Kufians’ letter to Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) and Imam’s reply to them

Letter from the People of Kufa to Imam Hussein (Peace Be Upon Him)

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,

This letter is from Suleiman ibn Surad, Maseeb ibn Najabah, Rifa’ah ibn Shaddad al-Ju’fi, Habib ibn Muzahhir, and other devoted, believing Shi’ahs of Hussein ibn Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) residing in Kufa to Hussein ibn Ali (Peace Be Upon Him): Peace be upon you. We bear witness to Allah, the One besides whom there is no deity, who defeated your oppressive and vengeful enemy, the one who dominated this nation unjustly, seized its governance without right, confiscated the public wealth, and ruled over the Muslims without their consent. He then killed the righteous among them and left the wicked while entrusting the wealth of Allah to tyrants and the wealthy, may Allah distance him from His mercy as He did with the Thamud people.

Now, we have no leader or guide in Iraq, so come to us, that Allah may guide us to the truth through you. We have no interest in al-Nu’man ibn Bashir, who is alone in the governor’s palace. If we learn that you are on your way to us, we will expel him and, God willing, we will pursue him to Syria.

This letter was sent by Abdullah ibn Masma’ al-Hamdani and Abdullah ibn Wal, who were asked to quickly head to Mecca. They arrived in Mecca on the 10th of Ramadan in the year 60 and presented the letter to Imam Hussein.

Two days later, the people of Kufa sent around fifty letters, each from one, two, or four individuals. Most of these letters were brought to Mecca by Qais ibn al-Musayyir al-Saydaawi, Abdulrahman ibn Abdullah ibn Shaddad al-Arhabi, and Amarah ibn Abdullah al-Sulawi. Another two days passed, and the Shi’ahs of Kufa, through Hani ibn Hani al-Sabee’i and Sa’id ibn Abdullah al-Hanafi, presented the following message to Imam Hussein:

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,

This is a letter to Hussein ibn Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) from his believing Shi’ahs. Hurry and act quickly, for the people are waiting for you and have no other hope except you. Hurry, hurry, hurry, and peace be upon you.

Then, Shabath ibn Rabi’ and Hajjaj ibn Abjar and Yazid ibn Harith ibn Rouaim and Urwah ibn Qais and Omar ibn Hajjaj al-Zubaydi and Muhammad ibn Omar al-Taymi wrote a letter with this content:

“O son of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)! The gardens and fields are lush and the fruits are ripe. You may depart whenever you wish, as the armies of Iraq are ready to welcome you. Peace.”

The letters from the people of Kufa accumulated with the Imam, and the messengers from Iraq gathered in Mecca. Imam Hussein responded to the Kufi letters:

Response of Imam (Peace Be Upon Him) to the People of Kufa

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,

From Hussein ibn Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) to the believers and Muslims in Iraq, the last messengers from you, Hani and Sa’id, have delivered your letters. I have read and examined what you have written. You said that we have no leader, so come to us, that Allah may guide us to the truth through you. Now I am sending my brother and cousin and trusted member of my family, Muslim ibn Aqil, to you. If he writes to me that your leaders, scholars, and elders agree with what your messengers have said and what I have read in your letters, I will soon come to you. By my life, an Imam and leader is only one who rules by the Qur’an, upholds justice, implements the true religion, and dedicates himself to the cause of Allah. Peace.

Imam sent this letter with Hani and Sa’id and then instructed Muslim ibn Aqil to travel to Iraq accompanied by Qais ibn al-Musayyir al-Saydaawi, Amarah ibn Abdullah al-Sulawi, and Abdulrahman ibn Abdullah al-Arhabi. He advised him to follow the path of piety, keep his plans hidden, and be gentle and accommodating. If he found the people unified in their support of this movement, he should promptly inform the Imam.

Muslim ibn Aqil (Peace Be Upon Him) traveled from Medina to Kufa and stayed at the house of Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubaid al-Thaqafi. The Shi’ahs, who perhaps thought that the situation would resolve easily and that Hussein ibn Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) would defeat Yazid without much difficulty, and that justice and piety would replace tyranny and sin, came to see Muslim ibn Aqil (Peace Be Upon Him). As the Imam’s letters were read to them, they would weep with joy and pledge their allegiance to the Imam’s representative. According to Sheikh Mufid (may Allah have mercy on him), the number of those who pledged allegiance reached eighteen thousand, while according to Tabari, it was twelve thousand.