The Prophet Mohammed

Background: The Prophet Mohammed united the Arab sects into a nation in the 7th century. Mohammed was forever known as the "Messenger of God" and became the peace mediator between the once rivaled Arab states. Mohammed's death in 632 A.D. left the Arabian Peninsula in turmoil. Without a male heir, two factions formed. The Shi'ites, or Party of Ali, declared that Ali ibn Abu Talib had received his spiritual guidance from Mohammed; however the Sunnis, or Companions of Mohammed, protested the claim and backed Abu Bakr, Mohammed's father-in- law. Abu Baker's supporters were forever recognized as "People of the Sunna and the Assembly," or Sunnis (Abdulrazak, 2007).

Abu Baker's predecessors were Umar ibn al-Khatab followed by Uthman ibn Affan. Uthman's reign was best regarded as tumultuous and disastrous which engendered a nepotistic and corrupt culture. After Uthman's death Ali was elected as the Fourth Caliph (656 AD); Shi'ites proclaim him as the First Imam. Ali was assassinated in 660 AD and his two sons, Abu Mohammad Hasan ibn Ali (Hasan) and Abdullah Husayn ibn Ali (Husayn), followed closely in their father's footsteps. Hasan was the quieter of the two; he signed an allegiance with his nemesis Mu'awiya and then retired on a state pension as a cleric in the town of Medina (Abdulrazak, 2007). He was assassinated by Mu'awiya a short time later. Husayn, the youngest and more aggressive son, seized the opportunity for Mohammed's descendants to return to power by inciting a revolt. Husayn led a 100 man march, comprised of 18 fighters from the House of Ali, 54 Shi'a supporters, and 28 other family members, from the town of Kafa with the intent of crossing the Euphrates and attacking Yazid I. Aware of Husayn's challenge, Yazid led a preemptive attack of 4,000 men to Damascus to meet the vastly inferior Kufan army led by Husayn. The Umayyad army led by Yazid surrounded Husayn's camp and cut the small force off from their only water source, the Euphrates. On 10 October 680 A.D. Husayn and his severely dehydrated warriors were facing death. In an effort to reach water, Husayn engaged the vast army in sporadic bouts near the town of Karbala. Husayn's brother, Ali Abbas was killed by arrows and Husayn himself was captured. Begging for one last prayer, Husayn fell to his knees where the Umayyad commander took the liberty of decapitating him. Husayn's body was stripped of all clothing and the Umayyad cavalry trampled over the headless corpse (Abdulrazak, 2007). Husayn died in this battle, and Shi'ite scholars believe he knew of his fate before engaging his opponents. To him, he needed to change the hearts and minds of the Islamic people only achievable through his ultimate sacrifice.30 November 680 A.D (forty days after the massacre), Jabir ibn Abdullah al-Ansarri, one of Mohammad and Husayn's companion, visited Husayn's burial site embarking on the first Arba'een pilgrimage. This Shi'a Remembrance