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Fatwa CenterThe martyr, Al-Husayn ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib
Question
In the subcontinent of India/Pakistan, there are some stories that the grandson of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam), Husayn (Radiya Allahu Anhu) was martyred by Yazeed bin Mu'aawiya, along with is family members. According to the historical perspective, are these stories true? Could you issue some authentic history books on this topic? According to a Pakistani scholar, no such incidents occurred in history. Also, is the Hadith in which Prophet predicted that the one who participates in the Yarmouk expedition will go to Jannah true, and one of Prophet's Companions Malik bin Ashtar in spite of his old age participated in that battle because of the Prophet's prediction? Most importantly, was Yazeed bin Mu'aawiya the commander of the Islamic Army in that battle? Please reply in detail as a lot of people are eager to know about it.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Al-Husayn 
the son of 'Ali ibn Abi Taalib was killed and became a martyr in the Battle of Karbalaa' when he was fifty-six years old. The reason for this battle, as the author of Shatharaat Ath-Thahab, Ibn Al-Imaad 
wrote, was, "He refused to give the pledge of allegiance to Yazeed when his father Mu'aawiyah asked him to give that pledge. There are three other persons who also refused to give the pledge of allegiance, namely 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar, 'Abdullaah ibn Az-Zubayr, and 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakr."
After the demise of Mu'aawiyah the people of Iraq insisted that Al-Husayn come to Iraq. He accepted their repeated invitations and went to them with a group of his family members. When he reached Karbalaa', a place near Al-Koofah, 'Abdullaah ibn Ziyaad confronted him with his soldiers. In this clash, Al-Husayn, his two sons 'Ali Al-Akbar and 'Abdullaah, his brothers Ja'far, Muhammad, 'Ateeq, Al-'Abbaas Al-Akbar, his nephew Qaasim ibn Al-Hasan, his cousins Muhammad and 'Awn, sons of 'Abdullaah ibn Ja'far ibn Abi Taalib, Muslim ibn 'Aqeel ibn Abi Taalib and his two sons 'Abdullaah and 'Abdur-Rahmaan were martyred.
Al-Husayn's entire family was not killed in this battle; some of them escaped. 'Ali Al-Asghar ibn Al-Husayn, Hasan ibn Al-Hasan ibn 'Ali, 'Ammaar ibn Al-Hasan, Al-Qaasim ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Ja'far, Faatimah and Sukaynah (the daughters of Al-Husayn ), his wife Ar-Rabaab Al-Kalbiyyah (mother of Sukaynah) and Umm Muhammad (daughter of Al-Husayn) and their slaves were among those who escaped from this battle.
As for the claim that the daughters of the Prophet were captured, it is no more than a lie and slander. Ibn Taymiyyah said, "What is claimed, that they were captured and forced to ride on camels without proper seats, is a fabrication. The Ummah of the Prophet never captured any woman from the Haashimi tribe, the tribe of the Prophet . All the women were sent honorably to Madeenah after the martyrdom of al-Husayn."
Ibn Taymiyyah also stated,
"Yazeed ibn Mu'aawiyah was born in the caliphate of 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan and did not see the Prophet and was not among the Companions of the Prophet . This is the consensus of Muslim scholars. He was not among those who were known for their religiousness and piety, but he was one of the Muslim youths. He was neither a Kaafir (disbeliever) nor an atheist. He succeeded his father in rule with the consent of some Muslims and the hatred of others. He was a brave and generous man and did not demonstrate evil as is reported by his opponents. During his caliphate many important incidents occurred. One of those incidents was the murder of Al-Husayn. He did not order anyone to kill Al-Husayn, nor was he happy at this murder and he did not hit his teeth with a stick. Al-Husayn's head was not taken to Syria. He only ordered that Al-Husayn be stopped and prevented from taking power. His deputies passed over his orders and Ash-Shamaar encouraged the soldiers to kill him. Indeed, 'Ubaydullaah ibn Ziyaad grieved for Al-Husayn. Al-Husayn requested him to let him go to Yazeed or go to the borders to participate in Jihaad or return to Makkah. They did not accept his suggestions and ordered him to subjugate himself. 'Umar ibn Sa'd ordered his soldiers to fight Al-Husayn."
No doubt, Al-Husayn and a group of his family 
were killed unjustly. In fact, his murder was among the great calamities of this Ummah (Muslim nation). Indeed, the murder of Al-Husayn and before him the murder of 'Uthmaan were among the main reasons for trials to befall this Ummah. The murderers of both are among the worst creatures of Allaah The Almighty.
Allaah Knows best.
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