Part Three: Aftermath  

·        The captives are marched to Kufa on foot.

·        Zainab speaks in Kufa, berating the governor Ubaydullah b. Ziyad, and rebuking the people of Kufa for their cowardice in not supporting Imam Hussayn after calling him to Kufa in the first place.

·        The captives are marched to Damascus, largely on foot.  The captives are ill treated, particularly the women, many of whom have their head coverings torn away in an effort to humiliate them.

·        The Ummayyads spread propaganda against the survivors and against those who died, claiming that Imam Hussayn and his companions were rebels and criminals, and that their revolution was illegitimate.

·        Zainab shows strong leadership of the group during all of this while her nephew, Imam Ali b. Hussayn is sick.  It was because of this sickness that Imam Ali b. Hussayn was unable to fight at Kerbala, thereby surviving.  Zainab shows remarkable strength and courage at this time, especially considering that she had just lost two brothers, nephews, and her two young sons. 

·        The caravan arrives in Damascus, and the survivors are taken to the court of Yazid.  Yazid taunts the captives by abusing the severed heads of the dead, including Imam Hussayn’s head.

·        Zainab speaks forcefully rebuking Yazid in front of his court. 

·        During the journeys follwing the massacre at Kerbala, Zainab and others work to spread the message of what had actually happened at Kerbala to any they met along the way.

·        Once back in Medina, Ali ibn Hussayn and Zainab worked to spread knowledge about the events of Kerbala.  They established the tradition of Muharram majlises in which the story of Kerbala is retold, year after year..  This powerful religious and political institution which has continued to this day

·        Ali ibn Hussayn, though under heavy political pressure during the Umayyad regime, led a quiet resistance, using dua’as as a political weapon.  The book sahifa as-sajjadiyya we have today is a collection of these dua’as.  In these prayers, hecould say what could not be taught openly in prose.

·        Contrary to official story that he regretted what happened at Kerbala, Yazid rewards the officers responsible handsomely.

·        Yazid leads an assault on Mecca and Medina; the Kaaba is burned and thousands of women are brutally violated by Yazid’s troops.

·        64 A.H. Yazid dies and is briefly replaced by his son, Muawiyya b. Yazid.  Upon Muawiyya b. Yazid’s death, Marwan b. Hakam briefly becomes caliph, until his own death in 65 A.H.  Marwan’s son, Abd-al-Malik becomes caliph.

·        The Tawwabun (penitents) movement, made up of a large group of Kufans who were remorseful of their failing to support Imam Hussayn, rose up and marched against Syria in an effort to atone for their earlier cowardice.  Almost all were killed.

·        64 A.H. Revolutions in Mecca and Medina were led by Abdullah b. az-Zubayr.  Abdullah b. Zubayr in the years to come takes control of the Arabian peninsula.

·        Mukhtar al-Thaqafi in Kufa leads a revolution in Kufa after being released from prison.  Mukhtar had been rounded up along with others in the aftermath of the death of Muslim b. Aqeel.

·        66 A.H. Those responsible for the deaths at Kerbala, including Shimr, Ubaydullah b. Ziyad, and Umar b. Sa’ad were however killed not soon after by forces led by Mukhtar.  Mukhtar takes control of the area of Iraq.

·        67 A.H. Mukhtar is killed in a battle with forces representing Abdullah b. Zubayr.  Abdullah b. az-Zubayr succeeded in capturing many of the Muslim lands away from the Ummayyads before he was himself defeated and killed by Ummayyad forces led by al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf in 73 A.H.

·        82 A.H. The Qu’ran Readers Battalion, led by Kumayl b. Ziyad, a famous companion of Imam Ali, fought against al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf at the Battle of Jamajim.  They are defeated, and Kumayl is executed.

·        During the imamate of Muhammad al-Baqir and Ja’far as-Sadiq the path of the ahlul bayt (as) was firmly established, taking advantage of the period between Umayyad and Abbasid rule

·        120 A.H. Zaid ibn Ali, a son of Ali b. Hussayn, leads a revolt during imamate of his nephew, Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq.  Zaid is defeated and killed.

·        132 A.H. Fall of Ummayyad regime

·        The message of Kerbala is transmitted down to the present day through the rest of the imams, to the twelfth imam and down to us, generation to generation, through the religious scholars that came after them.  Through the annual commemorations during the month of Muharram, the story is retold, and in doing so preserved and transmitted to the next generation.

Part One: Preliminaries

      Section 1

      Section 2

Part Two: Hussayn's stand at Kerbala

Part Three: Aftermath of Kerbala