The Effects of Close Companions in the Ashura Movement

The blood-drenched Ashura episode was certainly the most disgusting gesture that the Umayyads committed in history. There were two types of close companions of Imam al-Husayn, namely, those who gave preference to their transitory interests and kept aeay from this great movement, and those who sacrificed their lives and bravely supported Imam al-Husayn in the cause of Allah. A penetrating view of the personal traits and the contexts of both groups can well shed light on our path toward the future. In a word, the behavior of close companions exerted much influence on the masses around them.