The arrows in Hussein's back

It is possible to see the blood flowing, but it is not so easy to see why that blood is shed, or why and how such pain is experienced. The lifeless bodies falling to the ground only announce death; it is left to us to discuss the reasons. However, some deliberately refuse to lean into those reasons; driven by certain anxieties, they kill the dead once more and bury them beneath the earth. Others cannot or will not lift their heads from the depth of the pain and the weight of the grief to look for the causes; the earth remains with its secrets.

When Hussein, his companions, and his family reached Karbala, they had not brought only themselves; there was also a history they had shouldered and left behind. Therefore, when we talk about Karbala, we must not forget that history. While discussing the wounds on Hussein's body and the cries of his family that reached the heavens, we must also commemorate the past that led to that day. It is actually the entirety of that history, not just a fragment, that made Yazid who he was. For that reason, we must also talk about what happened before arriving at Karbala, for disaster encompasses a spreading period of time; behind the blood on the hands of the executioners, there are instigators.

Before setting out for Kufa, while speaking with his brother Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya, Hussein explained his reason for rebelling against Yazid as follows: “I have not risen out of arrogance, nor as a troublemaker or a tyrant. I have risen to seek the salvation and well-being of the community of my grandfather, Muhammad. I want to enjoin good and forbid evil, and to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and my father.” However, Hussein could not walk that path; when he arrived before Karbala, he was forced to fight an army that had already surrounded him for a long time. The results are well known: the Prophet's grandchildren were massacred in broad daylight by soldiers who called themselves Muslims. Those who did not forget their daily prayers did not even blink while slaughtering the Prophet's grandchildren; at that moment, we understand that there is no limit to the blood that a mindless faith will shed.

The Muslim (!) soldiers facing Hussein, as well as their commanders and the governor of Kufa who gave the order for the massacre, were familiar figures. The man at the head of the army on the day of Karbala was Umar ibn Sa'd. This Umar was the son of Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, who was supposedly promised paradise. According to one account, because of his closeness to him, the Prophet would sometimes address him as "uncle." Look at the irony of fate: the Prophet's grandchildren were slaughtered by the son of the Prophet's uncle! Let us return to the governor of Kufa; was he a stranger? Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad. Ubaydullah is the son of Ziyad ibn Abihi. Ziyad, in turn, was Ali's governor. Look at the irony of fate: the name of the governor's son is written over the blood of his children!

One of the most painful aspects of the matter is actually hidden in Yazid himself. For Yazid is not a foreign name to Muslims either. Moreover, he even has a certain closeness to the Prophet. Specifically, Umm Habiba, one of the Prophet's wives, was the sister of Muawiyah and therefore the aunt of Yazid. I do not know if this is too much, but it is possible to see the name of the Prophet's wife's nephew in the blood of the Prophet's grandchildren.

We can actually multiply these names. When we turn the pages of history backward, every political pursuit that brings social governance closer to a person-centered system rather than a fair, pluralistic structure, that prioritizes interest-based relationships rather than merit, and that empowers the rulers rather than the broad masses, has been a step on the road to Karbala. In this respect, we must once again recall the words the poet Farazdaq said to Hussein on the road to Kufa. Referring to the Kufans on the road, the poet had said: "Their tongues speak of Ali, but their eyes look toward Muawiyah."

We know that the eyes looking toward Muawiyah did not emerge only in the time of Yazid; on the contrary, from the beginning of his governorship, there were always those who protected him, looked after him, were by his side, and supported him religiously with their sermons. As for those whose eyes flowed with Muawiyah, they always waited for an opportunity; sometimes they waited on the sidelines, sometimes they appeared to be his opponents, but in the end, they were the ones who brought the Yazids into existence.

Let us return to that painful day.

After people were massacred in Karbala, their heads were cut off, and one of those whose head was cut off was Hussein. Let us state clearly that people's heads were cut off specifically to look good to the powerful, to receive rewards, and to obtain spoils. At this point, Karbala also tells us this: where the ideology of spoils prevails, neither causes, nor principles, nor faith and sacred values remain. In this respect, there is also the element of spoils over the blood shed in Karbala; one must not forget that.

The result?

They say that when Hussein was killed, he had dozens of arrow and sword wounds on him. If we are to talk about the traces of those arrows and wounds, we cannot fit it into a single day; since Hussein was alone that day, of course, there were many attackers. Since power struggles had flourished from Siffin to Jamal and even before, the rulers were going to grow stronger and increase their dominance. What I mean is that the history of the arrows on Hussein actually goes back much further.