DID THE SHIAS MARTYR THEIR IMAM AT KARBALA?

[Taqavi]

Were the soldiers who came from Kufa to fight Imam Husayn (AS) Shia? Is it true that the Shia martyred their Imam because of financial deception and Ubaydullah’s money?

 

To understand whether the Kufan army at Karbala was Shia and whether the Shia killed their Imam for financial gain, one must examine the social structure of Kufa, the political situation of that era, and the composition of the forces present in Umar ibn Sa’d’s army. In 60 AH, Kufa was not a monolithic Shia society; rather, it was a tribal city consisting of various and sometimes opposing groups. Al-Qurashi, in his book Hayat al-Imam al-Husayn (AS), lists these tribes in detail and examines each one individually.[1] Many true Shia had been suppressed, exiled, or killed by the Umayyad government in the years leading up to Ashura. [2]

 

The Demographic Composition of Kufa and the Nature of Umar ibn Sa’d’s Army

Kufa was a city composed of various Arab tribes, Mawali (non-Arab converts), warriors, recent converts, and diverse groups. Intense tribal prejudices surged among them. In this regard, Ibn Abi al-Hadid writes: “Towards the end of the rule of Imam Ali (AS), corruption was rampant among the people of Kufa, who belonged to numerous tribes. A person would go from his own tribal settlement to the homes of another tribe and, to incite sedition and conflict, would loudly call out his own tribe, for example saying, ‘O Nakha’, O Kindah.’ The people of the tribe among whom he was shouting would descend upon him and beat him. He would then go to his own tribe, seek their help, and as a result, they would draw swords against each other, and sedition would arise.” [3] In this city, the Shia loyal to the Ahlulbayt were only one segment of Kufan society; many tribes had Uthmanid or Umayyad leanings, and some were completely indifferent. Therefore, being “Kufan” was not synonymous with being “Shia.” [4]

Historical sources state that Umar ibn Sa’d’s army was composed of various groups that joined him daily from Kufa. Baladhuri writes: “By the order of Ibn Ziyad, groups of twenty, thirty, fifty, and one hundred men were dispatched daily from Kufa towards Umar ibn Sa’d’s army.” [5] This army was formed through the financial enticements, threats, and security pressures of Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad. He bought off tribal leaders with money and promises of governmental positions, and the people, being subject to their tribal chiefs, were forced to accompany them.

It is also necessary to note that there were even people from Sham (Syria) among Umar ibn Sa’d’s troops, and not all the soldiers were from Kufa. Sheikh 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 people from Sham. [6]

 

2. The Situation of the True Shia in Kufa

The Shia loyal to the Ahlulbayt were under intense pressure in the years leading up to Ashura. Many of them had been killed before the event of Ashura, such as Hani ibn Urwah[7], and a group was also in Ibn Ziyad’s prisons, such as Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. [8] Therefore, at the time of Ashura, not all true Shia had the ability to be present on the battlefield.

 

3. The Role of Financial Bribery and Worldly Promises

With an understanding of Kufa’s tribal structure, Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad coerced the tribal leaders into compliance through worldly promises. For example, when Ubaydullah ordered Umar ibn Sa’d to prepare to confront and fight Imam Husayn (AS), Umar ibn Sa’d initially refused. Ubaydullah then told him to return the governorship of Rayy. Umar ibn Sa’d asked for one night to think, and after the time he requested had passed, out of fear of losing the governorship of Rayy, he accepted the order to stand against Imam Husayn (AS) and fight. [9] The common people, who were dependent on their tribal chiefs, either joined the army out of fear for their lives and wealth, or they remained silent.

Imam Husayn (AS), addressing the Kufans who were in Umar ibn Sa’d’s army, said: “Whoever disobeys me will be among the doomed; and all of you have disobeyed my command and closed your ears to my words. Your sustenance is tainted with the haram (forbidden), and your stomachs are filled with the haram; therefore, God has sealed your hearts. Woe unto you! Do you not listen? Do you not hear?” [10] This narration of Imam Husayn (AS) is clear evidence of the fact that the Umayyad government, with a deep understanding of Kufa’s tribal structure, utilized a “poisoned economy” and financial bribery as the most effective tool to neutralize the movement of Truth. By accusing Umar ibn Sa’d’s army of consuming the haram, the Imam (AS) unveils the truth that Ibn Ziyad’s worldly promises were not merely bribes; rather, they created a “deforming” process that targeted the Kufans’ power of discernment, insight, and even spiritual hearing. In fact, this narration proves that the reliance of society’s core on the government-salaried tribal leaders had created such a chain of fear and greed that their collective conscience was completely blocked against these haram gifts; to the extent that not the explicit word of God’s Proof (Hujjat Allah), but merely the preservation of worldly interests, became the compass for their actions. Ultimately, this dragged them from a position of accompanying the Truth to being pawns for their own destruction.

 

Conclusion

According to valid historical evidence, the Kufan soldiers who were present at Karbala were not “Shia of Imam Husayn (AS)”; rather, they were a collection of various tribes, government forces, and individuals under duress. The true Shia were either imprisoned, killed, or unable to attend. Therefore, the claim that “the Shia killed their Imam for money” is a historical distortion and is inconsistent 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] . Murūj al-Dhahab wa Ma‘ādin al-Jawhar, Mas‘ūdī, ‘Alī ibn Ḥusayn, vol. 3, p. 55.

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

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

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