Karbala: A "Bloody" Consipracy and the Secrets Behind It

Arriving at Karbala

Arriving at Karbala

Yazid had already written to Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad that he should keep a strict eye on the movements of Hadhrat Hussain (radhiyallahu anhu) and ensure that an uprising does not occur in Iraq. At the same time Yazid had also issued the instruction that the caravan of Hadhrat Hussain (radhiyallahu anhu) not be attacked, unless they attack first, which was most unlikely. Strict orders were given that no major decision be taken except after receiving guidance from the government of Sham.

In fact, if one were to scrutinize the pages of history, one shall find that just before the arrival of Muslim ibn Aqeel, Yazid was on the verge of having Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad removed from his post as governor over Basrah, due to misgivings he had about him. When Muslim ibn Aqeel reached Kufa, the governor, on behalf of the Ummayyads, was Hadhrat Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu). Had Hadhrat Nu'maan (radhiyallahu anhu) remained as governor, the incident of Karbala, as it occurred, would perhaps not have transpired, and the flames of war amongst the Ummah would never have been re-ignited. Hadhrat Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu) would have merely arrested Hadhrat Muslim ibn Aqeel, if he found the matter getting out of hand, and have him and Hadhrat Hussain (radhiyallahu anhu) sent over to Sham, so that the matter could be sorted out there properly.

Shaitaani forces were well aware of this, thus plans were made to have Hadhrat Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu) removed and Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad brought in his place. This required just two moves, made at the right time, and backed with the propaganda and drama that the shaitaani forces are masters at.

The first of these two moves was to have Yazid's faith in Hadhrat Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu) broken. For this, letters from Kufa were sent to Yazid, warning of a rebellion that was on the verge of breaking out, and that Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu) was doing practically nothing to sort out the problem. The contents of the letters, and the names and signatures that accompanied them (which were most probably forged) would have confused the greatest of leaders, and thus Yazid can never be blamed for falling for the trap. Describing the scene prevailing in the court of Yazid, Tabari writes:

(Abdullah ibn Muslim, after engaging in a heated debate with Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu) regarding why he was acting so cowardly, wrote to Yazid:
'Muslim ibn Aqeel has come to Kufa and many have already pledged their allegiance to Hussain. If you have any desire that Kufa remain yours, you must send immediately someone strong, who shall deal with your enemy as you would have dealt with them. As for Nu'maan ibn Basheer, he is a weak leader, or perhaps he is just acting weak!'

This was the first letter that reached Yazid regarding the dangerous situation in Kufa. Thereafter the letter of ibn Uqbah arrived, followed almost immediately by the letter of Umar ibn Sa'd, both mentioning the very same thing.

Hisham said, quoting from Awaanah, 'After reading these letters, which arrived, one after the other, in the space of just two days, Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah acceded to the advice of Sarjoon, the freed-slave of Hadhrat Mu'awiyah (radhiyallahu anhu), that none but Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad could sort out the situation, whereas at the moment Yazid was not seeing eye-to-eye with ibn Ziyad). End of the quote.

Whether Umar ibn Sa'd really wrote such a letter, that is definitely questionable, especially considering the fact that from the arrival of Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad till the very end, he continuously expressed displeasure with the commands being issued by Ibn Ziyad. This letter was thus most probably forged in the name of Umar ibn Sa'd. Whatever the case may be, such letters were most definitely going to get Yazid searching for a solution.

The second move of the shaitaani forces was to have Ubaidullah ibn Ziyad brought in, in the place of Hadhrat Nu'maan ibn Basheer (radhiyallahu anhu), Yazid himself did not choose Ibn Ziyad, since at that time Yazid was having misgivings with regards him. Yazid was infact instigated into allowing ibn Ziyad to take charge, a move that would soon ruin the image of Yazid throughout the Muslim world.