Richard Kroes

Published by: Karwansaray BV

JUN 2016

Abstract

In AD 680, near Karbala in present day Iraq, a skirmish took place between two Arab armies. Even though it resulted in the death of only 72 warriors on the losing side, one of their number was the prophet’s grandson, Hussain, which makes this relatively small battle still relevant for today’s Islamic world: it marks the beginning of the rift between Sunnites and Shi’ites. Unfortunately, only a few facts can be established with any certainty. To establish the those facts and understand why the death of Hussain had such an impact, we must first understand the events leading up to this skirmish.