Habib ibn Muzahir
Habib ibn Muzahir was of the Banu Asad clan and was a martyr in Karbala (List of Martyrs of Battle of Karbala).
Battle of Karbala
Habib heavily contributed in the Battle of Karbala. He fought with the third Shia Imam, Husayn ibn Ali against the forces of Yazid, led by Umar ibn Sa'ad. Umar ibn Sa'ad was the son of Sa'ad ibn Abi Waqqas, who introduced Islam in China during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan. Husayn's forces were heavily outnumbered. With a total number of 72 companions, Husayn's forces fought at least 40 000, of the enemy forces led by Umar ibn Sa'ad. Although, Husayn was given a chance to surrender himself and swear loyalty to Yazid, he always refused saying: "Yazid is a drunkard womanizer, who is unfit for leadership. I am the grandson of the messanger of Allah. A person like me does not surrender himself to a person like him. I am the heir of the messanger of Allah, and I deserve leadership more than anyone else".
Husayn's army was split into 3 sections, the left flank, the right flank and the Ahl al-bayt. The Ahl al-bayt section consisted of the Banu Hashim, i.e, the clan of Hashim. The Ahl al-Bayt, in that context, referred to anyone who was a descendent of Muhammad, the last Prophet of Islam. Ahl al-Bayt means People of the House in Arabic. Habib was given the duty of being in charge of the left flank of Husayn's army, despite the fact that he was 70 years old. It is said in the book 'Karbala and Ashura', by Ali Husayn Jalali, that Habib killed 62 of the enemy soldiers before being taken as captive by enemy forces and later on decapitated by a commander in the enemy forces called Shimr ibn Dhil-Jawshan. The Shia hold the belief that: it is not unusual for a man of who is 70 years old to kill 62 soldiers, if his faith (Iman) mounts to a very high level. It is apparant that an anti-Islamic website states that Husayn sacrificed his family and companions as well as himself in the pursuit of power. This is obviously not true, because if it was power he was after he would have surrendered himself to Yazid, in exchange for many estates, a lot of promised wealth and high statues. Husayn is greatly known for his loyalty to Islam, his great sacrifice and his little concern for power by most Muslims as well as many non-Muslims.
See also