The complaints to Mu’awiya and later to Yazid about the...

The complaints to Mu’awiya and later to Yazid about the incompetence in administration, the excessive partiality, the discrimination and the incompetence of his governors even to perform the daily prayers properly fell on deaf ears. The dissatisfied people of Kufa assembled at the house of Sulayman ibn Surad al-Khuza’iy, a companion of the Prophet (S), and resolved to petition Imam Husayn (a.s.) to come to their rescue.

Leading personalities like Sulayman, al-Musayyab, Rifa’ah, and Habib ibn Mudhahir signed a letter requesting Imam Husayn (a.s.) to relieve them from the anarchy and oppression of the governor of Kufa. The letter was delivered to Imam Husayn (a.s.) on the tenth of Ramadan, the year 60 A.H.

Thereafter, as many as 12000 such letters written by individuals as well as collectively by groups of persons were received by Imam Husayn (a.s.) within two months.[^3] Letters signed by Shibath bin Rib’iy, Hajjar bin Abjur, Yazid bin al-Harith, Urwa bin Qeis, Umar bin Hajjaj, Muhammad bin Amr, and several others laid particular stress on the fact that as the Imam of the time, it was incumbent upon Imam Husayn (a.s.) to come to the rescue of the oppressed and to render justice, and if he failed to do so, he would be responsible before God.

All the letters emphasized that the people of Kufa were left without an Imam to guide them in matters of religion. Though several letters had promised military assistance to remove the governor of Kufa, Imam Husayn (a.s.) was not impressed by the prospect of his taking up such venture as it was against his principles. Therefore, Imam Husayn (a.s.) totally ignored such letters.

It is the special aspect of the last mentioned letter written by the people of Kufa calling upon Imam Husayn (a.s.), as the Imam of the time, to come to the aid of Islam that led him to make up his mind and abandon the safety of the Kaaba and to proceed to Iraq, despite knowing the dangers involved.

One of the obligations cast on the Imam (a.s.) was to stand up against corruption in faith when the oppression, tyranny, and aggression of the rulers became excessive and when collectively people called upon the Imam to rise in defense of the faith. It is this part of Imamate that the people of Kufa stressed upon in their letters which made it obligatory on Imam Husayn (a.s.) to leave the safety of Kaaba and proceed towards Iraq.