Editing Battle of Karbala (section)

== In Mecca ==
For nearly four months, Imam Hussain stayed in Mecca in refuge. This news spread throughout the Islamic world. On the one hand many people who were tired of the iniquities of Mu'awiya's rule and were even more dissatisfied when Yazid became caliph, corresponded with Imam Hussain and expressed their sympathy for him. On the other hand, a flood of letters began to flow, especially from Iraq and particularly the city of [[Kufa]], inviting the Imam to go to Iraq and accept the leadership of the populace there with the aim of beginning an uprising to overcome injustice and iniquity.

Kufans informed Imam Hussain that they did not attend the Friday prayer with Mu’awiya’s governor [[Noʿman b. Bashir Ansari]] and would drive him out of the town as soon as Imam agreed to come to them. They sent him in short order seven messages with bags of letters of support by Kufan warriors and tribal leaders. The first two of them arrived in Mecca on 10 Ramazan 60/13 June 680. To evaluate the situation, imam sent his cousin [[Muslim b. Aqil b. Abi Talib|Muslim b. Aqil]] to Kufa.

==== Muslim b. Aqil in Kufa ====
Muslim’s mission was to measure the extent of Kufan support for the Prophet’s grandson. He set off from Mecca on 15 Ramazan 60/19 June 680 in the company of a number of Kufans who had come to al-Hussain with messages of support. On 5 Shawwal 60/9 July 680 Muslim reached Kufa and stayed at the house of al-Mukhtar b. Abi Ubayd al-Thaqafi, later known as Dar Salim (or Salm or Muslim) b. al-Musayyab. Other accounts maintain that Muslim proceeded first to the house of Muslim b. Awsaja al-Asadi.

In his place of hiding, he received the oath of allegiance on behalf of al-Hussain; the number of men who gave the oath is reported between 12,000 and over 30,000. Muslim, encouraged by this response, sent a letter to al-Hussain urging him to come. When Yazid heard the news of people's allegiance to Muslim b. 'Aqil and the lenience of Nu'man b. Bashir (the then governor of Kufa) towards them, appointed [[Ubayd Allah b. Ziyad]] (who was the governor of Basra) as the governor of Kufa, and ordered him to have Muslim b. Aqil killed. Finally, Muslim was arrested by ibn Ziad’s force and executed in the day of ‘Arafa.

According to historical reports, before execution Muslim who was worried about Imam al-Hussain made a will to [[Omar Ibn Sa’d|Umar b. Sa'd]] who was originally from Quraysh. The first will of Muslim b. 'Aqil was that 'Umar sends a person to Imam and stops him from coming to Kufa. In the station of [[Zubala]], the message of Muslim b. Aqil upon his [[martyrdom]] reached Imam.