KARACHI (ENN) Youm-e-Ashur‚ the day of martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his 72 companions, is being observed on Friday with due solemnity throughout Pakistan.
Zuljinah, Taazia and Alam processions will be taken out from all cities and small towns.
Hussain was born on October 10, 625 and martyred on same date in 680. The Islamic date is well known 10th Muharram.
The names of the spouses were Shahr Banu, Umme Rubāb and Umme Laylā; while children included Ali Zayn al-‘Ābidīn, Sakinah, Ali Akbar, Fatimah as-Sughra, Sukaynah and Ali Asghar.
According to history books Umayyad ruler Muawiya appointed his son Yazid as his successor in a clear violation of the Hasan-Muawiya treaty. Imam Hasan has left caliphate but it was to be returned to the family but treaty was violated.
When Muawiya died in 680 CE, Yazid demanded that Husain pledge faithfulness to him. Husain refused to pledge allegiance to Yazid, even though it meant sacrificing his life.
As a consequence, he left Medina, his hometown, to take refuge in Makkah in AH 60. There, the people of Kufah sent letters to him, asking his help and pledging their allegiance to him.
Therefore Imam Hussain traveled towards Kufah; however, at a place near it known as Karbala, his caravan was intercepted by Yazid’s army.
He was martyred and beheaded in the Battle of Karbala on 10 October 680 (the 10th of Muharram in 61 AH) by Shimr ibn Thil-Jawshan, along with most of his family and companions, including Hussain’s six month old son, Ali Asghar.
While the women and children were taken as prisoners. Such brutal act resulted in anger and cry that helped undermine the Umayyad caliphate’s legitimacy, and ultimately overthrow it by the Abbasid Revolution.
Moreover the special security arrangements have been made with police and law enforcement agencies deployed to avoid any untoward incident from occurring in the country.
Phone services are suspended in the major cities of the country as part of security arrangements for the Youm-e-Ashur.
A ban on pillion riding has been imposed in various cities as well.
