam for money" is a historical distortion incompatible with the social and political realities of Kufa.

 

 

 

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[1] . Ḥayāt al-Imām al-Ḥusayn (AS), al-Qurashī, al-Shaykh Bāqir Sharīf, vol. 2, p. 436.

[2] . Al-Iḥtijāj, al-Ṭabarsī, vol. 2, p. 17.

[3] . Sharḥ Nahj al-Balāghah, Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd, vol. 13, p. 167.

[4] . Raftār-shināsī-ye Mardom-e Kūfe dar Nahżat-e Ḥosaynī, Shaykhiyān, ‘Alī, p. 8.

[5] . Ansāb al-Ashrāf, al-Balādhurī, vol. 3, p. 179.

[6] . Al-Amālī, al-Shaykh al-Ṣadūq, p. 226.

[7] . Tarikh-e Tashayyu' dar Iran az Aaghaz ta Tulu'-e Dawlat-e Safawi, Jafarian, Rasool, pp. 21–22 / Simay-e 'Aqa'id-e Shi'ah, Subhani, Ja'far, (Trans. Javad Muhaddithi), p. 22.

[8] . Al-Milal wa al-Nihal, Al-Shahrastani, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Karim, Vol. 1, p. 169.

[9] . Sharḥ Nahj al-Balāghah, Ibn Abī al-Ḥadīd, vol. 11, p. 44.

[10] . Murūj al-Dhahab wa Ma‘ādin al-Jawhar, Mas‘ūdī, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, vol. 3, p. 55.

[11] . Ansāb al-Ashrāf, al-Balādhurī, vol. 6, p. 377.

[12] . Biḥār al-Anwār, al-‘Allāmah al-Majlisī, vol. 44, p. 384.

[13] . Maqtal al-Ḥusayn, Khwārazmī, vol. 2, p. 9.