# Who was really responsible for the killing of Husayn at Karbala?

*Who was to blame for Karbala: the Shia who invited Husayn, Ibn Ziyad, then Yazid*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/iabl5vis3rg/s/17/
- Date: 2020-10-16 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Karbala & it's precursors | Mufti Abu Layth (1:00:00–1:01:53)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaBL5ViS3Rg&t=3600s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/iabl5vis3rg/

**Topics:** Karbala

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth blames first the Shia who invited Husayn, then Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad as the active agent, and Yazid as the passive one.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says he feels responsibility for Karbala was shared, but that in order the real culprits were first the Shia who invited Husayn, then Ibn Ziyad as the active element, and Yazid as the passive element.

**Evidence, his words at 1:00:22:** “I feel the real culprits were seriously were the Shia that invited Hussein. I feel that they were the real culprits who who were kind of like ignored later on.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaBL5ViS3Rg&t=3622s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says he feels responsibility for Karbala was collective, a joint venture, but that in order the real culprits were the Shia of Ali who invited Husayn, whose part he says was later forgotten, and who were indirectly responsible for the deaths. Second he puts Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad, the main active element from the side of rule, and third Yazid, the passive element. He adds that had Husayn not gone and instead stayed with Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, they might have established something powerful that changed history, but that it was what it was.

## Sources and names cited

- Karbala
- Husayn ibn Ali
- Ubaydullah ibn Ziyad
- Yazid ibn Mu'awiya
- Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr
- Shia

## Transcript (machine tier, 1:00:00–1:01:53)

[59:29] it never happened but I I can believe it. I can believe it. Although I don't think he had much he had any remorse for it happening. See, there's a difference. Like I don't really give a like somebody does something, I don't give a damn. But yeah, maybe if I was doing it, I wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't have gone that whole way, but they did it. I don't really care. And I think that was his approach. And he died shortly after and yeah, so that's my take on the whole Karbala thing.

[59:59] Um I do feel that the real culprits Honestly, I feel that you know the real culprits. Like I feel there's a collective. But that they are all it's like a joint venture. They're all responsible at the top level, but there's in what order?

[1:00:22] I feel the real culprits were seriously were the Shia that invited Hussein. I feel that they were the real culprits who who were kind of like ignored later on. Like people kind of forgot about that. But they were the real people that were kind of responsible for the deaths of all these people indirectly.

[1:00:49] The second in in order I would put Obaid. He was from the rule ruling angle, he was the main active element. And Yazid was like the passive element. So that's how I would put them in one, two, three. I'd put them all as responsible for the tragedy. But I'd put them in that order that the first most responsible were actually the Shia.

[1:01:17] Uh Shia to Ali, the Shia that invited Hussein. And I In many ways, if Hussein had not gone, maybe the kingdom if he did manage to establish if he had stayed with Abdullah ibn Zubair they could have maybe established something incredibly powerful that may have even changed history. But I suppose it was what it was and you know in the words of the poet that

[1:01:52] that if it is destiny, I guess. And it was what it was. It's happened now. So I hope that gives an overall coverage of my take. But I do feel that there's it's not you know, this I don't agree with commemorating mourning the death. Uh and I definitely I want to add here I don't I condemn if people are using the mourning of Hussein as an excuse to curse and to push an agenda of like let's say Shia Islam to say well, let's curse all

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment iaBL5ViS3Rg/s/17. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/iabl5vis3rg/s/17/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.