It is for these reasons that we find Imam Husayn (a.

It is for these reasons that we find Imam Husayn (a.s.) ignoring what appears, at first look, to be sound advice from Abdullah Ibn Abbas, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafyyia, Abdullah ibn Ja’far, Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansari, Ibn az-Zubair, Umar ibn Abdurrahman, Musawwar ibn Makhramah, Abdullah ibn Umar and a great number of relatives and friends.[^1] His relatives and friends were more concerned with the worldly outlook of extreme odds and immediate fatal result.

Therefore, they tried to persuade him from going to Kufa, for they were fully aware from the days of Imam Ali’s Caliphate that the people of Kufa were weak-hearted, irresolute and most untrustworthy. They were also aware that Yazid and his men were capable of terrorizing and committing the greatest atrocities, even on women and children, in order to retain their power.

However, Imam Husayn (a.s.) himself gave his reason for not listening to their apparently advice, “ I shall not be blamed by Allah for shrinking from the religious duty of training and guiding people to be pious and simple. If the people of Kufa prove disloyal and if I am killed in the discharge of my duty, my position will be much nearer to God and they will be responsible for their disloyalty and evil deeds.

”[^2] According to the historian ibnul Atheer,[^3] Abdullah ibn Ja’far himself, and according to other historians,[^4] the Governor of Mecca Amr bin Sa’eed either by himself or at the instance of Abdullah ibn Ja’far, wrote a letter to Imam Husayn (a.s.). The letter was taken by Abdullah ibn Ja’far and Yahya bin Sa’eed, the brother of the Governor of Mecca. At-Tabari[^5] sets out the contents of the letter as follows:“ I am told that you are proceeding towards Iraq.

May God protect you from any evil that may befall you. I am afraid you may be killed. I am sending this letter through Abdullah bin Ja’far and my brother Yahya bin Sa’eed so that you may come back with them to me. I assure you that in me you will find asylum, protection, kindness and good company, and for what I have written I hold God as my witness .” Imam Husayn (a.s.) wrote back, “ You have offered me asylum and protection. In Allah is the best asylum and refuge.

He does not give refuge in the hereafter to those who do not fear Him in this world. We pray that we may fear and abide by Him in this world so that we may hope for and find His refuge on the Doomsday.