that, whereupon Ibn Ziyad said to him, “If you wish, I will excuse you and remove you from the governorship of these lands for which I have appointed you.”
He answered, “Give me time to think about my situation.” Whenever he consulted anyone, that person urged him not to march against al-Husayn. Even his nephew, Ḥamzah ibn al-Mughīrah ibn Shuʿbah, said to him, “Beware of setting out against al-Husayn, for in doing so you would disobey your Lord and sever the bond of kinship. By Allah, to be stripped of authority over the whole earth is better for you than to meet Allah with al-Husayn’s blood on your hands.” He replied, “I shall comply, God willing.”
Nevertheless, ʿUbayd Allah ibn Ziyad threatened and intimidated him with dismissal and death, so he marched toward al-Husayn and confronted him at the place we have already mentioned. He then sent envoys to al-Husayn, asking, “What has brought you here?”
Al-Husayn replied, “The people of Kufah wrote to me, inviting me to come to them. Since they now dislike my presence, I shall return to Mecca and leave you in peace.”
When ʿUmar ibn Saʿd heard this he said, “I hope Allah will spare me from fighting him,” and he wrote to Ibn Ziyad accordingly. Ibn Ziyad wrote back: “Block their access to the water, just as was done to the pious, pure, and wronged Commander of the Believers ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān. Offer al-Husayn the opportunity—he and those with him—to pledge allegiance to the Commander of the Believers Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah; if they do so, we shall then decide what to do.”
Thus the troops of ʿUmar ibn Saʿd prevented al-Husayn’s men from reaching the water. A detachment commanded by ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥajjāj stood guard, whereupon al-Husayn invoked against them (1) a curse of thirst; that man subsequently died of unbearable thirst.
Later al-Husayn requested that ʿUmar ibn Saʿd meet him between the two camps. Each came with about twenty horsemen, and they spoke at length until a good part (2) of the night had passed. No one knew exactly what they said, but some people thought al-Husayn had asked him to travel with him to Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiyah in Syria, leaving the two armies where they were.
ʿUmar said, “In that case Ibn Ziyad will demolish my house.”
Al-Husayn replied, “I will rebuild it for you, better than it was.”
He said, “Then he will confiscate my estates.”
Al-Husayn answered, “I will give you better estates from my property in the Ḥijāz.” Even so, ʿUmar ibn Saʿd recoiled from the proposal.
Some reported instead that al-Husayn offered him one of three options: that they both go to Yazīd, that he be allowed to return to the Ḥijāz, or that he be permitted to go to one of the frontier posts and fight the Turks. ʿUmar wrote to ʿUbayd Allah about this and received the reply, “Yes, I accept that.”
Then Shimr ibn Dhī al-Jawshan stood up and said, “No, by Allah! He and his companions must submit unconditionally to your authority.” He went on, “By Allah, I have learned that al-Husayn and ʿUmar ibn Saʿd sit together between the two camps and converse for most of the night.” Ibn Ziyad said to him, “Your view is excellent.”
Abu Mikhnaf relates: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Jandab told me, on the authority of ʿUqbah ibn Simʿān, “I accompanied al-Husayn from Mecca until he was killed, and by Allah I heard every word he uttered in every place. He never asked to go to Yazīd and place his hand in his, nor to go to any frontier post. Rather, he requested one of two things: either to return to the place from which he had come, or to be allowed to travel freely through the wide land until it became clear how people would settle their affairs.” (3)