What can be a greater impact of the incident of Kerbala than the fact that
it created differences amongst Bani Umayyah and granted spiritual and
moral strength to the incident?
Let us take the example of Ibne Ziyad who
was famous for his stone-heartedness. His brother Uthman bin Ziyad told
him:
“I wish that entire progeny of Ziyad gets involved in poverty,
disgrace and misfortune but does not get defamed because of this
crime.”
Ibne Ziyad’s mother, Marjana was an unchaste woman. However, when
her son committed this crime, she said:
“O son! What have you done? Remember, you would not be able to
even smell the fragrance of Paradise.”
Marwan bin Hakam, the evil-minded one forever, had a brother named
Yahya bin Hakam. It is narrated that he got up from his place in the court
of Yazid and condemned Yazid saying, “Wow Yazid! The progeny of
Sumayya (children of Ziyad’s mother) and daughters of Sumayya are
worthy of honor in your view, but you are treating the progeny of the
Holy Prophet (s.a.w.s.) in this manner and making them stand like this
(Damaus Sujum, Pg. 230)
Yazid’s wife, Hinda. She came out of
her house and went to the court and condemned Yazid so much that he
denied having killed Husain and confessed that he was not pleased with
this incident and that this act was committed by Ubaidullah Ibne Ziyad.6
Eventually, Yazid ruled for the next two or three years somehow and
departed for hell at last. His son, Muawiyah bin Yazid was his heir-
apparent. And Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan had tried all means for these
circumstances. He mounted the pulpit forty days after the death of Yazid
and said:
“O people! My grandfather Muawiyah fought with Ali bin Abi Talib
(a.s.) even though he was not on the right path. Instead Ali was on
the right path. Then my father, Yazid fought with Husain bin Ali
even though my father was not on the right path and Husain was
on the right path. Hence I condemn my father and I want to inform
you that I consider myself worthy of this caliphate. I don’t want to
get involved in sins like my father and grandfather. Thus I leave the
post of caliph.”
Saying this, he came down from the pulpit.
Thus, it can be said that this was the result of strength of blood of
Husain (a.s.) and the power of truth which influenced the friends as well
as the enemies.
Hayatul Haiwan al-Kubra, Vol. 1, Pg. 16.