Husayn ibn Ali
الحسين بن علي
c. January 626 CE · c. Rabi' I 4 AH – 10 October 680 CE · 10 Muharram 61 AH
Younger grandson of the Prophet through Fatima and Ali; killed at Karbala in 680 CE after refusing allegiance to Yazid I, an event of lasting significance especially in Shia tradition.
At a glance
- Roles
- Companion
- Counted among
- Sunni · Shia (Twelver)
- Era
- The Prophetic Era · The Rashidun Caliphate · The Umayyad Period
- Region
- Arabia · Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 2/5 · Help complete it
In time
In space
Map: Natural Earth, public domain · places and route from the graph
Sects and schoolsCivil wars and revoltsHealth, body and death
Place in the story
- Family of the ProphetTradition
- RebeltowardUmayyad Caliphate · 680 CE · 60 AH†Debated
- Martyr (as regarded) · 10 October 680 CE · 10 Muharram 61 AH†Tradition
Sunni (transmitted)
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Brief
Husayn was the younger grandson of the Prophet, son of Fatima bint Muhammad and Ali ibn Abi Talib. In 680 CE he refused allegiance to the caliph Yazid I and was killed with his family and companions at Karbala — an event whose religious meaning, especially in Shia devotion, far outweighs its military size.
Life
Born in Medina about January 626 CE 1, Husayn grew up in the Prophet's household and was remembered in tradition as resembling him.
When Muawiya died in 680 and his son Yazid was installed — the first hereditary succession in the caliphate — Husayn refused the oath of allegiance 2. Invited by the people of Kufa, who promised support, he set out for Iraq with a small band of family and followers. Umayyad forces intercepted them at Karbala and, on 10 Muharram 61 AH (10 October 680 CE), killed Husayn and nearly all the men of the party; the women and children, including his sister Zaynab bint Ali, were taken captive 4.
Legacy
Karbala became the archetype of martyrdom in Islam — a story every generation retells, in every language, to argue about justice, power and what a single life can refuse.
For young visitors
Husayn was offered safety if he accepted a ruler he believed was unjust. He refused, and died for it. Every year, millions of people still remember his choice.
Opinions on the question
The question: How is Husayn ibn Ali's rising and his killing at Karbala understood?
First opinion · Sunni tradition (the museum's frame)Main reference
More opinions (2)
Academic viewSecondary opinion
Twelver Shia viewOther opinion
Connections
- Sibling of
- Hasan ibn AliZaynab bint Ali
- Born in
- Medina
- Died in
- Karbala
- Buried in
- Karbala
- Child of
- Ali ibn Abi TalibFatima bint Muhammad
- Member of
- Ahl al-BaytBanu Hashim
- Participated in
- The killing of Husayn at KarbalaThe delegation of Najran
People and things also explored
Hasan ibn AliFatima bint MuhammadZaynab bint AliAhl al-BaytAli ibn Abi TalibMuhammadThe delegation of NajranBanu Hashim
Sources
- Ibn Sa'd, Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir (Bewley translation, Ta-Ha)
- Madelung, The Succession to Muhammad (1997)
- Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam (1985)
- Watt, Muhammad at Medina (1956)
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Husayn ibn Ali”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/husayn-ibn-ali/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.