Martyrs of Karbala (Arabic: شهداء كربلاء) are those who were martyred on Muharram 10th (‘Ashura’), 61/ October 10, 680, in Karbala by Umar b. Sa’d’s army. Martyrs of Karbala include Imam al-Husayn (a), some members of Banu Hashim (Hashemites) and some of his companions. The exact number of martyrs of Karbala is unknown; however according to what is reported by majority of historians they were seventy-two. Some martyrs are mentioned in all of the books, in which the event of Karbala is narrated, but some are only mentioned in some sources. eighteen martyrs are from Banu Hashim (Hashimites) and the rest are Imam al-Husayn’s companions. al-Abbas b. Ali and Ali al-Akbar, Imam al-Husayn’s son, are the best known martyrs of Banu Hashim and al-Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi, Habib b. Muzahir and Muslim b. Awsaja al-Asadi are the famous martyrs among Imam’s companions. Except for Hurr b. Yazid, all the martyrs were buried in Karbala.
Number of Martyrs
There are different reports about the number of the martyrs of Karbala in sources. However, in most of them they were counted seventy-two, eighteen of which were from Banu Hashim (Hashemites) and the rest were from other tribes. They were divided into thirty-four cavalry and forty infantry. In al-Irsahd, al-Shaykh al-Mufid reported that the heads of martyrs of Karbala were seventy-two. Reporting the same number of heads, al-Baladhuri added that Abu Mikhnaf narrated the number of heads which was brought by each tribe to Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad: thirteen heads were brought by the tribe of Kinda led by Qays b. al-Ash’ath, twenty heads by Hawazin led by Shimr b. Dhi l-Jawshan, seventeen heads by Banu Tamim, sixteen heads by Banu Asad, seven heads by Madhhij and nine heads by Qays (totally eighty-two heads).
Some other sources have reported different numbers:
- Al-Mas’udi: All people who were killed along with Husayn (a) on the day of Ashura’ in Karbala were eighty-seven.
- Al-Sayyid b. Tawus: it is narrated that the companions of Imam al-Husayn (a) were seventy-eight people, seventy-nine with Imam (a).
- Muhammad Baqir al-Majlisi has narrated from Muhammad b. Abi Talib that they were eighty-two.
- It is also reported from Imam al-Baqir (a) that the martyrs of Karbala were forty-five cavalry and one hundred infantries.
Martyrs of Banu Hashim
According to the most famous narration, eighteen individuals from Banu Hashim were martyred including Imam al-Husayn (a) in Karbala.
Children of Imam Ali (a)
- Al-Abbas
- Abd Allah
- Uthman
- Ja’far
- Abu Bakr
- Muhammad
Children of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba (a)
- Al-Qasim
- Abu Bakr
- ‘Abd Allah
- Umar
Children of Imam al-Husayn (a)
- Ali known as Ali al-Akbar
- Abd Allah known as Ali al-Asghar
Others
- Ja’far b. Aqil
- Abd al-Rahman b. Aqil
- Abd Allah b. Aqil
- Muhammad b. Abi Sa’id b. Aqil
- Abd Allah b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
- Awn b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
Rare Reports
The name of 42 members of Banu Hashim was mentioned just in some of references:
- Ibrahim b. Ali
- Al-Abbas al-Asghar b. Ali
- Ja’far b. Ali
- Abd Allah al-Akbar b. Ali
- Abd Allah al-Asghar b. Ali
- Ubayd Allah b. Ali
- Umar b. Ali
- Atiq b. Ali
- Al-Qasim b. Ali
- Bishr b. al-Hasan
- Umar b. al-Hasan
- Abu Bakr b. al-Husayn
- Abu Bakr b. al-Qasim b. al-Husayn
- Ibrahim b. al-Husayn
- Ja’far b. al-Husayn
- Hamza b. al-Husayn
- Zayd b. al-Husayn
- Al-Qasim b. al-Husayn
- Muhammad b. al-Husayn
- Umar b. al-Husayn
- Muhammad b. Aqil
- Muhammad b. Abd Allah b. Aqil
- Hamza b. Aqil
- Ali b. Aqil
- Awn b. Aqil
- Ja’far b. Muhammad b. Aqil
- Abu Sa’id b. Aqil
- Ibrahim b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Muhammad b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Abd al-Rahman b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Ubayd Allah b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Abu Abd Allah b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Ali b. Muslim b. Aqil
