If Imam Husayn raDyAllahu 'anhu would have wanted he definitely could have made rivers full of prestine water to gush out from barren karbala, and 'Iraq could have been the most fertile land on earth. He chose martyrdom as HabeebAllah chose milk salAllaho 'alayhi wa alihi wa salam. The Aal al-Bayt are the highest of the Awliya Allah. They are given the most tests. For example, at the present moment, the hardships that the Habaib of Yemen and Hijaz face is unimaginable. No one knows how much burden of this ummah they carry on their shoulders. If you look at the eyes of Habib 'Umar, and see the way he gives his dars to people, you will know how much fikr he has for us, this ummah, everybody. So gentle is he, so captivating his voice is, his presence, his eyes, his concern, like a concerned father has for his child. This is the blood of RasulAllah salAllaho 'alayhi wa alihi wa salam. Only now do I understand when the Shadhilis say in their qasidas 'the love of the ahl al-bayt is farD among us!'
though karbala is the most famous event about the martyrdom of ahlu'l bayt, there were incidents before it involving martyrs of ahlu'l bayt. the first grandson of the prophet sallAllahu 'alaihi wasallam to be martyred was actually sayyidina 'ali zaynabi, son of sayyida zaynab radiyAllahu ta'ala anha. this was the same 'ali who rode with the prophet sallAllahu 'alaihi wasallam when he first came to madina. imam hasan radiyAllahu ta'ala anhu was also martyred and his 'urs is on 28th safar. sayyidina ameer hamza radiyAllahu ta'ala anhu was martyred at uhud and before the prophet sallAllahu 'alaihi wasallam; sayyidina ismayil 'alaihis salam and sayyidina abdullah radiyAllahu ta'ala anhu both agreed to give their lives but were saved. so, imam husain radiyAllahu 'alaihi wasallam was more than prepared for shahadat. he wasn't scared because since childhood, he had heard stories of the bravery of ahlu'l bayt and was a warrior himself. sacrifice was the norm in the prophetic household. some people make it seem like husain radiyAllahu ta'ala anhu would rather not have been there and water supply was cut off to them. we, ahlu's sunnah, accept that they were oppressed but this is what the prophetic household is nurtured for. they are ready to lay down their lives for islam and if the imam wanted, he could have struck the ground for water to gush forth but patience is their characteristic. he was the son of 'ali and fatima and one who rode on the shoulders of mustafa sallAllahu 'alaihi wasallam. his whole upbringing geared him up for such tribulations. so i don't think people should make them look so weak. rather, we should celebrate his bravery and that of all the martyrs of karbala. interestingly, amongst them were people called abu bakr, umar and uthman. shah ast husain badshah ast husain deen ast husain deen panaah ast husain sardad na daad dast ke dar dast e yazeed haqqa ke banaye la ilah ast husain
