down his beard, and he turned his face away from her.

After that, no one stepped forward to kill him until Shamir ibn Dhi al-Jawshan shouted, “Shame on you! What are you waiting for with this man? Kill him—may your mothers be bereaved of you!” The men then charged al-Husayn from every side. Zuraʿah ibn Sharik al-Tamimi struck him on his left shoulder, and another blow landed on his upper back; then they withdrew from him while he staggered and fell.

Sanan ibn Anas (1) al-Nakhaʿi came up, thrust his spear into him so that he collapsed, dismounted, slit his throat, and severed his head, after which he handed the head to Khawli ibn Yazid.

Some say that the one who killed him was Shamir ibn Dhi al-Jawshan. Others say it was a man from Madhhij. Still others claim it was ʿUmar ibn Saʿd ibn Abi Waqqas—but that is unfounded, for ʿUmar was only the commander of the detachment that killed al-Husayn. The first view is the most widely known.

[ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmmar said: I saw al-Husayn when they converged upon him; he would charge those on his right until they scattered (2) from around him—and those on his left until they scattered (3) from around him. By Allah, I have never seen a man so outnumbered (4)—his sons and companions already slain—whose heart was steadier and whose courage was keener. By Allah, I never saw the like of him before or after.

He continued: ʿUmar ibn Saʿd drew near al-Husayn, whereupon Zaynab cried out, “O ʿUmar! Will Abū ʿAbd Allah be killed while you merely look on?” He wept and turned his face away from her.

Abū Mikhnaf reported: Ṣaqʿab ibn Zuhayr related to me, from Humayd ibn Muslim, that al-Husayn would charge the men while saying, “Is it my killing that you are urging one another to accomplish (5)? By Allah, after me you will never slay a servant of Allah whose death will bring upon you greater wrath from Allah than mine. By Allah, I hope that Allah will honor me through your humiliation, and then He will take vengeance upon you from where you do not perceive. By Allah, when you have killed me, Allah will set you at each other’s throats and shed your blood, and He will not be pleased with that until He doubles for you the painful punishment.”

He added: Al-Husayn remained like that for a long part of the day; had the people wished to kill him (they would have done so, but each group shielded itself behind the others from bearing his blood, and these wanted those to spare them the burden of killing him) (6) until Shamir ibn Dhi al-Jawshan called out, “What are you waiting for to kill him?” Zuraʿah ibn Sharik al-Tamimi advanced and struck him on the shoulder with his sword; then Sanan ibn Anas ibn ʿAmr al-Nakhaʿi speared him, dismounted, severed his head, and handed it to Khawli (7).]