Internal wars · 680

Battle of Karbala

On 10 Muharram 61 AH, Husayn, the Prophet's grandson, was killed with about seventy members of his family and supporters after refusing allegiance to Yazid. The day is still mourned across the Muslim world.

The site of the battle on the 750 map. Shaded: Umayyad Caliphate at its peak.

Key facts

When: 680
Where: Karbala, Iraq
Sides: Husayn ibn Ali vs Umayyad army
Commanders: Husayn ibn Ali vs Umar ibn Sa'd, sent by Ubayd Allah ibn Ziyad
Result: Husayn and his companions martyred
Type: Internal wars
Chapter: 2. The Umayyads

Who led it

Husayn ibn Ali626 to 680
The Prophet's grandson, son of Ali and Fatima.

The wider picture: The Umayyads of Damascus

Muawiya ruled from Damascus and named his son Yazid as heir, the first time the caliphate passed from father to son. Karbala followed in 680. Then came the largest expansion in Islamic history: Spain in 711, Sindh in 712 and Central Asia up to the Syr Darya.

See the 750 map Read chapter 2

More internal wars battles

All 10 internal wars of the early caliphates battles · Battle explorer

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