Hussein is highly regarded by Shia Muslims because he refused to pledge allegiance to
Yazid I,
[6] the
Sunni Umayyad caliph because he considered the rules of the
Umayyads unjust.
[6] As a consequence, he left
Medina, his home town, and traveled to Mecca. There, the people of
Kufa sent letters to him, asking his help and pledging their allegiance to him. So he traveled to Kufa.
[7] There, his caravan was intercepted by Sunni troops. He was killed and beheaded in the
Battle of Karbala in 680 (61 AH) by
Shimr Ibn Thil-Jawshan, along with most of his family and companions.
[8] The annual memorial for him, his family, his children and his As'haab (companions) is called
Ashura (tenth day of Muharram) and is a
day of mourning for Shia Muslims.