al-Mushamʿil—the two men from the Asad tribe—said:
Al-Ḥusayn advanced, and when he halted at Sharaf (1) he told his servants in the pre-dawn darkness, “Draw plenty of water.” They did so, and he marched on until mid-morning. Presently al-Ḥusayn heard a man pronounce the takbīr. He asked, “Why did you exalt Allah aloud?” The man replied, “I saw palm-trees.” The two Asadis said to him, “No one has ever seen a palm-tree in this district.” Al-Ḥusayn asked, “Then what do you think he saw?” They answered, “Horsemen are approaching.” Al-Ḥusayn said, “Is there a rise we can put at our backs so that we face the enemy from a single direction?” They said, “Yes—Dhu Husam.” So he veered left toward it, dismounted there, and ordered that the tents be pitched.
A detachment—one thousand cavalry under al-Ḥurr ibn Yazīd al-Tamīmī, the vanguard sent by Ibn Ziyād—arrived and halted opposite him at the height of noon (2). Al-Ḥusayn and his companions had wrapped their turbans and girded on their swords. He directed his men to drink their fill, to water their horses, and even to water the horses of the opposing force.
He and others relate that when the time for Ẓuhr came in, al-Ḥusayn told al-Ḥajjāj ibn Masrūq al-Juʿfī to give the adhān. Al-Ḥusayn then emerged wearing an izār and a ridāʾ, with sandals on his feet, and addressed the gathered people—both his own followers and his foes—explaining that he had come only because the people of Kufah had written to him, saying they lacked an imam and would pledge allegiance to him and fight at his side if he arrived. When the iqāmah was pronounced, al-Ḥusayn said to al-Ḥurr, “Do you wish to lead your men in prayer?” He replied, “No; you lead and we will pray behind you.” Al-Ḥusayn led them, then returned to his tent where his companions gathered around him, while al-Ḥurr withdrew to his troops, each side remaining alert. When the time for ʿAṣr came, al-Ḥusayn again led them in prayer; afterwards he addressed them, urging them to listen to him and obey, and to repudiate the pretenders who persisted in tyranny.
Al-Ḥurr said, “We do not know anything about these letters or who wrote them.” Al-Ḥusayn produced two satchels stuffed with letters, scattered them before him, and read out a number of them. Al-Ḥurr replied, “We are not among those who wrote to you (3); we have been ordered—once we meet you—not to leave you until we hand you over to ʿUbayd Allah ibn Ziyād.” Al-Ḥusayn retorted, “Death is nearer to you than that.”
He then said to his followers, “Mount!” They mounted, and so did the women. When he tried to move off, the troops blocked his way. Al-Ḥusayn said to al-Ḥurr, “May your mother be bereft of you! What do you want?” Al-Ḥurr replied, “By Allah, had anyone else among the Arabs, in circumstances such as yours, said that to me, I would have taken my due from him and would not have spared mention of his mother. But as for your mother, I can speak of her only in the best terms we know.” The two sides then exchanged sharp words.