A Review of the Reasons for Suleyman bin Surad’s Absence from Karbala

Suleyman bin Surad Khozaie was one of the prominent leaders of Iraqi Shi'ah and one of the close friends and companions of early Shi'ah Imams. He was present in most political events of the time; more specifically, he accompanied Imam Ali and Imam Hassan (PBUT) in their battles, having a good record in this respect. Although he was the forerunner in inviting Imam Hussein to Iraq, he was not present in Karbala. On his absence from Ashura incident, some views and probabilities have been presented, some of which will be reviewed in this paper. A realistic look at his performance can prepare the ground for cautionary readings of history, especially in regard with the role of the elite in determining the destiny of the history