of Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him.’ He stepped toward her, steering her back to the women, but she tugged at his cloak and said, ‘Let me stay with you.’ Al-Husayn called out, ‘Return to the women and sit with them, for combat is not required of women.’ So she withdrew to them.⦗1⦘

He (the narrator) said: That day single combat became frequent between the two camps, and victory in those encounters belonged to al-Husayn’s men because of their valor; they were intent on dying, with no refuge save their swords. Some of the commanders therefore advised ʿUmar ibn Saʿd to forbid further duels. ʿAmr ibn al-Ḥajjāj—commander of the right wing of Ibn Ziyad’s army—charged forward, shouting, ‘Fight those who have reneged on the religion and abandoned the community!’

Al-Husayn replied, ‘Woe to you, Ibn al-Ḥajjāj! Are you urging the people against me? Have we deserted the religion while you remain upon it? You will know, once our souls depart our bodies, who is worthier of the blaze of Hell-fire.’

In that assault Muslim ibn ʿAwsajah was slain—the first of al-Husayn’s companions to be killed. Al-Husayn walked over to him, invoked mercy upon him, and he was at his last breath. Ḥabīb ibn Muẓāhir said to him, ‘Rejoice in Paradise.’ He answered in a faint voice, ‘May Allah give you good news.’ Ḥabīb added, ‘Were I not certain that I shall soon follow you, I would have carried out whatever last wishes you entrusted to me.’ Muslim ibn ʿAwsajah said, ‘I charge you concerning him’—and he gestured toward al-Husayn—‘that you die defending him.’

They relate that Shimr ibn Dhi l-Jawshan then attacked with the left wing, heading toward al-Husayn, but the horsemen among his followers protected him with fierce resistance, fighting before him with great determination. The enemy sent to ʿUmar ibn Saʿd asking for a detachment of foot archers; he dispatched about five hundred. They began shooting at the horses of al-Husayn’s men until they had crippled them all, leaving every one of them to fight on foot.

When they hamstrung the horse of al-Ḥurr ibn Yazīd, he dismounted with his sword in hand like a lion and cried:

‘If you lame my mount, know that I am the son of al-Ḥurr—
Braver than the shaggy-maned, fearsome lion.’⦗2⦘

It is said that ʿUmar ibn Saʿd ordered the tents that blocked the field of battle for anyone who approached them to be dismantled, but al-Husayn’s men killed anyone who attempted it, so he commanded that they be set on fire. Al-Husayn said, ‘Let them burn them; once they are ablaze they will not be able to cross through.’

Shimr ibn Dhi l-Jawshan—may Allah disfigure him—came to al-Husayn’s pavilion, thrust his spear into it and said, ‘Bring me fire so I may burn it with everyone inside!’ The women screamed and fled, and al-Husayn said to him, ‘May Allah burn you with fire!’ Shabath ibn Ribʿī approached Shimr—may Allah disfigure him—and said, ‘I have never seen anything uglier than your words, your deed, and your stance. Do you wish to terrorize the women?’ Shimr felt ashamed and turned to withdraw.

Ḥumayd ibn Muslim said, ‘I said to Shimr, “Glory be to Allah! This is not fitting for you. Do you want to bring upon yourself two crimes: to suffer Allah’s punishment and to kill children and women?”’