He sent the commander of his police...

He sent the commander of his police, Al-Hoosuyn ibn Numayr Al Tamimi to Al-Qadisiya to organize the armed forces in it, and to supervise the troops patrolling around Al-Kufa. Then the Second defendant Ibn Ziyad asked Al-Hurr ibn Yazid Al Riyahi to be in front of Al-Hoosuyn with 1000 horsemen to meet Al-Husayn (as). Sure enough, Al-Hurr ibn Yazid Al Riyahi was the first to meet Al-Husayn’s caravan in a place called “Dhi Hasm” in the southern part of Al-Kufa.

To your surprise, Al-Husayn (as) provided water to them as well as their horses, as they ran out of water despite his knowledge that they were an advanced force for Ibn Ziyad’s army against him. After Al-Husayn (as) has led them in the noon prayers (Salat Al-Dhuhr) he delivered the following speech to them: “Oh People! Here I present my excuse to Allah and to you in this place.

I did not come to you until your messengers and letters has reached me stating ‘Come to us as we have no leader, may Allah united us with you on the right path.’ If this is still your opinion and position, here I am! So, if you assure me about the validity of your invitation, and if you give me your solemn promise and your certified pact, I will then enter your country with you.

But, if you did not do that, and you dislike my arrival and hate my coming, I will then depart you and return back to where I came from.” I request that this speech be added to the record. Respected judges and jurors, is this the speech of a man who came to head a large well-equipped army seeking to fight the ruler or Caliph such that military forces need to be recruited against him? In his speech, does he threat to fight, to use weapon, armed forces, or does he insinuate that in anyway?

Or is it the speech of a peaceful man who has been persecuted, chased, and has fled from the tyranny of the oppressive ruler seeking a safe haven for him and his family, whom the people of Al-Kufa has invited to protect. So he came to them after he found no other alternative and after the new oppressive ruler persecuted him even in the sacred House of Allah! Here, he is politely offering to them to either give him protection as they promised, or they leave him to return back home.

Furthermore, if Al-Husayn (as) was heading a great army, would he be in need to address these 1000 men, while fighting them would be an easy task for him?!