Battle of Karbala

The Battle of Karbala is one of the most tragic events in Islamic history. Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet ﷺ and son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, refused to give allegiance to Yazid ibn Muawiyah, whose public conduct he considered unbecoming of a Muslim ruler. After receiving tens of thousands of pledges of support from the people of Kufa, Husayn travelled toward Iraq with a small group of family and companions, around 72 fighters. The Kufan support evaporated under Umayyad pressure. Husayn's group was intercepted at Karbala by a large Umayyad force and denied water from the Euphrates. On the Day of Ashura, the 10th of Muharram, Husayn and almost all the men with him were killed. The women and children, including his son Ali ibn Husayn (Zayn al-Abidin), were taken captive to Kufa and then Damascus. Ahl us-Sunnah regard Husayn as a martyr, mourn his killing as a great wrong, and fast on Ashura as the Prophet ﷺ prescribed. They do not hold theatrical mourning rituals, which are later innovations.