Our 3rd Imam, Imam Husain (A) fought with the Umayyad ruler Yazid in 61 AH to save Islam. The Imam (A) was forced to fight Yazid's army because he would not give Bay'at (The Oath of Allegiance) to Yazid. When you give a ruler Bay'at, it means that you promise that you will always obey him and help him. The Imam (A) said about Yazid, A man like me cannot give allegiance to a man like him." He meant that as he was the Imam (A) for the Muslims and their guide, he could never give Bay'at to Yazid, who stood for everything against Islam.
The Imam (A) was saying that what Yazid believed in was totally opposite to what the Imam (A) believed in. Yazid was the follower of Shaitan while the Imam (A) was the follower of Allah. The Imam (A) knew that he and his family and friends would probably die in Karbala. He also knew that this was the only way that he could stop Yazid from destroying Islam. In the Imam's (A) army there were not just strong soldiers - that was not what was needed to get into the army of the Imam (A). To get into his army you needed to believe and act upon Islam.
The Imam (A) wanted the people, when they heard about the events of Kerbala, to know that he had not fought for power or to create mischief, but to save the religion that his grandfather had brought. In his army he had rich, noble men. He had freed slaves. He had old and young men. He had men who had done wrong and repented (like Hur - a commander in Yazid's army). But they all had one thing in common - they were pious men, who loved Allah and Islam. Whenever other Muslims heard about the events of Kerbala, they would ask themselves, why it was that men from different backgrounds, different circumstances, different ways of life, all came together to fight and die with Imam Husain (A)? · Every Muslim regardless of his colour, his race, his background, his financial situation, his age, could identify himself with at least one martyr in the army of Imam Husain (A) and through him understand why the Imam (A) did what he did. 1
We learn from the Imam that:
The Imam could not give Bay'at to Yazid because it was against what he believed in. you should always stand by what you believe in.
The Imam geve up his life for Islam. We as guardians of Islam, should make sure that we keep Islam alive in the way that the Imam would have wanted.
Ahadith from the Imam
Do not say a word about your Muslim brother in his absence that you would not like him to say about you during your absence. 2
1. Mufid, al-lrshad, Chapter on the Life of lmarn Husain (A)
2. Bihar al-Anwar, v.78, p.127.
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