This site in Karbala marks the location where al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī met directly with ʿUmar ibn Saʿd, the commander of the opposing force, in the days before the…
This site in Karbala marks the location where al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī met directly with ʿUmar ibn Saʿd, the commander of the opposing force, in the days before the Battle of Karbala. It is known in Arabic tradition as maqām waqfat al-Ḥusayn maʿa Ibn Saʿd — the station of al-Ḥusayn's encounter with Ibn Saʿd. When al-Ḥusayn and his companions arrived at the plain of Karbala on the 2nd of Muḥarram 61 AH, they were soon encircled by a force of four thousand fighters that had arrived under the command of ʿUmar ibn Saʿd ibn Abī Waqqāṣ. Historical accounts record that ʿUmar ibn Saʿd had initially been reluctant to take on this mission and had requested to be excused from it, but was compelled under threat of losing his governorship of Rayy. Al-Ḥusayn requested a direct meeting with Ibn Saʿd. When they met, al-Ḥusayn set before him three propositions: that he be permitted to return to where he had come from; or that he be allowed to go to the frontier to engage in defence of the Muslim lands; or that he be taken directly to Yazīd so that the matter might be resolved between them without bloodshed. Ibn Saʿd found these terms reasonable and wrote to Ibn Ziyād in Kufa conveying al-Ḥusayn's offer, expressing hope that a peaceful resolution was within reach. The negotiations ultimately failed when Ibn Ziyād refused everything short of unconditional surrender. With the arrival of Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan on the afternoon of the 9th of Muḥarram bearing orders to force confrontation, all possibility of peace was closed. The site today is a marked devotional location within the sacred geography of Karbala, remembered as the place where al-Ḥusayn made his final attempts to avert what became one of the most consequential days in Islamic history.