battle of karbala'

English - English

Definition of battle of karbala' in English English dictionary

(Oct. 10, 680) Brief engagement in which an Ummayad army sent by Yazd I killed al-Husayn ibn Al and a small group of his family and followers. Al-usayn, a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was on his way to Al-Kfah, where he had been invited to press his claim to the caliphate, when he and his party were attacked and killed near the town of Karbal, Iraq. Most Shites regard the anniversary of the battle as a holy day of mourning, and on that day they ritually reenact al-usayn's death; his tomb in Karbal is likewise considered a place of great sanctity. See also Al; fitnah; Muwiyah I

Hyphenation

bat·tle of karbala'