Did al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) Revolt? What Is the Correct Account of What Happened, and Who Was More Entitled to the Caliphate?

Question: Did al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) Revolt? What Is the Correct Account of What Happened, and Who Was More Entitled to the Caliphate?

Summary:

Yes, al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (may Allah be pleased with him) traveled to Iraq in response to the letters sent to him by the people of Kūfah. He did not set out seeking worldly gain nor out of rebellion, but rather through ijtihād, believing that he was establishing the truth. The tribulation then occurred, and he was killed unjustly. As for the question of who was more entitled to the caliphate, Ahl al-Sunnah affirm the caliphate of Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah through the pledge of allegiance (bayʿah), while acknowledging that al-Ḥusayn’s departure was an error in judgment from the standpoint of outcome and estimation. Nevertheless, he was a mujtahid who is rewarded, while those who killed him were sinful oppressors.

Answer:

In the name of Allah, all praise is due to Allah, and may Peace and Blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)

First: The Departure of al-Ḥusayn (may Allah be pleased with him)

It is established in the recognized historical works relied upon by Ahl al-Sunnah (including the narrations of the scholars of hadith and history) that al-Ḥusayn (may Allah be pleased with him):

When Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān (may Allah be pleased with him) died, allegiance was sought for Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah.

Al-Ḥusayn initially withheld his pledge and did not give bayʿah at the beginning.

Numerous letters reached him from the people of Kūfah inviting him to come and promising their support.

He therefore sent his cousin, Muslim ibn ʿAqīl, to verify the situation.

He then departed toward Iraq.

Second: The Advice Given to Him by the Companions

The senior Companions and Tābiʿūn advised him not to go, including:

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb

ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās

ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr

Their advice was based upon their knowledge of the people of Kūfah, their history of abandoning those they pledged support to, and their previous acts of betrayal.

Third: What Occurred in Kūfah

When Muslim ibn ʿAqīl arrived, many of the people of Kūfah pledged allegiance to him.

Then, when ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Ziyād arrived, he intimidated the people and dispersed them.

They abandoned Muslim until he was eventually killed (may Allah be pleased with him).

Fourth: The Tragedy of Karbalāʾ

Al-Ḥusayn departed without knowing what had happened to Muslim.

When he learned of it, he wished to return, but he was prevented from doing so.

He was surrounded at Karbalāʾ.

He was killed unjustly as a martyr on the Day of ʿĀshūrāʾ in the year 61 AH.

Fifth: The Islamic Ruling Regarding What Occurred (According to the Salaf)

1. The Virtue and Status of al-Ḥusayn

    From the Sunnah:

    • Jami` at-Tirmidhi 3768Narrated Abu Sa'eed:
      that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Al-Hasan and Al-Husain are the chiefs of the youths of Paradise."

    From the Sunnah:

    • Sunan Ibn Majah 144Narrated Ya'la bin Murrah:
      "Husain is part of me and I am part of him.

      (Reported by Ibn Mājah; authenticated by al-Albānī)

    2. The Position of Ahl al-Sunnah The Imams of the Salaf, such as Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Ibn Taymiyyah, affirmed: That al-Ḥusayn (may Allah be pleased with him) was a mujtahid who was correct in his intention, but was not granted success in undertaking this course of action. That his killing was among the gravest acts of oppression and crimes. That those who killed him, or assisted in killing him, were sinful oppressors. 3. The Matter of Yazīd Yazīd did not explicitly command the killing of al-Ḥusayn, but he bore responsibility for what occurred through his governors. Ahl al-Sunnah say: We neither love him nor curse him. We do not testify for him that he is among the people of Paradise nor among the people of Hellfire. Sixth: Who Was More Entitled to the Caliphate? According to Ahl al-Sunnah: The caliphate is established through the pledge of allegiance and the gathering of the people upon a ruler. The people of al-Shām and others united upon Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah. Therefore, he became the caliph from the perspective of outward political authority. As for al-Ḥusayn: He was unquestionably more virtuous than Yazīd according to Ahl al-Sunnah, but greater virtue does not necessarily mean greater entitlement to the caliphate.

    Al-Ḥusayn (may Allah be pleased with him) set out through ijtihād and seeking the truth, not through rebellion nor pursuit of worldly gain. He was killed unjustly as a martyr, and those who killed him were sinful oppressors. The caliphate belonged to Yazīd from the standpoint of the pledge of allegiance, although al-Ḥusayn was more virtuous than him. The methodology of Ahl al-Sunnah is to refrain from delving into the disputes that occurred among them, while loving al-Ḥusayn, being pleased with him, and detesting the ظلم (oppression) that was committed against him.

    And Allah knows best.

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