The Events of Karbala – Texts from the Books of History

The Events of Karbala gathers what the classical Sunni historians recorded about the martyrdom of Imam al-Husayn. Its author, Prof. Dr 'Alawi ibn Hamid ibn Muhammad ibn Shihab al-Din, a professor of hadith at the University of Seiyun and director of the Dar al-Hadith Institute in Tarim, lets the sources speak, quoting authorities such as Ibn Sa'd, al-Baladhuri, Ibn al-Athir, al-Dhahabi, Ibn Kathir and Ibn Hajar.

The chapters move from al-Husayn's virtues and the causes behind his killing to the battle itself, his martyrdom, the carrying of his head to Damascus, biographies of selected martyrs and the fate of his killers. Appendices collect reports of the signs that followed his death, poetry and elegies on Karbala, and narrations about those who opposed him, and the translator adds a long epilogue on the aftermath of Karbala.

It suits readers who want the Karbala narrative as preserved in mainstream Sunni historiography, and those interested in common ground between Muslim schools. Translated by Rizwana Sayed. Published by Sakina, UK, 2026.