War and Martyrdom as the Main Method: a new Analysis of the Reason for the Uprising of Imam Hossein (peace be upon him)

in this paper, by using the method of IBE, a theory as follows is proposed which can explain rationally and justifiably the method that Imam al-Huseyn (AS) chose for his movement: Imam Huseyn (AS) from the beginning of his movement chose to participate in war and seek martyrdom consciously and voluntarily as the major mean to reach his aim and used other means such as trying for government formation, negotiation with his enemies, and peacekeeping as the minor means to facilitate the major one. The paper is organized as follows: in the first part, after explaining IBE briefly, and making a necessary distinction between two notions of method and purpose, the most common and important rival theories explaining Imam al-Huseyn’s (AS) uprising will be introduced. Then, by introducing some theological and Hadith evidence, it will be shown that the suggested theory, compared to its rivals, is the best explanatory one. Moreover, the theory can produce a theological and rational explanation for a disagreement between two infallible Imams. Hence, belief in the truth of the suggested theory is rational and justified. In the final section, from a theological point of view, we will discuss four related subjects: why Imam al-Huseyn’s (AS) chosen method was the most effective and efficient; the legality of Imam’s method; the morality of Imam’s method; and whether people are religiously permitted to follow Imams’ method.