‘Abd Allah ibn Zubayr said, “O Aba ‘Abd Allah!

‘Abd Allah ibn Zubayr said, “O Aba ‘Abd Allah! It is time for the hajj . Are you abandoning the hajj and going to Iraq?” Imam al-Husayn (as) replied, “O son of Zubayr! It is better for me to be buried next to the River Euphrates than next to the Ka‘bah.”[^5] In a letter to Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah, Imam al-Husayn (as) wrote, “ In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful , from al-Husayn ibn ‘Ali to Muhammad ibn ‘Ali and before him Bani Hashim.

Verily, whoever does not join me will not attain victory; wa salam .”[^6] When Imam al-Husayn (as) reached the pass of Batan, he told his companions, “I do not see myself in a situation other than that I should be killed.” They said, “How is that, O Aba ‘Abd Allah?” He answered, “I saw a dream a while ago.” His companions asked, “What did you dream?” He answered, “I saw dogs attacking me viciously…”[^7] When we refer to history, we come to know that some people tried to stop Imam al-Husayn (as) from going to Iraq.

They reminded the Imam that if he undertook this journey, he would certainly be killed. In a letter to Imam al-Husayn (as), ‘Abd Allah ibn Ja‘far said, “I request that you change your mind about going on this journey, because I fear that it will result in your death…”[^8] Ibn ‘Abbas, Muhammad ibn Hanafiyyah and Abu Bakr Makhzumi also tried to prevent Imam al-Husayn (as) from undertaking this dangerous journey, and warned him about the disloyalty of the people of Iraq.

Political and military analysis also confirms this issue because events which testify to this subject all prove that the way which Imam al-Husayn followed would end in his martyrdom. After hearing that Muslim ibn ‘Aqil had been martyred, and also after Hurr ibn Yazid Riyahi had informed Imam al-Husayn (as) about ‘Umar ibn Sa‘d’s intention, it was very clear for Imam al-Husayn (as) that his action could have no other conclusion other than martyrdom.

He did not require supernatural powers or inspiration to perceive this—common knowledge was enough for him to understand this issue. Examination of the Qur’anic verse regarding self-destruction We have gathered from the proofs previously presented that Imam al-Husayn (as) had knowledge about his impending martyrdom. But the question is: Does Islam allow a person to take measures which are sure to result in his own death?

Wouldn’t this be considered self-destruction [ tahlukah ] which is forbidden by the divine law [ shari‘ah ] of Islam according to explicit texts of the Holy Qur’an?