- Ibrahim b. Ja’far
- Muhammad b. Ja’far
- Awn b. Ja’far b. Ja’far
- Abu Bakr b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
- Awn al-Asghar b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
- Al-Husayn b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
- Ubayd Allah b. Abd Allah b. Ja’far
- Muhammad b. al-Abbas
- Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Hashimi
Martyrs of Companions
Imam al-Husayn (a):
I do not know any companion better and more loyal than my companions …
Al-Shaykh al-Mufid, al-Irshad
Sahaba
- Anas b. al-Harith
- Abd al-Rahman b. Abd Rabb al-Ansari
- Muslim b. Awsaja al-Asadi
- Ammar b. Abi Salama al-Dalani
Companions of Imam Ali
- Abu Thumama al-Sa’idi
- Habib b. Muzahir
- Zahir, Amr b. Hamiq’s slave
- Ammar b. Abi Salama al-Dalani
- Sa’d b. al-Harith al-Khuza’i
- Abd Allah b. Umayr al-Kalbi
- Kardus b. Zuhayr
- Nafi’ b. Hilal al-Bajali
Others
- Ibrahim b. al-Husayn al-Asadi
- Hudhayfa b. Asid al-Ghifari’s nephew (the son of his brother)
- Abu Hayaj
- Adham b. Umayya
- Anis b. Ma’qil al-Asbahi
- Burayr b. Khudayr al-Hamdani
- Bashir b. Amr al-Hadrami
- Jabir b. al-Hajjaj
- Jabala b. Ali al-Shaybani
- Junada b. al-Harith
- Jundab b. Hujayr
- Jawn b. Huwayy (Abu Dhar’s slave)
- Juwayn b. Malik
- Al-Harith b. Imru’ al-Qays
- Al-Harith b. Nahban
- Hamza b. Abd al-Muttalib’s slave
- Abu l-Hutuf b. al-Harth
- Al-Hajjaj b. Zayd
- Al-Hajjaj b. Masruq
- Al-Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi
- Al-Hallas b. Amr
- Nu’man b. Amr
- Hanzala b. As’ad
- Rafi’
- Rumayth b. Amr
- Zuhayr b. Bishr al-Khath’ami
- Zuhayr b. Sulaym al-Azdi
- Zuhayr b. al-Qayn al-Bajali
- Zayd b. Ma’qil
- Salim b. Amr
- Sa’d b. Hanzala al-Tamimi
- Sa’id b. Abd Allah al-Hanafi
- Sa’id b. Kardam
- Sulayman b. Razin (Imam al-Husayn’s slave)
- Sulayman b. Rabi’a
- Sawwar b. Abi Himyar
- Suwayd b. Amr b. Abi Muta’
- Sayf b. al-Harith al-Jabiri
- Shabib b. Abd Allah al-Nahshali
- Sayf b. Malik
- Darghama b. Malik
- Shawdhab
- Dubab b. Amir
- Abis b. Abi Shabib al-Shakiri
- Amir b. Muslim
- Salim (Amir b. Muslim’s slave)
- Abbad b. Abi l-Muhajir
- Abd al-Rahman b. Abd Allah al-Arhabi
- Abd Allah b. Qays al-Ghifari
- Abd al-Rahman b. Qays al-Ghifari
- Uqba b. Salt
- Ammar b. Hassan al-Ta’i
- Umran b. Ka’b
- Umar b. Ahduth al-Hadrami
- Amr b. Khalid al-Saydawi
- Sa’d b. Abd Allah al-Kufi, (Amr b. Khalid al-Saydawi’s slave)
- Amr b. Khalid al-Azdi
- Khalid b. Amr al-Azdi
- Amr b. Dubay’a
- Amr b. Abd Allah al-Junda’i
- Amr b. Qaraza al-Ansari
- Imam al-Husayn’s turk slave
- Qarib b. Abd Allah (Imam al-Husayn’s slave)
- Al-Qasim b. Habib al-Azdi
- Qa’nab b. Amr al-Namiri
- Kinana b. Atiq
- Malik b. Abd Allah b. Sari’ al-Jabiri
- Mujammi’ b. Ziyad
- Mujammi’ b. Abd Allah al-A’idhi
- Mujammi’ b. Abd Allah al-A’idhi’s son
- Mas’ud b. al-Hajjaj
- Abd al-Rahman b. Mas’ud
- Muslim b. Kathir
- Munjih (Imam al-Husayn’s slave)
- Na’im b. al-Ajlan
- Hafhaf b. Muhannad al-Rasibi
- Hammam b. Salama al-Qanisi
- Wahb b. Wahb
- Yahya b. Sulaym al-Mazini
- Yazid b. Ziyad b. Muhasir
- Yazid b. Thubayt al-Abdi
- Abd Allah b. Yazid b. Thubayt al-Abdi
- Ubayd Allah b. Yazid b. Thubayt al-Abdi
Manner and Place of Burial
Muharram 11th or 13th of 61 AH/ October 11 or 13, 680; is mentioned as the time when the martyrs of Karbala were buried. According to some reports, after Ibn Sa’d and his soldiers returned, a group of people from Banu Asad who lived near Karbala, went to the battlefield and at a time of night, when they were safe from the enemies, prayed upon the bodies of Imam al-Husayn (a) and his companions and then buried them.
Most of the martyrs are buried in the collective grave of the martyrs of Karbala, below the grave of Imam al-Husayn (a). Ali al-Akbar (a) is buried below the feet of Imam (a) and Ali al-Asghar (a), according to the more famous report, is buried beside Imam (a). The shrine of al-Abbas b. Ali (a) is near Alqama Creek and the shrine of al-Hurr b. Yazid al-Riyahi is in the outskirt of the city of Karbala.
