He said...

You would then have well understood that your world [with all its attractions] is worth less to me than the water that comes out of a sheep’s nose!” (4) As for the armed revolts against Umayyad Caliphs, apart from the rebellions of the Khawarij – none of which reached fruition – the cause and motive of all other uprisings were to avenge the blood of Sayyid al-Shuhada’ (the Prince of Martyrs) Imam Husain (PBUH) and object to the oppression of Ahl al-Bait (PBUTH).

Among those uprisings were those of `Ayn al-Wardah and Mukhtar, in both of which a large number of Shi’a participated. Subsequently, there was the revolt of Zaid and other uprisings, all of which sprang from the love of Ahl al-Bait (PBUTH) and declaring aversion and hatred towards Umayyad Caliphs.

Therefore, we see that a man like Kumail participates in the uprising of `Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn Ash`ath or in the last revolt which resulted in the termination of Umayyad Caliphs’s rule and the end of their dominion over most of the lands of Islam. The true motive for the tragic events of Karbala’ and the heart-rending martyrdom of Zaid, in a word, was the oppression of Ahl al-Bait (PBUTH).

Thus, what was important in these uprisings against Umayyad Caliphs was the role of the Shia and making use of the oppressed position of Ahl al-Bait (PBUTH), though after the martyrdom of the Prince of Martyrs (PBUH) the remaining Imams did not revolt since they did not see conditions as appropriate for the establishment of a just and Islamic government through the armed uprising.