The Revolution’s Process
Having refused to swear the oath of allegiance to Yazid, Imam al-Husayn (ﻉ) realized that his stay in Medina was becoming impossible, unsafe; therefore, he decided to bid farewell to it. Bidding his people and friends to get ready for the journey, he went at night to the tomb of his grandfather Prophet Muhammad (ﺹ).
Approaching the grave, he greeted him then said, “Assalamo Alaikom, O Messenger of Allah! I am the son of the beloved portion of your heart Fatima. Grandfather! You yourself had bequeathed to our Umma (nation) urging them to look after me and to take care of me, but they have neglected doing so and quite forgotten all of that.”
He spent the entire night at the tomb occupied in prayer the entire period, returning after daybreak. He did the same in the following night. One of his prayers in that second night was:
Allah! This is the resting-place of Your beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﺹ) and I am his grandson. You know well the present situation in which I am, and You know what is in the innermost of my heart. I invoke You, Lord, to keep me by the grace of this holy place firmly steadfast in my pursuit of whatever meets Your Pleasure and the Pleasure of Your Prophet.
At-Tabari, Abu Mikhnaf and many other historians record saying that Imam al-Husayn (ﻉ) saw his grandfather the Prophet (ﺹ) in his vision at the end of that same second night calling unto him thus:
Come to me, O Husayn! Come to me going by and passing through the torturous stage of martyrdom and claim the right position reserved for you. The Lord, Allah, will resurrect me, your parents, your elder brother ( al-Hassan ) and yourself at the same time and gather us all at the same place on the Day of Judgment.
Umm Salamah, the virtuous wife of Prophet Muhammad (ﺹ), hurried to Imam al-Husayn (ﻉ) as soon as she heard that he intended to depart from Medina. She said to him, “Son! How will I be able to bear your journey to Iraq? I have heard your grandfather (the Prophet [ﺹ]) saying, My son al-Husayn will be murdered on a tract of land people will call Karbala’’.’” “By Allah, mother,” Imam al-Husayn (ﻉ) answered, adding, “I know all that. I also know on what day I will be murdered, and the name of the man who will murder me. I know, too, the people who will inter my dead body and the members of my Ahl al-Bayt and friends who will meet their martyrdom along with me. If you desire, I will show you the exact spot of my grave.” On Rajab 28, 60 A.D./May 7, 680 A.D., Imam al-Husayn (ﻉ) left Medina for good accompanied by 21 male children in addition to the ladies.