Imam Hussain prepared to meet his death. He knew exactly when and where he would be massacred along with was his family and companions. During his journey, he would constantly foretell of die betrayal that he would face. He even prepared to meet Al-Hurr ibn Yazid Al-Riyahi. One day at dusk, he told his family and companions to head to a nearby river and get more water than they usually would in anticipation of the encounter and the coming days of thirst in the desert of Karbala. Hurr, leading a battalion of the Umayyad army, met Imam Hussain in the vicinity of Kufa. After negotiating with Hurr, Imam Hussain conceded to lead his family and companions in a direction neither towards Kufa nor back towards Medina. There were a number of ways he could have headed that would have been ‘neither towards Kufa nor back towards Medina.’ But Imam Hussain chose to head north toward the land of Karbala, where Umayyad control was stronger. He did not back off into a territory where he may be able to evade Hurr’s battalion and delay the battle until he could gather more forces. Rather, he headed straight into enemy territory, giving no heed to Yazid or his army. Even then, he received a number of offers to change his path and head towards nearby towns or mountains where he may be able to fortify his forces. But he refused. All this proves that Imam Hussain’s stance was the culmination of a divine plan. Had it been otherwise, the Prophet would have commanded him not to set out on this journey. His father the Commander of the Faithful would have advised against it. But instead, they encouraged people to support him in his stance. And of what we know of Imam Hussain’s character, we must be certain that he would not have gone against their advice. Rather, they had encouraged him to set out on his journey and make his stance. It is even narrated that the Prophet had told him, “You have a status [reserved for you] that you will not attain except through martyrdom.”
Imam Ali's Vision of God: Deeper than Depth
