The Tragedy of Karbala

The events of the 10th of Mu¿arram in the year 61 AH in which Imam Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was mercilessly slaughtered in Karbala, Iraq along with his family and friends by the self-proclaimed Caliph, Yazid, son of Muawiyah, is the most tragic episode - not only in the history of Islam - but in the entire annals of human tragedy.

Although there were many witnesses to this massacre, most notably 'official reporters' such as Humayd ibn Muslim, the best person to tell us about what transpired on that horrific day is the only adult male who saw the episode unfold and then lived to narrate it - namely Imam Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad - the son of Imam Husayn ibn Ali.

The Tragedy of Karbala is a complete translation of the hadith which chronicles the events of the Day of Ashura as recounted by the 4th Imam - Ali ibn al-Husayn as-Sajjad. This historical narration is based on that which is found in the book Al-Amali as narrated by the late Shaykh Saduq, and is presented here in English along with its original Arabic.