Al-Husayn (‘a) did not aim by his march to attain authority...

Al-Husayn (‘a) did not aim by his march to attain authority, power, or recognition. Had this been his goal, he would have sought the means that would lead him to it, and he was the most knowledgeable man of such means. He would not have informed those who were with him from among the natives of Mecca and Medina that he and those with him would be killed, and that his family would surrender to captivity. His army, as a result, abandoned him, and his might diminished.

Yet his holy soul, as is the case with all free men, insisted on telling the truth rather than misleading anyone. He even tested them by granting them permission to leave him. Those whose concern was accumulation, did in fact leave him, while the select few insisted on helping and supporting him; neither cowardice subdued them nor discouragement surfaced among them, for such is the doing of one who has lost hope from attaining his objective.

Those folks were convinced that they would win what they hoped to win as testified by their statements whereby they responded to al-Husayn (‘a) telling them on the eve of ‘Ashura that the situation had reached a critical point, and he even excused them from their oath of allegiance to him and released them. They said, “Praise is due to Allah Who honours us with being killed on your side!

Had this world remained forever, and had we, too, been immortalized, we would still have preferred to rise with you rather than remain therein.” He (‘a), found them ready to sacrifice their lives waging jihad with him and defending the sanctity of the Shari’a .

He recited a line from their white tablet when he said, “ I find my companions to be the most loyal, and my (‘a) to be the most kind and the best in staying together .”[^5] I am surprised at the narrators and historians who transmitted a great deal and who charged those pure souls with what the face of humanity resents and is rejected by a truthful conscience.

Some of them said, “Those people were shaken and their complexion kept changing colour whenever fighting intensified with the exception of al-Husayn (‘a) whose face shone like a full moon.”[^6] They said so after finding themselves unable to find fault with the honourable and dignified martyr. Finding no way to belittle him, they charged his companions and his (‘a).

This is only because of the hidden disease residing in the body of those who mixed poison with oil and passed it on to simpletons who regarded it as a fact.