Battle in October 680 between the army of Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad and al-Husayn ibn Ali
The battle catalyzed the formation of Shia Islam as a distinct sect and remains the central event in Shia religious identity and practice.
Key Facts
- Date
- 10 October 680 (10 Muharram 61 AH)
- Husayn's force size
- approximately 70 men
- Initial Umayyad intercept force
- 1,000 soldiers
- Final Umayyad army size
- 4,000 soldiers
- Annual commemoration
- Day of Ashura, 10th of Muharram
- Outcome for Husayn
- Killed along with most relatives and companions
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Upon the death of Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya I in 680, his son Yazid I demanded allegiance from prominent dissidents including Husayn ibn Ali. Husayn refused to submit, and the people of Kufa invited him to lead an overthrow of Umayyad rule. He departed for Kufa with a small retinue, but was intercepted by Umayyad forces and forced to encamp at the plain of Karbala after negotiations with governor Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad collapsed.
On 10 October 680, Umayyad forces numbering around 4,000 engaged Husayn's force of approximately 70 fighters at Karbala. Husayn rejected the governor's condition of unconditional submission, and battle commenced. Husayn was killed along with most of his male relatives and companions; surviving family members were taken prisoner and transported to the Umayyad court.
The battle triggered the Second Fitna, prompting two Iraqi avenging campaigns — by the Tawwabin and by Mukhtar al-Thaqafi. More broadly, it galvanized the Shi'at Ali into a distinct religious sect with its own theology, rituals, and collective memory. Husayn's martyrdom became a defining symbol of sacrifice against injustice, commemorated annually by Shia Muslims on the Day of Ashura.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Husayn ibn Ali.
Side B
1 belligerent
Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad, Yazid I.