After offering the morning [Fajr] prayer, Husain (ra) arranged his comrades in rows and delivered one final speech reminding the Muslims of their responsibilities and to desist from fighting. Al-Hurr bin Yazid, who had previously blocked Husain (ra)’s path defected and joined the army of Husain (ra), vowing to make amends for his earlier mistake. Despite all this, Husain (ra) refused to attack first. Umar bin Sa’d fired the first arrow towards Husain’s (ra) army. Amr bin al-Hajjaj commanded the right flank and Shimr bin al-Jawshan was commander of the left flank of Umar’s army. Imam Husain (ra) appointed Zuhair bin al-Qayn as commander of the right flank and Habib bin Muzahir to command the left flank while his half-brother, Abbas, was appointed as the standard bearer.
When the Umayyad cavalry charged at them, Imam Husain (ra) raised his hand and prayed:
“O God! It is You in Whom I trust amid all grief. You are my hope amid all distress. You are my trust and provision in everything that happens to me, no matter how much the heart may seem to weaken, ingenuity to fail, the friend to desert and the enemy to rejoice. I have received it through You and I complain to You out of my desire for You, You alone. May You dispel it for me and relieve me of it. You are the Master of all grace, the Possessor of all goodness and the Ultimate Resort of all desire.”
Every single one of Husain’s (ra) comrades were martyred one by one. Leaving Husain (ra) alone to fend off the army. Despite being wounded, some of the soldiers were hesitant on killing Husain (ra). Eventually, Shimr took a group of 10 soldiers and attacked Husain (ra). Sinan bin Anas stepped forward and delivered the fatal blow and is recorded in history as the one who severed the blessed head of Husain (ra). It was sent to Ubaidullah bin Ziyad who put it on display in Kufa before sending to Yazid in Damascus. Umar bin Sa’d then asked for volunteers to trample over the body of Husain (ra) on with their horses. The women and children, including one infant son of Husain (ra) known as “Zain al-Abidin”, were sent to Yazid in Damascus. He later allowed them all to return to Madinah.
Those martyred in Husain’s (ra) army included Husain’s (ra) own sons, his paternal half-brothers, his nephews (sons of Hasan (ra) and Zainab bint Ali (ra)), sons and grandsons of his uncle Aqil bin Abi Talib, as well as grandchildren of his other uncle, Ja’far bin Abi Talib (ra).
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