Tabari recounts that Imam al-Husayn (as) publicly addressed the people, “Do you know what Ibn Zubayr says?” The people said, “No, we don’t know. May Allah sacrifice us for you!” Imam al-Husayn (as) said, “Ibn Zubayr says, ‘Stay in this mosque. I will gather a group of fighters for you’.”
Then the Imam (as) said, “I swear upon Allah! It is better for me to be killed an inch outside Mecca than to be killed an inch inside it. I swear upon Allah! Even if I hide and seek refuge in caves, they will never rest until they pull me out and do to me what they have already decided to do.”19
We can conclude from this historical information that Imam al-Husayn (as) was aware of Bani Umayyah’s malicious intentions. He knew that the government headed by Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah had no other objective but to kill him.
Then the Imam (as) said, “I swear upon Allah! It is better for me to be killed an inch outside Mecca than to be killed an inch inside it. I swear upon Allah! Even if I hide and seek refuge in caves, they will never rest until they pull me out and do to me what they have already decided to do.”19
We can conclude from this historical information that Imam al-Husayn (as) was aware of Bani Umayyah’s malicious intentions. He knew that the government headed by Yazid ibn Mu‘awiyah had no other objective but to kill him.
Notes:
19. Tarikh Tabari, vol. 4, p. 289; Ibn Athir, Al-Kamil fi al-Tarikh, vol. 3, p. 276.